Here's my article for www.lovene.co.uk all about Healthy living in Newcastle....I loved writing it and hope you enjoy it.
An Alternative & Healthy Weekend in Newcastle
Today’s article is from another new guest poster, Stacey Smith who blogs over at Stacey’s Say. As you can see from Stacey’s website her posts are all to do with health and nutrition so it should come as no surprise that the topic of today’s article is healthy living. If you are on Twitter you call follow Stacey @stacey1smith
Stacey takes a look at and offers healthy alternatives to the typical weekend activities in Newcastle so if you fancy doing something this weekend but don’t fancy a hangover or a calorie overload then give this fantastic article a read and let us know what you think.
Friday
Its that Friday feeling! And yes you probably want to head to the nearest beer garden for that much needed pint… or 3.
But just wait, there is another option you know! Why not try a bit of exercise before you head home to fill up on good feeling endorphins, plus exercising make you less likely to choose unhealthy food options later on. Alcohol is a toxin, not an essential food group for the human body. Excess toxins cause weight gain and because alcohol is a mixture of carbohydrates, sugars and artificial ingredients its like a triple toxic whammy on the body! So heading to the gym it is.
Northern Pole Dance
Storm Fitness are brilliant they listen to what you really want, whether that be fat loss or muscle gain, they cater for your goals and you will be trained by the best professionals in the business with your very own personalised training programme. If you fancy a bit of fun, you can try Northern Pole Dance for a mixed abilities class 6-7pm. Before you smirk at pole dancing and think you will get caught re-enacting a scene from Coyote Ugly, its really hard, takes incredible core strength and you will feel like you’ve had a great workout by the time you’re done. You can also head to The Barre Studio, a mixture of ballet, pilates, resistance and core training, they work on strength training whilst elongating the muscles for a lean strong physique, its tough to say the least!
Alvinos
If you’re not tempted at all by exercise and you really do need a drink then head to Alvinos; they have 2 cocktails for £8.95 until the end of June. But be careful, cocktails are filled with sugar and unhealthy carbonated drinks, so ask for a Martini 75kcals, Vodka Soda Lime or Gin Soda Lime which comes in around 100kcal, a Mojito (ask for no sugar) with about 130kcals or a Manhattan 130kcal. Alternatively head to NE4 Cafe Bar for their roof top terrace and a half pint of beer which is around 85kcals.
If you find yourself celebrating a special occasion (like finishing work) head to the Silk Room Restaurant and Champagne Bar. 1 glass of champagne is around 85kcal, good enough reason to have a glass then! Also they do some really healthy dishes try their Asparagus, Roasted Garlic and Broad Bean Risotto or Steamed Fillet of Seabass, with Mussels, Prawns, Squid and Pesto Gnocchi.
If you’re making dinner yourself, try and aim for some white fish oven baked with lemon, dill and black pepper, serve with steamed green beans and broccoli with brown rice. Or for the vegetarians and vegans out there, try rice pasta or courgette pasta with sundried tomato, olive, basil sauce.
Saturday
If you fancy a challenge and something a bit different, why not try a Park Run, a FREE 5km race every Saturday at 9am. Park Runs are a fantastic well supported event and all UK based ones set off at 9am every Saturday, there are 17 locations in the North East so you’re not limited on choice, there is even one on the Town Moore and they always get a brilliant turn out. All you have to do is register online, and off you go, results will be posted later that day on the website. Don’t be put off and think you’re going to be lapped by Mo Farah wannabes, attendees range from Club runners at the front to Mammies with pushchairs at the back. Set yourself a time and see if you can beat it each week.
Yogalillies
If that sounds a bit too much for a Saturday morning, head to Yogalillies, for a more relaxing Yoga & Pilates class, the instructors are lovely and make you feel really comfortable so there is no embarrassment here when you fail to do a ‘dog head down.’ After all this hard work its time to refuel! It’s really important to refuel quickly after exercise. The quicker you get fuel in, the better the body responds and recovers. Head to Naked Deli in Heaton for a spot of brunch, they cater for gluten & dairy allergies, clean & paleo diets, vegans and vegetarians. Choose things such as their wonderful juices, protein drinks, salads, vegan raw desserts and they even have a brunch menu.
If your feeling like you can’t stomach a meal right now with all this exercise try Clean and Press juice bar in Jesmond. The G1 juice is one of their most popular, add vegetable protein powder into it for a added boost to recover after exercise.
Parklands Mini Golf Course
For Saturday afternoon if you don’t fancy shopping (2 hours of shopping burns about 300 calories) or a walk on the beach (hold off on the Mr Whippy). Head to Parklands 18 hole Mini Golf Course at Newcastle Race Course £4.00 for adults and £2.75 for children under 13.
For some afternoon tea head to Tea Sutra Teahouse, where you can unwind and relax, no WiFi here so you can escape from the chaos. They serve tea leaves from all around the world, and also serve vegetarian and vegan food. A little haven in the bustling streets of Newcastle.
For dinner there’s some great choices in Newcastle for healthy meals. Choose from Gusto or Babucho’s who both have separate healthy eating menus. Its fantastic to see Newcastle really jumping on board with people looking after themselves.
Sachins Restaurant
Indian food is one the easiest cuisines to choose when eating healthy and looking after yourself, head to Sachins, and order their goan chingni, murgh kashmiri or kabli channa. All beautifully made and they cater for all allergies, vegetarians and vegans. With any Indian food if you’re watching your weight stay away from the deep fat fried appetisers and dishes filled with creams such as the English take on Tikka Masala and aim for more authentic Indian cuisine. Sachins is an authentic Indian restaurant so you won’t find a Tikka Masala in sight!
If you’re a hardcore vegetarian or vegan, try the Painted Elephant, a quirky little place. Go for the Marrakesh Market dish which is gluten free, they pride themselves on being Newcastle’s first plant based restaurant, these dishes are packed full of flavour, and you wont feel deprived from meat at all. As a vegan myself, starting out was a little tricky, but now I like to think I know all the tricks of the trade. Eating out should be no dilemma for vegans, especially in Newcastle!
For a spot of vino, head to the Vineyard on Grey Street. Red wine contains lots of antioxidants and some studies show benefits for heart health, even Paula Radcliffe would have a glass every night when in training but that doesn’t mean you can consume 2 bottles though, one glass of wine is around 180kcals.
Sunday
I always associate Sundays with family time and fry ups. But think twice before you inhale a ‘big daddy sausage, bacon, hash brown sarnie’ coming in at around 800kcal, most of this from fats. Can I suggest other healthier options which wont leave you reaching for the heartburn tablets.
- Poached egg, spinach, roasted tomatoes and mushrooms with wholegrain toast.
- Porridge filled with nuts, seeds and berries.
- Avocado on toasted Rye bread.
- Smoked salmon, scrambled egg and wholegrain toast.
- Banana smoothie, with almond butter and almond milk.
Peddling Squares Cafe
So a family bike ride is in order! Head to the River Tyne, where there is a cycle path stretching from Prudhoe all the way through Newcastle to the coast. Make sure you pop into Peddling Squares in Swawell, its a cycling enthusiasts cafe/bar. Such a great find, decorated in all things Tour De France, Sir Chris Hoy and Sir Bradley Wiggins. They sell lots of cycling gear, plus lots of great food (some dishes are not the healthiest and yes you can have a full blown fry up here if you really want to) try their more healthier Ciabattas, the roasted red pepper and hummus is lovely!
If you want some alone time, then head to the beach…..no not for fish and chips! For David Fairlamb’s Fitness Beach Bootcamp, you’ll be whipped into shape by this man. Burpees, sand dune runs, and press ups come to mind. All fun though…in a strange way. If that sounds too much like Sargent Major to you, head to Clubbercise, a new aerobics class with a twist, in a darkened room, bring out the glow sticks, UV paint and DJ Scooter, you’ll sweat buckets without realising, burn tonnes of calories and its so fun!
Clubbercise
Dance moves will rival those on the Big Market, but you wont have to consume Jagerbombs and deal with the horrific hangover the next day. These classes have just burst on to the scene up and down the country and are set to become the next new fitness craze, there’s one on a Sunday at 4pm at Springfield Community Centre.
A Sunday Roast is obviously a must to most people. I don’t particularly like them anymore, but I know its tradition for most people. Be a little wary of Sunday Lunches, I hate to spoil the fun but most dinners are quite unhealthy and pack around 1000kcal.
Meats such as Beef, Lamb and Pork have a high fat content and because they are normally roasted over a long time in their own fat, it means that there’s nowhere else for the fat to go other than your belly. Cooking methods such as grilling or poaching are far healthier, and chose leaner meats such as Turkey or Chicken. Roasted Potatoes, Parsnips and Carrots are all roasted in heaps of fat, whether that be vegetable, butter, goose fat, olive or lard, this is also the case for Yorkshire Puddings. All those usually healthy vegetables full of nutrients have now absorbed large amounts of fat, and a lot of restaurants also put butter,fat and oils all over the peas,green beans and broccoli so be weary of that too. Then the mashed potato normally is packed full of cream and butter. So you thought you had a healthy dinner, when in actually fact its quite the opposite. The best option is to make it at home from scratch, where you know what you have put in your meal. Refrain from soaking everything in fat, steam all your vegetables, hold on the Yorkshires, bake sweet potatoes in a little olive oil, and roast a chicken.
So there you have it, a weekend of being healthy in Newcastle is easy! Come Monday morning you’ll be feeling a lot better about yourself, no hangovers or bloated bellies in sight.
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