Joe Wicks Knives and Chopping Boards

I am entering the last few days of Cycle 2 and once again I have fully enjoyed the challenges that I have faced the last 30 days. As mentioned in my the last blog my arms are not as strong as they probably could be. When I started the resistance workouts, I was only lifting 1.5kg dumbbells per arm. I progressed up to 2kg and now I’m lifting 3kg dumbbells weights per arm. Somehow I don't think I’ll be trying out for the Great Britain Olympic team next time around, but I am pleased with my achievement and hope to be lifting more soon. Thankfully I have reached a stage in the plan that friends and family have started to notice a difference in my figure. Not just through weight loss but also from the improvement in my skin and energy, this is mainly due to the large amount of water I drink every day. This is obviously great but the biggest difference I have found myself is that I don’t miss sugary foods like cake and biscuits and find that I am not easily tempted by them.

My Picks this Week

The last couple of weeks I have been using the Joe Wicks 3 Piece Knife Prep Set and the Chopping Board with Food Tray. Both have been essential for preparing ingredients ready for cooking on a daily basis.

The 3 Piece Knife Prep Set includes a 3.5 inch paring knife with a green and grey rubberised handle, a 5 inch serrated knife with a blue and grey rubberised handle and also a 6 inch chef’s knife with a pink and grey rubberised handle. My favourite knife from this set that I used the most was the 3.5 inch paring knife. The blade is the perfect size for cutting and slicing mushrooms, tomatoes and onions and accurately slicing small and softer vegetables and meat. The thin slimline blade easily cuts through a variety of foods without tearing unnecessarily. The rubberised handle provide a really firm grip and the curved design of the handle is comfortable to use.

The Small Chopping Board with Food Tray features a really cool and useful design. At the back of the wooden chopping board is an orange silicone food tray so collecting chopped ingredients in ready for the pan. The orange silicone tray can be removed and taking over to a pan for easily adding to your cooking. Alternatively you could use the tray to collect food waste like seeds and skins from vegetables ready to be transported to the food waste bin. Both the 3 Piece Knife Prep Set and the Small Chopping Board with Food Tray benefit from a 90 day money back guarantee so if you are not happy with either of the products they are covered by the 90 day money back guarantee. 

We’re now quickly nearing the end of Cycle 2 of the plan. I can definitely say I’m looking forward to starting the third and final cycle. The past 30 days have gone by quite quickly and it is hard to believe we are almost two thirds through the plan already. I’ve found Cycle 2 to be a challenge. In the previous blog post I mentioned that the exercises were stepping up in intensity and that has been the case. I’ve still been using many of the recipes from Cycle 1, although with the addition of some of the new ones from Cycle 2 for variety. I’ve tried a new smoothie recipe and have switched between that and the previous one I was using – again, for a bit of variety. 

With Cycle 2 exercises using weights, I have found that the biggest challenge initially was finding the correct weight to be using. I initially started out quite low, but after finding that was not pushing me enough, I have upped the weights that I am using and they are now hard going, so I think I’m at the point where I am using the correct weight. With regards to how successful I am finding the plan to be.

I will be taking measurements at the end of this cycle and comparing against the previous measurements. Though the plan advises keeping off the scales, I have weighed myself a few times and I may well have put on some weight since starting the plan. However, given that I’m doing weight workouts and eating plenty of protein. I’m hoping this is mainly due to a bit of extra muscle. Taking the measurements should tell me if that’s the case or not! With only around another 30 days to go, I’m now starting to reflect on some of the goals that I had in mind at the start of the 90 days, and whether I have seen the difference I was hoping for, as well as considering what aspects of the plan I will continue with. My main concerns when starting the plan were to improve my overall health and fitness, as well as my diet. I wanted to lose a few inches from my stomach, build more lean muscle and increase my cardio fitness. I do feel like I have achieved aspects of all three at the moment, which is a positive outlook going into the final cycle. In particular, I’ve noticed a difference in my recovery and overall fitness levels when playing hockey.

Matt’s Pick of the Week

Knives & Chopping Board

I’ve been really impressed with both the Joe Wicks knife set and the chopping board. I’ve mentioned in previous posts that I’m quite messy in the kitchen, and the same goes for chopping. I’m particularly bad at moving ingredients from chopping board to pan. The addition of the food tray is ideal as it means I’m able to chop my ingredients, remove the tray and easily transfer to the pan. It can also be used to hold food waste which can then be transferred to the compost, both with a lot less spillage. 

I’ve also been using the 3 Piece Knife Set and have been really pleased with the quality of the knives. The 6” chef's knife is now my go-to for most kitchen tasks. It has a comfortable grip and feels good to handle. It’s light enough to use without feeling at all flimsy, and has a good sharp blade. The other two knives in the set are also incredibly useful. Together the set can handle the majority of food prep tasks – representing great value for money.