by Annie Vischer
Though she’s now a San Fran resident, Valerie Orsoni was born and raised in Corsica. As a young adult she found she was overweight, hardly surprising when you consider that her father was a brilliant chef. Deciding to do something about it, she based her eating around healthy, balanced and most importantly delicious meals and an active lifestyle. Her success was so great that first family, friends then strangers were keen for her help. Enter LeBootCamp.com, Valerie’s online coaching network which now guides over 1.2 million people worldwide.
Fairly impressive right? Best of all her tricks of the trade have been jotted down in LeBootCamp Diet (£9.99) for us all to dive into. The regime isn’t daunting. Take the fitness aspect, Valerie said she could never be ‘someone who sits down, goes to a box to exercise, then comes back and sits down’. Instead she incorporates fitness into her everyday life, religiously. She walks anywhere she can, takes the stairs always, and pulls in her tummy automatically every time she walks through a door. She doesn’t even have to think about it. And according to her that tightens tummies more than any amount of crunches will!
LeBootCamp Diet programme is split into four phases – Detox, Attach, Booster and Maintenance, with plans and recipes to match.
The more you read it, the more doable, enjoyable, and logic you realise it is. It’s highly addictive, and a thoroughly recommended read.
We’ll be featuring more tips and tricks from the book in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out! In the mean time here are some recipes from the Booster phase to whet your appetite.
Raw Chia Seed Pudding
Serves 4
Preparation 15 min, plus 2 hours
Ingredients
125g cashew nuts
250ml water
3tbsp honey (raw and organic)
1tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla pod
1/4 tsp sea salt
100g chia seeds
1 – Place all ingredients, except for the chia seeds, in a blender and blend to a creamy consistency. (Do not put the seeds in the blender or they will turn to mush).
2 – Place the chia seeds in a serving bowl and pour the creamy mixture over them, stirring them with a fork.
3 – Cover and leave to stand for 2 hours (not in the fridge). Spoon into individual ramekins and serve at room temperature.
Flat Tummy Boost
Serves 1
Preparation 5 min
Ingredients
180ml almond milk
2 sprigs fresh mint
3 ice cubes
1 pinch matcha green tea powder
1 tsp agave nectar
1 – Combine all the ingredients in your blender and whizz together. Drink immediately.