The Don's Meddle

I have been very comfortable lately, as you can tell from the piccie below.  It is fine, life changes, people change, we loose focus and determination and then we pick it back up again and move forwards. Life is never perfect, easy, we have to strive hard and as my Dad used to say if you don't put in 100% why are you expecting to get it in return, smart man my Dad! So yes, I was exercising, training at the gym and probably following the 80/20 rule.  Which meant I got a bit relaxed and the ratio was probably 70/30.  That means 30% of the time I wasn't concentrating on eating proper healthy foods, allowing snacks to creep back in, wine to flow and our new cheeseboards we got used very well.  I don't see that I have failed, I have just taken a little detour.  For me putting on 8kgs is a big (pun intended) thing.  I have always been actions speak louder than words kinda gal and feel like I haven't been walking my walk lately.  So no more ratios just hone...

So, it is one more sleep until Maxine's Challenge commences.  This challenge appeared on my Facebook wall on a day where I was thinking to myself, "I really need to plan out my training to achieve the goals I have set!  I had started a couple months ago but got a little side tracked when I tore the meniscus in my left knee, lost my fitness mojo and my fitness goals went to the back of my mind... you know the usual Excuses: it is winter, red wine is best consumed under a nice warm blanket... with cheese. haha. Gotta love life. In saying that I have also quit sugar for the past five weeks. Doing well there, so awesome being in control, no fructose for me! I have been checking out Ryderwear for a while now and love love love this outfit, so cute and would be great for hanging out down the beach/walks in summer ....... gotta love SUMMER shorts. http://www.ryderwear.com.au/white-v-split-tank.html So feeling good about this challenge, have some friends who are keen to kick ass...

Today is Stress Down Day . Hopefully most of you who read this won't need to call Lifeline, but I hope that you can recognise the signs of stress and just how much stress we are under these days is increasing.   We are getting more stressed and really do need to stop and talk to our family and friends more to find out what is happening in people's lives.  Putting your head in the sand and hoping problems go away is NOT healthy and talking to someone is the smart thing to do, it is always hard to admit you need help, some struggle with asking others for help. A big part of my passion for health and fitness is TOTAL well-being.  I am a big believer of homeostasis, being balanced, well and complete.  We all have our issues and some might seem smaller than what others are going through but I believe it is still YOUR well-being that needs to be looked after.  Lifeline do a newspoll and the facts are very interesting (full report here ) and it show's that...

Some of us have seriously forgotten how to think, or research information that we need to and come to our own conclusions, we seemed to do it well at school and uni (some of us better than others).  We seem to rely on Internet, media tabloids and people who claim to be health/fitness experts instead of our guts to tell us to eat this, not that and do this, not that... some guidance is always helpful but does it make sense to you? Or do you just nod along like those dogs you get in the taxi cabs in Britain? Why do we STILL follow the "healthy food" pyramid and have high rates of diseases, especially for those who actually follow the pyramid closer than others? What do you truly believe we need to do to make our nation/world healthier? Yes there is SO much information out there but if you really stop and think about it, the answer is always simple. KISS. Keep It Simple Silly or Stupid.  I do not believe in coincidences.  We have problems with mental illness, disease, we ...

So for me it has been #thirtydays no sugar so far.   I will not lie and say I have been 100% refined sugar free because that would be a big fat lie.   I have had a couple pieces of licorice, ate a highly over processed hot dog at the Man United game Saturday night and used *Dolmio’s pasta sauce last night to cook spag bog (gasps).    I have NOT however had soft drink, lollies, ice-cream, cake, chocolate of any kind (80% free, still has 20% sugar in it... DOH), light milk or light/sugar/fat free products. Life isn’t meant to be perfect and either is this challenge. Yes I eat fruit, love my fruit and try and have 1-2 pieces a day, I love the taste of fresh strawberries, blueberries, mandarins, melons etc and if that is my only   intake of fructose then I am pretty happy!!   This challenge is about being in control of the food that goes into my mouth and learning from the trials and error of changing the foods I eat.   So no I don’t see that I...

    We have all been there, training mad like 6 days a week and sometimes two training sessions a day. WTF?!   Wondering why we don't make any progress, why our bodies are so sore and just cannot seem to get the energy to function.  How on earth do you expect your body to recover, repair and get stronger/leaner/awesomeness if you keep on stressing it (that is what exercise does) day in and out... your body will keep adding to your fat stores and you won't make any progress because it has NO idea what you are trying to do. Simple, less is more.   You cannot out train a bad diet. If you have been BAD this week with food, doing a hundred classes won't fix it.  You need to get back into eating properly. Fuel your body with the right foods that will get you back on track. Then add some exercise.   Food first Exercise second Rest days should be happening regularly Do you plan your training schedule against your goals or just wing it?   T...

Tonight I attended a talk by Sarah Wilson at Flow Athletica in Paddington.  Awesome gym you should check it out if you live that way :) I am looking forward to my free class as there wasn't enough SW books to go around.  So I am still buzzing from the talk, not because I learnt anything new as such it was more about the clarification of reading and research I have been doing over the last year or so on fats, sugars and how they work in the body and what the BODY actually needs and what it definitely doesn't.   So whilst the boy screams at the TV hoping the Blues will win (they seem to be dropping the ball and lots of mistakes, especially at a certain crap player called Pearce - insert expletives here...) I thought I would get on here and bash out some information on quitting sugar and how this talk has made me feel very content and happy about my decision to quit sugar. YES peoples quitting fructose.  Some of you might know that I haven't had sugar for ab...

Noisy people need to mind their own business. I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. Michael Jordan When you are setting out to achieve your own goals you really have to shut out all the white noise that surrounds you.   Now I have never been one of the quiet achievers, I am a huge extrovert (noo way I hear you say) who likes to share my stories with anyone that will listen (“hi lamp post, how you going”?).   What I have learnt from doing many “challenges” in my time is that people will always want you to fail or f*ck up to make them feel better about themselves. Obviously not ALL people are like that, and many of your friends, family and work buddies will be supportive, but there are the haters, the ones who will fight you nail and tooth about the challenge you are doing and you ...

Gave a chocolate mousse with avocado recipe a go on the weekend... oh my god it tasted awful.  I think I needed more avocado and less cacao, it was so so bitter, plus I didn't have a proper beater to use, the hand held beater just made the ingredients fly everywhere, so smashed it with a fork. It tasted creamy and couldn't taste the avocado, getting used to the strength of cacao v cocoa powder!   Followed this link but only used 1/2 the ingredients and no sweetner.  You should of seen the look on my face, Drew pissed himself laughing at my reaction to my proud creation (as he ate apple pie and ice cream)! Classic... So a glass of red for dessert it was.    I haven't used Stevia before and wondering if this would make the mousse taste a little better. Will have to keep trying until I find a mix that suits me.  It just need a little something.  I went to Dr Earth on Friday night and purchased the cacao and also some coconut flour (pancakes anyone)...

So I cannot count... today is actually Day 20 without sugar (not 19 like my head thought). I am amazed at how well I have done. I must admit after talking to a few people and reading comments seems I didn't consume that much sugar in my daily intake as some people do (except those days when I could easily do my weekly intake in an hour, gulp, natural confectionery anyone?). How am I feeling? Good, because I have eliminated something that wasn't a big part of my daily nutrition, I only had lollies or chocolate here and there as opposed to having lattes, soft drinks, sugars in tea/coffee, white bread and diet products (FULL of sugar) like some people are in the habit of doing I am sure I would be feeling much worse.   I did have a headache for a few days and a bit grumpy in the first week but since then I haven't had any cravings, I have probably eaten more rye bread than I normally do but feeling in control and starting to see the benefits - a couple kgs down on the s...

Last night I made Chocolate Custard. Sugar Free. It was so creamy, silky smooth and had no sugar in it. I love cream, fresh cream, always have. Dash in my coffee now and then or with a chocolate tart or apple pie back in the day before #50daysnosugar (I know only Day 18...). So I hear most of you FREAK about CREAM and the FAT... I would prefer to eat fat then fat free or sugar free crapola foods., because it is a less processed food rich in goodness. Read the stats below if you dare.  Organic cream is also good if you can purchase it (fancy pants stores mainly, sometimes Coles/Woolies).  I used 150g cream last night (150mls).  This made enough for two desserts.. so for those calorie conscious peoples it wasn't that high really - add two egg yolks. Scrumptious.  The breakdown was 288calories, 3g carbs, 27g fat, 8g protein, 7g calcium, 2g sugar. Yummmmy.  I felt so full (fat/protein) and was very content.  Was within my daily fat allo...

Moving your body is good for you. The key is to finding exercise fun is to make it something that YOU enjoy.   You don’t have to do marathons, hot yoga or lift huge weights if you DON’T enjoy it.   I always say give something a crack and see how you go, but that is just me.   Do you like dancing, walking, swimming, rock climbing, and handstands? Maybe you prefer to take the dog for a walk and swim on the beach a few mornings a week.   As long as your heart & lungs get a workout and your muscles/tendons pulling against the bone (resistance) type movements a couple times a week you are doing pretty darn good & your body, mind will thank you.   Getting the blood pumping and a bit of sweat on your brow will make you feel alive, so find the time to do it and don’t make it a chore, because it is something YOU enjoy.   The key to being healthy and fit is a healthy mindset and lifestyle.   Eat healthy wholesome foods majority of the t...

Feeling great - sleeping well, eating delicious foods & training well. My only gripe is my skin is breaking out/pimples around my mouth .... hormonal change in response to no sugar perhaps?   Breakfast today is chocolate & strawberry protein pancakes! Yum. Blend oats, water, two eggs, choc protein powder & dash full cream milk - fry up in coconut oil & slice strawberries on top.   So so good. After a big boxing session this morning I needed a good solid breakfast.  Bring on a great week!    

As you know I started the #50daysnosugar a week early, to get on top of it and be prepared for this week, 1 July commencement date - you can still start now!   So after a week of NOT eating any sugar as per the guidelines I have lost 1.1kg and 3cm (2cm off waist and 1cm off hips).    Very happy with those results as last week I managed to kind of swap sugar for high carb bread/pasta and did have a mini cheese marathon on Sunday prior to the official start date on Monday (cutting out all high processed carbs such as white bread, pasta and limiting to cheese to now and then with the crackers).   Read this on the web this morning and it rang true to me.  So I thought I would share on my blog post today: “A winner never quits and a quitter never wins” think about the times in your life you have really succeeded at a personal goal. Changes are you focused on it with intent, shutting out distractions and doubt. Focus is knowing what matters t...

Showing my age now but everytime I say sugar free, the song from 1987 -   Wa Wa Nee pops into my head.  I actually saw them last year at the Enmore, pretty good for an 80's pop band.. oh Rick Astley was there too. Took me back to being a teenager where I consumed lots of sugar. haha. So am listening to the song now on You Tube as I type this. Classic. I crack myself up. So what does sugar free mean to me?  Not the over-processed products out in the supermarket that claim to be "sugar-free" which are full chemicals to say they are "sugar free".... (oh my love and me....flashbacks to mullets).  Sugar free to me is choosing food that has been less processed, the food we consume daily that hasn't been overly processed or had refined sugar added to get to your table.  Unless you grow it or kill it yourself, your food has been processed in some way to get your friendly grocer.  Eating sugar free is choosing products that have had minimal to no processing so th...