Tick Tock Tick Tock

" I haven't got time!"
" Where's the time gone?"
" Have you SEEN my to do list?"
"I've got too much to do!"
" How could I fit anything else in?"

I've said these and even sung the song more times than I care to remember.  As mum to 4 children, being parttime kinder teacher and wife to a cat breeding/showing,  full time working husband, time is a precious resource in this house!  There is a rare day when my to do list for the day is less than 15 separate items.

And then I decided to change my life and get healthy and fit.  Which meant slotting in time to cook (no fast food!) AND time to workout!! BUT I HAD NO TIME!

But hang on....I had time to sit on Facebook.  I had time to watch TV for the greater part of the night.  I had time to catchup with friends for coffee several times a week. I had time to wander around the shops for no particular reason. I had time to read books while waiting for the kids to finish their sports.

Hmmmm.

As it turns out, every single person has the same amount of time every day.  24 hours. 1440 minutes.  86400 seconds.  We all get the same. What makes the difference is what we DO with it.

I chose to get organised.  I wrote down everything on a calendar, kids sports, other obligations and my workouts.

  I learned to spot opportunites. Waiting for the 60 minute footy/cricket/gymnastics training to finish? Run laps around the oval or around the facility. Stuck at home?  Pop one of Mish's DVDs on.

I got organised with my own time.  I looked ahead. I need to fit in 6 workouts a week. Work meeting coming up on Tuesday night?  Go to bed early on Monday night, get up an hour earlier Tuesday morning and smash it out then. Need to go in early on Thursday?  Move a gym workout to the night or do one at home after work. Got appointments to keep? Walk to them or break your workout up into 30 minute bursts...and do one lot in the morning and one at night. I PLAN AHEAD.

I still get time to window shop, read, meet up with my friends but I'm more efficient at making time work for me.  I can truly say I don't waste time unless I want to and I am rarely heard to say now I NEED MORE TIME!

Time is not an excuse. You have the choice in what you do with your time for the most part. It's up to you what you do with it.  And let me tell you, if you don't have time to do something positive about your health now, then you'd better get organised to have time to be in hospital and to be sick....and I'm damn sure that will take more than just 1 hour a day!

IT'S ALL UP TO YOU!  YOU GET TO CHOOSE!

So will you?  Will you make the time for a healthier, stronger you?

Week 12 Reflection

That's right!  I have finished the last 12 week challenge but next week I start all over again :)  Another 12 weeks of plans, good food and achieving!

Menu plans

Another good week, don't think I have had one bad week where I disliked the food!  The favourite for me this week was the pumpkin, chickpea and chicken korma.  The junior masterchefs not so impressed with the chickpeas and Mr 11 who detests pumpkin with a passion did say " This carrot tastes good mum" HAHAHAAAA! It's all how you slice it my friend...... Regardless....thumbs up from me and no judgement from the junior masterchefs.

Had one of my favourite breakfasts too...coucous, yoghurt and cinnamon apple...YUM  and Troy was most taken with the rare roast beef sandwich with beetroot and horseradish cream for lunch.

I'm looking forward to seeing what come up in the meal plans in the next 12 weeks.  I'm sure there will be similarities but there'll be a few new ones too!

Exercise Plans

 This weeks plans again similar to the last few weeks but I can really see the difference! The weights were getting easier so I upped a few of them on the lat machine, barbell chest press and the leg press. Felt tired this week so looking forward to scaling back a bit next week.  I'll be adjusting my style a little too and concentrating on fast up and slow down movements with all the weights.....make those muscles work harder!

Looking back through my workout diary I noticed the following increases in some of my weights:
Triceps with cable and rope: 23 kg to 27 kg
Tricep pushups 12 to 30
Bicep curls with barbell: 15kg to 25kg
Barbell squats: 35-45 kg
Chest press with dumbbells: 6kg to 9kg
Chest press with barbell: 15 kg to 30 kg
donkey calf raises: 90kg-109 kg

This is by no means an exhaustive list but I love seeing how I've become stronger as just this short amount of time goes by.  I can see where I need to work harder or where I can up my weights.

Weekly Surprise and SSS

The SSS is yet to be done but I can't wait!  It's an Olympic series of events....looks MAD and a hard cardio workout but way fun!  There's Pole vault, 100m hurdles, 100 m sprint, 3000 m steeplechase, shot put, 400 m sprint, long jump, 1500 m run and a gymnastics routine...all using regular gym exercises!

The weekly surprise was a pop quiz which da dah DAAAAH!  I got 100%  Go me!

Another little surprise which becomes a starting point for next round was.....I went for a DEXA scan.

http://www.bodyscan.com.au/

It was approximately half an hour for the scan and the consultation. The scan itself took 3 mins of me lying perfectly still on a table while a machine moved all around me taking my 'picture'.  It wasn't enclosed so no claustrophobia!

After the 3 minutes , the results were printed up and are as follows:
I am 49 kgs
I have above average bone density (YAY!)
I have 39kgs of fat free mass which puts me in the acceptable range ( YAY)
I have 10 kgs of fat mass which puts me in lean, just above the athlete range ( TRIPLE YAY!)
I have an accurate indication of my Basal metabolic rate and how many calories I should consume to reach my goals. 

And the best bit...you get a pretty picture!  Yellow= Fat mass, Red/pink= lean muscle mass and blue = bones.

Finally my friends...for you, about you. Thanks for hanging along with me :) You've made it through this change and supported each other.  You are SUPER AWESOME!

 

 

Labels

" I can't run"
" I've always been big"
" I'm big boned"
" I have no self discipline"
" I'm too unfit"
Or the big one......

What about some others?

" There's no point, I don't matter."
" I'm too ugly"
" I'll just fail...I'm a failure"
" I've had 1,2,3,4 etc kids"
" I can't do it."

and one I've heard..." I'm bad at maths , I can't count calories."

Everything you say about yourself, to yourself, is a label. And labels are what we use to define things, in this case, ourselves.

Where do we get these labels?  Usually from someone else.  It could be what you heard when you were growing up, or from friends or colleagues or from that complete cow in grade 7 who thought she was it and a bit.  It could be from what we see in all sorts of media.

These labels shape who we are to a large degree.  What we think about ourselves is what we become. How many times have we used the I'm a chocoholic/hormonal line to eat our bodyweight in chocolate?

Here's a new thought.... ALL LABELS ARE EXCUSES!

Every single thing you say about yourself is an excuse.
 I can't lose weight because my whole family is big/ I'm big boned.  RUBBISH. Whether due to cultural reasons or otherwise, just because your whole family is big doesn't mean you can't eat and live healthily and just SEE how much is 'genetic' bigness.
And as for big boned?

I can't run, I'm not a runner.  RUBBISH.  Got 2 legs and a heartbeat?  Hell, you don't even need two legs!

I have no self discipline.....well thats a CHOICE you make.  Why is saying NO so hard?

I'm too unfit.....RUBBISH.  Everyone starts somewhere....the important thing is to just get up and DO IT!

I've had kids....well so what?  So have I!  And I'm down to my marriage weight PRE children.  Children are precious, they do not deserve to be the excuse for your extra few kilos.

What about the others?  The soul destroying ones. The ones that crush your spirit and leave a stain on your mind.  Too ugly.  Useless. Failure. Pointless.  Well I ask you...in whose opinion?  And who the hell are they to pass such judgement?  Are they perfection personified?  It's just another form of insidious bullying that sinks in deep to the bone and that you perpetuate in yourself, whenever you think to try something new.  And it is a hard hard job to rid yourself of that stain and to be honest, I still have the shadows of those stains myself that sap away my confidence and power.


But you know what I like about labels?

LABELS CAN BE REMOVED AND CHANGED!

There is noone else but YOU. You are not your mother, father, sister, brother, school friend, teacher, magazine, TV show, school mums, or anyone else who has said something to create your definition of you. You are YOU and noone else.  So why not make your own definition?

I am STRONG!

I am HEALTHY!

I am DETERMINED!

I CAN DO IT!

It takes time to change labels.  Some labels are extra sticky and take a lot of concentrated effort to peel off and replace. But remember you are what you THINK you are.  So why not be awesome instead?  Why not have people say to you " WOW!"  Make them sit up and take notice! 

BECAUSE

'Nuff said ;)

 

.

Week 11 Reflection

Started off GREAT and has ended with an Ow......and an unofficial nomination for the most Inspirational Person.

Menu plans

This week was FULL of deliciousness and the inner Scotsman inside me was VERY appreciative of the huge bowl of hot porridge for breakfast a couple of times this week!  Sweetened with grated apple and a little cinnamon....it was the breakfast that kept me going for hours and hours.  One of the best.  I was, however, alone in my love for porridge......

Dinner wise it was good but we deviated a little on Friday night with a guest over for dinner.  We made Home made Split pea and ham soup in the slow cooker so yes, the house did smell like fart for most of the day but it tastes SOOO GOOD! Especially with this freezing rainy weather we've been having and only 97 cals a serve.  Plenty of calories left over for the toasted turkish bread and a sneaky drinky!

Have to say lunches were good too but I cannot make a wrap to save my life, without it all falling apart.  So now I just have a 'wrap salad' as in all the filling is made into a salad and I have the wrap bread on the side ;)

Exercise plans

Another week of hard and heavy and this week was much easier than last week.  Unfortunately though, during our Friday morning workout, I noticed my right shoulder was a little sore.  After today's SSS it is a big pain.  Resting it for the rest of today and tomorrow and taking it easier on shoulders next week to see if that helps.  I've been pretty happy to have made it this far before having any trouble at all!

Here's some photos this time....my gorgeous husband Troy took his camera along for some progress shots on Fridays workout...Back, shoulders, triceps and biceps.

The first shot is wonky!  I'm too short and had to stand on the seat to reach the bar to pull down to start.  Normally Troy does it for me but he was otherwise engaged...so this is me trying to get my seat sorted!
Lat pulldown drop set 36 kilos immediately followed by 30 kilos.

 The X Men move!  Mid Cable reverse flys with 9 kilo weights either end. Note to self... Love, you've lost a lot of cms around your waist, hips and butt.....BUY SOME NEW GYM PANTS....YOU GOT SAGGY WRINKLY BUTT PANTS!

 Cursed shoulder presses...another drop set.  I only did 7.5 kilo dumbbells then immediately down to 4 kilos.  Could feel my shoulder starting to pinch around about here.

A favourite...hammer curls with 6 kg dumbbells.  This was followed by bicep curls with a 15 kg barbell

 Hands down favourite move...one leg french presses with a 9 kg dumbbell

So just a few progress shots!

SSS and weekly challenge

Today's SSS workout was card playing again.  A different exercise for each suit, all royals = burpees.  There were a LOT of royals in the first half of the pack! I love this workout though, for all the despair whenever I turned over another royal card.  It's fun, it is something different all the time....if you shuffle the pack well enough LOL..... and a great cardio boost!  This is definitely something I will do on days I can't get to gym or I'm away on holidays.  A take anywhere type of thing!

The weekly challenge was to nominate an inspirational member. But what I really wanted to do was nominate Troy.  So here's my unofficial nomination for Troy.

Troy is the most patient man in the world. Not only does he work fulltime, study parttime, coach junior footy and find time for me and our 4 children but he gets up at 5 am with me to go workout or goes to bed at 10 pm with me after a workout.  He does his sets and even though he's worked hard, he still spots me, and corrects my technique. 
When I get the munchies, he's there to talk me down from the Mars bar, and to talk up a yoghurt or nut snack. Which is exactly what I wanted to eat as it turned out.
He drives me to funruns here there and everywhere, watches the kids while I run and has started competing himself. He is positive, and gentle when I need it, when I'm hitting that wall and feeling not good enough ( far too often), he gives me a leg up to get over it.
Working out doing the Lean and Strong program has not just toughened our minds, cleaned up our eating and worked our bodies but it has deepened the respect and love for each other we share, shined up and rejuvenated our marriage and now it feels WAY weird for either of us to do a workout without the other.
Troy if I could I'd give you a medal and a big cheque.  I'd write how inspirational you are to me to keep going and not disappoint you or myself in the stars for all the world to see. But since I can't do any of those, I have a pic of you below and my deepest love for the rest of our lives.  I cannot ever thank you enough, even if I lived for a thousand years.

I think all us Awesome people need someone AWESOME in our lives.....who is your AWESOME person?

So whose fault is it?

Let's play a game......it's called...

The rules are simple.  Find anything you don't like in your life and the reason behind it....but it must NEVER be your fault!

I'll take healthy living for 100 points.

I gained weight because I was unhappy.  And that was my parent's fault for everything that did or did not happen as a child, my children's fault for the stress they put me under, my husband's fault because I was lonely after moving interstate, my friends' fault for not calling.

I ate a lot of chocolate because it's my parent's fault for giving me sweet stuff all the time when I was a child, everyone's fault because I was unhappy and the dog's fault because if I took him for a walk it took me past the shop where I would buy the chocolate.

I ate a lot of fast food because it was Maccas fault for being cheap, and it was everyones fault for making me too tired to be bothered to cook.  It was my children's fault they didn't appreciate my cooking and my husband's fault he didn't help with the cleaning up by doing it all for me so I could sit on my lard arse.

When I was diagnosed as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and pre diabetic, it was the fault of the companies like Maccas who made burgers and fries that I ate, it was the fault of the shops for stocking the shelves with lollies and chocolates right at the checkout, it was the weathers fault for not ever being perfect enough to do anything, it was my family history's fault as it has to be genetic.........

WHERE'S THE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY????

Get the idea?

I'm sure I could go on and on and on... I was the QUEEN at making it someone else's fault. At anything!

But you know, noone was putting that food in my mouth.  No one made me chew it and swallow it.  Noone MADE me buy it. I CHOSE to.

I CHOSE to buy that food.  I made a conscious decision to eat it. I CHOSE to wallow in loneliness and not call anyone. I CHOSE to whine about first world problems in my childhood when they weren't problems at all.  Just me, noone else. It was time to take responsibility.

So I did.  I started with my frame of mind. I CHOSE to accept responsibility for what I thought and said. I CHOSE to focus on positive thoughts rather than the hatefilled ones that were there before.  I chose to speak as positively as I could.  I CHOSE to read authors that would inspire and uplift me.  I CHOSE to get out of the house and enjoy life with my husband and my children. And the result of those choices, over a period of years,  led me to be a happier and calmer person to be around.

I then CHOSE to join the Michelle Bridges 12 week body transformation. I CHOSE  to make a commitment to do what she asked with the eating and the exercise. When I met with opposition from some friends and family I CHOSE  to keep going anyway.  And the result of that choice?  A healthier me, a healthier family , being able to wear whatever I want and a weight loss to give me a smile on my dial. :)

Ultimately I CHOSE to take responsibility for myself. I chose to look after myself and to stop blaming the world for what I did, felt and thought. And in taking responsibility for myself, I found self worth, self esteem, self respect and a helluva lot of AWESOME inside!

So what do you choose?  Is it time to stand up, grow up and be the designer of your own life?  Or will you continue letting your Blame Game steal away your happiness, your self respect, your YOUness?

I'm EXTREMELY sure if I have to live this life, then I want it to be on my own terms with my own decisions!!

Let me use Batman to illustrate a point. This is like a before and after picture, but it's of your mind.  The old you ( BEFORE) has no willpower muscle, looks the part but is lacking in the strength of personality and discipline to see it through.  You look a bit...wussy really.

But AFTER...you walk the talk, you accept responsibility.  You have strength of character, self respect and you stand a little taller in the mirror.  You have discipline oozing out of your pores and if you stuff up, well you just pick up from where you left off, not wasting time trying to make it someone else's fault.  You are now AWESOME and everyone can see it and wants a bit of what you got.

So what's it going to be?  Which road will you take?  The road to easy?  Or the road to....

Week 10 Reflection

As I headed into the final few weeks, I started really looking at what changes have been made in my life.  Also, had a little panic attack at myself for not being where I thought I'd be and looking how my over-glamourous mind thought I'd look (who knew 10 weeks was not long enough to change my short blonde curly head into sexy wavy raven long locks through diet and exercise? LOL) So I had to give myself a visual reminder.....

Menu Plans

MMMMMMMM  a good week for eating :)  But the most surprising was the fish stew.  I have to say, when I saw that on the plan  FISH STEW I went erk.  Yuk.  Erky yuk. But willing to give anything a go once, I made it.
Couldn't even take a picture of it, it just looked not that fabulous, as compared to the other meals we've enjoyed.  It smelt good for sure, but visually, I was worried about the Junior Masterchefs opinion when I put it on the table.  But whether due to my earlier crabbiness or their hunger, they tried it without a murmur.  And it got a big........

The only difference was we used swordfish instead of basa fillets.  They held their shape really well during the cooking, didn't take too long and I'm thinking we'll have that one again.

Exercise Plans

Another hard week of workouts....each one taking between 1 1/2 hours and 2 hours.  I noticed I handled the weights better than last week and was VERY impressed with myself during shoulder presses, seeing how GREAT those muscles in my arms looked!  Taking my phone next week to get a pic and I'll show off a bit ;)

I joined one of my favourite classes, Body Attack, after not going for so long.  I'd been focusing on the weight sessions instead.  OMG!  It nearly killed me!  A class that I used to be able to do no worries, had me begging for mercy in my head 3/4 of the way through!  So I'll be doing a little more cardio in the future, to get that intense fitness back up.

Wednesday was an interesting day....it was a cardio day and I happily ran my interval sprints.  I LOVE running.  Then came the X trainer bit and ......yep...sick.  Worked myself sick!  I have a new appreciation for the contestants on Biggest Loser who end up throwing up.  I finished off the session very green and sorry for myself.  My husband knew I wasn't well because I didn't speak to him all session.....bit concerned about a repeat performance if I opened my mouth! 

SSS and Weekly Surprise

This weeks SSS was the same as last weeks....and I LOVE IT!  There was no illlness this time like on Wednesday ;)  And I even got a comment from one of the trainers who was watching me....along the lines of " How can you not be wiped out after that?!"  I must hide it well...or he needs glasses, there was liquid awesome dripping off my arms!

The weekly challenge was to take a pic of our 1000 calorie workout and of ourselves during or after.  I worked out by myself today so got my son to take a pic of afters. I was banking on the SSS bringing me to the magic 1000, Lord knows I worked hard enough!  But I only hit 700!!!!  So off I went for a run to make up the rest....in the rain.
I had to make it fun because why else would you run if it wasn't fun?

I wish!!!!

So I used my music as a type of interval training...or rundancing as I called it.  I kept my feet to the beat of whatever music was laying in my Ipod, which was great when I was listening to 'Forget You' by Cee Lo Green, a bit challenging when Spiderbait's ' Black Betty' came on followed by Wolfmother's 'Joker and the Thief'.  I busted a move to Michael Jackson's ' Don't blame it on the boogie' and found a good rhythm with Greenday's 'Minority.'  It certainly made it fun and interesting because I never knew what would come up next!  I finished on Johnny Cash's ' Folsom Prison Blues' and with 1002 cals done.....and disappointment the run had ended!

So next time you are walking or running, give that a go!  Better yet, take a friend and bust a move together!!! Wish I could do this though......without falling off!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RcVtON3Zlc

And your Final Thought for this week.....

Why run?

Early mornings or afternoons you see them, one or two, sometimes groups of people, running. Sun or rain, they stride it out.  So why run?  What makes them go for a run when it's freezing cold?  What makes them get up early to go for a run before they go to work, or school, or before they do anything else?

I love running. Running would be my chosen form of exercise if I had to choose just one to do.  I'm not great at it but I do it.  I love running for a few different reasons......

1. Running puts a smile on my dial

Running makes me smile...it makes me happy!  It clears the cobwebs from my mind.  No matter what mood I start out in, by the time I finish a 5 or 10k run, I feel happier, stronger.  Best mood booster in the world.  When I fell over at the beginning of the year and couldn't run for a week, I was the crankiest old cow!  I missed the air in my face and the rush of happy when I finished.

2. Running gives me time alone.

Whether I run along the road, or on a track by the river, I get lost in my own little mind.  I sort out my problems, my families problems and the worlds problems all while I'm out plodding along.  It's almost a medititation, the rhythmic pounding of my feet and heart, hearing the sounds around me of birds, or a lawnmower, or the river flowing, often I'll be so deep in thought my run will be over before I even knew it and I'll have literally no memory of doing it!  My body remembers though!

3. Running is a take anywhere exercise

I don't need a gym, or a treadmill to run.  I can go on holidays and still exercise without worrying about what I need to take.  All I really need are some joggers and off I go. I can run ANYWHERE! I've even run on the deck of a cruise ship.  Beaches, mountain tracks, river trails, footpaths along the street, around the block...anywhere.  And I don't need to pay any fees for it.

4. Running helps control my weight

Want a good calorie burn exercise? Go running.  It also works your arms, legs, abs, back muscles...all over!  It strengthens your heart and lungs, lowers blood pressure naturally and makes your bones denser so osteoporosis is held at bay.  You can run at any speed, but the faster you go, the more you'll burn!  Add a hill or two and watch those babies disappear in a wisp of smoke!

5. Running lets me help others

When I run I can run for charity.  My entry fee and any money I raise gets donated and that could make a difference to someones life.  Every year I take part in the Mothers Day Classic, the Sussans Womens funrun and Rotary funrun for the Good Friday Appeal.  I've run for MS, for cystic fibrosis, for heart disease.  I can do something I like, something that is good for me and also help someone else.  GREAT feeling!

6. Running is a great way to meet people

Joining a running group is a great way to make new friends.  Running a similar track at a similar time will let you recognise others who are habitual users ( LOL!) too.  Tell someone you run and chances are they run, want to run or know someone who runs and you end up talking about it.  It's a connection!

7. Running taught me how to set goals

I never set goals before...too hard to think about what to do.  But running gave me a focus and taught me how to break things down.  So I want to run a half marathon?  Well learn to run 1 km.  Then 5.  Then 10.  Then 15.  4 goals there.  Run a funrun and set a time to beat.  Then do the same course next year and beat THAT time. I started with a goal to run 10 km and cross the line.  Then it was 10 km, cross the line and without walking at all.  Then it was 10 km, cross the line, without walking and beating the last time.  Gave me a focus and something to aim for.  That has spilled over elsewhere in my life so I'm able to set realistic goals now.

8. Running gives you a sense of humour

Running in funruns you can see some funny sights!  Noone worries about what we all look like and if anything did happen, it's more likely to be laughed at.  You'll laugh at yourself more which can only be a good thing!  You see some OUT THERE costumes in a funrun........

9. Running can be useful

Especially when escaping ticked off hippos........
Running is great!  You can keep up with the kids and even beat the little sods!  All those years of them beating you and it's a secret joy to be able to wipe that smug look off thier little faces LOL or is that just me....
Seriously, you in a rush to catch the bus or train and have to run?  You can do it now without being out of breath or worse run and miss it.  Need to get away ina hurry?  Run.  Need an excuse to leave a boring party? " I'm training for a half marathon" usually gets you out early.

10. Running keeps you safe

Especially from zombies. If only Michael Jackson had run instead of stopping to moonwalk, he'd have escaped Thriller intact.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4V90AmXnguw

Week 9 Reflection

I could title this The Down hill run!....Only a few weeks left for this round and that trip to Perth is looking happily closer and closer!!!

Menu plans

This week had some interesting meals but the judgement from the Junior Masterchefs is what counts so here goes.

Two thumbs up for the tomato, feta and olive pizzas.  The base is CRUNCHY and crisp, the kids LOVED making their own, twice over! Had to have been good if there were seconds involved :) 

Myself, I loved the bircher muesli...on the cold mornings I gave it a quick little zap in the microwave to make it warm and it was delicious....amazing to taste the sweetness just from the apple rather than refined sugar.  It has become a favourite breakfast here too, so long as I remember to mix it up the night before!

I have only a small criticism....one of the meals I used to love, steak with creamy mushroom sauce has become a meal I struggled with, because through clean eating my tastes have changed.  The cream sauce now is too rich for me!  I dislike the oily mouthfeel so I'll be trialling a different tomato/chilli based sauce for myself around the same calories.  Watch this space for the results! 

Exercise plans

Holy Moley!!!!!!  The 'theme' for the next 4 weeks is Let's get ripped.  Lordy, I feel ripped apart!  The reps have gone up, the weights have gone up and the workouts are roughly half an hour longer. You know it's been hard when I have to ask someone else to unclip my bra because my arms just can't do it!

Having said that, I'm loving it....except the hamstring curl machine.  It's all out war between us and it seems to be winning so far.

But focus on the successes....I am now doing 100 kg on the leg press machine and deadlifted my bodyweight.  Very happy with that.  

This week mentally, I was feeling pressure.  I had fallen into the trap (again!) of comparing myself to others who have put fantastic photos of their efforts on facebook. They've worked so hard and there were abs popping out everywhere, it was motivational but then the perfectionist in me starting whining again....because I don't look like that....YET!    I really have to stop comparing myself  to others.  Some have been doing this for longer than myself, all of us are different so we experience different results.  I am learning to shift my focus back onto myself rather than others opinions.

So to help with this mindset,  I busted out this old dress from my wardrobe.  I kept it because I loved it and it was my first 'grown up' dress....bought from Cue design when I was 15/16 years old in 1987/88 I think. I know I definitely had it in 1988. Anyway I tried it on.....

So what do you know?  IT FITS!  EASILY!!

SSS challenge and weekly surprise

Now at the time of writing I haven't done SSS challenge.  That's tomorrow's workout and since it's labelled Jelly legs I am expecting difficulties driving home!  Really looking forward to it though....my legs are my strongest part I think and it feels good to work them.

The weekly surprise challenge was to create a videoblog.  Now I struggled with this like you wouldn't believe. I am so technologically DUMB but having 3 days at home with a sick child meant I had plenty of time to fiddle, curse, restrain myself from throwing the damn computer out the window.....and to create this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EaCD0cDwW8&feature=youtu.be

My final thought for us all today......

SHOW OFF YOUR AWESOMENESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

New tastes

While I always considered I ate fairly healthy, you know, fast food once a fortnight, the odd chocolate here and there, cakes with friends at morning tea but good food for meals and at least the recommended serves of fruit/veg for the day, I hadn't counted on how DIFFERENT things would be once I started eating clean.

At first I was worried I'd feel like I was missing out....like I was denying myself all the time, I wouldn't be able to go out as much and what would I do without a regular dose of chocolate?  But when I signed up to the Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation, I made the commitment to follow her eating plan to the letter....which I did, although the odd freddo snuck in!

Now 9 weeks in.....I have noticed clean food TASTES more.  The strawberries are more strawberrier, the carrots are extra crunchy and sweet, tomatoes are bursting with flavour.  I had commented on how good things were tasting without the added sugars previously to my husband but recently I found out just what it was that made a difference.

I had lost that coating of fat feel in my mouth.

Go eat a burger from any one of a million restaurants serving them around the world, have a full fat milk and add fries.  Even just eat a warm buttery croissant or danish.  After you've finished, your mouth will feel like it's been painted on the inside....and it coats your tastebuds.

All you can taste is FAT.

So you look for stronger and stronger tasting food to get through this coating, and you end up with the flavour enhancers, added sugars, artificial additives or you just get used to a bland palate.

But then eating clean.....

The coating of fat is stripped away because you aren't adding any more fat 'top coats'.  Your mouth feels fresher and literally food tastes STRONGER.  You are satisfied with eating until you are just comfortable, because you aren't mentally chasing that flavour kick, you are getting that jolt of sweet, or sour, or salty from the first bite, WITHOUT adding anything harmful to it. You are ENJOYING food.

I had morning tea with a friend one day recently, and ordered a DELICIOUS looking pastry to go with ym cuppa.  But I couldn't finish it.  My mouth felt dirty and disgusting from the fattiness, and it really wasn't the same as it was 9 weeks ago.  My friend had no trouble with hers and was really happy.  But my tastes had changed....I couldn't face another one now.

 I made the bircher muesli for breakfast , from the nutrition guide.  Oats, water, natural yoghurt and grated apple.  No sugar apart from the grated apple....and 9 weeks ago I would have had to be determined to eat it.  Now, the taste of the apple was so sweet, I couldn't imagine adding anything else!

My morning coffee 9 weeks ago was full fat and 2 sugars.....now it's a splash of skim milk and no sugar....my favourite coffee was the large vanilla latte from Gloria Jeans...I had a small one a couple of weeks ago and couldn't finish it, it was too sweet and literally made me feel gluggy!!!!

I challenge you for one or two weeks....to cut out the bad fats and the sugar.  Try dropping your sugar in your tea or coffee by one teaspoon.  I am a HUGE tea drinker but now have most cuppas black....and have developed a new appreciation for the taste of the different teas.

Bring back the taste in your mouth,  not by supercharging foods unnecessarily...I promise you, your body will feel cleaner, your mouth will feel better after eating and you will have a whole new appreciation for how GREAT real food tastes!

Now real food doesn't necessarily have to be expensive organic produce.  You do the best with as fresh as you can.  Or grow your own organic food, it's not too difficult, apart from remembering to water the plants!  The taste of a home grown tomato will literally blow your head off, the crunch from home grown sugar snap peas would rival the crispiest apple.  You can grow a few carrots in a pot if space is an issue!

Find out what food tastes like....really taste.  You'll be satisifed and surprised, and wonder why you hadn't noticed it earlier.

But don't take my word for it!   Test me out!