The Don's Meddle

The official launch of #50daysnosugar commences on 1 July... I decided to do it a week early to really get in control of not eating the entire contents of the work lolly jar for a week before the "start date".  I have to do that... I do things the hard way. So I commenced yesterday, woke up feeling great after a night of bubbles/cocktails and karaoke cooked the birthday boy pancakes & bacon for breakfast and I had scrambled eggs, bacon & avocado with a black coffee. SCRUMPTIOUS. Love a good breakfast like that on the weekend.  We then went to the movies, another sugar temptation & I was good and brought my home-made protein balls and some strawberries to have with my 2nd long black of the day. Delicious.  Not thinking "I can't have" I was just thinking "what can I replace maltesers with"... the mind is a powerful tool isn't it? Classic. We went out to Barzura in Coogee for dinner last night to continue the celebration of the Festi

ARE YOU MAD? I hear you ask.. nope not mad, well ok a little but sometimes can be a little smart also.  What is the one thing that holds me back from achieving my goals I asked myself, binging on sugar.  And when I have to start trying on wedding dresses, it is amazing at the willpower one can tap into. I have always needed an end goalto strive for to help me get motivated, not just because I want to. Am an Aries, very stubborn, but when I want something I will strive hard.   The reason for this goal is to improve my health, longevity, increase my energy, reduce afternoon slumps and to look healthy & feel it too. The wonderful Natalie Carter from Outlook Fitness has created this fantastic challenge.  Check out the great page, Natalie has created a handy booklet that you can get to assist you if you are too wanting a healthy challenge. http://www.50daysnosugar.com.au/   Cannot wait to share the journey with you all - my ups and downs, before and after piccies, new reci

I always share pictures or descriptions of the yummy healthy food that I cook and eat and I thought I would share with you some of my favourite recipes.    Some I have whipped up myself and others I have been inspired by other people!  So much fun trying new things.  I love left overs for breakfast. Pancakes  (great for the weekend, or cook the night before and reheat at work) Put the following into a food processor/blender: 2 cups oats 1/2 cup skim milk or light coconut milk or water if you don’t drink either 3 egg whites 1 full egg 1 tsp vanilla essence 1 tsp cinnamon Blend together to a nice pancake mixture and fry in coconut oil or olive oil – less is best…. Hot pan – depends on if you like little pancakes or big ones as to how many this serves.    I normally use this as two breakfasts, putting the mixture in an air tight container for the next day or so. For CHOC pancakes, add a scoop of chocolate protein powder to the mix. Serve with Greek yoghurt,

In a nutshell if you eat any type of carbohydrate (simple, complex, fibrous) on their own your pancreas will release insulin, causing an insulin spike.  What goes up must come down, causing your body to "crave" more of the same to get the levels up again. Mixing simple, complex & fibrous carbs with proteins/fats will keep your levels regular and allow your body to function smoother. Another note is that your "pleasure" receptors of the brain know your habits & your mind has already been programmed by you to say yes to want that second slice of cake because you usually do or have those biscuits with your tea etc. That is why breaking the habits is hard - your body dosen't want chocolate like you think it just wants a quick energy boost.... by keeping your levels steady you will reduce cravings. Being hungry isn't good for you, you won't burn more fat as your body goes into starvation mode. Fuel it properly to function efficiently. Ensure you e

As I continue to hobble around with my stupid meniscus tear in my left knee I am planning to keep this body in shape, train hard and not do any further damage to my knee(s).   Pending further catch ups with my physio will set myself some upper body and core challenges this week.  Have had a nice week of adjusting to the crutches and trying to sleep comfortably.... then a nice four day long weekend off in the countryside,  it is time to get back into training.... Positives about knee injury:- * Slow this gal down just a little, re-group, finally booked in to see knee surgeon (le sigh) * Upper body will get a great workout, lots of high-intensity training * Push ups and pull-ups will ALL be proper ones, definitely NO sneaky on the knees when I get tired     after doing 30ish.... * Sit ups with legs slightly extended * Nutrition will be 100% clean (did I mention first bout of wedding dress try-ons in 8 weeks) * Continue with single leg isolation work (got to keep the VMO active)

Seeing the stars so clear at night, the fresh air, birds singing, kangaroos bouncing around the fence line and the smell of open fires just relaxed me over the last three days. With champers, bubble baths, red wine, strawberries, sleep-ins I truly felt like I had gotten away from the hustle and bustle.  We just had three days wandering around the countryside, checking out some wineries and other shops in the area. Bliss.  Our wine rack is full and we are looking forward to sharing with friends over dinners and events over the next couple of months. So now, am sitting on the couch whilst it is raining, hot coffee in hand, downloading pictures of the weekend with a sleeping kitty next to me & thinking my life is pretty good.   It has been a while since we both went away (July last year) and really needed some r&r....  I decided that part of this relax and rediscover the Hunter Valley was for me to have a little break from social media.  I am always on my phone reading somethi

Would you get anxious if you couldn't access Facebook or Twitter or your email account?  Are we overloaded by social media? What would really happen if you didn't access your social media platforms for a couple of days or a week or two?  Yes you probably could still send updates/tweets using a scheduler, but what would you MISS by not checking in, updating and posting everyday?  Peoples workouts, coffees, pets, motivation piccies, do you really NEED to know all that everyday? I know I do it without even realising sometimes, go to reach for my phone to text someone and get lost in Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for a bit and then think, "what was I doing again"!? Or spend ages taking a picture of my food before eating it (even though I am starving) just so the world can be inspired by my version of clean eating or being creative. So for the next four days I am switching off social media. No access at all.  No pictures from our trip to the Hunter Valley or checking