tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50995436273529716772024-02-07T05:23:05.605-08:00tough little mothertough little motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896584904038998746noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099543627352971677.post-11532132325600121792015-04-12T00:37:00.001-07:002015-04-20T04:19:38.186-07:00Enter Scam-manPeople. Do not think for one second that anyone considers you intelligent and unusual. You're a number, a predictable sheep, you're easy to read, easy to market to, easy to suck in.<div>I saw the new 'green coke' at my local supermarket this week. And now the ads are flooding into my news feed on fb.</div><div>It's coke jim, but not as we know it! It's healthy, natural, from-a-green-leaf coke.</div><div>It's still a chemical shitstorm people!! It doesn't even contain cocaine, which i would consider a reasonable excuse to consume the stuff.</div><div><br></div><div>Speaking of shitstorms, the school holidays are done for another quarter. I consumed some very empty calories in the form of coping wine and wine-soaking food over the last fortnight. Back to green smoothies, sautéed kale and gelatin treats for me. I actually missed eating well. I also missed taking a shit between 9-3 without anyone watching. All back to normal now folks.</div><div><br></div><div>That is all. <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYS3dLa35PTuEQk4B-fKgUInHG5UFNEajWURGWBi6uOIvtTERp-zAFM12eRF8CbZJLapm4esC_NmO3-9sm_wibERiOp3uu3k7x2VRtqdnXyRowyhhsC1WF4VY24RYzNS5WNaf6W0H_kqs/s640/blogger-image--1569875640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYS3dLa35PTuEQk4B-fKgUInHG5UFNEajWURGWBi6uOIvtTERp-zAFM12eRF8CbZJLapm4esC_NmO3-9sm_wibERiOp3uu3k7x2VRtqdnXyRowyhhsC1WF4VY24RYzNS5WNaf6W0H_kqs/s640/blogger-image--1569875640.jpg"></a></div></div>tough little motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896584904038998746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099543627352971677.post-12024917533138031672015-04-04T16:02:00.001-07:002015-04-08T19:39:46.313-07:00Sh*t today's mothers need to know<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div>Over the past weekend I've been a little ticked off. This is partially due to the higher exposure to little people (directly attributed to the sadness known as 'school holidays'), and partially because I'm hacked off most of the time.<div><br></div><div>But these holidays it's actually parents who are shitting me to tears. Parents who clearly need their heads surgically removed from their arses.</div><div><br></div><div>Example A: on Good Friday we took a few 4-6 year old whinging bastards to a restaurant for $140 worth of fish and chips (perth hospitality, you SUCK). We selected this location due to its inbuilt Ronald McDonald style playground set up directly adjacent to the drinking, ah I mean eating area.</div><div>The kids were chasing each other with forks and the usual good humour when four hulking great twelve year olds showed up and took over tiny town.</div><div>Now I'm all for survival of the fittest. But these kids had a combined weight of a grand. They were menacing all the little buggers on the playground which doesn't really matter except for the fact that THEY STILL ASK THEIR PARENTS TO RESCUE THEM! And this cut into valuable wine time.</div><div>Parental lesson: if your child is taller than the climbing frame then he has NO BUSINESS being on it.</div><div><br></div><div>Example B: Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum we have New Age 50-year old mummy of first child.</div><div>At an Easter Fete kindly sponsored by the local clap-happy church (yes we DID guess there were 666 jelly beans in the jar and gave fake phone numbers to have the word dictated to some close 'friends' instead of us), a mum decided to take her five month old baby on the jumping castle.</div><div>Let me set the scene: four thousand chocolate-pumped spawn of overly enthusiastic Christians and dodgy freeloaders (mostly us) all chest bumping and wildly flailing limbs and this crazy idiot decides to carry on a BABY and try to jump around with him. </div><div>I did not know it was possible for a baby to look properly bored until last Saturday. Meanwhile, mummy dearest is making faces at any kid who jumps in any direction while she attempts to stay standing holding fifteen kilos of bored baby.</div><div>Parental lesson: don't be a dick.</div><div><br></div><div>There endeth the sermon. Happy holidays mummies (and daddies) - may your days be filled with activities that tire your children and your nights be stocked with vodka supplies. Also- stop eating your kids' eggs- you're literally getting fatter just contemplating it...</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj7C-ka9y7xzsv6-KNqVt5Ms3h9xGqzYxtvEiOQ38NtIdEvLFf0hCyIdnLxOzXgeq_1Iyj9mUoKXZY3N9dFEBTrt6NWJ-GUV67l0zQHiv0aC3nLUg_ja1qnItGRzLIx5FRAsluNbwR0Dg/s640/blogger-image--403892387.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj7C-ka9y7xzsv6-KNqVt5Ms3h9xGqzYxtvEiOQ38NtIdEvLFf0hCyIdnLxOzXgeq_1Iyj9mUoKXZY3N9dFEBTrt6NWJ-GUV67l0zQHiv0aC3nLUg_ja1qnItGRzLIx5FRAsluNbwR0Dg/s640/blogger-image--403892387.jpg"></a></div><br></div>tough little motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896584904038998746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099543627352971677.post-56520530943826797202015-03-20T21:54:00.000-07:002015-03-21T16:04:10.992-07:00So #elite right now...Hey y'all.<br>
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I was informed by someone to whom I am married that my last post was a bit conservative for me.... So today I'd like to correct the imbalance by posting shit from my brain cavity without the filter button pressed firmly into place.<br>
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On Saturday 21.03.15 I did Crossfit Open WOD 15.4. I did NOT do the handstand push-ups and collarbone breaking stuff - I just did the good old '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7gzmoqmL7g" target="_blank">pick things up and put them down</a>' one (aka scaled). I nailed it. I did it in thongs, I ate a few grapes and half a banana, drank a few mouthfuls of coffee, changed my headband and still managed 60 reps in the allocated time.<br>
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Yeah I guess you busted me - I wasn't really trying - I was just getting a taste of the weight so I could give the girls from our box some support and advice as they did the workout.<br>
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I'll tell you why I was so half-arsed: I never really liked the Crossfit Open. I have just never seen the point. I'll admit I was attracted to Crossfit by watching the magnificent athletes at the Crossfit Games, achieving great feats of strength and wishing I was half as #elite as them.<br>
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But in reality, these athletes really are elite - they are representative of about 0.5% of the Crossfit population. They train 5-6 hours a day. They are born with natural ability. They are strong, tough and resilient but they are also genetically predisposed to physical greatness.<br>
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Now don't get your knickers in a twist. I am about to say why I LOVE the Open this year...<br>
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Last year I saw people gutted because one single movement undid them and they couldn't even post a score of '1'. After all their hard work and commitment, one little rep broke them into pieces. I don't think this is a good approach to fitness.<br>
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Not only does it erode confidence in oneself, it defeats the purpose of exercise - to MOVE. Let me be clear for a minute: IF YOU ARE CONTINUALLY PUNCHING ABOVE YOUR WEIGHT YOU ARE EITHER GOING TO HURT YOURSELF OR QUIT. If you quit you're hurting yourself too - mentally and physically.<br>
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So why do I love Crossfit then? I'm up here bagging out the main act of the show - what positive statement could I possibly offer? For me, Crossfit is about raising the bar. And I believe that GOOD Crossfit is about raising it in INCREMENTS. It's about the little wins that add up to a huge feeling of accomplishment. It's about trying and never giving up. It's about laying it all out on the floor (without compromising your physical health through poor form and technique). It's about getting faster through continuing to show up. It's about getting stronger by continually working on your form without chronically injuring yourself.<br>
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The Opens this year are inclusive! Hallelujah! The other 99.5% of us have a chance of moving, feeling a bit broken and actually ACHIEVING something! A sense of pride, a sense of accomplishment, a sense of being part of something bigger than our individual selves. We can compare notes, support one another and break a sweat.<br>
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F*#k your elitism. I'm here to have fun.tough little motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896584904038998746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099543627352971677.post-48425202810891697242015-03-18T18:15:00.001-07:002015-03-20T05:06:24.376-07:00Don't fence me inSo this week I've been chatting to people about 'Paleo' and every time I do I cringe a tiny bit because I hate a label.<div><br></div><div>I like the idea of blending the best of many styles to find my own eating 'template' - one that suits my health goals, fits my budget and doesn't turn me into a social leper or obsessed monster.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiSIM03QYj52cXWyiT32CExnAiBtAc6-L1SQTNvfdPLB7iZVszRNZbZOR-JFQi_DoWoDMV2c-13zkt067lTsr4EelNTnnx38beA0h9gUuJrM0Xe3rYVbp7Ty2bJ8ny6X-aHxIpIQZE6AQ/s640/blogger-image--1653478159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiSIM03QYj52cXWyiT32CExnAiBtAc6-L1SQTNvfdPLB7iZVszRNZbZOR-JFQi_DoWoDMV2c-13zkt067lTsr4EelNTnnx38beA0h9gUuJrM0Xe3rYVbp7Ty2bJ8ny6X-aHxIpIQZE6AQ/s640/blogger-image--1653478159.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>With that in mind, I'm going to share my thoughts about Paleo- what I like, what I don't. But my opinion is just that: mine! Yours could be quite different!</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div></div><div><b>Reasons I like Paleo: </b></div><div>It makes sense to me to avoid overly processed foods and environmental toxins,</div><div>I like to eat meat, I think it's essential to health,</div><div>Fat makes things taste good,</div><div>Dairy makes me itchy and nauseous; and</div><div>Many grain-based foods give me 'preggo-belly' and 'zombie-brain'.</div><div><br></div><div><b>Reasons Paleo sucks: </b></div><div>It sounds like a cult, </div><div>There are very few restaurants in Perth that cater to Paleo requirements,</div><div>Fake food ('paleofied') is just an inferior substitute with its own myriad issues; and </div><div>Sometimes you just need a little bit of rice or oats or cheese and there ain't nothing wrong with that.</div><div><br></div><div>Over the coming weeks I am going to review a couple of diet protocols and share my experiences with each. I'd love to hear yours too!</div>tough little motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896584904038998746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099543627352971677.post-15400376836192565592015-03-15T05:22:00.000-07:002015-03-15T05:45:29.443-07:00The Bitch is BackWell, it's been a REALLY challenging couple of years for this tough little mother. Sorry for the extended absence!<br>
<br>In brief, by the middle of 2014 my depression had returned, my excess weight had returned and my motivation had completely left the building. I was unemployed, exhausted, miserable and unhealthy. My love for Crossfit was gone, my interest in healthy eating? Gone. I was one big old zombie mumma.<br>
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Around September of last year I started coaching at an all-female Crossfit box for a friend of mine. I was filling in and helping out for a short while, certain that I had little to offer her members given my lack of fitness and my staggering weight gain.<br>
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Well wouldn't ya know? Turns out I got a job at the best Crossfit box in the world. Starting at this box reminded me about all the things I loved about Crossfit. The girls appreciated that while I may not look the part, I had knowledge, experience and passion- which are actually far more important than looks anyway.<br>
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In February of this year we kicked off our annual Fit Fab Feb (6 weeks strict Paleo and crossfit challenge) and I was quite unwillingly dragged into participation by our head coach and box owner, Sim. I wasn't ready to give up giant lattes and hot chips, but my doctor felt differently. I'd been abusing pain medications for nine months to help me sleep. My immune system was shit. I was constantly in pain or exhausted. This was all taking a huge toll on my body and my weight was edging up towards the 100kg mark. I needed a reality check.<br>
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I threw myself into Fit Fab Feb wholeheartedly. I didn't cheat (for fear of penalty burpees for my team). Very soon, I remembered how to cook Paleo food. I started to enjoy looking after my body again. I was reminded of how good I felt two years earlier and I was motivated to get myself back there.<br>
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I had personal success in the challenge with a good reduction in body fat. But more importantly, I rediscovered my passion for helping others achieve their health goals. I'm convinced that if I can do it, so can they.<br>
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I'll be updating regularly on here again and sharing on Instagram. I'm so thrilled to be here.<br>
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The bitch is back, baby.<br>
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<br>tough little motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896584904038998746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099543627352971677.post-4161021485344619572013-02-14T04:39:00.000-08:002013-02-14T04:39:15.359-08:00Out of the box and back into boxingSo yesterday was my birthday... (pause for requisite cheer, respond with polite nod etc etc).<br />
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It's been sweaty-balls 40-degrees hot over here in Perth for the last few days. And I have no airconditioning in my living room. So I decided to bake! Genius, I know. But it was worth it! For one of my bake-offs I decided to go all 70s retro and make devils on horseback. Yummo. Just slice up some bacon (streaky bacon, cut each piece in half) and wrap it around some pitted prunes, stick a toothpick in, bake on 180C 20-30 mins until bacon is crispy and voila! Remember that prunes used be plums so you shouldn't eat more than about three of them at once....<br />
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And I took my first ever boxing class at 6am on my birthday. It was pretty fun and less overwhelming than I expected. I'll be taking more from this weekend and getting some official qualifications on Friday so I guess you can say I'm a boxing instructor now?!<br />
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I'm glad I'm boxing again (a pastime I've enjoyed for over a decade) because a couple of weeks ago I had to give up my CrossFit gym membership and 'leave the box' for now. Yep, I blog about CrossFit and I live for the stuff but the real world has collided with the ideal and I've come out a bit battered and bruised. I have a lot to say about 'forging elit(ist) fitness' but this is not the forum. However, I will say that I feel CrossFit should be more accessible (but then I'll be arguing against a very logical point about the cost of having a bunch of coaches looking out for your physical interests versus being left to your own devices and getting injured etc and I'm way too tired for that talk).<br />
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At first I was really gutted, but now I am determined to work around this challenge. I bought a 16kg kettlebell and joined a gym the 1970s forgot to take with them when they ended... But it has a lot of barbells, dumbells, space for skipping and rowers. It also costs $10 per week and has a free creche Monday to Saturday mornings. And spin bikes on which to hurt my bum and gyney for hours... aaahhhh... the spin bike.....<br />
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Anyway - I'm very nervous about 'being out on my own' and not having someone tell me what to do with my workouts every day. It will be challenging to stay motivated and keep myself on track, as it has been for my diet since I moved here. I have still been cooking a lot of Paleo meals, but when my financial situation started getting very bleak very quickly I started to comfort-eat a LOT of dairy and sugar.... <br />
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My philosophy is one of acceptance. If I have made some poor choices I need to acknowledge it and move on... I don't believe there is anything to be gained from wallowing in guilt, panic and anxiety. So I'm just going to take it one meal at a time and get back in the saddle, even though I'm certain that everything really does taste better with icecream.....<br />
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Which brings me to the point of 'special occasions'. For Valentine's Day, aka 'the day after my birthday', my son brought home a couple of the least-Paleo biscuits on Earth. But he made them - and bless, there was a little note attached. I'd be a psycho if I didn't give him the satisfaction of trying to eat his half-melted, slightly burnt little pink pieces of floury hell.... Do the world a favour and don't be a food psycho... have a little something 'unhealthy' on special occasions (unless it literally gives you the shits... then PLEASE do not eat it FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!).tough little motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896584904038998746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099543627352971677.post-14499999846710598222013-02-06T04:37:00.001-08:002013-02-06T04:37:59.702-08:00Gassius MaximusBack to the CrossFit obsession soon.... time for a foodie post.<br />
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So I've been fermenting my own foods a bit these days. And I've also been tooting my own horn, if ya know what I mean... The kids are finding that pretty hilarious. Might take me a week to get used to all the fizz in mah belly methinks.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Home-made Apple Kefir - the fizzy gettin' bizzy in mah belly</td></tr>
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I got into the idea of fermentation not long after I started on the path of eating Paleo. I became pretty obsessed with the idea of having nothing processed in my diet and that meant considering things like packaged vitamins and probiotics.<br />
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There's a lot of information about the benefits of probiotics available these days. But it makes sense to me to try and access these valuable organisms in the most natural way possible, rather than blindly trusting some company that shoves my little critters into capsules at a factory somewhere.<br />
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A friend told me, in secret, that she fermented her own food. She's pretty bloody 'normal' so that encouraged me to explore the idea. Ivy from <a href="http://paleoinmelbourne.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">Paleo in Melbourne</a> often featured fermented products in her blog and, again, I was intrigued.<br />
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But then I saw pictures of <a href="http://www.pickl-it.com/" target="_blank">crazy looking jars</a> and detailed and lengthy instructions and caveats and too much friggin' hard work frankly.<br />
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Well last week I gave it a go. I made sauerkraut. I followed my own version of my friend's recipe (see below) and left the single jar of goodness on a shelf for 5 days, patiently waiting for something magical to happen. And guess what? It did! Bloody deliciousness. My next project is pickled carrot and daikon - just trying to get the sugar balance right (sugar is mostly eliminated through the fermentation process but not entirely).<br />
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The other thing I tried was apple kefir (see above). I added one sachet of kefir to a bottle with a stopper ($1.50 at Ikea), along with approximately 300ml of organic cloudy apple juice and topped up the bottle with water. I left this mix on the kitchen bench for 24hrs then refridgerated. The result tastes like apple cider without the buzz. I have managed to make another four batches by retaining half a glass of the mixture in the bottom of the bottle and re-doing the other three steps. This mix is cheaper than buying a bottle of organic fizzy and a half a dozen probiotic capsules and it took less than 10 seconds to make. <br />
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Here's my version of Sarah's Sauerkraut.....<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">1 large
green cabbage - thoroughly washed and dried</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">2 x Granny smith apples - peeled and shredded in grater</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">1 teaspoon of raw honey</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">Himalayan Crystal Salt 1
teaspoon</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">1 sachet Body Ecology
starter culture</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol;"><span><span style="font: 7.0pt;"></span></span></span>1. Sterilise
a mason jar ($4 at Ikea) in boiling water for ten minutes</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol;"><span><span style="font: 7.0pt;"></span></span></span>2. To make
starter mix: mix honey, culture starter, ½ cup filtered water</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol;"><span><span style="font: 7.0pt;">
</span></span></span>3. Set aside
some big clean cabbage leaves. You will leave these as seals for the jar </span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol;"><span><span style="font: 7.0pt;"></span></span></span>4. Get a large
bowl.<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol;"><span><span style="font: 7.0pt;"></span></span></span> Slice
cabbages and add to the bowl. Scrunch the cabbage to try to bruise it (did this a couple of times)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol;"><span><span style="font: 7.0pt;"></span></span></span>5. Mix in all
the ingredients together, scrunching. You may need to do a few batches
depending on the size of your bowl. Don’t forget the salt.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol;"><span><span style="font: 7.0pt;"></span></span></span>6. Pack it
tightly in the jar. Pour in starter culture mix. DO NOT GO HIGHER THAN 3CM FROM TOP OF JAR.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol;"><span><span style="font: 7.0pt;"></span></span></span>7. Push it all
down and pack it in as much as you can. Make sure
liquid covers all ingredients. Add filtered water if required. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol;"><span><span style="font: 7.0pt;"></span></span></span>8. Place cabbage leaf on top to ‘seal’ the veggies in </span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol;"><span><span style="font: 7.0pt;"></span></span></span>9. Firmly secure
lid of jar and place on tray to catch any overflowing juices. Put in a dark
place – i.e. in the cupboard with a towel on it.</span></div>
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</span><div class="yiv304422094MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol;"><span><span style="font: 7.0pt;"></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol;">10. Leave 3-5
days for crunchy, 10 days for softer texture. <span><span style="font: 7.0pt;"></span></span></span>DON’T OPEN
WHEN FERMENTING.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol;"><span><span style="font: 7.0pt;"></span></span></span>Once
fermented place in fridge. After
opening jar, keep ingredients moist. Stored correctly unopened cultured veges
last 5 months in fridge and opened for 6 weeks.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: blue; font-family: Symbol;"><span><span style="font: 7.0pt;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"> </span></span></span></span>
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tough little motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896584904038998746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099543627352971677.post-57874107711850794972013-02-04T04:45:00.000-08:002013-02-04T04:45:11.645-08:00The 'C' word
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So I watched <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzD9BkXGJ1M" target="_blank">this video</a>. </div>
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<br /></div>
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And I thought to myself ‘OMG that is soooo amazing, I could
NEVER do that.... but I wish I could.... but WHO AM I KIDDING?!?!... and that looks
so COOOOOOL and oooh that would be really hard but IMAGINE HAVING
THOSE ABS and WHAT THE HELL IS THAT CHICK DOING!?!?!'....</div>
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<br />
</div>
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And I started to
obsess. And I started to
ponder. And I started to
research.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I learnt that I could train smarter in less time. I learnt that throwing a heavy bar around would make me fitter and stronger, but also leaner. Besides that, it looked really badass. I learnt that CrossFit had this thing called 'scaling' which meant that even my granny could give it a go. I learnt that one day I might possibly be able to get my body to do something cool like this:</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="260" id="irc_mi" src="http://media.crossfit.com/G2011Press/Games2011_WomenE4_CamilleLeblancBazinet_MU.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px;" width="173" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camille LeBlanc-Bazinet being awesome - courtesy of games.crossfit.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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At this point in time I'd been so disappointed by the trainers at my gym that I decided I could do a much better job myself. I
also thought that maybe I could be of use to other women who had been where I was - overweight, dead tired, depressed and overwhelmed. Besides, I was really sick of my office job anyway. <br />
</div>
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<br />
</div>
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So I decided to enrol in night school and do my Certificate IV in Fitness.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The very same week I contacted a CrossFit gym in Melbourne and, with my heart pounding a million miles an hour, I climbed up that endless flight of stairs for my first session.</div>
tough little motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896584904038998746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099543627352971677.post-27279601704246353382013-01-29T04:23:00.000-08:002013-01-29T04:23:08.493-08:00Apples and pears<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
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So as I said in my last
post, I have been on a mission to improve my health for over a year now.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGof9qOPaG-hNWNPA4SwyhdSLt-fVSIXrlHl1gY8h_E_CyE4eXVqXY3A5rBlGHFYMYFqjk8joPtgFwTDHYr_7v6FbR2bSa3fri8lVVBAGGE1qAgcsVr1FPFLQA1RQGHhRuMOaVJH3PKUs/s1600/DSC04935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGof9qOPaG-hNWNPA4SwyhdSLt-fVSIXrlHl1gY8h_E_CyE4eXVqXY3A5rBlGHFYMYFqjk8joPtgFwTDHYr_7v6FbR2bSa3fri8lVVBAGGE1qAgcsVr1FPFLQA1RQGHhRuMOaVJH3PKUs/s200/DSC04935.jpg" width="86" /></a></div>
When I joined the gym I weighed over 96kg, wore size 18 and had a waist measurement of 120cm. The instructor who assessed me called my statistics 'alarming' (thanks, helpful...).<br />
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I didn't create a 'before' photo because I was fairly certain I would fail yet again in my 10 year quest to lose weight. The closest I could find was a photo of me at my son's third birthday in November 2011, featured in my last post. You can see I was an apple-shaped fatty.</div>
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<br />
A year on and I can grab a few handfuls of the fabric on that dress when I wear it, which is great because the weight around my organs was going to make me very sick and now I have three pairs of back boobs less. About 30cm has gone from my waist. So I guess I've gone from apple to pear....</div>
These days I usually wear size 14 or sometimes 12 or basically a size 'medium'. I've lost weight on the scales in the order of 12kgs. I'd like to lose some more (one day at a time!).<br />
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So how did I do it?
The first six months I just tried to ‘get a grip’ on the quantity and
quality of food I ate. Just tried to stick with ONE mini chocolate bar a
day instead of 500g of chocolate (oh yes I DID –ugh!).
</div>
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<br /></div>
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I went to the gym EVERY
morning at 5.30am and slogged away on the cross trainer for 40-50
minutes at a time. I didn’t want to do any resistance training
because I felt like I really needed to just ‘sweat it out’. I
took up a bit of boxing (something I’ve always loved) and wore a
heart-rate monitor.</div>
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<br />
Most of the time,
with very little exertion, I got my heart rate to about 170bpm. I
was SO unfit. I struggled to do a 3 minute row over 500 metres, I
nearly died during boxing classes and in the first week at the gym I
actually face-planted straight off the back of the cross-trainer
because I was so shaky.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I did okay over this
time. I lost a bit of weight and some centrimetres off my
waist. But BY GOLLY I WAS BORED!!!!!! I asked the trainers for some
more interesting activities. One started me on intervals on the bike.
Again, nearly died but managed to get better at them over time.
Then I started spin classes. Then I bought a road bike and started
to commute to work and back (30kms) twice weekly.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I was getting fitter each week
and then would get bored and try something new but this plateaued
around three months in (and the scales were not moving at all despite my low-fat, high-carb diet). Then I came across a video on a Facebook page
one day and thought ‘what the hell is this?’.</div>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5099543627352971677" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
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It was a CrossFit
promotional video. Life was about to get very different for me!<br />
<br />
(to be continued...) </div>
tough little motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896584904038998746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099543627352971677.post-45329344593611364762013-01-27T05:11:00.000-08:002013-01-27T05:11:27.624-08:00So, what's YOUR excuse?<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgay85HQe2ytKnKk2CnCR9cC9uR3E3mvmU-CKO3-anrdD-oz-emkZYd3cV-iJ2LmMtfKpuSADZBsd0Wy3d6ZGWteUuzSBsB5pqHkJ0KbvlpevkLw0_9uvVmckF8dE47op4n62BtBsUVvVA/s1600/DSC04935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgay85HQe2ytKnKk2CnCR9cC9uR3E3mvmU-CKO3-anrdD-oz-emkZYd3cV-iJ2LmMtfKpuSADZBsd0Wy3d6ZGWteUuzSBsB5pqHkJ0KbvlpevkLw0_9uvVmckF8dE47op4n62BtBsUVvVA/s320/DSC04935.jpg" width="139" /></a></div>
About a year ago, I was
really overweight, completely lacking in energy and had not done
anything close to decent exercise for about 5 years. I had a
two-year old and a one-year-old to care for, <a href="http://toughlittlemother.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/oh-iron-eee.html" target="_blank">almost zero iron</a> and
could not function particularly well on many levels.<br />
<br />
But the fact of the matter was that I had not prioritised my health and wellbeing. I had not taken the time and care to look after my body and it had caught up with me. <br />
<br />
So, I'd made the decision to 'get into shape' and try dieting once again and I'd lined up an appointment at my local gym to kick things off.<br />
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</div>
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But it was actually a phone call I received as I was leaving the gym that truly changed the way I felt about my body. </div>
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I’d read in the newspaper
about <a href="http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/turias-nearfatal-decision-to-run-in-kimberley-race-20120430-1xutu.html" target="_blank">some ultramarathon runners being burnt</a> the previous day but didn’t think
much of it. Then I received this call from my mum telling me that one of the women I'd read about was our friend Kate.</div>
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I was shocked and distressed at the prospect of losing Kate. But when I heard she would probably lose her feet I was utterly devastated for her. Here was a woman who LOVED to run and who would be battling to survive a coma, only to wake up to the news that she would possibly never run again.</div>
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</div>
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That morning I decided it would be disrespectful and selfish for me to take my body for granted. I felt like I owed it to Kate to look after what I had. And everytime it feels 'all too hard' I remember what Kate has been through and what she is still going through today. </div>
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So next time you want to give up early or miss a session because you can't be bothered, think about the people who would dearly love to be able to the things you take for granted every day. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Then get off your fully functioning bum and do it.</div>
tough little motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896584904038998746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099543627352971677.post-84601324430099013222013-01-25T04:28:00.002-08:002013-01-25T04:33:00.488-08:00Sea change, see change...Hello<br />
<br />
Been quite a long time since I posted.<br />
<br />
Not much happened between then and now.<br />
<br />
Just got my certification as a personal trainer (night school).<br />
<br />
And moved from Melbourne to Perth with a two and four-year old...<br />
<br />
I'm hoping to post once or twice a week from now on, provided my kids don't send me completely batty and I end up in an institution.....<br />
<br />
We have moved to a great sea-side location. The wind here drives us all a bit nutty and the sun can be strong, but for the most part the change has motivated me to keep moving, to get outdoors with my kids and to soak in all that life can offer.<br />
<br />
<img height="280" id="il_fi" src="http://surfschoolcomau.melbourneitwebsites.com/images/scarborough_beach.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="228" /><br />
(Image courtesy of Scarborough Beach Surf School)<br />
<br />
Being busy and a bit strapped for cash means that I am not really attached to a CrossFit obsession, I mean, gym. I really miss my old <a href="http://www.crossfitmelbourne.com.au/" target="_blank">box in Melbourne</a> - makes me sad to see everyone still getting flogged there. So I'm taking this time to hone some basic body-weight skills, kettlebell swings, get my fitness up through running (when my knee allows it), stretching and treating a chronic hip problem with the help of a <a href="http://www.yourosteopath.com.au/" target="_blank">brilliant osteopath</a>.<br />
<br />
My Paleo diet went a bit wonky in the move and through the Christmas festivities. But when I weighed myself at the start of this week I was down 2 kilos for the month. Which has convinced me that nothing helps weight loss like a bit of stress relief and relaxation. However, I'm so glad to have my kitchen back and I have started cooking again - more information in following posts.<br />
<br />
Down time has helped me start to lift heavier again and has given me the opportunity to reflect on my goals and dreams. And it has apparently reduced the size of my bum too (according to an eyewitness who reflected on this fact while I was bending over to run a bath for our kids).<br />
<br />tough little motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896584904038998746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099543627352971677.post-2377282100682889782012-09-04T05:21:00.000-07:002012-09-04T05:21:32.760-07:00Practical Paleo - the book and the 'art of'...Last week I got a copy of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Paleo-Customized-Whole-Foods-Lifestyle/dp/1936608758" target="_blank">'Practical Paleo' by Diane Sanfilippo</a>. I just love it. It's full of colour and inspiration and very simple and easy explanations for why I do what I do with food and eating. Get on it.<br />
<br />Coincidentally, last week I also fell face-first into a pile of icecream. I think it was a whole bunch of stress spilling out around the edges, coupled with my despair about a new injury that was stuffing about with my training goals.<br />
<br />
But a bunch of icecream didn't actually make me feel better. De-stressing and simplifying my life a little bit and getting on to a treatment plan for my knee did. <br />
<br />
One of the best parts of going Paleo, in my opinion, is getting creative - or 'the art' of preparing delicious and healthy food. Being a busy mum, student and partner means that I need to be practical too.<br />
<br />
So, inspired by the book and my re-committment to Paleo, I couldn't stop cooking today! I somehow managed to pump out a weeks worth of food around about 10 committments and still get a bit of sunshine on my skin with the kiddies! (very important for Vitamin D requirements you know...)... <br />
<br />
So - here's how my day looked... <br />
<br />
I started by preparing tonight's dinner first thing this morning (as I ate a breakfast of grain-free muesli - shredded coconut, almonds, sunflower seeds, cinnamon, dried apricot, strawbs and banana with a dash of full fat milk).<br />
<br />
Anyone who thinks Paleo is all about meat should know that it's actually got lots more to do with vegetables...<br />
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I chopped up some parsnips, celery, shallots and carrots and cooked them in a bit of duck fat.<br />
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Then browned the shanks in the same fat...<br />
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Into the slow cooker with some tinned tomato, a splash of red wine, salt and pepper and fresh thyme...<br />
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Six hours later.... a quick check before dishing up after 10 deliciously slow hours... meat melted off the bone.<br />
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So that was a cheap and easy meal - 'meat on bones' like Osso Bucco and Shanks tend to be cheaper cuts but leech loads of calcium and nutrients into the dish. The juices merge in a lovely rich sauce and the vegetables are quick, cheap and easy to prepare. I would estimate that this meal was around $7-8 per person and it balances the body's requirements for carbohydrates, fats and protein. I bought the shanks from <a href="http://www.pasturefedmeat.com.au/" target="_blank">Gippsland Pasture Fed</a> - delivered straight to our door. They deliver this weekend in metro Melbourne so get your order in soon!<br />
<br />
I also made rissoles for the kids. Paddy calls these 'pizzas'. Here he is inspecting the mix which consists of 500g pork mince, chives, oregano, garlic and onion powder, mustard, one egg and enough almond flour to bind the mix. I cooked it in the bacon grease I saved from burning a batch of nitrate-free bacon on Fathers Day.<br />
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These babies move quickly in our place! The kids knocked off two and three a piece! Added some fresh strawberries and banana and they got lots of nutrients in their dinner tonight.<br />
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I also cooked a batch of chinese 5-spice chicken drummies. These
re-heat beautifully or can be eaten cold. I coated 2kgs of drummies in a
mixture of paprika, salt, pepper and 5 spice mix. Then I cooked the
drummies in bit of last weeks drummy-fat and chucked them in the oven on
180 degrees for 35 minutes. They crisp up very well this way. Tomorrow
night I will make a batch of shredded savoy cabbage to go with the drummies which I will sautee
with some organic butter, chicken stock and kaiser fleish.</div>
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I also made a snack of preservative and gluten-free beef sausages (also from Gippsland Pasture Fed) and split green olives - cooked in the fat from the rissoles. Mark and I shared this as a snack this afternoon. </div>
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I made a batch of apple streusel muffins from Practical Paleo - but I will talk about those and other sweet treats in my next post - probably in a couple of days! </div>
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I'm off to get some active recovery after a lovely painful osteo treatment that's setting me back onto my CrossFit choo-choo train this week!</div>
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<br />tough little motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896584904038998746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099543627352971677.post-45328160369757772192012-08-30T04:07:00.000-07:002012-08-30T04:07:19.758-07:00Stupid dieting crap I've done (yay!)I was reading a <a href="http://paleoinmelbourne.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/the-history-of-diets-i-tried-and-failed.html" target="_blank">great Paleo blog</a> yesterday about ridiculous diets we put ourselves on and it got me thinking about my eating history. <br />
<br />
So although this isn't original, I've done a few different diets so I thought I'd take my own stroll down chubby-struggle lane...<br />
<br />
<h3>
The 'beat up your mates for Twisties' diet</h3>
<h3>
</h3>
Bless my mum - she loves me very much but her own weirdness with food was passed on to me at a very young age, starting with the 'no junk food' mantra at home.<br />
<br />
There's something to be said for 'normalising' junk food by not forbidding it or spitting at it when you pass it or telling small children that Satan will spring forth from the Tim Tam and such. My mum never allowed me to eat things like Twisties... so when I opened my lunchbox and saw another effing banana sandwich on wholemeal bread I generally tended to tell a random play lunch mate to 'hand over the Twisties and I'll be your best friend'. Twenty minutes ain't a long time to have to hang out with the dude that smells like poo. I mean, it's Twisties, FFS.<br />
<br />
<h3>
The 'I'm going to hell but it's worth it' or 'Chocolate Sleeves' diet</h3>
<br />
No chocolate in the house, no pocket money = sneaky chocolate bar up the sleeve. This was around age 13... On the way home from school I would be consumed by a deep passionate desire for the good stuff with the purple wrapping. Desperation, oversized school blazer, excellent bullshitting skills all made for an easy theft.<br />
<br />
I am paying for my sins through a 15 month age-gap between my two children. Ask someone who knows. It's horrific.<br />
<br />
<h3>
The 'I can't believe it's not food, oh wait, yes I bloody can' diet</h3>
<br />
Nutrisystem. Nommy nommy powdered sweetener and powder with sweetener. I think the main reason I lost so much weight on this diet is because my body was rejecting the alleged food matter and starving itself in protest.... I was around 15 when I was on this diet. It still exists in the United States. God help The America.<br />
<br />
<h3>
The 'trust me, I'm a doctor' diet</h3>
<br />
Again, Mum - cheers. Love you.<br />
<br />
In my late teens I gained some 'study weight' which I actually probably should have attributed to 'beer, burgers and bongs'. But whatevs. My mum offered for me to go and see her 'wonderful doctor', a local GP who specialised in weight loss. He was very good. All I had to do was severely restrict my calorie intake. Oh yeah, and do some speed cos it's not natural to just starve yourself (pfft!). 30mg of 'Duromine' a day did wonders for the size of my bum but <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiD65_pf5EE" target="_blank">nearly destroyed my sanity and personal relationships</a>. Oopsies. <br />
<br />
<h3>
The 'finger food at a bogan's 21st' diet</h3>
<br />
Okay so this was supposed to be <a href="http://au.atkins.com/" target="_blank">Atkins </a>but I frankly couldn't be arsed eating cucumbers and lettuce so I just ate a lot of cheese and kabana off toothpicks. I was training in Taekwondo 5-6 times a week back then - this was a sheer desperation 'need to drop a weight division' stunt. I got kicked in the head for the first time in my life about 2 weeks in and decided to eat a kilo of pasta a day for the following two weeks to correct the balance of the universe...<br />
<br />
<h3>
The worst-most-disgusting-crap-thing-ever-not-even-a-diet-why-did-I-do-this!? </h3>
<br />
A certain 'liver-cleansing' expert had a clever book with great advice, including 'detox your liver by drinking a glass of olive oil'. 'Mix it with citrus juice to make it more palatable' - I was told. 'Sure' I complied.... I don't know if you've ever tried to drink orange juice in cup full of olive oil but I can tell you from experience it's possibly the worst and most revolting thing you ever could do to yourself, aside from trying to bleach your own anus whilst inebriated.<br />
<br />
Oh yes- and any weight loss was directly attributable to the incessant post-drink vomit.<br />
<br />
<h3>
It's not always crazy...</h3>
<br />
To be fair, I have tried 'normal' diets like Weight Watchers and had some success. It was always short term though - there was always a 'cheat' factor or a bunch of rules that were very restrictive or obsessive. I've also tried various exercise programs and techniques that either left me feeling exhausted or very bored.<br />
<br />
It wasn't until I found CrossFit and Paleo eating that I managed to create some lasting change. <br />
<br />
I'll be coming up on one year since I started on my current journey so I'll post some photos and statistics soon. <br />
<br />
Meh.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />tough little motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896584904038998746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099543627352971677.post-28696463998380070642012-08-07T21:48:00.000-07:002012-08-07T21:48:37.186-07:00The insanity that keeps me sane...Hello - long time between posts... what can I say? I've overcommitted with school, kids, work, health etc - what's new?<br />
<br />
About 18 months ago I didn't have anything to fill my day aside from two needy little ones and a lovely view from my apartment window of Toulouse's snow-covered hills and leafless trees.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="400" id="il_fi" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9PDHZS9NWmkfYGe4g_uEBrdUHBU2F3sMLSXvHaTGGy_wGrbAPU5I4wMA5kBv7_E_2UlVoF6CFM-ns6XxMF1_QNSQ5ki78IRJQn212ASCrAhf2sy3v7o0EyI78bH8kSMZtcWO01zkKsLc/s400/IMG_1574.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="266" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">one of the many walking tracks near our home in Pouvourville - not easy to traverse with a twin pusher and two freezing babies...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Now I have days and nights packed with activities that seem endless and exhausting.<br />
<br />
The last two workouts at my CrossFit gym have been kind of ridiculous. Insane, if you will. 300 rep workouts each night - which, even if you use a light weight, are very tiring.<br />
<br />
But the fatigue is really a small price to pay for the benefit. And I'm not talking about nice bottoms or lung capacity here - these workouts train my brain and literally keep me sane.<br />
<br />
Imagine, if you will, that you are faced with the prospect of 75 deadlifts at 60kg (reasonable attempt for a newbie female doing <a href="http://www.crossfit.com/mt-archive2/004207.html" target="_blank">Mr Joshua</a>). That's a shitload of weight to pick up and put down 75 times. If, instead, I told you to pick it up 15 times and bugger off and do something else and come back again, you'd probably say 'that ain't too bad...'.<br />
<br />
This 'breaking it down into bite-sized morsels' transposes well into daily life. If I feel that I'm in Toddler Hell at 4pm on a Thursday I can re-assess the situation, break the afternoon into manageable activities and just push on through without having to hit myself in the face with a frying pan.<br />
<br />
If I'm eating well but getting strong cravings for poisonous foods I can tell myself that 'this too shall pass' - because it does and it will. Against all odds, I have made it through every CrossFit workout I have ever attempted (we're on about #60 now) without fading away, dropping dead or morphing into a blob of sweat on the floor that never regathers into human form. If I can do 100 back squats, 50 burpees, 200 push ups or some other crazy fitness bullshit then I can certainly cope with a myriad of other challenges life cares to throw at me at any moment.<br />
<br />
To be clear - this is not about willpower or discipline. CrossFit has taught me that I am capable beyond my wildest dreams. This means a lot to someone who has regarded their body as an immovable garbage tip for over a decade. No, I can't do a <a href="http://vimeo.com/10268820" target="_blank">muscle-up</a>. But I know that one day I will. I can't do most of the workouts anywhere near <a href="http://games.crossfit.com/article/world-record-footage" target="_blank">record time</a>. But one day I might come close. <br />
<br />
More importantly for me, the changes this sport has made to my thinking and my brain chemistry means that I am almost certain I won't be in the same headspace I was in during that long winter in Toulouse. The winter that culminated in a severe depressive episode that could well have ended my life and denied me the opportunity to experience the highs, and requisite lows, that it brings me today.<br />
<br />
So to those of you who think CrossFit is a crazy pursuit I say 'hell yeah!'. <br />
<br />
But I'm alive and well today to tell you that it's more than worth it.tough little motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896584904038998746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099543627352971677.post-16365079455172131182012-07-23T19:52:00.000-07:002012-07-23T19:55:06.607-07:00Now is not the time...<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span id="yui_3_2_0_1_1343096114626172" style="font-size: large;">So it's been a while....</span><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span id="yui_3_2_0_1_1343096114626180" style="font-size: large;">I thought it might make interesting
reading to have me track my <a href="http://www.whole9life.com/" target="_blank">Whole30</a> experience. But it's been about as
interesting as watching hair grow.</span><span style="font-size: large;">
</span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Don't get me wrong - it hasn't been
too tough. I am sticking to it - no problem at all. I feel very healthy, no tummy troubles to report. And I did
get over my eternally grumpy phase and into the 'EVERYTHING IS SO SHINY!
OMG - THAT'S A FRICKING UNICORN!!!!' phase.... for one day.
</span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">And on that one day I did a crazy Crossfit
workout with energy to spare. I felt invincible! There was a spring
in my step, the world was my oyster blah-di-blah. I went to school-for-monkeys
that night thinking 'you know what, I am going to do the hell out of all
our practical work in the gym'. And so I did. After completing 120
backsquats with a 30kg load earlier in the day (plus around 40 half-arsed
handstand push-ups and 2kms of rowing in under 9 minutes), I completed
another 50 or so reps on the lat pull-down, a few dozen bicep curls, some
planks, 50 or so chin-ups and general mucking about with vigour for 2 hours,
followed by 250 box jumps. My partner in the box jumps was recovering
from viral bronchitis. We both exercised to complete exhaustion.
</span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I came home feeling pretty wrecked.
Went to bed with a headache (dehydrated maybe!?!?!) and woke the
next day feeling rough. The following morning I could barely move.
My chest felt like a Japanese contemplation garden with all the freakin'
raking across my lungs.... Needing to be a tough little mother and get through
the day with the evil toddlers, I dosed up on cold and flu medicine so I
could 'Solider On'. The following morning I felt worse. I decided
to fill in an old repeat prescription for antibiotics because I 'don't
have time to be sick' - certainly no time to wait in a doctors waiting
room to be told to go on antibiotics. I went to work the following
day to hack up a lung, to school the next day so I could hack up the other and then finally crashed on Sunday, just before my little boy came
down with the same or a similar bug....
</span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">My first thought was 'Great! Now I'm going to be up all night with a sick toddler and I won't be able to go to training. AGAIN.' But as I watched him fall in and out of
sleep (he hasn't had an afternoon nap in almost a year), burning hot, cuddled
in my arms, I just melted into my role of nurturer and comforter. I remembered my real priorities and decided that exercise could wait for now.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I also realised that THIS is how we are supposed to get over a virus.
We are SUPPOSED to feel like a truck has hit us, to expel mucus,
to burn a fever, sweat, dribble, ache etc. Until our body naturally
defeats the bug. The fact that I went for the drugs and struggled
to 'push through it' and didn't ask Hot Husband to stay home for a day and help me out was actually about
as dumb as eating a box of donuts with a bottle of bourbon on the side (hey - that used to be a healthy snack for me).
</span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Being healthy is about whole lifestyle
- not just what we eat or how hard we work out at the gym. It's about getting downtime when you need
it (not when it's scheduled), it's about dropping expectations sometimes
and allowing the natural rhythm of our bodies or our lives to dictate our activity. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Recently a very strong and fit Australian woman named <a href="http://www.shape.com/fitness/workouts/10-seriously-fit-chicks-crossfit?page=9" target="_blank">Denae Brown</a> qualified to go to to LA and compete as an individual in the World Crossfit Games. She had to withdraw at the last minute because she found out she was pregnant. I thought to myself 'oh no, she must be devastated that she did all that hard work and didn't get to use it!' but she is absolutely thrilled. She's going to have a baby. You forget how exciting that is (she may not be as thrilled when she finds out how much sleep you get in the first three years!). If she can deal with that sort of setback and be over-the-moon then I am sure I can miss a week of my own half-arsed training. Besides, I have been eating really well and resting my sorry muscles and bones so it's not all that bad.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">This last week has been a good lesson for me. I
like to think I can control and conquer anything with the right amount
of planning and persistence. But nature can't be tamed. Sometimes
it's better to learn to ride the wave instead of getting dumped and eventually
drowned by the beast. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I also learnt that bacon makes everything better.</span>
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<br />tough little motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896584904038998746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099543627352971677.post-58655585044822828762012-07-06T20:32:00.000-07:002012-07-06T20:32:07.792-07:00Fifty Filthy Pinkie PiesSo I am thinking that they should name Saturdays at my affiliate 'The WTF Show'....<br />
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Today was 'filthy fifty'... it was akin to having the skin peeled off your face and gently placed back there with love and kindness but with a hint of smirky cruelty. I am not going to bother listing the details - have a look <a href="http://crossfit.com/mt-archive2/001550.html" target="_blank">here</a>. I did NOT do it Rx today - I would have faceplanted in spectacular fashion.<br />
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So I was going to report about how Whole30 is going - MWAH! I just saw this picture of Donatella Versace and it FRIGHTENED me!<br />
<img height="300" id="il_fi" src="http://www.realbollywood.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/donatella-versace.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="420" /><br />
Anyway.... carry on....<br />
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Yes - so I am on Day 6 of Whole30 and I have purposefully not written about the day-to-day feelings and bla bla because I knew it was going to get a little funky. And sure enough it did.<br />
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In summary: Yes you can do this. No it's not impossible - nothing is impossible if you have cocaine and willpower (cocaine is paleo). But FARKING HELL we have set ourselves up to be an unhealthy species people!!<br />
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I've been reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Starts-Food-Discover-Whole30-Unexpected/dp/1936608898/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319647713&sr=8-1" target="_blank">It Starts With Food</a> and I am now fairly certain that grains, dairy and seed oils are messing up our bodies - I know they certainly have messed me up for years - but I just can't see an exit from this insanity on a global/big picture scale?<br />
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I went to my favourite BBQ place for a quick meal on Thursday - I was thinking BBQ wings with a salad, hold the feta. WELL there is sugar in almost EVERYTHING they serve (sauces, rubs, fries, you name it!). The salad dressings are made from seed (sunflower) oil.... So I settled on wings without sauce. A night of stomach cramping had me baffled until I realised that they had also coated the wings in flour... <br />
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Why do we need to coat chicken in flour?? Why do we consume so much sugar? How the hell do we get the rest of the world over the line on this??<br />
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I guess all you can do is lead by example. I can tell you that on Day 4/5 I was mad as hell over this issue of not being able to escape crap food while socialising. I also got particularly tired the last 24 hours but my energy levels have otherwise been generally stable. My moods are more stable aside from this blog rant (hahaha), my appetite has decreased and switched towards more fresh vegetables, smaller portions and healthier choices on balance. I don't miss flour. I don't miss sugar. I don't miss dairy. I did have a dream that a violet crumble bar birthed itself from my belly but that's completely normal, m'kay??<br />
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My experiences seem to be on par with <a href="http://whole9life.com/2012/06/the-whole30-timeline/" target="_blank">what others experience on Whole30</a> so I'm tracking okay from what I can tell.<br />
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<img alt="Hasbro My Little Pony So Soft Crawling Pinkie Pie Pony" id="product-image" src="http://image03.bizrate-images.com/resize?sq=220&uid=928846314" title="Hasbro My Little Pony So Soft Crawling Pinkie Pie Pony" /><br />
Meanwhile, Maddy now has an American accent because she got a My Little Pony called PINKIE PIE who says 'i lurve you mooommmmieeeee'. I had something similar at her age. Poor kid - if she's following in my footsteps she has a lot of alcohol to consume between ages 14-24. What a burden.tough little motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896584904038998746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099543627352971677.post-14039874025366407322012-06-29T20:45:00.000-07:002012-06-29T20:45:55.331-07:00Fight Gone Bad. Is Good.So today I completed my 46th CrossFit workout.<br />
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We were told that 'Fight Gone Bad' was on the menu. And there were two options: Rx (which is the prescribed weight set out for men/women and can be pretty tough) or a modified, easier version. I chose to give Rx a shot... and it went a little something like this: 5 x 1 minutes rounds - wall ball (14lb), High-pull Sumo Deadlift (25kg), Box jumps (24"), Push press (25kg) and Calorie Row (row for calories, not time) - this is followed by a 1 minute rest. We did five rounds... normally this workout is only three rounds. I got a score of 308... only to find that an elite crossfitter would get about 450.... IN THREE FREAKIN' ROUNDS! ugh! but I'm very proud of myself for giving it a go and completing it - now I just need to work on stamina and endurance. Bang.<br />
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You can find out more about 'Fight Gone Bad' <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC19O4cgvp4" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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In terms of the iron infusion... I found my strength has improved... I still fatigued though. Surprisingly, my third round was the lowest scoring and I climbed back in fourth and fifth... So maybe my endurance has improved? Hard to tell... I'll keep at it.<br />
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Paddy has a habit of being 'contrary' - today he's going for a PB. He told us 'no' when asked a few questions, such as 'have you finished?', or 'would you like to get down from the table?... We then asked ' what's your name, is it Patrick?'... without flinching he said ' No, my name is Madeleine'. It's no wonder I go a bit loopy every day.<br />
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<br />tough little motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896584904038998746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099543627352971677.post-19896698989230427122012-06-28T02:58:00.000-07:002012-06-28T02:58:06.203-07:00Are you yoke-ay? Yes ma'am!Rather eventful day. Got a buttload of iron. Only cost me a couple of hundred dollars and five hours.<br />
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I had the infusion at Cabrini hospital in Melbourne - Day Oncology. Took a while to get the vein thing sorted (I'd be a useless junkie) and then we were off at a blistering pace of bloody slowly. The hydrocortisone went down nicely, as did the iron. Got to a point where I was bouncing off the walls a bit (probably the hydro) and then I started to feel like someone was squeezing every part of my body.... but not in the sexy stranger on a dark tram way.<br />
So now we will see if the extra iron will help me to become the BEAST I hope to be at training. I was reviewing old training notes and I have been all over the place! Hoping Whole30 will support the process too... If not, I could just shave my head and set fire to a religious document for fun.<br />
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So on to the yoke joke.... I made my own mayonnaise! No bollocks in it - just egg, lemon juice, olive oil and seeded mustard with salt. I won't lie, it tastes like salty olive lemon egg but I have to mix it with some fud to find out how it goes - who the hell eats mayo out of the jar anyway (okay, some of you probably do, let's not admit that here)...? Not sure why people find it so difficult, but I will say that if I had followed my friend Michelle's advice I would have ended up with 2 litres of the stuff... my recipe said ONE egg, hers SIX.<br />
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Finally, I GOT MY COPY OF 'IT STARTS WITH FOOD'! The courier literally threw the box at our front door and the authors mispelt fud but that's okay - I can't wait to read it! I'll be reviewing it here when Paddy isn't yelling at me to either turn off the lights or help him in and out of his superbatman suit. And then there's Maddy's hair to attend to- probably doesn't help that her brother has been grooming it with salad tongs. I'd show you a pic but in each one she looks at me imploringly saying 'heeelp?!' and I don't need you to judge me for standing around taking hilarious photos of my child when she was clearly in need. Just like I don't want you to know that I giggle when Paddy says 'giney'.<br />
Goodnight.<br />
<br />tough little motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896584904038998746noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099543627352971677.post-27181965844025179202012-06-26T20:49:00.000-07:002012-06-26T20:53:29.472-07:00Whole30.... yikes!OK so many people ask me what I eat, how did I 'lose weight' (to which I say haven't really lost on the scales but with the measuring tape) etc etc and often they are surprised by what I say. Partially because eating fat is so taboo, not eating toast for brekky is weird and why did I just eat a square of chocolate when I'm not supposed to eat dairy!?<br />
I've been fine-tuning my approach to eating for about six months now.... Starting with cutting back on sugar and sweeteners, cutting out wheat, reducing dairy, increasing healthy fats and protein and continuing to enjoy lots and lots of veg and some fruit.<br />
However, I do have a life that involves scant amounts of socialising, a fair amount of eating my kids' food off the walls (don't let that sh** go to waste!) and shovelling in this and that between shifts on the homefront (gym-childcare-work-childcare-nightschool-sleep).<br />
Add 'no iron' and you get 'I COULD EAT A HORSE IF IT WOULD JUST GET ME THROUGH THIS BLOODY EXHAUSTING DAY!' and 'PATRICK! STOP PUTTING YOUR FINGER IN YOUR BOTTOM!!' (oops - that was really more of an aside).<br />
So I'm a bit lax a times with my diet choices and I am certain that I eat 'too much' just to maintain energy... so I decided that July would be time to try <a href="http://whole9life.com/" target="_blank">Whole30</a>. I won't bore you with exact details - go to the link - but I will say that I am getting a bit nervous.<br />
I'll be giving up milk in my coffee, dark chocolate treats, ice-cream, cheese and a few other nasties that are probably not contributing to my wellbeing (aside from brief moments of lovely enjoyment followed by stinky farts).<br />
So if I seem a little ANGRY in future posts, you'll know why... And if I'm not then you'll know I'm medicating some other way - HA HA! in your FACE blue cheese - i get my high from PETROL now......tough little motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896584904038998746noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099543627352971677.post-36785010517654015252012-06-24T21:21:00.000-07:002012-06-24T21:21:29.722-07:00Murph and MeatSo this Saturday I met Murph. I am humbled by Lt Michael Murphy's service to his country and therefore did not say any naughty words as I completed this horrendous workout: 2km row, 300 airsquats, 200 pushups, 100 chin ups, 2km row.<br />
A few points - I did need rubber bands as I am still technically an exercise mong. Also, I could have chosen to run 3.2km instead of row 4km but then we'd have hell frozen over which is not great for climate change yada yada. What I found MOST unhelpful was one of the trainers coming over to me and saying 'how many to go?' and me saying '136 push ups' and him saying 'didn't anyone tell you that you should be doing a half-workout because you've not been coming long?'.<br />
Ahhhh let me think (I said to myself), hmmm NO they DIDN'T and this mysterious 'ANYONE' would be YOU Mr Bastardface! Just kidding - his face is not at all bastardy. <br />
I had a choice in that moment and I chose to finish the full workout.... It took me 15 minutes over cut-off but I finished and I was bloody proud of my iron anaemic self too.<br />
I spent the rest of the day sounding like the lyrics from an early Kings of Leon song... I got a massive headache, I couldn't lift my arms without shaking etc etc bla bla first world problems. BUT I also got a few hours out with hot husband (thanks Mum!)! We went down to check out South Wharf (who knew THAT existed?) and went to the Meat Market for dinner. I was in paleo heaven. Definitely a place I will visit again.<br />
We ended the night with some drinks at my affiliate's fundraiser where we won a night for two in a boutique hotel (woot woot!)... which nicely offset the parking fine from the wankers at Port Phillip.<br />
All-in-all not a bad one. <br />
<br />tough little motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896584904038998746noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099543627352971677.post-66093307652432121652012-06-21T03:59:00.001-07:002012-06-21T03:59:33.997-07:00Oh the Iron-eee.....So I've been doing CrossFit for about three months and I must say that a) i am addicted and b) it works. I've never been in such good physical condition. Which is amazing given that my iron is at an all-time low.<br />
In February last year I had a pretty severe spell of depression. I was living in France at the time and I ended up seeing an English-speaking psychotherapist. She was bloody awful but she did have the wisdom to recommend I get my thyroid and my iron levels checked as they are frequently connected to depression.<br />
So I did. My iron was below the threshold for anaemia and without trying to investigate why (perhaps the two caesareans in two years, breastfeeding two babies in two years, history of endometriosis and PCOS etc etc), the French doctor decided that I should just take delicious constipaty iron tablets for six months, bugger off back to the imaginary land I came from and make it all someone else's problem. <br />
The iron levels climbed slightly and then declined. I was rather tired of black poo so I decided that I wouldn't bother taking the tablets and would try some needles in the bum. After three in quick succession I found out the iron had actually managed to DEcrease. Ugh. So next Thursday I am off to Cabrini Day Oncology to get hooked up to an iron IV. <br />
Turns out that it's really bloody hard to do strenuous exercise without any iron. And I've been doing CrossFit 4-6 times a week. So I guess that's why I've called this blog tough little mother. 'Cos I bloody well am.<br />
Have you had your iron checked lately?tough little motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896584904038998746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099543627352971677.post-65448586154931231412012-06-19T04:17:00.001-07:002012-06-21T03:39:33.739-07:00Paleo to the people...Made a new friend recently. She owns a great cafe near us. I've asked her if she'd try out a paleo biscuit in her cafe and she's open to the idea. My fave recipe is Teresa Cutter's Paleo Anzac <a href="http://www.thehealthychef.com/2012/04/paleo-anzacs/">http://www.thehealthychef.com/2012/04/paleo-anzacs/</a>. Here's a batch of mine- nommy nommy...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBbxIb2qz_UGelIXe90C4XSFRc83OEy2It_l8Wet4gVXghC2h_bUWT7t-uQqVVC1S3EuF6_hn8uTvCvcS-3nGciGwWLyfWjkOgDmgCVISTE2MYPN58r7t_R5FnID_wFQYQIlnf3K8XUA8/s640/blogger-image-2060176695.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBbxIb2qz_UGelIXe90C4XSFRc83OEy2It_l8Wet4gVXghC2h_bUWT7t-uQqVVC1S3EuF6_hn8uTvCvcS-3nGciGwWLyfWjkOgDmgCVISTE2MYPN58r7t_R5FnID_wFQYQIlnf3K8XUA8/s640/blogger-image-2060176695.jpg" /></a></div>tough little motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896584904038998746noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099543627352971677.post-79711361147469532022012-06-16T16:11:00.001-07:002012-06-16T16:59:50.600-07:00Sunday slow cookerI usually do a bit of cooking while hot husband goes for his weekly crazy-long run. Today it's beef with onions, garlic, Swiss brown mushies, parsnips, carrot, celery. I added a drizzle of red wine and olive oil with herbs... I'm not super-strict paleo. This will make 5-6 portions.<div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn8Fmr4qR7wQnyLWGCjQAc-pbiyyMEBe4brII28V97ZUz2qA9x-vf1FpUFnQnl-l8TvGRx-pbQ2k5qRCu18GcKTiRuRd28Eq4w95mYeNvSPHRWSxAmfDbigWTOzivPr6rjzbH-0qxfHGY/s640/blogger-image--1214664418.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn8Fmr4qR7wQnyLWGCjQAc-pbiyyMEBe4brII28V97ZUz2qA9x-vf1FpUFnQnl-l8TvGRx-pbQ2k5qRCu18GcKTiRuRd28Eq4w95mYeNvSPHRWSxAmfDbigWTOzivPr6rjzbH-0qxfHGY/s640/blogger-image--1214664418.jpg" /></a></div>tough little motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896584904038998746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099543627352971677.post-32223910606648233972012-06-16T04:05:00.000-07:002012-06-16T04:05:11.028-07:0060 pairs of comfy undies....I'm not sure how or why this is happening folks, but I have just become a 'blogger'. Sounds like a bloated jogger.... neither of which am I because a) my boobs are way too cumbersome for a constant bouncing motion and b) i dont eat wheat.<br />
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I suppose I will write what comes to mind and then craft this as I go. I will write for catharsis... because my psychotherapist is expensive and I frankly can't be bothered with the thirty minute drive there and back every week.... I could buy twelve packs of comfy target undies with the money spent....<br />
<br />Enough. More to come.tough little motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896584904038998746noreply@blogger.com0