FINDING FOCUS AFTER FORTY

Women of Strength

2012-02-01T08:00:00.001+10:00

I thought I'd mix things up a bit and start highlighting other women that I find inspirational, besides just the shorties. Whether they are older than the norm for being fit, stronger than the average woman, or perhaps beating the odds and defeating a physical debilitation; these are women that I admire.
I'm going to start off with a familiar face that I and many other bloggers have highlighted in the past. As a 74 year old bodybuilder, she's one of my favourite women of strength; and she didn't even start working out until she was 56 years old!
Say hello to (or welcome back!) Ernestine Shepherd!

Pint Sized Powerhouse of the Week

2012-01-25T07:00:00.001+10:00

Coming in at 5'3", with 5 Pro wins, a top 5 finish at the 2010 Olympia and Top 5 finishes at the Figure International 2009, 2010 and 2011, let's hear it for Felicia Romero!

Not only is she an IFBB Figure pro, she has graced the cover of Flex Magazine twice, and also did a cover shot for Muscle & Fitness Hers.

She works in Arizona as a personal trainer, and by her look in this next picture, I'd say she'd probably put anyone through the paces hardcore!

Stay tough and have a great week!
Ciao for now!

Absolutely Buzzing!

2012-01-23T08:10:00.000+10:00

(Above we've got the last three years of All Females winners-Janet Kane at the top for 2011, Skye Cushway for 2010, and Clare Ross for 2009.)

I feel like a kid who’s 2 weeks away from Christmas right now; only I’ve got 5 months dang it!

Yes, I just keep getting these hits of excitement when I think about the All Females comp in June; since I think about it constantly, I’m pretty much in a state of excitement from dawn till dusk daily-LOL!

I don’t know why I’m so excited; just the whole idea of competing again, and chatting up all the gals I’ve gotten to know through blogging and FaceBook and haven’t met face to face yet. The whole thing just amps me beyond belief.

On top of that, it’ll be a first for visiting Melbourne, so quite excited about taking in a few sites while there.

Sunday will be the start of my weekly hard-core training session with John. This way I can go super heavy on one body part each week, where he can spot and of course push me to the limits-and he’s not shy about yelling when it comes to my training…ha! No Holds Barred! Bring it on!

How about you? Are you stepping up your game this year? The time has come; Get on it!

Ciao for now!

Book suggestions? I want more like this one!

2012-01-21T07:49:00.000+10:00

I just finished the truly inspiring book AGE IS JUST A NUMBER by Dara Torres; bloody awesome!

After retiring a number of times from swimming, she came back at age 41 and won a pile of medals at the 2008 Olympics-proving that age is not a reason to slow down. I love this woman and her story.

And it's no wonder she won all those medals-check her out here-knee surgery didn't slow her down from still getting her workout in; legs no good-go upper body!

She is a wonderful inspiration for woman of all ages.

Now I want to find more books about inspiring female athletes; any suggestions?

Let me have 'em!

Ciao for now!

Great New Cookbook!

2012-01-20T09:45:00.000+10:00

So far, I have tried at least half a dozen recipes out of this book, and all have been super easy and tasty. Michelle has come up with some great combinations of flavours, and has the nutrient breakdown for each recipe as well as some great tips on alternatives and clean eating & cooking. She's put in some beautiful photos of each meal as well.

Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks-it's all in there! Kudos to Michelle!

A great buy for sure! Just click on the top link at the right of my page to purchase!

Ciao for now!

Pint Sized Powerhouse of the Week

2012-01-17T07:00:00.000+10:00

This weeks pick out of Quebec, Canada stands at just five feet tall; but don't let that short height fool you-she is one strong competitor!

Myriam Capes is an IFBB Fitness pro; I love their routines-just full of strength and power. Below is the routine that won her a 3rd place title at the 2011 Olympia:

And here is a bit of her contest history-she's been quite the active competitor over the last few years!

2011:

2nd place Toronto Super Pro Show (Toronto, Canada)

5th place Fitness International (Columbus, Ohio)

2010:

4th place OLYMPIA (Las Vegas, Nevada)

2nd place Europa Super Show (Dallas, Texas)

2nd place Europa Show of Champions (Orlando, Florida)

8th place Fitness International (Columbus, Ohio)

2009:

6th place OLYMPIA (Las Vegas, Nevada)

2nd place Europa Super Show (Dallas, Texas)

2nd place Europa Show of Champions (Orlando, Florida)

5th place New York Pro Fitness (New York, New York)

2008:

4th place Atlantic City Pro show

6th place Europa Super Show (Dallas, Texas)

12th place Houston pro Show (Houston, Dallas)

9th place New York Pro Fitness (New York, New York)

Awesome stuff!

You can see more of Myriam at her website-HERE

Ciao for now!

Calling All Figure Gals!

2012-01-16T07:45:00.000+10:00

Well, we are getting into that time of year... COMP SEASON! In these tough, economic times, a brand new comp suit can sometimes really stretch the budget. Fortunately we have

This is a fabulous website full of pre-loved outfits...most have only been worn once or twice-some never even used for some reason or another.

It's a great spot for selling and buying outfits at a much lower price. And you can find some, (like my last outfit-Item 0133 on THIS PAGE) that are super plain for super cheap that you can totally bling up yourself-saving you heaps!

Check it out!

This one is now selling for just $100!

Ciao for now!

Two of the best investments I’ve ever made

2012-01-14T10:35:00.000+10:00

At least as far as the kitchen goes….lol

These two items I find are so important for easy healthy meals; I don’t know how I went without them for so long.

The first item is my most recent purchase, the food processor. I LOVE IT! Whether you are a figure competitor or busy mum or dad on the go, this item is indispensable! It is so worth the $200-$300 you spend on it. With this, you can have fresh cut up veggies in your fridge all of the time. You simply spend about 5-10 minutes a couple of times a week and voila! You’ve got veggies for stir fries, salads, casseroles, sandwiches right at your fingertips-too easy!

I got a Kenwood Multi-Pro through Peter’s of Kensington for $232 including shipping.

The next thing that I find makes cooking on busy days so much easier is my slow-cooker. Another one I can’t believe I went so long without! Just brown the meat and throw in some veggies and hot water or stock in the morning and you don’t have to think about it the rest of the day.

I can’t remember exactly how much I paid for mine; I bought a George Foreman one at The Good Guys in a deal that included a rice cooker which I also love-but would not have bought otherwise. I think I paid $60 for the set.

So, there you have it!

Ciao for now!

Pint Sized Powerhouse of the Week

2012-01-11T07:00:00.002+10:00

Coming in at 5'3" (160cm), this weeks shorty is November/December Muscle & Fitness Hers cover girl, Cheryl Brown.

Not only is Cheryl a six time IFBB Figure Champion, she's also an exercise physiologist, nutritioniest, certified trainer, fitness model and proud mum of 3 kids; her oldest being 17! Go Cheryl!

Though she's been committed to health and fitness for many years earning her undergraduaste degree in Food & Nutrition and a masters degree in Exercise Physiology, she only started competing in figure in 2008.

Her list of wins is quite impressive, especially for such a short time to be competing;

IFBB COMPETITION STATS:

2011

Sheru Classic- Mumbai, India                5th
Figure Olympia- Las Vegas, NV            7th
NY Pro                                                   1st
Pittsburgh Pro                                        1st
Europa Show of Champions,                 1st
Figure International- Columbus, OH       5th
2010
Kentucky Pro                                          1st
Figure Olympia- Las Vegas, NV           11th
New York Pro                                         1st
Pittsburgh Pro                                        2nd
Europa Show of Champions                  3rd
2009
Kentucky Pro                                          1st
Sacramento Pro                                     2nd
Ft lauderdale Pro                                    5th

Awesome stuff! You can find out more about Cheryl at her website HERE .

Ciao for now!

Think you're too old to lift weights; Think again

2012-01-09T07:13:00.000+10:00

I posted these videos on Facebook last week-and I love them so much, I wanted to share here. I love these! Women over the age of 70 pumpin' it out! And no, they have not worked out their whole lives either; Winifred in the first video didn't even start until she was almost 50! It's truly never too late to start thinking about your health.

Ciao for now!

Pint Sized Powerhouse of the Week

2012-01-04T07:07:00.000+10:00

This week by special request, we have another home grown favourite by the name of Terri Roberts.

Not only is Terri Roberts only 5'2" (157cm), she is also almost 52 years old and still a force to contend with.

Terri is best known as Ms. NABBA Universe Figure but is a well known fitness trainer, aerobics instructor and pole dance teacher. She has started up a pole dancing business in Adelaide.

Her latest venture is in promoting her own, apparently highly successful, bodybuilding shows. She also has several DVD's on the market; one of which is on my list of things to buy-Age is No Barrier.

On top of all of that, she has a very impressive contest history:

1994 NABBA Australia - Masters, 1st
1995 NABBA Australia - Figure, 4th
1996 NABBA Australasia - Figure, 2nd
1997 NABBA Australia - Figure Short, 4th
1997 NABBA Universe - Figure Short, 4th
1997 NABBA World Championships - Figure Short, 5th
1999 NABBA Universe - Figure Short, 2nd
2000 NABBA Australia - Figure Short, 2nd
2000 NABBA World Championships - Figure Short, 2nd
2001 NABBA Australia - NABBA, Short, 1st
2001 NABBA Universe - NABBA, Short, 1st
2001 NABBA World Championships - Figure Short, 2nd
2004 NABBA Southern Hemisphere - Figure Masters, 1st
2004 NABBA Universe - Figure Short, 6th
2004 NABBA World Championships - Figure Masters, 3rd
2005 NABBA Universe - Figure Short, 5th
2007 NABBA Australia - Figure Short, 2nd
2008 NABBA Australia - Figure Masters, 2nd
2009 NABBA Australia - Figure Short, 2nd
2009 NABBA Southern Hemisphere - Figure Short, 2nd
2009 NABBA Universe - Figure Short, Did not place
2010 NABBA Australia - Figure Short, 2nd

Awesomeness! No stopping her!

Happy 2012!

2012-01-02T07:22:00.000+10:00

You can see the direction I'm going in 2012....

How about you?!

Are you sitting back and hoping or are you taking steps to make it happen?

Whatever IT is...Do It!

Ciao for now!

The Year That Was 2011

2011-12-30T07:32:00.000+10:00

Once again, we’ve had a fairly eventful year; that’s life really, hey!

Thought I’d share a few highlights of this past year, and plans for 2012.

2011 started off with us purchasing a new property about 13 hours south of Tully, out of the tropics near the small coastal town of Agnes Water.

Whilst in between settling on the new house and selling the old house, we were bid farewell at the end of February by another category 5 cyclone. Yassi wreaked havoc up and down the entire Queensland coast; as most Aussies know, lots of flooding and tragedy occurred before and after Yassi.

After two weeks without electricity, it was time for us to move into the new house, thankfully! We spent the next few months just working our buns off on the new property; trimming, weeding, planting.

At the end of March I thought I was done with blogging and signed off as I just didn’t think I had much to say anymore.

During April, John’s daughter Rachel came over from the states to spend a week with us. Had a good visit and gave us a chance to do some touristy stuff in the area.

June and July we received news of close friends dealing with cancer, then my sister-in-law also diagnosed with cancer. Both had the cancer surgically removed and have basically received the all-clear from their doctors-yay!

August I went to the states for my yearly visit and went to Atlanta GA for the first time to visit my baby brother who just moved there the year before. Again, a good visit.

Around September, I started blogging a bit again and by November I was back in full swing. I also decided to compete again in 2012, which I still can’t believe I’m so excited about as I really and truly thought I would never compete again. Never say never!

Over the last few months, we've also completed the studio so it's up and running. During January we will do a bit of a mini marketing blitz to get some more clients in.

And to end the year, we’ve been adopted by a lovely stray dog. Scruffy (I know, not particularly creative-but he was REALLY scruffy!) was sleeping under one of the tractors behind the shed one night, and over the course of the past few weeks, we’ve been slowly earning his trust and now he’s well and truly one of the family. He’ll make a superb watch-dog too as he really doesn’t seem to trust anyone else.

Other than getting the business going, as I said, I’m going to compete this year; I’ve set my sights on the All Females Classic at the end of June and I am absolutely amped, stoked and just excited as fox in a hen-house! All of my workouts have been energized by my motivation. This year I am working super hard at presenting a whole new package when I hit the stage and I can’t wait!

I’ll visit the family again over the Aussie winter. And there is a chance of John competing this year as well. We’ll see!

That’s it as far as our plans go at this point. I’m ready to rock 2012 big time. I can feel it! How about you? Got big plans? Have you started on them yet or waiting for the grand Day 1 of January 2012?

Happy New Year All! Stay safe; don't drink too much and Rock On! Bring it!

Pint Sized Powerhouse of the Week

2011-12-28T07:27:00.000+10:00

This week I'm highlighting Australia's very own Donna Jones. Donna actually hits on two of my soft spots as not only is she a shorty at 5'2" she's also only a year and a half younger than me at 42.

Donna started working out in 1989 with an eye towards "toning up" until someone suggested competing-which at that time was just bodybuilding and she won her first title; there was no stopping her after that!

In order to compete better in the "fitness" competitions, she took her first gymnastic class at the age of 32 and has mastered the back flip. Fitness shows are getting even harder to compete in, and Donna has announced that this year was her last for fitness and she's contemplating the new Women's Physique Division in 2012.

Here is a list of most of her very impressive competition history with national and international titles to boot!

1991 IFBB Dubbo Classic 1st under 52kg bodybuilding
1992 Nabba Premier Classic 2nd Figure class Nabba NSW Titles 1st Figure Class Nabba Nationals 2nd Figure class
1993 Nabba NSW Titles 1st figure class Nabba Nationals 4th Figure class
1995 IFBB Brisbane 1st Fitness class World Qualifier 2nd fitness class
1997 IFBB Queensland State 1st fitness class IFBB World Qualifier 2nd Fitness class IFBB World Titles
1998 IFBB Queensland State 1st Fitness class IFBB Nationals 3rd Fitness class
2000 IFBB Queensland State 1st Fitness class IFBB Nationals 1st Fitness class
2001 IFBB Queensland state 1st Fitness class IFBB Nationals 1st Fitness class IFBB World titles
2002 IFBB Nationals 2nd Fitness class IFBB World titles
2004 IFBB Pro card awarded New York Pro Show Southwest Pro Show
2005 Europa Pro Fitness 10th; Charlotte Pro Show 10th; Sacramento Pro Show 8th
2006 The All Star Pro Fitness, Atlantic City Pro
2008 Europa Pro Show, New York Pro Show, Atlantic City Pro Show - 6th

2009 New York Pro Show, Europa Florida - 7th

You can find out more about Donna HERE (all photos and information from the Donna Jones website)

Ciao for now!

Happy Leg Day!

2011-12-26T07:12:00.000+10:00

Well, Christmas is done, New Year's celebrations next then it's onto 2012-woohoo! Regardless of holidays, I'm still working out; how about you? Personally, I can't imagine not working out just because of a holiday-I like taking care of my body. Heck, I even figured out a way to work out on the sailing yacht we had a few years back...LOL!
Right now I'm loving it even more with the All Females in my sights. Completely focused-love it! Yesterday was leg day and on top of the regular dead lifts I'm doing these days, I've added these Sarah Picken Brown Geisha Lunges shown below. They are awesome! If you want a good bite in the quads, I highly recommend them.

Train on and train hard!
Ciao for now!

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-24T11:33:00.000+10:00

Just want to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday! Enjoy-but don't overdo it!

Do a bit of this:

and not too much of this:

and you'll increase your chances of achieving this sooner:

Ciao for now!

Pint Sized Powerhouse of the Week

2011-12-21T07:00:00.001+10:00

At only 5'3", this week's shorty is thirty-six year old Fitness pro Tanji Johnson.

Though she's been in the fitness industry for over ten years, is currently ranked Top 2 in the world in IFBB Pro Fitness and has earned 6 professional IFBB fitness titles in her career, Tanji started out as an army brat born in Germany. She went on to attend the U.S. Air Force Academy where she went through basic training, became a varsity cheerleader and a member of the cadet Honor Guard. She also went through several intense military programs like survival training and marine corps officer training.

As an officer, she served as an admissions officer in the minority enrollment department of the Air Force Academy and as the head cheer leading coach. Her next assignment was to Fairchild AFB in Spokane WA in 1999 where she served as an aircraft maintenance officer responsible for the management and maintenance of the KC-135 Aerial Refuelers.

She broke away from the Air Force seeing that Fitness was an entertaining and challenging way to promote a healthy lifestyle as well as help change society’s concept of a “real woman”. She began competing in fitness in 1998. Since then, she has competed in the Fitness America Pageant, Women’s Tri-Fitness, NPC, and now IFBB.

Tanji is known for performing flawless routines that are full of energy. With her athletic build and superb conditioning; she consistently lands in the top three of her competitions.

Below is a list of highlights from her Fitness competition career:

2011 Arnold Europe Classic 1st
2011 Fitness Olympia 2nd
2011 Fitness International 2nd
2010 Fitness Olympia 2nd
2010 New York Pro Fitness 1st (6th Pro win)
2010 Fitness International 3th
2010 Arizona Pro Fitness 2nd
2009 Fitness Olympia 2nd
2009 Atlantic City Pro 2nd
2009 Fitness International 10th
2008 Fitness Olympia 5th
2007 Fitness Olympia 4th
2007 Europa Pro Fitness 2nd
2007 All Star Pro Fitness 1st (5th Pro win)
2007 Fitness International 4th
2006 Fitness Olympia 4th
2006 Europa Pro Fitness 1st (4th Pro win)
2006 All Star Pro Fitness 1st (3rd Pro win)
2005 Emerald Cup 1st (2nd Pro win)
2004 Fitness Olympia 8th
2004 Fitness International 9th
2002 Jan Tana Fitness Classic 2nd
2002 Toronto Fitness Classic 1st (First Pro Win)

Way to go girl!
You can learn more about Tanji HERE!
Ciao for now!

Get yourself a healthy Christmas present

2011-12-19T07:43:00.000+10:00

Most of you on FaceBook, or Lindy's forum would already know about Michelle's new cookbook, Healthy Helpings; but for those of you who don't know-here it is:

A fabulous new cookbook, written by Aussie figure competitor, and healthy chef Michelle Koen! Michelle was a 2009 Australian Masterchef semi-finalist, and is a regular contributor to Oxygen Magazine Australia.
It's the perfect gift to get for yourself or a friend to start out the New Year. I'll be buying my copy first thing next year (I'm a little over my budget at the moment-LOL!); but did have the privilege testing some of the recipes whilst Michelle was putting the book together and they are quite tasty, easy and of course healthy! Click on the picture above and it will take you to the site for further perusal and purchase. Well done Michelle!

Pint Sized Powerhouse of the Week

2011-12-14T07:00:00.001+10:00

I saw this gal, Hungarian born Violetta Varga on FaceBook last week and was just gob-smacked. Talk about super-woman strength! I don't know how tall she is, but she really can't be too tall when you see the video and she only weighs 58k, 3.5k heavier than me, and she's only like 19. Here she is dead-lifting 182.5K-training for the record. She ended up dead lifting 200k for the record at the actual event.

And here is a pic; same gal on both sides.....gee look at those pesky, bulky muscles women are so afraid of getting by lifting weights...hmmmm.... I'm just sayin!

Best Pumpkin Soup

2011-12-12T07:00:00.000+10:00

I made the yummiest creamy pumpkin soup I've ever made over the weekend; and it was super easy too!
I peeled and chopped part of a Japanese Pumpkin to make about 4 or 5 cups; put that into a pot and added about 2 and a half cups of water (to cover the pumpkin). You could use a veggie stock-I didn't have any on hand...I only use home made and hadn't done any in a while.
I added 2 teaspoons of ginger then chopped up 2 stems of peeled lemon grass and put that into the pot and brought to a boil then simmered until the pumpkin was super soft. I took it off the burner and put the contents into a much larger pot in order to let it cool quickly.
I put the soft pumpkin, spices and water into a blender to puree' (2 separate batches) then back into the pot to warm-added one 270ml can of coconut cream, heated through. A bit of salt and pepper and Voila! Super yum!
You could use low-fat or whatever for your coconut cream-I no longer use low-fat or reduced-fat; and I don't know the calories or fat content of this dish; I consider it a bit of a treat meal.
There ya go!
Bon Appetit!
Ciao for now!

If you want different results, you need a different plan

2011-12-09T07:00:00.008+10:00

Or something like that..hehehe

Yes-I want different results for this next competition. You see the two pics below? The top one in black is 2008, the bottom in red is 2010....the bods look pretty much the same really.

Same plan, same result; 2010 did not yield any more muscle than 2008 and I had the same amount of fat on my hips and thighs as well. I had been on a quest for more muscle in 2010, but didn't change the plan much, if at all.

This time will be different. I'm focusing more on the macro nutrient split now. Oh, I worked on eating protein and some carbs before, but never worried about calculating the amounts, and now I'm realising that I probably wasn't getting the right balance. So, this time that is what I am zoning in on, plus some new variations in my strength building as well. I will also be adding more cardio on during the actual 12 week comp prep.

I might as well add that I will only be consuming real food this time around as well; no protein powders or bars at all for this chicky!

Yep-2012 will be a year of changes and new plans!
How about you? Have you made all the changes you want, or have you been doing the same ol' thing that may need some revamping?
Now is the time to make the plan so you are ready to go on January 1, 2012! BRING IT ON!

Pint Sized Powerhouse of the Week

2011-12-07T07:00:00.001+10:00

Adela Garcia!

Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Puerto Rico, Adela loved sports and gymnastics, but her family's financial situation prevented her from really being able to get any formal training until she was older.

At the age of 17, she was introduced to weight training then joined the ROTC and got even more training in. By 1995 she had started teaching aerobics doing personal training at the military base gym and that was when she entered her first fitness competition and placed second; she was hooked!

Since that time, she's accumulated a whole stack of second place, first place and overall trophies for figure and fitness championships across the US and internationally.

At age 39, she stands 5'1" tall and is the only six time champion in the history of fitness competition; including the latest win at the 2011 Fitness Olympia held in Las Vegas in September.

Once again-Go Short Power!

Want to set fire to your workouts?

2011-12-05T14:02:00.000+10:00

Pick a comp, any comp, and go for it!

I’m totally serious here folks; since I decided to do the All Females next year, my workouts have been jacked. I thought my workouts were OK before-I mean, I always love putting in my weight sessions; but once I made that decision to compete again, it just put a big old spark into my training like never before.

Having a big goal like a competition just puts me in that mindset to go the extra mile; so I’ve been coming up with some awesome routines and really whacking on that extra weight. Hopefully it pays off with extra muscle!

I highly recommend finding a competition of your chosen sport; could be anything! Swimming, triathlon, 5k, power lifting, figure/bodybuilding comp, tennis; something that you would love to excel at, then tell the world your plans and get at it! And being so close to New Years, what better time to start than now?!

Input Please; What's Your Fave?

2011-12-02T06:30:00.000+10:00

Over the next seven months, I really want to immerse myself in everything figure, so I'd like to hear some of your favourite books, magazines, dvd's and websites about figure/bodybuilding competition.
I want it all! :-0

Have a great weekend!

Pint Sized Powerhouse of the Week

2011-11-30T08:00:00.003+10:00

Being a shorty of only 5’1”, I love to see other “height challenged” women excel in fitness. I have been pleasantly surprised by the amount of petite sized women, (5’3” and under), making such a strong presence in the figure and fitness industry.

I find these women extremely motivating, and have decided to dedicate a weekly post to these short but strong athletic women.

This week, I’d like to start off with an Aussie Favourite; Sara Picken Brown, also known as the Pocket Rocket; at only five feet tall, she’s shorter than me-that’s a rare find!

Sara started out as a ballerina, performing internationally with the Queensland Opera and Queensland ballet before having to change career paths due to chronic injury. This turned out to be the start on a path to fitness greatness.

Besides having a successful personal training business, being an author, mentor and coach, Sara turned into a professional Figure Athlete with the IFBB in November of 2010. She now has 14 championship titles under her belt to boot!

Sara’s top five fitness tips:
(taken from http://sarapickenbrown.blogspot.com/ )

1. Set a clearly defined goal and outcome you want to achieve
2. Set a clear plan of action and a timeline with accountability flag posts along the way
3. Get your buddies in on the action-be accountable to someone you trust
4. Get clean-eat, drink ,think clean
5. Get moving- nothing happens without a little shake, rattle & roll....so get jigglin' people!

Go Short Power!

Do you have any pint sized powerhouse nominations? Let me have ‘em!

Ciao for now!

Can you say....

2011-11-27T11:03:00.000+10:00

All Females 2012?!

(I know it says 2011; they don't have the 2012 poster yet)

Hello blog land! I've been bitten again! Twice! Got the comp bug and the blog bug all rolled up into one big old bite!
I know I said I was done, on both counts-but I'm learning to never say never; it's only taken me 44 years to figure that one out-lol!

So here I am rip, roaring and ready to go. I have been thinking hard since last week when I first started getting some serious competition thoughts stirring in my brain and have decided to go for it. I wanted to do the All Females back in 2010 when I did those last two comps, but 3 comps in one year was just going to be a bit much on the bod and bank-book, so I opted out of it. I truly thought I'd gotten the whole comp thing out of my system and said I would NEVER compete again, but something came alive in me last week and it's still there, stronger than ever.

I really just feel it this time; can't explain it, but that's what it is; just feelin' it.

Every time I hear this certain song on the i-pod, I start getting that little excitement going and last week I was doing some play around posing in between spotting John on bench, and I said "This would be a good song for a posing routine, not that I want to do that again" but John knows better and must have seen that little twinkle in my eye and said "Yeah you do, you got another in ya; go for it!"
I have not stopped thinking about it since-and have decided , hell yeah, I'm in!

My plan is to work on building some fierce muscle. Last comp my goal of building muscle came up really short; this time is different. This time I'm lifting serious heavy weights and consuming serious protein. I am already seriously focused this time; and super psyched! And did I mention SERIOUS?! LOL

I know it's ages away, and much can happen in seven months (it's scheduled for June 24), but then again, seven months can go damn fast; so I am on it! I already have my training plan mapped out-just need to zero in on the food a bit more.

So, here we go again folks! Who else is in?
Ciao for now!

Nothing like some good rock n' roll...

2011-09-18T07:43:00.000+10:00

for squeezing in some extra shoulder reps;

I love Nickelback!

I Feel Good!

2011-09-09T07:51:00.001+10:00

Yep, James Brown is in my head this morning because this is how I feel for sure! Just Awesome!

Woke up feeling energized, no cramps (etc!) after eating toast & coffee, good jog-I definitely feel good!

Over the last couple of days, I slowly ditched the elimination diet; Wednesday I had some honey, yesterday morning I had toast, then in the afternoon I had chocolate cake (for my birthday) and some strawberries-first fruit in 11 days. No issues at all immediately after or since. This morning was the best I'd had in a while-I even had some coffee too-just half a cup as that is my plan with the coffee now-when I drink it I'll just have half a cup before I exercise, then a bit more after my workout and yoga.

I should add that I trialled the supplements that were recommended in the Stomach Acid Is Good For You book. I tried the Digestive Bitters on Monday...BLECH, ICKY, PHOOEY! No way could I use those on a daily basis before each meal. Then on Tuesday and Wednesday I tried out the HCl-Pepsin (hydrochloric acid w/pepsin enzyme). Both days I ended up with a pain in the very lower part of my tummy that I hadn't even had before, so yesterday I didn't take it, and no pain. Hmmmm-me thinks that one is out; just adding two and two here-hehehe. I think I forgot to mention that I've been using a pro-biotic called Prescript Assist that I got in the states. It's a broad spectrum one recommended by Dr. Carolyn Dean author of IBS for Dummies. I started that the weekend before the elimination diet. That could be helping as well-thing is I don't know if I'll be able to get that one sent from overseas...need to find another good broad spectrum one here-so if you know of one....let me know!

So, what have I learned in the last couple of weeks. Well, for starters, I don't have any specific food triggers, I need to relax on the inside as well as the outside and take my meditation practice into the rest of the day (as I've read for years and and now am working harder than ever to do), and eating slowly also seems to help. Plus drink less coffee before working out-kind of a no brainer really...lol.

All in all, I feel good about my experiment. I feel like I've made progress in finding out some of my issues-and I'm doing something about it.
How about you? Have been tackling your aches and ailments head on, or just sitting on the side lines not bothering trying to figure out why your body is not cooperating? Are you just happy to blame it on getting older? Not me! I want to be the best I can be for as long as possible and I know that 44 is not old, and 54 is not old, and 64 is not old. Heck even at 74 people are still mowing their own lawns and running marathons! Keep on keepin' on people! It may take some work and investigation, but it's so worth it to just have that little bit more energy or a bit less pain.
Have a great weekend!
Ciao for now!

Walking Lunges are Da' Bomb!

2011-09-08T07:45:00.001+10:00

I hadn't done them in a while, and did some with dumbbells Tuesday; was feeling them pretty good by yesterday afternoon. Killer for the upper part of the glute-way high up. I do them in sort of a duck walk style which I think helps to hit higher up the booty.

I know, so old school, but they are awesome!

I love old school style workouts. Most of my workouts involve some basic old school stuff, and that's what works for me. Oh, sure, I switch things around here and there add new stuff in-but I usually fall back into the basics, just add more weight or do more reps. I think if you switch it around too much, your body never has a chance to improve. Variety is good, I like to switch things around for my clients, but I like to see the weights, reps or time go up. Like putting more weights on the good old fashioned bench press, being able to do more push ups, or jump rope for longer. And believe me, these work just as good for staying in shape as any new fangled gadgets or latest craze cardio routine. And you don't have to dish out extra dollars to do them. Bonus!

Obviously if you're not getting sore anymore, it's time to switch things up a bit and change it around, but it's always fun and comfortable to come back to the basics and see how far you can go.

How about you? Are you always searching for the latest thing, or happy to stick with the basics?

Ciao for now!

Did You Know?

2011-09-02T11:47:00.000+10:00

I'm sure, that most people who have dealt with tummy problems know the basic herbs that normally help various tummy issues, like ginger helps with nausea (awesome for travle sickness!) and chamomile helps with anxiety and nervousness, but did you know that both can help with tummy spasms and can ease gastrointestinal pain and indigestion?

Here are a few other herbs you may or may not know about when it comes to tummy issues:

Caraway Seeds are an aid to digestion and for treating indigestion. They increase production of gastric juices and prevent intestinal spasm.

Anise also helps aid gastric juice production and relieves bloating and gas as well as prevents vomiting.

Oregano also increases gastric juice production and eliminates bloating and what goes along with that.

All of the above have many other positive features such as calming capabilities as well as antibiotic or anti-fungal properties. Cool stuff!

Have a great weekend!

2 Years, Alcohol Free

2011-09-01T07:42:00.000+10:00

Yep, two years ago today was pretty life changing for me. Even Face Book reminded me that my status on this day in 2009 was "Have quite a bit to think about".

Here I am two years later and not a single drop of alcohol has passed my lips. I'm happy about that. Not in a proud way-how can one be proud of simply being an adult and no longer sneaking around like a child? But I'm happy that John and I stuck it out and that alcohol no longer has the hold on me that I once thought it had. It was nice to be visiting family and friends in the states and be able to do everything that we planned rather than have to cancel something due to a hangover; which seemed to happen at least once every year I was drinking.

So, two years and I really thought my tummy issues would be gone with the alcohol, but that obviously was not the only reason I had tummy issues. Today is day four of the elimination diet. Energy is good; but the funny thing is, I'm having similar feelings and cravings that I had when I was dieting for comp-like now I just want to run out and buy up all the food magazines to look at all the stuff I might not be able to eat. I'm once again thinking about desserts-although at least I'm looking at the grain free recipes in my books at home...hehehe; but I never even make dessert normally. This is what happens when you alter your food intake. When I was prepping for comp-again it wasn't a MAJOR change in my diet-but excluding just a few things (until the final weeks) and I was dreaming of food. Fortunately that hasn't happened yet. But it's all very interesting the way the mind and cravings work. I really do understand why people have such a hard time changing their eating habits-I don't even eat super bad stuff-but get rid of my coffee, honey and cheese-and well, there ya go!

I think my bitters and HCL have arrived-got some slips for boxes in the mail drop over the last couple of days, so I'll be going to town to pick that stuff up today. I'm excited to try them out-I just have a feeling about that low stomach acid thing. Fingers crossed!

Ciao for now!

A Very Important Movie

2011-06-19T06:54:00.003+10:00

I felt the need to blog-
But first-here are the most recent pics of the garden:

Now, onto the movie-

To me, this movie is very important because it's about freedom. Right now, the US government is spending millions of dollars cracking down on small, sustainable, humane farms that are usually quite in harmony with the environment and simply selling good clean food to their neighbours. Where is the freedom of choice when you can't buy the healthy food you want? Why is it we can buy alcohol to our hearts content, cigarettes even after we've contracted lung cancer, and all the carcinogenic disease causing fast food our tummies can endure yet we can't go to the local farm and buy raw milk without jumping through hoops and making it very difficult on the small farmer?

Oh, sure, it's not as bad here in Australia; I'm not aware of SWAT style government raids on any small farms here-yet. But raw milk is illegal here as well-oh, sure, we can jump through a few loopholes-but you don't have to pretend you're buying something for the bath when you go to the liquor store now do you?
And it's not just raw milk-it's sustainable truly pastured animals and organic foods. And ask yourself, how many times have we heard over the last decade of disease and illness outbreaks from spinach or tomatoes or bean sprouts, yet these are still readily available (as long as they are from big AG industry farms!) and have not been outlawed. Yet this is the reason they give for outlawing raw milk. Do the research-when it's done in a clean environment-which these small farms generally are since they use their products too-it is an extremely healthy and healing food.
It's absolutely outrageous-but hey, if you like the government telling you what you can and can't eat-then hey, you go right on ahead-keep eating that processed carcinogenic, inhumanely raised food, after all Big Pharma has plenty of pills to keep you alive WHEN you get sick...maybe not healthy, but alive!

Watch the movie...

Farmageddon - Movie Trailer from Kristin Canty on Vimeo.

Farmageddon-FACEBOOK PAGE

Farmageddon-WEBSITE FOR MORE INFO

Not a blog, just some garden progress shots

2011-04-25T08:50:00.000+10:00

BEFORE:

IN BETWEEN:

COMING ALONG NICELY:

I actually have 3 beds started; So far I've got mixed lettuce, fennel, beets, broccoli, tomatoes, chilli peppers, artichoke, cape gooseberries, blueberry, strawberry, tatsoi, a few herbs and marigolds planted in this enclosure. Still got more to plant, and waiting on lots of seeds to sprout. Also have beans, pumpkins and garlic in an outside bed (outside of the enclosure).

So far, we've been able to eat pumpkin off the property (leftover vines from previous owner)-and have used the leaves, flowers and stems in meals as well. Also, have been able to eat sweet potato and passion fruit-also leftover. Have added nasturtium leaves to salads-not getting too many flowers because I made the mistake of fertilizing and apparently you don't do that with nasturtiums if you want flowers. It's all a learning process and having fun doing it!
Ciao!

The time has come: TBB

2011-03-18T15:08:00.000+10:00

Yes folks, after 3 years of fairly consistent blogging, I have finally succumbed to TBB; Total Blogger Burnout. After three years of writing about working out, competing, fitness, alcohol issues, travel, gardening, food and all that jazz, I have come to a point where I have realized that pretty much everything I have to say has either been said by a zillion others, or really doesn’t need to be said at all.

Right now, I'm simply loving life. This property has really energized me like no other. Every day I get up and look forward to working in the yard and eagerly await the day we can actually have a full meal straight off the property. That's what I care about right now. Becoming more self-sufficient and simply eating real food that we grow/raise ourselves.

Working out has been a part of my life for pretty much ever, that will never change; but I just don’t feel the need to keep talking about it. If someone wants assistance with that, I’m happy to help; I am, after all, still a personal trainer! I still workout with weights 3 days a week, still get in the occasional jog, still believe in eating healthy-but not ""low fat"or "carb free" or any of that crap, and of course I've always been opposed to “diets” in general; they are always short term and the the only time in my life I “dieted” was for the figure comps.

Unless you are working towards a short term goal like a competition -don't diet! And don't count calories! If you just eat when you're hungry, and stick to real food and steer clear of the processed crap MOST of the time and be active an hour each day...you should be just fine. You know if you need to make major lifestyle changes-and you don't need me telling you what those changes should be. Just do it!

I personally eat egg yolk every day, full fat yogurt, full fat goat's milk, honey, peanut butter, avocado, lots of nuts (even peanuts!), just about every day. I have regular full fat cheese and crackers a few times a week, I eat a bit of fat that's on my steak at least once a week, and chicken skin whenever the urge hits me. And low and behold...I still have abs (I know it was only from earlier this week, but I had to throw that up again to make my point-LOL). Now, I'm not saying you'll get abs simply by eating egg yolk and chicken skin; but I am saying you can and should eat this stuff as it's not what makes people fat. What makes people fat is eating regular meals of processed frozen dinners, doughnuts, chips, candy bars, and too much "diet food" that's usually loaded with nothing but chemicals. And of course, if you're not doing a little something each day that gets the heart going you will probably not be as healthy as you could be.

You should enjoy life-full stop. And that's about it!

So, there. I've said my piece. I guess I can't help myself! I'll probably still post up some progress pics of the property for friends and family and anyone else who's the least bit interested in that sort of stuff. And I'm still on Facebook and Dailymile-so if you're hooked up on either of those-look me up! Oh, and Goodreads too..those are all over on the right hand side bar.

Be happy that's the important thing...and you always have a choice on that!
Cheers all!
Ciao for now!

Looking for the best fitness program around?

2011-03-14T12:28:00.000+10:00

Try a bit of good old fashioned HARD YAKKA! (that's Hard Work for those non-Aussies!)
Get lean and fit without altering your food intake in 2 easy steps.

Step 1-Find a good sized patch of jungle sized weeds that need pulling out from the root:

Step 2-Spend a couple hours a day getting rid of those weeds:

And you not only get a nice start to a veg patch:

But you might get some abs too!

At any rate...you should lose a kilo or two and have a fabulous veggie garden!
Cheers!

Old News...

2011-03-07T16:16:00.000+10:00

But it's the first chance I've had to upload pics from the cyclone.

Below are just a few shots to show the damage to our old property. The house didn't suffer any major damage; really stood up like a rock! Just lots of trees broken in half and old ones with big roots completely toppled. We did have to chainsaw our way out of the driveway...again-and 2 weeks without power sucked!

And that's the last you will hear from me about the cyclone. Next blog-the best fitness program in the world!

Cyclone, Moving, and Back Online

2011-03-04T10:54:00.000+10:00

Well hello blog land! Gee, a month without home internet access sucks!
First Cyclone Yassi wrecked havoc on North Queensland, then we were in the middle of moving and the relocation of our internet took much, much longer than it should have; but all is settled and moving along now.

We have been very busy working at getting unpacked, setting up our temporary gym, and of course lots and lots of yard work. The place had gotten really overgrown since nobody lived here since last March and even though they had been coming down monthly to do some upkeep; they got stuck because of the floods etc. But that's ok-we are pulling it all together. Eventually I'll get some before and after pics up-but all I have now is the before pics.

We love the property though-we have a lovely dam out back with ducks and other birds working it regularly, I've found heaps of different types of veggies and herbs that have hung on underneath the weeds, we have daily visits from kangaroos and a peacock as well as a heap of native birds too.

Our plans haven't changed much-we still plan to extend the all ready enclosed area of the shed to make a studio and do the personal training thing again; get a chicken coop built for heaps of chickens; finish prepping the garden areas for veg and herbs and plant some fruit trees...and more passion fruit; and fence & prep about 60 acres for cattle.

Little by little we are getting it done-and enjoying it!
Cheers all!

Our 3rd eye!

2011-02-09T10:16:00.001+10:00

Hi all! Just a quick note; yes-we got hammered straight on by cyclone Yasi. John and I are ok-the house suffered minimal damage. We will be weeks and weeks without power. I drove up to Innisfail just to do a quick check of things online and get some supplies. This makes the 3rd severe cyclone for me and John-big yuck.

Chances are we will move down to the new property by the end of the month-the buyers of this place up here are happy to take over the ins claim-so we can all just move on.

Thanks to the well wishes via blog, facebook and e-mail!
Probably won't be online again for a few weeks-hopefully it will be in our new home. At least we are lucky enough to have a new home to go to; really feel for those who have to rebuild from the bottom up. Very sad.

Thanks again guys!

Might be off line for a few days....

2011-02-01T17:30:00.001+10:00

We've got a doozy of a cyclone headed this way expected to make landfall about 2 hours north of here-it's huge so it will impact for hundreds of miles around; possibly even as far south as Mackay which is about 6 hours south of us.
Thoughts are going out to all those in Cairns and all surrounding areas...who knows maybe Cyclone Yasi will fizzle....we can always hope, right?!
Updated info can be found HERE.
Stay safe all!

Keeping it Real Part II

2011-01-29T11:31:00.000+10:00

In order to get a head start on goals for the new yar, at the end of November 2010, I did 20 of these raised push ups with a goal of 50 by the end of January 2011-well, I did it! The last few are a bit sloppy, but I still pushed 'em out...yeehaw! Not bad for 43...
I'd say egg yolks and coconut oil are doing me some good! ;-0

Stop your fear of eating fat

2011-01-29T07:33:00.001+10:00

Over the last couple of months, John and I have been working at getting as much "good" fat into our bodies as possible-and WE LOVE IT! That's right, we've been eating chicken skin, whole chicken eggs, beef and lamb fat, even more nuts and avocados, using coconut oil to cook with, consuming regular fat goat's milk; I'm even cooking up some yummy drumsticks tonight with the skin on and I'll be using beef lard.

Before you close the page and say "Raechelle is off her rocker!", have a look at these websites http://www.truthaboutabs.com/saturated-fat-is-not-evil.html and Weston A. Price . If you do the research, you'll see how good saturated fat actually is for you, how necessary it is to healthy bodies, how when eaten in moderation it does not make you fat, and how basically non-fat and low fat foods have been a market scam based on fraudulent "science".

In the last two months of eating this way, neither of us have gained weight, (John has some fabulous abs!), and our strength has not diminished (I'm set to do my 50 raised push ups today!) and our energy levels have soared. Here is an example of a a day of my food intake:

1) Gluten free toast (home made) with organic peanut butter and local honey & cup of coffee w/honey and goat's milk.
2) 2 whole eggs fried w/a bit of olive oil served w/potato, home made salsa, natural Greek yogurt
3) handful of nut mix (peanuts, cashews & almonds w/dry fruit) and a mandarin orange ( I absolutely love the clementine's!)
4) leftovers from the night before
5) cottage cheese (unfortunately I can't find regular, so this is low fat-only until I can get my hands on regular-I may even cut it out entirely since it's got yucky fillers in it and just have the regular fat yogurt), flax oil & lemon juice, pineapple or some other fruit
6) Grilled thighs w/fat in tact (marinated in balsamic, a tad of olive oil (don't need much since they have the fat on them) garlic & herbs, butternut pumpkin squash patties made with coconut oil, quinoa tossed w/spinach, capers, basil & whole fat feta cheese.

I urge you to do your research and learn for yourself-fat is good-it's the trans fats and processed foods that are bad. Check it out for yourself!

Still at it...

2011-01-24T11:14:00.000+10:00

Hey all! I'm still here...just been busy with packing and an impromptu trip to our new property; it's a 2 day drive for us (each way) and we had some loose ends to tie up with the sellers. Worked out great; they walked us through everything-so many herbs and veggies already started; even pineapple! And the dam has fish in it....we are really stoked. The lady even gave me a whole heap of canning jars plus the big pot for boiling...and a heap of seeds to native plants and paw paw. Can't wait to get down there and start diggin' in.

I have not done my 50 push ups yet....last weekend I wasn't up to it then we suddenly had to leave to meet the sellers down there-it was the only chance they had to meet up with us; then this weekend...well an attempt was made, I'll be honest-but it just wasn't happenin'. So I will try again next weekend as that is the deadline I set for myself. So far my max has been 48...so I know I can do it!

How are you going on your goals and plans for 2011? Have you even started yet? I sure hope so!
Cheers!

If you haven't alredy....

2011-01-13T10:43:00.000+10:00

Please spare a thought for all the victims of the flood ravaged areas of Queensland and the clean up that follows.

Do you suffer from any of these?

2011-01-11T08:49:00.000+10:00

Inflammation? Joint pain? Arthritis? Fibromyalagia? Joint cracking? If so, you may want to check out these articles...HERE and HERE. In a nutshell, you may be sensitive to nightshades. Muscle pain and tightness, morning stiffness, poor healing, arthritis, insomnia and gall bladder problems—these can all be caused by nightshades. Nightshades can also cause heart burn or GERD.

What are nightshades? Well, they are plants that belong to a scientific family called Solanaceae.
Plants in this family include tomatoes, potatoes (not sweet potatoes or yams), eggplant and peppers—this means all peppers including chili peppers, habenero, cayenne pepper and paprika (not peppercorns).

According to various articles I've read, in the 18th century tomatoes and eggplants weren't even eaten, and just used as ornamental decor. Both were considered toxic; in fact the eggplant was even called the "mad apple" as it was thought to make people insane.

More recently, studies have shown that the toxicity and high glutamates of these foods (and numerous others like gluten, soy, corn, casein from cows milk, all forms of MSG) can have an effect neurologically as well as the muscle and joint problems listed above. People who suffer from epileptic seizures, ADD, Autism and other similar disorders would be wise to avoid the nightshades.

In another article, I recently read, there are a few fruits and vegetables that contain nutrients that can improve inflammation such as grapes, apples and onions. These contain the substances Resveratrol and Quercetin both of which through research are showing mounting evidence that these protective nutrients can help squelch the flames of systemic inflammation that are at the root of many chronic diseases.

So, do your research and maybe try decreasing the nightshades and increasing grapes & apples. Another item you may want to look into is food sensitivity and intolerance tests that are now widely available. So far, from my research, the ALCAT tests seem to be the most effective though not 100% accurate. I'm sure, as most things I type about these days, there will be many out there to disagree and say these food tests are useless-but I think they can be used as another weapon in finding out ones ailments rather than immediately taking some drugs that simply mask the problems and never get rid of the actual issue at hand.

Oh-and for anyone that actually read through to the bottom here-and gives a hoot (hehehe), I'm up to 48 push ups!!!! John reckons I could have done the 50, but since we didn't have the camera rolling, I'm waiting till next weekend! ;-0

Cheers and ciao for now!

Onward with 2011

2011-01-03T14:21:00.001+10:00

Hello and Happy 2011! Have you started working on those new goals and plans? If you've read my blog at all over the last month, you know I am well on my way to my first goal of the year-50 raised push ups; I'm up to 46 as of New Years Day. I started out at 20 back at the first of November with the goal of having 50 by the end of January. I will video those as proof-you can do whatever you put your mind to!

Other plans are in action as well as John and I will be moving to a new property further south; out of the rain mainly but also to a larger property where we can grow and raise as much of our own food as possible-pastured, organic, bio-dynamic the works. We will open another personal training studio as it's all about health for us; healthy food, healthy workouts, healthy lifestyle all around.

As a side note, my heart goes out to the people of central Queensland and on the coast as they have been hit so hard by the floods. Spare a thought for the poor people and the many animals that have been stranded and isolated; heaps and heaps of livestock that have perished. Really puts many things into perspective when you see the devastation.

A Thousand Awesome Things...

2010-12-31T07:47:00.000+10:00

Well, for the last day of the year, I thought I'd just share a fun website that I heard about on the radio yesterday. A guy in Canada started this site filled with some quirky little things, some fun big things and everything in between that make life wonderful. I think as you cruise through the pages you'll find a few things that make you nod and few things to make you laugh out loud. He's even written a book that's due out in 2011.
1000 Awesome Things

Enjoy and have A WONDERFUL NEW YEAR!!! Stay safe and don't drink too much...start the year fresh & fantastic tomorrow!

(photo from FUNLOGG)

New Plans, New Goals & New Directions

2010-12-29T08:49:00.001+10:00

Hello people! Hope your holiday weekend was whatever you wanted it to be. I know that much of Queensland has been under water, and many plans have been completely obliterated-but that’s life, hey! We were actually planning on being gone this week to go over some things with the owners of the property we are moving to down in Agnes, but Mother Nature had other plans and the highways have been pretty much shut.

Nonetheless, time is still ticking by, the sun is still rising, even though we can’t see it since it’s under the clouds, LOL. And the New Year is just about here. So, what have you got planned for 2011? Me? Well, I’m now up to 44 of my 50 raised push ups! They are super bloody hard, but I never could have imagined even 40 of those suckers!

Of course, that’s nothing compared to our plans for the new property. We are on a mission here to become as self sufficient as possible; at least 50-75% We have learned so much about the current food we eat and how poisoned it really is, I wonder if many of my aches, pains, fatigue could somehow be related.

Even a jar of olives can be tainted with a form of MSG! Oh, they don’t call it that…it’s citric acid-which often isn’t even related to citrus at all; it’s commonly derived from corn! Yes, it’s that bloody corn again-and it truly is everywhere! Xanthum gum, guar gum, “natural flavouring” are all forms of corn-and that’s just the tip of the ice berg. Why do I care about too much corn? I'm not talking regular back yard, yummy even when raw corn-I'm talking industrial, GMO, non-edible when raw type corn that is grown in the multitudes in the states and elsewhere. It's in just about everything you eat, except for maybe organic/bio dynamic veggies. It's fed to cows, pigs, chickens, used as a filler, starch, sweeteners, flavouring-it's even in our supplements!!! Too much corn makes an imbalance of too much Omega 6 and too little Omega 3-a huge cause of obesity.

Besides the corn issue, citric acid is a form of MSG-a free glutamic acid. If you would like to learn more about MSG- go here and get even more info off the articles on their home page here .

This really is the tip of the ice berg…do your research, learn about what is in your food, where it comes from, how it’s produced-you might be shocked…I was! This has formed our goal for 2011 and our direction in life, to try to produce as much of our own food as possible, and try to educate people about the food they are eating.

I know I'm sounding like a conspiracy theorist, scare monger; but think about it, and do some research. Look at the numbers of kids with ADD, ADHD, Auticsm; look at the numbers of people young and old with cancer; the number of cases of people with unexplained epilepsy; the number of older adults with Alzeimers; and of course the obesity epidemic and diabetes to just name a few. Many of these problems were not seen a hundred years ago, and one thing that pops up over and over is that we did not have the industrialised farming and processed food practices then that we have today. And read enough blogs and websites about people who have had some of the above problems (like the ADD and unexplained adult onset epilepsy and other illnesses), who have made changes to their diets and gotten remarkable results. It's all out there folks and it is kind of scary-but we can do something about it. It might take a little extra effort and time-but isn't it worth it to be healthy, and not have to rely on heaps of pills and doctors for half assed health?

Well-I'll step down off my soap box now, LOL!
Take care, have a great New Year, and here is to a fabulously healthy 2011!
PS-the above photo is of POLYFACE FARM-a fabulous sustainable local farm in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley in the US. I first learned about this great farm and system in the book THE OMNIVORE'S DILEMMA by Michael Pollan-a book I strongly recommend as a starting place to learn more about where your food comes from-it's a great read!

2011-Are you ready to test your limits?

2010-12-21T07:36:00.000+10:00

Can you believe 2010 is at it's end? The years are just rolling by too fast these days!

So, what do you have planned for 2011? Are you going to finally test your limits in that special something you keep putting off? Are you going to finally start that exercise program you talked about last December? What about going back to school for that degree you were going to get as soon as the kids were old enough to take care of themselves a few hours a day? How about that business venture you started talking about in July?

Whatever your dreams, plans or goals have been in the past-why not make this the year you truly test your limits? John and I are going test our own limits this year in a whole new way (for us that is). With our new farm property, we want to become way more self sufficient; growing our own veg, raising our own meat. We have just had enough of all the additives and unknowns you end up with from regular store bought food-and we are tired of having to question every other ingredient and tired of the entire "factory farm" system-so we are off on a whole new venture to do it ourselves! We have had farm properties before; a few veggies, some chickens for eggs. But this will be a whole new scale. We are excited and nervous, but that's part of pushing your limits. As John said yesterday, after a truly fierce workout-

"It's impossible to know your limits unless you're willing to test them."

And of course, we will continue test our limits in fitness! I'm up to 42 of those raised push ups; my goal is still 50 by the end of January. They are getting really hard, and I barely squeezed out those last two; but as long as I'm not injuring myself, I'll keep on pushing to see what my limit is.

How about you? Are you going to test your limits in SOMETHING this year? Maybe a marathon? Maybe a figure comp? Perhaps say goodbye to that cruddy job and shift to a whole new career? Whatever type of mountain you want to climb, you won't know unless you give it a go!

Have a great Christmas and New Year! See you in 2011!

40 Push ups and a new property!

2010-12-11T10:55:00.000+10:00

I can't believe I squeezed out forty of them today...I'm just so pumped and excited about our new venture! Last week I managed to eek out 35 and was shooting for 37 this week....but just kept on going-it was hard, but I'm stoked!

And yep...we are moving to Agnes Water in February! I'm really excited; this property has so much potential-and I really like the house. I can't wait to get down there and get dirty revamping the garden and adding some fruit trees, get a really good herb garden going, chooks, goats, cattle; and of course get a new studio up and running. The hardest part about leaving here is telling current clients that of our plans; so far they have been sad but supportive.

Onward!
Have a great weekend!
Ciao for now!

Push Ups, Holidays & Moving?

2010-12-03T07:25:00.001+10:00

Howdy folks! How are ya? I'm flippin' fantastic! I'll blog in the order of subjects in my title...
Push ups: Did those last Friday and got my 2 more in so I'm now at 32. Goal of 50 by end of January is still in sight!
Holidays: John and I went south for a few days, down to a little town called Agnes Water way down from here located between Gladstone and Bundaberg.

We went down with an eye towards a possible new place to live, and well, we quite liked it and are seriously considering a move.

Moving?: We found a couple of potential pieces of property and just need to work out a few things-but there is a very good chance that sometime next year we will be living on a new property out of the mildew and constant rain. We are looking at some acreages as our plan is to become as self-sufficient as possible. We will still do the personal training-but we really want to grow as much of our own food as possible. This is our ultimate goal at this stage.

I'm so sick of everything we buy at the store having something in it that is not meant to be there. Even our meat is washed in citric acid which can be a form of MSG..and the citric acid isn't even from fruit!!!

Anyway, I'm not going to start a whole rant, but the fact is we never know what we are buying and what has been put on or in our food. Even here in Australia. When is the last time you were able to go to the farm where your food is grown or fed? Hmmmm? What would you really see? I want to either grow it or be able to shake hands and talk to the person who grew it or raised it.

That's it from here! Have a great weekend!

As John is My Witness....

2010-11-22T08:12:00.000+10:00

I'm up to 30 raised push ups now...woohoo! It really helps to have an audience folks...if you have a goal like this-doing a certain number of push ups, sit ups, pull ups, bench press, a distance to run-whatever it is, get someone to watch-it really and truly makes a difference to keep you pushing to the next one. I had done 27 the week before so was shooting for an increase of just two push ups this week, but having John sit there watching, and of course motivating me with "come on, you can do it" etc...I made it to 30. Yeehaw!

Goal is still to get 50 by the end of January...but I just might get there earlier!

In other news...well-nothing terribly interesting or exciting really; but I've been weeding out my Facebook pages; getting rid of groups I'm just not that interested in anymore, and deleting "friends". The only reason I'm mentioning this is because I may have accidentally deleted folks I've met through blogging and various forums. If I didn't recognise the name, I deleted-and I just wanted to apologise and ask that if you are a blogger pal, (or forum friend!) and you are so inclined, please feel free to add me back, just send a message that you know me from the blog or forum etc. Plus Facebook was doing some weird stuff-and I think I truly did make some unintentional deletions.

I want to get to "know" people, not just have people selling me stuff-products or themselves! And I don't just want to be a number on someones list of 1,000 friends. I wasn't even seeing the status of people I know; now I can actually see what's going on with people that I've either met, or want to meet and family members. Very refreshing!

That's about it; Have a great week!
Ciao for now!

Quote for the weekend...

2010-11-20T06:44:00.000+10:00

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

Oliver Wendell Holmes

Guest Post at Kelly O!

2010-11-18T08:57:00.000+10:00

My best blogger pal, Kelly Olexa over in the states interviewed li'l ol me for her Wednesday Woot Factor!
Check it out HERE.
Enjoy the rest of your week!

Find what you love!

2010-11-15T08:20:00.000+10:00

Continuing on with my personal push up challenge-I am up to 27! Woohoo! My plan has been to increase by 2 or 3 each week; I started a couple weeks ago with 20, upped it to 25 the second week and then now I'm at 27 raised push ups. I really do think I will reach that 50 mark earlier than the end of January; I have been feeling quite strong. I was made for dong things in small energetic spurts-like pumping out push ups or bench press or pull ups or even sprints; I was not built for anything that requires energy for long periods-such as long distance running.

I am not giving up on running-I'm still doing it three days a week for my cardio...but I know what I LIKE to do and what my body was made for, and distance running is not it! Give me my weights baby! LOL

That's the key folks, find what you love. If you don't like weights-then don't do them; but don't just got straight back to the couch with your bag of chips. Find something you like because exercise, in any shape is just so good for you; for your mind, spirit and body. There are so many forms of exercise out there-there is one that is right for you, and once you find something you enjoy, you will never look back! I've been doing strength and resistance training for over 20 years now because I love it, and I can't imagine NOT lifting weights-and I know that I reap the benefits daily. Strong bones & muscles, high metabolism, alert mind...all benefits of consistent and regular work outs-and of course eating right helps too! You can gain these benefits from swimming, running, regular walking (as long as it's fairly up tempo), aerobic type classes and videos, yoga, dancing, tennis, the list goes on.

There is something for everyone-and the benefits are immense!

Stay fit!

Have a good week!

Push ups, Pull ups & Rainforest Animals

2010-11-11T07:30:00.000+10:00

I know, bizarre title; well, there is more to me than just fitness! Did you know, some may remember, when I first started blogging, about 3 years ago, I first called the blog "Raechelle's Rainforest Experience"? I changed it after a few months, when I felt more confident to make it a true fitness blog. You won't find any of those first ones, though, I deleted them since they were quite random.

So, anyway, I still like to blog about the unique animals we see here in North Queensland and over the weekend we got some great pics and video of a daddy Cassowary and his chick cruising through the front yard.

Excuse the veranda mess, we weren't expecting to film that day! We had just been working in the gardens. And on the video, I was so surprised that he came straight towards the veranda I did a hop back to get into the house! They can be quite dangerous-especially since they are protecting their chicks; but he really wasn't too terribly bothered.

So, now for the fitness stuff!
Last week, I blogged about my goal of doing 50 raised push ups by the end of January; I started with 20-shown HERE. Well, this last weekend I already got 25! I was only going to do about 2 or 3 extra each week; I just might have those 50 by the first of 2011!

And lastly, inspired by ABBY'S pull up mission (see her November 8, progress vid), I thought I should get back into doing pull ups myself since I hadn't done them in quite some time and was very please that I got 4 & 1/2 on the first set and then two sets of 5! Can you say stoked! I didn't video it as I wasn't really expecting to get too many. May have to video that next week...yes, I like to show off! hehehe!

How about you? Are you working on those New Year's goals yet or just putting it off until some time next year? Get on it people! Live now!

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Bring on Summer!

2010-11-05T08:46:00.000+10:00

Well, here in Aus anyway...hehehe.
I am feeling fabulously reinvigorated today-and love it! The last couple of weeks my runs were just so sluggish-and of course the whole left hip thing; but I think that is finally healed since I stopped doing drills. Today I spotted John on some 250lb bench presses and felt quite inspired by his performance and ended up running my best time yet. Only ran 3.9K....but it's the longest run I've done in a while-and the first one I've done without stopping in about 2 weeks. I even sprinted the last 150m or so. Not ready for any races yet, but I don't care; I feel awesome!

Must be the increased amount of sunshine we've had over the last couple of weeks; plus John & I have some fun new changes on the horizon. Not sharing yet, but I'm excited!

Hope you have a fantastic and energizing weekend!
Ciao for now!

Keeping It Real and Shootin' for 50

2010-11-01T07:00:00.003+10:00

Last month I read quite a few fitness type blogs about other bloggers that might not be "walkin' the talk", so to speak; so here's to keeping it real!
Below is a video we shot this weekend-I'm at 20 raised push ups right now...my goal is to have 50 by the end of January.
The video serves multiple purposes; one is to show that I really can do 20 now and to compare for the end of January; second purpose-last week I blogged about starting on your goals now-so that's what I'm doing; and three just to show that even though I'm not doing any figure comps anymore, I'm still keeping fit simply because I love working out!
How about you? Have you started on those new goals yet? Do you think fitness bloggers should prove that they practice what they preach a bit more? And I'm not pointing any fingers here-JUST CURIOUS! :-)
Ciao for now!

Look Back, Plan Ahead, But START NOW!

2010-10-28T07:39:00.000+10:00

Wow! It's almost the end of October, which means we are only weeks away from the New Year; it gets earlier each year, hey!

I've been noticing lots of looking back and lamenting about the year; people blogging about what they had planned for 2010 but didn't achieve and of course heaps of plans for 2011.

It's good to assess your wins and failures of the past and make a new plan for the future; but why wait until January 1? I say get it on NOW!

Oh, I know....it's so hard to eat healthy foods over the holidays, and it's so hard to workout when trying to organize the presents, the kids, the food.

Hmmmm....sounds a bit like excuses to me. And you know what? If you are making excuses now, what makes you think you won't make excuses on January first, second and third? I know there will be heaps more excuses by then:

January 1- I'm too hungover

January 2- I've got to take down the tree and start cleaning this place up

January 3-well the kids are still on vacation (here in Australia); got to keep them occupied so, I'll wait till they get back to school

January 4 - It's too nice out, I'm going to the beach instead (or if you're in the states-It's too cold out, I'm staying here by the fire!)

You see what I'm saying here? There will ALWAYS be an excuse. But if you truly want to start living a healthy lifestyle, today is the day to start. If you want to be fit and healthy and still able to have fun when you are 60, 70, 80, 90....today is the day to start eating right, and get the body moving. No matter how big or small your fitness goals are, just do it!

If you start ignoring the excuses and empower yourself with healthy habits and exercise now, you're mind and body won't allow you to give in to those excuses in January.

So get on with it! Get going! What are you waiting for?

Ciao for now!

Did You Know...?

2010-10-25T07:52:00.000+10:00

When a person's anger response has been triggered, the chemical released by the brain surges through the body and causes a physiological experience; but within ninety seconds from that initial trigger, the chemical component of the anger has completely dissipated from the blood and the automatic response is over. If a person remains angry after those ninety seconds have passed, it's because they have CHOSEN to let that circuit continue to run. Every moment that passes, a person makes the choice to either hook into the negativity which is now something that is past, over and done with or move back into the present moment, and allow that reaction to simply melt away.
You know where I learned this?

This book is amazing! I've learned more about the human brain and meditation from this book, which isn't even about meditation, than I have from most of the books I've read specifically on meditation & Buddhism.

Jill Bolte Taylor is a neuroanatomist who ended up having a stroke (at only age 37) and due to her scientific background has been able to identify each part of the brain and mind that was affected as it deteriorated. She ended up functioning for quite a while with only the right side of her brain as the left side was severely affected.

The left side of the brain is where our logical, analytical, ego based thinking comes from; the right side is the creative, spiritual and compassionate side. Jill was able to see what life is like from a purely ego less, compassionate point of view; and learned so much more about the human brain than she ever would have if she'd never had the stroke. Jill is not a Buddhist nor particularly religious; she's a scientist who's learned through first hand experience that we are all connected to the universe as one.

Once Jill's left brain was functioning again, she of course had to re-learn many things. What she was able to do, though, is pick and choose the traits she no longer wanted dominating her thoughts and actions, and she teaches us that we can do this too! We can work at utilising our right brain and become more compassionate, caring people...if we choose to. We have power over all of the choices we make; and you know I'm spreading this out over more than just anger and compassion; we can choose the foods we eat, the exercise we do, the cravings we give in to. We all have the power in us-it's just a matter of making the choice.

So now what do you choose? To be dominated by the angry, ego centered left brain or the happy, compassionate right brain?
Can you guess what I'm choosing? It may not happen over night...but it's a fabulous goal, don't you think?

I brought you into this program, I can take you out!

2010-10-22T08:48:00.000+10:00

Sounds menacing, hey?! That's just me revamping my running program, again.

You may or may not know that I've been dealing with pain in my right hip and sacro illiac area for over three years now. I've pretty much got the pain at a manageable level by regularly using the foam roller and adding some new yoga stretches to my routine. However, my left hip has suddenly flared up-right at the hip socket with pain radiating out over the whole hip area.

I've been working out long enough to know that when my body starts to scream, I need to listen. When it just whispers I know I can keep going and often the pain subsides-sometimes it's even related to a mental barrier that I just need to break through. But, when the old bod starts shouting very loudly, I know that it is a physical limitation and I'm not willing to push through it just to prove how tough I am. I already know I am strong for my size and age, and John knows-and that's all that really matters.

My fitness goals are simple, stay healthy and fit right up into my 70's 80's & 90's (like RUTH, and CLARENCE among many others). Trying to push my body past it's breaking point just to say "I did it" is simply not worth it to me, and not going to help me achieve my ultimate goal of being HEALTHY.

So, once again, I've had a good look at my program and have realised that the biggest and most recent addition to my training regime is drills. What are drills? Well, the ones I've incorporated I got out of my "Runners World, Complete Book of Women's Running"-low strides, leaping bounds and sideways running. Now I'm sure these work great for heaps of people, but, they are simply screwing me up. I started them to help my running, but my running has disintegrated and my hips are, well %*&)(*&* ya know? I am convinced it's the drills; so OUT THEY GO!

Wow, I feel liberated! I hated those drills. At least I gave them a try; but I'm just going to run...no drills, no form, just run. And of course lift because I LOVE MY WEIGHTS!

Listen to your body and have a great weekend!
Ciao for now!

Where's my "Runner's High"?

2010-10-20T07:39:00.001+10:00

Good morning all! Well first off, just wanted to say I had a wonderful little lunch get together with Chelle of Chelle's Ultimate Challenge yesterday...was lovely to meet you hon!

During the lunch, we ended up talking about running since Chelle recently got back into it and I was trying to get some "hot tips" hehehe.

It occurred to me while we were talking that I really have never experienced the much sought after "runner's high" that so many runner's and athletes in general talk about. Now I've been working out with weights for, gee over twenty years now; and honestly, though I get a good pump and, well if you've read my blog for even only a month you'd know I absolutely loooove my weights-but I can't remember every really getting that sudden surge of energy to go that extra mile. Once I've maxed out, say, on bench press-that's pretty much it...everything else is pretty mediocre for the rest of the workout. And so far in the three or four months that I've been running super consistently, I've yet to feel that sudden surge; it's more like a forced push at the end-especially at the end of my 5k.

So, I'll just keep chugging along, it's bound to appear at some stage right? How about you...do you experience a "runner's high" while running or weight lifting...or any sort of exercise? At what stage does that surge of energy hit you?

Having said all of that, if this is the biggest of my problems in life, life is DAMN GOOD!

Ciao for now!

Eat Real Food

2010-10-18T07:40:00.000+10:00

Good morning all! The title is my tip of the day. If you are not sure what "real food" is...then on to my next tip...

I love this book...super easy to read and understand. Easy little tips like "Eat animals that have eaten well themselves", "Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself" and "The whiter the bread, the sooner you'll be dead". Each rule has a little description, if needed, to explain his reasoning-and to me all the reasons are good. Much of what Michael Pollan says is backed by science, but he doesn't bore you with all of the minutiae of that-you can find any of that out with a bit of research.

I became a fan of Michael Pollan after reading "The Omnivore's Dilemma". If you haven't picked that up-it's another one I strongly recommend.

No fancy diets here-and to be honest this is basically how John & I eat. No, I'm not a total purist-I do have pre-prepared curry paste and salsa in my fridge; but for the most part-we just eat food, most of which was living at some stage-plant or animal.

This book is quick and easy and just makes sense.

Have a great week!
Ciao for now!

Tyler CHOOSES to keep living life to the fullest!

2010-10-15T08:17:00.000+10:00

Yesterday, John showed me an article his mom had just sent us from the states and I thought it went perfectly with my "Which do you choose" post from yesterday.

In January of 2007 Tyler Carron and his mate were changing a flat tire on a car at the side of the road when another car slammed into them from behind, pinning them in between the two vehicles. Subsequently, they both became double amputees from the accident.

Having been a champion wrestler, Tyler was no quitter and through strength, courage and the support of his friends and family, he was walking on prosthetic legs to receive his high school diploma only four months after the accident. Since then he's been tubing, hiking, wake boarding, golfing and has now been accepted to the USA Hockey's national sled hockey team.

In preparation for the sled hockey, Tyler started working out with weights and for fun, competed in a bodybuilding competition in August. Though he placed fifth out of five competitors, he received a special "Heart of a Warrior" award for his determination and being such an inspiration.

Tyler had a choice-he could have wallowed in self pity and blamed the car accident for ruining his life, but instead he is continuing on to be the best he can be-building on his strengths and having fun living life.

Yay for Tyler!

Below is a little vid about his preparation for the bodybuilding comp.

Ciao for now!

Have a great weekend!

Which do you choose?

2010-10-14T07:31:00.000+10:00

Optimism or pessimism.

The drama of being a victim or the empowerment of dealing with issues and moving on.

Blaming others for all that has failed in your life or taking responsibility for your actions.

Happiness or sadness.

We don't always have a choice in what happens to us; but we always have a choice of how we deal with each situation. What do you choose to do today? Approach the day with a smile or wallow in self pity?

I CHOOSE to be happy!

TASTY TUESDAY!

2010-10-12T08:10:00.000+10:00

Chilli Mussels:
-1 Tbs oil-I used Grape seed oil
-1 or 2 hot chillis chopped up-depends on how hot you like it and how hot the chillis are
-3 cloves of chopped garlic
-1/2 C chopped Leek
-500 g mussel meat
-2 Roma tomatoes-chopped
-2 Tbs chopped capers
-1 Tbs lemon juice

Heat up oil in wok. Throw in chopped chillis, garlic & leek. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes until wok is nice and hot. Throw in mussel meat and cook for about a minute then toss in the tomatoes & capers. Cook for a few minutes until mussels are heated all the way through-about 5-7 minutes. Take off heat and drizzle on lemon juice and serve.
I served with sliced avocado drizzled in lemon juice...because I love it!
Ciao for now!

I'm a boxing chick now!

2010-10-11T05:51:00.000+10:00

Well, not really-but I love the idea of training like a boxer-they have such awesome workouts, and they look so fit in the ring. We have a speed ball and a double end ball (or crazy ball) and I've started regularly incorporating them into my training for some extra heart rate oomph. One of these days we will get a big ol' punching bag too-we are on the hunt!

Below are some vids I found to help me train with these types of bags more properly. If you have access to any kind of punching bags, I highly recommend giving them a go-it's bloody fun and a great way to amp things up a bit.

Be your own teacher

2010-10-09T07:24:00.001+10:00

I was just reading a couple of blogs and saw some really good messages I'd like to share. The particular blogs I read were raw foodie blogs, and one of the gals, Heather from SWEETLY RAW who had been a vegetarian and raw foodie for years realised she was having health problems and had to start eating meat. This was very hard for her, but she had to follow her bodies own best advice, and now she's feeling much better for it. Now, this is not to say that a raw food diet or vegetarian diet is bad for everyone...it's just no longer working for her.

Below, is HIGH ON HEALTH vlogger Fran (where I originally saw Heather's link) discussing how so often people blindly follow some diet guru or fitness expert without really thinking about how it's affecting their own health; It's what so and so said, so it must work. There are so many different regimes out there, there is no one right way. I know KELLY O has mentioned this countless times; and believe me, she's tried a heap of them!

So I would say there are two messages here, one is to listen to YOUR body. Just because it works for some supposed "expert" or even your favourite blogger, does not mean it's going to work for you. The second message is, change is ok. Just because you've followed a particular regime for years for health, moral or spiritual reasons, and just because it worked for years, does not mean that it's still the best thing and if your health is now suddenly suffering, you might just have to do something different; even if it goes against some of your earlier beliefs.

If we open up and truly listen to our bodies, our bodies will usually tell us exactly what it needs.
Cheers!
Check it out, Fran is in Sedona Arizona...One of my favourite spots in the world! If I ever move back to the states, I'm moving to Sedona; Heaps of good energy there!

A bit of fun for the weekend...

2010-10-08T05:54:00.000+10:00

Thanks to my little bro for posting this on his Facebook page...it's a hoot!
Have a great weekend!

So, you wanna' quit smoking...

2010-10-07T07:51:00.000+10:00

Well, maybe you don't, but you should. I'm not here to tell you why you should though. Unless you've been living in a cave for the last thirty years, you know why you should quit smoking. I'm here to tell you YOU CAN.

Just like alcohol or food, smoking is an addiction; and like any addiction, you get cravings and like any craving, it can be overcome. You simply suck it up.

No matter what your addiction is, people always have an excuse why theirs is harder; alcohol-it's a disease, food-can't live without it, smoking-well the nicotine is just too powerful. Call it what you will-these are all simply excuses-the fact is you have an addiction, but you can conquer it if you try. You get cravings, they will pass, if you let them.

I read a great article HERE about the stages of quitting smoking-they are very similar to quitting drinking; you have anxiety, you are cranky, can't sleep, restless, hungry...it's all there. I love the main point too-Nobody ever died from QUITTING cigarette smoking.

I have an alcohol addiction; I excessively drank off and on for over 20 years due to "cravings" that I just felt I couldn't control. They made me feel like I was crawling out of my skin...and I'd give in and have that drink. I'm telling you-it was like the worst itch possible that just had to be scratched. My stomach would do flip flops and my heart would pound as I passed the liquor store trying to tell myself I would not go in to buy that wine. But for years, I just gave in...WEAK. That is the only word I can use to describe it. I was weak.

But now, here I am over a year without the alcohol. Not a single drop has passed these lips. And no, it hasn't been a total breeze. Even though I am fortunate enough to have the support of John, who also quit drinking, I am still surrounded by alcohol. It's in movies, books, advertising, I pass the liquor store EVERY single time I go to the the grocery store-either one of the grocery stores as they both have a liquor store right next door. I was surrounded by alcohol when I was in the states; and I won't lie, those thoughts crossed my mind-even as small slivers of thought, they were still there. But you know what, I made a decision on September 1, 2009, and that decision was to never drink again. So now, when I get those thoughts, I wait and watch it and you know what? The thoughts pass. They always do. In the beginning I had to work harder at it-it is easier now...especially when on occasion the thought of alcohol turns to disgust and nausea.

The point is, do not give in. Period. Be strong, fight it. It's a fight worth winning. You can do it, it might be hard-but why not put yourself to the challenge. Are you really going to let the nicotine (or alcohol, or junk food or whatever your beast may be) win? Just hand your life over on a silver platter to the advertisers and companies that are making a fortune off of your demise?

I am telling you, you can quit. It's up to you, but you can do it. What have you really got to lose by trying with all your might and heart to quit? You will be cranky-go for a walk, you will be hungry- drink some tea or chew some gum, you might not be able to sleep-good time to catch up on that reading pile.
Where there is a will, there is a way. ALWAYS.

Ciao for now!

TASTY TUESDAY!

2010-10-05T08:03:00.000+10:00

First off-have a look at the fabulous greens I got from the garden yesterday for last nights dinner-Lebanese cucumber, two kinds of spinach and two kinds of lettuce:

I love having my own garden fresh veggies-I know there is no pesticide and no herbicide at all! Just wish I could get the tomatoes to grow-every single one we've planted has rotted-I guess from too much rain-bugger!

On to today's recipe:

Pan Cooked Mackerel W/Fennel & Capers

This was super easy; I used about 1/2 cup chopped fennel, and about 2 tablespoons of chopped capers and about the same amount of parsley. I sauteed that with about a tablespoon of grape seed oil in a pan for a few minutes then placed the mackerel (lightly dusted w/flour of your choice-I used brown rice flour) on top and spritzed the mackerel w/a tad more oil. Cooked for about 5 minutes and flipped till done. I served w/ a slice of lemon to drizzle on and some green beans from the garden-blanched for a few minutes then tossed w/chopped tomato, olives & some crumbled goat cheese.

Her is my cute little oil spritzer-I picked this up for like $3 at IGA.

That's it!
Ciao for now!

Combining Training Methods

2010-10-04T09:18:00.001+10:00

Hey all! Hope you've had a lovely weekend. We've been invaded by feral pigs here-and have heard them almost every night for the last week..they are not quiet eaters-LOL. Hasn't been a real problem yet-so far they've just been taking out the Ginger that we hate anyway-but they've kind of started a bit on the lawn....not good.

So, as you may know if you've read my blog over the last couple of weeks, I've been reading the book Chi Running. I love many aspects of this book-mind/body focuses, breathing etc. However, I'm having a difficult time with working on the form and posture stuff. One reason that I know this is difficult for me is because I have scoliosis-curvature of the spine. So everything is very crooked...my hips are out of whack-one side tilts forward the other back, my legs are then naturally a bit off and one toe points out and of course my whole upper body is lopsided. You probably think I'm exaggerating since most of my pics you can't tell-so below are a couple of back pics from comps in 2008 and 2010-if you look closely, you can clearly see the curve...which of course throws everything else off. I had to work extra hard at getting my shoulders to look even during comps.

With the Chi Running, they emphasize various things about the posture that when I try to put into practice-it actually seems to make the running harder -and the whole Chi Running principles are designed so that you shouldn't have to work as quite hard. Not that I mind hard work-but why make it more difficult than it already is with the risk of injury...especially since the cover of the book says "effortless & injury free running".

So, I'm still going to be utilising some of the focuses-I love the breathing and mind/body emphasis-but I'm also now incorporating things like drills that I got from "Runners' World-Complete Book of Women's Running" in order to build up my strength and stamina. I'll be looking into some other books as well that KELLY O has recommended; Kelly is a fairly novice runner as well, so if it's working for her-I'm confident I'll glean something from some of those books too! Isn't blog land great?!

I'll let you know how I go with combining these two methods and whatever else I come up with! Hopefully I'll have some longer distances and shorter times to report!

How about you? When you train-whether it's running, weights, swimming-do you find one training style and stick with it or utilise different methods? I know with my weights, I'm all over the place-but still manage to gain bits of strength here and there-gotta mix it up though to keep the muscles guessing!
Ciao for now!

Focus on the Exhale

2010-10-01T06:07:00.000+10:00

In the yogic practice of breath control (or pranayama), the exhale has a special function. While the inhale is stimulating, the exhale is relaxing. While the inhale is about bringing energy into the body, the exhale is about releasing stress, toxins, and pain.

Because of this, you can use conscious breathing as a break in your day. By focusing on your exhale, you can let go of the past and come into the present with a renewed commitment. Here's how:

Sit up in your chair with your feet on the floor and a long spine. Close your eyes and focus on your breath. Inhale through the nose, feeling your spine get longer and taller. Then exhale through your mouth with a deep sigh. As you exhale, visualize the moments of your day moving away from you.

Try this for a few minutes anytime you need to let go of something. It can have a profound effect on your emotional and physical health.

FROM: YOGA JOURNAL-DAILY INSIGHT
Have a great weekend!
Ciao for now!

Are you getting enough Potassium?

2010-09-29T08:18:00.000+10:00

I brought up potassium last week as it is a very important mineral for anyone involved in fitness...well, it's important to everyone really. Potassium, along with calcium, magnesium, sodium, and chloride, help to make up electrolytes which are required for every function in the body that is dependent upon our nervous system (muscle movement, breathing, digestion, thinking, etc.) We get these minerals through the food we eat, and lose them through excretion in various ways; specifically, when a person sweats allot-like bodybuilders, runners, tennis players, soccer, football etc-you lose lots of sodium, chloride, and potassium.
I recently read that when a person smokes cigarettes, their cardiovascular system is robbed of potassium as well.

Many athletes know that muscle cramping can be a sign of potassium deficiency; other symptoms can include muscle weakness, numbness and tingling in the lower extremities, nausea, vomiting, confusion and irritability. Heartbeat irregularities are considered a classic sign of potassium deficiency.

Apparently, according to some of my research-most people do not get enough potassium. It is recommended that most people get about 3500mg of potassium a day; Studies show most people only get about 2650mg per day.

So, where do we get potassium? Below is a great list of awesome foods high in potassium.

Avocado - 1/2 medium - 550 mg

Banana - 1 medium - 451

Beef, ground - 3 ounces - 205

Black beans - 1 cup - 801

Broccoli, cooked - 1/2 cup - 228

Cantaloupe - 1 cup - 494

Carrot, raw - 1 medium - 233

Cauliflower, cooked - 1/2 cup - 200

Chicken - 3 ounces - 195

Chickpeas - 1 cup - 477

Corn - 1/2 cup - 204

Flounder - 3 ounces - 292

Kidney beans - 1 cup - 713

Kiwi - 1 medium - 252

Lentils - 1 cup - 731

Milk - 8 ounces - 381

Okra - 1/2 cup - 257

Orange - 1 medium - 250

Orange juice - 8 ounces - 474

Potatoes, baked with skin - 1 medium - 844

Prune Juice - 8 ounces - 706

Spinach, cooked - 1/2 cup - 419

Strawberries - 1 cup - 247

Sweet potatoes - 1 medium - 397

Tomato - 1 medium - 397

Tomato juice - 6 ounces - 658

Watermelon - 1 cup - 186

Wheat Germ - 1/4 cup - 259

Too much potassium ( more than 5000 milligrams) can upset the balance of minerals in your body and cause heart and kidney problems. Other potential side effects include muscle weakness, tingling in the hands, feet or tongue and a slow or irregular pulse.

So-what do you think? Are you getting enough potassium?
Ciao for now!

Source for chart and some text from McVitamins.com.

TASTY TUESDAY!

2010-09-28T05:46:00.000+10:00

Crispy Chicken Nuggets:

I got this recipe from HERE; though I changed it a tad-I used quinoa flakes instead of oat bran. They turned out really yummy! You could add some zest though by adding some chili pepper or cumin to the dry mix. Very easy-and healthy! I served with baked sweet potato chips and a broccoli/tomato mix drizzled with the following sauce:

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp minced garlic

2 TB lemon juice

1 TB honey

3-4 TB olive oil

I found the nugget recipe through one of my favourite blogger/vloggers Jackie at GIRLWITHNONAME.

I love one of her most recent rants about "Yah, But"...ya know, when people come up with every excuse in the world to not take the advice you give them, when they ask for fitness tips.

Have a look!

Ciao for now!

Training Plan

2010-09-27T12:09:00.000+10:00

So I have devised a little training program for my running; I still don't actually have a firm goal like an actual event, but I know that one of these days, something will come along. For now, I am just working on improving my running skills. This is based on a 3 day split...keeping in mind that I work out with weights 3 days as well.

Monday: Slow and easy; working on the mind/body focus-form, posture, breathing. This will be incorporating all of the focuses and skills I'm learning from the Chi Running book.

Wednesday: Sprints or hill repeats; depending on the weather-the hill would be very slick on a rainy day. I may occasionally utilise the treadmill on these days as well.

Friday: The long haul-5k and beyond; I'm working on getting the 5k time down to under 30 minutes, and then working on increasing my distance.

There you have it!

Ciao for now!

Fit at Fifty!

2010-09-25T07:11:00.000+10:00

Yep-it's John's 50th birthday today! And yep...he does the splits! If you had told him fifteen years ago he'd be doing the splits at fifty, he would have laughed pretty hard. Not many men over six feet tall, weighing two hundred pounds and being heavy into body building would even contemplate the splits, or yoga or any of that funky stuff.
Well, here he is...still hitting the weights hard, only now he also does yoga seven days a week, can obviously do the splits-almost better than me, and at fifty years old feels even fitter than he did at forty...& doesn't look much older than that to boot! Healthy eating, consistent exercise habits, and a bit of spiritual growth thrown in for good measure adds up to FAB AT FIFTY!

Happy Birthday Honey!

Aha! Finally Gettin' It

2010-09-24T08:14:00.000+10:00

Run like a child, relaxed and free;

That's what I'm learning from my book of Chi!

Chi Running that is (pronounced chee FYI). Chi is the physical energy that runs through each and every one of us; Chi Running is about utilising that energy and learning how to work with it, and get it to work for us to make running more joyful and injury free. It's about centering & relaxing, mind & body focusing, body sensing and so much more. I've only just begun, but I can say so far, from what I've read, it all just makes so much sense.

This book isn't just for beginners; Chi Running has helped seasoned athletes improve their skills by working with nature instead of against it.

I can already tell I will be able to utilise the tools in this book for so much besides just the running; weight training, yoga, meditation, walking....Life!

Though I've only read about a quarter of the book, by utilising some of the tools they've discussed so far, today I was finally able to run for a whole 5k again (have only done that once a couple of weeks ago); and I shaved a minute off of my time-woohoo!

Have a great weekend!

Ciao for now!

Has anyone else tried this?

2010-09-23T08:07:00.000+10:00

Lemon juice in your water for potassium replacement. Apparently, about 2 tablespoons of lemon juice has 30mg of potassium which is about the amount of potassium found in an 8 oz serving of a commercial sports drink.
As you probably already know, when performing strenuous activities like running and heavy weight lifting, we lose allot of potassium and other minerals (electrolytes) through excessive sweating. Many athletes use sports drinks to replace these minerals; however, another additive in these sports drinks is often quite a bit of sugar.

So, I found this easy little recipe at About.com for making your own sports drink-without all that sugar.

1 cup (8 oz) water (not carbonated)

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

small pinch of salt

Flavoring and sweetener to taste

I'm not even bothering with the sweetener myself; I'm just adding the lemon straight to my jug of water-it's quite refreshing! I add a bit of sea salt to my foods when cooking, so I'm not bothering with salt in my water either.
You can find out more about sports drinks at ABOUT.COM

Ciao for now!

What a difference a good knife makes...

2010-09-22T10:14:00.000+10:00

And a good pan! A couple of weeks ago I ordered and received my new Scanpan gear. I went with all Scanpan...and I am over the moon with it all. I can't believe what a difference good stuff makes-I enjoyed cooking before-but wow-I didn't realise what a difference it would make to not have to saw through everything-LOL! And I am so over Teflon...I just think it's really bad for us-it chips off after a while, it has fumes...it cannot be good. I still have a few stainless steel pots for boiling, and I still love my cast iron wok-but for everything else-I'm a Scanpan girl now!

I'd like to thank KEK for putting me on to http://www.yourhomedepot.com.au/ and Michelle Koen for her blog post about knives; though I didn't order the particular brands she mentioned...her info on what various knives are used for was really helpful.

I ended up ordering these:
Santoku

Cooks knife:

And a set of steak knives:

I also ordered a new fry pan, saute pan and sauce pan....LOVE THEM ALL.
So far-I really like the Scanpan line...and was really pleased with the Your Home Depot site-they processed the order the day I made it and I had the stuff in less than a week-and that's way up here in Far North Queensland!
That's all for now!
Ciao!

Now that's determination....

2010-09-21T05:54:00.001+10:00

It's a bit painful just to watch-but you've got to admire the drive and determination! Inpsires me to go out and push just a tiny bit harder next time I jog! We have allot more in us then we give ourselves credit for sometimes!

Corn, Corn Everywhere

2010-09-20T07:48:00.000+10:00

I just watched the movie KING CORN over the weekend-and it just reiterates what I've been reading in books and blogs about the negative affects of industrial corn; mainly that it is most likely the leader in the cause of obesity and other health problems in the western world. I highly recommend watching this movie! It will change your view of corn forever. The simple explanation is the fact that corn is very high in omega 6-and since it used in EVERYTHING from breads, to mixes, to sauces, sodas, cookies, to feed beef, fish, chickens...etc-the western diet ends up with an out of whack over the top amount of omega 6 compared to Omega 3-and in a nutshell this imbalance leads to obesity. I'm really over simplifying it-there is allot of science to it. Michael Pollan does an excellent job of explaining this in THE OMNIVORE'S DILEMMA(also highly recommended!).

I swiped the following video from THE FOOD RENEGADE . It's a quick and informative watch! The main source of info for this little video is The Omnivores' Dilemma. Trust me...after watching this video, you will be going to your cupboards and realise that corn is in everything, and you will probably want to research it even more.

RFNH Corn Corn Everywhere Corn from FoodRenegade on Vimeo.

Ciao for now!

I challenge you....

2010-09-17T09:00:00.000+10:00

I saw this guy-Chris Raine-on the news last night, and well anything to do with getting people to think about their drinking more is a great idea in my eyes! I am a bit biased...yes; but, well-ask yourself, could you go 3 months without drinking-could you? If not, I suppose you would have to ask yourself; "why not?"

Below is a blurb from the HELLO SUNDAY MORNING website..and a little video about the program. Though it's been more directed at folks from 18-30, the program is for ANYONE who wants to learn more about themselves and why they drink; and who knows..you may discover some things about yourself. Hmmmm.....I dare you to give it a go.

It's easy to get swept away in a drinking culture. Sometimes we just need a rope to pull us to dry land so we can get some perspective. Hello Sunday Morning is one such rope.
The program is open to anybody that is ready to go three months without drinking and find the reasons in their life to say Hello Sunday Morning!

Hello Sunday Morning - An Introduction from Hello Sunday Morning on Vimeo.

A couple of my favourite yoga poses

2010-09-16T07:36:00.000+10:00

For those of you who have read my blog for a while, you would know that I've had hip and sacro illiac problems for a few years-and when I first started running that old hip really got aggravated; however-I found some new yoga stretches that I now do religiously as I sincerely believe they have helped to alleviate some of the pain in that hip area and has made it possible to run regularly and am now going distances (though still short in the big running picture) that I never even thought to attempt before.

So, I've been asked-what stretches are you doing now? I have quite an extensive sequence-but thought I'd pick out the ones that I really think are key to opening that hip area and stretching it out.

Below are a few pics with an explanation of the move: (All photos and text were taken from the YOGA JOURNAL site)

Pigeon Pose:

Begin on all fours, with your knees directly below your hips, and your hands slightly ahead of your shoulders. Slide your right knee forward to the back of your right wrist; at the same time angle your right shin under your torso and bring your right foot to the front of your left knee. The outside of your right shin will now rest on the floor. Slowly slide your left leg back, straightening the knee and descending the front of the thigh to the floor. Lower the outside of your right buttock to the floor. Position the right heel just in front of the left hip.

The right knee can angle slightly to the right, outside the line of the hip. Look back at your left leg. It should extend straight out of the hip (and not be angled off to the left), and rotated slightly inwardly, so its mid line presses against the floor. Exhale and lay your torso down on the inner right thigh for a few breaths. Stretch your arms forward.

Then slide your hands back toward the front shin and push your fingertips firmly to the floor. Lift your torso away from the thigh. Lengthen the lower back by pressing your tailbone down and forward; at the same time, and lift your pubis toward the navel. Roll your left hip point toward the right heel, and lengthen the left front groin.

If you can maintain the upright position of your pelvis without the support of your hands on the floor, bring your hands to the top rim of your pelvis. Push heavily down. Against this pressure, lift the lower rim of your rib cage. The back ribs should lift a little faster than the front. Without shortening the back of your neck, drop your head back. To lift your chest, push the top of your sternum (at the manubrium) straight up toward the ceiling.

Stay in this position for a minute. Then, with your hands back on the floor, carefully slide the left knee forward, then exhale and lift up and back into Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose). Take a few breaths, drop the knees to all-fours on another exhalation, and repeat with the legs reversed for the same length of time.

Gates Latch:

Kneel on the floor. Stretch your right leg out to the right and press the foot to the floor. Keep your left knee directly below your left hip (so the thigh is perpendicular to the floor), and align your right heel with the left knee. Turn your pelvis slightly to the right (so the left hip point comes forward of the right), but turn your upper torso back to the left. Point the kneecap toward the ceiling, which will require you to turn your right leg out.
As you inhale, bring your arms out to your sides, parallel to the floor, palms down. Bend to the right over the plane of the right leg and lay your right hand down on the shin, ankle, or the floor outside the right leg. Contract the right side of the torso and stretch the left. Place your left hand on the outer left hip and push the pelvis down toward the floor. Then slip the hand up to the lower left ribs and lift them toward the shoulder, creating space in the left waist.
With an inhalation, sweep the left arm over the back of the left ear. The side bend tends to drop the torso toward the floor. Without pushing the left hip back (continue to roll it slightly forward), turn the upper torso away from the floor.
Stay in this pose anywhere from 30 seconds to a minute. Come up as you inhale, reaching through the top arm to draw the torso upright. Bring the right knee back beside the left, and repeat with the legs reversed.

Full Pose

Full Parighasana is a deep side bend. From the starting position described in Step 2 above, lean to the side over the straight leg. Lower the underside of the torso as close as possible to the top of the straight leg. Press the back of the lower hand on the top of the foot, then sweep the top arm over the back of the ear and join the palms. Finish as described in Step 4 above.

Bound Ankle:

I think you can see how to do that one.

Fire Log Pose: (Love this one!)

Sit on one edge of a thickly-folded blanket, knees bent, feet on the floor. Lightly shrug your shoulders up, strongly roll the heads of your upper arm bones back, and press the bottom tips of your shoulder blades into your back.
Slide your left foot under your right leg to the outside of your right hip, and lay the outer leg on the floor. Then, stack your right leg on top of the left. Be sure the right ankle is outside the left knee (so the sole is perpendicular to the floor).
If you have more flexibility in the hips, you can slide your left shin forward directly below the right to increase the challenge; otherwise, keep the left heel beside the right hip. If you're tight in the hips, you may find that bringing the ankle to the outer knee is difficult or uncomfortable. In this case, simply sit with your shins crossed in Sukhasana (Easy Pose).
Press through your heels and spread your toes. Keeping your front torso long, exhale and fold (BEND) forward from your groins. Be sure not to round forward from your belly: Keep the space between your pubis and navel long. Lay your hands on the floor in front of your shins.
As you inhale, notice how your torso rises slightly; when it does, lengthen from your pubis to your sternum. Then on the next exhalation, fold deeper.
Hold 1 minute or more. Inhale the torso upright and uncross your legs to come out of the pose. Repeat for the same length of time with the left leg on top.

There ya go!
Ciao for now!

TASTY TUESDAY!

2010-09-14T08:27:00.000+10:00

Quinoa Patties:

¾ C quinoa

1 ½ C chopped spinach

2 cloves garlic minced

½ C crumbled goat’s cheese feta

1 egg (or 2 eggwhites)

½ C chopped sun dried tomato

Rinse and cook the quinoa.

Once cooked, place in large mixing bowl, add all other ingredients and mix together until spinach is wilted.

Place patty size spoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet.

Bake at 180 C (350F) for 15 -20 minutes, flip and bake for another 10-15 –until golden brown. I didn't quite cook mine long enough in the oven-so they aren't shaped particularly nicely-but they tasted damn good!

Ciao for now!

It's that time of year again....

2010-09-10T05:47:00.000+10:00

and the young cassowary chicks are getting kicked out of the nest by their daddy's. Here is one young one that's been hanging around our back yard for the last couple of days. He/she's about 10 months old. He/she will grow to another quarter that size at least. BTW-these are flightless birds that date back to the stone age! They are now endangered as there are only about 1400 left in the wild due, of course, to habitat destruction mainly by humans but also feral pigs. They can only be found in the wild in North Queensland and in New Guinea. Below the video is a picture of an adult daddy w/a young chick. That pic was taken a couple years back at our first Queensland property.

Ciao for now!
Have a great weekend!

Focus on your ABILITIES

2010-09-09T08:33:00.000+10:00

(Tricia Downing -USA Triathlon’s Physically Challenged Athlete of the Year for 2003)

I saw a news story last night about a paraplegic French backpacker who is on adventure tour around Australia to highlight the capabilities of physically challenged people. This coincides with Queensland's Disability Action Week and for me it is a perfect reminder of how many of us focus on our own negatives rather than the positives. He was out there wind surfing! In a wheel chair!

I say it's time we take a lesson from the physically challenged people of the world who live by the words "focus on my abilities, not my disabilities". So many of us, without disabilities tend to whine and complain about superficial things-picking ourselves apart-focusing on all of our own negatives. Why? What is the point? It's a very unhealthy, non-productive waste of time and energy! When I look at what so many of these people who are paraplegics, amputees, and with heaps of other assumed physically limiting disabilities and see them accomplish some of the most mind boggling things (mountain climbing, triathlons, kayaking, sailing, you name it!), it really reminds me that I have NOTHING to complain about and should just get on with the task-whatever it may be. And stop pointing out my own supposed limitations and focus on what I am good at. That's what the physically challenged people do; they focus on their own strengths and utilise those to the max.

We could all accomplish so much more if we stopped wasting time focusing on our negatives and utilise our positives!

Ciao for now!

Let's Cheer Each Other On!

2010-09-08T08:08:00.000+10:00

Hi gang! How are you? I'm flipping fantastic! Workouts are super, running is going strong-I love my Saucony running shoes-they have made such a huge difference so I am feeling pretty much no pain in my hip-yahoo! Moving along into my 2nd year of sobriety...made it through the one year point last week. I'm even working on starting up a women's group here in Tully through the Women For Sobriety program I've been involved with over the last few months. You can click on their website at the side bar to see what a fabulous program it is for women seeking a sober life. By women for women-gotta love that!

Other than that, like I said, the running is going fabulous (jogged 30 straight minutes today 4.3K-woohoo!)-and one thing that is making it even more fun is logging onto the DAILY MILE to log runs, see what friends are doing, and CHEER EACH OTHER ON! It's totally free-and it's not just for running. You can log any type of workout-weights, cycling, swimming..whatever! It's just a fun and FREE way of keeping track of your workouts and get some motivation, inspiration and the occasional tips to keep you going strong. Look me up! Raechelle T.

That's it folks!
Ciao for now!

TASTY TUESDAY!

2010-09-07T05:54:00.000+10:00

Quinoa Blueberry Cookies

These were so easy they should be illegal.

1 cup Quinoa flakes

1 cup almond meal

3 large egg whites (4 if smaller)

¼ cup honey

2 tsp cinnamon

100g dried blueberries

Mix it all up in a bowl. Place spoonfuls onto prepared bake sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 180 C, 350F. Too easy! And Packed full of protein! Quinoa has 14 g of protein for every 100 grams (3.5oz).

Enjoy!

I love my new.....

2010-09-06T14:34:00.001+10:00

Just thought I'd share a few more things I bought during my trip to the states. I LOVE this Endure sports bra by Underarmour-It REALLY keeps the girls in place while running-even the day after a hard chest workout when I'm sore. I'm definitely going to invest in a couple more. Will have to check LINDY OLSEN

I am having fun with the Timex Ironman Road Trainer HRM. It's not as flash as some of the others-but it's giving me a good idea of my calories burned and my running times as well as the heart rate info. It really does help me to go that extra bit seeing it right there on my wrist. I got the man's version on the right-bigger display numbers so I can easily see without my glasses! Plus it's water proof-which is very important when you live in the tropics and have to run in down pours!

Last thing which I was reluctant to buy, but my girlfriend said she loved hers so much and talked me into it-and it's great! It's called the Vidalia Chop Wizard. It's great for onions, carrots, cucumber, zucchini, beets, you name it! THANKS JEANNINE! :-)

There you have it! Have a great week & Ciao for now!

Calling All Foodies! Your help is requested!

2010-09-03T07:59:00.000+10:00

Hello blog land peeps! Hope you are up and running and ready for a great weekend! The sun is out for the 3rd day in a row up here- a new record...LOL!

So, today I'm calling out for input as my birthday is next week and I'm treating myself to some new cookware. I'm going to get some ceramic titanium (probably Scan Pan) pans and some new kitchen knives-and I want to know what brands YOU recommend. I suppose this is mostly for foodies in Australia as that's where I'm buying from. I'm looking for mid-priced, but good, long lasting quality. Also-do you know of any good online shops I can get either of these from?

I'm eagerly awaiting your recommendations! Thanks guys!
Ciao for now!

Breaking Through Barriers

2010-09-01T07:59:00.000+10:00

Well, today, for the first time, I finally jogged a full 26 minutes without stopping-YAY! In the past I would stop at 24 minutes...and for some reason have just had this locked in my mind and wouldn't push through it. Key word here...WOULDN'T push through....not couldn't-there was no reason for me not to. I am not in pain, not breathing particularly hard-heart rate average was 150 with a peak of 167-so absolutely no reason other than a mental block. And I finally pushed through it. It's a small win-but a win all the same.

How many times have you seen someone with a new (or old) exercise, and they try once, fail-and that's it? Now they can't do it. They lock it in their brains that they just can't-and don't even try again!

Of course you can't if you don't work at it! And if you really have no desire to do it, then fine walk away-but if you say you really want to do it but you can't....I'm not buying it! You need to work at it; stretch a little further each day if your goal is to touch your toes, push another minute if you are working at running further and longer, you want to do a push up on your toes-get down on your knees and get lower and lower. You just have to challenge yourself-and push through the mental blocks.

If you say you can or you can't, you are always right!

PS-One year ago today I quit drinking for good. I said I would, and did.
Ciao for now!

New Toys!

2010-08-31T08:20:00.000+10:00

Even as someone who has enjoyed working out for twenty odd years, new stuff still helps give a little umph to my workout. I thought I'd share some things I bought while I was in the states-nothing particularly new and unheard of-but fun and helpful just the same.

First off is the new foam roller I picked up at Walmart (of all places!) for just $15.

Most of you have heard many of us bloggers talk about Self Myofacial Tissue Release at some stage over the years, and I can not emphasize enough how awesome this is. It's something that can be done at home, at the gym, on the road..wherever. I highly recommend it to anyone that is physically active; whether you are a dancer, runner, weight lifter, body builder-you name it-this should be added to the end of your daily exercise routine. I do it every single day whether I workout with weights or run-just before my yoga stretches.
There are plenty of online outlets you can purchase one from. And there are heaps of videos and info to help you through the stretches-I've added one below.

Next up is this book on running for women.

As someone who has tried numerous times over the years to really get into running, but failed due to injury & lack of knowledge (due to laziness and not researching it!), I've been motivated by a few other bloggers like KELLY O to research it more and give it another go. Yes, even someone who's been a fitness enthusiast like me for years and years needs a kick up the bum to research something she doesn't know allot about! So, I found this great book which has given me some great tips and a good plan for improving my running technique. That along with new running shoes that I bought has really made jogging fun and less painful. I've still got a long way to go (in the book and in my running ability). But I feel this has me on the right path. If you are just starting running, or thinking about it-I highly recommend this book for getting you started on the right path too!

Last up for today is my new running shoes! I actually bought 2 different kinds-I had bought some Asics shoes (gel 1150) at the beginning of my trip as they were a good price; but I ended up seeing some Saucony for an even a better price at the end of my trip-and when I tried them on I absolutely loved them! They are the Saucony Grid Cohesion 3 running shoes.

I really believe these are helping me to run with less pain in the hip-very airy. Love them! And they were only $50 US! If you have had pain in your body while running-it's probably got allot with your shoes-go out and get something better; it's definitely worth checking out.

That's it for today. I'll share a few other things later in the week. Get out there and get moving! And if you need a little pick me up-treat yourself to a new workout gadget!
Ciao for now!

Make a decision and stick to it

2010-08-30T09:47:00.000+10:00

After a busy weekend of training clients, unpacking and cleaning, today I am sitting here quite happy and content in the knowledge that I did not let one drop of alcohol come near my lips during my three and a half week visit in the states. YAY ME! Yes, I am quite proud...I was truly tested as I was surrounded by alcohol almost daily. Camping, parties, eating out and any other social occasion I was at, almost everyone was drinking. But you know what-it didn't matter-I made a decision almost one year ago and I'm sticking to it, no matter what.

Oh sure, there were several times that a thread of thought passed my mind where I'd think "oh, I'd like to taste that particular kind of wine" or "oh, a beer right now as we sit on the lake in this heat would be quite nice"....I'd be lying if I said that those thoughts didn't enter my mind-I am an addict after all. But I took a moment and shut down the thought before even contemplating acting on it. For me that is the key-shut it down as soon as the thought enters the mind.

To me, the key to dealing with any craving...whether it be alcohol, tobacco, sweets, shopping, you name it, is sticking to the promise you make to yourself. If you make a decision to conquer your addiction, then you should do whatever it takes to follow through. It's different for everybody, some people need counselling, some people need full on aversion therapy, others can deal with reading books and being involved in forums. The point is, whatever your addiction-if it's serious enough to cause you trouble in your life-now or in the future and/or make you question your actions and you've decided to do something about-then do it. Stick to it, no matter what. There is heaps of help out there-something for everybody; you just have to find that thing. It will take work-but isn't your health and the happiness of you and those around you worth it? Not to mention the dangers of addictions like alcohol when it comes to driving and taking care of children. Don't you owe it to yourself to keep the promise?

I am just 2 days away from a full year of not touching alcohol. I'm not proud of my addiction-but I am proud that I've thus far conquered it and intend to keep conquering it. I will never let it control me again.

Have a great week!
Ciao for now!

I'm Back!

2010-08-27T08:27:00.000+10:00

Hello Blog Land! I'm back in Aus after a month away visiting family and friends in the US. Had a really great visit with everyone from Oregon to California. Got out for jogs, zumba, kickboxing and did some kayaking. Even got into the gym for a decent upper body workout...was originally going to take the whole month off from weights-but, well, ya know how I love my weights!

So, even with all of that activity, I did gain a few pounds from too much eating. I was quite vigilant the first couple of weeks-however, but I did indulge in some sweets (ice cream anyone?!), and too much bread; not too mention dealing with many different eating habits and schedules of my friends and family. But that's ok....no reason to beat myself up over it. I knew what I was doing when I did it, and I know what to do to rectify it.

Now that I'm back home, I am straight back on to my "normal" eating and exercise habits. That's the key here folks-get straight back into it when you get home. Don't kick yourself and start emotional eating from stressing out about the mistakes you made-just get back in there.

Today I went for a nice jog; I will get back on the weights starting on Sunday...after all, I just flew in yesterday-I don't want to push myself too soon otherwise I leave myself open to injury and illness. So, a couple of days of clean eating, and mild exercise and by Sunday I will be rip roaring and ready to go!

My hip and hammy are doing better since I have been doing some new yoga stretches regularly; still not %100 but moving in the right direction.

I've got lots of unpacking and cleaning to do and a brand new client this arvo, so I'm off to the races; but check out my garden! John went to town while I was away and surprised me with it. Before I left, it was a mud patch since it was raining every day and I couldn't even get out to weed it-he weeded, mulched, fertilized, and put up new climbing lines-what a lovely coming home gift!

Ciao for now!

Greetings from Oregon!

2010-08-12T09:48:00.000+10:00

Hi guys! How are ya? I'm doing great! Been having a super fab time visiting with the family...getting a bit of exercise in...though I am eating quite a bit more than normal-but NOT DRINKING! Yes-I have managed to have heaps of fun while maintaining my sobriety...go me! I will pat myself on the back, thank you very much. It's simply been a test of mind over matter; I just set my mind to not want to drink. Not easy at all times-but I never gave in and won.

Like I said, though, I have been eating a bit more, I'm on vacation after all! But I've done a bit of jogging and yoga-will go to the gym tomorrow and again next week-so am keeping the vacation bloat minimal. I know as soon as I get back to Aus and my normal schedule and eating patterns-it'll all come good pretty quick.

Below are a couple of pics from my first weekend here-with my BFF and one of my little brothers...gettin' down! :-)

That's about it from here. Just thought I'd check in and say hey! What do you do to keep the holiday bloat minimal when on vacation? Do you still exercise or bag it all?
Ciao for now!

Vacation is no excuse to neglect the body

2010-08-05T01:38:00.000+10:00

Hi guys! How are ya? Me, I'm great! Having a wonderful visit with family & friends. Jet lag barely affected me this year; allergies have been quite minimal (with the exception of one night this week); hip and hammy not too bad-even went for a jog today!

That's right, went for a jog even on vacation. After all, my body doesn't know or care that my mind is taking a break-it still works the same way-burns calories or builds fat...day or night, vacation or not! So, yes-I'm not be super anal with my food...have enjoyed a bit of cake and chocolate...but still eating my good healthy proteins and veggies! Yes, I'm taking a break from the weights-but that is for healing purposes; I've still been out doing good brisk walks, did a zumba class, have been doing my yoga stretches and even went for a jog today!

Tried out my new Underarmour bra and Asics running shoes-both quite awesome! I highly recommend both for running.....well the bra only if you are a bit more full up top....hehehe.

We are off to camping tomorrow-so today is prep, prep, prep! Should be fun, and I'm planning...if the water is too terribly cold-to get some therapeutic swimming in...hoping to heal that damn hammy.

So, there ya go!
Are you keeping yourself well? Hope so!
Ciao for now!

Off to See the Wizard!

2010-07-28T06:19:00.000+10:00

Well, ok, maybe not the wizard...but off to see the the fam & friends back in the states...YEEHAW!

Tomorrow I bus it up to Cairns and jet off early Friday morning. I've decided to take this next month in the states off from regular weight training. Usually I still get into a gym about 3 times a week...but I'm taking this opportunity to truly heal the hip so when I get back to Aus I can really get into the running and hit the weights safely again. I never really gave my body much of a break after the comps; though I didn't work out with the weights-I was still pounding the pavement a bit and of course training clients-which is not a sit down job!

So, I will probably go into the gym just a few times for some very light shoulder and bi workouts...and walk AND do yoga every single day. John and I went back to the drawing board to find some stretches I had not yet tried..and came up with a good little routine that I started yesterday...and I swear I think it may work! I am already feeling much less tightness in the hip area. I'm stoked! To not wake up with the huge ache in my hip and lower back area was very nice! So, I'm going to keep at that routine and I'll let you know when I get back how that turns out.

I won't be posting much here...probably some updates and pics occasionally on FaceBook-how will you ever cope?! LOL

Hope the rest of your week is super and have a great August! Stay strong & focused! Eat well and take care of yourselves!

Ciao for now!

Ernestine is Back and Stronger Than Ever!

2010-07-23T08:19:00.000+10:00

Back in February I posted this about the fabulous Ernestine Shepherd who started bodybuilding at the age of 56 and was competing at the age of 71! Well I was flipping through my morning blogs and saw a poste here talking about beautiful Ernestine again. It turns out that she now,age 73, not only does the weights (and can bench press 150lbs!) but runs 80 miles a week. Is that just not the most fabulous thing?! It inspires me that's for sure! Can't wait to get back on it and hit the road!
That should get you moving for the weekend!
Cheers all!

GOOD MORNING PEEPS!

2010-07-22T07:33:00.000+10:00

How are you today? I have been a busy bee getting ready for my trip to the states next week. Organising clients, the garden, the house... Also been doing some therapy on the hip and hammy-darn it!

Went to a sports masseuse last week...going again today; been icing it all daily now. I know the hammy will heal-these things just take longer than I was hoping-but as many of you know, the hammy is notorious for taking ages to heal; I think I actually got a bit of a tear there. But just got to keep up the therapy for now. As far as the hip...that I just have to keep manageable-so I won't run again until I have some proper running shoes. I'm pretty sure running on this uneven country road with improper shoes is what aggravated it.

So, having said all that...am I still working out? Heck yeah! You know me better than that! I'm just not doing legs...have had some fantastic upper body workouts. Just because a person has an injury in one part of the body does not mean to sit around and eat bon bons all day and neglect the rest of the body. My nutrition has tightened up a bit too since I'm not getting any of the running or HIIT stuff in.

So, there ya go! How are you doing? Have you let something get in the way of your fitness and health? Hope not!

Oh, I won't be doing Tasty Tuesday recipes until I get back from the states. Just not making anything particularly new or interesting right now.

Cheers all!

My new FAVOURITE shoulder move!

2010-07-19T06:30:00.000+10:00

One arm incline lateral raises.

These are AWESOME!
Here is an easy to understand demo.

Thank you Jody at TRUTH2BEINGFIT.COM!

Have a great week!