Rant Time

Okay. It's a rare for me to want to vent as I like to be in-control of my reaction to situations. I choose to not be irritated or annoyed by most things. However after having a few draining days when I did bootcamp on the weekend (participated not instructed this time) I was really erked by one woman's comments. Half way through sprints she declared "I'm so over this" and then came up to me and asked if I was regretting coming yet. I think I looked at her for a full 30 seconds before replying that "no, I was loving it and wanted to keep going as the burn meant my body was functioning and capable of doing what was asked of it."

As a trainer when asked something like this I normally just smile and say I'm enjoying it, it's fun or something along those lines. 

Trainers can only ask so much of their clients. True. But it really does come down to the client and their determination. Don't be late. Don't complain. I know it hurts. I do it too. But if you want change, results and your health then suck it up princess and do it. Tie your hair back, I don't want to wait for you to be continually re arranging it around your face and leave the full face of makeup at home because i guarantee when I have finished my session with you it will be more raccoon than smoky eye! 

What you say to others will affect their psyche (some will be able to deflect better then others) but negativity should have no place in training. You are doing something amazing, thank you body for it and appreciate it. It might hurt, but we're all hurting. However the difference is we choose to push through it because we know it’s benefitting us. 

Think positive thoughts. Your brain can only hold one thought at a time so why waste it on something negative. Simply replace any negative thoughts with a positive one or an affirmation to your self. You'll be able to train your brain to think positively. 

Rant done. 


Keep eating clean, training hard and sleeping like a baby! 

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Real Woman

Life Goes On.

1000 Rep Work Out

I adore this photo because it shows three gorgeously fit woman who certainly haven't starved themselves to look this amazing! The correct fuel and lots of fun workouts would have ben involved!

Try this 1000 rep workout at today - 

10 x  burpees

10 x  squat jumps 

1 x    push ups

10 x  toe touch sit ups

10 x  dips

10 x  tuck jumps

10 x  plank jax

10 x  split lunges

Repeat 10 times working as quickly as you can while keeping correct technique. Time your self and see how you go. Then complete the work out again on another day and try and beat your time. It's a quick up effect workout that will get your heart rate up and body burning fat! 

Just starting out then try 2-3 rounds instead and work your way up :)

"I am committed to my goal. I embrace uncertainty when I'm surrounded by obstacles and challenges I know that if I arise above the drama answers will arrive and the way forward will come." Leon Nicson

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100% True

This is an exact representation of my household! I live with 3 other amazing girls where we all look after our health and fitness. While we all have different goals we all recognise the importance of good nutrition and preparation! (We also need far more bench space to let all the tupperware dry!)

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Today's Motivation

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"I turn every experience into an opportunity, experiences, good or bad, are opportunities to learn and grow, I acknowledge life's experiences have and will continue to shape and create the unique human being I am.  Louise L. Hay"

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Gorgeous Girls Eat Meat Article

A great article about Paleo diets and the affect of wheat and soy by Esther Blum (MS, RD, CDN, CDS, Holistic Nutritionist and registered dietician). You can find the article here and her Living Gorgeous website here. 

"My foray into being a sexy paleo girl was a little uncertain, to say the least.  At the tender age of 16, I spent six weeks travelling around Israel on a seminar program.  The meat on the trip was unidentifiable, and the schwarma street meat had flies all over it.  I broke up with animal protein for a couple of years after that.  There were exceptions to the rule, though.  One New Year’s Eve I went to a party with friends and we decided to make chili.  Walking out the door, my mom handed me a package of veal.  I proudly carried it into the house and announced, “I don’t eat meat so I brought over veal!”  Everyone burst out laughing and my cheeks turned ten shades of red.  (For the record, I still have not lived that one down.)  

After my fall from grace, I continued on the vegetarian path until years later, when I was attending graduate school in New York.  Out to dinner with friends, I spied the most gorgeous looking leg of lamb I’ve ever seen.  Like a lusty schoolgirl, I had to have it.  To this day I think it was the most succulent, rich, buttery piece of lamb I’ve ever had.  And I haven’t looked back since.

Living a paleo life is for the most part quite enjoyable.  I love to cook new types of wild game when the opportunity presents itself.  I chew meat off the bone and suck out the marrow like some knuckle-dragging cro-magnon chick.  I have trained my five-year old son to know and value his proteins and why eating paleo is so vital to his health.  And yet, I still manage to tick off the vegetarians who take issue with eating animals.  So I want to explain why I have made the choices I’ve made to continue to eat animals in spite of the ethical and political issues involved.

My perspective on eating meat is based on thousands of research papers and 17 years of working with clients. First and foremost, I have never seen a healthy vegetarian in my practice.  So many of my clients are sick from grains and soy and just can't handle them at all due to autoimmune conditions, digestive issues, food allergies and environmental toxicities. Then, there are my menopausal clients, who get fat from too many grains and lean out on high protein diets. There are also my toxic clients who require high amounts of protein to facilitate the body's removal of those toxins. And there are my diabetics who need at least 60% fat in their diets and lots of protein with minimal carbs...the list goes on, but you get my point. Animal cruelty is one thing, but treating clients is another.  I have to work with their reality because that is their world. I have to remove the offending substances when someone is sick, and more often than not the illness stems from grains and starches, not the protein sources.  The Hippocratic oath is always at the forefront of my mind—first, do no harm.

I do agree with vegetarians that we need a paradigm shift where the boon of small farming returns, animals are not jacked up on hormones, toxins and chemicals, or treated inhumanely, and the value of our food gets placed above all.  I do believe its possible to buy animals from local and sustainable farms.  I do believe that organic farming is the answer to our problems.  And I will continue to believe in the power of meat."



It always helps to have an registered and certified opinion and there are numerous studies on the affect of the paleo diet but I still find the best source of information (and the studies to back it up) is the Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain. 

"I am free to create success in my life - it is my choice. I create my success daily, every decision I make impacts the world. I live to the fullest knowing that I am the best that I can be and I am justly rewarded with the success I choose." Deepak Chopra

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Wheat Intolerance

I want to have a look at a food intolerance that affects a large portion of society. There are three main culprits - 

• Gluten
• Wheat Germ Aggultinin (WGA)
• Opioid Peptides found in wheat

Gluten is a compound protein that composes about 80% of the protein found in wheat, barley and rye and WGA is a lectin found in wheat that can be particularly damaging. Opioid peptides are psychoactive chemicals and those found in wheat are similar to those found in other well known psychoactive drugs like opium or morphine.

Contrary to what is believed by many, wheat is not to be avoided only by those who suffer Celiac disease, the autoimmune disease caused by a reaction of the immune system against gliadin, a gluten protein. Those with Celiac disease only react more strongly to wheat and gluten than those without the disease, but most people have a reaction in some way or another to wheat consumption.

Gluten

• Gluten causes gut inflammation in at least 80% of the population and another 30% of the population develops antibodies against gluten proteins in the gut. Furthermore, 99% of the population has the genetic potential to develop antibodies against gluten. 
• Since gliadin, the main problem causing gluten protein, can be similar in structure to other proteins found in tissues of such organs as the thyroid or the pancreas, antibodies against gliadin can end up attacking those organs and ultimately cause autoimmune diseases like hypothyroidism and type 1 diabetes.
• Gluten’s inflammatory effect in the gut causes causes oxidation of intestinal cells which can lead them to die prematurely.  This effect creates a leaky gut which allows bacterial proteins and other toxic compounds to enter in the blood stream, leading to autoimmune attacks on the body. A leaky gut also means that food is not digested properly and nutrients are not absorbed fully, which can lead to nutrient deficiencies.
• Antibodies against gluten have also been shown to attack heart tissues and cause heart disease.
• Gluten has been strongly associated with cancer. It is potentially cancer causing, but at least cancer promoting.

WGA

• WGA, like gluten, irritates and causes premature cell death in the gut and leads to a leaky gut condition.
• WGA also disrupts the mucus membrane in the gut, which can cause bacterial overgrowth and lead to a host of digestive issues like GERD and ulcers.
• The lectin also often ends up circulating in the body and in the brain, where it can cause leptin resistance and cause effects similar to insulin. Those two factors could be a cause or promoter of obesity as leptin and insulin are the two most important hormones to properly regulate in order to maintain a normal weight and energy balance.
• WGA and another unknown factor in wheat cause vitamin D stores to deplete faster and can therefore lead to vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D deficiency can result in weakening of the bones, a weakened immune system and a vulnerability to infectious diseases and bacterial attacks.

Opioid Peptides

• The opioid peptides found in wheat are known to cause addiction to wheat in some people and withdrawal symptoms can happen upon the removal of wheat from the die.
• They have also been associated with Schizophrenia as a possible cause or at least as a promoter of the disease. Furthermore, Schizophrenics often see their symptoms reduce by a lot when removing wheat from their diet.

Even though most people can indulge in less healthy choices from time to time without negative consequences, wheat and other gluten containing grains should ultimately be completely avoided as is is done so when following a Paleotic diet. This is especially for those who suffer any kind of autoimmune disease or inflammatory condition.

I know personally that having cut it out of diet (due to being Ceoliac) I felt a thousand times better immediately and reduced my instances of colds and flus. While my elimination of any gluten from my diet was a medical necessity, limiting your gluten, WGA and opioid peptides may benefit your life in multiple areas. Including clearer skin, more energy and less illnesses. 

"Why fit in when you were born to stand out?" Dr Seuss

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With thanks to the Paleo Diet Lifestyle for their article found here. 

Feel free to ask any questions you have but please remember while I am a qualified personal trainer I am not a nutritionist. This is just my food intake based on what I have learnt from my own training, what works for my body and from various personal trainers I have work with. Any recommendations made are basic recognised recommendations for optimal health. 

Today's Giggle

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Today's Motivation

"Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do." Pope John XXIII

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Today's Motivation

"Don't let what you can't do stop you from doing what you can do." John Wooden

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Emotional Eating

A fantastic piece on emotional eating written by written by Tiffany Boydston found on muffintopless. Definitely worth the read! 


Emotional Eating

From the minute we are born, we learn to associate food with love and comfort. After all, our mothers nursed us and gave us a bottle immediately when we showed any signs of crying, irritability or fuss. We carry this into adulthood by “rewarding” ourselves with food. It’s common to comfort yourself with food when you’re sad, stressed, anxious, bored, overwhelmed, depressed, angry— the list goes on. But it helps to have the right approach, tips and techniques to help you discover the real reason you are trying to comfort your “hunger.”
Often, our emotional connection to food is due to physical imbalances that lead to cravings and overeating. In other words, we turn to food when we feel unbalanced. Sit down and ask yourself:

• Do I turn to food when I’m emotional imbalanced, sad, angry or stressed?  
• Do I think about food all the time? 
• Do I deprive myself when on a very restricted diet? 
• Do I eat to make myself feel better?  
• Do I sometimes feel guilty after I eat something healthy because it just was a little too much?

If you answered yes to most of these, the first step is to be aware of what you are doing. Be aware that you are eating because of these feelings. That way, you can decipher whether you are hungry or are just eating for comfort. Trust me, it will help. I have been stuck in boredom with a desire to eat, yet I wasn’t hungry. I made the decision to have a hot tea and that was warming and comforting enough, which in the end made me feel better than overeating.

Finding the Root of the Cause

Notice how we are ALWAYS craving sugar, carbohydrates, chocolate, salty foods and caffeine! Well, this is common and doesn’t mean you don’t have self-control— more likely, it’s coming from a physiological imbalance. The most common imbalance are: 

• Adrenal imbalance 
• Hormonal imbalance 
• Food sensitivity— i.e. gluten, dairy, yeast, eggs, soy, citrus.  
• Yeast overgrowth— due to lack of healthy bacteria

Having these sort of imbalances can confuse your body’s signals of eating. I would suggest getting a full panel done to see where all of your levels are. Then discuss with your doctor what can be done to help balance you.
The Plan

Pay attention to your hunger signals, and use an imaginary scale to rate your hunger preference level. When your hunger level is just above the middle of the scale (meaning you are only slightly hungry), have a small snack. Overeating happens when you reach the bottom of your hunger scale, so make sure you are always satisfied.

Cut sugar from your diet. Sugar is addicting. It leads to overeating and sends the wrong signs to your hunger scale, even when you are full. Thank goodness there are products like stevia that do not affect your insulin levels.

Plan ahead— bring small snacks wherever you go, even when you have a party to attend. Plan to have only have two glasses of wine and a taste of dessert. This way, you are not depriving yourself, but are instead satisfying your “want.” You will come to realize these “wants” weren’t as good as you remembered, and this will make you appreciate your healthy way of eating.

If you’re having a hard time dealing with emotional eating, sit back, relax and know that there is something you can do about it. Gain awareness, learn whether it is emotional or psychological, and make a plan to conquer this.

"I turn every experience into an opportunity, experiences, good or bad, are opportunities to learn and grow, i acknowledge life's experiences have and will continue to shape and create the unique human being i am."  Louise L. Hay

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Abs are Made in the Kitchen

You know she rewards her body for all it's hard work with nutritious food! I'm currently back to clean eating after surgery (it took a while for my body to readjust and eliminate all the toxins from the medications associated with it, so I was definitely getting weird cravings fro being so tired and rundown.)


I feel so much better, more capable to deal with every day life just from cleaning up my diet again. I'm especially looking forward to the day my abs come back and say hello again! A few weeks off eating well really does make noticeable changes to your body. 


I am concentrating on being prepared - so all meals cooked and ready for the day, eskie filled so I'm never without something nutritious to eat and am avoiding situations where poor food choices will be to available. I find my will power strengthens the longer I go without C.R.A.P (caffeine, refined sugar, processed foods and alcohol) but I try to avoid them all together on days when my will power isn't up there. 


Abs are made in the kitchen so I'm grilling, steaming and eating my way towards them again!


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It's Never to Late...

Your goal is 100% achievable. Achievement comes from making repeated steps towards your goal. So take that first step now. It gets easier. 

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Today's Motivation

"A man's health can be judged by which he takes two at a time - pills or stairs." Joan Welsh

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Stock Up Your Kitchen The Healthy Way!

How well stocked is your fridge? Do you have foods in the house that tempt you or do you have on hand healthy easily prepared food? Having the basic foundation in your kitchen make all the difference between being prepared and closer to succeed in healthy eating then being left hungry and more likely to make impulse food choices.

Below is a slightly modified version of Jamie Eason’s (fitness competitor and model) recommended grocery list.

Proteins

Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast

Tuna/Salmon (water packed)

Prawns

Lean Ground Beef

Buffalo steak (lean)

Protein Powder (lactose free)

Egg Whites or Eggs

Steaks or Roast

Lean Ground turkey, Turkey Breast Slices or cutlets

*All fresh meat and not deli cuts

Complex Carbs

Oatmeal

Sweet Potatoes

Beans (pinto, black, kidney)

Brown Rice

Rice (brown)

Corn based pita breads or wraps

Rice Cakes (non flavored)

Fibrous Carbs & Vegetables

Green Leafy Lettuce/Bagged Salad

Broccoli

Asparagus

String Beans

Black Beans

Spinach

Capsicum

Cauliflower

Celery

Mushrooms

Sprouts

Cucumber

Chillies

Onions

Garlic

Tomatoes

Zucchini

Squash

Pumpkin

Fruit

Berries (blueberries and raspberries)

Lemons or Limes

Grapefruit

Apples

Dates

Grapes

Oranges

Eat bananas, strawberries, peaches or plums sparingly (lots of natural sugar)

No dried fruits (loaded with sugar)

Healthy Fats

Natural Style or Organic Peanut Butter

Olive Oil or Safflower Oil

Nuts (walnuts, almonds, brazil nuts, pistachios, hazelnuts)

Flaxseed Oil

Avocado

Dairy & Eggs

Low-fat or fat-free cottage cheese

Eggs

Low or Non-Fat Milk/Soy Milk (eat dairy only occasionally)

Non-fat Greek yogurt (look for low sugar only)

Opt for full fat varieties, as they tend to have lower amounts of added sugar but be aware portion sizes. The fuller taste means you should be satisfied with less.

Condiments & Misc.

Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce

Reduced Sodium Teriyaki Sauce

Balsamic Vinegar

Balsamic or Raspberry Vinaigrette

Salsa

Chili Paste

Tomato Paste                     

Dijon Mustard

Extracts (vanilla, almond, etc)

Low Sodium fat-free beef or fat-free chicken broth

Fat-free cooking spray

Herbs & Spices

Chili powder

Cinnamon

Allspice

Basil

Bay leaf

Onion Powder

Garlic Powder

Dill

Ginger

Sage

Rosemary

Paprika

Thyme

Oregano

Curry Powder

Red Pepper

Marjoram

Tarragon

Dry Mustard

Cumin

Saffron

Nutmeg

Pumpkin Pie Spice

Black Pepper

Remember to include a lean protein source in every meal and lots of veggies! Eat as clean as possible and reap the benefits. Hope this helps!

“Neurotic behavior is quite unpredictable. Healthy behavior is predictable.”
Carl Ransom Rogers

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