There are some days where I wake up and I just feel good. Not much could possibly go wrong to destroy my day. Today (so far), has been one of those days.
It started when I got to work and was making myself some tea. I was trying to multitask and moved my cup and ended up with hot water all over my fingers! Under the tap it went for a few minutes. Then on and off during the morning I'd pop it back under the water or apply some ice as and when it felt hot.
Then, it was lunch time. My colleagues were both working from home today so I diverted the phones to them and headed out. Great! The local sandwich shop had my favourite special - a cajun chicken schnitzel with bacon burger. I place my order and wait patiently for my food to arrive. As I'm waiting, it dawns on me that I have left my keys in the office. The locked office. I text my colleagues to let them know before heading back and hoping that the tenants in the other office upstairs are there. I remember one of them coming in the morning, but I also remember hearing him leave.
I ring the doorbell and nothing. I send him a text - will he be coming back. "No sorry", says he. What else is left to do. I call a locksmith. This has happened to us in the past. Fortunately, the entire office had headed out for a team meeting and no one brought their keys so the expense was charged back to the business. This time it was just lil ol me and it was going to put me $120 out of pocket.
"Be there in 20 to 25 minutes" said the locksmith. "Sure thing", said I. And then as I waited on the porch of our office, I decided that despite my mishap in the morning and the fact that I was going to be significantly poorer, I wasn't at all upset or bothered. Both things were bad but the day was also good and it could've been much worse. It was a quiet day work wise, which was great. The sun was shining and there was a gentle cool breeze as I consumed my favourite sandwich special from the local sandwich shop. It wasn't raining and I wasn't cold or hungry. All in all, I want to say, good day.
[me]
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
[12wbt] 2013 Round 4 Day 11
So just under two weeks into the next round of 12wbt. I can't say my first week has been too positive, being thwarted by travelling for work and then spending the weekend catching up with friends in Melbourne.
It started with a chicken pie on the flight from Sydney to Melbourne worth a whopping 488 calories. Boy am I happy that I at least enjoy the exercise and pumped out a 60 min run around the Tan with hubby (I did two laps and he did three in the same time, the bugger). Anyhoo, no dwelling because new week = new chances to make yourself proud!
On a positive note, I do feel some changes taking place in my mindset. After travelling back to Sydney on Sunday evening and not being able to get to the shops - we decided to grab some fish and chips for dinner on Monday night. I'm usually a "face-stuffer" when it comes to eating junk food. Perhaps I feel like I'd need to wait too long before I can get my hands on it again, I keep eating, even when I am full. So while Monday night was fish and chip night, I had a small win where I put my food down before finishing it because I was full and really didn't need anymore. Score one for me.
I didn't track my calories past day two last week as I was hoping to, but here are my stats from this week so far:
Week 2 / Day 1 / Monday's Stats:
Calories Consumed: 2305 (estimated)
Calories Burned: 1350+301 = 1650
Total deficit / surplus: +654
Week 2 / Day 2 / Tuesday's Stats:
Calories Consumed: 1221
Calories Burned: 1350+280 = 1630
Total deficit / surplus: - 409
Week 2 / Day 3 / Wednesday's Stats:
Calories Consumed: 1343
Calories Burned: 1350+350 = 1700
Total deficit / surplus: - 357
While I talk about moving on, I still do feel some guilt about last week and wish that I had stronger will power. But as the motivational memes say, wishing doesn't get you anywhere. You gotta do. Hopefully, I'll do better.
It started with a chicken pie on the flight from Sydney to Melbourne worth a whopping 488 calories. Boy am I happy that I at least enjoy the exercise and pumped out a 60 min run around the Tan with hubby (I did two laps and he did three in the same time, the bugger). Anyhoo, no dwelling because new week = new chances to make yourself proud!
On a positive note, I do feel some changes taking place in my mindset. After travelling back to Sydney on Sunday evening and not being able to get to the shops - we decided to grab some fish and chips for dinner on Monday night. I'm usually a "face-stuffer" when it comes to eating junk food. Perhaps I feel like I'd need to wait too long before I can get my hands on it again, I keep eating, even when I am full. So while Monday night was fish and chip night, I had a small win where I put my food down before finishing it because I was full and really didn't need anymore. Score one for me.
I didn't track my calories past day two last week as I was hoping to, but here are my stats from this week so far:
Week 2 / Day 1 / Monday's Stats:
Calories Consumed: 2305 (estimated)
Calories Burned: 1350+301 = 1650
Total deficit / surplus: +654
Week 2 / Day 2 / Tuesday's Stats:
Calories Consumed: 1221
Calories Burned: 1350+280 = 1630
Total deficit / surplus: - 409
Week 2 / Day 3 / Wednesday's Stats:
Calories Consumed: 1343
Calories Burned: 1350+350 = 1700
Total deficit / surplus: - 357
While I talk about moving on, I still do feel some guilt about last week and wish that I had stronger will power. But as the motivational memes say, wishing doesn't get you anywhere. You gotta do. Hopefully, I'll do better.
Monday, November 11, 2013
[12wbt] 2013 Round 4 Day 1
I do love this quote - it reminds us that it's not about what we've done, but what we're doing about it now.
So, there's no need to worry about what I did and could have done in Round 3 of the 12wbt because here we are onto Round 4!
I have to say - I don't think the first week of this round is going to go well! I'll be travelling down to Melbourne for work tomorrow and will be there for the weekend as well. There's a work dinner tomorrow night, followed by an all day conference on Thursday and working from the Melbourne office on Friday - which probably means takeout. Hubby is flying down on Friday evening, we'll have dinner with the in-laws, followed by a weekend spent catching up with friends over meals.
So the goal is to be good until tomorrow and then to be sensible while I am there. Aiming for about 2.5% loss if I can!
Monday's Stats:
Calories Consumed: 1399
Calories Burned: 1350+397 = 1747
Total deficit / surplus: -348
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
[12wbt] Let's go again!
So we have come to the end of 12wbt 2013 Round 3. Before the round started, a colleague of mine got a DEXA Scan and I thought it would be a great idea to do the same before the round and one more again after the round. Well, today I had my second scan and I have to say that I am very surprised by the results!
I can't say that I've stuck to to food component of the program all that well - even after three rounds, my willpower to say no to stuffing my face with greasy goodness is still pretty weak. But I kept to the training program almost to the T, missing out on couple of weeks due to sickness. It was only in the last six weeks of Round 3 that I really buckled down and tried to stick to the meal plans. Even then, that usually meant being saint-like from Mondays - Thursdays and being pretty lax on the weekends.
But overall, DEXA Scan says 1.5kg fat loss and 1.2kg muscle gain, which resulted in an overall 2.5% fat reduction (24.9% from 27.4%). Nothing to sneeze at and imagine what could be achieved if I was actually that little bit more disciplined with my eating.
So, I'm all signed up for 12wbt 2013 Round 4. I have a 4 week holiday squeezed in there so here goes to getting bigger and better results and becoming more disciplined in order to achieve the goal!
xoxo me
I can't say that I've stuck to to food component of the program all that well - even after three rounds, my willpower to say no to stuffing my face with greasy goodness is still pretty weak. But I kept to the training program almost to the T, missing out on couple of weeks due to sickness. It was only in the last six weeks of Round 3 that I really buckled down and tried to stick to the meal plans. Even then, that usually meant being saint-like from Mondays - Thursdays and being pretty lax on the weekends.
But overall, DEXA Scan says 1.5kg fat loss and 1.2kg muscle gain, which resulted in an overall 2.5% fat reduction (24.9% from 27.4%). Nothing to sneeze at and imagine what could be achieved if I was actually that little bit more disciplined with my eating.
So, I'm all signed up for 12wbt 2013 Round 4. I have a 4 week holiday squeezed in there so here goes to getting bigger and better results and becoming more disciplined in order to achieve the goal!
xoxo me
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Complain Less - Celebrate More
I came across a post by Joshua Becker from his blog, Becoming Minimalist, titled How to Complain Less.
In it, he mentions that we all have the knowledge that life is not perfect. Despite this knowledge, we continue to complain about life's imperfections. He tells us more about why complaining is bad and some steps on how to complain less. He talks about:
We don't do this anymore, but there are days I return from work, brain dead, tired, just wanting to crash on the couch and all I want to say when my husband asks how my day was is "It was sooooooo busy". But more often than not, I now try to be much more positive. I try to respond with something like, "It was productive" and then tell him something funny that someone said or did at work. Or something amazing that I saw, or an interesting article that I had read. In Sydney at this time of year, the jacarandas bloom and sometimes that's the best story I have from the day - "I was walking home and there was a jacaranda tree in full bloom. A splash of purple in the sea of all those green trees." Maybe it's just be but that makes me smile because it is such a beautiful sight.
I'm definitely guilty of complaining and my husband's response of "and what are you doing about it?" usually makes me take a step back. Don't complain for the sake of complaining. Do something. And if there is nothing that you or anyone else can do, accept it and move along.
I'm choosing to celebrate roses, which make the thorns so appealing. And I will set up the experiment of trying to be more mindful about complaining and focus on minimizing it.
xoxo me
In it, he mentions that we all have the knowledge that life is not perfect. Despite this knowledge, we continue to complain about life's imperfections. He tells us more about why complaining is bad and some steps on how to complain less. He talks about:
- Considering the importance of adopting change
- Embracing the recognition of an imperfect world
- Understanding the difference between helpful criticism and complaint
- Being mindful of the audience
- Not starting conversations with complaints
- Not complaining for the sake of validation ("I'm soooo busy" sound familiar?)
- Noticing triggers that lead to complaints
- Embracing the idea of experimentation (Rather than setting a goal of never complaining again, experiment by designating a short period of time to be more mindful and take baby steps to improve)
"You can complain because roses have thorns, or you can rejoice because thorns have roses." - Tom WilsonIt made me think of what my husband use to force me to do. Right before we went to sleep, he'd roll over and ask "what three good things happened today". At first it was very annoying - him trying to make me think right when I wanted to sleep. But then you start to pick out the positive, little things which actually mean something to you and you realise that no matter how bad you felt your day was, there was always some positive in it. Perhaps it was a particularly good cup of coffee. Perhaps you got a text from a friend that made you smile or laugh out loud. Maybe, it was just that you got to watch TV with your significant other or read the new issue of a magazine you've been waiting for.
We don't do this anymore, but there are days I return from work, brain dead, tired, just wanting to crash on the couch and all I want to say when my husband asks how my day was is "It was sooooooo busy". But more often than not, I now try to be much more positive. I try to respond with something like, "It was productive" and then tell him something funny that someone said or did at work. Or something amazing that I saw, or an interesting article that I had read. In Sydney at this time of year, the jacarandas bloom and sometimes that's the best story I have from the day - "I was walking home and there was a jacaranda tree in full bloom. A splash of purple in the sea of all those green trees." Maybe it's just be but that makes me smile because it is such a beautiful sight.
I'm definitely guilty of complaining and my husband's response of "and what are you doing about it?" usually makes me take a step back. Don't complain for the sake of complaining. Do something. And if there is nothing that you or anyone else can do, accept it and move along.
I'm choosing to celebrate roses, which make the thorns so appealing. And I will set up the experiment of trying to be more mindful about complaining and focus on minimizing it.
xoxo me
Thursday, October 17, 2013
[12wbt] Drunkorexia?
Saw this article in The Age this morning titled: "Are you a drunkorexic? The dangers of dieting to drink".
The article discusses the dangers what some people put themselves through - skip a meal to keep the calories for alcohol instead. The issue with this is that people open themselves up to alcohol-related disease or injury and also miss out on all the goodies (proteins, carbs, nutrients, vitamins) that comes with eating a proper meal.
I don't do this, I don't condone it, but I must say that I am guilty of saving my snack calories so that I can have a sneaky something something (Arnott's Full 'O Fruit, Oreos, Ice Cream etc) as a snack after dinner. However, I have been starting to wonder how this will affect eating habits once you move off a plan like the 12wbt. For me, and I'm making an assumption that this would be the same for most folks, it's about doing the plan and creating new lifestyle habits to sustain for the years to come. Things like portion control and eating good "clean" food. I don't starve myself during the day so that I can eat a bunch of snack/junk foods after dinner but I do try to keep the snacking to a minimum. And at the end of the day, if I come under 1200 calories, I top it up with sweet/salty junk food "goodness".
As a result, I do wonder about developing the habit of always having a snack after dinner. It seems harmless enough if it's only a small treat, and perhaps a good thing in helping one keep on track during the week and not having an "unscheduled blowout" (by that I mean a treat meal other than the one specified on the Saturday after you've done a long workout). I guess it's a matter of keeping the serving sizes to a small snack serve and being disciplined (!!) enough to say no to more food.
The article discusses the dangers what some people put themselves through - skip a meal to keep the calories for alcohol instead. The issue with this is that people open themselves up to alcohol-related disease or injury and also miss out on all the goodies (proteins, carbs, nutrients, vitamins) that comes with eating a proper meal.
I don't do this, I don't condone it, but I must say that I am guilty of saving my snack calories so that I can have a sneaky something something (Arnott's Full 'O Fruit, Oreos, Ice Cream etc) as a snack after dinner. However, I have been starting to wonder how this will affect eating habits once you move off a plan like the 12wbt. For me, and I'm making an assumption that this would be the same for most folks, it's about doing the plan and creating new lifestyle habits to sustain for the years to come. Things like portion control and eating good "clean" food. I don't starve myself during the day so that I can eat a bunch of snack/junk foods after dinner but I do try to keep the snacking to a minimum. And at the end of the day, if I come under 1200 calories, I top it up with sweet/salty junk food "goodness".
As a result, I do wonder about developing the habit of always having a snack after dinner. It seems harmless enough if it's only a small treat, and perhaps a good thing in helping one keep on track during the week and not having an "unscheduled blowout" (by that I mean a treat meal other than the one specified on the Saturday after you've done a long workout). I guess it's a matter of keeping the serving sizes to a small snack serve and being disciplined (!!) enough to say no to more food.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Singapore Day!
A few years ago when I was still living in Melbourne, I was walking home and kept seeing people walking away from the Botanical Gardens with papers bags which said "I <3 SG" (stylised in the "I heart NY fashion"). Being Singaporean, my curiosity peaked and a quick google search told me that there had been a "Singapore Day" held in Melbourne.
Further investigation lead me to discover that Singapore Day is a Singaporean and family only event hosted by the Overseas Singaporean Unit. It is a way of bringing the familiarity of Singapore to those who are living and working overseas. It is a completely free event and the best part is that they fly up Singapore "Hawkers" to whichever city is hosting Singapore Day each year - and the food in completely free!
This year, Singapore Day was held in Sydney! Still being Singaporean, I register for myself and Hubby to attend. We make our way to The Domain where the event is being held and then proceed to consume our weight in food. We didn't get everything that was up for grabs but we did manage to score some Singapore Chilli Crab, which ran out two hours after the event commenced! The curry puff, chilli crab, nasi lemak and satay pictured below were just a handful of the goodies on offer. We also managed to get some hainanese chicken rice and kway chap. Unfortunately, we were way too full to eat anything else and missed out on things like Indian Rojak, Hokkien Mee and BBQ Stingray. Mmmm.... Definitely looking forward to my trip back to Singapore at the end of the year!
Further investigation lead me to discover that Singapore Day is a Singaporean and family only event hosted by the Overseas Singaporean Unit. It is a way of bringing the familiarity of Singapore to those who are living and working overseas. It is a completely free event and the best part is that they fly up Singapore "Hawkers" to whichever city is hosting Singapore Day each year - and the food in completely free!
This year, Singapore Day was held in Sydney! Still being Singaporean, I register for myself and Hubby to attend. We make our way to The Domain where the event is being held and then proceed to consume our weight in food. We didn't get everything that was up for grabs but we did manage to score some Singapore Chilli Crab, which ran out two hours after the event commenced! The curry puff, chilli crab, nasi lemak and satay pictured below were just a handful of the goodies on offer. We also managed to get some hainanese chicken rice and kway chap. Unfortunately, we were way too full to eat anything else and missed out on things like Indian Rojak, Hokkien Mee and BBQ Stingray. Mmmm.... Definitely looking forward to my trip back to Singapore at the end of the year!
Catch up
Oh dear. It seems like it's been a while longer since my last post than I realised.
Well, a bit has happened, most importantly that it was a long weekend here in Sydney! It was exciting as hubby and I had booked into a little b&b called Broomelea in the Blue Mountains. We stayed there in April this year, our first visit to the Blue Mountains, and we loved it so much that we booked another stay.
I tried to get my weekly long run out on Friday morning and that was a disaster. I couldn't run the whole time and ended up run/walking for the allotted time which really annoyed me. I know I hadn't been consistent but I was going at a slow pace and just trying to run for time.
That annoyed me for most of the day but come Friday afternoon, it was time to brush it off and head for the Mountains! We stopped in Katoomba for a pub meal for dinner and then onwards to Leura. We spent the evening planning our walks for the weekend. It started with a 5 hr, moderate track in Blackheath, starting at the Govett's Leap lookout. We arrived at Govett's Leap, I stepped out of the car and walked towards the lookout point. I was immediately breathless - I had forgotten how beautiful the Blue Mountains are. After making our way through the bush, it's dinner at the local Leura Pub, the Alexandra Hotel.
The next day, it was a short walk after breakfast and then high tea for lunch (woot!) before a drive to the Jenolan Caves. I was told the caves were amazing, and it was not a lie. We managed to get onto the last Lucas Cave tour of the day - the largest cave at Jenolan. For dinner we swing into a place called the "Yellow Deli" in Katoomba for an early dinner. Now - we were told that it was run by a religious sect / cult-esque group. Perhaps that's true, but the food was great! We split a chicken burger and a pumpkin soup - delish!
The next morning, it was a breezy drive back to Sydney, but not before we squeeze in a final walk. A short 1hr walk, which awkwardly took us through the Leura Golf Course, to a couple of less visited but equally rewarding lookout points.
Well, a bit has happened, most importantly that it was a long weekend here in Sydney! It was exciting as hubby and I had booked into a little b&b called Broomelea in the Blue Mountains. We stayed there in April this year, our first visit to the Blue Mountains, and we loved it so much that we booked another stay.
I tried to get my weekly long run out on Friday morning and that was a disaster. I couldn't run the whole time and ended up run/walking for the allotted time which really annoyed me. I know I hadn't been consistent but I was going at a slow pace and just trying to run for time.
That annoyed me for most of the day but come Friday afternoon, it was time to brush it off and head for the Mountains! We stopped in Katoomba for a pub meal for dinner and then onwards to Leura. We spent the evening planning our walks for the weekend. It started with a 5 hr, moderate track in Blackheath, starting at the Govett's Leap lookout. We arrived at Govett's Leap, I stepped out of the car and walked towards the lookout point. I was immediately breathless - I had forgotten how beautiful the Blue Mountains are. After making our way through the bush, it's dinner at the local Leura Pub, the Alexandra Hotel.
The next day, it was a short walk after breakfast and then high tea for lunch (woot!) before a drive to the Jenolan Caves. I was told the caves were amazing, and it was not a lie. We managed to get onto the last Lucas Cave tour of the day - the largest cave at Jenolan. For dinner we swing into a place called the "Yellow Deli" in Katoomba for an early dinner. Now - we were told that it was run by a religious sect / cult-esque group. Perhaps that's true, but the food was great! We split a chicken burger and a pumpkin soup - delish!
The next morning, it was a breezy drive back to Sydney, but not before we squeeze in a final walk. A short 1hr walk, which awkwardly took us through the Leura Golf Course, to a couple of less visited but equally rewarding lookout points.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
[12wbt] Time to Pull Up Your Socks
Thursdays are the days that 12wbt-ers get the meal and exercise plans for the following week. It usually also comes with an eDM with some sort of message. Today's message from Michelle: "Time to Pull Up Your Socks!" - and indeed it is.
I'm not one of those people who have had magical makeovers on the 12wbt. Unfortunately, I can blame no one but myself as I'm notoriously bad at keeping to the meal plan. Usually it's because I'm too picky or too lazy to prepare certain dishes. But I'm usually ok at substituting meals which still fit the calorie limits.
Of the three rounds I've done so far, my first round was probably the most successful. My second round was less to do with weight loss and more to do with becoming a runner, which as I type this, I guess I kinda have. Who would have thought that I would be able to run 10kms without stopping? Definitely not me.
When I signed up for my third 12wbt round, I had taken 12 weeks off and was trying to get back into the running so I decided to do the 10km running program once again. I planned (note: planned) to be more consistent with following the meal and exercise plan. I wanted to be a runner and I wanted to lose weight dammit! Unfortunately, my plan didn't go to, well, plan.
Week 1: Skipped because I had done C2S the day before week 1 started and I had the flu so I thought I'd rest up.
Week 2: Back on board with the program and went pretty well. Ran 7kms for my long run in prep for the Sydney Running Festival Bridge Run.
Week 3: Still ok, flew to Melbourne for my sister's wedding. Did 8kms around the Tan, nearly died going up Anderson Street the second time, but success! Ate waaaaaay too much food over the weekend.
Week 4: Tired but pushed through Monday's and Tuesday's workouts. Tuesday out for a work lunch and again, consumed too much food. Was very sick the next few days (not from the food fortunately!), diagnosed with a chest infection. Halt all exercise, definitely did not stick to the meal plan!
Week 5: Was still weak for pretty much all of week 5 and decided not to workout. Tried to follow the meal plan with some success.
Week 6: The Sydney Running Festival was on the Sunday of this week so I didn't want to exercise and exert myself too much as I had longer than usual work days, most spent standing, as I was at a conference for the better part of the
week.
So looks like the first half of the 12wbt was pretty much in shambles for me. I skipped Week 7's Monday workout to recover from the 9km bridge run and was back on on Tuesday. Two days in and I'm struggling a little. I keep feeling hungry despite me thinking I've actually consumed enough food, which is frustrating. But as Michelle says, it's Time to Pull Up Your Socks! I guess a lost few weeks here and there is better than giving up now and losing the next few weeks. Plus, as one of the memes I've posted to my Pinterest wall says "If you're tired of starting over, stop giving up".
So this is me - Pulling Up My Socks. Let's see what we can do in the next 5 weeks.
[me]
I'm not one of those people who have had magical makeovers on the 12wbt. Unfortunately, I can blame no one but myself as I'm notoriously bad at keeping to the meal plan. Usually it's because I'm too picky or too lazy to prepare certain dishes. But I'm usually ok at substituting meals which still fit the calorie limits.
Of the three rounds I've done so far, my first round was probably the most successful. My second round was less to do with weight loss and more to do with becoming a runner, which as I type this, I guess I kinda have. Who would have thought that I would be able to run 10kms without stopping? Definitely not me.
When I signed up for my third 12wbt round, I had taken 12 weeks off and was trying to get back into the running so I decided to do the 10km running program once again. I planned (note: planned) to be more consistent with following the meal and exercise plan. I wanted to be a runner and I wanted to lose weight dammit! Unfortunately, my plan didn't go to, well, plan.
Week 1: Skipped because I had done C2S the day before week 1 started and I had the flu so I thought I'd rest up.
Week 2: Back on board with the program and went pretty well. Ran 7kms for my long run in prep for the Sydney Running Festival Bridge Run.
Week 3: Still ok, flew to Melbourne for my sister's wedding. Did 8kms around the Tan, nearly died going up Anderson Street the second time, but success! Ate waaaaaay too much food over the weekend.
Week 4: Tired but pushed through Monday's and Tuesday's workouts. Tuesday out for a work lunch and again, consumed too much food. Was very sick the next few days (not from the food fortunately!), diagnosed with a chest infection. Halt all exercise, definitely did not stick to the meal plan!
Week 5: Was still weak for pretty much all of week 5 and decided not to workout. Tried to follow the meal plan with some success.
Week 6: The Sydney Running Festival was on the Sunday of this week so I didn't want to exercise and exert myself too much as I had longer than usual work days, most spent standing, as I was at a conference for the better part of the
week.
So looks like the first half of the 12wbt was pretty much in shambles for me. I skipped Week 7's Monday workout to recover from the 9km bridge run and was back on on Tuesday. Two days in and I'm struggling a little. I keep feeling hungry despite me thinking I've actually consumed enough food, which is frustrating. But as Michelle says, it's Time to Pull Up Your Socks! I guess a lost few weeks here and there is better than giving up now and losing the next few weeks. Plus, as one of the memes I've posted to my Pinterest wall says "If you're tired of starting over, stop giving up".
So this is me - Pulling Up My Socks. Let's see what we can do in the next 5 weeks.
[me]
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Sydney Bridge Run
It appears that I am slowly sliding off the wagon with my blog posts! Unfortunately, work has been flat out, but fun, the last week.
It kicked off last Sunday with a four day conference at the Menzies Sydney. It was an international academic conference which we had been working on for the better part of the year. While the turnout was not large, the delegates who did attend the conference, was great! Delegates were from all over the globe - China, Japan, Norway, Finland, USA.
Conference days were long and recovering from the chest infection, my daily exercise was a short 30 min walk to the conference. Originally, I also planned to walk home but spending close to all day on my feet, it was the train for me. I also knew that we had the 9k Sydney Bridge Run and didn't want to train during the week because while I had finished my dose of antibiotics and pretty much recovered from the chest infection, I felt like my body still needed the rest as I was still walking up tired after 8 hours sleeps.
Today, the weather was fabulous for the Sydney Bridge Run - 23 degrees and sunny. I wasn't able to run the whole distance - there was a lot of run/walking - but was happy with my overall time. Time to plan the next fun run!
It kicked off last Sunday with a four day conference at the Menzies Sydney. It was an international academic conference which we had been working on for the better part of the year. While the turnout was not large, the delegates who did attend the conference, was great! Delegates were from all over the globe - China, Japan, Norway, Finland, USA.
Conference days were long and recovering from the chest infection, my daily exercise was a short 30 min walk to the conference. Originally, I also planned to walk home but spending close to all day on my feet, it was the train for me. I also knew that we had the 9k Sydney Bridge Run and didn't want to train during the week because while I had finished my dose of antibiotics and pretty much recovered from the chest infection, I felt like my body still needed the rest as I was still walking up tired after 8 hours sleeps.
Today, the weather was fabulous for the Sydney Bridge Run - 23 degrees and sunny. I wasn't able to run the whole distance - there was a lot of run/walking - but was happy with my overall time. Time to plan the next fun run!
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Swapping running for yoga
The chest infection is slowly being pushed out of me with the aid of the antibiotics that the doctor prescribed, but I've had to give up running and really, all forms of cardio. Being sick just prior to the City2Surf and now this, I'm keen to see it go for good! I haven't quite made it to the gym to do weights, but I've swapped my morning runs / running drills for morning yoga. And boy am I enjoying that swap.
I've always loved yoga, but I've always prioritized running or weights over it. I've always wanted to be a runner (though I'm not quite there yet!) and I love the feeling of finishing up an intense weights session. I usually try to get in a yoga session once a week (if I'm lucky) but that's about it. I try not to over train and tend to use yoga as a means of stretching.
In trying to recover as well as I can, I've swapped my morning runs for morning yoga. I haven't go straight into strong challenging vinyasa classes yet as I'm still wary of raising the heart rate too much and needing to breathe too heavily to avoid putting any strain on my lungs. My mornings now start with a 45min morning vinyasa or hatha class, depending on how I feel, on yogaglo.com. I absolutely love yogaglo, which was recommended to me by my best friend, who recently became a yoga instructor herself. Fave yogis at the moment are Jason Crandell and Tiffany Cruickshank - both with strong vinyasa classes with good lengths of meditation at the end.
It has been such a joy to find yoga again that I'm going to have to figure out some way to squeeze a couple more classes into the week when I'm back running. If you haven't already discovered yogaglo, I highly recommend it!
xoxo me
I've always loved yoga, but I've always prioritized running or weights over it. I've always wanted to be a runner (though I'm not quite there yet!) and I love the feeling of finishing up an intense weights session. I usually try to get in a yoga session once a week (if I'm lucky) but that's about it. I try not to over train and tend to use yoga as a means of stretching.
In trying to recover as well as I can, I've swapped my morning runs for morning yoga. I haven't go straight into strong challenging vinyasa classes yet as I'm still wary of raising the heart rate too much and needing to breathe too heavily to avoid putting any strain on my lungs. My mornings now start with a 45min morning vinyasa or hatha class, depending on how I feel, on yogaglo.com. I absolutely love yogaglo, which was recommended to me by my best friend, who recently became a yoga instructor herself. Fave yogis at the moment are Jason Crandell and Tiffany Cruickshank - both with strong vinyasa classes with good lengths of meditation at the end.
It has been such a joy to find yoga again that I'm going to have to figure out some way to squeeze a couple more classes into the week when I'm back running. If you haven't already discovered yogaglo, I highly recommend it!
xoxo me
Thursday, September 5, 2013
I've finally had a shower
No, not because I enjoy avoiding having clean hair and skin,but because it's been a couple of days since I've had the energy to do so. Unfortunately, with my plan of it being a new week for new wins has already fallen flat on its face, but not of any fault of mine.
Well actually, Tuesday was a bit of a failure as I enjoyed a fabulous 4 hour work lunch to celebrate by 30th, a colleague's babe and yet another colleague's wedding. My plan to to only have a main, which turned into an entree, main, dessert plus wine. It was so so wrong, yet absolutely delicious!
This is definitely not directly related, but I'm sure this is me paying for it in some sort of "karma-tic" way. By the time we got back to the office late Tuesday afternoon, I started feeling decidedly average. When we got home, I skipped dinner and turned in early at about 9pm. The next morning, I woke up with a high grade fever and called in sick. Despite taking panadol, the fever wouldn't budge. Eventually, my husband came home early and took be to see the doctor who confirmed it as a chest infection. Chest infection?? CHEST INFECTION!?!? Where in the blazes did that come from? The doctor threw some antibiotics at me and I was back home in bed.
I'm trying to google to workout when I can start exercising again but I'm getting answers all over the place. I might have to ask my doctor again. It is a little frustrating as hubby and I have signed up for the 9km bridge run. While I really want to run it, I will walk it if I have to or pass on it completely to avoid developing some sort of long term damage.
So there might not be too much 12wbt related things on the blog in the next week (or weeks) to come, but I'll try to post on some other interesting things that come up in my life!
Well actually, Tuesday was a bit of a failure as I enjoyed a fabulous 4 hour work lunch to celebrate by 30th, a colleague's babe and yet another colleague's wedding. My plan to to only have a main, which turned into an entree, main, dessert plus wine. It was so so wrong, yet absolutely delicious!
This is definitely not directly related, but I'm sure this is me paying for it in some sort of "karma-tic" way. By the time we got back to the office late Tuesday afternoon, I started feeling decidedly average. When we got home, I skipped dinner and turned in early at about 9pm. The next morning, I woke up with a high grade fever and called in sick. Despite taking panadol, the fever wouldn't budge. Eventually, my husband came home early and took be to see the doctor who confirmed it as a chest infection. Chest infection?? CHEST INFECTION!?!? Where in the blazes did that come from? The doctor threw some antibiotics at me and I was back home in bed.
I'm trying to google to workout when I can start exercising again but I'm getting answers all over the place. I might have to ask my doctor again. It is a little frustrating as hubby and I have signed up for the 9km bridge run. While I really want to run it, I will walk it if I have to or pass on it completely to avoid developing some sort of long term damage.
So there might not be too much 12wbt related things on the blog in the next week (or weeks) to come, but I'll try to post on some other interesting things that come up in my life!
Sunday, September 1, 2013
[12wbt] Travelling on the 12wbt
My sister got married on the weekend on a gloriously sunny and warm Saturday afternoon. My family and family friends were flying in for the wedding and we also have friends in Melbourne who we hardly get to see. It was going to be a massive weekend. So, before heading off, I had a plan of attacked all worked out:
> Friday: We were flying to Melbourne over dinner. Lucky for me, it was a Jetstar flight, meaning no plane food provided! The goal was to have a snack in the arvo, get something healthy at the airport before getting on the plane, land in Melbourne and meet a friend at Max Brenner's for a drink, but only order tea.
> Saturday: SSS in the morning, get some fruit/yoghurt to have as breakkie while getting my hair done. Ceremony at 11, canapes at 12. Avoid canapes. They were going to have a choice menu so I thought I could skip the entree, order the best sounding main, skip or only have a nibble of dessert. Go out and meet more friends for dinner.
> Sunday: Post-wedding breakfast at a place unknown to me. Order a sensible breakfast. Buy something sensible for lunch to eat on the flight home. Have some sort of soup and bread for dinner.
So things didn't go 100% to plan I have to say. But it didn't go terribly. Here's how it all went down...
> Friday: Bought sushi - three pieces salmon, three pieces prawns and two mini (cooked) tuna slices. Gave in to temptation and also bought a mini tin of Pringles, which I halved with hubby. Also had two oreo cookies which I discovered stashed in my bag. Met my mate at Max Brenner, ordered green tea and one chocolate.
> Saturday: 8km run around the Tan. Punnet of strawberries and tub of Vaalia yoghurt for breakkie. Had three canapes, ordered a salad as entree, fish with a bean puree for main and then went halvesies on dessert with hubby (we split 1 lamington, 1 mini cupcake, 1 mini lemon meringue tart, 2 macaroons). Ordered a bento-style box dinner at a Taiwanese cafe where the main contents were crispy honey beef and steamed white rice. Discovered family friends were not going to post-wedding breakfast, met at San Churro and had, Churros.
> Sunday: Breakfast was a buffet at the hotel the bride and groom stayed at. I should have just gone with a small serve of muesli and yoghurt but ended up with hot food. I don't think I went overboard and we walked 30 mins back into the city when we were done so I didn't feel too horrible. I then had a mini cupcake and bought some takeaway lunch before heading to the airport. Lunch was consumed late on the plane and it was rice with some Indonesian dishes from one of my fave takeaway joints. Upon arrive home, it was straight to the shop. Let's say dinner was not nutritious at all and consisted of a packet of vege chips (but there's veges in it!) and about 6 bits of a malaysian peanut/sugar snack that probably comes in at about 100 calories each.
I'm not sure if I feel terrible, or if I actually feel ok about the weekend. Despite what I ate on Friday, which exceeded Michelle Bridge's recommended 1200 calories, it was still under my BMR and I had done some extra walking that day. Plus, I was proud to have ordered only tea and one bit of chocolate while at Max Brenner. Saturday started off strong but again, rather than getting a hot chocolate as well as churros, I stuck with tea. I probably did crack the overall daily caloric intake quite well, but it was a good day. Sunday, I'm not quote as proud of. The only win being actually admitting to myself at night that I was no longer hungry for dinner because I had so much snacks, and didn't have dinner just for the sake of having dinner. Can't say it felt like the healthiest thing to do, but I guess it comes down to the why eat when you aren't hungry?
So I've decided, win or lose over the weekend, it's now a new week, week four to be exact, and it's a new week for new wins.
xoxo me
> Friday: We were flying to Melbourne over dinner. Lucky for me, it was a Jetstar flight, meaning no plane food provided! The goal was to have a snack in the arvo, get something healthy at the airport before getting on the plane, land in Melbourne and meet a friend at Max Brenner's for a drink, but only order tea.
> Saturday: SSS in the morning, get some fruit/yoghurt to have as breakkie while getting my hair done. Ceremony at 11, canapes at 12. Avoid canapes. They were going to have a choice menu so I thought I could skip the entree, order the best sounding main, skip or only have a nibble of dessert. Go out and meet more friends for dinner.
> Sunday: Post-wedding breakfast at a place unknown to me. Order a sensible breakfast. Buy something sensible for lunch to eat on the flight home. Have some sort of soup and bread for dinner.
So things didn't go 100% to plan I have to say. But it didn't go terribly. Here's how it all went down...
> Friday: Bought sushi - three pieces salmon, three pieces prawns and two mini (cooked) tuna slices. Gave in to temptation and also bought a mini tin of Pringles, which I halved with hubby. Also had two oreo cookies which I discovered stashed in my bag. Met my mate at Max Brenner, ordered green tea and one chocolate.
> Saturday: 8km run around the Tan. Punnet of strawberries and tub of Vaalia yoghurt for breakkie. Had three canapes, ordered a salad as entree, fish with a bean puree for main and then went halvesies on dessert with hubby (we split 1 lamington, 1 mini cupcake, 1 mini lemon meringue tart, 2 macaroons). Ordered a bento-style box dinner at a Taiwanese cafe where the main contents were crispy honey beef and steamed white rice. Discovered family friends were not going to post-wedding breakfast, met at San Churro and had, Churros.
> Sunday: Breakfast was a buffet at the hotel the bride and groom stayed at. I should have just gone with a small serve of muesli and yoghurt but ended up with hot food. I don't think I went overboard and we walked 30 mins back into the city when we were done so I didn't feel too horrible. I then had a mini cupcake and bought some takeaway lunch before heading to the airport. Lunch was consumed late on the plane and it was rice with some Indonesian dishes from one of my fave takeaway joints. Upon arrive home, it was straight to the shop. Let's say dinner was not nutritious at all and consisted of a packet of vege chips (but there's veges in it!) and about 6 bits of a malaysian peanut/sugar snack that probably comes in at about 100 calories each.
I'm not sure if I feel terrible, or if I actually feel ok about the weekend. Despite what I ate on Friday, which exceeded Michelle Bridge's recommended 1200 calories, it was still under my BMR and I had done some extra walking that day. Plus, I was proud to have ordered only tea and one bit of chocolate while at Max Brenner. Saturday started off strong but again, rather than getting a hot chocolate as well as churros, I stuck with tea. I probably did crack the overall daily caloric intake quite well, but it was a good day. Sunday, I'm not quote as proud of. The only win being actually admitting to myself at night that I was no longer hungry for dinner because I had so much snacks, and didn't have dinner just for the sake of having dinner. Can't say it felt like the healthiest thing to do, but I guess it comes down to the why eat when you aren't hungry?
So I've decided, win or lose over the weekend, it's now a new week, week four to be exact, and it's a new week for new wins.
xoxo me
Sunday, August 25, 2013
[12wbt] Willpower muscle is weak
Week 2 of the 12wbt has come to a close and unfortunately, my willpower muscle is not as strong as it used to be. Or perhaps, it has never been that strong and I need to exercise it just that little but more. So it would seem fitting that Michelle Bridge's weekly email on the 12wbt program is titled "Power Up That Willpower Muscle!"
Here's what happened over the weekend that left me feeling defeated: it started on Friday. We headed out to the cinemas for a movie and I consumed a packed of chips, I told myself it would be ok because it would be my treat meal and besides, I had a 7km run on Saturday.
Saturday rolled around, I ran I had breakkie and lunch and all was going well. Then hubby and I sat down to play Fallout 3 (yes, I'm that sort of girl!) and I end up eating some of his left over pods and a packet of chilli peas, totalling about 1000 calories. When it was time for dinner, I ended up just having some Pitango tomato soup which is all I really felt like. After dinner, we end up playing games until midnight.
While we slept in a little more, I woke up Sunday morning feeling tired and regretful for having stayed up so late. After two pieces of toast with some peanut butter and a nashi pear for breakfast, I couldn't shake the feeling of hunger. I have an extra slice of toast with peanut butter. Lunch was pretty good - a 12wbt recipe - open steak sanga with caramelised onions. Delish. Things are looking better and then it's Pizza Hut for dinner. I won't go into detail as to what I ate but as you can imagine it wasn't good.
There is definitely a feeling for regret and anger for not having more will power. The whole weekend made me recall an article I read on self control: What Can Self-Control Do For You? 10 New Studies Provide Surprising Answers. The most important point here being #1 - Can it make you happier?. This point summarises information from a scientific journal article, "Yes, But Are They Happy? Effects of Trait Self-Control on Affective Well-Being and Life Satisfaction". Basically, their research showed that people with high self-control are happier because it helps them deal better with goal conflict. These people with high self-control didn't spend time or waste emotional energy agonising over what they are eating or doing. For me, this would have been saying no to foods that opposed to the goal I wanted to achieve and to turning off the PS3 at 10pm so get a good nights rest.
Something to remember for week #3. Will power and self-control.
Here's what happened over the weekend that left me feeling defeated: it started on Friday. We headed out to the cinemas for a movie and I consumed a packed of chips, I told myself it would be ok because it would be my treat meal and besides, I had a 7km run on Saturday.
Saturday rolled around, I ran I had breakkie and lunch and all was going well. Then hubby and I sat down to play Fallout 3 (yes, I'm that sort of girl!) and I end up eating some of his left over pods and a packet of chilli peas, totalling about 1000 calories. When it was time for dinner, I ended up just having some Pitango tomato soup which is all I really felt like. After dinner, we end up playing games until midnight.
While we slept in a little more, I woke up Sunday morning feeling tired and regretful for having stayed up so late. After two pieces of toast with some peanut butter and a nashi pear for breakfast, I couldn't shake the feeling of hunger. I have an extra slice of toast with peanut butter. Lunch was pretty good - a 12wbt recipe - open steak sanga with caramelised onions. Delish. Things are looking better and then it's Pizza Hut for dinner. I won't go into detail as to what I ate but as you can imagine it wasn't good.
There is definitely a feeling for regret and anger for not having more will power. The whole weekend made me recall an article I read on self control: What Can Self-Control Do For You? 10 New Studies Provide Surprising Answers. The most important point here being #1 - Can it make you happier?. This point summarises information from a scientific journal article, "Yes, But Are They Happy? Effects of Trait Self-Control on Affective Well-Being and Life Satisfaction". Basically, their research showed that people with high self-control are happier because it helps them deal better with goal conflict. These people with high self-control didn't spend time or waste emotional energy agonising over what they are eating or doing. For me, this would have been saying no to foods that opposed to the goal I wanted to achieve and to turning off the PS3 at 10pm so get a good nights rest.
Something to remember for week #3. Will power and self-control.
Monday, August 19, 2013
12wbt - 2013 Round 3
Last year, I signed up for the Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation (12wbt) program. I started on the Intermediate Program to increase my cardiovascular fitness, gain some muscle and burn some fat.
While I was pretty consistent with the training program, I was horrible with the meal plans! I tried to keep to the goal of 1200 calories per day (my bmr is only 1360 cause I'm a shorty) but usually fell short. I do believe that I gained some muscle and definitely increased my cardiovascular fitness. So when my first round was over, I signed up again, this time for the 10K training program, which ultimately led me to want to run the City 2 Surf. After I finished the 10K training program, I took a break but kept on running and as you will know, finished the City 2 Surf two weekends ago.
I have since signed up for 2013 Round 3 of the 12wbt program, back in the 10k training program, with similar goals:
- Run 10K in 65mins (although a flat 70 mins would also be nice)
- Lose fat
- Build muscle
Unfortunately, having the flu and running the City 2 Surf meant that I missed the first week of training. BUT, that was last week. It is Week 2, Day 2 of 2013 Round 3 and it's been great to get back to exercise after a week-long hiatus.
You'll probably see many more posts about the program as I progress through the 12 weeks as it goes on to consume my life (in a positive way naturally!)
There are also some great exercises and recipes that I've picked up along the way, which I will share when I can.
[v]
While I was pretty consistent with the training program, I was horrible with the meal plans! I tried to keep to the goal of 1200 calories per day (my bmr is only 1360 cause I'm a shorty) but usually fell short. I do believe that I gained some muscle and definitely increased my cardiovascular fitness. So when my first round was over, I signed up again, this time for the 10K training program, which ultimately led me to want to run the City 2 Surf. After I finished the 10K training program, I took a break but kept on running and as you will know, finished the City 2 Surf two weekends ago.
I have since signed up for 2013 Round 3 of the 12wbt program, back in the 10k training program, with similar goals:
- Run 10K in 65mins (although a flat 70 mins would also be nice)
- Lose fat
- Build muscle
Unfortunately, having the flu and running the City 2 Surf meant that I missed the first week of training. BUT, that was last week. It is Week 2, Day 2 of 2013 Round 3 and it's been great to get back to exercise after a week-long hiatus.
You'll probably see many more posts about the program as I progress through the 12 weeks as it goes on to consume my life (in a positive way naturally!)
There are also some great exercises and recipes that I've picked up along the way, which I will share when I can.
[v]
Monday, August 12, 2013
City2Surf: Check
Struck down with the flu, I decided I was still going to run the City2Surf. Before getting ill, my aim was to complete the run in under 105 minutes. I ultimately clocked in around 107 minutes. Having the flu, I guess I can't really complain.
As a result of utter stubbornness, I was forced to call in sick to work the day after the run, staying at home to nurse my wounded lungs.
At the end of the day, I'm still proud to have finished my first City2Surf. My first fun run in Sydney and the first 14k run I've ever done. I had grand plans of signing up for the Melbourne Marathon in October, but being sick and not knowing if I will be able to train consistently until race day, I have decided against it. Instead, I will pull my distance back to 10kms, and try to gain some speed so that I am not left in the dust. For now, it's a week of rest before I get back into it.
Influenza virus: 0, Me: 1. City2Surf: check.
As a result of utter stubbornness, I was forced to call in sick to work the day after the run, staying at home to nurse my wounded lungs.
At the end of the day, I'm still proud to have finished my first City2Surf. My first fun run in Sydney and the first 14k run I've ever done. I had grand plans of signing up for the Melbourne Marathon in October, but being sick and not knowing if I will be able to train consistently until race day, I have decided against it. Instead, I will pull my distance back to 10kms, and try to gain some speed so that I am not left in the dust. For now, it's a week of rest before I get back into it.
Influenza virus: 0, Me: 1. City2Surf: check.
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Voiceless
I got smacked down by a cold over the weekend and it's taking its time moving through the various stages - the sore throat, the blocked sinuses, the headaches. This morning I woke up with no voice at all.
While my throat is raw and I sound like I'm constantly trying to whisper as loudly as possible, I'm ok with it. What I am not ok with is that this illness is taking its time to move through the phases. I would much rather get it over with as quickly as possible so that I am well enough to complete the City 2 Surf this Sunday.
I am by no means a runner. I don't really run per se. What I do could more or less be describes as waddling. But I've trained hard to reach the distance (14kms) so I would appreciate it if life would just cut me a bit of slack!
While my throat is raw and I sound like I'm constantly trying to whisper as loudly as possible, I'm ok with it. What I am not ok with is that this illness is taking its time to move through the phases. I would much rather get it over with as quickly as possible so that I am well enough to complete the City 2 Surf this Sunday.
I am by no means a runner. I don't really run per se. What I do could more or less be describes as waddling. But I've trained hard to reach the distance (14kms) so I would appreciate it if life would just cut me a bit of slack!
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Testing testing... one two three...
Is anybody out there? Can anyone hear me?
I am - for all intents and purposes a serial blogger. I start blogs and then I let them wither away and die. I think it's because I try to make them a little to specific. All about food for example, or the latest diet I'm trying or perhaps makeup and beauty.
So, I'm going to try not to do that with this one. This one is just going to be me doing an odd brain dump here and there, whatever it may be about.
That's it for now I guess! You will hear from me soon, hopefully with something moderately exciting.
xoxo
I am - for all intents and purposes a serial blogger. I start blogs and then I let them wither away and die. I think it's because I try to make them a little to specific. All about food for example, or the latest diet I'm trying or perhaps makeup and beauty.
So, I'm going to try not to do that with this one. This one is just going to be me doing an odd brain dump here and there, whatever it may be about.
That's it for now I guess! You will hear from me soon, hopefully with something moderately exciting.
xoxo
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