No S[ucess]Diet

So I thought I'd try the No S Diet.  Its pretty easy: No snacks, no seconds, no sweets except on days that start with 'S'. 

It was going very well. Until Awesome dropped home for lunch today and mentioned the packet of choc chip cookies he had in the cupboard.

I knew they were there. I knew they were his. I was avoiding them and do very well at it thank you.

But then... I caved. And I opened the packet.

And I ate... well... ok I'm going to be honest here in the privacy of the World Wide Web... half.the.packet.

That's 11 biscuits for those playing along at home.

For the statisticians among you, I have consumed my entire daily quota of kilojoules in 20 minutes.

That's ridiculous.

I'm calling today Sunday and starting fresh from here on in.  No more.

And instead of going and buying a replacement packet of biscuits and hiding the other packet and pretending that I didn't open them ( not that I have done that in the past or anything...) I will fess up when Awesome gets home and apologise for eating his stash.

I am going to last until Saturday and then I am going to weigh myself and see if four and half days without snacks makes a difference.

My Natural Cold Soother Tea

I, like just about every other Sydneysider this week, have contracted a flu-like-coldy-sick-thing.

I feel crummy.

So I have just made myself a cup of my favourite 'sick' tea.

Add boiling water to 1tsp honey, one Green Tea citrus tea bag and a squeeze of lemon juice and sip.

Warm, throat-soothy, calming goodness in a cup.

Hope you feel better!

I make no assertions about the scientific properties of this tea - it just tastes good and helps me feel better! If you want to know more about healthy teas and remedies, head to http://www.keeperofthehome.org/health-and-natural-remedies

Mocktail Recipes

Tonight our church is having a Mocktail event as a mixer for our three services.

I have done some searching and experimenting and come up with three different drink recipes (well they are not my own recipes, they are more like "public domain" recipes!)

Sunrise

1 can pineapple juice
1 can orange juice concentrate
1 bottle of lemonade
1 bottle of ginger ale
Sliced oranges


Shirley Temple Variation

Orange juice
Lemon-lime fizzy drink
Grenadine

Frozen Choco-latte

Milk
Chocolate flavoured syrup
Coffee flavoured syrup (optional)
Ice

(Blend this one!)

Do you have any other mocktail recipes?

Embrace the Camera 27th May

Dressed up for a Hollywood themed party. I love being silly with you Awesome :)

Go Here to see the other Embrace the Cameras for this week!

One Day at a Time

Well ... back when I wrote this post I was very motivated and had goals in mind.

Unfortunately I have fallen off the wagon. Again.

I have been reading a book that quotes a Chinese proverb. "80% is perfection".

I like that!

I am currently... (gulp) stuck at 76kg.  I have lost a bit of weight over the last 6 months (7.5kg) but I still have at least 6kg to go.

So its time for a new plan.

I am going to aim to eat well and exercise 80% of the time.  That's 5 days a week.

So today, its shoes and jacket on - I'm going for a run!

Getting Your Exercise Groove On .. When Your Head Says No...

So, how do I get the exercise happening if I can't make myself go to the gym...?

I love Zumba. Unfortunately I have as much trouble getting to Zumba as I have making myself go to the gym... the same anxieties creep in.

While I'm sorting that out, I have been keeping up with Zumba on my computer! Here are a few free Zumba clips that I love.

Shakira's Waka Waka - I love their energy and the song!

One of the original Zumba videos on the web

This one is just Fun!

My other passion at the moment is shadow boxing. I use move I have learnt in boxing class, and from my Billy Blanks Tae Bo DVD and pop on music and just make it up. After about 30 minutes I'm exhausted! If I push out to an hour I can get an awesome workout.

The final thing I am doing at the moment is a weekly run with a bunch of girls from my church. Knowing and trusting these awesome chickies makes it much easier to get of the house and get there - for some reason my anxieties really don't come to the fore when church people are involved - I have no idea why!

The important thing for me is to keep moving and trying to loose that weight :)

Handling Anxiety

The Olympic Venue where I did my first Triathlon

Sometimes I get anxious.

Pretty anxious.

Ok, very anxious.

I have stress related anxiety that pops up mostly when things get difficult. It can be pretty isolating. Having feelings of anxiety is different for different people. One of the things that helps me cope with anxiety is exercise. Only, there is one problem.

I get anxious about turning up for exercise.

I had a gym membership. I went 3-5 times a week and enjoyed it. Then I had a slight injury and didn't go for a couple of weeks. Weeks turned into months as I convinced myself that people at the gym would judge me for not showing up. Or maybe they have closed the gym. Or maybe they have changed the hours. Or moved the machines...

It's easier to just not go...

I paid that membership for 12 more months before I finally got up the courage to go and cancel it - and only then because I found someone to take it over. The feelings I experience aren't logical, or have easy answers. People at the gym might say "Hey, haven't seen you for a while" or they might say "Hey, its good to have you back." Or, if I'm really unlucky, they might say "Hey slacker!" I could check the website to see if they are still open (which they are...) and if the hours have changed (which they haven't), and if the machines have moved... I'll be ok! - the reality is - I can actually cope with all of these things... but I have already convinced myself that its too risky.

So I don't go.

I joined another fitness club (while still paying for the first!). This offered set class times with an online weekly timetable (no changing times to wiggle out of), and casual rates (so I wouldn't get stuck if I didn't stick in the contract).  It was an awesome and encouraging community who got me half way to my current weight loss goal.

But then stress at work started to take over, and after 6 very successful months, I started to have the same thoughts and feelings I have experienced in the past. Suddenly I stopped going 3-4 times a week and just went once. And then not at all.

Its been a month. My weight is creeping back up. My PCOS is getting worse, and above all, I have no physical outlet for my anxiety (after a class - I feel great for days and can handle my anxiety with more perspective and realism).

I'm putting this out there because I need to start getting honest about my life and the things that I find hard.

I'm going to post a couple of posts on the things that I am trying to do to handle my anxiety. I want to explore ways of exercise to help me build my confidence back up to go to a class. At the same time I will be seeing a counsellor to address the cognitive and emotional reasons behind my anxiety.

I'm hoping at the very least that blogging my experience will help me to work through it. Maybe I might help someone else in the process.

Reshaping it all...

Thought I'd join up here for Reshaping it all... more info later...

http://www.reshapingitall.com/