So I've made it to a week of blogging. I know it doesn't sound like much but for a person that has never kept a personal diary for more than a few days and doesn't keep journals, I'm pretty proud of myself.
I'll admit, over the past week my eating hasn't been amazing (although I have kept it 95% gluten free) so this is one thing I need to start improving on.
Last year when I decided I wanted to lose weight I started trying all these diets and 'Clean Eating' was the one I stuck with the longest. In theory, it's a great idea - the aim of the diet is to only eat totally natural, mostly raw foods which are high in good fats, protein, complex carbs and low in simple carbs. Unfortunately though, these diets are often taken to extremes. The whole concept of 'clean foods' means that there must be 'dirty foods' which is totally incorrect. Yes, there are foods that have no nutritional benefit to you whatsoever (salt and vinegar chips for example) but I believe that if you lead a healthy lifestyle these types of foods can be enjoyed in moderation. Personally, I'd much rather eat wholesome nutritious foods 90% of the time, have a treat occasionally, enjoy my life and lose 10kg over an entire year than being 100% strict for 3 months, lose the weight but be uphappy.
Monday, 7 January 2013
Day 6 - Tests
There isn't much to report for today. I had to get my big blood test which involved testing my blood sugar levels. This meant I had to fast from last night to this morning. I love my breakfast so this was a pretty hard one for me! I was very glad to have my protein smoothie when I arrived home. Hopefully the test results will all come up clear.
I decided to make it a day for tests so I also had my eyes checked. Turns out I need reading glasses! Now I just need to find some cool ones :)
I promise tomorrows post will be more health orientated!
Saturday, 5 January 2013
Day 5 - Lazy day
Today I didn't have to work so I've had some time to do a few things!
Going gluten free has made my body detox somewhat which in turn has given me some pretty terrible acne over the last few weeks. The lovely people over at Lush gave me a face mask called cupcake which I decided to use today. I love Lush products because they are never tested on animals and all the ingredients are totally natural. While doing the face mask I also used a scalp oil for the eczema I get on my scalp and a hair mask as I was given a free sample. So overall, I pampered myself this morning which was really nice!
For lunch I decided to make brown rice sushi! I used sustainability and ethically sourced tuna, cucumber, carrot, capsicum and some spring onion. It was pretty tricky to make but tasted amazing!
The day is only have done but its been a good one!
Day 4 - Busy!
Today was a very busy day so nothing eventful happened really!
Tomorrow I'll be getting a massive blood test checking a whole bunch of stuff but mainly to see how my thyroid is. Hopefully all will be well and nothing has to change just yet.
I think I will start tomorrow with an early morning walk. When I walked regularly I found that I had great results but as time passed and uni became busier I stopped. It's really something I'd like to get back into, not just for the health benefits but also for the way that it sets up your day to be successful. Try it tomorrow! It really does make your day so much better!
Thursday, 3 January 2013
Day 3 - Juice fail
So I woke early this morning, ready to make my first green juice. It was going to be amazing, it would make me feel energetic throughout the day! In reality it was a brown mess that smelt like freshly mowed grass. Clearly I've done something wrong here.... Apparently green smoothies work best with citrus (mine had berries and mango) so perhaps I'll try again tomorrow with some orange and lemon!
Recently I've been thinking a lot about my career I want to have when I eventually finish my studies. What I really want to do with my life is work in Borneo with orangutans to help figure out how we can conserve the species and the natural habitat which they live in. This means that for a lot of the time, I'll be wandering through dense rainforest in extreme humidity. I would not be able to do that at my current fitness level. This is what I need to use as motivation to increase my fitness.
Tomorrow is a busy day for me - start work at 7.30am, finish at 5.30pm and then have a family dinner straight after. Let's see if I can fit a blog into that day!!
Recently I've been thinking a lot about my career I want to have when I eventually finish my studies. What I really want to do with my life is work in Borneo with orangutans to help figure out how we can conserve the species and the natural habitat which they live in. This means that for a lot of the time, I'll be wandering through dense rainforest in extreme humidity. I would not be able to do that at my current fitness level. This is what I need to use as motivation to increase my fitness.
Tomorrow is a busy day for me - start work at 7.30am, finish at 5.30pm and then have a family dinner straight after. Let's see if I can fit a blog into that day!!
Wednesday, 2 January 2013
Day 2 - Beans, beans the magical fruit!
Eating gluten free is expensive. Bread costs over $6 a loaf, flour is 3 times the price and you spend forever in the shops reading the labels of everything you buy! Since going gluten free the hardest meal I've found is breakfast. Being a vegetarian who doesn't like eggs means there aren't many options to have so I used to mainly eat toast or muesli. Now I've found myself just eating toast for breakfast which isn't very good for you nutritionally or for my (or Mum's) pocket. Last night I decided to make some baked beans for breakfast and they are so good! Here is the recipe if you're interested.
What you need:
1 tbs of macadamia/rice bran/coconut oil (here is a tip - never use olive oil to cook, the heat changes the chemical composition of the oil and it becomes really unhealthy. Olive oil is brilliant to use but only when it stays cold)
1 large red onion finely sliced
2 cloves of garlic crushed (if you're not big on garlic, reduce to 1)
1 fresh red chili finely sliced
1 handful of fresh thyme and rosemary, leaves only
1 tsp of smoked paprika
2x 400g tins of any types of beans (butter/cannellini beans are best but I didn't have any around!)
1x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes and the water from rinsing the can
2tsp of golden syrup (treacle is best but again, didn't have any)
A good shake of tamari (this is gluten free soy sauce, if you want just use soy sauce)
What you do:
1. Heat oil in a heavy saucepan on medium/low
2. Add onion, garlic and chili. Cook for about 2 minutes or until soft
3. Add rosemary and thyme, then the paprika. Then add the golden syrup, tomatoes and water from rinsing the can. Add beans and tamari
4. Simmer for 10 minutes or until thick. Serve!
I caved in the morning and had some with a slice of toast but really, the beans are a pretty complete meal by themselves. Lots of protein, good carbs to start the day and it tastes amazing. I've learnt that the darker the bean (e.g kidney or black beans) the higher the antioxidants, so throw some of those in!
I'm thinking tomorrow morning I might bite the bullet and try a green smoothie which Klara had on her blog today. I really hate leafy greens so maybe this could be a way to get them into my diet!
I really enjoy facts so here is one for you: watermelon contains the same amount of iron as spinach!
If you'd like to read more about how awesome watermelon is for you, I found an article here http://news.softpedia.com/news/Watermelon-The-Iron-Fruit-30079.shtml
What you need:
1 tbs of macadamia/rice bran/coconut oil (here is a tip - never use olive oil to cook, the heat changes the chemical composition of the oil and it becomes really unhealthy. Olive oil is brilliant to use but only when it stays cold)
1 large red onion finely sliced
2 cloves of garlic crushed (if you're not big on garlic, reduce to 1)
1 fresh red chili finely sliced
1 handful of fresh thyme and rosemary, leaves only
1 tsp of smoked paprika
2x 400g tins of any types of beans (butter/cannellini beans are best but I didn't have any around!)
1x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes and the water from rinsing the can
2tsp of golden syrup (treacle is best but again, didn't have any)
A good shake of tamari (this is gluten free soy sauce, if you want just use soy sauce)
What you do:
1. Heat oil in a heavy saucepan on medium/low
2. Add onion, garlic and chili. Cook for about 2 minutes or until soft
3. Add rosemary and thyme, then the paprika. Then add the golden syrup, tomatoes and water from rinsing the can. Add beans and tamari
4. Simmer for 10 minutes or until thick. Serve!
I caved in the morning and had some with a slice of toast but really, the beans are a pretty complete meal by themselves. Lots of protein, good carbs to start the day and it tastes amazing. I've learnt that the darker the bean (e.g kidney or black beans) the higher the antioxidants, so throw some of those in!
I'm thinking tomorrow morning I might bite the bullet and try a green smoothie which Klara had on her blog today. I really hate leafy greens so maybe this could be a way to get them into my diet!
I really enjoy facts so here is one for you: watermelon contains the same amount of iron as spinach!
If you'd like to read more about how awesome watermelon is for you, I found an article here http://news.softpedia.com/news/Watermelon-The-Iron-Fruit-30079.shtml
Tuesday, 1 January 2013
364 Day Challenge - Being Healthy
Hi!
I'm Bronwyn and have never blogged or anything before. Please forgive me if this doesn't read very well - I love science and that doesn't involve learning how to write poetic blogs and such. After reading about my friend Klara's challenge that she set herself over at http://www.herhappyheart.blogspot.com.au I felt inspired to start my own getting healthy challenge.
Many of my friends know that throughout 2012 I tried to become a healthier me. During the year I had many struggles with my health that really set me back. At the beginning of the year I found out that if I don't reduce my weight to a level which I can maintain or if I ever gain a large amount there is a high chance I could end up with PCOS. After the discovering this, some tests were run and the results of this showed I had high thyroid antibodies. This means that at some point in my life, these antibodies will destroy my thyroid leaving me with Hashimoto's disease. Given both of these problems involve my weight, I thought it was about time I tried to lose some. I started exercising with an amazing group of women in Kings Park a few times a week which is something I've really enjoyed. Throughout the year my motivation my at times was really high and other times really low - this is something I want to fix this year! By the end of 2012 although I had lost 10kg I felt so tired all the time and spent the entire year extremely stressed. I went to see a naturopath at the recommendation of someone I work with. I found out that although I had lost weight, I was far from healthy which was causing me to feel so tired. I was also told that I need to stop eating gluten (this was probably the worst news I received all year!)
Although 2012 kind of seemed like a dud year, I learnt so much about eating well, becoming healthy and what we shouldn't be doing to our bodies. This year I want to put it into action. At the recommendation of the naturopath, I have 10 kilos to lose to be at the correct weight for my body type. Here are my goals for 2013 and my 264 day challenge (started a day late - whoops!)
Lose 1 kg a month (I'm sure there will be some months where this doesn't happen so I think it should end up working out over the year)
Eat gluten free
Stress less
Be happier
Enjoy myself and eat things I enjoy (in moderation)
Don't obsess over the superficial part of losing weight - this is about health not becoming a bikini model
Try and post a blog each day, even if it is just a photo or a couple of sentences
Do this for myself and no one else.
I'm Bronwyn and have never blogged or anything before. Please forgive me if this doesn't read very well - I love science and that doesn't involve learning how to write poetic blogs and such. After reading about my friend Klara's challenge that she set herself over at http://www.herhappyheart.blogspot.com.au I felt inspired to start my own getting healthy challenge.
Many of my friends know that throughout 2012 I tried to become a healthier me. During the year I had many struggles with my health that really set me back. At the beginning of the year I found out that if I don't reduce my weight to a level which I can maintain or if I ever gain a large amount there is a high chance I could end up with PCOS. After the discovering this, some tests were run and the results of this showed I had high thyroid antibodies. This means that at some point in my life, these antibodies will destroy my thyroid leaving me with Hashimoto's disease. Given both of these problems involve my weight, I thought it was about time I tried to lose some. I started exercising with an amazing group of women in Kings Park a few times a week which is something I've really enjoyed. Throughout the year my motivation my at times was really high and other times really low - this is something I want to fix this year! By the end of 2012 although I had lost 10kg I felt so tired all the time and spent the entire year extremely stressed. I went to see a naturopath at the recommendation of someone I work with. I found out that although I had lost weight, I was far from healthy which was causing me to feel so tired. I was also told that I need to stop eating gluten (this was probably the worst news I received all year!)
Although 2012 kind of seemed like a dud year, I learnt so much about eating well, becoming healthy and what we shouldn't be doing to our bodies. This year I want to put it into action. At the recommendation of the naturopath, I have 10 kilos to lose to be at the correct weight for my body type. Here are my goals for 2013 and my 264 day challenge (started a day late - whoops!)
Lose 1 kg a month (I'm sure there will be some months where this doesn't happen so I think it should end up working out over the year)
Eat gluten free
Stress less
Be happier
Enjoy myself and eat things I enjoy (in moderation)
Don't obsess over the superficial part of losing weight - this is about health not becoming a bikini model
Try and post a blog each day, even if it is just a photo or a couple of sentences
Do this for myself and no one else.
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