Fit Mum Update ...

It's been a long time since I posted anything.  I'm feeling a guilty too, that I have neglected something that I committed to myself that I would do on a regular basis.  I'm not going to dwell on it though ... I'm going to get on with it, and update on everything ( well not everything ) that has been happening.

The short version of what's been happening in Fit Mum's life ... Not much exciting!

Training update ...

I'm still keeping up regular exercise .. mostly because there's not much that will stop me, and also because I just don't feel right if I don't.
I'm not training 5 days a week like I was .. I've dropped back to 4 sessions a week.  They are not super intense by any means.  I've backed that off a bit too and I'm trying to find a balance between work, training, playing taxi for the kids and life.

Sugar Free Challenge Update ...

I am proud to say that we are still "relatively" sugar free in September.  Master 5 chose not to take part, however what he doesn't realise is that everything else he is consuming is a sugar free option ( sssshhh! don't tell him! ).
Mr Fit Mum has been "forced" to partake in birthday cake at work.  Of course, it would be rude not to ... 
Miss 9 is doing a great job sticking with her promise .. I am very proud!

We do have a confession.  We were invited to lunch at my sisters and she was unaware that we were having a sugar free September.  She made cheesecake .. I did partake of a small slice as I honestly felt really guilty if I didn't have a piece and I really did not want to explain to everyone why I wasn't eating it!  And it was 18 days into the challenge .. almost 3 weeks! 

In the last few weeks I have had some seriously weird comments and looks ... people, I am not a freak!  This is a choice I have made and it would do more people good to make the same choice!  *Sigh* rant complete ... 

Other than my above confession, I must say that I am quite happy with my efforts.  It really hasn't made too much of a difference to my regular diet.  The only thing that I have missed is the odd glass of wine and I wouldn't mind being able to choose if I want to have dessert.


Now that I feel a little less guilty having finally managed to post something, I'm going to push off ... I'm going for a run in the morning before finishing the laundry and then going out to lunch with friends!  

Talk soon 

Fit Mum x
  

  

Sugar Free Challenge Update ...

It's been 6 days since I started my Sugar Free September Challenge. 

I will admit that my first thoughts when I decided to go Sugar Free, was whether I would actually be able to do this. 

The first few days, I really didn't notice anything different to my usual diet ... snaps for me that I mustn't have too much sugar!  However, what I did notice, was the amount of sugar that is added to foods that I really did consider acceptable.  For example, WeetBix, a highly recommended breakfast cereal has sugar added, albeit only a small amount.  Also, the rice crackers that the kids get as a snack have added sugar ... there are numerous others also. 

While I have spent a bit of time in the last few days reading food labels extra closely, I am building up a list of foods that do not have extra sugar added.  And I'm finding different ways to provide flavour to a bland dish.  Vanilla and cinnamon added to my oats in the morning take that plain taste away ... no sugar, honey or maple syrup!  It's a basic one but it works!

Mr Fit Mum also decided that he was going to join me in our Sugar Free September, however he does not feel that getting "ridiculous about it all" is his thing.  He is going to be abolishing all the obvious ... chocolates, biscuits, cakes, soft drinks, desserts ... all the while being "mindful" of the added sugars in our usual foods.

Miss 9, who, on her own, decided to become Sugar Free over September also, is being very diligent and careful with her food choices.  I must say I am very proud!  Her one relief was her Netball break up party .. there was going to be lollies and chips and soft drinks.  Now what sort of mum would I be if I told her she couldn't have any of it ... instead, I told her that it was her choice to do the challenge and it would be her choice if she chose to eat the sugary foods. 
I will now proudly say that she did partake in a small glass of soft drink, 2 lollies, 1 biscuit and 4 chips ... I think she was very proud too ... she even declined a Freddo Frog!!
I think my girl is going to learn something during this challenge!

Lastly, I will update on Master 5.  He has declined to join the challenge as this would mean he had to give up lollies.  That is all.
I will add however, that what Master 5 does not realise is that Mummy will be feeding him sugar free foods as much as is possible for me to do in an effort to rid him of his need for sugar!

This week I'm going to be baking snacks for us to eat .. all sugar free, so I'll be finding new ways to replace sugar in recipes.  I'll keep you posted on how this goes! 

Let me know how you are going with any challenges that you are treating yourself too!

Yours sugary free ...

Fit Mum x   

Monday Motivation ..


When it all gets a bit much, and sometimes it does ... I like to remember this one ...  


"Of course it's hard.  It's supposed to be hard.  If it were easy, everybody would do it.  Hard is what makes it great."

A League of Their Own

Who doesn't want to be great?

Fit Mum x

Training this week

Again, I'm finding my head spinning ( literally, this morning! ) after rushing around to get everything done during the week.  I will admit, however, that I have not got done everything I would have liked to but I guess that's just the way it goes.

After having a few weeks feeling off, and last week sick ( I don't do sick well .. ) I seemed to have come back this week.  I'm making sure that I don't go nuts and fall back in a heap!  So this week's training looked like this ...

Monday         Low Impact class
                       Circuit this time .. I really enjoyed and even felt the niggle of tired muscles!
                    
Tuesday        I put myself through half a usual weights workout .. enough however to feel my
                      hamstrings after the deadlifts!
                      Followed up with a 20 minute hill walk on the TM.
                      About 40 minutes all up

Wednesday Legs a bit tired so I just jumped on the TM and did another hill walk
                      30 minutes
                      Did I mention I was feeling my legs, so I did a lovely 20 minute yoga stretching session
                      Felt so much better!

Thursday      Full body PT session .. basic strength and I even beat some little records of my own!
                     30 minutes

Friday           Bax was getting a little antsy this week with no walks so we went for a jog / walk
                      30 minutes
                      I found out this morning that Bax does not like hot air balloons ... particularly when
                      they fire up right above us ... seems like he likes to scare them away ...  

I attended my CPR refresher course today, so I am all up to date with my CPR and First Aid.

There's not much time to fit in workouts this weekend, and besides, I'm really looking forward to sleeping in just for a teeny, tiny minute or two!

I hope that everyone has had a great training week and made your sessions count!

Enjoy your weekend!

Fit Mum x   

Sugar Free September

In the last few days I have heard a few mentions of a sugar free detox or Sugar Free September.  Previously when I have read about this I have thought about giving it a go ... what holds me back a bit is ... will I really be able to avoid sugar? 

Don't get me wrong, I don't eat huge amounts of sugar, I really do try to limit it in my diet.  I'm more concerned about the hidden sugars in my regular foods that will trip me up!

Oh, and the chocolate ... and milo for dessert ...

This time, it appears as though it is time to give this a go. 

Sugar Free September ... I'm  going to make a conscious effort to limit or eliminate sugar in my diet. 

Even Mr FitMum and the kids are going to get on the wagon! 

With all the talk about highly processed food and obesity, we are all pretty aware of why sugar ( particularly the white refined type ) should not be consumed in such high quantities.  The more sugar we consume, the more we crave it .. it's a nasty merry-go-round that we need to get off.

Now, I'm hearing you have a minor breakdown about how hard this would be.  Don't worry I've had a mini breakdown too!  And while I was at it I checked most of the packaged food in the cupboard that I really thought was not too bad .. well, I'm surprised to find that they've nearly all got sugar in them!  This may well be harder than I thought .. 

So, to compromise, I am going to eliminate the obvious .. chocolate, lollies, biscuits, sauces etc that are just loaded with sugar.  I am going to use my judgement when it comes to other foods ... for example, Weet-Bix, a staple in my house, actually has sugar listed as an ingredient.  Ultimately this isn't too bad a choice for a breakfast cereal, so it's a keeper.

And fruit, well, that's a keeper too because there are just so many other benefits to your health.   A piece of fruit or two will still be included each day.  Just give the fruit juice a miss and watch out for too much dried fruit and fruit flavoured foods. 

This month, it's going to be about making an informed choice .. for myself and also to try to reduce further the extra sugars that the kids are eating.  

I've added a few links if you want to look into how to start to reduce or eliminate sugar ... 

Some info from Susie Burrell & David Gillespie

Haley's Sugar Free Challenge

http://spoonfulofsugarfree.com/

I'm not imagining that I'm going to be able to eliminate every trace of sugar but I'm going to make every effort to avoid sugar for September.  I'll even provide regular updates on how I'm going .. the good, the bad and the cravings.  

Let me know if you would like to join me and keep me up to date on your progress.

What have you got to lose ... a sweet tooth and a kilo or two?? 


Fit Mum x