Fit Mum

Moroccan Mince Monday ..

2012-03-06T05:30:00.001+10:00

Monday night is netball training night in our house.
It is not the best timed training session, but I'm not really in a position to complain about this sort of minor detail. However, given that it's all about me I really should be saying .. oops! sorry, was off on a tangent there!
Anyhoo .. to move away from me ( !! ) .. netball training is on during what would usually be dinner on a normal ( ?? ) night in our house.
As Mr FitMum is not always home in time to finish off dinner and look after Mr 6, this is yet another day when I need to be prepared. Dinner is made before we leave and I pack a container with the finished product for each of my ~~constantly starving~~ children.
Needless to say, dinner must be quick and easy to prepare, easy to eat and reheat for Mr FitMum and myself when we finally get home. Oh, and the kids have to like it!

I thought I might share last night's fare. It is super quick and easy and it's not too bad for your either!

Moroccan Mince and Rice

What you need ...

1 cup basmati rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
500g lamb mince
2 tbspn pine nuts
2 tbspn slivered almonds
1 tbspn Middle Eastern seasoning or Moroccan Seasoning
2 tbspn raisins
2 tbspn chopped dried apricots
2/3 cup roughly chopped fresh continental parsley
2 tbspn lemon juice

What you do ...

Cook rice following packet directions.
Heat oil in pan over medium heat. Add mince. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up mince, for 6 to 8 minutes or until browned.
Add pine nuts and almonds. Cook, stirring for 4 minutes or until golden.
Add seasoning, raisins and apricots. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
Add rice, parsley and lemon juice. Gently toss to combine.

* To increase the veg I sometimes add grated carrot or finely chopped capsicum, depends what I have in the fridge.

While I was at it last night I put on my Martha Stewart hat and whipped up Mr 6's birthday cake .. This was the request ...

How do you think I did?

Now, I'm off to check the pantry is full of ingredients for Mr 6's choice for birthday dinner!

Fit Mum x

Monday Motivation

2012-03-05T05:30:00.001+10:00

It's all about the effort ...

Are you making the effort to work harder and get better?

Fit Mum x

Friday Fotos ...

2012-03-02T21:26:00.000+10:00

Yep, it's time for the weekly update!

It's a crossover this week. The end of the February Photo a Day Challenge and the start of the March Challenge. The challenge over the last month has been interesting .. Seeing other people's photos and also making the effort to be a bit creative with the pics that I am taking.

As I mentioned, the March challenge started yesterday so I have included two days of March in this week.

If you would like to join the thousands of people doing the challenges here's a link to Fat Mum Slim's blog where you can find all the details and the list of what we are taking pics of this month.

Here are this weeks photos ....

Day 25 .. Green

Day 26 .. Night

Day 27 .. Something I ate ...

Day 28 .. Money

Day 29 .. Something I'm listening to ...

Day 1 March .. Up

Day 2 March .. Fruit

I have decided not to continue posting the photos each week, which means I'm going to have to think of something fabulous to take a photo of each week. The thought feels me with a small amount of dread .. what am I going to take a photo of? Anything that takes my fancy I guess!

So, anyway if you want to check out my photos for March's challenge you can follow me on Twitter @Fit_Mum

or Instagram @fitmum

Why not join me? I would love to check out your pics!

Fit Mum x

A few words on Fad Diets ...

2012-02-29T05:30:00.002+10:00

A week ago one of my clients was talking to me about her daughter and how she was trying to lose a little bit of weight for her formal at the end of the year.
She was complaining that her daughter didn't seem to want to commit to coming to the gym or making the effort to train at least 5 days a week so she could burn enough calories.
Speaking of calories, I enquired into her daughter's diet.

Apparently, mum had become concerned as her daughter had recently commenced a protein only diet as advised by a friend of a friend ( well, isn't this the best way to get diet and nutrition advice? ). This would ensure that she lost weight fast ( not to mention, lose energy fast .. but that's another story ).

The new diet required a small variety of protein each day .. a small tin of tuna, a little bit of ham or chicken and maybe a boiled egg or two. Pretty simple, hey, nothing else to worry about!

I nearly passed out on the spot.

This is not the only crazy diet that I've heard people are using at the moment. There seems to be quite a few to choose from. Not that this is anything new .. fad diets have been around forever.
Weird and wonderful diets like these do actually work .. ( do you really think I'm going to condone this ) these diets work by creating a massive deficiency in essential nutrients and energy that your body requires to function on a daily basis. Well, that's if you making through the first day without your body starting to shut down! I mean, who doesn't want to feel tired, cranky, confused, sick, lethargic ...

Come on people! If you want to lose weight, do it by following a healthy, balanced diet that provides all the nutrients and energy your body needs to function at its optimum .. just the way you want it to!

Combine this with a balanced exercise program and you will be bouncing off the walls and look fabulous as well!

Ok, rant over, feel free to carry on normal programming ...

Seriously though, if you are considering a diet and exercise program, please consult with the professionals ( ie nutritionist, dietitian, GP, exercise professional ) before starting out. You need to get ALL the information that you need that is going to be the best for YOU.

Fit Mum x

Monday Motivation ...

2012-02-27T14:29:00.000+10:00

This has to be one of my favourite quotes. I have it stuck on the wall where I can see it all the time ...

It reminds me to keep working at being consistent in everything I do ...

Try to use this during the week to remind you to keep at it!

Fit Mum x

More muffins ... Banana and Rolled Oat

2012-02-26T06:00:00.000+10:00

I know .. another muffin recipe!

They are something that my kids will actually eat.
I'm always on the search for a recipe that is bordering on the healthy side.

This one is not too bad, well, except that I added white choc chips instead of oats just to give them a treat. I've been a bit of a ranting mum at the moment with regards to what they are eating for school and after school snacks.

Banana and Rolled Oat Muffins

What you need ...

2 cups ( 260g ) self raising flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp bi carb soda
1 cup ( 100g ) rolled oats*
1/2 cup ( 100g ) brown sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup ( 185g ) plain low fat yoghurt
1/4 cup ( 60ml ) canola oil
2 bananas ( 250g ), mashed

What you do ...

Preheat oven to 200C. Line muffin pan with paper cases. I use small ones, not the super size ones cos if I want one I only want to consume a few calories, not heaps!

Sift flour, cinnamon and soda into a bowl. Empty the flour husks from the sifter back into the bowl along with the oats and brown sugar and stir to combine.

Whisk eggs, yoghurt and oil together. Add banana and stir to combine. Pour into dry ingredients and mix together using a wooden spoon until just combined. Mixture may be lumpy and does not have to be evenly mixed.

Spoon mixture into paper cases. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through.
Cool for 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

Best enjoyed warm! With coffee .. or milk!

* I used white choc chips last time I made them so didn't add the rolled oats.

Fit Mum x

This morning's adventure ...

2012-02-25T15:08:00.000+10:00

There's been quite a bit of rain here at the moment in Qld. If you live in Qld you may have noticed this .. If you haven't noticed well might I suggest you take a look outside!

Last night the rain was so heavy that it woke me up ( this is quite the effort I can assure you ). When I woke up this morning I really didn't expect to be able to head out for the scheduled run.

The sun was trying to poke through the clouds this morning so we decided that we might just head out and see what happened.

There was a lot of water on the track that we had to detour around. The creek was certainly up high and flowing fast.
When we got into the bush the trail looked pretty good with only a few puddles here and there .. Until we made it further along ...

Little streams were running down the trails .. Lovely really.

Then there was the creek crossing ...

I must say this only slowed my running partner and I down, Baxter wondered what all the fuss was about as he wandered through stopping for a quick drink on the way!
Then the rain started .. There was the fearful thought that it would be as heavy as it was last night but it was just a sprinkle ( breathe sigh of relief ).

The rest of the run home was rather uneventful until we came to the bridge across the creek. I had to be home in 5 minutes for Mr FitMum to get Miss 10 to swim squad training. We were running out of time and were stranded.

This is the bridge we had to cross ...

And this is the second fastest way home ...

A quick call to the support crew ( Mr FitMum ) to advise current situation then shoes and socks off for the crossing ( the water was ankle deep ). I'm no princess, but I'm not going to ruin my shoes for this little bit of water! No point in putting them back on as there was more ankle deep water over the track just a few steps away.

Baxter was loving it ...

We had such a great run this morning .. Quite the adventure! Even Baxter had a great time, he needs a bath and a brush now though ...

Fit Mum x

Friday Fotos .. February Photo a Day Update ...

2012-02-24T21:43:00.000+10:00

Again I find that it's arrived at Friday and I haven't sat down this week to write anything for this blog. It's not that I haven't wanted to. It appears as though I'm not managing my time well.
I'm going to start trying to rectify this ...

This aside, I have kept up with my photo a day for February ( if a little late at times ). Check out this week's efforts ...

Day 18 .. Drink

Day 19 .. Something you hate doing ...

Day 20 .. Handwriting

Day 21 .. A favourite photo

Day 22 .. Where you work

Day 23 .. Shoes

Day 24 .. Inside your bathroom cupboard

That's my week in photos!

Looking forward to the last few days of February ... and then to March's challenges!

Fit Mum x

Friday Fotos ... February Photo a Day

2012-02-17T17:56:00.000+10:00

I'm trying to be a bit more organised this week and actually get my Friday post up on a Friday! Novel idea isn't it?

This is what ~~my creative genius~~ I snapped pictures of this week ...

Day 11 .. Makes me happy .. Hugs from my little man

Day 12 .. Inside my closet ...

Day 13 .. Blue .. My yoga mat ..

Day 14 .. Heart

Day 15 .. Phone ..

Day 16 .. Something new .. LOVE these shoes!

Day 17 .. Time .. When my weekend started!!

Fit Mum x

Monday Motivation ... Are you making time to exercise?

2012-02-13T15:48:00.000+10:00

Are you busy? Do you sometimes feel as though you just don't have enough time to fit everything in each day? I know I do...

Does the thought of having to make some extra time for exercise stress you out just that little bit more?

OR .. Do you miss your first exercise session, then miss the next one? And then decide that it's all a bit hard and you will start again next week, or next month ...

Instead of putting it off, why not make the effort to fit some exercise into your day?

You know all the benefits of including exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle. Here's a reminder of some of them ....

Exercise makes you feel good

Exercise can help you to look good

It may even help you to lose weight

It will definitely help you to maintain weight

And, it will definitely help you feel like you have more energy

I know, you're busy and you would love to fit something in but it all just seems a bit hard.

Sometimes you might need get creative when working out the scheduling of when you exercise.

Here are some obvious basics for fitting in some exercise into your day ...

Ø Get up earlier .. before the kids .. unless of course they wake up at an ungodly hour .. in which case you may need to enlist the help of partner, hubby ... significant other ...

Ø Join a gym with a fabulous creche where you feel comfortable leaving the kids ...

Ø Take the kids for a walk around the block to the park .. fresh air, exercise, a great bribe, puts them to sleep in the pram ...

Here's a few extra ...

Ø Take the kids to the local oval. They play in the middle, you do laps ...

Ø Hire / buy a DVD ... there are so many out there now there is an amazing choice

Ø Add a quick 10 minute routine to your day ... but add it 3 times! Wow, 30 minutes done!

Ø After school activities sometimes have you sitting around waiting forever ... Go for a walk / run ...

Ø Instead of coffee with the girls, head to the park for a walk ...

Most importantly, schedule your daily exercise as an appointment with yourself. You wouldn't dream of missing an appointment with the hairdresser, beautician etc, why miss an appointment with yourself?

On the other hand ... Do you then feel guilty for NOT fitting in your workout? Do you berate yourself for being slack?

This has got to stop too! It's just not possible to spread yourself around everywhere ... sometimes something just might have to give. You just can't take on as much as you would like.
It's not going to make you any less of a person, girlfriend, wife, mother etc ... what it is going to do is make you feel better about yourself for knowing how to balance your life out.

Whilst it is important for your health and fitness to be consistent with your training routine, it is just as important to maintain a balance between family, work, exercise and life.

What are you going to do this week to ensure that you include some exercise into your day?

Will this balance out nicely with all the other fun stuff that life has in store for you this week?

Keep it up, stay strong and focused. You know you can do it!

Fit Mum x

This week in review ....

2012-02-12T18:07:00.000+10:00

I'm going to start by saying that this week was a bit ho-hum.

I must also say that I have not quite got the hang of the new routine. Yes, there was the night when dinner didn't get to the table until 8.30pm. Note that when young children go to bed at 9pm on a school night it does not make for happy children later in the week ... Naughty mummy moment that I must rectify next week!

But, I know that my parenting anomalies are no different to others ( well, I hope I'm not too far gone! ) so enough of that!

Health and Fitness is a priority for this post so here is what I got up to this week ...

Monday    I'm glad that I woke up early and went for a run this morning because as it happened, the way my day turned out, there was no running for me unless you count between the courts at Miss 10's netball gradings trying to sort out 40 odd girls into teams!

Tuesday    My yoga morning. Mr FitMum went for a run and I managed 40 minutes of yoga. Either I was working really hard or it was really hot because I was dripping with sweat by the end of it! Apparently hot yoga is the new thing ..I'm not sure if that was what they meant!

Boxing class on Tuesday nights too .. I worked hard instructing! Almost as hard as I got the girls to work! No really, almost!!!

Wednesday   Am loving my running mornings at the moment! And loving having a running partner!  I am keeping the intensity down a little bit to change it up but still working!

Thursday     PT today. I'm still a bit sore in the upper body from yoga ( I know! Who would have thought? ) so my PT thought she would be a bit more gentle .. yeah right! Then we did legs and I got through that .. until the next day ... nothing like a great glute workout ...

Friday        I'm feeling a bit sore and tired this week. Next week might be a bit less intense. Gave up the Friday morning run to Mr Fit Mum. A bit of stretch was required of above glute .. ouch!

Saturday    Normally a day off, but today it is another run to make up for having Friday off. Still a bit stiff but I love the early morning run! Until I run onto a rock on the trail ... I thought at the time that it would probably hurt later, but then completely forgot about it until I had to walk this morning. We love a bruised heel ...

And yes, in case you were wondering, I am thinking about using this as an excuse not to run on Monday morning.

OK, so I'm pulling the princess card ... we'll see how it feels, I may opt for an intense bush walk instead.

Sunday      The usual rest day finishing off the housework and recovering from brother in law's 40th birthday party with an early morning swimming lesson.
Oh and the afternoon spent ~~writing~~ catching up on blog posts / reading and sipping on a Mai Tai ( please don't remind me of the extra calories I am now consuming, I'll worry about them next week .. )

Hope everyone had a fabulous, productive and active weekend!

Fit Mum x

Friday Fotos .. February Photo a Day Update ...

2012-02-12T17:45:00.000+10:00

I know my Friday Fotos are a few days late, that just seems to be the way this last week has been. I am behind schedule with most things! Oh well ...

This week presented us with some interesting topics and some that have required a little bit of thinking!

These have been my contributions this last week ....

Day 4 .. A stranger ...

Day 5 .. 10am

Day 6 .. Dinner

Day 7 .. Button

Day 8 .. Sun

Day 9 .. Front door

Day 10 .. Self Portrait

Am quite looking forward to the subjects for next week!

Fit Mum x

Monday Motivation ..

2012-02-07T14:21:00.000+10:00

I know, I'm a day late .. and I'm not going to bore you with excuses ( I really was crazy busy! ) ..

This week's motivation actually follows on from my non excuse for not posting ....

Just to set the record straight though ... I did fit in my workout yesterday!

Try to remember this when you find yourself thinking up excuses this week ...

Fit Mum x

This week's wrap up ...

2012-02-04T06:45:00.001+10:00

What happened to the week?! I don't know about you but this week seemed to disappear into a mesh of work, school, training and well, you know .. the usual stuff.

But I think everybody is in the same boat at the moment. Trying to get yourself and the kids back into a routine that's going to work in your house for the next few months. Or until the next hiccup comes along ...

One thing that I made sure I had time for was my training this week. Here's what I got up to ...

Monday ... Mr Fit Mum was getting a bit antsy ( and no, it's not what you think, I'm a nice girl ... ). Anyway, I surrendered my early morning run so that Mr Fit Mum could stretch his legs. He got rained on. I on the other hand, motivated myself to do my run on the treadmill after work. Not my favourite as you know but some things just have to be done.

Tuesday ... This morning I tried out the new yoga DVD. 35 minutes and Ouch! This one is going to take some practice.

Wednesday ... Back to early morning run. A bit over 4km and nice and leisurely. I stopped for pics for the February Photo a Day Challenge! A nice breather at the top of Spider Hill.

Thursday ... What to say? First PT back in exactly two months. It would be fair to say that my fitness level is somewhat less than it was. Same workout, reduced weights makes Fit Mum struggle ~~a little bit~~ OK a fair bit with DOMS. Oh God, I was sucking in the big ones I that session! The only way is up ...

Friday ... Back to the usual 40minute run. No the rain had not gone away. A rather messy run through the bush and I arrived home drenched! Did I mention that I felt every muscle in my body with every footstep I took ... Again, the only way is up!

Saturday ... This morning should be a rather relaxing workout .. Breakfast with girlfriends .. Oh yes I imagine there will be coffee and lots of ~~gossip~~ interesting conversation!

On that note, I had best get moving!

What training did you do this week? Did you stick to your program or did you have to change it up to suit your week?

Fit Mum x

Friday Fotos ... February Photo a Day Challenge

2012-02-03T17:09:00.000+10:00

One of my "things to do" for this year is to take more photos and become a bit more photography savvy. So when I saw the "January Photo a Day" challenge I must say I felt a bit envious of everyone who was taking part.

I was rather curious when I stumbled on a post by Nikki from Styling You about the things she learned from taking a photo a day. Then I read that FatMumSlim was running another challenge .. "February Photo a Day" ( #febphotoaday ) .. Yay, I'm in!!

I'm going to take a photo a day for the entire month of February and post them to Instagram.

I will also add them to my Friday Foto post each Friday (duh!) so you can see my ~~creative masterpieces~~ attempts at photography ...

Today is day three, so here are my current inclusions ...

Day 1 .. Your view today ...

Day 2 .. Words ...

Day 3 .. Hands ...

I would love to hear your thoughts!

It's not too late to join either .. Just sign up on Instagram and start snapping and sharing!

Fit Mum x

There is no comparison ...

2012-02-01T13:14:00.000+10:00

How many times have you been in the gym and you sneak a peek at the person beside you on the treadmill carving it up .. or that person on the gym floor ... and said to yourself "I wish I could run like that / look like that."

Immediately following this thought you proceed to berate yourself .. "I could never be like that .. No matter what I do I can't be like that .. They've clearly got better genes than me".

Are you kidding me!! Surely you have more respect for yourself than that!

Comparing yourself to others is a sure fire way to create a negative self image of yourself. Then it escalates. One negative thought leads to another and so on. Before you know it you are constantly comparing yourself to others and belittling yourself.

You do not run in that other person's runners .. nor do they run in yours. Everyone is individual and unique with different abilities.

When you start any exercise and nutrition program it is essential that you plan the program for YOU right now. The fastest way for you to fail in your new endeavours is to copy someone else and compare yourself to others.

By all means admire other people, even use them as inspiration but DO NOT compare yourself to them.

Next time you think these thoughts ask yourself "Do I believe in what I am doing and why I am doing it?". If you answer yes give yourself a quick slap across the face for thinking these ridiculous thoughts and then get on your training.
If you do not believe in yourself and what you are doing I suggest that you reassess what it is that you are doing and wanting to achieve. If you are unsure, I strongly recommend speaking with a personal trainer or dietitian / nutritionist to formulate a plan especially for you. It's great to have someone else's support to keep you on track.

Don't compare yourself to others, it will beat you every time.

Believe in yourself and your own abilities and work consistently to get the results that you want.

Fit Mum x

Believe in what you are doing ..

2012-01-30T14:09:00.002+10:00

"Yours is the energy that makes your world. There are no limitations to the self except those you believe in." Jane Roberts

Any good diet and exercise program must include your belief in yourself and the program if it is going to succeed.

Do you believe in yourself and what you are doing?

Is this going to help you to achieve what you really want?

Fit Mum x

Last week in review ...

2012-01-29T20:52:00.000+10:00

Things are starting to return to normal programming in the Fit Mum house.
The kids started back school .. No tears from anyone!

I'm still working on my training schedule and figuring out what is going to work best for me this year. I haven't planned anything specific yet in the way of health and fitness goals but there are a few ideas forming.

This week my exercise looked like this ...

Monday        Easy run of about 5km .. Note to me .. Recharge battery on running
                       watch ...

Tuesday       30 minutes of yoga .. I am really enjoying yoga at the moment. I'm
                       even starting to get some flexibility back after returning from holidays
                       super stiff!

Wednesday  It's raining (still) so no run outside for me. Instead I did a quick weights
                     workout after work. My first session back after nearly 2 months off .. I
                      was easy on myself as I wanted to be able to move for the next 4 days!

Thursday     Australia Day. Would you believe it stopped raining! Family walk
                      planned up Spider Hill. It was great to be out in the fresh air doing some
                     exercise and the kids loved it!

Friday          Raining again so my run was moved inside to the treadmill after work.
                      Not my favourite but I had a great run!

Saturday      Nothing on the agenda today other than running around to various kids
                      sign on activities! Ah, yes, the return of Saturday sport is looming!

Pretty happy with my efforts last week. Not sure yet what I'm going to plan for this coming week but rest assured I will keep active!

Let me know what you have planned for the week. Have you scheduled your training and will stick to it?

Remember, a little bit is better than nothing!

Fit Mum x

Friday Foto ....

2012-01-27T21:50:00.000+10:00

After a hiatus of nearly 2 months, I am finally getting around to a blog post. I had the best of intentions while we were on holidays, honestly. But sadly I neglected my blog .. I'm not going to make excuses .. But .. We were busy and I was exhausted!

So, for my return post I thought I would write a quick run down of the holiday. But, instead of dozens of words I'm going to do a pictorial. Check it out ...

It's a 13 hour flight but I'm sure it'll be fun ...

Especially when this is the first stop .. Santa Monica ...

Next stop .. Disneyland!! Now as you can imagine there were hundreds of photos taken here and I'm not going to bore you with dozens ( I've already done that to my girlfriend, sorry again x ) so I'll summarise for you ...

Minnie and I are, like, BFFs now ...

Next stop ...

After a few days experiencing the culture of Las Vegas we headed to San Francisco. Love this place! The next trip is almost booked, just have to work out a few details .. like finances ...

Of course we managed to get the outside
seats .. Miss 10 was hanging off the front ..

Apparently the clam chowder here is mighty fine ...
I don't do chowder but the rest of the food was delish!

After a marathon ( well, it felt like it ) we headed out to my sister's place. I had been counting the days till I got here and yes there were tears ... especially when I got to meet my new favourite nephew who was only 4 weeks old!

He's a keeper, right!

From here we did a few day trips .. Napa Valley, back to San Francisco .. and an overnighter to South Lake Tahoe. We also managed a few days in Yosemite. With not really any snow around we got to see heaps more than normal for this time of year. Not sure what words to use to describe other than magnificent!

After 2 weeks with my sister we thought we may have overstayed our welcome so we headed back to LA for our flight home .. but not before a few luxury days here ...

Yes, it was fabulous, and then we braved the 13 hour flight home to reality ... but it really is good to be home.

So, there you have it! A summarised version of our holiday. I hope you enjoyed!

Do you like travelling? Where was your favourite holiday?

I'll be back soon and I promise I'll even mention something about health and fitness!

Fit Mum x

Packing & other important stuff ...

2011-12-08T09:30:00.000+10:00

As it races toward Friday I find that again I have not quite achieved my plan to sit down and read a few blogs and write a few of my own. I know that I should not use it as an excuse, but I'm going to .. I've been busy this week!
So instead of my planned post on the dangers of eating 5 white Tim Tams for a snack with my coffee (I think it was 5, it may have been 6) I am going to share with you what I have achieved on my first week of holidays ...

I started holidays on Friday last week .. Well officially it was Friday. Friday afternoon required me to take part in the parents vs children's Auskick game.

Official result .. Children won by one point
Unofficial score .. Some parents were clearly playing for the opposition

We raced home to get changed and head out again to the final swimming club of the year ( can you feel my excitement? )
It was freezing.
After playing the first game in the pool Master 5 was so cold he was unable to move and promptly attached himself to me and his feet had to be pried out from underneath my coat.
The weather gods have clearly not yet got the memo that it is summer now.

To celebrate my holidays and get me into the relaxed mood I went to yoga on Saturday morning. Fabulously relaxing and I stretched all those places that needed it.

Monday was errand day. Doing all the important stuff, you know, hair appointments and Christmas drinks with friends. Did I mention I woke up with a cold sore on Monday morning .. Not entirely happy about that. Yoga may have released a bit too much!

Tuesday. This is the big day. Staying at home to clean up, pack, send emails, clean, pack, drink coffee. Did I mention I woke up with ANOTHER cold sore! Felt like I'd been hit by a bus. Not entirely happy about that one either! On the plus side, I instructed my boxing class on Tuesday night.

Wednesday was swimming carnival day at school. It was pouring rain and freezing cold. Swimming carnival was cancelled? The gods still haven't got the memo .. Maybe it was paper based and is still under a mountain of paperwork. I did get another day at home to add more jobs to my ever increasing list of things to get organised for holidays. The more I cross off the list, the more it seems to get longer? What is with that?

Today, finish packing, Nativity play at school, final clean of the house.

Tomorrow, fly out to the US for Christmas!

I will be making attempts to post blogs while on holidays, but I'm not promising myself anything yet.

I really must go and start working on the list before Mr Fit Mum comes home and finds me in the same place he left me .. Sitting at the table with coffee and iPad ...

Enjoy your day!

Fit Mum x

Winding down for the weekend ...

2011-12-03T09:52:00.000+10:00

I've finally made it to Saturday morning. Don't get me wrong, I haven't been wishing the week away .. well, not really anyway. It's just that I'm now on 6 weeks holidays!! I still don't think that it has sunk in, but I'm working on it.

This week has been exhausting. As it was my last week of work, I've been madly trying to make sure that all my clients are set to train with other trainers while I'm away. I certainly don't want them getting off track while I'm gone!

I've also been scrambling to get a lot of last minute errands sorted before we leave next week. I'm not stressing at all ... and I did not have a panic attack on Tuesday morning thinking about everything I needed to get done.

On the exercise side of things, I've made sure that I have pretty much kept my usual routine. I did cut out two runs this week. I noticed on my Wednesday run that I was feeling really stiff and just not as comfortable as I normally feel. My right hip in particular ached all week. Don't tell anyone, but I haven't been stretching after my training.

Instead of my normal runs, I instructed a boxing circuit on Tuesday night and on Friday I trained with my PT. It appears she would like me to remember her for the next few weeks!

Now, come this morning, I'm feeling a bit sore as well as stiff.
I'm heading off to yoga in a little bit to see if I can stretch myself back to normal!

What are your plans for winding down after the week? Do you train over the weekend, or is this your time to let your body catch up?

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Fit Mum x

My badge of sweat ...

2011-11-28T20:57:00.000+10:00

As I was scrubbing off the remnants of my spray tan in the shower this morning I was poo-pooing about how annoying it was that my running shorts had rubbed off the tan on the top half of my thighs leaving me with a rather obvious running shorts line.

It took me a while to realize that I even though I had been scrubbing away furiously for the last two days, it still wasn't going ... I had indeed acquired myself a fabulous summer accessory ...

A running tan!

Next, I checked my shoulders and there it was ... A racer back tan!

They look gorgeous don't they? Especially when wearing a strappy number that is so necessary in our ~~ridiculously hot summer~~ sub tropical climate .

I don't run during the day or afternoon when the sun is at its hottest ( that would be crazy ). No, this tan can be acquired whilst running at 6am ...

At this point I might mention that a lot could be said for daylight saving or even cold, dark mornings but I won't because I particularly don't like cold, dark mornings. I am much happier with hot, sunny mornings when you can tell the intensity of your workout by the pool of sweat at your feet in the driveway when you get home.

So I have chosen to wear my tan as a badge of honour earned through my own hard work, sweat and tears ( no really, there are sometimes tears ) that I will get sprayed out before my next Christmas function requiring a special frock!

Keep running!

Fit Mum x

Working out the new toy ...

2011-11-26T10:17:00.000+10:00

For the last 18 months or so I have been asking Mr Fit Mum if he would buy me a new Digital SLR camera. Apparently we haven't needed one, so I have been making do with my compact camera.
I must admit that I am not a photographer .. I wish that I did have the natural eye of a photographer though.

With the upcoming trip overseas I pleaded my case and I have now got a new camera!
I am pretty excited about it and even though I haven't had a lot of time to practice I'm making the effort to get out around the house for some practice shots like these ..

Possibly marginally better than the picture of the rock ...

This is our native friend who visits quite regularly ...

My other subjects have been the kids. I love having photos of the kids around the house, especially those that I have taken myself. In the past, even with my compact camera, some have turned out really well and I've been rather chuffed with them.

One afternoon this week I told the kids I was going to be taking their photos.
Miss 9 thinks this is a great idea and turns into a contestant on Australia's Next Top Model ..
Master 5, what can I say, he is your typical 5 year old boy who just doesn't have the time for sitting still.

After about half an hour they had had enough. I hadn't even had to threaten them with banishment from the iPad! Now is the moment where I show you a picture of the kids ..

I was really pleased with how some of them turned out. My favorites are the candid ones where they are being a bit silly. They might even be enjoying themselves!

I quite like the photography thing .. I might even do a course next year so that I actually understand what I'm doing!

Fit Mum x

Midweek motivation ...

2011-11-23T16:11:00.000+10:00

Have you got dozens of things on your to do list? I do.

In fact, it's entirely possible that I've stopped writing a list because I don't seem to be actioning anything on it. I even boycotted the list on Monday ... I just didn't feel like doing any of them.

Then on Tuesday I had a bit of a panic ... when am I going to get these things done?! I made a decision on Tuesday afternoon. I would do nothing on my list .. until today.

Today I chose one job on my list that I have been putting off ... and I did that job. It's done now and I can cross it off the list!

Now, your job is to get your list of jobs to do out ... choose ONE job ... and go and DO IT ... you know that it will make you feel relieved that it is finally done.

It doesn't have to be a big job.

Make a phone call you have been procrastinating about ...
Send an email you have been putting off ...
Make an appointment you really need to make ..
Put away that basket of folded clothes you still haven't done ...

Just get it done ... today ...

Fit Mum x

November progress update ...

2011-11-21T21:23:00.000+10:00

I have been asking these questions of my clients this last week ...

How are you progressing with your goals?
Are you heading in the right direction?
Do you need to re evaluate your goals?

So, while I was at it I thought I'd give a quick update on where I am at with my November goals.

Goal .. Keep up the regular running and gradually increase the distance.

Progress .. I am really enjoying running again and am back to running 5.5km about 3 times per week. I am still taking it slowly and doing HR training. I do feel that it is working for me too at the moment.
I am recovering well and really look forward to the next training session ( well, nearly always! ). It is definitely helping that I have a training partner! This is a new experience for me and it's certainly helping me get out of bed on those days that it's a little bit harder .. like Monday after a big weekend ...

Goal .. Maintain a healthy balanced diet.

Progress .. Hmmm ... I really am trying to be balanced. The weekends are still causing a little bit of grief but I'm doing what I can to keep myself in check. I don't think I do too badly. Actually, it's really just the water intake. I need to keep reminding myself to drink a glass of water at least every hour. Note to me .. go and get a drink of water now ...

All up, I'm staying on track and feeling great! That's what I have been noticing the most .. I have the energy to keep going. I must be doing something right!

Is it time to evaluate your progress? Are you heading the direction of your goals for the month?

Fit Mum x

I choose ...

2011-11-21T16:45:00.000+10:00

A friend of mine posted this on Facebook today ... I don't know where it came from or who said it but ...

I wanted to share it so that we are all reminded to make our own choice ...

Fit Mum x

Ripping that bandaid off ...

2011-11-15T20:24:00.000+10:00

You know those days when you are not sure if you feel like doing any exercise? You kind of do and you kind of don't. You know that you should ... It's in your plan for the week ...

I call these days my bandaid training days ...

You know when you have to rip the bandaid off .. You know it's going to hurt but it just has to be done. You know that you will feel better when it's over.

Today was one of those days for me. Especially when I have to do my training after work. Mind you, I only work for a few hours a day but I'm usually pretty drained when I finish and all I really feel like doing is heading home for lunch and put my feet up for a little while.

So, on days like today, I just have to get on with it. Rip that bandaid off ...

Put my training clothes on and get out on the treadmill as fast as I can before my brain knows what is going on. Definitely have to make sure that there is some decent entertainment to keep my mind distracted from what I am doing.

And Voila! Training done! According to plan and yes, I feel much better. I did what I had to do and didn't let myself get talked out of it.

Nike have the fabulous "Just Do It" .. well, sometimes it just doesn't do it for me. And Michelle Bridges has added another motivating word to the phrase .. JFDI ( If you don't know this one, use your imagination ... )

But, I'm going to stick with my bandaid for the moment .. it's working for me!

When you have days like these how do you keep yourself on track?

Do you have a special phrase or word that gets you moving?

Fit Mum x

Are you just interested?

2011-11-14T05:00:00.002+10:00

There's not much more to say really this morning ... How are you going to spend your week?

Are you interested or committed?

Fit Mum x

Who wants to be good?

2011-11-11T17:07:00.001+10:00

It's Friday!!!

What have you got planned for the weekend?

If you are anything like me, things are getting busy with social functions. Invariably these functions include food and alcohol ... possibly undoing all the good work you have done all week staying on track with your diet and exercise. Then Monday morning rolls around and the scales scare you ... it's all rather ugly.

So, how are you going to stay on track over the weekend? That annoying word ...

Moderation ...

I know! Who can possibly practice moderation when there are fabulous parties to attend, food to be eaten and champagne to be consumed?

Look, I'm not perfect .. but I know that I can use my discretion and eat and drink what I need and enjoy without completely blowing out ... well, sometimes ...

I thought I would share some tips that I use when I really want to stay on track and not lose control.

Keep it light during the week .. Especially the day before and day after. Be sensible though, because you still need to feed your body nourishing food and keep you functioning at your best. If you don't eat, you feel tired and start to crave. Who wants to feel tired when you should be ~~dancing on tables~~ enjoying yourself?

Drink lots of water .. We all know that we should stay hydrated. Water is good for flushing out toxins and keeping our skin fresh and hydrated. It can also help stop the cravings so you don't end up picking at food and drinks you wish you hadn't.

If you are going to someone's place for a dinner or BBQ .. Offer to take something that you are happy to eat. Offer to make a salad or fruit plate for dessert or veggies and hummus. If your hostess ~~prefers to be a control freak~~ is happy to cater, then see the next tip ...

Eat something before you go out if you know that there will be temptation or you know you won't be eating until later .. My favorites are an apple or some yoghurt and berries. It won't spoil your appetite but you won't feel the need to scoff the first thing that passes under your nose!

Don't get carried away with your beverages ... These empty calories make you feel crap the next day, ruin your skin and dehydrate you, particularly if you over indulge! I'm not saying go dry, but it's probably not going to be the last drink you ever have! There will be others!

Avoid the naughty fillers .. The bread basket, chips, dips, cheese, crackers ... You don't really need these. They spoil a good meal later and after you have eaten too much you feel bloated, uncomfortable and ick ...

Have a plan before you go and stick to it ... Have an entree and not dessert or vice versa ... Have an entree size main meal ... Don't overfill yourself .. You know you will feel uncomfortable after.

These tips are the things that I personally do to try and stay on track. They are definitely not the only ones ... Most importantly, it is your choice!

What are some of your tips that save you from the big blowout when you have many social functions?

Fit Mum x

The countdown begins ...

2011-11-09T11:58:00.000+10:00

Well, honestly, the countdown began in February. That was when we booked our tickets for holidays. Now there is only a month to go!!

OMG, I could be starting to get a little excited! We are heading to the US to have a sticky beak around California and spend Christmas with my sister and her family who are currently living over there.

I'm going to see this Christmas tree in San Francisco!

We will be there for 5 weeks so as you can imagine, I could be excused for being a little anxious about how much I will have to pack for everyone. That and the fact that it will be winter there. Cross your fingers for us that it is not going to be ridiculously cold. As a Queenslander, I'm kind of fond of the warmer weather and don't function particularly well when the temperature drops below 15C!

Oh and how exciting will it be to have a cold Christmas Day!! I will have to buy a winter frock, not a summer one!! More excitement!

The ~~obsessive~~ planner part of my personality has lists of things to do and pack before we leave ... To be honest, I have lists for lists ... ( but don't tell Mr FitMum )

I believe that there is a method in my madness. Well for the planning anyway, the rest of my madness I'll leave for another day ...

I will be so totally organised and prepared that there will be no chance that I will need to flap around in the last week like some crazy woman getting ready. I'm going to be fabulously calm and organised. We will pack up everything into the back of the car and head to the airport calmly and serenely as if we go on big, once in a lifetime holidays all the time.
I will look superbly sophisticated, elegant and rested before the 13 hour flight and look just as rested and unwrinkled when we hop off the plane at LAX. Well, that's what I'm telling myself! A lot can be said for positive thinking and visualisation ...
Along with all the organising and packing, I'm even starting to plan some mini workouts that I will be able to do. Five weeks without exercise for me and I may possibly drive the family insane.

M..I..C..K..E..Y MOUSE!!

Yes there will be a lot of walking and touristy things ( particularly around Disneyland! ).

One of my favourite things though, is to go for a run and check out the sights. There certainly will be a lot of exploring to do and by going for a run I can do a quick recon and find out all the interesting looking places ( read .. shopping / eating ... ).

Did I mention I was excited? I love holidays! And I love exploring new places!

When was your last holiday? Did you do anything exciting or was it a lovely relaxing break?

Fit Mum x

Where did October go?

2011-11-06T11:12:00.000+10:00

October seemed to go by so quickly for me, maybe I just wasn't watching closely enough ...

A quick update post on how I went with my health and fitness plans for October .. here's what I planned to do ...

Back to running .. well, sort of .. I embarked on the run / walk method for October and I really enjoyed it. I managed to get out 2 - 3 times each week. Miss 9 joined me at least once per week and we really enjoy our run together. I even talked our neighbour into joining us, and she is having a great time! I may have created a new runner!

November's running goal is to keep up what I'm doing. I am gradually increasing the distance I have been doing and I'll keep doing this in November. Perfect base training for the new year!

October was going to be another sugar free month. Whilst I am far from perfect, I have done a pretty good job of staying on track. Of course I don't eat this way 100% of the time, but I'm definitely making sure that I don't over indulge. Making this into a habit is going to go a long way to beating the battle of indulging over the Christmas party / New Year season!

Mmmm ... food!

Has my body composition changed much in October? Possibly not but I've kept up my weight training once a week and I know that this helps keep me strong and maintaining my body.
It looks like I have dropped a little bit according to the scales but they are so unreliable.
I haven't taken any follow up measurements yet, not sure if I will just now .. I might wait another month.

Overall, I've been really happy with the way I'm going. I'm sticking to my plans and everything seems to be working. And I feel great and can keep going .. which is the most important thing for me!

Bring on November and the party season .. I can't wait for December!! But that's a whole new post about holidays to the USA to visit my sister!!

I hope everyone's plans are on track! I would love to hear how you are going!

Stay focused, Stay strong

Fit Mum x

Emergency batch of muffins ...

2011-11-04T16:36:00.000+10:00

Minor emergency .. nothing serious though ...

As usual I pack the kids school lunch the night before ( you know, being organised and all ) and I've just realised that there are no "appropriate" snacks for the kids school lunches. It appears I've run out of home baked muffins, biscuits and slices. And, as you have probably gathered from my previous posts I'm not a fan of the commercial snacks so there's no chips or other treats in the cupboard. This is 9.30pm .. I can barely keep my eyes open.

With the amount of food my kids are consuming at the moment, this could possibly mean there needs to be an emergency batch of muffins baked ... what choice do I have?

So, this morning, in between getting ready for work, school etc ... I whip up a batch of muffins. I know I make a lot of muffins for the kids don't I? I love them ..they are quick and easy and I can hide fruit and veggies in them! Bonus!! Note .. Miss 9 does not like the apple chunks in the recipe below, but well, it's not her choice so she eats them under only a small amount of sufferance ...

This is today's batch ...

Apple and Oat Muffins

Ingredients

1 cup Self Raising Flour

1 cup Plain Flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup tightly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup rolled oats, plus 1 tbspn extra

1 1/2 cups ( 375ml ) natural yoghurt, at room temp

2 eggs, lightly beaten

100ml light olive oil ( I use canola oil )

1 red or green apple, chopped smallish

What to do ...

Preheat oven to 180C. Prepare muffin pan with cases and spray with cooking spray.

Sift flours, and baking powder together. Stir in oats and sugar. Whisk yoghurt, eggs and oil together. Add to dry ingredients with chopped apple and mix together until just combined. Do not over mix.

Divide mixture into muffin cases until 3/4 full. Sprinkle top with extra oats if you like.

Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown and cooked when tested. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire cooling rack.

Serve warm, not hot as this may burn your mouth ... Mr Fit Mum, please note this ...

Store in airtight container for a few days ( if they last ) .. I keep them in the fridge and then pop them in the microwave for a few seconds to warm them up.

Lastly, off the muffin subject .. a shout out to the fabulous Liz from Last Chance Training .. I whipped up my own version of her Chicken Korma Burgers for dinner last night! YUM

Fit Mum x

Mid week motivation ...

2011-11-02T05:00:00.002+10:00

I don't know about you but everyso often I have a little habit of complaining about what is happening in my life with work, family, training, eating ...

" It's just not right .. "
" It should be like this ... "
" It would be so much easier if ... "

Maybe it's time to reconsider what really is going on

"If you don't like something change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain."

Maya Angelou

Fit Mum x

Keeping it light ...

2011-10-31T21:12:00.000+10:00

It's coming up to that time of year again when every weekend brings yet another Christmas function. Friends, family, work .. some may even consider it just an excuse to get together to eat, drink and be merry!

Speaking of eating, drinking and being merry .. it's also that time of year when a few extra kilos "just appear" .. as if from nowhere ...

This weekend just gone we attended the first party on our social calendar. It was a really enjoyable day with extended family .. lunching, barefoot bowls and some delicious desserts! Even though I didn't feel that I ate too much, I still had that not hungry feeling in the evening. Needless to say dinner consisted of a boiled egg on toast .. just enough to get me through until breakfast.

Multiply the extra calories consumed by another dozen or so functions between now and Christmas and there's a chance that my Christmas frocks may start to hug a little in places they are not supposed to!!

Starting this week I am going to keep it light. This will require a little extra forethought, but nothing that we shouldn't already be doing. I will be keeping my diet nice and lean during the week, however I won't be forgoing proper nutrition.

When an outing rolls around, I will use my willpower and practice moderation. If this means a few less glasses of champagne and a few less choices from the cheese and crackers or dessert plates, then so be it. I'm not going to sacrifice my health and hard work. I'm going to enjoy my health, hard work .... and the festivities that go along with the season rapidly approaching.

Don't forget that it is you who is able to make the choice ... no one will be forcing you.

If I feel like I have indulged a little too much, I will be ensuring that I spend the next day keeping my diet light and lightening the load on my body. Again, I certainly won't be sacrificing proper nutrition.
For me, today's lunch was a nice light chicken and corn soup. Satisfying ...

I'm going to pay close attention to my training program too. No excuses for missing a training session. Every session will count and every session will be enjoyed. A couple of extra light runs might need to be added here and there ... don't forget there are still those party frocks that we must fit into! It really is all about the fashion!

Remember, you can enjoy everything .. in moderation!

Fit Mum x

Honey and Coconut Muesli Slice

2011-10-29T22:23:00.000+10:00

On a usual Saturday morning we are up early for swimming lessons and squad training. This means the miniature athletes in my family need a filling breakfast. I can do that.

Home from swimming and, of course, it's time for their second breakfast. Swimming does that to you.

I foresee what's going to happen next ... Give it an hour or two and they will be hungry again. This is where my endless hours of baking snacks for the kids come in. This morning I've done a favourite of theirs ... Muesli slice. Kind of like the muesli bars you buy at the shops .. only cheaper and .. well I made them. Give them a go for your hungry miniature athletes .. or yourself cos they are pretty yummy!

Honey & Coconut Muesli Slice

2 1/2 cups rolled oats

1 cup rice bubbles / rice puffs

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1 tbspn honey

1 tin (395g / 14oz ) sweetened

condensed milk

What you have to do with it ...

1. Preheat oven to 160C / 325F. Grease 23x32cm ( 9" x 13" ) Swiss roll pan, line base with baking paper, letting the paper hang over the long sides.

2. Combine oats, rice bubbles, coconut, nuts, honey and condensed milk in a large bowl. Press mixture firmly into the pan.

3. Bake about 40 minutes or until browned lightly. Cool slice in the pan before cutting.

4. Optional ..I drizzle some melted chocolate creatively over the top after it has cooled and before slicing!

Enjoy!

Fit Mum x

It's rest time ...

2011-10-28T21:55:00.000+10:00

You know those people that go to the gym every day who look intent on building a muscle right then and there ... or they do a high intensity class and then head out to the treadmill for another 45 minutes sweat session? I sometimes wonder if these people are really achieving what they want from their training sessions.

Do they ever have time off or do they slog away day after day without missing a beat? Are they really enjoying what they are doing or has it become a chore and they feel if they miss a session the world will end?

I've been that person ..
I've ticked off those weight training sessions and calculated those cardio calories.
I must make sure that I can cross those training sessions off the calendar.

But then I started getting tired. And not just tired that you feel at the end of the day or end of the week. Tired that I felt that I just couldn't keep going without having some sort of nap.
I would get through the rest of the day and head to bed at the usual time, wake up at the usual time and start again.
As usual I would train after work .. come home for lunch and nap again before starting the afternoon taxiing with the kids. I was exhausted. After a few weeks of this I just didn't feel like training. After a few days off I would start the cycle again.

I got to the point when I finally realised that this is not what I want .. I was not enjoying it anymore.
I had to do something different. Something that would let me do what I wanted and actually keep up some sort of routine. I love being fit and strong and doing exercise .. But I do not like feeling exhausted all the time. I still have work, my family and a life that I want to keep up with.

I've since changed my training to include a few extra rest days and changed the intensity of some of my sessions. God forbid!!!!

In reality I know the necessity and benefits of including rest days in a training program. I need to remind myself of the importance of resting my body .. particularly after a hard training session.

Including rest days will help me to

* recover for my next training session

* reduce my risk of overtraining

* improve my strength and fitness

* build muscle, rather than beat it down

* keep me sane for the family ( should this one be at the top of the list? )

Don't get me wrong .. I still train hard when I have to ... or want to ... but my training program, including rest days allows me to do this.

Please feel free to come and tell me how you totally smashed your last session, or how many calories you caned on the tready the other day! I will be just as excited as you are, but I'm going to be just as excited when you tell me that your training program includes a few recovery days and these days off make you feel re-energised and ready to face up to your next session. Just don't tell me that you smashed yourself and you are so exhausted you just can't face anything for a week ...

Speaking of rest, it's the end of the week and I'm looking forward to a few days off!

Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

Stay focused, Stay strong

Fit Mum x

The weekly shop ...

2011-10-24T19:19:00.000+10:00

I know it's not everyone's favourite exercise ... and there are days when I certainly don't feel like getting out there and doing it. But in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle, it's kind of one of the most important exercises there is ...

Grocery shopping. Love it or hate it, it's just got to be done ...

Today is my day. Monday. It's my day off so I try to get it done in a relaxed fashion, you know, without the kids.

I am going to admit something now .. please don't hold it against me ... I actually don't mind doing the grocery shopping. Don't get me wrong, there are days when I just don't want to do it .. but I would get hungry and I would get really annoyed with the kids whinging about being hungry too.
I've even considered ordering online and having it delivered. I know heaps of people that do this and absolutely rave about it. One day I'll give it a go. But for now, I quite enjoy wandering up and down the aisles ( well, mostly I go really fast so I'm not late for school pick up! ) and checking out what is around. I'm always game to try something new. Mr Fit Mum was given the grocery shopping duties a while ago as my schedule was a bit hectic and it wasn't quite fitting in so I didn't get to check out all the new things! Oh, and I get to use the Woolies app on the phone .. I love it!

One of the reasons why the weekly grocery shop is more than bearable for me is because I get to come home with this ...

I love having the fridge stocked with fresh fruit and vegies. It gets me all inspired to eat yummy healthy meals and snacks. After this last weekend's festivities ( Mr Fit Mum's birthday, party and all! ) I am craving some fruit and veg.

That leads me to my next thing ... I must go and prep the beef and onion kebabs and salad for dinner!

Stay focused, Stay strong

Fit Mum x

Who said I was old?

2011-10-23T21:11:00.000+10:00

I'm getting older. Every day.

This last week I have had cause to think about getting older and the myriad of illnesses and conditions that can affect us as we get older. It's really kind of scary, particularly for a person who likes to be in control and I guess that's why I choose not to think about it.

In this case someone very close to me has had something happen that has literally stopped them in their tracks and they have no choice but to lie flat out for the next week or so. The doctors have advised that there is nothing that could have been done to prevent this .. It's age related.

On the positive side, it's got me thinking about what I can and can't control with relation to my own health .. clearly I can't control everything. But, there are heaps of things I can control and by doing so will help me be able to "live" with the aging process! I know I'm not going to win the aging argument so I'm not going to beat myself up trying .. but I'm going to do my best to age in the best possible way ...

According to Coco Chanel "A woman has the age she deserves" .. I want to deserve to be as young as I can be!

We all "know" what we are supposed to do to look after our bodies .. But do we always practice them? I'm going to start making more of an effort to look after my body in the best way I can ...

Starting with the obvious ... Eating healthy, nutritious foods that fuel my body for optimum performance. Well maybe not optimum performance as I'm no elite athlete .. but I certainly need to keep up with the kids, day to day life, exercise and all the added extras that make life fun! I will be making sure that the fun foods are in moderation because we all know what it feels like to overindulge ...

Exercise also plays a huge part in staying healthy. Make sure there is a balance of cardio, weight training, flexibility and relaxation. I have found in the last month that doing different exercise to those that I usually do has made it much more enjoyable, especially in those times when motivation was lacking!

I'm going to start listening to my body a bit more often. I am pretty conscious of what my body is doing and I do listen to what it's telling me, however there are times when I probably should listen a little more closely. When my body tells me it's time to take a rest, I'll take a rest. I'll challenge myself but I won't be pushing myself to the point of exhaustion where I'm unable to keep up with a regular routine. Yes, I have done this in the past ...

Finally, I'm going to do what makes me happy. Do what I enjoy. I'm going to spend time with family and friends and enjoy it .. not take it for granted.

I'm going to look after my health and not take it for granted.

I've worked hard to get what I have and I'm going to work just as hard to keep it!

Stay focused, Stay strong

Fit Mum x

More thinking ... and a bit more doing!

2011-10-17T21:46:00.000+10:00

As I have alerted you to recently I have been a little less than committed about setting goals and I've applied the same commitment to acting upon my "goals". I've done a lot of thinking, however I'm still not exactly sure exactly what I want to do or even why I want to do it. Well that's not exactly right .. I have a picture in my mind of what I want my body to be like ( don't we all? ). One day I am going to get a bit closer to what I think it is that I want. It's not that I'm not happy with my body or my health or fitness levels .. There's just a few ~~changes~~ alterations that I would like to make.

Enough talk .. It's time that I set some goals on paper .. Well I'll put them out there in cyber world to float around anyway. Hopefully having them out there for all to see is going to keep me honest. And before you ask ... No I am not going to show before pics or stats, not my thing I'm afraid! Sorry 'bout that!

As I have mentioned previously, my training schedule in September was a little less than regular. In my defense I kind of planned this. My goal for September was to just stay a little bit active .. nothing structured, whatever I felt like doing as long as I did something at least 3 - 4 days per week. This time has actually helped me work out what I want to do training wise for the next few months. Roll in October ...

This is the month that I am going to get back to running. I found out that I "sort of" miss going for a run .. a chance to blow out some cobwebs! The other thing I found out was that I have lost a lot of my running fitness .. this is particularly annoying as it takes so long to build up!! So October for me is back to basics .. running 101 .. No high heart rates and lots of run / walk intervals at the moment! This is going to be great base training and will set me up for when I start training for the Half Marathon again next year.

My next line of thinking leads me back to my sugar free month .. Yes, I survived a month without sugar. Since then I have not used quite the same discretion in my diet. Not without the lack of ( again ) thinking about it. I think about it .. what I don't do, however, is ignore the thought. I am being a little, let's say, liberal with my extra curricular food choices.
New goal, and not just for October .. It's back to sugar free for me! Don't fret, I'm not going completely crazy. I'll be setting up for dessert once or twice a week and I may partake of the occasional piece of chocolate .. I just need to tighten it up a bit.

Lastly, I'm starting work on changing my body composition. Well, not really starting .. It's something that I'm conscious of keeping within the healthy ranges at all times. A big incentive for me is that I am a role model to my clients and members every day.
I'm going to track the changes by keeping an eye on the measurements I haven taken in the past. The scales will also reflect a little change but I think for me it's going to be more about how I look rather than the number.
Maintaining my muscle mass and losing an extra kilo or two of body fat will get me pretty close to the leaner look that I am after. I don't plan on getting to the stunning fitness model look ( don't tell me you wouldn't want to look like that! ) but I'll keep working on it! Besides, I really love the feeling of being strong and having muscles that I can see a little bit!

Ultimately, my goals are to maintain my health, get my cardio fitness levels back to where they were a few months ago, and maintain my strength and lean muscle mass. Overall, I'm after a balanced, fit, and healthy lifestyle.

Wow, I just realised how long this is .. even for me!

Now that I have put this out there I'm looking forward to having my cyber friends keep an eye on me too .. This may make me a bit scared too!

Stay focused, Stay strong

Fit Mum x

meh. that is all

2011-10-08T18:45:00.003+10:00

This week has been an interesting one. The kids are back at school and in the uninterruptedness ( ?? ) I've got a few things crossed off the list.

On the sugar free and exercise front .. I've done a fair amount of NOTHING!! Unless you count a boxing circuit, balance class and doing a few push ups and squats with my clients as I'm training them .. you know, I don't want them to feel they are the only ones doing anything!

To follow up on the sugar free and exercise front .. I've also done a fair amount of thinking about it.

Now that it's been a week since my sugar free challenge finished, my brain has clearly taken this into consideration and should there be a chocolate in the house I've been known to make it disappear .. via my stomach ... yes, I'm now confessing to ~~possibly~~ overindulging in sugar laden treats. This, however, was not my original intention.

Clearly I'm having a motivation and commitment issue that ~~may~~ will need to be addressed in the near future. I've read blogs, articles etc all about losing weight and I love it! Geez, it's my job too! But I just haven't been able to shake the "meh" virus, you know, the "blah" bug.

meh. that is all

This afternoon I was catching up on some blog reading .. health and fitness blogs of course ... and for some reason Jogaholic's blog post today sparked some action!! Check her out here ...

I've been putting off taking the updated stats for a while now ( it's been 12 months ) ... maybe lazy, maybe a bit scared they have changed for the worse! And the pics ... well, I really don't like having my photo taken at the best of times!! Let alone getting in a bikini for those shots that just are not flattering!

Well, I did it ... the pics have been taken and measurements done and I'm pleased to say that there has not been a change for the worse! Phew!!

In the last 12 months I've actually lost a few centimetres ...

well then, I must have done something right!!

We are supposed to say something positive about bodies and do the best with what we've got so I'm even going to do that ...
I think I'm doing pretty darn good for an almost 40 ( I still have 5 and a half months to go ) mother of 2!! Yay me!!

Now to sit down and plan how I'm going to make a few more changes. Not drastic ones, just some changes to body fat %. I'll be happy with a kilo or two.

I could possibly be getting a bit excited about setting some new goals!! After my home made pizza and red wine for dinner ... gotta keep it real hey!

Stay focused, Stay strong

Fit Mum x

Sugar Free September wrap up ...

2011-10-04T16:41:00.000+10:00

It's been a few days since the end of my Sugar Free September Challenge and I haven't yet sat down to wrap up what the month was really like. I've also had numerous questions from people amazed that I could go a whole month without sugar.

" Do you feel different? "
" What are you going to do now? "
"How hard was it giving up sugar? "

Over the last week of the challenge, I found that I was starting to look forward to being able to have a treat .. dessert, a chocolate, biscuit etc. Is this a sign that I am addicted? I can't be .. I've barely noticed not having these things for a month and I certainly haven't looked for them or felt deprived that I haven't had them ... Must have been the excitement of being able to have something that I "enjoy" ...

I've also spent a little bit of time thinking about the questions that people had been asking me .. not because they were asked, but because I had thought of them myself first!

" Do I feel different? " ... No, I didn't feel that I had withdrawal from not having sugar or lollies, or cakes, or chocolate ... I had no miraculous bursts of energy ( when you find out how this happens, please forward this information to me immediately!! )

" Was it hard giving up sugar? " ... It didn't feel hard, like I said, no withdrawal ... I was just really conscious of the added / hidden sugars in foods ... they are EVERYWHERE!!! It's rather annoying actually ... I recommend, as I always do, eat whole, unprocessed foods .. as close to nature as possible and it's easier to avoid the added / hidden sugars.

" What am I going to do now? " ... The answer to this one actually came to me over the weekend .. after the challenge had finished ...

There was no marching band or procession over the weekend. Nothing special to signify the end of Sugar Free September ... nothing except the opportunity to have a few pieces of chocolate .. and a slice of cheesecake for dessert on Saturday night. Wow! I'm thinking about how fabulous it is to be able to choose that I can have chocolates and not feel guilty that I'm cheating myself ...

I had a few chocolates to celebrate on Saturday and I had that slice of cheesecake for dessert on Saturday night .. what you will be pleased to know is that I felt a bit bleh after the chocolates and the cheesecake pushed me right to the edge ... my belly was churning!! So much for not feeling guilty .. I just felt ill!!

Sunday, I didn't fare much better .. Grandfinal night here and the boys desperately needed to watch the football, drink beer and eat hotdogs and drumsticks ...

I didn't watch the football .. I didn't need to I could hear them screaming everything at the TV ...
I didn't drink beer .. the 2 small glasses of champagne the night before gave me a headache ( I know, clearly I have lost all fitness in this area ... )
I ate hotdogs ... yep, processed meat, must stop writing .. stomach churning again ...
I ate a Drumstick .. I knew as soon as I started unwrapping it that it was going to be a mistake ...

I'm not going to elaborate any further .. needless to say, I feel worse now than I have for the last 4 weeks!! I've even made the confessional phone call to my girlfriend ..

MAKE THE BAD FOOD GO AWAY !!!! Shannon, I'm in sympathy with you here ....

So, all that being said ... " What am I going to do now? "

The verdict for me ... I will still use sugar at home .. in the baking, however I will be using alternatives when and where I can. I'm going back to sugar free ... modified version ... I'm going to have a chocolate or dessert occasionally. Oh, and I'm going to have that glass of wine, champagne or vodka, lime and soda .. of course, these will be celebratory only .. like the end of the week celebration! No, I'm not going to be doing Ocsober!!

Why not give sugar free a go .. even a modified version .. say for a week .. you never know how it will make you feel!

Fit Mum x

Fit Mum Update ...

2011-09-24T21:26:00.000+10:00

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 ...

2011-09-05T20:49:00.000+10:00

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 ..

2011-09-05T05:00:00.002+10:00

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

2011-09-03T20:35:00.000+10:00

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

2011-09-01T22:10:00.000+10:00

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

Make it count ...

2011-08-31T18:37:00.000+10:00

During the week I get to hear my fair share of excuses for why one of my client's diet is off the wagon or they just didn't get that training session in. I've heard some pretty good excuses and you know what, I've used a fair amount of them myself to justify why I'm being a bit slack!

However, excuses are not going to get you the results you want.

Life will ALWAYS get in the way .. it's the way you choose to deal with it that will make the difference.

There must be no excuses when it comes to eating a healthy, nutritious diet. You cannot blame work for making you stressed, nor can you blame your kids ...

It was YOUR CHOICE to have those potato chips or chocolate bar. Don't blame anyone else. I can't imagine anyone tying your hands behind your back and forcing that food down your throat.

When you are feeling stressed, those are the times when you need to fuel your body with what it needs, not the stuff that will put it under more stress!
Fuel your body with those foods that will help to repair, replenish and make you feel great! Plan your meals, organise your day, throw out all the crap ...

Make every meal count!

When it comes to your training, same rule applies ... Make every session count!

If you are sick or injured, these are acceptable excuses, unless of course you are able to participate in light exercise, like a walk or pilates or yoga.

A training session on the treadmill or stationary bike does not include catching up on the goss in the magazines, nor does it include texting your friends for the latest goss .. you gotta get huffy puffy if you want the results!

Make the time to exercise and make it count, you will feel better for it and you will be another step closer to achieving your goal!

If change is really what you want, go for it .. make every meal count, make every training session count!

Fit Mum x

Last weeks update

2011-08-29T16:27:00.000+10:00

I was a bit behind last week ... sick, tired and busy and not necessarily in that order ...

I managed to fit a few light sessions in just to keep me going.

Monday            Low Impact class at the gym
                          Like I said .. Low Impact ... which was good to just keep moving but not blast
                          myself away.   Heart rate got up a bit and I did get a bit sweaty .. which really is
                          the idea!

Tuesday           20 min hill walk on the TM
                         10 min sprints .. 30 sec on, 30 sec SR
                         Sprints weren't super fast but I was working!
                          20 minutes yoga
                          Getting sick .. afternoon was terrible

Wednesday     Getting sicker .. a quick visit to the doctor and I'm stocked up to get this over with
                          I am completely exhausted and not sleeping is not helping

Thursday          Resting up again, I am going to shake this and get back on track
                          My afternoons are again spent trying to have a catch up nap on the couch

Friday               Starting to return to normal. Still tired
                          A quick nap again this afternoon before I head out to do a Body Balance class
                          It was great!

Weekend = trying to catch up as much as possible.

Not much to report this last week really, next week is going to be much better!

Fit Mum x

Monday Motivation ...

2011-08-29T09:24:00.000+10:00

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."

Theodore Roosevelt

Make the most of you, make the most of your day ... Go on, get out there!

That's achievement and satisfaction ...

Fit Mum x

Monday Motivation

2011-08-22T09:59:00.000+10:00

I am not going to waffle on this morning as I have done previously.
I'm going to leave you with some food for thought for this week ...

"Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to exchange for it. Establish your priorities and go to work."

H L Hunt

Fit Mum x

Sunday afternoon at home ...

2011-08-21T16:45:00.001+10:00

Sunday afternoon .. fun, relaxing, quiet glass of wine on the deck .. a few words to describe Sunday afternoon. Maybe for other people ...

My Sunday afternoon has involved washing, vacuuming, dusting and cleaning ... not really my idea of a Sunday afternoon at home. However, as all of these chores have been given only a cursory glance over the last few weeks due to other social commitments, I felt that I needed to give a little extra attention to these things ...

Yes, I'm trying create an image of super, domestic goddess mum ... well, maybe not but I was starting to feel guilty about giving the place only a quick swish and swipe each week.

I will admit there is an upside to donning the rubber gloves and scrubbing ... the place is all sparkly clean and I'm feeling that sense of accomplishment!

Now, where's that glass of champagne ...

Fit Mum x

Kids snacks ... Carrot and Sultana Muffins

2011-08-20T15:27:00.000+10:00

As a mum to 2 pretty active kids, I quite often hear "Mum, I'm hungry, what can I have to eat?".

And I know that this is something that just about every other mum out there hears! So just like every other mum, I'm always on the lookout for snacks for the kids that are not laced with sugar and salt.

I know, fruit is a fantastic option .. or it would be if my kids ate more than just a banana or an apple .. some watermelon if I really push the issue.

I'm spending loads of time searching the internet for recipes and ideas for kids snacks. This recipe is one that I have found that I like .. not too high in sugar and fat but sweet enough for me to be able to get the kids to eat them without too much fuss!

I have changed it slightly and replaced the walnuts with sultanas as my kids aren't so big on nuts in their muffins. I'm going to do some more experimenting over the next few batches to see what other changes I can make! Oh and it's got some vegies too! Bonus!

Carrot and Sultana Muffins

2 cups Self Raising Flour, sifted

1/2 teaspoon BiCarbonate of Soda

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup sultanas
2 carrots, peeled and grated
1 cup milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons canola oil

Preheat oven to 200C. Lightly grease a 12 hole 1/2 cup capacity muffin pan ( I use little cupcake cases ).
Combine flour, bicarb soda, sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir in sultanas and carrot. Make a well in the centre.
Combine milk, egg and oil in a jug then pour into well. Stir with a metal spoon until just combined. Spoon batter into muffin cases until 2/3 full.
Bake for 18 - 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

I sometimes heat them up for the kids and dress them up a bit by putting a swish of cream cheese over the top.

Enjoy!

Fit Mum x

Training update for the week ..

2011-08-20T05:00:00.001+10:00

I'm afraid there's nothing much exciting to report this week .. I've just plodded along and got on with the job. I'm not aiming to break any records, just keep going.

Monday          PT .. full body strength training
                        30 minutes
                        I really love my strength training. I love the feeling of being strong and knowing that I
                        am strong.

Tuesday         I took our dog for a walk ... with us having stopped running training he is not getting
                       out much these days. Feeling a bit ick though, got a coldsore coming on ..
                       yep, I must be run down .. my body is providing proof.
                      25 minutes
                       Friends and family over, catered for 16 people .. ate too much ...

Wednesday Busy day today ... baby shower, birthday lunch .. yes, I ate too much ...
                       No exercise

Thursday       Got up early again this morning to take the dog for a walk .. though I ran most of the
                       way. Felt OK though I'm realising how much my legs are tightening up when I don't
                       run!

Friday            Relaxing way to start the weekend with 30 minutes of yoga

I hope that everyone has had a great week training.

Enjoy the weekend, if you are training .. make it count ... if you are spending time with family and friends .. make it count!

Stay focused, Stay strong

Fit Mum x

Weekly Challenge ...

2011-08-18T21:08:00.000+10:00

While there are many things that I would like to include in my weekly challenges, I feel that at the moment I am going to keep my focus on the basics .. once I get these down, I'll get a bit more adventurous!

This week my challenge is going to be the same as the one that many other people face ... I've been thinking a bit about it since I wrote my Monday Motivation ... Consistency. All too often we start out on a new exercise program or diet only to fall off the wagon in the first few days or week. Something comes up and throws us off track .. it all then seems too hard and we don't get back on the wagon. I'm not quite at this stage, however, I will say that my consistency has been lacking a bit lately. Not so much with my training but with my diet ... I know, I seem to be mentioning it a lot!

All things considered, I really do have a healthy, balanced diet .. where I do get a bit sidetracked are the weekends. Friends over one day, family the next .. or in the case of this week .. friends over, baby showers, birthday lunches, birthday parties ... looking back I feel like I've been eating for a week! And you know what .. I'm the one who hasn't kept an eye on it and kept myself under control. And I'm paying the price!

After this last week, I really must get back some consistency to my clean eating ... everyday, every meal .. maintain consistency and I will be back on track. It's all about choice .. my choice!

On the training front ... I maintain my consistency if not the intensity that I normally train at. Some days it might just mean I take the dog for a walk, but I am keeping up the routine.

I've taken the first step and accepted that I'm to blame for not making the right choices, when the option was there to make them. Now I'm going to be the one to get myself back to where I want to be.   I'm going to get there by being consistent ... by eating clean and keeping up regular training.

It's all about choice .. my choice .. and I've made it! I know I call these my weekly challenges .. but they are not weekly .. I am introducing these changes into my life one week at a time .. that way they are going to hang around and continue to be part of my life and my lifestyle!

My life, my body, my choice!
Your life, your body, your choice!

Stay focused, Stay strong

Fit Mum x

Monday's Motivation ...

2011-08-15T19:56:00.000+10:00

"Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential" Liane Cardes

This is quite often the most overlooked ingredient when it comes to achieving your goals and getting the best results.

I could put it another way ... consistency, consistency, consistency ...

Consistent effort in training will have you well on your way to getting the results you want.

Consistent efforts in keeping your diet clean and nutritious will get you the results you want.

Getting into a routine with your training is going to help with keeping your training consistent. Build it into your life and your lifestyle.

Plan your diet each week .. or day .. so that you are allowing yourself to be successful.

If there is one thing that you keep telling yourself ...

Consistency, Consistency, Consistency

Stay focused, Stay Strong

Fit Mum x

Training update .. Recovery week

2011-08-12T17:07:00.000+10:00

This week has been marginally better than last week. I am not curled up in a ball, so that's a start!
After last week's exhaustion, stress, muscle soreness, I've decided that this week should be a recovery week. I've taken it a bit easy this week .. hence, my weekly challenge ... flexibility and relaxing!

This week's training looked like this

Monday          PT Session .. 30 minutes
                        Usual PT strength session .. I'm not giving this one up because it's so important
                        to keep building. To fit in with my recovery weeks we are going to vary the intensity
                        of my training ... keeping to some garden variety stuff

Tuesday         Walk .. hills .. 45 minutes
                        Instead of our usual run .. recovery dictates that I do something a little less strenuous
                        than running .. we walked .. hills .. so I felt like I actually did some work!

Wednesday   First day of my weekly challenge to incorporate more flexibility, relaxing
                        Yoga .. 15 minutes .. not much I know but this is just the start

Thursday        To be honest I'm not feeling super motivated today .. a bit, well, blah ...

Friday             Yoga .. 20 minutes
                        Again, not feeling super motivated but I promised myself I would do something
                        and you know what, I felt pretty good after I finished! Blood pumping and all!

Saturday /       Busy weekend is on the cards in my house .. I think the pace that I'm going to
Sunday            have to do the housework is going to give me a decent workout anyway!
                        Heading down the coast on Sunday, so we might even get a run around on the beach
                        with the kids .. maybe a bit of beach soccer!!

I think this recovery week is just what was needed to keep me going and keep me strong. I'm going to get into next week with a new training routine knowing that my body is rested and ready to go!

Do you factor in a recovery week on a regular basis? Sometimes it's hard to practice what you preach but it really is something that we all should do so that we can be the best we can be .. a chance to catch up with ourselves and re-evaluate what's happening.

I hope everyone has had a great week training!

Stay focused, stay strong

Fit Mum x

This Week's Challenge ..

2011-08-10T12:38:00.000+10:00

This week I'm all about the flexibility and relaxation.  Whilst it's important to spend time working on our bodies to make them as healthy and strong as we can, it's also important to help our bodies to relax to allow it to repair and become stronger.

As I've decided that this week will be a "recovery week" for me, my challenge is to dig out my yoga and pilates DVDs and actually make use of them!

Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to go totally crazy and spend an hour everyday meditating or in yoga poses that I just can't quite manage. I'm going to focus on the flexibility side of it at the moment as I've been feeling a bit stiff lately with more weight training and less running.
Whatever other benefits I'll get from spending some quiet time with these exercises is going to be a major bonus!

I'm going to start off with 10 or 20 minutes a few times a week and try to build it into my everyday routine. I've even recruited Miss 9 who needs to do some more flexibility work for dancing .. Bonus is that this is going to be one of those mummy and daughter times .. just for us!

Do you think that there is room in your routine for a little extra quiet, relaxing exercises for your body?

A quick update on last week's challenge .. I spent a few days reminding myself to start writing in my food diary but not actually doing it ... I am proud to announce now that I have commenced said diary and have also included the stuff I should not name!  I am starting the habit!

Well, I'm outta here to go and start my first yoga stretches! I think I'm going to do some sun salutations to begin ...

Stay focused, Stay strong

Fit Mum x

Monday's Motivation ..

2011-08-08T09:40:00.000+10:00

Who inspires you?

Everyone finds inspiration from different sources for different aspects of their lives .. career, home, family, food, fashion .. and your health and fitness too.

Some people get inspired by how others look and strive to emulate that look. If this is working for you that is great provided you are realistic with your expectations.

Personally, I find my inspiration to keep fit and training from many different people. From elite athletes who have worked so hard to get where they are ... to the mums coming into the gym who are super consistent with their training and routine. They work hard and have to balance work, family, training and life .. just like I do!

This week, think about who inspires you to achieve .. remind yourself of them everyday, at every workout because I bet they are feeling and thinking the same things as you are!

“ Allow yourself to be inspired.

Allow yourself to succeed.

Dare to excel! ”

Stay focused, Stay strong

Fit Mum x

Last week's workout wrap up ...

2011-08-07T21:17:00.000+10:00

OK .. I'm a few days late .. again time seems to have buzzed by on the weekend and I'm sure I missed some of it ...

Last week was a bit hit and miss with training, which I am a bit disappointed about, but as I mentioned in my last post, I listen to my body a lot more these days and this last week it was telling me to STOP!!

I still managed a few training sessions, however they may not have all been quality, which is what disappoints me the most.

Monday          PT Session .. these just don't get any easier, that's all I can say except that
                        I felt this session for the next 3 days ...
                        30 mins
                        Again, I'm out there losing my voice in the cold night training the girls at Netball
                        only 2 more games until the end of the season .. and just when they are starting
                        to pull it all together!

Tuesday         I'm in a world of hurt ... and I'm exhausted ... like I can't keep my eyes open
                        Thank goodness there was time for a half hour nanna nap today
                        Still, sense evades me and I join the girls for a 5km run while Miss 9 is at physie
                        I know .. I felt every step of this run don't worry! Now what time is bed time?

Wednesday   Supposed to run at lunch time, however my partners had to pull the pin for one
                        reason or another ... I'm still that completely exhausted that I'm taking this as a
                        sign and I'm resting my poor battered mind and body

Thursday        Usually a rest day ... I did plan on running with Baxter, however after a minor
                       concerning "emergency" in our street I decided against it ...
                       Did I mention I wasn't entirely devastated about this occurrence .. still haven't
                       caught up with myself ...

Friday            One of my running partners came over and we ran the bush trail at lunch time.
                       Apart from the fact that my hamstrings and calves seized at every step and I
                       am still exhausted, it was great to run the track with someone and our time was
                       around the same as my usual time.

Saturday /     The usual run around with the kids and housecleaning ... I spent heaps of time in
Sunday          the kitchen, which I love!

It's not quite the training routine that I had in mind for the week but I guess my body had different ideas and I just had to listen. The coming week is going to be different. I'm not going to change my training too much and hope that last week was just a catch up week.

Just a quick mention about my challenge to myself last week .. writing everything in my food diary ... I've had mixed success ... I have a notebook ... and I did think about writing in it ...
Besides, after the things I cooked over the weekend for dinner and dessert, my notebook would have run away and hidden ... it's Monday tomorrow and there's still a few days left for me to actually succeed and get into a routine with recording my food.

I hope that everyone else has had a great week and weekend! See you all next week!

Stay focused, Stay strong

Fit Mum x

This week's challenge ...

2011-08-04T14:40:00.000+10:00

This week certainly hasn't brought with it huge amounts of motivation .. or energy for that matter so thinking about my training is not getting me super excited. My body is just not moving the way I'm expecting it to move .. where is that energy I had the last few weeks? I'm feeling decidedly blah ...

Speaking from experience, I know what it's like to over train and I'm very conscious of now listening to my body and not pushing myself when I'm not feeling that the reserve tank of fuel is full. Sometimes I may listen a little too closely, and sometimes my body ( or my mind .. ) may over exaggerate how I'm feeling.

To counter these feelings, this week I'm still going to set myself a mini challenge that will get me headed in the right direction for me to achieve my goal. Even though I still don't know what my next goal is, I know this is an important part in working towards it.

This week's challenge is to record in a food, mood and exercise diary ... a journal if you like. You need to record everything .. the good, the bad and the totally ugly.
I believe this an essential tool in helping to figure out where you are going wrong in your diet and exercise program if you don't already know.
Even if you know where you are going wrong, it's a great idea because you can see why you may be going wrong .. ie are you a stress eater? Emotional eater? Tired, bored? Or have you changed your training routine?

I know that lots of people do this religiously, I'm not one of those. I start off with great intentions and it falls off after the first day or two .. so for me this is going to definitely be a challenge! I know it will become a habit soon!!

Do you write in a food and exercise diary daily? Do you think that it helps keep you on track and accountable?

Well, I'm off to write a few things in my food, mood and exercise diary ...

Stay focused, Stay strong

Fit Mum x

Weekend wandering ...

2011-08-01T21:59:00.000+10:00

This past weekend was such an enjoyable one and I got to Sunday night exhausted! I can't believe it's taken me a whole day to catch up and finish writing this!

After the usual Saturday morning sport run around we reconvened at home to clean up and pack to drive up the coast to visit my Mum for her birthday. Birthdays only come around once a year so they are a pretty special occasion and we definitely won't miss an opportunity to celebrate one!

Going up to Mum and Dad's house is just like a mini escape holiday .. there is lots of good food and a chance to sit down and relax! First up were the little cakes that Miss 9 helped to ice for afternoon tea ...

Then there was a roast dinner and sticky date pudding for dessert ... Master 5 must have like dessert as he went back for seconds!

Breakfast was quite the buffet with bacon, eggs, sausages and brioche buns ...

no real need for any more food ... until my sister arrived with a birthday cake!

After all this food, some form of physical activity was required .. a game of cricket was arranged! On the pitch entertainment was provided by my sister and Miss 9 who showed their prowess with cartwheels ...

Of course I was not to be outdone ...

My attempt at on the pitch cartwheels was met with a surprised yahoo from Miss 9 .. I mean, really, of course I can do a cartwheel! It's been about 25 years since the last one but one never forgets do they!! It's not very ladylike is it ...

We finally headed home and faced the unpacking ... not my favourite!

Hubby and Miss 9 had decided earlier that they wanted to go for a Sunday afternoon run ...

Master 5 decided that he wanted to go too ...

Hubby then suggested that we go for a family run ... Can you see me waving?!

We had an excellent afternoon run up Spider Hill!! What a great way to keep the running all in the family! I can't wait to do that again!

Stay focused, Stay strong

Fit Mum x

Monday's Motivation

2011-08-01T05:00:00.003+10:00

Everyone starts the week with the best intentions ... stick to your diet, keep up your training routine, make sure that life is balanced ...

Sometimes it helps to have a little extra motivation .. just to remind you that you have to keep going ...

Each week I am going to share some inspirational / motivational quotes that I have come across that you may .. or may not ... like to use to keep you headed towards your goal.

Quote for this week follows up on the post about deciding on and planning your goals ...

“The most important key to achieving great success is to decide upon your goal and launch, get started, take action, move.” John Wooden

Have a great week and keep working towards your goal!

Stay focused, Stay strong

Fit Mum x

Weekly workout 25 July - 31 July ...

2011-07-29T19:08:00.000+10:00

And so I have made it to the end of another week! I followed pretty much the same training routine that I have followed for the last 2 weeks. I increased the intensity just a little bit in two of the workouts. I'm really taking it easy and not increasing the intensity or changing the workouts drastically as I am completely focussed on staying healthy and not running myself down too much. It seems to be working!

Monday Regular PT strength session

Nothing spectacular to report other than I’m loving it! Strength

training is so empowering!

30 minutes

Trained the girls at netball again tonight so I don’t stiffen up in

the cold night air …

Tuesday Instead of my usual walk with Baxter, I changed this to a run and

Clocked 5.5km on the hill trail near our house

Unreal run .. absolutely loved this one .. I had to write it down here ...

40 minutes .. hilly trail

Wednesday Our usual mid week run / walk intervals

The weather was beautiful and the company again was great!

6km .. 46 minutes

Thursday Rest day

Friday Weight training circuit .. love this one!

I increased the intensity of a few of the exercises which certainly

had my heart rate up there

35 minutes ( includes warm up and warm down )

Saturday / I’m going to have the weekend off again, which really seems to be

Sunday working for me at the moment with things so busy with kids

sport.

It’s also my mum’s birthday this weekend, so we are heading up the

coast for a visit! Pretty excited about this one!

I think I’m going to keep at this routine for the next few weeks and then I’m going

to revisit my training and change it up. Constantly challenging the body is the way

to get stronger and make changes and improvements. I'm still thinking about whether

or not I am going to set some goals with my training .. here's some goal setting info ...

I am proud to say that I have had much more success on the diet front this week.

I have been more focused and have got myself organised and in routine which is

making it much easier for me to keep my diet clean and full of nutritious,

healthy meals .. well except for the white Tim Tam that I’m going to have for

dessert tonight!

Until next week’s update …

Stay focused, Stay strong

Fit Mum x

Do you have SMART goals?

2011-07-28T21:33:00.000+10:00

There's only 6 weeks until spring, which means that it will be time to bare our arms and legs a bit more as the weather gets warmer. This has started me thinking again as I have still not yet decided whether or not I will be setting a new goal to work towards.

What do I want to achieve?
Am I going to be super committed to achieving this goal?
How am I going to measure my goal?
How will I know when I have achieved my goal?
Do you feel the same way sometimes too? Too many questions!!

In an effort to give me a bit of focus with my training, and balance my life, I am going to spend the next few days thinking and breaking down my thoughts into something that might actually resemble a plan.  You've probably seen this before, but it really is a great way to put some focus and clarity into your thinking and planning to achieve your next goal or working your way to your next big event.

S. M. A. R. T  Is your goal SMART? I'm going to work through this acronym to help me plan how to move forward with my training and focus. You can do the same .. grab yourself a nice notebook ( I'm a bit of a stationery tragic, so I always choose those pretty ones that I'm really keen to write in .. ) and start writing down your thoughts.  Base them around the SMART principle and you are on your way to creating a plan to achieve your next goal!

So what is SMART?

Specific   .. this means just that be specific with what you want. No wishy washy nonsense like "Oh, maybe I need to lose a few kilos and tone up a bit". Does that sound strong, assertive, positive? Your goal needs to state exactly what you want to achieve, be, feel .. make sure it's in the present tense so you are able to keep telling yourself what you are achieving NOW!

Measurable .. how are you going to know you are on track to achieving your goal or that you have reached it. Take some starting measurements ie weight, girth measurements, body fat, take a picture, time trials, fitness tests ... Retake these measurements on a regular basis ( no, not DAILY! ) so that you can track your progress. Changes in the direction of your goal are super motivating and you will know you are on the right track.

Achievable ... make sure that your goal is achievable within the time frame that you have decided upon. If you only have 6 weeks, don't expect to lose 20kg .. unless of course you have been weighing yourself holding one of your children .. in which case, put them down now!

Realistic ... this one is kind of the same as the above. Keep it real! Setting unrealistic goals is setting yourself up for failure .. don't do this to yourself, you have much more respect for yourself than that!

Time frame ...  decide on your time frame, be it 6 weeks, 12 weeks or 6 months.  You need to plan your training and nutrition into manageable chunks .. for example, set yourself a weekly or monthly goal. You might decide you need to lose 1 - 1.5kg each week to achieve your goal .. plan your training and nutrition each week so that you are fully prepared to excel.

Once you have written this down into your new notebook ( I am assuming you have edited everything a few times just to get it right! ) make another list on a fresh page of the tools that you will need and use to achieve your goal. These are a few tools that might come in handy ...

Calorie counter ( ie calorie king. com.au, myfitnesspal etc )
Nutrition and training diary
Support people ie friends, family, trainer
Starting point info .. weight, measurements, pictures
Gym bag, towel, water bottle
Exercise wear, shoes ... good bra ( sorry girls, it just has to be said )
Meal options .. note down 3 or 4 different options for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks so that you can have a little variety. Make sure that you always have at least 2 of these choices on hand in the pantry.

I thought I might also list down some of the other stuff that I find comes in handy from time to time as I'm training or trying to build back my motivation!

A motto / quote for when times when it gets a bit tough. Something positive that you feel that really reaches out to you. It has to pump you up and get you going again.
I've mentioned it before .. a notebook to record everything in .. not just food and exercise, but how you feel at what times and on what days.
Notes to yourself to remind you of what you are here to do ... sticky notes work well on the fridge, computer, or bathroom mirror. Even a business card size note that you can keep in your purse, gym bag etc that you can look to for inspiration and a reminder.
Recipe binder / folder ... when you find a recipe that is simple, quick, healthy and you love it then keep it here. Refer to this often when you are planning your week's meals.

I'm going to wrap it up here. This is where I need to put my thinking cap on and come up with some SMART goals for myself! I hope that some of this gets you thinking and helps you decide and plan what you want to achieve with your health and fitness ( and business, career etc ) in the next few months.

Let me know how you go with deciding on your new goals and plans, I would love to hear about them! I'll certainly let you know how I'm going with mine!

Stay focused, Stay strong

Fit Mum x

When it all comes together ...

2011-07-26T21:44:00.000+10:00

It was a beautiful day today so it actually made it kind of easy to head out for my run. Well that and Bax needed to go for a run. He was starting to give me "the look" .. you know, the one only your dog can give you ..

Getting the hurry up ...

I left as soon as I got home because I knew that if I left it any later I would be starving and would not be able to talk myself into going! Even though it's the middle of winter it was just gorgeous in the sun and that awful wind seems to have gone away for a while.

The first kilometre felt great, so comfortable that I had to tell myself to slow down because I knew how fatigued my legs already were and I knew what was ahead of me on the trail.
Heading up the first hill, 500m, I found out where my legs were starting to hurt after yesterday's PT! Surprisingly, I still felt strong!

Another hill and I get to head downhill for a while .. then uphill again! This is a hilly trail run as I have said before, but I still love it. Just me, Baxter and the peace of the bush. Everything just seemed to click today, you know those days when it just feels right!

Another slow climb before "Spider" .. I walked up Spider .. I knew that my legs just weren't going to carry me up that one! Home stretch and it's pretty much downhill.

Today was the run that just pumps you up and reminds you of why you run and what it really feels like when it all comes together! See my funny, happy, sweaty face today ...

Stay focused, Stay strong

Fit Mum x

This week's workout ...

2011-07-22T20:00:00.001+10:00

This week seems to have just flown by! I’m feeling the effects of having hubby away all week. If only all the extra balancing and juggling was improving my core strength!!

I’ve made sure though that I’ve kept my training a priority and I’ve stayed on track. This week looked like this …

Monday PT session .. Whole body strength training again with some seriously nasty

negatives on the bench press.

30 minutes

Coached the girls at netball training tonight too .. glad I didn’t have to do

too much passing!

Tuesday Baxter needed a walk and I was dog sitting the in laws poodle so we all

headed off for a jog / walk through the bush. Bax was leading the way

but we had to slow down a bit as poor Honey couldn’t quite keep up.

She spent most of her time under my feet .. again the balancing act!

35 minutes

Wednesday Cardio .. Jog / Run / Walk .. Nice easy run with a friend who is building up

her running outdoors. We added in a few tempo spurts along the way just

to spice it up!

45 minutes

Thursday Rest day

Friday PT session .. cardio / body weight circuit .. great session! Excellent way to

spend a few calories! That could negate the mini magnum I had for dessert

last night …

40 minutes

Saturday /

Sunday This weekend I plan on catching up on the housework and spending some

time with the hubby and kids. I’m not planning any extra training, so if I

squeeze in a walk or run that’s going to be a bonus this week!

Overall, I’m pretty happy with my training this week. I mentioned last week I should possibly give my diet a bit more consideration … I didn’t do that this week .. ooops! I will do that soon .. no, I really mean it!

I hope that everyone’s training this week has been great and you have smashed out some sessions that are going to get you closer to your goals!

Stay focused, Stay strong

Fit Mum x