Just finally on the hot yoga, I checked the website for the Adelaide studio here and think the corpse pose is manageable. As for the others .... let me just say that if my body manages to get anywhere near some of those positions / poses, I'll be absolutely amazed. Two words: HOLY CRAP!!
My aim is to get there on Sunday 7th August as this weekend I kiss Sunday goodbye to get my Financial Accounting assignment done :-( I promise to write an honest and descriptive critique (if I'm still alive after it LOL)
However today was about more traditional weight training and following in the footsteps of a freestyling new program on Tuesday, I did likewise today for Chest / Bis and Abs. A good workout was had although not quite as euphoric as the back / shoulders and tris session. I was duly rewarded though with lead arms that made it difficult to shower and style my hair LOL.
I continue to live pretty much flatline with my food. And although that sounds terribly dull and boring, I dont mean it in that sense at all. I'm eating a variety of foods that I love. I'm having almost daily treats in moderation and I'm experimenting with some less common foods (go the soya beans LOL). What I mean by flatline is that there havent been any massive eat-til-you're-about-to-burst binges followed by well-I-better-cut-right-back-now-to-make-up-for-the-binge behaviours. Things are pretty constant from day to day and subsequently my emotions have stayed pretty level as well :-)
So I quietly wonder whether I could write this up as the new diet phenomenon and market it as the absolute saviour and answer to one and all's weight problems. THE FLATLINE DIET: insert a snazzy catchphrase blah blah blah. I wonder how it would sell ??????
So on that flatline note, I'll sign off over and out and get back to the grindstone known as work.
M
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
BIKRAM (HOT) YOGA
One of my work colleagues Miss M tried her first ever hot yoga class on the weekend. I was totally intrigued by this and fortunately yesterday she shared the details of her experience.
But first a little background info on Miss M. She got into running partly through my encouragement. From being an "I think about it all the time but I just cant see it happening" person to then running the City to Bay a few months later there was a big change in her headset. This was then followed with "I'd like to do a Half Marathon but ....." I helped her with her training and we talked regularly about our progress as we were preparing for the same race. She ran it in about 2:08 and I pulled out and did 10kms instead. When it was all over and she was elated with her results, she thanked me for my support and help. I was chuffed (and a little envious of her great result).
Since then she has lost her running mojo and I've parked mine but her venture into the world of hot yoga interested me. I've agreed to go along with her once my next assignment is in and feel the experience for myself. Here are some of the things Miss M said about it:
Her description of how the class made her feel was the most interesting. "I felt odd. I didnt feel good. I was cranky and short tempered and took my kids to the movies so we could all sit quietly in the dark. I didnt want to be yelling at them for any little thing." Her explanation for this was that the yoga is meant to release tension (which she says she carries a LOT of) and some toxins, perhaps like a detox. Until your body can eliminate them, there may be this feeling of "yuk".
Well I cant wait to try it - yes even the feelings of "yuk" dont put me off. Incidentally she said that 2 days later she had debilitating DOMS from her neck down to her ankles and there were muscles hurting that she never knew existed. LOL.
Have you ever tried Bikram (hot) yoga and if so what was your experience with it? I'd love to hear from participants or Liz's EP opinion.
Cheers all
Magda
But first a little background info on Miss M. She got into running partly through my encouragement. From being an "I think about it all the time but I just cant see it happening" person to then running the City to Bay a few months later there was a big change in her headset. This was then followed with "I'd like to do a Half Marathon but ....." I helped her with her training and we talked regularly about our progress as we were preparing for the same race. She ran it in about 2:08 and I pulled out and did 10kms instead. When it was all over and she was elated with her results, she thanked me for my support and help. I was chuffed (and a little envious of her great result).
Since then she has lost her running mojo and I've parked mine but her venture into the world of hot yoga interested me. I've agreed to go along with her once my next assignment is in and feel the experience for myself. Here are some of the things Miss M said about it:
- Its great for targeting areas of the body where tension builds up and it releases that tension (albeit, not in one session).
- The class went for 90 minutes and was quite a feat of endurance. The last 20 or maybe 30 minutes were poses designed to blast tense areas by changing quickly from a lying position of total relaxation to sitting upright very quickly and ... (I cant remember exactly what else). She found this particularly exhausting.
- There were poses designed to compress parts of the torso and of course lots of stretched out poses. Many poses were quite challenging.
- The room was hot but not uncomfortable as the heat was dry. It felt good to sweat through the workout.
Her description of how the class made her feel was the most interesting. "I felt odd. I didnt feel good. I was cranky and short tempered and took my kids to the movies so we could all sit quietly in the dark. I didnt want to be yelling at them for any little thing." Her explanation for this was that the yoga is meant to release tension (which she says she carries a LOT of) and some toxins, perhaps like a detox. Until your body can eliminate them, there may be this feeling of "yuk".
Well I cant wait to try it - yes even the feelings of "yuk" dont put me off. Incidentally she said that 2 days later she had debilitating DOMS from her neck down to her ankles and there were muscles hurting that she never knew existed. LOL.
Have you ever tried Bikram (hot) yoga and if so what was your experience with it? I'd love to hear from participants or Liz's EP opinion.
Cheers all
Magda
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
FREESTYLING AND SOYA BEANS
Since being back from Singapore and weight training in my little studio, I must admit that the inspiration to do so has been pretty low. Oh how I pine for the flashy equipment offering variety, the company of fellow gym goers and the 8am starts.
But alas they are not my reality so today it was a case of suck it up and get on with it. However a change in routine was well overdue and I just freestyled it through a new program for back / shoulders and tris. Here's what I did with heavyish weights (first time on some of the exercises for a long time):
One arm DB rows 12 reps x 3 sets
Narrow grip lat pulldowns 12 reps x 3 sets
BB Row with wide grip as above
Clean and press with BB 10 reps x 3 sets
Lat raises 12 reps x 3 sets
Tri kickbacks 12 reps x 3 sets
Dips as above.
Wow this was awesome. I could even feel a little sweat being worked up (unheard of when I weight train in a freezing shed) and by the end of some sets my muscles were screaming. I really felt like I made this session count - which hasnt been the case recently. So a little change goes a long way to bumping up the motivation and inspiration.
Food wise I'm experimenting with soya beans as I had a packet needing to be used up so I did the overnight soak and then cooked them for the recommended 2 hours. Lunch today was steam fried veges with brown rice and the soya beans. It was ok. The beans have a bit of crunch but are not big on flavour. Note to self: spice up the veges a bit stronger than normal and all should be good. I have a recipe that I'm going to try and will post it and pics if I'm happy with how it turns out. My mission over the next 2 months is to demolish these soya beans with no less than 4 different recipes.
Stay tuned for pics and recipes if they are good enough to share.
M
But alas they are not my reality so today it was a case of suck it up and get on with it. However a change in routine was well overdue and I just freestyled it through a new program for back / shoulders and tris. Here's what I did with heavyish weights (first time on some of the exercises for a long time):
One arm DB rows 12 reps x 3 sets
Narrow grip lat pulldowns 12 reps x 3 sets
BB Row with wide grip as above
Clean and press with BB 10 reps x 3 sets
Lat raises 12 reps x 3 sets
Tri kickbacks 12 reps x 3 sets
Dips as above.
Wow this was awesome. I could even feel a little sweat being worked up (unheard of when I weight train in a freezing shed) and by the end of some sets my muscles were screaming. I really felt like I made this session count - which hasnt been the case recently. So a little change goes a long way to bumping up the motivation and inspiration.
Food wise I'm experimenting with soya beans as I had a packet needing to be used up so I did the overnight soak and then cooked them for the recommended 2 hours. Lunch today was steam fried veges with brown rice and the soya beans. It was ok. The beans have a bit of crunch but are not big on flavour. Note to self: spice up the veges a bit stronger than normal and all should be good. I have a recipe that I'm going to try and will post it and pics if I'm happy with how it turns out. My mission over the next 2 months is to demolish these soya beans with no less than 4 different recipes.
Stay tuned for pics and recipes if they are good enough to share.
M
Monday, July 25, 2011
WAFFLING ABOUT PRETTY MUCH NOTHING
Ah Monday! Another week. The last one in July even. Summer is still a long way off.
Yesterday was a wet and dreary day here in Adelaide. I secretly loved it. We had a sleep in - well I did - after our night out and Peter went for a walk in the rain while I summoned up the motivation to dash 10 or so metres in the rain to my studio to do some leg training. It was definitely a case of just do it, there'll be other times when you enjoy it.
I'm sore today to show for it which is a good thing, I guess. Considering I'm still on light weights and concentrating on technique mainly, a bit of DOMS is an extra bonus LOL. I enjoyed my walk this morning in a balmy 11 degrees (not joking here - most days its been 5 degrees or under recently). I had The Peas on shuffle on my iPod providing great music to zone out to. I'm a creature of habit so Monday is oats day with egg whites mixed in to make "eggy oats". I also have sultanas soaked with the oats to provide the sweetness and LSA sprinkled on top.
Its pretty cold here although most of the south of Australia is feeling the same. The cold has never stopped me from training at 5am but it certainly ramps up my appetite. Fortunately I've been able to convert most of the usual winter stodge into healthier versions that we can all enjoy regularly. I just wish there was more time to cook more interesting things.
Well thats enoough waffling about pretty much nothing LOL. I hope you all have a great week, stay warm, keep moving and remember "you can have it all, just not all at once."
XX M
Yesterday was a wet and dreary day here in Adelaide. I secretly loved it. We had a sleep in - well I did - after our night out and Peter went for a walk in the rain while I summoned up the motivation to dash 10 or so metres in the rain to my studio to do some leg training. It was definitely a case of just do it, there'll be other times when you enjoy it.
I'm sore today to show for it which is a good thing, I guess. Considering I'm still on light weights and concentrating on technique mainly, a bit of DOMS is an extra bonus LOL. I enjoyed my walk this morning in a balmy 11 degrees (not joking here - most days its been 5 degrees or under recently). I had The Peas on shuffle on my iPod providing great music to zone out to. I'm a creature of habit so Monday is oats day with egg whites mixed in to make "eggy oats". I also have sultanas soaked with the oats to provide the sweetness and LSA sprinkled on top.
Its pretty cold here although most of the south of Australia is feeling the same. The cold has never stopped me from training at 5am but it certainly ramps up my appetite. Fortunately I've been able to convert most of the usual winter stodge into healthier versions that we can all enjoy regularly. I just wish there was more time to cook more interesting things.
Well thats enoough waffling about pretty much nothing LOL. I hope you all have a great week, stay warm, keep moving and remember "you can have it all, just not all at once."
XX M
Sunday, July 24, 2011
HOLIDAY OVER. BIRTHDAY OVER. NOW WHAT??
Typing that title might just be my entire blog post tonight LOL. With these two biggies done and dusted I'm sort of wondering where to from here ... now what??
Last night was the final celebration for my birthday. Our boy went to stay with his aunty and uncle and we had drinks first and then a nice dinner out at our favourite local restaurant. I had a great time although 2 drinks before dinner on an empty stomach had me desparate for food when we arrived at the restaurant. That marks the end of my celebration week and what a fantastic week its been :-)
So today as I did my leg training with pretty low motivation I got to wondering what I was going to focus on or look forward to now. My management training course ramps a bit as I start to prepare for the exam that falls at the end of October. I have 2 more modules to do but I've committed to myself to start revising the earlier stuff now as I wont have heaps of time to devote to it if it has to be done in one hit.
Work will be very busy between now and the end of the year so its guaranteed the days will go very quickly and there may be some stressed out times to come. Hoping I can maintain my sense of calm and balance as the storms rage around me.
My boy will be taking on a some extra activities including ice skating lessons and an after school course one day per week. Juggling his schedule with ours will be tricky but as parents you just make it work, dont you?
I guess thats all the external stuff that constitutes life, working, parenting and professional self improvement. But what about me and whats going on for me?
I have decided that I'll continue with one focus only at this stage. That is to remain binge free or put positively: to continue improving my healthy relationship with all foods. I'm not training for any special events so I can afford to just move on most days of the week and I'm enjoying the lack of pressure. I'm not dieting AGAIN because I really want to be 63 kilos or 61 kilos or whatever other number I decide is best.
Instead I'll continue to enjoy a wide range of foods reminding myself that nothing is banned or off limits. I also plan to keep my daily treats so that I continue to practice moderation. So far these 2 changes in my thinking and habits have served me well so perhaps just cementing them further is right for now.
M
Last night was the final celebration for my birthday. Our boy went to stay with his aunty and uncle and we had drinks first and then a nice dinner out at our favourite local restaurant. I had a great time although 2 drinks before dinner on an empty stomach had me desparate for food when we arrived at the restaurant. That marks the end of my celebration week and what a fantastic week its been :-)
So today as I did my leg training with pretty low motivation I got to wondering what I was going to focus on or look forward to now. My management training course ramps a bit as I start to prepare for the exam that falls at the end of October. I have 2 more modules to do but I've committed to myself to start revising the earlier stuff now as I wont have heaps of time to devote to it if it has to be done in one hit.
Work will be very busy between now and the end of the year so its guaranteed the days will go very quickly and there may be some stressed out times to come. Hoping I can maintain my sense of calm and balance as the storms rage around me.
My boy will be taking on a some extra activities including ice skating lessons and an after school course one day per week. Juggling his schedule with ours will be tricky but as parents you just make it work, dont you?
I guess thats all the external stuff that constitutes life, working, parenting and professional self improvement. But what about me and whats going on for me?
I have decided that I'll continue with one focus only at this stage. That is to remain binge free or put positively: to continue improving my healthy relationship with all foods. I'm not training for any special events so I can afford to just move on most days of the week and I'm enjoying the lack of pressure. I'm not dieting AGAIN because I really want to be 63 kilos or 61 kilos or whatever other number I decide is best.
Instead I'll continue to enjoy a wide range of foods reminding myself that nothing is banned or off limits. I also plan to keep my daily treats so that I continue to practice moderation. So far these 2 changes in my thinking and habits have served me well so perhaps just cementing them further is right for now.
M
Friday, July 22, 2011
BIRTHDAY STORIES
I've been enjoying a rather fantastic birthday celebration this week. I'm one of those people who believe in spreading the joy over more than one day and this year has been no different.
Because of our holiday we agreed that we wouldnt go "top shelf" for my birthday dinner out. Given the choice between Peter buying me a present or putting that money towards my shopping, I chose the shopping option. Both of these factors left Peter feeling that my birthday was a bit of a let down this year.
Honestly he couldnt be more wrong and I told him so in no uncertain terms. To be in a hot climate when Adelaide is wallowing in the depths of a cold snap one week before my birthday is, in my opinion - TOTAL BLISS. Couple this with the shopping I did and you've pretty much got the equivalent of a pig in shit LOL. Oh and our "not top shelf" dinner out will be at one of our local restaurants that just happens to make the BEST spaghetti marinara imaginable. I mean, I can hardly plead "oh hard done by" can I?
I enjoyed lunch out yesterday with my work friends. We just went up the road to a cheap and cheerful Thai restaurant where I had a laksa. After work our small family (3 of us) went to one of our local cafes where I knew the salt and pepper squid was good. It was made even better by a shared bottle of wine followed by a slice of German apple cheesecake complete with candle and Happy Birthday sung by my boys LOL. I was spoilt with a book (Lance Armstrong's "Its not about the bike") and a bunch of pink roses too.
Today my BF the lovely Miss E came in to have lunch with me and pasta was enjoyed (I'm still looking forward to it tomorrow night) with a glass of red and lots of conversation and laughs. My tummy is happy. My soul is happy. What more could I want?
Tomorrow will wrap it up and then in September we do it all again for Peter's birthday. Unfortunately I have no birthday pics as they are on other people's cameras. Oh well the Singapore pics will have to do.
Because of our holiday we agreed that we wouldnt go "top shelf" for my birthday dinner out. Given the choice between Peter buying me a present or putting that money towards my shopping, I chose the shopping option. Both of these factors left Peter feeling that my birthday was a bit of a let down this year.
Honestly he couldnt be more wrong and I told him so in no uncertain terms. To be in a hot climate when Adelaide is wallowing in the depths of a cold snap one week before my birthday is, in my opinion - TOTAL BLISS. Couple this with the shopping I did and you've pretty much got the equivalent of a pig in shit LOL. Oh and our "not top shelf" dinner out will be at one of our local restaurants that just happens to make the BEST spaghetti marinara imaginable. I mean, I can hardly plead "oh hard done by" can I?
I enjoyed lunch out yesterday with my work friends. We just went up the road to a cheap and cheerful Thai restaurant where I had a laksa. After work our small family (3 of us) went to one of our local cafes where I knew the salt and pepper squid was good. It was made even better by a shared bottle of wine followed by a slice of German apple cheesecake complete with candle and Happy Birthday sung by my boys LOL. I was spoilt with a book (Lance Armstrong's "Its not about the bike") and a bunch of pink roses too.
Today my BF the lovely Miss E came in to have lunch with me and pasta was enjoyed (I'm still looking forward to it tomorrow night) with a glass of red and lots of conversation and laughs. My tummy is happy. My soul is happy. What more could I want?
Tomorrow will wrap it up and then in September we do it all again for Peter's birthday. Unfortunately I have no birthday pics as they are on other people's cameras. Oh well the Singapore pics will have to do.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
SINGAPORE: HAPPY SNAPS
Chill on 5 used to be a bar but is now a lounge area. Hence we didnt chill much on 5. Instead we had beer o'clock in our room or took advantage of the happy hours or just sipped cocktails by the pool.
Here's my boy while we wait for the shuttle coach to take us back to our resort on Sentosa Island. Yes, (for once) he's reading a book instead of playing electronic games.
It doesnt get much better than this for afternoon tea. Our resort's version of a Pina Colada. Oh maybe throw in a few nuts with it :-)
My favourite pic taken at the Singapore Zoo. How could anybody resist that handsome beast LOL???
And just to prove that my wonderful husband exists. Refer above (to the man in blue, not green).
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
SINGAPORE: SHOPPING HEAVEN
Well its time to share some of my shopping delights with you. Unfortunately Blogger hasnt put my pics up in the order I wanted and I havent got all eveining to muck around trying to get it looking right so you'll have to bear with me as I hop around the place and tell my shopping story.
The pic below is from a store called Rayure (which has an Australian equivalent Comme Ci Comme Ca (apologies if this spelling is incorrect) in Sydney. The fashions are French using very high quality stretch fabrics that have beautiful hold, beautiful patterns and come in variations of black and white. I bought something from Rayure on my last trip so a return visit and some extra purchases ware a must. Here is the summer top I bought there.
I discovered a store called Wallis which is a UK based label. They had the most beautifully coloured clothes in lovely brights and pastels and after a long winter of dreary blacks and greys I'll be looking forward to wearing this summer dress.
Below left is a top from my favourite label - DKNY. Every time I go overseas I buy something from this label as its very hard to get in Australia- let alone in Adelaide. The photo didnt turn out great but its a black Tshirt with lots of tiny gold sequins for bling. The material is soft and flowing so will fall nicely and sit very flatteringly.
On the right is my favourite item of all. This is from Rayure as well. When I tried this dress on it just looked AWESOME. The stretch fabric has a strong hold so it hides the lumps and bumps but because I'm fairly curvy with a naturally flat stomach it looks very flattering and dare I say ... sexy (blushing). The shop assistant even said to me "you lucky, you have flat tummy" and that was AFTER a big buffet breakfast LOL. I'll be wearing this one on Christmas Day - even if its 15 degrees here LOL.
As you can see, this shopping trip was pretty much about colour and choosing some brights to brighten the days. I saw this pink skirt in Zara and fell in love with it. I then went back to the store one quieter morning to try it on and ended up with 3 items (a camel coloured skirt with a wide brown belt and a lilac tank top which I didnt take pics of).
My second DKNY purchase was this dress below. Grey, I know but I have a nice red skivvy like top that goes really well it. Oh and red boots too. I luuuurve my red boots that I've now had for about 3 years. The tie around the waist reaches around and I tie it behind for a more shapely, less bag-lady look.
Oops, almost forgot this gem from Zara as well. Love love love the colours for a guaranteed winter pick-me-up. It looks a bit shapeless on the hanger but looks great with fitted pants or my knitted black skirt as it balances out the shapehugging bottoms.
And who could resist these babies??!! Because a girl can never have too many sexy killer red heels (I forgot I have some already but quite as wild as these). These will be my Christmas Day shoes with red jewellery to match. For a killer heel they are surprisingly comfortable but honestly, who cares. You dont buy a shoe like these for comfort LOL.
Well I stopped taking pics there. But that wasnt all of it. Yes I had an absolute ball giving my credit card the workout of its life and I'm SO happy with everything I bought. I attacked the shops with gusto and relished feeling so good about myself and about shopping up big.
A few comments / observations from my shopping adventures:
- No matter how hard or where I tried, I couldnt get pants, capri pants or jeans to fit. EVERYTHING had a skinny tapered calf and wouldnt fit over my big ex aerobic instructor calves.
- Same with workout gear. The sports store I went into had a very limited range of women's leggings / tights and the sizing was on the small side. Their stocks were low (hardly any medium or large sizes) and after trying on about 4 or 5 pieces I left empty handed.
- Singapore has lots of cheap shoes. Most of them feel cheap when you wear them. They dont fit well and are very uncomfortable. I wouldnt buy closed in shoes there as leather is just about unheard of and I dont fancy sweating it out in a vinyl shoe all day - no matter how great it looks.
Well I better bid a fond good night now as I'm very tired but I hope you enjoyed looking at the fruits of my labour ... of love. LOL.
M
Stupid Blogger. I almost missed this top from Rayure as well. A nice contrast to the mainly white with a bit of black one that I already have. I cant wait to wear this out soon.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
SINGAPORE: OH MY, THE FOOD HERE IS SUPERB
My food perspective on this holiday was quite different to any before. Previously I would have been (subconciously) trying to lose weight before the holiday - I mean I perpetually spent at least 90% of my life in that state. This time I had gone with a sense of no food is banned and a daily "treat" is a must. What this did for me is promote a sense of "as I'm not coming off a diet, there is no need to gorge myself on everything that I'd normally be avoiding." I went away with one goal in mind and that was to remain binge free - eg no secret eating to frightful quantities of mainly junky foods (I mean who overeats themselves on fresh fruit for instance). No feelings of shame, embarassment, failure and self putdown. I'm proudly binge free since 10 June now and its a great feeling.
So the food in Singapore was amazing. I love a big buffet breakfast where I can enjoy a range of foods including fresh fruit, muesli, yogurt, seeds, dried fruit, fresh breads and the must have dessert to finish with (usually a small danish, croissant or muffin.) In between those I also had either eggs of some sort or went all out and had a selection from the Indian buffet. Now I know that most people couldnt stomach this but I'm a pretty adventurous eater so I was having roti bread with hard boiled aggs and channa, a mild lentil style curry. I also tried a marinated fried chicken (usually a wing or mini drumette) that I swear was an upmarket version on KFC hot and spicy (YUM!!). I also tried some mini fish cakes, steamed buns (from the Chinese buffet) and an assortment of other interesting tidbits. If I didnt like it, I left it on my plate and I never loaded my plate up with an obscene amount of food only to leave most of it there as many people do - I mean were you seriously thinking you'd eat 4 sugar donuts, 2 chocolate muffins and 3 pieces of french toast after your plateful of bacon and eggs???
Breakfast saw us through for several hours. Often a coffee would be all I needed early - mid afternoon and then we enjoyed our usual beer o'clock around 4pm. On a couple of days I overdid the cocktails and nibbles with 2 Singapore Slings and way too many nuts absolutely filling me up. Aaah holiday cheer gone overboard (as you do).
One night we had dinner in the seafood restaurant in the resort and I had a Asian fusion inspired linguine marinara that was to die for. The sauce was based on lime and chilli making a delicious backdrop to the incredibly fresh seafood. On some nights all I wanted was a salad due to the heat and not being overly hungry. (I think thats called "balance" LOL)
Finally a few observations / comments from the food perspective:
My guesstimate is that I gained about 1, maybe 2 kilos while away but after a few days back and eating like I normally do, thats pretty much gone. And I cant tell you how great that feels.
Tomorrow's instalment will be my shopping so I must get my camera snapping away and photos downloaded to include in my post.
Cheers all
M
So the food in Singapore was amazing. I love a big buffet breakfast where I can enjoy a range of foods including fresh fruit, muesli, yogurt, seeds, dried fruit, fresh breads and the must have dessert to finish with (usually a small danish, croissant or muffin.) In between those I also had either eggs of some sort or went all out and had a selection from the Indian buffet. Now I know that most people couldnt stomach this but I'm a pretty adventurous eater so I was having roti bread with hard boiled aggs and channa, a mild lentil style curry. I also tried a marinated fried chicken (usually a wing or mini drumette) that I swear was an upmarket version on KFC hot and spicy (YUM!!). I also tried some mini fish cakes, steamed buns (from the Chinese buffet) and an assortment of other interesting tidbits. If I didnt like it, I left it on my plate and I never loaded my plate up with an obscene amount of food only to leave most of it there as many people do - I mean were you seriously thinking you'd eat 4 sugar donuts, 2 chocolate muffins and 3 pieces of french toast after your plateful of bacon and eggs???
Breakfast saw us through for several hours. Often a coffee would be all I needed early - mid afternoon and then we enjoyed our usual beer o'clock around 4pm. On a couple of days I overdid the cocktails and nibbles with 2 Singapore Slings and way too many nuts absolutely filling me up. Aaah holiday cheer gone overboard (as you do).
One night we had dinner in the seafood restaurant in the resort and I had a Asian fusion inspired linguine marinara that was to die for. The sauce was based on lime and chilli making a delicious backdrop to the incredibly fresh seafood. On some nights all I wanted was a salad due to the heat and not being overly hungry. (I think thats called "balance" LOL)
Finally a few observations / comments from the food perspective:
- Good coffee is as rare as hens' teeth. I had one good coffee in 8 days. The rest varied from adequate (Gloria Jeans) to woeful (The Coffee Bean).
- Both Peter and I indulged our love of Asian sweets made from a glutinous rice or sago or similar (for the life of me I cant remember what these were called).
- After a long hot day prowling around Universal Studios or the Singapore Zoo, I can sink a cold beer faster than the Titanic on its final submerge.
- At many eating establishments its cheaper to buy a cocktail (even the large sizes) than a standard glass of wine. Go the cocktails, I say!!
- The local pineapple and bananas were delicious and plentiful. If I could have smuggled a bag of bananas home in my luggage I could have sold them for less than current retail and still made enough money to pay for our trip ....... hmmm food for thought.
My guesstimate is that I gained about 1, maybe 2 kilos while away but after a few days back and eating like I normally do, thats pretty much gone. And I cant tell you how great that feels.
Tomorrow's instalment will be my shopping so I must get my camera snapping away and photos downloaded to include in my post.
Cheers all
M
Monday, July 18, 2011
MOVING IN SINGAPORE
Firstly thank you for everybody's well wishes for my holiday which is now sadly over. To alleviate the common bloggers' block my next few posts will recap my wonderful time away from a few different (mainly health and fitness) perspectives.
So here goes with the first instalment: moving.
I was determined to maintain my goal of moving for at least 30 minutes at least half of the days of the week. On the day we left I still got up early and walked for about 40 minutes. It was so enjoyable with the cold biting at my face and lots of upbeat tracks shuffling on my iPod. I even sang along to some of them not giving a damn if somebody heard me and thought I had totally lost the plot. I was flying off to Singapore that day and I had every right to be happy.
In Singapore I managed to do something every day we were there. The gym at our resort was beautifully kitted out with Life Fitness equipment that made me go weak at the knees when I saw it. I never train in a gym anymore as I have my own set up at home so its a real treat to have a wide range of equipment at my disposal.
I varied my workouts between mixed cardio using all the cardio machines (X Trainer, treadie and bikes), weights and walking along Siloso Beach. I think I enjoyed the weights the most because of the equipment. For instance on leg day I took advantage of the seated leg press in place of barbell squats. I was happy but my right hip wasnt and I spent the day hobbling in pain but luckily it healed itself quickly.
I also had a demoralising encounter with an ab machine LOL. I lay down on it, grabbed the handles overhead and started to crunch away. Within a few reps I felt like my upper abs were being ripped from my body. I called it quits after 8 reps and did my trusty old fitball crunches with a 5kg medicine ball instead. The next day and still to today my abs are so sore that it hurts to laugh, cough or sneeze. Oh ab strength where have you gone???
I genuinely loved doing a bit of training every day. It made me feel good physically and feel good about myself and my body. I wore my shorts / tights above the knees and I felt ok doing so. Hell my legs are my worse feature but I wont use that as an excuse to hide them from the world. Besides it was so friggin hot there that long anything was just out of the question.
Well thats enough about Singapore fitness. Since being home I need to get back into my usual routine but I know that'll sort itself out pretty quickly. Come back tomorrow for my second instalment which will probabaly be "Oh my, the food here is superb."
Cheers all
Magda
So here goes with the first instalment: moving.
I was determined to maintain my goal of moving for at least 30 minutes at least half of the days of the week. On the day we left I still got up early and walked for about 40 minutes. It was so enjoyable with the cold biting at my face and lots of upbeat tracks shuffling on my iPod. I even sang along to some of them not giving a damn if somebody heard me and thought I had totally lost the plot. I was flying off to Singapore that day and I had every right to be happy.
In Singapore I managed to do something every day we were there. The gym at our resort was beautifully kitted out with Life Fitness equipment that made me go weak at the knees when I saw it. I never train in a gym anymore as I have my own set up at home so its a real treat to have a wide range of equipment at my disposal.
I varied my workouts between mixed cardio using all the cardio machines (X Trainer, treadie and bikes), weights and walking along Siloso Beach. I think I enjoyed the weights the most because of the equipment. For instance on leg day I took advantage of the seated leg press in place of barbell squats. I was happy but my right hip wasnt and I spent the day hobbling in pain but luckily it healed itself quickly.
I also had a demoralising encounter with an ab machine LOL. I lay down on it, grabbed the handles overhead and started to crunch away. Within a few reps I felt like my upper abs were being ripped from my body. I called it quits after 8 reps and did my trusty old fitball crunches with a 5kg medicine ball instead. The next day and still to today my abs are so sore that it hurts to laugh, cough or sneeze. Oh ab strength where have you gone???
I genuinely loved doing a bit of training every day. It made me feel good physically and feel good about myself and my body. I wore my shorts / tights above the knees and I felt ok doing so. Hell my legs are my worse feature but I wont use that as an excuse to hide them from the world. Besides it was so friggin hot there that long anything was just out of the question.
Well thats enough about Singapore fitness. Since being home I need to get back into my usual routine but I know that'll sort itself out pretty quickly. Come back tomorrow for my second instalment which will probabaly be "Oh my, the food here is superb."
Cheers all
Magda
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
PRE BEDTIME QUICKIE
Just a quick post before bedtime.
Its been really busy here but I'm feeling pretty good about catching up with work stuff, knocking off another 2 day module of my management training course, spending some quality time with our extended family and getting ready to go on holidays (tomorrow).
2 years ago we went to Singapore around this time of year. I remember vividly weighing around the 70kg mark and feeling awful about myself. I remember putting on my white shorts and then seeing my fat lilly white legs and feeling even worse. Although I enjoyed that holiday, I didnt feel good within myself.
This time I feel fantastic. Yes the number on the scales is a lot better but its more than that. Its about opening my mind to new possibilities. Its about letting go of the burning yet draining desire to lose weight, to be thinner, leaner, smaller, better. Its about saying "hey I can eat xx if I want to and it'll be ok if I do." Its about realising what REALLY matters and letting go of the stuff that doesnt.
I'm not saying I've got it all down pat. I'm sure I have quite a way to go. But in making some small physical and mental changes I've achieved a couple of big things - I've been binge free for 4 weeks (Friday) AND my weight has dropped a little more (again).
Good night all
M
Its been really busy here but I'm feeling pretty good about catching up with work stuff, knocking off another 2 day module of my management training course, spending some quality time with our extended family and getting ready to go on holidays (tomorrow).
2 years ago we went to Singapore around this time of year. I remember vividly weighing around the 70kg mark and feeling awful about myself. I remember putting on my white shorts and then seeing my fat lilly white legs and feeling even worse. Although I enjoyed that holiday, I didnt feel good within myself.
This time I feel fantastic. Yes the number on the scales is a lot better but its more than that. Its about opening my mind to new possibilities. Its about letting go of the burning yet draining desire to lose weight, to be thinner, leaner, smaller, better. Its about saying "hey I can eat xx if I want to and it'll be ok if I do." Its about realising what REALLY matters and letting go of the stuff that doesnt.
I'm not saying I've got it all down pat. I'm sure I have quite a way to go. But in making some small physical and mental changes I've achieved a couple of big things - I've been binge free for 4 weeks (Friday) AND my weight has dropped a little more (again).
Good night all
M
Saturday, July 2, 2011
ROLLING TO AN END
Well folks the end is in sight for my 10 week turnaround. I know this beacuse we are now less than one week away from going on holidays and it was for that holiday that I thought it was SO important to weigh a certain amount and lose a certain number of centimetres and be able to do boy pushups etc etc etc.
I spent 4 or 5 weeks stressing about how much bread in was having, making sure I didnt have too much fruit, carfeully ordering only a regular and not a medium cappuccino blah blah blah. Then there was the running no matter how much pain it caused not just during the run but even worse afterwards. I mean, what does it matter if I can barely sit for 20 minutes because of the shooting pains in my legs. Or if I walk like an 80 year old partly disabled person as I hobble everywhere quietly whincing in pain.
And then as a reward for all of this exemplary effort the Metal Monster would drop wildly (yippee) ...... and then ricochet back up again (er not so yippee). And on those ricochets up it would do my head in and then I'd be shackin up with the Binge Monster again.
Well about 3 weeks ago I finally woke up and decided to try something different. I decided to give up trying to lose weight. I decided to have a treat every day to practice moderation in place of my usual all / nothing thinking and I (after much deliberation) decided to take a break from running. I reset my training goal to simply move for at least 30 minutes at least half of the days of the week. And most importantly I would stay off the scales and use my clothes and how I look naked as my check if I was heading for Michelin Man status.
So as I'm a few days away from going on holiday and the "10 Week Turnaround" title will go shortly, this morning I decided to do a MM check to see if my estimation of my weight was in the ballpark. And guess what - it was REALLY close. (I'm sitting in the low 66s).
Peter and I chatted about this over beer o'clock today and his comment was "Dear you look good and the main thing is that you're happy at this weight. In fact I'd be happy if you were happy at 72kgs." I love my man - for him its about being relaxed, happy in your skin and enjoying life (including good food and wine) and not about rippling muscles, veins popping and single digit body fat.
:-) M
I spent 4 or 5 weeks stressing about how much bread in was having, making sure I didnt have too much fruit, carfeully ordering only a regular and not a medium cappuccino blah blah blah. Then there was the running no matter how much pain it caused not just during the run but even worse afterwards. I mean, what does it matter if I can barely sit for 20 minutes because of the shooting pains in my legs. Or if I walk like an 80 year old partly disabled person as I hobble everywhere quietly whincing in pain.
And then as a reward for all of this exemplary effort the Metal Monster would drop wildly (yippee) ...... and then ricochet back up again (er not so yippee). And on those ricochets up it would do my head in and then I'd be shackin up with the Binge Monster again.
Well about 3 weeks ago I finally woke up and decided to try something different. I decided to give up trying to lose weight. I decided to have a treat every day to practice moderation in place of my usual all / nothing thinking and I (after much deliberation) decided to take a break from running. I reset my training goal to simply move for at least 30 minutes at least half of the days of the week. And most importantly I would stay off the scales and use my clothes and how I look naked as my check if I was heading for Michelin Man status.
So as I'm a few days away from going on holiday and the "10 Week Turnaround" title will go shortly, this morning I decided to do a MM check to see if my estimation of my weight was in the ballpark. And guess what - it was REALLY close. (I'm sitting in the low 66s).
Peter and I chatted about this over beer o'clock today and his comment was "Dear you look good and the main thing is that you're happy at this weight. In fact I'd be happy if you were happy at 72kgs." I love my man - for him its about being relaxed, happy in your skin and enjoying life (including good food and wine) and not about rippling muscles, veins popping and single digit body fat.
:-) M
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