A New Challenge

For anyone who knows me (at all) you will know that I'm a passionate lolly eater. Lollies of any varieties. I can even go as far to say that I could fore go chocolate just as long as I could have lollies. Lollies are my weapons of choice, my weakness, my one true love. 

In pursuit of health and fitness however, lollies have not loved me back. They've indulged my sweet tooth, they're opened corridors to eating other sweet stuff that I wouldn't normally indulge in and they've tasted so good to my taste buds that more often than not, I'm going way beyond what a human quota of lolly consumption should/would/could be.

I am a firm believer in goal setting. I function incredibly well with a goal in the not so distant future. So I've set myself a goal. I'm not saying that lollies will stop being part of my life (coz that just brings sad sad tears to my eyes) but what I am saying is that I'm going to quit lollies for a week. That's right! You heard straight. Starting tomorrow I will quit lollies. I will be 7 days lolly free and I'm going to do my best to document what I experience during the process. 

What I hope to achieve from this includes:

• A reduced craving for all things sweet
• Reduced mood spikes
• More stable energy levels

These may be unrealistic hopes for only a 7 day strike...but here goes nothing! What's the worst that could happen?...

When things start to flounder

I have these moments in life when I think to myself ‘wow, you’re a fucking superstar’. When I have these moments what I really should be thinking is ‘chickity check yo’self before you wreck yo’self’.

I haven’t written on my beloved blog in such a long time because I’ve been going through a period of significant transition.

Over the Christmas break I decided I would break the Sydney chains and head west (coz west does it best…or summink like that!). In doing so I left behind the wonderful structure that was my happy, regimented (slightly anal retentive) boxing world and stepped out into the big unknown.

And the big unknown is exactly what it’s been.

I arrived in Perth with just a week to spare before starting full time study. I ran round making sure life was ready for me here and started then started study. In this time I searched high and low for a new boxing home. Every time I walked through the doors of a new boxing gym I expected to find what I had in Sydney – a smiling instructor ready to pass down his glorious knowledge, encourage class attendees passionate about all that is boxing and the glorious smell of decades of sweat. I found none of this.

I’ve had to do a lot of addressing of what it is that I want. In deciding to come to Perth, I knew what I was leaving behind. Luckily I’m studying fitness and in doing so have met like-minded people that are similarly passioned (new word!).

So while exploring the unknown I’ve discovered that I quite enjoy resistance training, have tried to develop an impeccable dead lift technique (which is still most certainly in the developing stage – can I blame genetics?) and have noticed a change in body composition already.

I have, however found the transition has re-introduced bad habits and left me floundering and confused about how I implemented such brilliant strategies in Sydney.

Tonight had led me to look at what it was that kick started the last fitness boost. I thought I’d take a look at the app ‘My Fitness Pal’ and see what information I’d recorded in there from when I last decided to chickity check myself. Did you know (I didn’t, that’s why I’m asking you!) that when I first started using My Fitness Pal in September 2012 I weighed 82kgs – I must have blocked this out of my mind. I’m now between 72.5-73.5 which means whatever I was doing before, I was doing well. 

So the first step will be USE MY FITNESS PAL!

I’m also going to introduce EVERYTHING I did when I was using that app. This means:

1.     Using the heart rate monitor/calorie counter to measure calories burnt during workout

2.     Weighing myself EVERY Sunday morning (regardless of Saturday night (mis)adventures)

3.     Engaging in 3 high intensity exercise classes per week (I’m trying to find a local crossfit gym)

4.     Walking 8km 3 times per week

5.     Exercising with friends 2 times a week for fun

6.     Eat out once per week

It’s nice to know and remember that stuff can be achieved, that goals can be set and that change can be implemented. Thank you Ice Cube for you fine words of wisdom!

Holiday Extremes!

It has been some time since my last post. It's that/this/the time of year! Sorry! (Its been even more time as I hadn't posted this...news is: I'm living in Perth and studying Fitness, more of that to come in future posts). 

My latest thoughts have been about holidaying and sustaining health and activity while on holiday without the holiday becoming all about said health and activity. And here we are again, talking about balance!

On holiday I have two extremes. The first is neurotic exercising Sally. I wake up early, I put my gym clothes on and I head out the door only to return 2 hours later, knackered and reluctant to participate in any sight-seeing festivities much preferring  to lay on the coach and mentally high-five myself for training so hard (while watching reality TV...there's always reality TV when I'm on holiday. Who have I become?).

The other extreme is binge eating, I'm on holiday and I'm going to do whatever the hell I want to do Sally. A standard day with this Sally would involve rolling out of bed whenever, eating a delicious breakfast (with bacon. Holiday food = bacon), maybe seeing some sights, definitely eating a delicious lunch and most certainly finishing a hard day (of eating) with a delicious dinner! Then mix alcohol into this. It all gets very messy.

This holiday season, I decided, was going to be different. I headed off to the west coast - a bag full (17kgs for 7 days...coz I wouldn't be a Duckworth if it were lighter, must pack for all seasons regardless of heatwaves!) of enough gym clothes for everyday, boxing gloves and pads, boxing wraps, skipping rope...you get the idea. This was all mixed in with a few bikinis and other necessary items. By the time I landed in Western Australia the holiday could have gone either the binge or neurotic way (although I had just flown business class for what may be the only time in my life so felt eating the cheese platter was somewhat obligatory...binge holiday-1, neurotic holiday-0).

I landed on Christmas eve and was super full after the 3 course meal (individual courses, not compartmentalised like in economy-holy shit!) so had a cruisy evening. The next day was Christmas, however I was staying with a raw vegan so ate delicious unprocessed salads, zucchini pastas and raw sweets. Then something tweaked in my head and an un-ignore-able alarm was screaming in my head IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY!!! YOU HAVE TO EAT DELICIOUS FOOD. Where did this voice come from? Why do I have to eat unhealthily on Christmas day. I appeased this with a handful of lollies, the alarm stopped ringing however the binge holiday was now in the lead, binge holiday-2, neurotic holiday-0.

A few days in, attempts to run in the heat wave were beaten to the ground by dehydration, I was struck with an epiphany. It doesn't have to be either a binging or neurotic holiday! It can be a balanced holiday! Woah, Woah, Woah! I realised that I could eat food that I may not eat on a day to day basis, ensuring that I wasn't over-indulging while also having an active holiday. This activity didn't mean running until I could no longer move coz've the heat exhaustion (it happened one day actually) but rather incorporating holiday activities that i would enjoy.

All in all, it was a flipping brilliant holiday! I finally tried paddle boarding, did some snorkeling, prepared tasty food (raw blueberry cheesecake being the absolute highlight), started every day with a swim, rode a bike (must train bum to tolerate bike seats), jogged and it was exactly the holiday that it should've been - balanced. I didn't have to feel guilty about eating pizza coz I was active everyday and I was listening to how my body responded to food and didn't feel the desire to eat all the bad food that was in sight!

I guess there isn't much of a moral to all of this except that it's a reminder of how important it is to live a balanced life. As well as another time for me to try and defeat the idea of food being a reward.

New Years Resolutions -

Lose 6kgs! Now 4kgs - a sea change (plus balance) can do great things

Stop buying crap I don't need!

Pour my heart into lovely friends and family members!

Stay positive, look ahead!

My advice for now: drink coconut water, it's delicious!