A Sugar Free Saviour + Pilates Update

Hello! Happy New Year! I can't believe yet another Christmas and NYE has come and gone but then again, I say that every year. This one was pretty good - caught up with all the fam and my brother got engaged. Made an AMAZING pavlova for Christmas lunch. Yep, it was full of sugar. I wasn't ready to cut out sugar over Christmas so I gave in. I don't regret it as it's an indulgent time of year and I was only 5 days into quitting sugar.

It brought home again how much one taste of sugar - when you're a sugar addict - just makes you want more and more. I experienced that for a few days, just eating with abandon (still grain and gluten free but all the sugar I wanted). But then - instead of waiting until the new year again, I realised I was sick of being stuck in the eat-eat-eat cycle and back to binge eating again so 5 days ago I went cold turkey. The only sugar I eat is in one piece of fruit per day. I'm proud to say it has been a really good 5 days! I'm feeling good! I know it will take a couple more weeks at least (I'm aiming for 21 days straight) before I get rid of my sugar addiction, or at least vastly increase my sensitivity to the taste of sweets. I was offered a chocolate from a box of Gillian sea shells yesterday and I declined, and as I sat there afterwards I thought about what would have happened if I had had one. I just knew that one wouldn't have been enough. I would have wanted another and been anxious about when I could politely ask for another. And another. It would consume my thoughts. That tells me I am definitely not ready.

But going cold turkey has worked surprisingly well for me. I'm not worried to have 1 piece of fruit per day because the fibre in fruit slows the rate of absorption of glucose into the blood stream. Plus they are good for you.

So - onto my sugar free saviour. I've been using all the tricks in my arsenal such as drinking herbal teas but I stumbled across this recipe from Mark's Daily Apple: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/make-your-own-primal-energy-bars-in-10-easy-steps/#axzz2pEaUu1aI

It's hard to find sugar free recipes that are actually sugar free. As in, no stevia, no rice malt syrup, no artificial sweeteners, no fruit juice. But these energy bars use dried fruit to sweeten them, as well as cinnamon and vanilla extract. Now, I don't mind that because dried fruit has fibre in it and cinnamon is good for lowering blood sugar. They are also full of satisfying fat and protein from nuts and coconut oil. I made a few slight modifications:

- I used dried apple instead of dried berries
- I added 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- I used 1/8 cup flaxmeal and 1/8 cup almond meal instead of 1/4 cup almond meal
- I added 1 tsp chia seeds
- I froze them for an hour or two before cutting them up and storing them in a fridge.

They didn't crumble and they taste really good. A subtle sweetness and they are quite more-ish actually. Next time I would like to add some protein powder to them. I have been using these as a snack at work or at home when I don't want a big meal, or with a cup of tea. Yum yum in my tum.

I also made something else - Paleo Cauliflower Fried "Rice". Tastes as good as the real thing, as tried and tested by my Dad! Recipe and picture to come.

Now for my pilates update. I have moved onto the Intermediate Series from "Pilates for Dummies". Yes it is harder on the tummy! I am looking forward to doing it again and also doing the side kick series again to work on my butt and thighs. I have been playing "Just Dance" on Wii as well! That game is so fun! You're exercising while actually HAVING FUN! Shock. Horror. For me anyway. Exercise is usually not something I would refer to as "fun". But I have always enjoyed dancing.

Okay I am out for now!

A More Sunny Mood

Writing my last post helped me to vent some frustration and I felt better not long after that because I had a look at my Pilates book and got excited to try a new section, about extra moves for the lower body. So today I did the beginners level section and then did the new lower body section. I made myself slow down and make sure I do all the moves with precision, because doing the repetitions in a rush to get it over with will do nothing for you really. I enjoyed the moves because some of them were reminiscent of what I used to do in dancing classes in our warm ups. I was proud of myself for doing that today because I very nearly put it off until tomorrow. 

I plan to do that again tomorrow as well as trying yoga again. I found it so challenging last time so this time I'm going to take a more positive attitude and just do what I can and remember that I will gradually improve, little by little. Even if I only do half the moves prescribed for the first week, I will do them with as much precision as I can and hold them for as long as I can. 

Ugh I had all these little random things to write about but I keep forgetting. Need to keep a notebook or something...or just write it on my phone.

Updates: Pilates, Sugar, Exercise, Yoga

Pilates Update: After doing 3 sessions of the "Pre Pilates - The Fundamentals" I decided that I was ready to move to the next level. Some moves I still find challenging such as the roll down prep but they are in the next level as well so I can keep working on them. Now I have done one session of the "Beginners" program, which involves:
- Coccyx Curls
- Upper Abdominal Curls
- Hundreds, beginning level
- Balance Point
- Hip Up
- Rolling like a Ball
- Single Leg stretch
- Rising Swan
- Roll Down
- Bridge
- Spine Stretch Forward
- Side Kicks

I would like to really work on precision and stability when doing the exercises, especially the side kicks! Damn it is hard to stay stable in your torso when doing those.

I have been making a more conscious effort in daily life to have better posture and pull my stomach in. But...I completely forgot about doing the cat stretch everyday! Goal for this week..

Sugar Detox: Well, it's not really a sugar detox, but this week I have been trying to cut down on sugar intake. I read a book called "Big Fat Lies" which was great, it dispelled a lot of the myths about fat and cholesterol and actually explained the differences between the saturated, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat so now I understand that a lot better. I also know more about the functionality of LDL and HDL cholesterol. It also explained about the dangers of sugar, in particular fructose. This author believes that sugar and the introduction of industrial seed oils is behind the "obesity epidemic" and the rise in metabolic syndrome. Well, I think he is half right. But I think that the increase in starchy carbohydrate intake played a big role too. People still don't understand that wholegrains DON'T keep you "fuller for longer" - actually they massively raise your blood sugar and over time lead to insulin resistance. But let's not get sidetracked here!

Back to my point, I went pretty well this week and managed to break through a plateau in weight I had been at for a while. I still gave in to chocolate but was able to reduce sugar intake in other ways, like less fruit/dried fruit/honey/baked treats. I had a lot of salads with spinach, haloumi, bacon and cherry tomatoes doused in olive oil and a splash of apple cider vinegar. Mmmmm, mediterranean... (not sure if bacon is very mediterranean but whatever, I love it).

I don't want anyone to think I'm depriving myself, oh no. You should see how much bacon I can eat in one sitting. And I love a good couple of pieces of dark chocolate with tea. Having a juicy piece of fruit after a nice meal full of fat and protein is just so satisfying - last night it was the most delicious peach. And I love experimenting with making new baked treats with creative "paleo" ingredients. I'm just trying to make that an indulgence, not what I eat all the time. Having Hashimoto's it's especially important not to eat much sugar so that's a big motivating factor.

Exercise: Well, another thing I was reading about is that exercise really doesn't do that much to help you lose weight. It just makes you want to compensate by eating more. Sure, there are a load of other benefits to exercise so it's not like you should sit down all day doing nothing. But in a way it's nice to have that pressure off - because then you can do exercise purely for enjoyment, or for knowing that you are going to get other benefits from it. For me, I enjoy walking for getting fresh air, looking at nature, seeing my dog love it so much, and just feeling more energetic. I enjoy yoga and pilates because they are relaxing and challenging at the same time, improving my flexibility and muscle tone, strengthening my back which I really need, and I like the spiritual side of it as well.

Yoga: I received my Ashtanga yoga manual but not the Iyengar yoga book yet. I wanted to be able to have them both before I start but I think I will have a go of the Ashtanga one tonight. I've been putting it off tonight because I feel like I don't want to be alone in my thoughts right now - just because of personal family things. But maybe yoga would be good to help quiet my mind.

Okay that's enough waffling on for now!

Incoporating Pilates into Everyday Life

To help improve my posture and bring the things I'm learning from Pilates into the rest of my life, I'm going to try to concentrate on a few things as much as I can. I've put a post-it note on my mirror that says:
Golden String
Shoulders Back & Down
Naval to Spine
Breathe Deep

I'm hoping it will remind me to imagine a golden string coming out the top of my head pulling me up straight, to pull my shoulders back and down, to bring my naval to my spine (i.e. suck my gut in) and breathe deep to maximise my lung capacity. I will try to remember those things when I'm working too, as my job as a phlebotomotist involves bending over a lot.  Maybe each time I bring a new patient in I will remind myself of those four things. "Pilates for Dummies" also suggests doing a cat stretch every morning which I will definitely do because I really want to stretch and strengthen my upper back. I'm so over having back pain, and I've only had it for a week!

Tonight I started with 5 sun salutations (Surya Namaskara) to warm up and then did the Pre Pilates Fundamentals routine. I did the butterfly stretch intermittently as well as I'm trying to get more flexible in this position (and hopefully work my way up to the splits - one day!) I'm proud to say I can now rest my head on my feet in this pose.



 I also did the Warrior I pose and Temple pose. All up I spent about 35 minutes doing these things. It goes quicker than I realised. I thought I'd only done it for 15 minutes until I checked the time!

From doing yoga for only one week and Pilates for two days I swear I can already notice slight differences in tone, especially in my arms. My arm muscles are definitely bigger and it must be from the planks I do in Surya Namaskara. I don't want to get bulky but I really don't see how that can happen from doing yoga and Pilates.

While I was doing the 'C Curve Roll Down Prep' I was noticing as I rolled down that my arms and thighs were really taut so it just shows that Pilates tones your legs and arms as well as strengthening your core.

Pilates - The Fundamentals

So I learnt a good lesson last week when I over-enthusiastically started practicing yoga - that you can injure yourself if you jump straight to more advanced moves you're not ready for. I have had upper back pain since last week coinciding with when I started yoga and so that's why I bought the two books about it, so I can learn about it properly, start from the basics and work my way up.



I decided I want to practice Pilates as well, to strengthen my back and core and tone my muscles. Luckily I already have the book "Pilates for Dummies" which I bought and read ages ago but never got in to. I think now I'm in the right mood for it or have the right attitude though. Anyway, I'm going to throw my ego out the window and start right from the basics, with the "Pre Pilates: The Fundamentals" part of the program. I'm going to do that for a week or however long I need to really perfect it and make sure I have the strength and flexibility to move on to the next level. I did it this evening and even at the basics level I can feel it in my abs!

I thought it might be a good idea to document as I go exactly what I'm doing, in case anyone wants to know later. These are the Pre Pilates moves I am practicing this week:

- Shoulder Shrugs
- Shoulder Slaps
- Arm Reaches/Circles
- Coccyx Curls
- Tiny Steps
- Upper Ab Curls
- Hip Up
- C Curve Roll Down Prep
- Balance Point/Teaser Prep
- Rolling like a ball (modified)

I'm sure you could find those online. So, that's it! I'll check in about that next week.

(Image: http://numovesphysiotherapy.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Pilates.jpg)