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!

Toxic Sugar and other things

Watched this great report on ABC's Catalyst program called "Toxic Sugar" which was shown on TV a while ago. I already knew most of the things they talked about but it was great to see it all summarised and put together so well, so that other people who are new to the idea of this can really get it. Thank God these ideas are finally gaining credence and hopefully more and more people will begin to realise that it's not FAT we have to worry about, it's sugar. I loved that they drew attention to the Heart Foundation (who are so completely misguided) and to things like low fat yoghurts and cereals which are so high in sugar.

Anyway, watching that ties in nicely with what I've been thinking about the past couple of days, i.e. trying to reduce my sugar intake. Look, I'm already pretty great with this compared to most people. I don't eat any grains, starches (except for pumpkin now and then) or refined sugars. BUT I still make paleo-fied baked treats, eat chocolate daily, have fruit juice now and again, and have honey and dried fruit in addition to normal amounts of whole fruit. Okay, so that still doesn't sound that bad! Hmmm, what I'm trying to say is that consumption of those amounts of sugars here and there adds up and I think for me insulin resistance is still a problem because I still have visceral fat, despite losing 15kg. I know scales can lie (or rather, be misleading) sometimes, but I don't think waist measurements do. Also, neither does the fact that lately I feel like I'm addicted to the sweet fix. I don't like the idea of being addicted to anything.

So, after this Sunday (because that's the day of my birthday tea party and I definitely can't avoid consumption of sugar on that day!) I am going to try to really cut down my sugar intake. I want to be sensible about this and I love cooking so my strategy will be to focus on cooking new dishes for lunch and dinner, exploring with salads (I've gotten bored of them lately) and meat  and vegetables. There are so many amazing savoury dishes in Against All Grain that I'm yet to try because I was focusing more on the grain-free breads and cakes. That's not to say that I'm not going to bake anymore, I'm just going to have a break for a little while and then just do it as more of a treat now and then.

New breakfast ideas will be an area to tackle too because I'm getting a bit sick of bacon and eggs. I'm going to move up to 85% dark chocolate too, because I've been stuck on 70% for a while. Finally, I will still eat fruit, but will try to have lower-GI ones like berries and stone fruits, which, with summer around the corner are luckily going to be in season! (Hmmm, what about a baked crumble using peaches and berries and cinnamon for the base and coconut and crushed nuts for the topping?)

So, just doing those things - focusing on a different area of cooking and eating darker chocolate and lower-GI fruits - is all I need to do. Sounds easy enough!

I think everyone likes the idea of turning over a new leaf - that's the whole appeal of a "New Year's Resolution" after all - the chance to make a change for the better. Well, I think that next month will be my turning over a new leaf month. Firstly with the reduction of sugar intake, and secondly with focusing on yoga. Hopefully my two yoga books arrive soon! Can't wait!

Ashtanga or Iyengar?

So, it turns out that when I get into something, I REALLY get into it. It's only been about a week since I started yoga and I've done it on almost every day - even on the day I didn't really do it I still did a couple of poses. I downloaded a yoga app and did one of the programs from it today, and it was more challenging than usual. But because I want to make sure I'm doing it correctly and not developing any bad habits, I've also just ordered two books online -
- "Light on Yoga" by B.K.S. Iyengar, which is apparently THE bible when it comes to this form of hatha yoga.
- "Ashtanga Yoga: The Practice Manual" by David Swenson.



These two styles of yoga seem to be the two main ones, and the best. I couldn't decide between either so I decided that I would try out both. I like the idea of perfecting the asanas which comes with Hatha yoga, but I also like the flowing style of Ashtanga yoga. I enjoy moving from pose to pose on different breaths and I like that it gives me a light sweat too. So ideally I would like to perfect and incorporate both styles. Maybe a different style each day?

The reason I got these books as well is that I want to fully discover all the aspects of yoga - not just the physical side but the spiritual side as well. I don't want to be a yoga hack I want to really know what I'm talking about and the meaning behind everything I'm doing.

Sure, I know that learning from books means that I don't have a qualified instructor guiding me in person, but I'm someone that likes to learn things for myself and teach myself. This is a journey I want to undertake myself. Plus, I don't want to pay for classes and then have to motivate myself to actually attend them. I've never been big on group classes for some reason. I like going at my own pace.

Anywho, it's time for me to hit the hay. Now I just have to wait patiently until these books arrive in the mail...


(Image: http://cache1.bdcdn.net/assets/images/book/large/9781/8912/9781891252082.jpg)

Yoga Update

Since I'm such a party animal (cough), I'm spending my Friday night in, sipping on "mint slice" tea and relaxing. So... I wasn't lying when I said the ANZAC biscuits were addictive - I had to will myself to not eat the whole lot today! 

It's my 4th day in a row of doing yoga and I'm super proud of myself. I'm actually noticing tone in my arms ALREADY! Today I did this sequence I found in Women's Health magazine. I had to write down on the page when to inhale and exhale whilst doing the sun salutation, but I'm getting the hang of it gradually.

I've found that I'm more likely to do other body weight exercises (like plies and donkey kicks) after I've finished my yoga sequence - I guess it gets me in the mood for it and warmed up. I can't believe I'm saying this, after so many years of saying yoga was boring and useless, but now I really do love it.