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Happily Miss M has made a speedy recovery from her illness yesterday, and trotted off to school, after trying to convince me she was “poorly”. Don’t even know where she heard that word, but obviously things haven’t changed that much from when I was young, because I remember trying to milk a one day illness for as long as possible.

Over the last few days I’ve been forced to embrace change. Something I’ve always done virtually anything to avoid, and now, in some kind of karmic way, it’s out of my control. Today I had to tell the participants of a class I’ve been teaching for nearly four years that I can only do it for two more weeks. Then I cried. Then they cried. It was horrible. But as much as I hate to admit it, it’s still the right thing to do.

So, change is my new companion. I won’t say best friend, but it’s definitely hanging out right beside me, jabbing me in the ribs and saying “hey, here I am, what are you gonna do about me?”. This is where my yoga teacher from the Buddhist Centre is fabulously educational, because he’s very into the idea that nothing is permanant. You can’t expect things to stay the same, because they won’t. And maybe that’s not such a bad thing if you learn not to be afraid of it. So I’ll be practicing … a lot!

I began my green tea regime this morning, and didn’t drink any coffee until this afternoon. It coincided nicely with running out of milk, so I didn’t have to think too much about the choice. It actually wasn’t too bad. So let’s see if I drop five kilos in the next eight weeks.

Today I’m loving: my Tuesday morning exercise ladies. And not just for today. xxxx

1. If you find you’re often stressed, or suffering from insomnia, try a little acupressure to help calm you down. The spot directly between your eyebrows is called the “yintang”, and promotes relaxation. Press lightly to begin with, then gradually increase the pressure and length of time you’re pressing for. This helps your energy or “chi” flow more easily, and can also trigger the release of endorphins, which are the same chemicals produced by exercising.

2. File this under “it’s worth a try”. Green tea is known to be great because of the antioxidants it contains, but it’s also been credited with assisting weight loss. Studies have shown that if you replace your morning cup of coffee with green tea, you can lose five kilos in eight weeks. While the article I read on this doesn’t say where those studies came from, I think I might undergo this test, and see what happens. Stay tuned to hear the progress!

3. As the weather gets warmer, more delicious fruit is on offer. If you’re like me and tend to struggle to use it all up, here’s a great way to do it, that any children in your house will love. Grab a combination of whatever fruit you have available - strawberries, mango, banana (if you’re feeling wealthy!), pineapple - anything you like. Remove any peel or seeds, and throw it into a blender or food processor. Add some low fat yoghurt if you want to make it creamy, and whizz it ’til it’s all nice and smooth. Pour it into paper cups and put an icecream stick in the middle. If you’re really organised and have those real icypole moulds, use those instead.

Freeze them, then pull them out of the freezer next time you need a sweet mid morning snack. Have a cup of green tea as well and feel super virtuous!

4. Something a little esoteric: over the next week, take time to savour the moment at least once. When you’re eating, take the time to appreciate what you’re doing. Turn off the tv, put down the magazine, savour the smells and the taste of the food. This works with anything, gardening, walking, even ironing and washing up. Take pleasure in achievement of completing something that seems mundane, and enjoy the time it takes to do the chore. You’re probably thinking “sure Emma, appreciate washing up”, but I’m using the best red grapefruit scented dishwashing goo, and it smells fantastic, and watching those dishes go from dirty to clean is disturbingly pleasurable. And yes, I need to get out more!

5. This week’s yoga pose - Viparita Karani, or Extended Legs Pose

Very simple, but extremely relaxing pose, and easy to do anywhere you have access to a wall.

Put your bottom as close to the wall as you can. You might like to have a pillow positioned near your head for extra comfort. Slowly bring your legs up until they’re straight, and resting completely against the wall. Let your body relax, and focus on breathing. You can stay here as long as you like.

When you want to come down, bend your knees first, then slowly roll over to the side, bringing your legs to the floor. Don’t try to stand up straight away, sit for a couple of moments and let your body get used to being upright again.

Please note, because this pose is a partial inversion, it should not be performed by anyone with high blood pressure or glaucoma. If you are more than sixteen weeks pregnant, you should avoid lying on your back for long periods of time during exercise.

Daylight savings is pretty cool. It’s just after 7pm, and the sun is shining brightly. Miss M has a temperature, and had to be brought home early, otherwise we’d be at the school working on her bike riding.

This has proved trying for both of us, me because her bike no longer has training wheels on it, so I’ve become human training wheels, and her because her human training wheels don’t shut up with the advice. There’s nothing most of us hate more than being told how to do something, especially when that thing is both hard and frightening. Miss M is no exception.

She’s also hampered by the fact the bike is a little too small for her. I didn’t want to get her a new one before she’d learned to ride properly, but I think it may have to happen before she has to adopt a style like those clowns on miniature bikes do, and splay her legs right out to the sides. She’s definitely getting the hang of it, but it’s a slow and frustrating process. After a little while I have to force her to put the bike down and run a few laps of the basketball court to get her frustration out, much to the amusement of the ever present thugs who shoot hoops down there.

So instead it’s a quiet night for us, as I attempt to restore her health before school tomorrow, using tomato soup and pesto sandwiches as medicine. She’s adamant she’s too sick to go, while I lean in the other direction. Apparently she was the fifth child sent home today with a temperature and cough, so there’s another epidemic doing the rounds.

Yesterday we saw James for the first time since he returned on Saturday from his seven weeks of travelling. He gave me the most beautiful Tibetan singing bowl, and Miss M some bracelets he’d bought from a little girl not much older than her. I think it’ll take a while for him to readjust to being back home, but he looks fantastic, and it’s great to have him back.

Today I’m loving: the crazy, loveable people I work with and for at the gym, who always make me feel great no matter what else is going on.

A great spread of fitness articles in the weeklies:

Famous, Page 66: High Tech Workouts

Basically an article about ditching the traditional gym workout for some new, allegedly groovy ideas. iPod personal training, virtual bike riding, Nike shoes which combine with an iPod training program, and fat busting video games are all on the agenda. Hmm, interesting ideas, but I think what this article is forgetting is it isn’t enough to download training programs onto your iPod, it’s still up to you to break a sweat. Hi-tech, low-tech, nothing’s going to get you fit unless it involves hard work. If you’re not motivated to work out, I honestly don’t think any of these things will get you there. Great for people who travel, or who can’t make it to a gym, but for most people, these things won’t be used anymore than the old school exercise bike sitting in the corner of the living room.

Interesting, but nothing to write home about. ☆☆☆

NW - Page 72, Get Bikini Ready

Some options on how to maximise your calorie burn either during your workouts, or just while you talk on the phone. Some good ideas including heading to the beach to run on sand (a killer workout), and dancing with your friends. Also has some ideas for avoiding bad snacking at work, and a couple of other nutrition tips. ☆☆

OK, Page 84 - Paris Hits the Gym

Excuse my sniggering, but these have to be the least convincing pictures of a workout I’ve ever seen. Teddy Bass, an A-list personal trainer is whipping Paris into shape for 60-90 minutes a day, up to five days a week. Wow, now if only he could get her to stop tilting her neck to the side for the cameras, maybe those workouts would be better. The rundown on what he’s got her doing is fine, but she’s missing any kind of resistance training for her back, so it’s unbalanced as far as upper body goes. If the main picture shows her squat technique (it’s hard to tell what’s really going on here), please don’t replicate it at home.☆ (hilarity value only)

Bye Bye Baby Weight, Page 30

Small article on Katie Holmes’s rigorous exercise regime. It includes a rumoured daily routine of 200 sit ups. I bet Katie’s paying a heap of money for a trainer, and if they’re getting her to do 200 sit ups a day, the she should sack them right now. Happily, she’s also doing some Pilates - hopefully not with the same trainer, or you have to question their understanding of the quality versus quantity ideas Joseph Pilates had - which will at least give her some functional abdominal strength.

I know I’ve said this before, but anyone who’s had a baby needs to do exercise to involve functional muscles, in slowly incremented amounts, not zillions of repetitions of a predominantly useless exercise. ☆☆ (second star added because of Pilates)

Woman’s Day, Page 74, Star Workouts

Yay, star workouts! A rundown of who’s doing what in the who’s who of Hollywood.
Broken down into four parts - resistance training, yoga, Pilates, and running, and the kilojoules burned per hour. Interesting article, but I think the closeness of running and resistance training kJ’s burned has to be a misprint. Definately building lean muscle mass via resistance training helps burn fuel, but burning k’s while doing it shouldn’t really be the main aim.

The best way to view this quartet of styles is as four parts of a balanced routine. Pilates for core strength and postural awareness, resistance training for an awesome buff body, running for cardio and fat burning, and yoga to keep yourself limber. No one type of exercise can deliver everything you need, so it’s important to remember that while you might really enjoy doing one particular thing, you’ll get more benefit if you add variety.

☆☆☆ Good content, would be better if balance between styles was suggested, and less focus on burning kJ’s. Move more + eat less = kJ’s burned without having to count.

On the same page is a small article by Dr John Tickell where he blasts fad-diet fixes. I totally agree with what he says, but this is mainly a plug for his book. Doesn’t make the information any less truthful though. ☆☆☆

New Idea, Page 71, Hype vs Health

Article on Hollywood stars and their dietary quirks by Dr Tim Crowe, who is a dietician and lecturer in nutrition at Deakin University. I like this article, because finally someone is saying egg white omelettes are totally unnecessary, and missing integral vitamins which are found in the yolk. Also under the gun is Nicole Richie’s favorite pasta with lemon juice, chewing gum, and protein drinks. Sensible and interesting information. ☆☆☆☆

Our cat, Pilchen is a strange creature. I acquired her after weeks of asking “can we get a kitten?” relentlessly, until Michael finally gave in. When we went to the RSPCA there were about twenty six kittens in the enclosure, and Pilchen marched up to me, climbed onto my shoulder, and it seemed pointless to look any further since she’d clearly chosen me. She’s totally black, and has a torn ear from a fight with some other cat in the neighbourhood. She’s tiny, but pound for pound the toughest cat in the street. She’s also best friends with Mr Dog, which I think gives her a fearlessness the other cats lack.

This morning, I walked into the laundry to go to the toilet - which is through the laundry, just in case you were wondering. This is where Pilchen sleeps overnight, and I discovered her, drinking from the toilet, while perched half inside the bowl. Sure, a cat has to drink, but the disturbing thing is I gave her fresh water last night which was still in plentiful supply. She did have the grace to look like she’d been busted doing something unsavoury.

This evening, Miss M and I went out for dinner, because I’d had a fairly crap day and couldn’t face cooking any food. When we came home, we were eating icecream in Miss M’s room. I noticed Pilchen had come upstairs and was nosing around the doll’s house - and knocked over the miniature toilet because she was trying to get her nose inside! I swear I’m not making that up. Obviously the cat needs some kind of twelve step program, so I’m going to have to find Toilet Drinkers Anonymous and take her along.

Today I’m loving: tomorrow will be daylight savings, and I will be awake before those pesky birds are chirping outside my window.

I was going to write details of a bad eBay experience I had today, but I’ve decided it’s not worth the time. I’ll just say people who don’t read the listings properly and expect something to arrive within a day need to think again. Instead, I’ll relish the memory of a most fabulous Buddhist yoga class (Buddha would tell me to forgive the eBay jerk, but it’ll take a bit more time for my enlightenment to come around), and be proud that I was going to go to Target to buy a dress to make myself feel better, but I’m going to be strong, and not buy the dress. Instead I’m going to wear a great dress I already have. And have a long bath and read trashy magazines. But not while wearing the dress.

Miss M is spending the evening with her father, so the house is quiet - except for Mr Dog barking at the neighbour’s cat. I’m hideously sore from my workout yesterday, but in all the right places so that almost makes it okay … almost. I’m also going to rewatch Zoolander, which is one of my favorite movies. After I go over to James’ house and water his plants before he comes home tomorrow. Hopefully they’ve all survived, because I haven’t left myself enough time to go to the nursery before he gets back. I think on the way I’ll buy some rice paper rolls and soup.

Today I’m loving: listening to Rage Against The Machine, then watching their videos on You Tube.

I’ve had a strange day. Invigorating, fabulous and also upsetting. This afternoon the property guy, Tim came around to look at our house. He was lovely, funny and down to earth - not what you’d expect from a real estate agent, and he seemed to understand the emotionally heightened situation I was finding myself in. There’s no figure being touted around yet - Monday is the ETA, but as I closed the door after him I couldn’t help shedding a few tears. Stupid emotions! I think I’ve pulled myself together now, but it’s all very weird. I guess a sense of the unknown and impending change is what humans avoid at all costs, and I’m now at a stage where avoidance no longer works. Boo!

On the invigorating side, earlier today I had a fabulous encounter with someone I have a major crush on at work. Since leaving a long term relationship, I’ve been slightly cynical about any kind of emotional investment in another person, but this particular person, who I won’t write any details about, is just incredible, and highly attractive. The encounter was brief, but awesome, and was orchestrated by my delightful personal trainer. Thank you Steve!

Tomorrow I start with a new client, a new person came to Yummy Mummies this morning, and I’ve been offered a job writing about fitness for women with children in a local paper (it only comes out twice a year, but is still fabulous), so business is going well. I’ve got one class and another client to see before my working day is done, and I’m feeling rather weary. Lucky my trusty coffee machine is always at my beck and call!

Today I’m loving: Steve. You might have made me lift 20kg in my most hated exercise, but you’re still my hero!

I’ve always had very vivid dreams. I keep a lot of them to myself, because sometimes they’re a tad insane, and you never know when three of your friends are going to get together and decide to commit you.

I sometimes wonder what a psychologist would make of them, but I can usually work it out for myself. Take the one I had last night. I was living on a badly built, leaky houseboat. Every time anyone walked on it, it would tilt to the side and my possessions would fall in the water and float away. Oddly, the only time I was really bothered was when my pink explorer socks drifted off, and I had to dive in and save them. It also had some crazy adjuncts about eBay, and something to do with this site being stolen. I may, or may not have woken up drooling.

Since I have a valuer coming to inspect my house at 1pm tomorrow, I think I may be a little preoccupied with my home of thirteen years, and how fragile my relationship with it might be. Either that, or I really love those pink explorers. I thought I’d been doing a good job of staying chilled out, but it’s clearly in my thoughts, at least subconsciously.

I even had an anxiety dream about the CPR course on Monday, because I wasn’t sure how long it would take to ride from Hunt’s to North Melbourne (and I’m notoriously bad at reading the Melways). In my dream, I forgot my second appointment and headed off, getting a phone call later from my client, who was embroiled in some mad problem and needed rescuing.

I don’t feel consciously stressed by any of it, yet my brain is a total traitor, and works on it’s own mad agenda. I suppose it’s not all bad, because at least I get some good stories out of it - except for the drooling part. Anyway, tomorrow afternoon I will get a better idea of what’s going on, and no doubt my dreams will let me know what I really think about it all.

Today I’m loving: my gorgeous friend Leisa - please forgive me for writing a post about dreams! To read the original dream post, go to her blog, and check out the charity auction.

Slightly held up by yesterday’s schedule change, but better late than never!

1. Eat almonds - they contain protein and fibre to fill you up, also vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant. If you’re feeling low on energy, they also boost magnesium, which is vital for get up and go, building and maintaining muscle and keeping blood sugar level. Almonds are also super sneaky, because research indicates that the way their cell walls are composed may help reduce your body’s ability to absorb all the fat they contain, making them one of the best nuts you can choose. A handful a day - about 23 nuts in total, is perfect.

2. Don’t always believe the hype. The recent best selling book “French Women Don’t Get Fat” claims the French way of eating is perfect for being satiated and staying slim. Recent research however, shows at least 40% of French citizens are overweight. Would you be surprised to know the top franchise in Europe is McDonald’s … ?

3. Enjoy some sun. Make sure you’re following sunsmart guidelines, but get out and catch some early morning rays to make yourself feel better. More and more people are being diagnosed with Vitamin D deficiencies, and not getting enough sun has been linked to depression, and the wonderfully named SAD (seasonal affective disorder). Make some time to go for a walk before work - the sun is up around five thirty in Melbourne at the moment, so set your alarm and get out there. Go somewhere beautiful, even if it’s only checking out some lovely gardens in your surrounding streets. Breathe deeply, walk briskly, then go home and have a delicious breakfast and feel virtuous.

4. Make Low Fat Pizza - as promised, in response to the magazine article which only gave frozen pizza as an alternative to dodgy fat laden home delivered ones. You can make your own pizza so easily, and it can be really honestly good for you.

The base: it depends on how much time you’ve got, and how much like Jamie Oliver you’re feeling. I like to break it down into three categories:

Heaps of time: make your own dough. Easy, and a great stress buster when the kneading time comes. Not so good if you come home from work and want to eat straight away, but great for the weekend, especially if you’re trying to impress friends with your pizza making abililties. There are a zillion dough recipes out there, but if you want one from me, just leave a comment and I’ll post it. You can replace a proportion of the normal flour with some wholemeal, semolina or polenta (probably about 100g of each of those) to add some crunch and extra fibre to your pizza.

A little less time: buy a pre-prepared base. You can find ones that aren’t soaked in olive oil - they’re very thin and will end up quite crunchy.

Want it now now now! Grab some large pita bread. Your pizza base is ready to go.

Toppings: this is where the low-fat quotient of heaps of pizzas falls down. If you can stick to predominantly veggies, and just add a little meat, hopefully lean, you’re doing well. Mushrooms, tomato, capsicum, Spanish onion, baby spinach, artichokes, grilled eggplant or zuccini are all fantastic. You can go for lean ham or bacon, some minced chicken, or lean beef - even make your own meatballs if you felt like it. Basil, marjoram and oregano go really nicely with pizza. Spread the base with tomato puree or passata, with a little garlic crushed into it if you like. Add your chosen toppings, then grate some parmesan cheese on top. Try to limit yourself to a thin covering of cheese, which lets the ingredients shine through. Bake until it’s brown and crispy. Voila - your own awesome, healthy pizza.

If you have kids, they can make their own mini ones - or help you make a half and half one. The possibilities are endless, so be as creative as you like.

5. This week’s yoga pose - Spiralling Reed. You can do this pose standing, sitting or kneeling, depending on what feels most comfortable. The gentle spinal rotation is perfect for making you feel more upright and loose after sitting at a computer for long periods of time.

A: Sitting, standing or kneeling, engage your abdominals, bring your shoulders back, and have your arms by your sides.

B: Inhale, and bring your arms up so they are straight, beside your ears.

C: As you exhale, slowly turn to the side and bring your arms down beside you. One should end up in front of you, one slightly further back. Don’t force the twist, it’s supposed to be gentle. Continue for up to fifteen breaths, moving on the inhale and exhale. Make sure the breath is gentle, and doesn’t make your body tense up.

Click on the link below to see the pose in real time.
Miss M in action

Please note, this pose is not suitable for anyone with a lower back problem. No responsibility will be assumed for any injury resulting from performing this pose.

It’s always interesting to hear different views of the same event. I believe several films have been made around that topic, most notably “Rashomon”. My own epic centres around our dog, Max, aka Mr Dog, Mr Boy, or Pinichio, and how he came to live at our house. This is how I remember it.

I was seven months pregnant and upstairs on a hideously hot summer’s day, watching “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (no multiple points of view, but an awesome film just the same). After it had finished, I was on my way to the supermarket, but couldn’t find my wallet. Around that time my brain wasn’t working so well, but my laptop computer was also not where I remembered leaving it, so I rang my then partner Michael, to ask if he’d moved them. Within moments, it became clear we’d been burgled - which meant the burglar had been there while I was upstairs. If it happened now I probably wouldn’t be so worried, being strong and able to bench press heaps of weight. Being pregnant and alone in the house, I totally flipped.

After the police came and told me that probably the house had been watched, and I was considered a “soft target”, I told Michael we could either move, or get a dog. He hated dogs, but since he hated moving more, the second option was the most palatable. So we went to the Lost Dog’s Home, where there were two dogs. One who was very timid, and another one who basically took out a top hat and cane and did a soft shoe shuffle in order to let us know he was the dog for us. We left without a dog, but I couldn’t get that hard working puppy out of my mind. The next day we went back, and he came home with us. We named him Hercules, but quickly worked out it had too many syllables. So we changed his name to Max, after Maxwell Smart. Max will be eight at Christmas time, and is the best dog ever. I know that will be disputed by many people who believe their dog is the best, but I stand by my claim.

Now back to my original point, which is how people remember events differently. We come now to Miss M’s version, which is ironic, since she was -2 months old at the time. Still, I’ve learned not to argue with her. So here it is, typed with her own two little fingers:

HOW I GOT MY DOG
When my dog was a puppy he had mean owners. They were mean because they robbed. So he ran away but when he ran away he got lost but the pet shelter found him then later that day i went to the pet shelter and i bought him and now he is happy.

So there you have it. Rashomon in Richmond, with slightly less points of view. And now, I’m going to take Max for a walk, throw a ball in the river for him, and watch him swim back in the filthy water. Hopefully he doesn’t regret coming to live with us. Here’s a link to the Lost Dogs Home Newsletter from the year I got him, if you’re interested, click the link and scroll to the fifth page, where you’ll see his handsome face.

ldh_summer1999.pdf

Today I’m loving: too many things to narrow it down to just one.