health&fitnessfactorfiction.com

Missing in action last week, due to my midweek meltdown, but back now!

1. Switch your huge handbag for a backpack. I read an article a while ago about how much damage women are doing to themselves by carrying enormous bags around, filled with too many unnecessary items. I checked out my own bag, and had to concur. So I started using a backpack, and it’s made a huge (positive) difference to my posture, and tension in my upper body. Admittedly, a backpack isn’t always the most stylish choice, but if you keep your handbag light, and go for the function over form when you have to be more of a packhorse, it’s a good rule of thumb. Crumpler messenger bags might look super funky, but their backpacks look great as well. Save your spine today!

2. Eat a savoury breakfast. Recent research has shown that eating a non-sweet breakfast combining carbohydrate, protein and a small amount of fat will keep you full for longer, and reduce cravings for sweet things later in the day. Now that eggs are no longer the dietary bad guys, you could make one (boiled, poached or scrambled in non stick pan) part of a delicious breakfast that also included grainy toast, grilled tomato and lean bacon. Add some baby spinach and it’s filling and delicious.

3. Listen to some great music. As I discovered while feeling crap last week, music can drag you down, or lift you up. Find some music you love, and listen to it while doing something mundane like washing up or cleaning the bathroom (like I did yesterday) and make it much more fun. Cooking dinner is far more fun when you’re accompanied by cool tunes. My pick for domestic chores this week is The Blind Boys of Alabama, especially any song involving Tom Waits as a writer. However on my way to yoga, I like to listen to Rage Against The Machine. Go figure …

4. Make vegetable soup. It’s easy and delicious. Choose any selection of your favorite veggies, and make a giant vat of soup on the weekend. All you really need to do is chop (put that inspiring music on), saute, then let it do it’s thing. Add some barley, or maybe some legumes to make it more filling, and you have a great meal with minimal effort. If the idea of something totally vegetarian freaks you out too much, use chicken stock to add some meaty flavour. If you’re super organised, you can even freeze some in small containers and take it to work during the week for lunch.

5. This week’s yoga pose - Vrkasana - Tree Pose. Any time you ask kids if they know any yoga poses, this is invariably the one they show you. It’s Miss M’s favorite - a tough pose, but great for creating focus, and balance (because it’s a balance pose). Like any balance pose, you need to find a gaze point to focus on. Make sure it’s something that won’t move - don’t look at your reflection in the mirror, because if you waver, you’ll fall over. The other thing, which is tough to do, is not to push yourself too far into the pose. It’s better to keep one foot on the ground if you need to, than be off balance for the whole time you’re doing the pose.

Try to keep your breath relaxed, and if you haven’t done this pose before, make sure you have a wall handy, so you can snake a hand out to help you stay upright if you need to.

Phase 1.

Only lift one foot slightly. This is still balancing, but it’s perfect for beginners. Make sure the leg you’re standing on is “active” - pull your muscles up to make it stronger. Try and have as much of your foot on the ground as possible, and when you’re comfortable, bring your hands in front of you. Keep your eyes open, because closing them makes it super hard.

Phase 2.

Bring your foot up slightly higher, and push it into the supporting leg, which makes the pose stronger. Make sure it’s not pressing against your knee joint (knees move out to the side, and pressing against them isn’t a good idea). The same principles apply as for phase 1, but you need to focus more on your breathing and posture.

Phase 3.

Once you’re comfortable with the midway balance, you can use your hand to bring your foot further up your leg. Again, press it into your supporting leg. Keep your shoulders down, and your breathing relaxed. Try and stay up for 6-10 breaths, and build from there. Repeat on the other side.

It’s important to remember that some days, balancing is easy as pie. On other occasions, it feels impossible. Just go with what feels right, and don’t force yourself to go too far. Yoga is much more enjoyable when you listen to your body and don’t push it beyond what’s comfortable (as I know from years of doing just that). If you’re pregnant, please be aware balancing becomes more difficult as you progress through your pregnancy, so make sure there’s some form of support (wall, chair) close by.

I started this review really early today and felt quite proud of myself, but forgot to save it, and there’s been a blackout, so I’ve had to start over. That’ll teach me to be a girly swot!

New Idea, Page 91, Get Fit With Guy

I really like Guy Leech’s columns. This one is about his attitude to life, which basically amounts to go hard and be a good person. Great advice. ☆☆☆☆

Woman’s Day, Page 14, Get a Flat Tummy Fast

Addendum to Kirstie Allie’s weight loss article on the previous pages. You probably know my attitude towards anything promising fast weight loss of any kind, and this is no exception. It’s important to note it’s taken Kirstie Allie a long time to achieve her impressive new body, which is exactly what you’d expect. She’s done it sensibly, so hopefully she’ll be able to maintain her great work.

There’s definitely some good advice here, but outmoded ideas like not eating carbs after 3pm should be long forgotten. Your body can’t tell what time it is, and what matters is what you’re eating and how much of it. 3pm, 7am, 11.30am - it’s all the same.

No five day eating plan is going to give you a “toned tummy in a flash”, so again, forget what it’s promising. There are good elements to it, lots of fruit and veggies, but you should vary the types of veggies you include, and add some legumes and wholegrains like oats for breakfast, since it’s fairly light on fibre. No stars for the misleading title, but the eating plan gets ☆☆☆

On Page 74, Dr John Tickell’s headline says he “blasts fad-diet fixes”. Wonder what he’d make of the flat tummy fast idea? His principles are good, but like last time, it’s a big plug for his book(s).☆☆☆

Famous, Page 64, Laugh your way to health, wealth and happiness

Interesting. Apparently laughing is a great cardiovascular workout. I know it definitely works your abdominal muscles, but you’d have to find something truly hilarious to get you the good cardio results. There are heaps of other benefits to laughing listed in this article, and I like the idea of enjoying yourself to get fit and healthy. Don’t ditch the rest of your workout though. ☆☆ (only because I’m skeptical)

NW, Page 74, Fergie’s Workout Secrets

Not the Duchess of York, the Black Eyed Pea Fergie, who sure does have a hot body. I like her advice, which includes balancing your lifestyle, varying your routine, and keeping your iPod packed with an awesome playlist. I have to baulk at the idea of walking backwards on a treadmill though, especially if it’s “to firm up her thighs”. Do some squats or lunges or just go for a run, and your thighs will probably be way firmer - and you run less risk of falling on your ass! ☆☆☆ (I’m taking one star away for the crazy treadmill idea)

Over the page there’s a list of the top ten antioxidant containing foods. Berries rate highly (my beloved cranberries are number 10) - and coffee. I could kiss the Norwegians who did the testing!

OK, Page 86 - Celebrity Bodies - Jennifer Hawkins

Ah Jennifer Hawkins. I think this is the third article in less than three months about her body, and checking out the pictures, it’s easy to see why.

The great news is Jennifer has a really smart attitude to fitness, and sounds like a totally normal person (who’s been genetically blessed!). She exercises, eats the occasional naughty thing, but for the most part tries to live a healthy life. There’s some dietary advice here as well.☆☆☆

I’ve just waved goodbye to Miss M for the day, who’s all hopped up on party lollies and cocktail saveloys, although she admitted she’d eaten too many of the latter (and not enough of the former). She accompanied her friend Alex and his little sister Tasha to a birthday party at Billy Lids, a local indoor play centre. Alex looked rakishly handsome out of his school uniform, and came to collect Miss M by himself. They laughed at my suggestion that she take a jacket, because “it’s gonna be boiling in there”. While she was gone, I did the unthinkable and cleaned the bathroom in a slightly more complete way than I normally do (didn’t just pick up dirty clothes off the floor and hide dirt in a crafty way), and it looks great. I was going to vaccuum as well, but hey, it’s Sunday, and I’m already working this afternoon.

Last night I managed to wake Miss M in time to get to the supermarket at supreme bargain time, and came away with organic mince, osso bucco, frenched lamb shanks and King Island rump steak at a fraction of the original price. Miss M eventually asked if we could get out of the meat department, but was happy to stay a little longer when I pointed out my plan to stock up so we didn’t have to shop as often. Tomorrow I’m making my favorite lamb pizza with sumac (I LOVE sumac!), and I’ve been given instructions for pre-Karate snacks, so we’re all organised on the food front.

Sunday’s always been a strange day. Even when I had the day off it always had a feeling of going way too fast and there never being enough time to do what you needed to (except deal with a mammoth hangover by going to McDonalds). Now I work at least five hours, and have to say goodbye to Miss M in the middle of the day, so it goes even faster, with less time to get stuff done. Even so, I can’t help but love it because it’s a sleep in day - except when a small child wakes you to accompany them to the bathroom at 4.45am! And how can you say no?

Today I’m loving: finally organising Xmas!

I’ll never understand why bubble skirts are in fashion again. I didn’t get it the first time, and a second go round is just truly insane. Who looks good in them? No one, that’s who. Sorry about ranting like that, but I’ve just sifted through my second glossy monthly of December to find no exercise articles, and too many fashion pages filled with hideous outfits no one in their right mind would wear. Maybe I’m getting old, but I refuse to spend over $200 on something made of polyester that makes me look like a marshmallow on legs. Ah, I feel better now.

So today’s worked out pretty well. Bought heaps of fruit at the market, but have probably consumed a few too many apricots and may regret it later on. I love stone fruit, especially at market prices. Cherries were only $7.99 a kilo, and just awesome. Strawberries no longer have to be imported from Qld (nothing against you guys, but I like the wee Victorian ones better), so of course I bought four punnets. And mangoes, lots of nuts and some dried fruit. And now I feel good.

Miss M is sleeping after a busy day of racing around like a maniac, consuming Shanghai’s finest dumpling offerings (fried pork dumplings, prawn and pork wontons in noodle soup, fried sliced rice cake with baby corn and wombok, and pumpkin cake - Ria, I mainly wrote that for you!) along with me and my brother (my brother and I?), then swimming at the pool this afternoon in a quite masterful fashion. After we came home, she announced she was taking a nap, and promptly fell asleep. Which is good, but also bad, because now I can’t leave the house, and I want to buy steak. Guess I’ll just have to eat some more apricots …

I bought my first bubble tea today, and had to ditch it after only a few sips. My brother James is a bubble tea afficionado, and threw down the gauntlet for me to try one. Never one to back away from a randomly issued challenge, I went for a green tea aloe vera version, with “yummy” aloe vera pieces. Yeah, well, replace “yummy” with a slightly different word of your choice, and you might be a little more on the money. “Slimy”, “perverted”, “disgusting” or some other less printable adjectives would all work.

I’ve been toying with the idea of buying Strivectin, the cult anti-wrinkle cream phenomenon in the US at the moment. As my mother pointed out though, I’ll probably be hideously allergic to it, and will have spent a fortune to end up with ugly blotches on my face. Guess it’d shift focus away from any wrinkles though, right? Possibly I could just do lots of headstands, as in yoga they’re considered the pose most likely to keep you looking young. Far less expensive too. Now I’m going to see if I can rouse my angelic sleeping child enough to go to the supermarket, and if I can’t, it’s miso soup with chargrilled tuna for dinner, which actually sounds delicious enough to maybe forget the steak.

Today I’m loving: apart from stone fruit, my witty, wonderful daughter who is a delight to be around.

Got too caught up with other things to post yesterday, but I’m happy to report I feel like myself again. Yoga yesterday was made even more enjoyable by the presence of Jo, and coffee and a giant slice of lemon meringue pie was the perfect ending to a class. I honestly don’t know why I crave sugar so much after yoga - maybe there’s some sort of thesis to be written about it?

Having been depressed for two days, I’ve discovered an important list of things not to do while you’re feeling down:

Go to the playlist on your iPod called “Sad Songs”.
Download Tom Waits, then play “Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis” late at night (which you haven’t had time to put in the “Sad Songs” playlist yet)
Watch the episode of Futurama where Fry’s dog is rescued from the ruins of old New York
Look at your hair too much
Even check out the cover of the Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansen film where they’re in Japan, which I have downstairs and can’t think of the name of just at the moment. (Lost in Translation - I just remembered)
Eat a lot of sugar/fat/every other thing that’s bad for you, possibly all in a fifteen minute space of time

However, you will (or I did) have an urge to do every one of these things, and more, while unconsciously steering yourself away from anything upbeat. I did walk Max and pat four horses (possibly of the Apocolypse) on Wednesday, which made me feel much better. There’s nothing sweeter than a dog who knows you’re not quite yourself and is trying to work out how they can make it better. Perhaps retrieving a big stick will entertain you? OK that didn’t work - but check out my array of yoga poses … look, downface and upface dog, and I can do cobra as well! Watch me chase those horses away - oh, sorry, you were patting them. Look, a big stick!

Now he’s lying beside me in a patch of sunshine and looking very zen. Miss M made him a big fake breakfast this morning with her toy oven, and presented it to him on a tray in a covered platter. He wasn’t so interested in the plastic meat, but then we gave him some dog jerky and bacon from our breakfast and he seemed very happy.

So my mission for the day is to get a whole lot of fruit from the market, go for dumplings at lunchtime, possibly with my brother, and have an early night. Maybe I’ll eat a steak as well. It doesn’t get more perfect!

Today I’m loving: that I finally succumbed and bought the dress I’d tried on at Target, on sale with an extra 20% off. It looks great, but I won’t wear it today, because we’re doing extreme swinging, and I don’t want anyone seeing my knickers!

There’s an episode of the Simpsons where Homer’s sitting in Moe’s bar, and Moe asks “Why so glum, Glummy?” Happily, I wouldn’t be jumping in to answer the question, having moved from glum to just super tired. A strange day of emotional ups and downs, but my hair is looking way better!

Tomorrow I go to yoga, and will be accompanied by my beautiful friend Jo, who is back in Melbourne, visiting from LA, where she now lives with her gorgeous husband Jack. I met her during my last job in TV land, a show called “The Coast”, which is worthy of at least twenty posts, maybe more. Suffice to say it didn’t ever make it to the small screen, despite the best efforts of a highly talented, mainly female script department.

Jo was part of a group of the most fabulous women (and one honorary woman - hi Glenn!) I’ve ever worked with, and we remain far flung, but great friends to this day, and can pick up where we left off at the drop of a hat. Much of our friendship revolved around admiring various pieces of clothing (among many less shallow pursuits), giving rise to the phrase “love your pants”, which could be used for any and every situation. I used to make cakes for everyone’s birthdays, and iced one of them with that very catchcry.

One of the things I love best about Jo coming to yoga is that we’ve never actually spoken about the class, but she’s read all about it on this site. I can’t wait to hear what she thinks of it afterwards. While working on The Coast, we’d often go to the park at lunchtime, and Jo would entertain us with incredible feats of gymnastic talent she’d learned at her tumbling class, as well as the best chinups I’ve ever seen a woman do. I may need to remind myself about non competetiveness in yoga class!

Tonight I’m having a super early night, my sweet girl is staying with me for the next three nights, and tomorrow is (theoretically) looking good. Let’s see what it brings!

Today I’m loving: Ria and Josh. Always, but especially today.

Some days are no fun. Today has been an administrative nightmare, and to top it off, I feel glum. Such a great word, and exceptionally descriptive. My carefully planned morning tomorrow has got cancellations all over the place, but I’ve decided that’s fine, I’m going to study instead, and perhaps do some meditation. I could even go out for breakfast and have the fabulous porridge at Red Tongue.

My hair is driving me mad and I’m not sure what to do about it. I almost got out my clippers today and shaved it all off again, but when I thought about what Miss M would say, it didn’t seem worth the pain! So I’ve taken to wearing a headband, which has pulled the ‘fro down somewhat. I think my biggest mistake was washing it. Before that it was funkadelic, now I look like some kind of crazy soft toy. I can’t wait for it to grow so I can just put it up when it looks crap.

But now, I’m going to read gossip in trashy mags, and relax until I have to head back to work at 6.30. And maybe drink a cup of green tea …

Finally, the mags are here!

Woman’s Day, Pg 76 - The Great Bikini Diet

Ah bikinis and their associated diets … what’s not to love? Happily, this one is something you can follow and expect to see results. Teresa Cutter is a name you might have seen in various magazines and newspapers, and she’s designed this eating plan. I’ve always liked her food, it’s easy to prepare, and would taste great - I’ve even cooked a few things from a couple of her articles.

The nutritional advice here is good - ideas on what to buy, how to be a healthy shopper and what to get rid of from your shelves. Also ideas for helping your body burn fuel more efficiently - including the ever popular “add green tea” to your day. My only complaint about the article is in the workout section, it hasn’t included any pictures or photos of the abdominal exercises. It’s really hard to get technique right without visual guidance. Remember, although the headline suggests otherwise, no amount of abdominal exercise will change the way your stomach looks unless you are also eating right, and doing a heap of fat burning cardio. I do like the suggestions for incidental exercise though, so it’s not all bad news. ☆☆☆

Famous, Pg 64 - Body Blitz

More bikini ready tips, with the idea that if you start now, you can make a difference to your body by the time summer comes. Sadly, if you’re starting out now, you’ve left it just a smidge too late, since summer’s less than four weeks away.

This article is a bizarre mix of accurate and fabrication. Great advice about burning fat before you can see your ab muscles, but later it suggests by adding a twist at the top of a crunch you can trim “muffin dough” from your sides. Nuh-uh.

Good advice for working out your butt muscles, and it’s also worth mentioning that a strong butt (or more accurately, glute muscles) can help keep your lower back strong, so don’t just work it for cosmetic value. Again, if you’re looking to lose fat, you need to get your heart rate up - you can’t target an area and just lose fat from that particular place.

Parts of this article need pictures to help explain technique, since the words are slightly misleading. I would also argue it’s nearly impossible to “blitz saggy boobs” by doing any kind of chest exercise. Sure you can tone muscles, but once gravity’s got you, it’s hard to undo. A weird blend of info. ☆☆

Over on page 66, there’s a diet plan for a fab beach body. Good simple advice, but it’s mainly to publicise two diet books. Nothing particularly groundbreaking, but useful nonetheless. Interestingly, there’s an ad for Bailey’s Mint Chocolate and Creme Caramel varieties on the same page, which comes after suggestions for healthy snacking. I’d love to know how it fits into the organic, healthy eating plan they’re pitching! ☆☆ Taking off one star because it’s all about the books.

NW, page 66, The Weight Debate

Great article on the benefits of adding weight training to your fitness regime. Heaps of women still think doing weights will make them bulk up, but having actively tried to add a heap of muscle to my body, I can tell you it’s not true. This article includes five great reasons to add resistance work to your life. If you’re worried about getting big, stick with weights you can lift 15-20 times which will add endurance and make you look great. ☆☆☆☆

OK, Pg 84, 3 Steps to Fab Abs

Celebrity trainer Donna Aston reprises her article from last months In Style magazine. Still good advice, she advocates quality over quantity, doing cardio and changing your diet. ☆☆☆☆

On the same page, Elle McPherson claims Bikram yoga is responsible for toning her body. Mmm, she also runs on the beach - maybe that has a little more to do with it than Bikram … Any weight you lose during a Bikram class will be a heap of sweat (lots and lots of it), and as soon as you drink water again, it all comes back. ☆☆

New Idea, Page 77, The New Water Diet

Slightly mistitled article, which doesn’t suggest only drinking water as a way to lose weight. It suggests that drinking more water can have health benefits and increase your metabolic rate. It also mentions that drinking too much water can be really bad for you. Interesting info. ☆☆☆

Since two of my newsletter tips (drinking more green tea and water) have been reprinted here, I feel quite proud. However I will say I’ve failed miserably at my coffee replacement 8 weeks, but I now have a guinea pig who will be far more dedicated than me, so I’ll let you know how the five kilo weight loss goes!

Today I accidentally bought The English Women’s Weekly, dated 7th November, 2006. It must have got stuck in with my other weeklies, and I didn’t realise until I got home. I was ready to scoff at it for being useless, but on page 6, there is the most fantastic two page exercise article, titled Exercise For Busy People. It has pictures, great advice, and three separate workouts that only take 10 minutes each. Except for two of the pictures (press ups and double crunches), the technique is perfect, great instructions and exercises. I’m forced to eat my mocking words! ☆☆☆☆

My horse ran 6th, possibly as punishment for me misspelling Moroccan. Paid well for the punters, apparently (although I don’t see how), but not in any sweep sense.

Never mind though, since today was lovely. Only one hour of work, then a race to create a summer pudding in twenty minutes, which I decided to make on a whim. It was fabulous, if I say so myself, and even an alcohol free version worked brilliantly. I thought I had some brandy somewhere, but could only find marsala, which I didn’t think would fly so well with berries, so I used orange juice instead. I can recommend it, especially if children will be consuming said pudding.

Lunch was a barbeque at Finbar House, which is a neighbourhood (or community) house. I’ve been teaching exercise classes there for four years, and it’s the best place. Today we ate salad made entirely with produce from the garden, and a creation of Gill’s which used broad beans from the garden with bacon, pine nuts and baby fennel. She’d even double peeled them, and I believe deserves a standing ovation for such wonderful dedication.

The weather wasn’t delightful, but it didn’t matter, because we all had a ball. The children ran wild, the horses ran straight, and I didn’t even get drunk!

Still no new mags at the shops, so tomorrow will be review day. I have a mountain of washing up in the kitchen I’m not going to do ’til manana, and Miss M is yelling for me to go and watch a new episode of the Simpsons. How can I resist?

Today I’m loving: Estelle - what a woman!

It’s almost unbelievable, but tonight when I went to purchase my weekly magazines to review, there were no new ones. Two places, and only last week’s trashy news! I was devastated. And because it’s a public holiday tomorrow, I’ve got a terrible feeling it’ll be Wednesday before anything new arrives. Nooooo! I’m so shattered, the weekly newsletter can wait ’til tomorrow.

Today was fairly uneventful. I had a cancellation at nine, so I came home and saw Miss M at school, grocery shopped, taught a nice yoga class with an awesome variation on downward dog, and discovered the horse I’d been given in tomorrow’s cup sweep. I can’t remember its name now, but it sounded Moroccan. Since I like Moroccan food, perhaps that means it will win?

The gym was strangely quiet this morning, I guess because so many people take a four day weekend, so it was nice to be able to use any piece of equipment I wanted. I celebrated by getting my first client to use nearly everything in the gym in a mad huge circuit. He may or may not feel it tomorrow!

Today I’m loving: Cadbury Dairy Milk in conjunction with coffee