health&fitnessfactorfiction.com

Fashion Week Food Diaries, Pg 76

When I saw this article mentioned on the cover, I was cynical enough to think, “yeah right, like they’ll tell the truth about what they eat”. Seems I was wrong, because if this is an improvement on what people actually eat … well, I have no words.

Five different people’s week long food diaries are published here - a socialite, a model, a pr guru, event co-ordinator and a fashion editor. And the model is probably the one who eats the best food, most regularly. I could never work in the fashion industry - such long breaks between meals would make me murder someone within the first couple of days. My advice is not to emulate anything you read in this article.

Instead, turn to The Lazy Girl’s Guide to eating and exercise, Pg 136, where the three recipes on the first page are ones I’d really like to try, especially the spinach soup which sounds fab. While I don’t necessarily agree with Demi Moore’s idea of all food being raw, when it’s delicious, and it’s incorporated into a balanced diet including cooked foods, I say bring it on!

Over the page, there’s a great Mexican recipe for marinated chicken with great salsa. I love Mexican food (but not that crap masquerading as Mexican) and there’s a list of reasons for why it’s great for you to eat. A lot of these tie in to the In Style article on healthy eating for great skin, so “ole”!

There’s an interesting paragraph on a Blackmore’s supplement called Sugar Balance. It allegedly helps beat afternoon sugar cravings, by enhancing chromium absorption, which balances sugar levels in the body, reduces cravings for sweet foods, and replaces nutrients needed for energy, which are lost when you up your exercise quotient. If you struggle to control yourself around a packet of chocolate biscuits (or cake of the day) around 3pm, maybe this is the solution for you. I’m certainly intrigued by the idea, and will be investigating further.

The last page pitches one of my favorite exercise theories - use your leg muscles, and your workout will be far more effective. Your legs are the biggest muscle group you have, and any exercise using them burns heaps of energy, and creates a kick on effect for the rest of your body. Men especially seem to dislike doing leg exercises, but when you ignore them, you’re robbing yourself of the best effect you can get - and a great butt as well!

Two leg exercises are shown here, “shopping trolley squats” and wall sits. Love wall sits, and if you want strong thighs and endurance, you can’t get a better exercise than this (especially if you’re going skiing this winter). I also love squats, but this picture shows the most extreme knee position I’ve ever seen, and I really question the technique suggested here. My tips for squats - keep your weight through the back of your heels, and stick your bottom out. You should be able to wiggle your toes without upsetting your balance. Don’t do the crazy lifted heels version here, unless you’ve been taught how to do it properly, especially if you have any type of knee problem.

I agree that the best exercises are ones you can do anywhere, and compound exercises (ones using lots of muscles versus something like bicep curls which is a single joint or isolation exercise) are far more efficient at burning energy. You just need good technique when you do them.

Great recipes, good advice, slightly dodgy technique, I rate it ***

No shame in coming last, Pg 141

I always say I love AJ Rochester’s articles, and I’m saying it here again. Read it and enjoy.

Awesome issue of In Style, although I’m annoyed at my inability to post a photograph of Sophie Ellis Bextor’s haircut. Still, I’m a grown up and I can move on from there, but if you’re standing in the supermarket queue and need something to fill in the time, turn to page 166 and check out her great ‘do and flawless makeup. It’s almost enough to make me wear makeup more often. Almost!

Still, I might not have to if this nutrition article in this month’s issue is worth it’s salt (to coin a nutrition-style joke). Just a few pages on from the great haircut and make up you’ll find:

Eat right, Look Great, Pg 185

Three pages of foods to focus on for different skin problems, ranging from acne, dry skin, puffy eyes (thanks, 5am start) and rosacea. There are also foods to avoid if you have these problems, so you can give yourself a double hit of effectiveness. This article quotes top New York dermatologist Nicholas Perricone, who has a series of best selling books, and Melbourne based dietician Melanie McGrice.

One of the things I like most about this article is the third page, where there are easy to implement ways of getting extra nutrition into your diet, via juices, herbal tea and nut bars (they recommend Nut Delight by Be Natural, and I second their recommendation - delicious!). There’s a list at the side of the “substitute this for that” variety, which I’m always a sucker for.

All in all, a great article. I give it ****, and will be trying out several of the suggestions myself.

After a great day on many work related levels, I came home just before 2pm and let Mr Dog inside. His gait was slightly different to the usual prance through the door, but I initially thought it was a trick of the light. We set off to the supermarket to purchase a swag of magazines (which will be reviewed later this afternoon), and it quickly became apparent the poor dog was limping. The most tragic thing was as he limped, he kept wagging his tail, almost as though he was apologising for not keeping up properly.

I examined the foot he seemed to be favouring and couldn’t find any obvious flaws, then felt around the muscles at the top of his leg (I’m not sure about canine anatomy), but they all seemed fine - or at least he didn’t shriek and snap at me, which I think is a positive sign. I thought very seriously about taking him back home, but his wagging tail and generally happy demeanour made us press on. I took him off the lead at the little park we pass through, and he ran madly, then limped even more afterwards. I felt terrible.

I’m not sure what’s caused the problem - maybe chasing some kind of interloper in the backyard, sleeping oddly, or just straining a muscle, but whatever it is, I’ll have to take him to the vet if he hasn’t recovered in the next day or so. At the moment he’s curled up in his bed and looking very content. Miss M was brought to tears by the sight of her dog limping and wagging, and I heard her later say “Maxy, if you have to be put down, you’ll always be in my heart”. I was quick to say he’d be fine, but she clarified her comment by saying it was in case he had to be put down from biting one of us while he was in pain.

It makes me see how lucky we are to have pets who are so healthy and happy all the time. I’m putting my trust in the notion this is a passing thing, and Mr Dog will quickly recover.

Today I’m loving: nail buffers, and the idea of getting my hair cut like this …

… which may or may not happen, depending on how lazy I am (and I think we all know it’s very)

It’s official, I’m in love … with cocoa! I haven’t had coffee in two days, thanks to my new favorite beverage. There’s something super warming about it, especially in the morning at about 5.15am as you’re wandering around a freezing cold, dark house, thinking “why don’t I have a heater that works faster, dammit!” Also good after school, although I’d made huge servings of polenta with parmesan this afternoon, so I abstained from a second cup. And felt virtuous in doing so.

I came to a big decision today, which is to cancel my Tuesday Yummy Mummies class. It’s been dwindling numbers wise lately, and this afternoon I ran into a woman I used to write programs for who’s recently had a baby. In her words: “the times for your classes are s%*t”. She said it with an Irish accent, and several times, and it sounded quite funny, but in the end, I realised she had a point. Most babies seem to like sleeping in the morning, so maybe an afternoon class is better. Anyway, the upshot of all of that is now my Tuesday doesn’t start until 12.15pm. This morning I took Miss M to school and was able to stay until the bell rang like a good parent does, instead of racing away to battle peak hour traffic on my bike and feel slightly disheveled as I arrive at work.

I’m also in the process of trying to eliminate Wednesday nights from my schedule, which seems to be a distinct possibility. All I can say is “hooray!”. I’ve spent more of today setting up my website, changing some advertising I have on Kidspot (if you’re bored, you can try to find my two advertisements on www.kidspot.com.au), paid online bills, and generally done things I never have time to do otherwise.

On the down side, I taught a really bad spin class at lunchtime, but it was contributed to by the audio not working properly, so instead of beating myself up non-stop over it as I normally would, I’ve acknowledged, and moved on.

All in all, a good day. Hopefully followed by another one tomorrow. Now I have to go and buy some rye bread, to toast and eat with my cocoa at 5.15am in the morning.

Today I’m loving: time - having more of it

Minutes before writing this post I pulled out some thermals from my drawer which I don’t think have seen the light of day for at least two years. When Miss M and I walked back from Karate, I was freezing - and I had at least one layer of thick wool on. Since I started riding my bike, I’ve become intimately acquainted with the weather - mainly through the clothes needed to ride comfortably. I can’t remember a time when I’ve had to layer up so much on the way to work and not had to rip most of my gear off at Hoddle Street.

I must have entertained some early morning drivers on Wednesday last week, as I’d foolishly decided to ride without gloves, and noticed quickly my hands were painfully cold. I had no way of warming them, except shoving them down the back of my pants every time I stopped at a traffic light. Effective - yes. Disturbing - probably. Now I’ve got a pair of massive ski gloves, which are highly inappropriate for bike riding, but so fabulously warm I just don’t care.

At yoga this afternoon, no one wanted to take any layers off until about half way through the class when we’d done lots of downward facing dogs, planks and lunges, and even then, it was nowhere near as warm as usual. Next week, I’m turning on the heater before we start. I like the idea we’re having a proper winter, but now I just have to remember how to dress for it.

Today I spent time working on my other website - for work - which requires a lot of obsessive copywriting changes. It’s been a long time since I’ve had energy to spare for that kind of thing, so it was fun to do. Now it’s time to take Mr Dog on a late night fog walk (no fog, but it sounds good) and put the bins out. Tomorrow I have a super late start, so there’s more time for copywriting, organising and all those good things I tend to put off ’til later.

Today I’m loving: the fruit leather I bought from Toscano’s - fabulous

As discussed in yesterday’s post, I baked a cake. I decided on the Claudia Roden orange cake, but then found a recipe in a Jill Dupleix book with lemons instead of a third orange. I had no lemons, but I had limes, which I decided I’d use instead (I could’ve used another orange, but that would’ve been boring). I didn’t have enough ground almonds, so I made up the difference with walnuts.

I’ve read several times you shouldn’t mess around with recipes when you’re baking, so maybe I should’ve known better. Luckily I tasted the mixture before I baked it, so I knew beforehand it was as bitter as … something extremely bitter. I threw a whole lot of honey in there to sweeten it up, and it’s turned out okay. I think. Or maybe I’m just trying to convince myself. James ate a slice this morning and didn’t gag, I guess that’s the litmus test. Miss M on the other hand … let’s just say there was gagging.

A large part of today was spent retrospectively applying keywords to all my old posts, so I got to skim read nearly everything I’ve written since the inception of this site last year. Which is a lot. Some of the keywords are deliberately insane, so it’ll be interesting to see if anyone actually uses them.

Today I’m loving: grilled polenta with parmesan. I hadn’t made it for ages, and had forgotten how fabulous it can be.

I’ve looked at a lot of properties over the last couple of months, but hadn’t encountered a real “real estate agent” in that time. I think it’s partly because the market is so insane at the moment, they don’t need to be pushy anymore. Why should they work when you’re just going to come back and throw money at them anyway? That all changed today, when we went to check out a warehouse apartment. There we met Igor*, who was a whole different story.

The place was okay, but not great. Noisy, because of some type of industrial business across the road, although Igor clearly believed quite the opposite, since he repeatedly pointed out how quiet it was. Many other features were made mention of, including his own brilliance. Ultimately, lack of any outdoor area and divided rooms were it’s downfall, and I made mention of this when we were asked if we were interested in buying it. Maybe I should’ve been more forceful, because about ten minutes later we were getting something to eat before seeing another property, and my phone rang. It was Igor, asking if we had finance worked out, because he had some “friends” who could help us. I politely declined.

The next place we looked at was much better, but still not perfect - division of rooms seems to be the big issue with most places. This time the agent seemed to be intent on giving etiquette lessons, as when we left, he said “it’s a pleasure”. Slightly puzzling, since we hadn’t said anything, but maybe he was insinuating we should’ve been a little speedier with our thanks. He had a suave, Al Capone style going on, with a long camel coloured coat and casually tossed scarf around his neck, which may or may not have been made from an exceptionally expensive fabric. I’m tipping it was.

As well as checking out property today, I’ve cleaned out the fridge, washed up, changed two light globes, gone to the market and supermarket, and I’m toying with the idea of making a cake. Yesterday I went to four different places to find that damn cake cookbook, having decided I could save a lot of money by not purchasing cakes anymore. Of course even though I spent about an hour sifting through the cookbooks, I couldn’t find the one I wanted. I suspect the universe was telling me I’ve eaten enough already. But I say “forget that, universe”, and am going to make either a bunch of chocolate cupcakes with cherries inside, or Claudia Roden’s orange and almond cake. Or maybe both …

Today I’m loving: My brother’s insane commentary
*Name changed to protect the innocent (namely me)

We have a game in our house which is similar to Russian Roulette, except you play it with a cat. Whenever Pilchen goes onto the second level of her fortress of solitude to scratch, as she has in this picture …

… it’s customary for someone to tap their hand on the third level, until she’s overcome with an urge to kill, and at some unexpected moment leaps up with claws out, and maybe (if you’re very unlucky) sinks one or more into your hand.

I’ve played this game more times than I like to remember, bear scars from my last losing round, but still spent more than five minutes last night, and this afternoon tapping away, then leaping backwards (possibly with a loud obscenity) as Pilchen finished the game in the only way she knows how. I’ll also add James and Ria both love to play as well. Miss M is smart enough to understand it will only end in tears, so is content to watch and laugh (and sometimes shriek) as the human gets either hurt or freaks out.

There’s a variation when Pilchen goes behind the couch, then leaps up with much the same result. If you play after she consumes raw meat, it’s even more dangerous. Is that a deterrent? Not in my house, baby.

Today I’m loving: my lunchtime yoga attendees, especially Jennifer

I don’t really like to think of myself as obsessive, but there are many elements in my life which lead me to suspect I am. Take for example my mother, saying “you’re totally obsessive”, as I completed the online practice learner’s permit test for the fortieth time today.

I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing - sure, I haven’t read any of the handbook yet, but I know the correct answers to nearly every question they might ask me. I just don’t know why they’re the correct answers. Interestingly, in every question with a cyclist, vehicle a or vehicle b, the cyclist is always viewed as the biggest hazard. Hazard - moi?

Obsession is also a major part of my job - adjusting shoulder blades, breathing, neck tension minutely is a required part of ensuring good technique. Without an obsessive streak, you’d just be some jerk standing there counting reps.

Tonight Ria heads home, after being with us for two weeks. It will be quite odd to be without her, and Mr Dog will miss her especially. Still, since he’s now sleeping inside, I’m sure he’ll cope a little better than if he was out in the cold. And it is soooo cold! After I come home from work tonight, I’m breaking out my hot water bottle. Or maybe I’ll break it out before I go to work.

Today I’m loving: Bach partitas - something I thought I’d never admit!

My love of chocolate has been well documented via many posts on this site, but over the last couple of weeks - in fact, since Ria’s been visiting, I’ve subverted my love to include cake - and not just chocolate cake, any kind of cake. A few days ago, Ria made the best cake ever, with a fantastic slightly crusty exterior, and fudgey, gooey centre. Needless to say, it’s now gone, coupled with many wonderful short blacks, even though my espresso machine has decided to become contrary again. For some reason it seems to go through phases of working brilliantly, then exploding quite extremely. It’s in one of the latter phases now.

I’ve got to the point now where I ride back from work thinking about cake (or chocolate) and coffee, and I’m disappointed if no one wants to come with me to procure some. Last week I found the most fantastic cookbook - the Woman’s Weekly cake, biscuits and slices reissue, which contained any and every cake (biscuit and slice) you might ever desire. I keep picking it up every time I go to the supermarket (because that’s where it is), but then putting it back because I know if I bought it, I would go on a frenzy of baking and eating that, while delicious, is probably best avoided.

Today I flipped through the Biggest Loser “change your life” book, mainly because I was considering buying and reviewing it. While reading the quotes from the trainers, I felt like I needed to get way more hardcore in my attitude. Probably Michelle and Shannon never want to eat cake of the day, or if they do, they go and run five k’s as punishment. I also checked out Dr John Tickell’s “Great Australian Diet” book, which was cool, but again didn’t seem to include cake in any form. I put it down.

So I’m consoling myself with the thought that it’s cold outside, and a body needs fat and sugar to stay warm. Sometimes high GI foods are necessary, and chocolate is a good source of antioxidants … and some other platitudes I’m sure I’m supposed to be against rather than for. Now pass me that damn cake!

Today I’m loving: starting at 9am, and a dry road on the ride home