Exercise, food and breastmilk....

I have been thinking about ditching Contours as it has no childcare but have decided to keep it- not because I have worked out a good childcare solution, but because it is going to cost me over 400 bucks to get out of my contract and they do not offer membership transfers.. :(

I have asked around and so far I can get my sis in law and mum in law to look after Molly- so that's 2 possibly 3 days covered... I just need to get myself organised and we should be ok.

This week has been good- I haven't been focussing on weights much as I have been waiting to get this gym stuff sorted but have been for 3 2 hour long pram-pushing, hill-climbing/descending walks. One of the mums from mums group lives near by and is trying to lose some weight too so we push each other to go a bit further and a bit faster.. My glutes are really sore! Ya!

My eating is still not 100% but I'm feeling good and my milk supply is getting better. I am taking fenugreek capsules to try and boost my supply a little so I can express- gee they smell!

Tomorrow I am going to have a nice clean eating day as follows:
B. Oats and some yummy scrambled eggs
S. 1 apple and 2 corn thins with vegemite
L. 1 tin salmon, salad, 1/2 avocado and a super grainy roll
S. Aussie bodies rtd protein shake, veg sticks tatziki dip
D. Chicken with stir fry veggies

I am going to an afternoon tea party thing at a friends house and for the first time in ages I am going to say NO to all the junk that will be on offer and will eat my veg sticks and yoghurt dip while I'm there.

Wish me luck!!

Ash
xox

Fitness... for women on the go!

I have been thinking about what exercise program I want to do now that I have been given the Doctor's all clear to work out. I knew I couldn't go back to Fernwood as it just doesn't suit my lifestyle now. Then I thought about joining the gym near me attached to the local pool but that is big and impersonal and I like a smaller more intimate environment. While wandering around Blackburn on my walk yesterday I stumbled across Contours and thought "BINGO!" just what I'm looking for- a small club, not too expensive at $13.50 per week and most importantly VERY close to John's parent's place which means that I can drop M off while I pop in for a quick workout a few times a week.

You probably all know how these kind of places work but for those of you who don't, it is a circuit which is always running from the time the place opens until closing time. It is made up of both cardiovascular and resistance stations to provide a whole body workout and the aim is to go in whenever you feel like it and enter the circuit at any station after warming up. It takes 36 minutes including including warm up, 2 laps of the circuit and stretching. I feel this will be perfect for me as I can go at any time that is convenient rather than having to plan around the classes I like. I can also walk to and from John's folks place so I can get a bit more exercise in if I have time.

Contours also has a very sensible looking eating plan focussing on balance and energy in vs energy out. It is very flexible and basically helps you to eat in a more structured and purposeful way for building muscle and losing fat. I'm going to try it and add a few hundred calories for breastfeeding.

Edit: For those who were wondering, Contours is a lot like Curves.

I haven't been going particularly well with this week's bloggest loser task... actually I haven't cleaned anything since Monday! But I'm planning to have tomorrow morning at home so I'll try to get some more stuff done then. I have been exercising every day carrying over last week's task- trying to solidify that new good habit!

I am SO excited about starting my course... I even bought a new 3 colour pen- pink, purple and blue!! (even though I'll probably be typing mostly, and I have exactly one million pens already*lol*). Thanks for the offer of help Brookie, I am 100% sure I'll need it! I have no idea what I'm getting myself into but I LOVE that feeling- I get so excited about facing the unknown.. I think that's why I was able to be so positive and excited about labour and birth.

On a much more important note how good was the twist on The Biggest Loser tonight!? Who else wishes they'd swapped Courtney for another one of those girls?! I'm so bitchy but I can't stand that boy! I feel like punching him... is that wrong?? *lol*

Molly has a hearing test tomorrow- I'll take a photo of her wearing the cute headphones... stay tuned!

Ash

xox

Walkies!

Molly and I went for another lovely walk today. This time we headed down to St Kilda to soak up the sea breeze. What a beautiful day it was- perfect for walking, 26C degrees with a light breeze. Mmm the only thing wrong with the afternoon was that it wasn't long enough! I'd still be there now if I didn't have to come home for a planning meeting for our housemate (he has a disability and we get together with all of his support people once a month to plan with him around issues in his life like work etc.).

I went to the Dr for my 6 week post birth checkup today. She examined me and was very impressed by how well I have healed. I have been given the all clear to do whatever evercise I feel like as long as I take it slowly. Yay!

I have to go now but will be back with a pic of my very lazy excuse for a salad (take-away thai beef salad.. hey- I didn't say I'd make ALL of the 7 salads!!)

Ash
xox

Edit: Here's the yummy thai beef salad... And my beautiful baby girl!

Salads 4 and 5! Yummo!!

Salad 4

Chicken, broccoli and couscous

Marinated the chicken in Hoisin sauce prior to cooking... doesn't look as nice as the other salads but it was yummy!

Salad 5

Good old tabbouli salad

Served this one with teriaki chicken skewers... hmm going to have to eat some other meat at some point!

The Bloggest Loser task of the week to get up early and exercise is going well. Yesterday I woke Molly at 6am, fed her, dressed us both and we were out the door by 7 for an hour long walk. I forgot what it felt like to be outside as the sun is rising. I love it. The crispness of the air as it gently blows across the little beads of sweat on my nose and cheeks is so revitalising. I worked myself as hard as I could handle, powering up hills pushing my little girl and feeling fitter than I thought I would.

I couldn't help but think what I good habit I am going to instill in Molly. By the time she is old enough to realise what is going on going for walks will just be a part of life. I would like walking and exercise to become so unremarkable and routine that it would feel weird for us NOT to do it- not the other way around.

This morning was a little bit trickier as Molly uncharacteristically woke at 4:30 instead of 6. I had so much trouble deciding whether to take my butt out for an early early early morning walk and be tired for the rest of the day (no time for a nanna nap today) or schedule in a walk in the afternoon. We did the latter and boy am I glad I got the extra sleep as I had a rather busy day. Our walk this afternoon was great. I stripped down to my singlet (let all the lumps and bumps be seen) as the sun was shining and I didn't really care who saw me. I had to pick John up from work at 5:30 so an hour and a half before that I drove to the carpark in the school he works at, loaded Molly into the pram and took off on an hour long walk winding our way around unfamilliar streets, looking at all of the different houses and gardens... You certainly miss a lot when you drive everywhere! It was glorious to spend time in the fresh air once again!

Thinking about what I'd like "normal" to be like for Molly I remembered something I posted on the Healthy Body Club forum the other day in response to a post about crash dieting and starvation. I thought I'd post it here too for your entertainment!

"I have tried so many different diets over the years and each one ended with me feeling miserable, tired, hungry and putting on all the weight I managed to lose plus some more once the "diet" was over. When I was on a diet all I could think about was the end, when I finally got to eat like a normal person again.My problem was that many of the people around me did not have "normal" eating habits- well not how "normal" should be anyway. It was normal for all of my primary school buddies to feast on chips and chocolate at recess and drink poppers of fruit drink laden with simple sugars.

We need to redefine "normal" for the sake of the next generation.

Also, I feel that we lovely ladies don't celebrate the awesomeness (is that a word??!) of womanhood nearly as much as we should. If we stood back once in a while and examined how clever our bodies are I feel we would wind up respecting ourselves a lot more. I have just had a baby and am still dumbfounded at what an amazing thing my body has done! I feel strong, proud, womanly and POWERFUL!

Respect for ones self does not begin with a fancy pill, potion or diet shake- it wont even come from losing weight the slow and steady healthy way. True self respect must come from a much deeper place. It's not always easy to find this place, but with hard work and perseverance it is truly breathtaking!

Hope you are all feeling womanly today.... unless you are a bloke, I which case I hope you're feeling manly *lol*!!!

Ash
xox

PS. Have decided today that I do not know nearly enough of you so would like to set myself a goal of meeting 20 new bloggers in 2007. Drop me a line if you're in Melb and would like to meet! I'll also be in Adelaide in May.

The Bloggest Loser

This week's task on Beckie's "The Bloggest Loser" is to get up an hour earlier and do some exercise. I have committed to do this 11 week thingy (at Beckie's suggestion we're not using the word challenge as people often fizzle out after 2 weeks of a "challenge") following the losers in the house, so I have to try to work out a way to get myself (and Molly) out of the house for a walk to be back by 8am. This is going to mean leaving at 7. Molly usually wants a feed at around 6 or 6:30 but this week I am going to wake her at 6 to feed for 30 mins, leaving plenty of time for me to jump into my trackies and shoes, dress her, eat a banana or something and head out. I am going to have to get my (soon to be) little butt to bed earlier and not stay up too late talking on Beckie's Gabbly Chat.

I think morning walks are a great habit to get into as it means the day has begun. The rest of the morning will be productive as I wont be blobbing around in my pjs at midday! I will come home, shower, get W (our housemate) ready for his day, have brekkie with my hubby, do any dishes, vacuuming, washing that needs doing and by the time Dr. Phil and Oprah come on I wont feel guilty for sitting doing nothing while I watch ithem. I am really looking forward to this! It will help me be more organised and on top of things.

During my 12 week challenge at the beginning of last year I was getting up at 5:30-6am nearly every day to toddle off to the gym for either a personal training session, hard weights, cardio or a class. I loved the feeling of my face prickling with sweat and heat as I stepped into the cool air of morning after a spin class or body attack. My gym membership will come off suspension in a month or so and I have to decide what to do. I think Fernwood is just too expensive for what it offers a person like me. I loved it last year as I needed that kind of gym. But this year I have a bubby and a tender post baby body that needs to ease into exercise and therefore the option of swimming would be ideal. My local pool/gym is less expensive, has childcare and offers more than Fernwood. So I think in the long run it would be cheaper to cancel Fernwood and go there. I probably wont join up straight away as I would like to focus on walking and a bit of at home toning work. I might even just get a swimming membership or buy 10 passes at a time or something... we'll see!

Melbourne Blogger Picnic

I have been wanting to organinse a meet for a while now and I figure since the weather is pretty nice most of the time at the moment it may as well be SOON! I would love to meet somewhere nice like the Melbourne Botanical Gardens where we can all sit on blankets, eat yummy food and yak. We could even go for a walk around the tan before lunch to work up an appetite!

I'm keen to know who would be in! When's good for people?? Saturday or Sunday?? Early March sound good? Please leave me a comment and let me know!

Well, if I don't go now it's going to be really hard to get up in the morning for my walk... best be orrrf!

Enjoy the early morning exercise challengers!! (...erm, I mean task-ers!!)

Ash

xox

Lookie what we got yesterday?!

*Note- for some reason I have not been able to do paragraphs so I apologise for the big block of writing... I HATE reading blogs like that!!*

Thanks to Catie for posting this gorgeous t-shirt for Molly!!

It was so exciting pulling it out of the post pack realising what it was. Catie bought one for her daughter Joss a little while ago and I commented that I loved it... a month or so later, one arrives in the mail!! Thanks sooo much Catie! It was such an unexpected and special surprise! Molly is going to look like such a little spunky dudette when she grows into it... my Nan's going to hate it! *lol*

Catie, if you're reading this- I can't access your blog. Can you please add me to your invited readers list as I'm dying to see what you've been up to.

John went back to work today... well, for an hour and then he was home again as there was nothing for him to do today... Hoorah! Extended holidays!

We went to Eastland this afternoon and had a yummy lunch- I had a moroccan couscous and chicken salad... mmm! John had sushi hand rolls and we shared a freshly squeezed apple, carrot, celery, ginger and beetroot juice. While at eastland I bought a new long black cardigan and a v-neck grey 3/4 sleeve tee. I LOVE the cardy as I have been looking for one like this for ages. It's a thin knit and goes with just about everything I own.

We had to eat slightly off plan for dinner tonight. Our housemate cooked spaghetti bolognaise for us today. If he was just any old housemate we would have told him what we were doing with our challenge and frozen our portions to have next week. But our housemate has a disability and cooked dinner with the help of his carer today. It wouldn't have been fair to not eat what he had spent time and a lot of effort preparing. Apart from that though, food has been great. Both John and I are finding it really easy to stick to the plan. It's really strange that we can all of a sudden have no trouble resisting temptation just because we both agreed to give it our all for a week. Life isn't any different from how it was last week however it is like a switch has been flicked and all of a sudden it's easy! We both feel so fabulous for doing something really good for ourselves.

I am going to get out for a walk tomorrow. It will be the first time since Molly's birth that I have gone out to do intentional exercise. I have done a lot of incidental exercise walking around different shopping centres for hours on end but this will be a great "1st" to accomplish.

I heard an interesting piece of conversation today. Two girls, about 20 years of age, were walking and chatting in Eastland. One looks at a very obese little girl walking by and says to her friend "Look at that girl!" to which the other replies "Yeah, it's so sad- look at her dad... it must be genetic". I found this really interesting. That "genetics" is the first thing to be blamed. Hmmm... call me mean but me thinks it may not be genetic. Very rarely are weight problems genetic. Families often have a "big frame" that is passed on but that doesn't mean a healthy weight cannot be achieved. I used to think that I was "genetically fat" as all of my family are overweight. It couldn't possibly have been the fact that we all loved consuming copious amounts of rich food at every meal and greazy, crunchy, fat filled foods for snacks, or the fact that instead of playing out in the fresh air we spent our time playing Super Mario on the couch...

No way... it must be genetic!

Today's Foodies:

B. 2 slices burgen toast with ham tomato and low fat cheese (5)

S. 1 apple, 1 nectarine (1.5)

L. Moroccan chicken salad, 1/2 a regular fresh juice (7)

S. Skinny decaf latte, some red grapes and a nectarine (2.5)

D. Spaghetti bolognaise(6)

S. Natural yoghurt with 1 tbs honey and a small banana (2.5)

Total: 24.5

H20: 2.5 litres

Will have a bit more food this evening.. maybe some air popped popcorn