Yoga in my living room

I've been trying to do more yoga at home lately. To relax and most importantly, to stretch and to prevent my lower back from seizing up as it does sometimes.

I do a Dynamic Flow Yoga class at the gym on Monday evenings. It's intense and a really great workout. To further supplement it, I've taken to YouTube and following workouts on the doyogawithme channel.  I'd love to join a proper yoga studio but it's just not practical at the moment so YouTube does just fine.

YouTube is great for yoga practice. There are so many videos for different levels. I invested in an HDMI cable ($4.95, thanks eBay!) and just hook it up to the TV so I don't have to squint at the screen.  I highly recommend it.

I did the sequence below on Sunday afternoon in my living room as I felt very tight and needed a gentle, guided stretch before the intense Flow Yoga class on Monday.  I found Melissa's video very soothing. She gradually takes you through the poses, all the while reminding you to be conscious of your breathing. Her voice is gentle, soft and doesn't rush you or push you to do anything you aren't comfortable with.

I will definitely be doing this stretch again as it's gentle and ideal for days when all you want is to stretch those aching muscles and prepare for hard work the next day.

Weekend treats

Normal people make rum balls at Christmas time, I made protein balls...as a present for J. And he loved them. So yesterday I made some more.

When I say protein balls, most people make a face that says "I can't believe you eat that tasteless shiz". But I actually really like them. They taste good (well, some of them do) and they're so filled with protein-y goodness...mmmm. The problem is they can become an expensive habit at $4 to $5 a packet so I figured the internet would have a solution to this. And the internet did not disappoint.

I found Teresa Cutter's website and this recipe for protein balls. They are absolutely yummy and so addictive! 

These are my protein balls from yesterday:

My tips for the recipe:

1. I used almond meal instead of whole almonds. (laziness)
2. I added pepitas and sunflower seeds to the mix.
3. Last time, I rolled the balls in sesame seeds, cocoa and quinoa flakes as I didn't have dessicated coconut. 'twas yum!
4. If the coating doesn't stick to the balls, wet your hands a little bit when forming the balls. This will help the coating stick better.
5. Instead of spreading the dessicated coconut out on a plate, I put it in a bag and threw the balls in one at a time and tossed them around. I find this coats the balls much better.

My green smoothie

I am also VERY into smoothies right now. I have a little Sunbeam stick blender that cost me all of $40 to buy and I reckon it's one of my best investments in kitchen equipment. It was really hot on Sunday so I didn't feel like a thick, heavy smoothie. So I tried my hand at a "green" smoothie for the first time. It was delish!

Ingredients:

1. Flesh from 1 grapefruit
2. Flesh from 1 lime
3. Handful of mint leaves
4. 1 banana
5. Handful of spinach leaves
6. Honey (if you'd like a touch more sweetness)
7. 1 scoop protein powder (optional)

Simply blend all ingredients together.

Green smoothies seemed a repulsive idea to me before but I actually really like them now and definitely recommend them. It's a whole new way of eating spinach, that's for sure.

#NaBloPoMo - Photo catch up

It's a Sunday and I'm seldom in the mood to blog on weekends. So I'll do a bit of a cheat post and summarise the last 10 days of photos for my other November challenge - the Photo A Day challenge.

Here we go.

Day 1: Something beginning with 'C'

Day 2: Colour

Day 3: Breakfast

Day 4: TV

Day 5: 5 o'clock

Day 6: A favourite thing

Day 7: Reflection

Day 8: Something you do everyday

Day 9: Small

Day 10: Can't {won't} live without

 
My instagram ID: @missrbit

*This post is part of the November NaBloPoMo blogging challenge.

 

#NaBloPoMo: In which I get a tad defensive

I exercise. A lot. Many of my friends don't understand it. They tell me "but you don't need to lose weight."

But when did I say anything about losing weight?

Exercising for me is not fuelled by the need to lose weight but by the fear my heart will stop pumping one of these days and I will fall off the face of the earth. You see, poor cardiovascular health is a multi-generational inheritance in my family. Fear is a pretty strong motivator. Also seeing the definition in my quads and shoulder muscles is an added bonus. ;-)

Obviously, eating is also part of the big "Beat the Impending Heart Attack Plan". I eat healthy, very healthy. (There, I said it) I look at the back of packets to see the fat content, % of sugar, artificial ingredients etc. I buy the wholegrain / low fat/ less sugar version of most foods. I eat "hipster" food like quinoa, buckwheat noodles, rye wraps and stoneground 85% wholemeal bread. I cook at least 5 times a week, if not 6 - mostly because I struggle to find healthy takeaway food that doesn't cost the moon and the stars.

This is where most people start rolling their eyes because this "healthy eating" translates to living off salad and veggies only. This is followed by feeling sorry for me and my deprived food choices and very often even judging me as vain.

But I don't understand it. If you know me even a little bit you will know how much I LOVE my food and live for it (see my Instagram for proof) so why do you feel sorry for me? Healthy eating is more than salads. Because food is so important to me, I cook really delicious meals that are also healthy. I have an emotional relationship with food so I always cook food I enjoy eating so please, don't worry I'm not depriving myself. I just know how to cook food that will not clog up my arteries and kill me.

I'm aware that I sound a bit like a privileged whinger banging on about health, fitness and other buzzwords. But I'm not. I don't normally talk about my fitness or my food with people because you see it's no one else's business. I don't try to get anyone to think the way I do and don't judge anyone for eating differently or for choosing a different lifestyle. But a few things have happened lately that have made me feel very…judged. So I figured I'd vent and defend my choices because hey you know what? It's my body so these are my choices and I'll get sexy thigh muscles if I want them dammit!

*This post is part of the November NaBloPoMo blogging challenge.

Mundane inanities

Today was my first day back at the gym after many months and I'm so happy I'm finally back :)

It was a struggle for sure but I'm happy I got there and am finally healthy enough to be gymming again. Exercise keeps me sane and so I was obviously going a little crazy not being able to exercise.  I am disappointed with my fitness (naturally) and I know it will take me a while to build it back up again but I'm grateful to be back and at it again. Yay me.

In other news, today I found out they are re-releasing one of my most favourite movies of all time - The Lion King in 3D - for 2 weeks in September.

Besides being one of the best Disney movies (in my opinion) - the movie brings back a lot of wonderful memories. It was 1994 and I was loving my 9 year old life. My parents took my sister, my cousins and me to watch the movie - which was sold out so we had to sit way up in front (in the fifth row) to watch the movie. It didn't matter that our eyes hurt - we loved the movie and we all cried when Mufasa died.

I think 3D still has some way to go before they add a wow factor to regular movies but animated movies in 3D are amazing. So yes, I cannot wait for Lion King in 3D....so excited!

This post is part of the NaBloPoMo August challenge.

Day O9: #30daysofme

The Task: Something you’re proud of in the past few days

Absolutely nothing spectacular has happened in my life in the last few days.. But I guess I could say I'm proud of my gymming efforts in the last few days. I've really pushed myself and I feel really great about it :)

This post is part of the #30daysofme blog challenge I'm doing with some friends

Run Forrest Run!

I went for a run yesterday.
Ouch.
It was painfully obvious to me how unfit I am.

I’ve been going to the gym on and off for some time now but I don’t really take it as seriously as I should. More than losing weight, I decided to go to the gym to stop being so sedentary and get a little fit. But I fell in love with weights…and started doing lesser cardio. Stupid. Totally defeats the purpose. I look toned but don’t feel that fit at all.

Anyway, so a friend of mine wanted to rollerblade at this new park near my place and I thought I’d give her company. Since I don’t own rollerblades, I figured I’d try running. Needless to say, I was out of breath soon enough and didn’t really run for too long.

But, I actually loved it. Running near the water was really nice and it’s way less boring than a treadmill. I’m in pain today but I want to keep doing it so I get better at it. My sister has been telling me how addictive it is and after just one day of running, I can see what she meant. I loved the fresh air.

When I first started going to the gym, I was very conscious about myself and my body even though I’m not really fat. My gym has a ladies only area and I refused to work out anywhere but there. But after a few months, I became less conscious and would work out in the common area to gain some more confidence. Yes, its weird and I know I’m not that important but I honestly did feel like everyone was looking at me (like they don’t have better things to do). Plus, my gym is in the same building as work so everyone from work goes there and I felt like they would see how unfit I am and laugh at me. In fact, the reason I didn’t go to a gym for a long time is because I was so conscious.

Anyway, I am much better now and therefore more confident about running and not worrying about other runners laughing at me. It’s a big thing for me to have gotten past that. I will stop a million times to catch my breath. I will huff and puff. But at least I’ll be running and not sitting at home making false promises to myself. :)

Going running today after work. Alone this time, with no rollerblader in tow. Looking forward to it.