"Today is where your book begins, the rest is still unwritten..." Natasha Bedingfield

Let me preface this post with the statement that the only thing I hate as much as diets is 'New Year Resolutions'. I think it is even more crazy that people often make them one in the same, giving you the opportunity to break 2 resolutions by the 4th of January. Why do we put ourselves through it?

The New Year, for me, brings with it a spectacular opportunity for a clean slate. Because, lets be honest, 365 days of unwritten life stories are an awesome opportunity to strive for greatness...and possibly even achieve it some of the time. More than blindly resolving to achieve something, it offers the chance to take stock of your life and reflect on what has happened during the year. It becomes very easy within the daily grind to 'just make it through'. Wishing away the work week for the weekend, starting to eat healthy again tomorrow, then tomorrow, then tomorrow, waiting until you are on holiday or weigh a certain amount to be happy. Its very easy to lose direction regarding the things that really matter to you and to focus on the things that you believe will make you happy. Little mouse, big wheel, very pointless.

So as the new year approaches, I like to sit down and look back, so that I can look forward. I even buy a brand new $2 notebook (I really need to cut down on the extravagance). I break the year up into;
Relationships
Family
Career
Fitness
Health
Misc (travel, money etc. If these are really important to you then of course they can have their own categories)
First I like to just reflect on the year that was. What events happened, what changes occurred? What did I do well and what did I suck at (lots and lots is the answer for that one)? Then I like to think about what I wanted out of the year. What did I aim to achieve...and have I even come close?

Then we come to the New Year bit. For this I like to think of myself on one side of the bridge and visualise what it looks like on the other side of the bridge eg. I think of my relationship as it is now and then I think about what I want from it...and I think 'I would like to spend more time doing quality things together' and now, I have to build the bridge - what are the a few things that I can do to get me to the other side. It looks something like this;

Relationships
Lots of time spent going through the motions, weekends spent doing chores, housework etc. Nights spent watching TV
Want to spend time trying new activities, connecting, laughing
1) Date night once a week, alternating who is responsible
2) Two nights a week no TV

So you get the point. Sometimes there will be more steps needed, sometimes less. They won't always work long term, but its the old saying - insanity is doing the same thing every day and expecting a different result. Avoid insanity where possible!

On a side note, Day 4 of my little hell week was great. I rode 20km on the road then ran 8km...then I hit the wall hard. About 20 minutes after I got home I was so exhausted I went straight to bed and slept for a few hours, then 10 1/2 hrs overnight, then 3hrs the next day. And here I am, fresh as a daisy, ready to smash a spin class and a plyometric workout. It doesn't always have to go to plan...it just has to go.

Tally as of day 4 -
Run - 19.5km
Ride - 90km
Swim - 0km
Note to self: Must swim more

Enjoy the parties kids!

Long Rides, Nanna Naps and General Holiday Fare

Oh how I love holidays. No time restrictions on training, gourmet lunches every day, mid afternoon naps. Bliss. I have spent the last few days trying out all my great new Christmas gifts, which include but are not limited to;
Clear riding glasses. I have found that due to the fact that the bug kingdom has a great affinity for my eyeballs, these have become a hideously uncool yet necessary item whilst riding. They work a treat - not only at keeping the bugs out of my eyes but also at making me look like I take myself way too seriously. Check and check.
Spangly white runners with a pink trim that look like cleats. Why not just buy cleats you ask. Because I have enough trouble stopping and not falling over without having my feet bolted to the pedals thank you very much.
I was also spoilt with a fantastic bright yellow 'Livestrong' windbreaker, a beautiful pink lululemon top and lots of other goodies. Lucky lucky lucky.

So how has my own little hell week gone so far? It has been awesome. It didn't get off to the best start - the weather leading up to Christmas wasn't ideal (read: gale force wind and rain) so some alterations had to be made.
Christmas day was a great 10.5km run with my most faithful running partner - my mum. Its our Christmas tradition and thunder, lightning and rain were not going to get in the way.
Boxing day was poor weather again so we opted for riding indoors. I managed 30km on the spin bike in 58mins 30sec followed by a 5min 30sec 1km run.
Today was a 40km road ride. The weather had improved enough to get out on the road and give it a crack. My legs felt pretty tired to begin with and the 30km/hr headwinds up the hills were less than helpful. But, i'm sure Confucious said something about a bad headwind being a good tailwind and indeed he was right. I was able to complete the 40km in 1hr 30mins.
Tally as of day 3 -
Run - 11.5km
Ride - 70km
Swim - 0km
Note to self: Must swim more.


And now on to the food. I made Pumpkin, Alfalfa and Spinach Sushi for lunch and it was absolutely amazing. This recipe is great for detoxing, its gluten free, alkalizing, promotes thyroid health and just what a tired, sore little body needs (along with protein of course).

Pumpkin, Alfalfa and Spinach Sushi

Serves 2 with a protein or 1 as a stand alone meal

1T Tahini
1T Tamari
150g Pumpkin
4 Nori sheets
1 container Alfalfa
Handful of Baby Spinach
Bamboo rolling sheet to roll sushi

Slice the pumpkin into approx 3mm thick slices and place on a baking tray. Cook on 170 degrees for about 25 mins or until cooked through. Set aside to cool.
In a small bowl combine tamari and tahini into a smooth paste and set aside.
Place a nori sheet on the bamboo rolling sheet and spread a teaspoon of tahini mixture in a line horizontally across it. Place 1/4 container of alfalfa on top of the line of tahini mixture. Place spinach and pumpkin on top of alfalfa. You may need to trim pumpkin into strips so that you can neatly place it on the spinach. Fold the nori over and continue to tighten and roll sushi as you roll it up. I brushed the ends with a little water to make sure that the nori softened up and did not split. Use a very sharp knife to cut into 8 pieces. Serve with wasabi if desired.

Keep training hard kids!

"The Best Ideas Come in Threes..."

I don't know who said this great quote - Confucious, Marilyn Monroe or the man who invented the Post-it. Actually now that I think about it, it may have been me. Unimportant.

This week I was doing a little surfing of the world wide web, as I do from time to time and I stumbled upon a great thing. Apparently it is quite common amongst triathlon circles to have what is affectionately termed 'Hell Week' (sounds downright wonderful doesn't it). This 'Hell Week' is usually done over the Christmas break and is as much, if not more, about training your brain as it is about training your body. A typical training schedule for hell week is a 100km ride in the morning, 5km run in the afternoon and 1km swim in the evening. Now am I crazy or does that sound like an awesome challenge?! A bit of both I hear you say? Excellent. I will take that as an interest on your part in joining me for my first great idea...my very own Christmas Hell Week. It has a ring to it doesn't it. So, beginning Christmas eve I am a woman on a mission. I will keep you posted

And now of course we have brilliant idea number 2. Healthy Choc Chip Cookies. I really see idea 1 and idea 2 as going hand in hand. I have been looking for a treat to make that doesn't taste like a 'health food', but really is. I was able to find a recipe and make a fair few changes to make sure it was higher protein, dairy free and yum. Bring on the cookies, I say!

Choc Chip Cookies

Makes 12
1c tinned Chickpeas, blended until smooth
1/4c Coconut Sugar
1/4c Coconut Oil
1 Egg
1t Vanilla Essence
1/2c Sweet William Dairy Free Choc Chips
1/4c Walnuts chopped
3/4c Self Raising Flour
1/4c Rice Protein powder
1/4c Rolled Oats

Cream the oil and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla essence and beat until fluffy. Mix in chickpeas and choc chips. Add the remaining ingredients. Roll into 12 balls and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Flatten the balls so that they are approximately 1cm thick and 2cm spread apart. Bake on 180 degrees for approximately 20 minutes.

These cookies are really good, even if I do say so myself. They are full of protein and fibre so do well as a stand alone snack. I might even take one out on a ride this weekend.

And now the only question left is...what will the 3rd great idea be?

Don't Let Christmas do a Number on your Thighs...

So, a little birdie told me that this time of year, you may be clawing for motivation. You may have 50 other things you would rather be doing than training and you may have lots of stuff to do so not a lot of time to train. The bird was right wasn't he?

Christmas is a time when people find it pretty difficult to eat healthily and stay active. My one tip with Christmas is that if one thing has to go, let it be the food. Train like a demon most days of Christmas and thoroughly enjoy good food and good wine with your friends and family. I don't like diets. Ever. And I certainly don't like a diet at Christmas. So keep it 'clean' - in every Christmas spread there is always lovely fresh fruit and veg. Fill up on those, pick your lean meat and then enjoy little serves of cakes and puddings. Eat slowly, sip your water, taste the food (seems simple doesn't it).

Now to train like a demon. If you have a lot of time to train and love it, then go right ahead. I love Christmas time, because the weather is great and it means you can go out on really long rides and runs and train for as long as you want. But I'm not normal - this has been substantiated years ago. If exercising is not yet a big love of yours, but you are working on it then 'Pyramid' training is a great way to stay interested and keep it fresh.

Pyramid training, like a pyramid, has gradual increases to reach the peak, then gradual decreases. Its a great way to train your mind and get that mental strength that willl make the foundation of a fit and healthy lifestyle. It can be used for just about any exercise, but I love using it for 20 minutes of running or riding when I'm time poor. So how does it go? Well to quote Run DMC "It goes a little somethin' like this..."

Walk 2 mins warmup
Jog 2 mins @ 5/10 pace
Jog 2 mins @ 6/10 pace
Jog 2 mins @ 7/10 pace
Jog 2 mins @ 8/10 pace
Jog 2 mins @ 7/10 pace
Jog 2 mins @ 6/10 pace
Jog 2 mins @ 5/10 pace
Jog 2 mins @ 4/10 pace
Walk 2 mins warmup

The pace measurement I have used here is RPE or 'Rate of Perceived Exertion' which basically means that you rate out of 10 how strenuous you find the pace. If you have a Garmin or the likes then feel free to insert exact paces. Pyramid training can be transferred to running or even walking at different paces. I love doing this workout walking on the treadmill and increasing the incline every 2 minutes. Ooooh I can feel the burn now...

So there you go - another tactic to keep you interested and help you win the daily battle against a sedentary lifestyle. Off you go. Time to train.

"I wanna get high, so high" The Commodores/Faith No More

Not that kind of high, you crazy kids! High like I was this morning. Running in the crisp summer air, sun rising in the sky, glassy bay lapping at the sand. Divine.

This weeks training has been intense but great. Monday morning 400m sprint sessions (I mean really, what kind of masochist designates 5am Monday for sprint sessions...me), Tuesday morning seated hill climbs on the spin bike, Wednesday morning swim sprints and Thursday morning tempo run. Lots of focus, lots of breathing. Lots of great results.

Having taken it up a notch in training, I have noticed a few things
1. I be huuuungree!
2. My muscles are really feeling it
3. I have been completely bored with my normal foods and so have been experimenting in the kitchen (possibly related, possibly not but without this point I can't tell you about the awesome pasta I made)

So, to make sure that I catered to all 3 changes, I came up with this quick, easy, high protein, delicious dinner recipe. It is full of anti-oxidants to decrease and oxidative damage from all of the lactic acid build up, protein to help my muscles repair and healthy fats to ensure everything is staying nice and un-inflamed.

I used an ingredient called Mung Bean Fettuchini. This is a fantastic high protein, low carbohydrate, gluten free, dairy free pasta option. Great for any of you low-carbers out there or vegans and vegetarians who struggle to get their protein intake high enough. It can be purchased for under $5 a packet at your local health food store and it makes approximately 4 mid size serves.

Creamy Mung Bean Fettuchini
Serves 1

1/2 Avocado
1/4c Sundried Tomatoes
1 large handful of Baby Spinach
1/4 pack Mung Bean Fettuchini
Salt and Pepper to season

Add Fettuchini to a pot of boiling water and boil for approx 5 minutes or until tender. In a bowl use a hand blender to blend together tomatoes and avocado. You can add fresh garlic for a great anti-oxidant, anti-viral, vampire killing kick if you like. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Once fettuchini is cooked, drain it and place back in the pot and return to the lowest heat. Add avocado mixture and baby spinach and combine gently over heat until spinach has just begun to wilt. Remove from heat and serve.

So quick, so simple, so delish. Be brave and give the Mung Bean Fettuchini a try! And keep training hard!

"I love you like a fat kid love cake" 50 Cent

Aaaaahhhh the lyrical genius that is 50 Cent. We have something in common 50 and I (what? only 1 thing you say?!) - we like to keep it simple. Cake = happy.

I have been searching for a yummy little sweet to make that is nutritious, wholefood based and easy on the fructose load. For those of you who don't know what i'm talking about (fructose schmooctose), you can read a general run down Here. On reviewing all the acceptable foods that have the correct ratio of glucose to fructose, it becomes clear that making wholefood sweets is challenging with a capital CHA when you are looking to follow a low fructose diet.

But do not fear. Where this is a need for cake, there is a way. I am nothing if not moronically persistent!

And that is where this delicious, moist, healthy cake comes along. Its gluten free, dairy free, great for recovery from a long workout, has a decent amount of protein and super easy to make.

Banana Almond Cake

Serves 8

4 Eggs, separated
2tsp Vanilla Essence
1tsp Baking Powder
1/2tsp Bicarb Soda
1/4cup Maple Syrup
1tsp Cinnamon
200g Potato cooked with the skin on then blended
2 ripe Bananas, mashed
1cup Almond Meal
1/2cup Walnuts, chopped

Line a 24cm round cake tin with baking paper and heat the oven to 180C.
Beat the egg whites, baking soda, bicarb soda & vanilla essence until soft peaks form. Set aside.
In a separate bowl whisk egg yolks, maple syrup & cinnamon.
In a 3rd bowl mix the mashed potato, banana, almond meal & walnuts until combined.
Mix together the egg yolk mixture with the banana mixture.
Gently fold in 1 spoon full of egg white mixture at a time into the banana mix and combine gently so that the air remains.
Spoon into tin and bake for 20 minutes, then cover and bake for a further 15 minutes. If after this time the cake is still a bit moist, you can cook for a further 5 minutes, uncovered. Allow to cool & serve or keep refrigerated.

This cake is so delish I even had a McDonalds eating co-worker ask for a slice. I might even let him have a piece. Maybe.

Sussan Fun Run Race Report

First order of business for this post - Christmas party update. The Christmas party was absolutely fantastic. I followed my eating, sleeping and exercise guidelines and arrived feelin' fine and ready to boogie. And boogie I did. Which brings me to Saturday...and nasty, dirty hangovers.

With my impending run on Sunday I attempted to salvage what I could of my health and followed a few guidelines;
1. WATER. Water, water and more water.
2. Don't indulge in overly processed foods - keep it simple
3. Vegies at every meal
Now all you nay-sayers just hold your horses. If you're reading this saying 'hangover without hot chips = never going to happen' then you really are resigning yourself to a lifetime of painful hangovers. I, too used to have a hangover protocol that consisted of Gatorade, lemonade, pizza and McDonalds.
Yeah, you can see how well that would go in terms of energy, recovery and general vitality... When I follow my healthier hangover routine I still feel tired, but the headache goes, the nausea goes and I generally feel so much better. But the real question is - does it work well enough to get you a PB?

And now we move on to the Sussan Fun Run
The aim of this 5km run was to beat 25mins. The defeatest in me said that I would consider under 26mins a victory and the eternal optimist had me planning that if I went under 24mins I would perform similar to Usain Bolt after becoming the fastest man in the world.
I started nice and close to the front and, armed with my killer playlist (Bounce - feat Kelis, Moves like Jagger - Maroon 5, Till the world ends - Britney, Best of you - Foo fighters, Bonkers - Dizee Raskal, Lose yourself - Eminem) I went out quick...a bit too quick. But hey, you only live once right? By the 2nd kilometre we looped back and ran straight into a headwind for the next 3kms. By the 4km mark I was really starting to feel it. I felt sick and I felt like I just didn't have anything left to give. I was doing 5:20kms and couldnt see myself getting any faster. Then, as I was on the home stretch I just tried to increase the pace for dear life. It also helped that my family were cheering me on and I didnt want to look like a chump! I had assured Colin I would smash his 5km time and this reminder was enough for me to sprint it home.

Final Time...Drumroll please..... 24mins 50secs

"Lets get this party started on a Saturday night, everybody's waiting for me to arrive" Pink

When I say party, I mean Christmas party, when I say Saturday, I mean this Friday and when I say that everybody will be waiting for me to arrive, I may be using poetic licence. So what.

Tis the party season and whilst I'm not a fan of diets, crash, fad, 'sensible' or otherwise, I am certainly a fan of turning up to a shindig energised, un-bloated and feelin' fine. Ideally we would feel this way all the time, but sometimes life happens and it just doesn't eventuate. So how do I make sure I turn up with my party shoes on (apart from making sure to wear my party shoes)? There are 3 main areas I cover off, which I concentrate on for 3 days beforehand.
1. Exercise - I make sure I get in a good 45-60 min sweat session for each of the 3 days leading up to the event
2. Diet - I eat plenty of fresh vegetables, fruit, lean meats, nuts and seeds. Water (3 or so litres including what I drink while I train) & green tea are my essentials.
3. Sleep - At least 8 hours each night.

Here is an example of what I would eat in the days leading up;
Breakfast - Smoothie with kale, banana, pea protein, almond milk & a little honey
                  Gluten free toast with Almond spread
Snack - Green Tea with Almonds and Capsicum Sticks
Lunch - A little brown rice with kidney beans and chopped avocado & Poached chicken with lemon + green tea
Snack - Beetroot, celery, carrot, spinach & ginger juice + rice cakes with tuna
Dinner - Lamb steak with steamed brussell sprouts & broccoli drizzled with lemon, flax oil and a few toasted sunflower seeds

And my training;
30 minute run, increasing pace every kilometre
Circuit (1 minute of each activity, 3 or 4 rounds)
Pushups
Bentover rows
1 leg squats
Planks
Frontal raise with shoulder press

So that is the surefire plan that gets me feelin' energised and confident at party season. The important thing is that its not drastically different from my normal exercise, diet and sleep patterns, I just make sure to be extra nurturing, consistent & mindful.

Which brings me to another point...I have the Sussan Womens' Fun Run on Sunday - which i'm trying to PB. So I am imagining that Saturdays post will be all about how to recover from excessive alcohol consumption in 24hours so as to run like the wind.

Happy partying friends!

Sad Belly = Sad Run

Its true. I have a very temperamental belly. It doesnt like long runs or coffee or tea or wine or dairy or spicy or smoked meats or legumes or flax or .... you get the picture. Luckily, not everyones gut is like mine, but it is still quite common for people to get 'runner's diarrhoea' and an array of other tummy troubles when we are trying to perform at our best. Saturday I set off with the intention of doing an 8km trail run at 5.10-5.20km/hr pace. A mixture of dehydration from the previous days and cramping meant that I only got 5km out and it was HARD WORK! I walked the last 3km back to the car, which all you runners out there will know, gives you a whole other kind of fire in your belly (the mad kind!). When I got home it was time to get serious...these days of bad belly had to stop. I whipped up a beautiful gut healing shake, added a few supps and hey-presto, within hours my belly began to settle.

The all important ingredients - Aloe Vera Juice, Probiotics and Glutamine

My Gut-Love Shake
Serves 1

200mls Almond milk
100mls Water
2tsp Glutamine powder
1sml Banana
Handful of Ice

Before you start to make your shake, take 15mls of Aloe Vera Juice and 1-2 probiotics, depending on the strength they are (I try to get at least 20billion good bacteria).
Blend all ingredients until smooth, pour into a glass and enjoy.

All of the supplements for this can be bought from your health food store, and the great thing about them is that they store well, so you can use them all up until they are gone or you can keep them in the cupboard/fridge until you need them again. They also have an array of other uses;

Glutamine - Muscle recovery, gut repair, immune support
Probiotics - Immunity, bloating, after anti-biotics, constipation, IBS, diarrhoea
Aloe Vera - Immunity, bloating, IBS

Another key part of trying to settle an upset belly is to keep it simple. Bananas, brown rice, grated apple etc are all known for their binding effect. I try to eat a mixture of slow cooked carrot, leek and brown rice with some organic vegetable stock for most of my meals that day.

Happy running, riding and swimming!

NB This information is not medical advice and indicates what I do for myself only.

"Mojo: The life force. The essence. The right stuff. What the French call a certain... I don't know what. " Dr Evil

My training Mojo appears to be lost and there is a very simple reason - if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Now dont roll your eyes. This is not so much a lecture as a case study. After months of having great improvements in my running, riding and swimming times, something happened along the way and my schedule changed. I had a bit of an ankle 'thing' for 3 weeks which changed what activities I was allowed to do and since then my schedule has not recovered. Forgive me father, for I have hit 'snooze'.

Now, don't get me wrong, setting the alarm for 5am 5 days a week and just deciding what training to do when you wake up may work for some people, but in my own experience and my experience working with people...it rarely does. It is mucho easy to press snooze when you dont really know what you are getting up for. Remedy? Plan. Schedule it in. Do it now. Here are the general instructions for planning your own workout schedules for those who are relatively new to this.
1. Decide which days and times are feasible for you to exercise. Be realistic.
2. You can use any old piece of paper but I was given this great pad by a friend this year and it appeals to the part of me that loves everything to be neat and pretty (NB that part does not feature in the kitchen. 4 day old dishes in the sink don't bother me in the least)

3. As a general rule, try not to do exactly the same activity two days in a row. If you do like to run a lot or ride etc, then make sure each session has an aim. Try writing the activity, the intencity and the length of the session. See my schedule above for an example.

4. GET IT DONE!

I like to pin this on my fridge but you can put it anywhere that suits.

Ok - time to train!

"It's just another manic monday, I wish it were Sunday, 'cos that's my funday" The Bangles

Ok. Lets clear the air. I have been a bad, bad blogger. I could give you all the reasons why. But the reasons even bore me. Onward and upward.

Today was yet another drag-your-feet Monday and, like most people, I was coming home from work completely exhausted this Monday evening. Monday evenings = many, many people scooting about getting any type of processed nutrition-sapped food they can so that they don't have to cook. I understand the urge. Who could be bothered spending time in the kitchen on a Monday night? But really, it doesn't have to be difficult. This little dish is so easy and so versatile, but full of flavour. All variations can be made in 10 minutes flat. And I don't mean 10 minutes cooking time. I mean 10 minutes from the minute you get the ingredients out of the fridge to the minute you sit on the couch with your steaming bowl of yum.

Chorizo Vegie Bowl
Serves 1

1/2 small Chorizo finely chopped
3 Brussel Sprouts, quartered
1 cup Broccoli florets
8-10 Cherry Tomatoes, halved
2tsp Sunflower Seeds

Steam the greens for 2 - 3 minutes. Keep them a bit crunchy.

Meanwhile, brown Chorizo in a pan, then add tomatoes.

Place greens in with Chorizo mix, add Sunflower Seeds and toss until mixed well and heated through. Serve.

The dish can easily be changed to suit whatever you have in the fridge. Sometimes if I have leftover BBQ Chicken and Brussel Sprouts only I will add half a teaspoon of chilli and a roughly chopped garlic clove to replace the heat and intense flavor that the Chorizo gives. Add the greens and tomatoes and you have a different flavor all together. Easy, delicious, healthy.

Get creative and just say no to 'junk food' that shows your precious little body no love at all! Peace out.

"Here's to the Freakin' Weeken'" Rihanna

Here is to the freakin' weeken' my friends! I'm quite sure that my weekend was not what Rihanna had in mind when she penned that song. The awesome weekend of those of us gifted with an athletic obsession goes something like this...
Friday night work drinks. 2 wines. Quite sozzled. In bed by 10pm. "Sleep in" till 7am. Nasty brick session (nasty = gooood). Lots of sweat, lots of lactic acid, lots of smiles. Eat food, spend time with family. Out for dinner. 2 wines. Quite sozzled. "Sleep in" till 7am. Long ride with mother. Lots of gas-bagging. Less sweating, less lactic acid. Massive breakfast with the bestie. Eat more food, spend more time with the ones I love the most. Cook up a storm. Sleep...and we have arrived at Monday.
Mix a little sunshine in with it and it doesn't get a lot better than that!

But what comes before the weekend. Is that "Friday" I hear you say? Well my friends, you would be right. And this Friday was started in the very best way - with a sunrise run and a Cheeky Monkey smoothie. A Cheeky Monkey smoothie you say...yes. I love this smoothie after a good workout. It contains all the ingredients that you need for your muscles to recover, your glycogen to restore and the free radical damage to be minimised. Plus, did I mention its delicious? Well it is!

Cheeky Monkey Smoothie
200mls Almond milk (or your milk of choice)
100mls Water
30g Pea Protein (or your protein powder of choice)
1t Almond Spread
1/2 Medium banana
1/2t Agave syrup (or honey)
1t heaped Raw Cacao powder (or cocoa)

Blend all ingredients together for a few minutes. Add ice cubes if you want it extra cold. Enjoy!

Here's to your freakin' weeken'!

Its Gettin Hot in Here

This morning was the first morning that I have trained where it has been above 15 degrees in what feels like a lifetime but is probably more like 6 months. It was perfect riding weather - light breeze, sun shining, but by the time I got off the bike and started my run the sun was out and it was H.O.T. A 23km ride followed by a 4.5km run that all in all took me about 1hr45mins. The ride was really relaxed and the run was easy-ish. Oh using these very blase terms kill me. My Garmin is being assessed for replacement so speeds, distances, splits are all a mystery to me. Tech heads, i'm sure you feel my pain.

The second best part about a good training session where you dont have to rush to work after...breakfast. We had a big fruit salad and vegemite toast. Not my usual breakfast fare but completely delicious.
When we got home I decided to whip up a batch of Pumpkin Pudding. Its based loosely on a mixture of recipes I have found with a few additions that balance it nutritionally because, well, i'm a nutritionist and thats what I do!
This is a great snack or evening treat and a good option if you get any cravings for sweet foods. Its also great for post training as it includes plenty of carbohydrates as well as good fats and protein. The Maca aids in balancing hormones and is a potent antioxidant - helping to limit free radical damage.

Pumpkin Pudding
2 cups Pumpkin Puree
2T Almond Spread
1T Maca Powder
2T Pea Protein Powder*
6 Medjool Dates
1t Cinnamon
1/2t Powdered Ginger - or fresh if you dare!

Pumpkin puree can be made by steaming pumpkin until soft, allowing to cool and then blending in your food processor.
Place all ingredients into your food processor and mix until smooth. Place into individual pudding cups or a large glass bowl and allow to set in the fridge. You can sprinkle the pudding with chopped nuts or chia seeds to serve if you like

*You can use any kind of protein powder for this - Pea, Rice, Soy, Cows, Goats, whatever you like. If you don't have Maca at home you can replace it with your protein powder and just use 3T of protein powder

A nice cool pudding to have as the weather heats up. Enjoy!

"The things you are afraid of, they will come and they will go...and you will be alright" Stevie Nicks

Words to live your life by - I think so. Words that you need to say to yourself over and over again when you are about to swim in the open water for the first time ever - absolutely!

Today I had my first swim in the bay. It was also my first time in my new 2XU trisuit. Actually, I'll be honest, its the first time I have donned the suit for anything other than parading around the house doing that Cameron Diaz butt-wiggle-dance or sitting on the couch watching the Kona 2007 re-runs that seem to be playing every Saturday & Sunday at 6am on my TV. Completely normal, I know. I digress.
So my swim was really challenging. I entered the water and it was so cold - about 15 degrees apparently. It took my breath away and it took me some time to figure out if I was having a panic attack or if it was just mighty cold. You see, I have never had a panic attack before but one lovely woman posted a blog with information about 6 people who had passed away in the US in the swim portion of the triathlon due to having a panic attack in the midst of it. Which, frankly, is enough to make you have a panic attack just thinking about it. After a few minutes I realised I was panic attack free and began to freestyle away from the shore. BUT. I couldn't put my head under - I was completely petrified for some reason, but instead of giving up I just kept swimming, thinking "So what if I have to complete the swim without putting my head under the water, as far as I know there are no rules against that!". I swam about 200m in total and then practiced putting my head under the water in the more shallow part of the beach. I started to feel more comfortable with it and I think that will just increase as I keep at it. All in all it was a very easy session physically, but a tough one for me mentally. I think tomorrow and every weekend in the forseeable will contain lots and lots of open water swimming.

How did your first open water swim session go? Have you got any tips for newbies?

And just remember..."you will be alright"