"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