Month: April 2015

April 13: 4km run, 40 minute walk and day one of the 5:2 Diet

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Sunshine, garden lights and purple blooms

What a glorious day! Best day of spring so far. A light, warm breeze, 20 degrees Celsius and plenty of sunshine – perfect conditions for a run.

Because I’ve been eating like a queen the past week, I decided to do the 4km circuit rather than the new 5km track, to ease myself back into the running swing. It all felt good – I was powering through the course and did the second kilometre in under 6 minutes which is a first for me. I actually felt like I was running today, rather than shuffling.

Then at 2.5km, I saw a friend of Liliane and Rene’s in her garden with her grandchildren, so stopped for a decent chat.

Then at the 3km mark, the cows from my favourite farmhouse were being taken from the sheds into the little field across the road, so I watched and waited as they made their way into the sunshine.

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Achtung! Cows crossing

Thinking I was home and hosed for a good sprint to the finish, I ran into the neighbour from the big farmhouse who has two small children. She was pushing them in a pram, so I walked the final 500m with them.

Even though it was a stop-start run, it was still great to be outside and I’m happy with the way I was feeling. Maybe another day this week I’ll try the circuit again and see what time I can manage. Today, I would have been on track for my best time, I think.

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How’s that for a view? Taken on the run home

Once home, I put on a wider brimmed hat and walked down to the local supermarket to buy some dinner things. That round trip is 40 minutes. I waved to a friendly farmer and felt my toodles (wobbly fat on the upper arm) swing in the breeze, but I’m pretty confident there’s less than the beginning of the year!

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This friendly farmer gave a wave, so I gave him a doubly enthusiastic one back, toodles and all!

Today is the first day of the 5:2 Diet. I’ve been planning it in my head for a little while. So far so good.

  • Breakfast – a medium grapefruit – 80 calories
  • Lunch – a boiled egg, 50g – 78 calories
  • Two cups of peppermint tea – 0 calories
  • After-run snack – vanilla protein powder in a 200ml glass of milk – 71 calories and 136 calories respectively (the milk needed to be used. Normally I don’t drink cows milk but didn’t want to waste it!)

That totals 365 calories. Dinner is going to be a mixed salad:

  • 100g lettuce leaves – 7 calories
  • Two medium tomatoes – 44 calories
  • Half a cucumber – 32 calories
  • A spring onion – 12 calories
  • Two small carrots – 41 calories

That totals 136 calories (no dressing – a teaspoon of olive oil has 40 calories!), for a grand total of 501 calories. So that’s that! If you can see anything wrong with my calculations, please let me know – being a novice calorie counter means I’m bound to make some mistakes. But hopefully not.

I was dreading the whole calorie counting rubbish but found an excellent service on Google. We have a small set of kitchen scales which made the measurements very easy. In Google search, I typed in “how many calories in a tomato” etc and this came up – how convenient! You can put in any food and it will tell you. My friend Bec also sent me a list of veggies and calories she compiled when she did the 5:2 Diet a while ago, which is a great help.

So there you go. Hopefully I can make it through another few episodes of “The Killing” tonight without getting the munchies, because there’s nothing left for today (that milk was a doozy!). How many calories are in 100g of oil-popped popcorn? The whole day’s allowance! Damn. Maybe tomorrow 🙂

Wishing you a wonderful day.

April 12: Lorena’s special day and bedtime yoga

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Lorena with her godparents

Today was Leo’s niece and goddaughter’s first communion (her name is Lorena), so we were near Zurich with his family. First up we had the service, then 23 of her nearest and dearest drove to Germany (doesn’t that sound hilarious?! We drove 40 minutes to Germany – still freaks me out) for lunch at an Italian restaurant in Erzingen.

Lorena’s extended family from her father’s side come from Sicily and all the relatives there today were Italian (and still are, surprise surprise!). Hence the choice of this restaurant because they know it has amazing food and brilliant red wine. I’d drive there regularly, too, if we lived so close.

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Lorena in her first communion dress. She looked like a princess

After four hours of eating, we drove home and made a beeline for the couch to watch four more episodes of “The Killing”. It’s now 10.22pm (22.22 for those who like numbers) and I am totally stuffed. Literally and figuratively.

It’s been a great week – I’ve consumed like a queen and been to France and Germany twice – but the time has come to say goodbye to eating whatever I feel like whenever I feel like it, in an attempt to shift a few pesky kilos and try a self experiment to see if food holds more sway than exercise.

Tomorrow I’ll do my first ‘Fast Day’ of the 5:2 Diet, which means I’ll eat 500 calories. Heaven knows what 500 calories looks like (I need to do more research on that) but I think a bowl of homemade natural muesli with seeds, nuts and natural yoghurt for breakfast will be a good start, and whatever lettuce leaves I can scrounge together might make a main meal. 🙂

Would it be superfluous to say I really, really … REALLY … don’t feel like exercising tonight? My body’s a lump of lead. So I’m going to do 15 minutes of bedtime yoga – again! – then send my weary lump to La La Land.

Wishing you a wonderful day.

April 11: 20-minute core workout

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Leo taking an arty shot of me eating breakfast in Neuf-Brisach – a chocolate bun thing AND a nut croissant WITH a hot chocolate. Sugar overdose!

It was nice to be at home for the day, mooching. Grand plans for a run in the forest took a hike thanks to the rain, but after all that glorious weather we had last week, shut up! I’ve updated the post from the holiday to include photos. Click here if you’re keen on seeing parts of the Alsace Region. I didn’t take any photos of the vineyards. They were everywhere. Vines, vines and more vines.

We’re off to Zurich soon for Leo’s niece’s first communion early tomorrow morning – it wasn’t worth risking dodgy traffic tomorrow so we’re overnight-ing with Leo’s dad.

But first I have to do some exercise. We walked a lot in the Alsace but I didn’t do any stomach exercises (and ate a lot of bakery products) so I found a core workout which should make me wince if I sneeze tomorrow. It’s from the Men’s Fitness website but, hey, we all have abs.

I don’t have all the equipment (or skills) needed for these workouts (but you might!) so I had to do Exercises 1 and 3 from Workout 3, and Exercise 1 from Workout 5. There are seven workouts to choose from, and they say they should take about 20 minutes to complete.

Did I do something wrong? Did I read the instructions incorrectly? I finished the three reps of 20 each side in around eight and a half minutes. And no, I do not feel like doing it one more time! Maybe it’s because I chose three floor exercises which may not take as much time as some of those hanging ones? Let me know if you do it and work out my timing mistake!

Wishing you a wonderful day.

April 7-10: The Alsace Region – updated with photos

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I’m back! We came home this afternoon after a great four-day/three-night adventure in the Alsace Region on the border of France and Germany.

Sorry for the absence, but as mentioned before, I find it hard to write while on exploring holidays. And we did a lot of exploring! I’ll write more about it over the next few days. (I’ve decided to just do this one post with photos.)

How are you feeling? I’m feeling mentally and physically fit, but definitely not nutritionally! We ate a lot of yummy/bad things while away and my body’s ready to attack healthier food from Monday.

And now? We’re off to dinner to celebrate Rene’s birthday (our neighbour). More meat and potatoes I’m sure!

Wishing you a wonderful day.

April 6: Walking the favourite new path again

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A very late post – again – because we binge-watched more episodes of ‘The Killing’ TV series on Netflix – again. My eyes are popping out of my head as I type this, but we’ve finished season one! Yay. (Where’s the bed?!)

It turned out to be another sunny, cold and windy day today, so we decided to walk the new path behind the property again. The first time we walked, and ‘discovered’, this path, there was still plenty of snow, but now it’s all gone and the grass is a sweet green.

A well-decorated house made our jaws drop. Last time it had Christmas decorations everywhere, but we didn’t have a look at the actual exhibition. Today, we checked out the Easter offering, and I’m glad we did, because I won’t forget it in a hurry. Wow. How many years would it have taken to collect it all?

The round trip took just over an hour, I think. Our favourite restaurant wasn’t open, so we didn’t stop for a soft drink on the way home. Three men were playing boules in the gravel pit and kids were using the swings, so despite being closed, it still felt alive.

Here are a few photos.

We’re off on a driving holiday to the Alsace region (the capital is Strasbourg where we went for my birthday) on the border of France and Germany. We liked it so much we thought we’d spend a few more days there, exploring and walking. I hope to have time to write a post or two. Never fear, I’ll be doing my exercises too!

Wishing you a wonderful day … and maybe a wonderful few days.

April 5: Just in time … Easter egg hunt!

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The clock has just struck midnight, but I’m still going to say this is the post for April 5 … even though technically it’s now April 6. Who’s counting?!

We had a great day today on our Easter egg hunt – both Leos did an amazing job organising it all. On Friday we painted the eggs, Saturday afternoon the Leos hid the eggs (in the pouring rain) and today we went a’searchin.

Pastora’s Leo’s brother, sister and sister’s boyfriend joined us as well. We started near the Bern/Belp airport and finished at an outdoor picnic area further towards the city. Eichholz is also a camping place in summer, and the starting point for a great summer swim in the Aare. I say starting point, because the river flows so quickly, you’re transported to a new destination in seconds.

So, I’ll keep this short and let the photos tell the story. All up, we walked three hours and had plenty of ‘good for your mental health’ laughs. I’ve never been on an Easter egg hunt of this scale before. Next year, the guys said the girls have to organise everything – first thing we’ll do is paint the eggs a brighter colour!

Wishing you a wonderful day.

(I’m posting this so late because after we came home, we finished a Swedish TV series called ‘GSI Göteborg’ (which is also known as the ‘Johan Falk’ series) and then started on the American version of the Danish series ‘Forbrydelsen’, called ‘The Killing’. Scandinavian thriller and police shows are addictive (even though we’re watching the American version … in German … with English subtitles … I’m babbling and waffling, sorry, I’m tired. Enjoy the pics. Goodnight!)

April 4: 15 minutes of weighted squats and lunges

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The quote at the top of this new blog I follow made me smirk. It really is true! And after three months of constant exercise and ignoring my diet, it’s now time to make some changes, because I’ve just been driving in the mud with a clean car, so to speak, while forming this good habit.

So, I’m going to become my own worst nightmare and be a foodie for say, oh, two months. As in, I’ll actually start to care about what goes in. Well, maybe not this weekend as it’s Easter, but I’ll start next week, when we’re on holiday … Yeah right, ok, I’ll start the week after. Honest like. Monday April 13 is the day it all begins.

Today was a very low-key exercise day with just 15 minutes of various squats and lunges with the hand weights, because tomorrow we go on an Easter egg hunt! Yesterday, Pastora and her husband Leo came to our house to paint Easter eggs, and then today both Leos hid them in a secret forest (not near our house).

Making the eggs was a test of patience but lots of fun. We searched the nearby woods for leaves and flowers to make some patterns on the eggs and used the dry outer shells of onions to make the colour – some turned out much better than others, but overall we’ve very happy with our Easter art!

Wishing you a wonderful day. Hope the bunny made it to your door.

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Leo holding our bag of goodies – leaves and twigs and flowers and grasses – to decorate the eggs

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Lovely moss in the forest

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Me trying to blend in to my environment

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Leo preparing the stockings at the work table. The stockings kept the plant material on the egg for the cooking and dying process

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Cutting the stockings away to reveal the patterned egg

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This one turned out well!

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After a few hours work, we had 40 eggs

April 3: Minimalism, mindfulness and living intentionally

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Judy mentioned the buzz word “mindfulness” in a comment on March 30 and it got me wondering, what exactly is it? Can we put a finger on what makes someone mindful? For me, mindfulness means being present in, and making the most of, the moment. It’s a huge part of being mentally fit. Adding just 10 minutes of meditation each day to my morning routine has helped me with awareness and honing my thoughts. It may not mean the to-do list gets done faster (or written for that matter!) but I do feel more centred and focussed when needed.

There are many great blogs and websites promoting mindfulness in its many forms and I tend to gravitate towards the ones about living, and being happy, with less. Recently I came across this great site www.paris-to-go.com from Ariana Schwarz. I think I binge-read almost everything within a few days.

Part of me would love to be as extreme as she is with her wardrobe, with about 40 items in total, but when I look at the clothes I have, I love them (thanks to Marie Kondo’s method of asking “Does it spark joy?”) and couldn’t imagine parting with so much.

But then I do a 180 again and think how liberating it would be to have everything I own fit into my backpack, and then I flip again and think of all the current variety which allows me to be a chameleon. And as much as I’d love to live with just a few pieces, I love being able to change my look.

Other great blogs and websites I enjoy – about being mindful of our environment, our resources, our consumption, our health, our finances – are listed below. This is in no way a definitive list – there must be so many more out there, but these are the ones I look at regularly.

Living intentionally/Minimalism:

The Tiny House Movement/Living Small:

Conscious consumerism:

Minimalist Fashion:

Travelling Light:

Financial goals:

These are all saved on my phone as my favourites, and wow, when I look at them all lined up like that, I now know where all my time goes every day! Ha! Not everyone posts regularly, so I should set up a system where I get an email when something new comes in, rather than checking on the sites all the time.

So there you have my reading list to do with minimalism, living with less so you appreciate more, living mindfully and trying to make as little impact as possible. I hope it leads you to new resources and ideas if you’re also on an intentional living journey.

Exercise today was 15 minutes on the step machine with the hand weights. I’d just had a shower and slathered myself in moisturiser (I know, all wrong!) and, boy, did I sweat! Leo was cooking tortilla too, so the heat from the kitchen added a few degrees to our warm little house and sweaty little me. It’s still horribly cool, windy and rainy outside.

Pastora and her husband Leandro (Leo and Leo in da house!) arrive soon for an afternoon and evening of painting hard boiled eggs, food, drinks and laughter. And all in German! Very much looking forward to that.

Wishing you a wonderful day. I hope you’re having fun with family and/or friends wherever you are.

April 2: A new yoga workout

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After doing a few HIIT days in a row, it was time for something a little less sweaty today and I immediately thought of yoga. When I saw a male yoga instructor pop up on YouTube, it was a pleasant surprise so I decided to go with Total Body Yoga Workout with Tim Senesi.

The 30 minutes were enjoyable and hard. He called it a beginners-to-intermediate class – I’d love to see any intermediate do those arm and head stands! They were advanced (and surprise surprise I didn’t even attempt them!). But the overall feeling of moving the body was really pleasant.

The voiceover isn’t exactly in time with what’s happening on the video, so perhaps focus on either one to avoid some confusion. If you have a yoga block, you can use it too.

I had planned to write about mindfulness and minimalism today, but I ended up spending a mindful afternoon with Pastora and Jaime at our favourite bar in Bern and the day just slipped away! So tomorrow it is!

Wishing you a wonderful Good Friday.

 

April 1: No fool for food and HIIT

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Hope you didn’t fall for any nasty April Fool’s Day jokes today! For me it’s been a day of research – not much silliness at all – inspired by Bec’s comment on March 30’s post.

She suggested watching a BBC documentary which aired in 2012 called ‘Eat, Fast and Live Longer’ by Dr Michael Mosley. Very, very interesting … Mosley, a regular on British television and one of the authors of the 5:2 website, talks about the benefits of fasting (but not prolonged fasting) to slow the aging process. This is all sparked by his desire to be fit in all its forms. “I want to be mentally active and I want to be physically active. I want to stay younger for longer,” he said. fitfor15in15 can relate to that!

There’s not much we can do about our genes, which play a big part in our longevity, he said, but most of us do have a say in what we eat. “It seems it’s not just about what eat, but how and when we eat it.” They use research results of Alzheimer’s disease in mice and discover that fasting stresses the brain like exercise stresses the muscles – in a very, very good way. The research shows hunger makes your brain sharper.

Mosley researches calorie restricted diets, which are high in plant-based nutrients but lower in protein, fasting options (86 hours in a row) with miniscule calorie intake per day during that time, alternate day fasting (ADF), and the 5:2 Diet.

Alternate Day Fasting, or ADF, is similar to the 5:2 Diet (which I mentioned before, that sees you fast for two non-consecutive days per week (500 calories for women, 600 for men) and eat normally for the other five) but you alternate every second day instead. They call it a fasting day then a feeding day.

Mosley decides at the end to try the 5:2 method for five weeks, and is very happy with the results. I wonder if he founded the website before or after the documentary? In any case, if you have an hour, click through and watch the documentary. As usual, I have no affiliation with any links on this site, I’m just putting it out there as “food for thought” ahahahahaha.

Here are some other articles from www.huffingtonpost.com about intermittent fasting and more from The Guardian, asking is it too good to be true? Here’s one from Men’s Health as well, about ignoring intermittent fasting.

What do you think? There’s so much contradicting information, it’s hard to know who to believe. I think the 5:2 Diet/Fast Diet, could be worth a try. Of course, like everything, it’s not a cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all plan for everyone (especially pregnant women and those already underweight). But it’s not as extreme as the other three Mosley researched, making it sound like it could be the option for me, for at least a month or two!

I think today could already be counted as a fasting day – I’ve only had homemade muesli (without the cranberries and currants but with added oats, goji berries, shredded coconut and cashews) with fresh blueberries and natural yoghurt. Might as well start now! Shame I have no idea how many calories are in that small bowl! That’s probably where the confusion will lie, and where I’ll have to start doing more research about what constitutes 500 calories. Ugh, I’ve never been a calorie counter, but here goes. All in the name of research!

Fuelled by my new plan, I tried out a new workout found on an Instagram site called fit.co. Unfortunately I can’t link to Instagram here (I need to learn how to code!). The workout had a girl on the beach doing five exercises, so I decided to do each exercise for a minute, with a 10-15 second ‘breather break’ in between, with three repetitions of the whole series, totally 15 minutes of actual HIIT (high-intensity interval training) exercise.

The exercises were:

  1. starting in a lunge position, swing up the back leg (bent) and jump off the ground with the front leg too, arms strong, 30 seconds each side
  2. arms extended plank with alternate leg coming towards your elbow (she did a push up at the same time as bending her knees in – no way, not possible for me!)
  3. knees high running on the spot
  4. arms extended plank, dropping down to alternate elbows and then back to hands
  5. jump up, then do a controlled roll backwards on the floor so your feet touch the ground behind your head, then roll back up, planting your feet and jumping up

Needless to say, I had none of the style of the girl in the video! I had to modify a few things too.

  • Exercise 2: I did the first full minute pass with legs straight, on my toes, then on the final two passes, I had to drop to my knees for the final 15 seconds, because my arms were shaking so much
  • Exercise 3: My knees were not coming up to a flat position in line with my hips
  • Exercise 4: On every pass I dropped to my knees at the 15-20 second mark. My arms were shaking too much and my shoulders hurt
  • Exercise 5: I could not roll back up and stand up to jump in one flowing move. I had to push off the ground behind me, with my feet splayed to each side, not together like in the video. I have no idea how she did that. Another goal?

Right now, I’m kind of seeing stars and am very sweaty, but it feels like everything has been given a good workout. And all in 15-20 minutes.

That’s probably enough for today. Tomorrow I’m going to write a bit about mindfulness, spurred on by a comment from Judy on yesterday’s post.

Wishing you a wonderful day.

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A surprise came in the post! Gabby, in Melbourne, sent a canister with peppermint tea and an insulated mug with bamboo strainer! Thank you Gab, I love it xx