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Tuesday 20 March 2012

back to the daily grind

Please excuse my sporadic attempts to keep my blog updated...I am back in Australia although I left my soul on a sandy tropical island in Fiji.



Upon my return (to work and to uni) I have faced a few "spanners" which a few years ago would have sent me in a spiral of negativity and woe-is-me behaviour. Thank goodness for the good things in life! So unfortunately I cannot complete my final year of university off campus...this is rather inconvenient as uni is a half hour trek in good traffic and the parking costs are rather heavy. More over, I need to rely on someone else to mind my gorgeous boy 3-6 extra hours a week which we all know I dont really enjoy. On top of this a few work issues have seen me battle "the man" which could have back fired drastically although I believe things have been resolved.

All I can say is that there is a reason I'm doing this. I work to put food on the table...good, wholesome, organic, vegan food. I study so that my knowledge can help my clients, empower people from Aus to Canada and Belfast (come on guys I know you must check out the blog sometimes!), and lead me to a profession that combines my passions and has further reaching positive effects.
On with the show.

Thanks to my holiday I have decided to decrease my "screen time", not an easy feat when you blog, attend university and are slightly addicted to social media. Whilst you are surfing the net check out www.mobilitywod.com  http://www.yogaindailylife.org.au/ and http://www.crossfit.com/ my latest interests, and http://www.gefreeaustralia.org/images/PCALL.pdf to make a small difference.

A few other things to jot down today include the sadness in Jimmy Stynes passing. What a gun that man was. May your thoughts be with his friends and family.
On a lighter note, my baby sister turns 21 this week, she had her braces removed today and looks stunning. She is another person that really makes an impact on almost everyone she meets, I am very lucky to have her in my life.

My homework for you all today is inspired by a conversation this morning. I would like you to take a moment to think about WHAT YOU WANT. In life, in health, in your day...what do you want to achieve by 7pm this evening, by this time next week, next year? Today I want to read topic 1&2 with accompanying quizzes, inspire my little movers at tonight's dance class, dance beautifully at ballet and be patient with my husband and son. We all just have to realise that "the difference between a dream and a goal is a plan".

Cheers & Giggles
xx

Tuesday 6 March 2012

Beach Workout YES!

Bula again everyone :)
Confession time...I am utterly homesick! And completely unhappy about my holiday body. River has had a rough 24hrs with his second toothy peg trying its hardest to race the first one, which has resulted in a weepy frustrated mumma bear just wanting a good cuddle with her dog (who never had teething nor sleeping issues!). It is getting harder to smile when strangers are kissing & cuddling my little man...is this normal mother behaviour?!
Anyway, yesterday's workout at sunrise on the shore:

4 sets of:
Wide "warrior" squats


Tricep Dips (Advanced: one leg off ground)




Squat Jumps

 (there was a photo of me jumping...it was hideous...please jump after the squat!)


Plank & Plank with twist



This workout was fun and the beach setting was perfect!
University started yesterday for me & I am hoping to get my placement sorted as soon as I get home. Neverending is it?!
Also I felt I should clarify, last blog I mentioned how someone asked if I would like a bottle of formula for River, at the time I was breastfeeding which is why I was so appalled! More on this matter, www.thebirthingsite.com posted a facebook question about formula feeding support groups and I was really moved by Deb London who responded
"Well as some of you may know I am quite the BF advocate. But honestly formula moms need more support they we do. Seriously, has anyone noticed how hard of a time they have with their babies digestion and bowel movements? Changing formulas constantly and colic. Getting up at all hours to warm bottles. Oh man. It's awful! I feel terrible for my friends who go through this. Plus the guilt of quitting breast feeding. Seriously, it's not a pretty road. Have mercy. They need support in a whole different light!"
As a breastfeeding advocate myself, this message is hopeful. Just because I dont use formula does not mean I condemn mothers who do, and I feel like I would be just as helpful to breastfeeding and formula feeding mothers. My reason for promoting breastfeeding is because formula is NOT equal to breastmilk and I think mothers are led to believe that it is. I am interested in the health and wellbeing of everyone, including future clients. This is not to say that if you formula feed your child WILL become sick or overweight, just as breastfeeding doesnt mean your child WONT ever be ill, have allergies or struggle with thier weight. I believe in empowering women to make the most informed decision and that is why I am honest (blunt?!) about these facts. It saddens me that I feel akward here breastfeeding in Fiji because everyone else has bottles & dummies ready to go. It saddens me that tiny little babies are being bottle fed or fed hot chips smothered in sauce because they do not have a choice about what goes into their precious system...we as mothers have that choice about what to feed our babies, and I am proud that my son at 9months has had nothing but the very best nutrition.

Cheers & Giggles
xx

Saturday 3 March 2012

Bula!!!

For those of you reading this for fitness inspiration: my challenge to you today is to PUSH yourselves. Yesterday I confused my workout...I thought that 200m was equal to 2km...and my Xfit workout from Eric was 200m sprint, 20 squats, 10 pushups, 5 rounds. And as I started to run my 2km, I thought there is NO WAY I can do that...so I ran 1km each time and completed 4 rounds in 30mins. Ladies & gents, I am NOT a runner so for me that is an amazing feat! So, calculate incorrectly, go further than you planned, give it everything you've got and I promise you will feel awesome. I also tried to do some headstands on the uphill part of the sandy beach, it ended like this:


with alot of sand in my hair!

So for those of you wanting to know about my honeymoon, Fiji is brilliant although not 100% what I expected. It is extremely difficult to be a vegan here which surprised me, there isn't as much fruit & veg as I thought would be available. So I have relaxed my diet abit and definitely can tell :s
The poverty here is also really bad. We went into town today to Sigatoka and were really confronted by the lack of resources and the amount of people, I actually think that the villages might be better off without any "western" influences. The Fijian people seem to be very friendly while the Indian people seem to be slightly less tolerant/accommodating to travellers. It must be hard and I can see why people would resent tourists. We got stuck at the worst restaurant where River kicked up an absolute stink (he must have felt the creepy vibes too) and I was positively appalled at the host when he suggested that he could give River a bottle of formula so I could get a massage. Um...no effing way.

Which leads me to my next point. While Fiji is touted as a family friendly destination, I have only run into ONE other breastfeeding mum. It seems more like "here babysit my kids while I get pissed" than "welcome parents who want to holiday WITH your children". It is for this reason I can see myself coming back here when my kids are in primary school *wink, wink!

Anyway I'm off for a snorkel and a sunbathe.

Cheers & Giggles
xx