Somebody hide my credit card!

I am addicted to ordering new workouts!

I just got Kundalini for Beginners and Beyond yesterday (did it this morning, by the way. It is very good!) And today, I ordered two Cathe DVDs for Dad to bring with him when he comes over week after next. I ordered Kick Max and Kick, Punch & Crunch, two of the best kickboxing videos available, so I'm told. I don't have a kickboxing workout and thought it would be fun and useful workout to add to my training regime.

Now seriously, that is enough for a few months! Somebody stop me!

Day off, and I'm livin' in the moment

I just did my favourite Tracie Long Training workout, 'Better Burn Better Buns', or as I like to call it, 'Badda Bing Badda Boom.' (Click the link to see a preview on Tracie Long's website.) I don't know why I avoid these workouts like the plague. When I finally force myself to put one in the DVD and do it, I really enjoy it. Tracie is a nazi cow, but if I didn't feel that way about her she wouldn't be doing her job, now would she?

It's raining again today. June was the rainiest June 'in living memory' in the UK, and it's been raining so far every day of July as well. What the heck! I made it through the gloomy dark winter only to face a gloomy dark summer. It's been in the low 60s for weeks and weeks. I used to wonder why on TV I would see people in the UK going around in jackets in summer time. Well, now I know. Still, better to be cool than too hot.

Today's my day off, as I have to work Saturday and Sunday--then Monday it's my 9.00-7.00 day! Where's the justice, eh! On the other hand, I still work fewer hours than I did when I was teaching. I do 37 hours a week at the library, and when I was teaching it was just never ending, always hanging over my head, and even creeping into my dreams. Ugh! School year spent pining for summer, summer spent dreading school year. Never again.

Ouch, my butt muscles (or should I say 'glutes') are already starting to get sore! Badda bing badda boom, nazi cow strikes again!
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Have you ever asked yourself why you keep 'sabatoging' your weightloss or fitness efforts? Listen to this, from The Beautiful Life by Simon Parke:

"Your history has done its work, influencing every decision you make. You hate the hold that history has over you, but strangely, you make no plans to leave. History has made you a prisoner, but you aren't trying to escape. There is a nasty fear inside you, that if you leave the past behind you might actually cease to exist. So you loiter there, whether in subservience or defiance. "

Do you sabatoge yourself at every turn? Do you wake up with good intentions but have a chicken chalupa hanging out of your mouth by half past eleven? Do you 'resign yourself to the fact' that you are just fat and weak? (subservience) Or maybe you get mad at the 'food fascists' and 'fattists' telling you what to eat and how to look? (defiance) Maybe all that is just your ego, that compulsive liar, who supports and applauds the surging energies of feeling that run through you, making you believe that you are your emotions. Your ego is insecure and frightened, and will systematically affirm all your emotions and make you believe that there is nothing else to you. That you should submit to your emotions, because doing so will affirm your individual value. Liar. It's the ego that fears it will cease to exist. You will go on, for the real you is indestructible.

So does this mean that stopping self-sabatoge is a matter of  letting go of the past and focusing on the future? No. Simon says:

"The other non-existent refuge is the future. For some of us, the future is more compelling than the past. We are those who  like to move on. The future is the land of opportunity. We wish we could break out and make waves in the big blue beyond. And we become those who make plans. 'You have to live the dream!'  as they say.

"But this is not so. That is our ego talking again. To live the dream is a romantic notion, and a foolish one. It makes good movies but terrible life.

"Let any dream you harbour take care of itself, without undue encouragement from you. Instead, go about the simple if demanding business of being in the present. The dreams you have may well be given to you. They often are, and perhaps in a manner better than you ever dared imagine. But if it is to happen, and if it is to be good, it will emerge in its own time, while you seek the only good available--the kingdom presently within, for it is there that reality is changed."

Right. So should you just forget all this weight loss business, this target setting, this point counting? Not exactly.

You should live in the moment. When you sit down to that bowl of beautiful brown rice and stir-fried vegetables, you breathe in the smells. You feel grateful to the earth that feeds you, to the people you love who are sitting at the table with you. You focus on the flavours of the food, and consider the way that it is nourishing your body. When you exercise, you feel the joy of motion, you feel grateful for the gift of movement, you consider the miracle of all your body's systems working together in ways you can't imagine.

You don't have to get all Zen about it if that freaks you out. But you get joy from being in the present.

The only reality is me lifting this chicken chalupa to my face. Am I aware of this moment, or am I sleepwalking through it? I bet if I was aware of this moment, I'd have chosen something better for myself and my world than a stupid fast food meal.

The only reality is me sitting completely zoned out in front of my TV. If I knew that this moment was the only reality, that it was all I had, that it was all I would ever get, would I choose to spend it shlubbed out, ignoring the pain in my body caused by lack of motion,  and the loved ones around me? If I were awake to the reality of present moment living, I bet I could find something better to do with that moment.

That's not to say you can't be awake to the moment and enjoy a less healthy option, or even a night shlubbed out in the front of the telly. But are you aware of what you're doing? Are you awake?? Are you enjoying it, deep down, beyond ego, in the deepest essence of you? Are you experiencing it in all your senses? Are you reflecting on how deeply content it is making you?

Present moment living seems harder than counting points, resisting a cookie, or making a meal at home when you're tired and it would be easier to buy  fast food  because you 'deserve it'. Being in the present moment is both difficult and simple at the same time. The more you do it, the easier it gets, and you find that all sorts of things start to fall into place that you wouldn't have thought could have anything to do with paying attention to yourself living your life. What you eat is only a small part of it.

Hey, I'm not perfect and not a guru--I had a half a dark chocolate bar yesterday!--but I tell you what. That sure was one good chocolate bar. I shared half of it with my friend, I enjoyed every moment of eating it and I don't feel one bit guilty about it.

I wish I could live in the moment every moment.

The Beautiful Life

I've been reading a wonderful little book called The Beautiful Life: Ten New Commandments, Because Life Could Be Better by Simon Parke. (Click on the title to be taken to my other blog where you can read more from this book.)  If you are attracted to Buddhist thought, this book will resonate with you. If not, you probably will think it is a load of twaddle. Personally, I love it. The author was a priest in the Church of England for 20 years, has written for radio and TV, and now works in a supermarket. How Zen is that!

If you're wrestling with meeting your goals, ponder this:

"There is nothing wrong with instant in itself. Instant can be good. But as a rule of thumb, if it is instant, it probably doesn't matter very much. Rome was not built in a day. The ocean liner cannot turn on a sixpence. And the human being is both bigger and more complex than both.

"There's nothing wrong with results either. Results can be good. But they are never a promise, and never the reason for proceeding. In a society that worships the god of immediate and demonstrable outcomes, results have iconic status. But to seek results above all else is to step on a treadmill of insecure and misplaced striving, in which contortions are more evident than health. You are worth more than that. There are things you can work towards, but nothing you need strive for.

"Nothing truly valuable can ever be made into a target."

Now if that doesn't hit you where it counts you need to go back and read it again!

I'm so glad I ran across this book in my meanderings through the library today. (And to think I was actually looking  for sex memoirs to add to  a sordid little display I made yesterday--I've already had to top it up three times and will have to change it soon as all the raunchy books are gone now! Pervy folk!)

Strike and a spike

The postal strike seems to be over now, according to the Royal Mail website. Somewhere in limbo of striking postal workers floats my US passport and UK nationality certificate. One can only hope they make it to the Home Office and back to me intact. I am waiting anxiously for acknowledgement of receipt.

My weight spiked this morning after an exciting three day run of weighing 134.2. This morning it was 136.0. Back in the weight loss days, a big spike usually precipitated a drop, but these days it usually just means I ate too much salt.

I've looked back over my rotations for the last three months and realize I have been doing only 3 cardio workouts per week. I wonder if I should design a 'Cardio Bunny' rotation for next month instead of the cardio-yoga piggy back rotation I've worked on. Maybe I could design Cardio Bunny for September.
Oops, gotta go to work! Hope everyone is doing well.

End of June Assessment

Wahoo! For the first time this YEAR, my monthly average is below 135. It is-------drumroll---------134.7.

Oh well.

I did manage to squeeze out two more pushups this month, for a total of 22 in one go. Considering I set a New Years goal to be able to do 20 by December, I'd say I'm doing okay there. Too bad I also said I wanted to weigh below 130!

Measurements are all pretty much the same.

Today I bought a dress in a half-price sale to wear to our friend's wedding in August. I thought it was immodestly low in the neckline, but my friend Gail assured me I was being ridiculous. That's easy for her to say, she's got actual cleavage. For me, it's nothing but chest.  Anyway, I'll post a photo and you can see what you think. Have to wait for hubby to get home and take one, though.

I will attempt to describe it. (Please excuse my lack of fashion knowledge...) It's a 100% silk floral print. The material is a golden sandy beige background with a rather traditional looking floral print of cream flowers with pink and darker pink accents on the floral design. It has a fairly plunging V neckline and a dirndl waistline with a point at the top and the bottom of the dirndl part. There are 5 fabric-covered buttons going down the front of the dirndl part. The skirt is A-line with a bit of a flarey kick at the hem. The dress has a thin tie in the back. The sleeves are slightly puffy with a button cuff just above the elbow. It's exactly what you would imagine a 40s retro silk tea dress would look like. I think that's what it is! I got it for £22.50 and plan to wear it with strappy pink heels and a chunky amber necklace. What do you think?

Wisdom from an Ironman Triathlete

...and a vegan one at that!

I've been reading a book called 'Thrive', by vegan triathlete Brendan Brazier. Here are some top tips from good old Bren.

1. All you need for optimal health is light resistance training with weights one day, up to an hour of cardio/aerobic exercise the next, three of each spanning the week. Much beyond that is in the name of something else. Fitness perhaps, or just enjoyment. (Notice that this is still 6 days a week. There's no getting around it, folks. You don't have to do a triathlon, but you gotta move it move it.)

2.  Make an effort to get exposure to natural sunlight every day. This is how our bodies synthesize vitamin D, essential for the absorption and utilization of calcium.

3. Starting about an hour before bed, make a concerted effort to limit exposure to light. Dim the lights until just sufficient for navigation. This encourages the release of melatonin, a potent antioxidant that reduces alertness and slightly lowers the body temperature, preparing the body for sleep. The last 20 minutes before bed, Brendan suggests meditation. We could at least turn off the TV and sit quietly!

4. "Raw, alkalising, enzyme-intact, living foods have become the foundation of my diet. Switching my main carbohydrate source from refined starches to whole fruits and vegetables was my starting point. The majority of my energy needs are met by a wide variety of fruits and whole grains. Raw nuts and seeds, with an emphasis on flax and hemp, as well as legumes, supply me with protein and essential fatty acids. The majority of my vitamins and minerals come from fresh, raw vegetables--dark leafy green ones in particular."

5. Overtraining can cause increase in body fat. The optimal amount of training is the amount your body can recover from. That will be depend on many factors.  You increase your ability to recover by eating nutrient-dense foods and getting adequate sleep. If you try reducing calories in response to increased body fat during training, you just exacerbate the problem. You will be in the strange position where eating less food is making you gain more fat. This is because of chronically elevated cortisol levels and exhausted adrenal glands.

6. Premium food is the key to regeneration, particularly when stress is high. (Either physical or mental stress). When rebuilding cells, the body can go one of two ways. If it has the resources, the new cells will be strong and healthy. If it 'building blocks' are drawn from only sub-standard sources, the body has no choice but to fabricate weaker cells. The is called degeneration, also known as premature aging. This is why you can't just say, 'I did my exercise today, I'll treat myself to a cheeseburger' or 'A calorie is a calorie, I will have the chocolate cake for 5 WW points'  and expect to look and feel younger and stronger.

7. Which foods are best?

Foods rich in chlorophyll, (ie, all green leafy vegetables) which cleanse and oxygenate the blood.

Fiber. It helps control cortisol levels by stabilizing insulin and ensuring quick exit of body wastes.

A complete source of protein with an excellent spectrum of amino acids. A raw plant-based source such as hemp or pea protein is excellent. Protein  is an optimal regeneration facilitator.

A balance of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids for healthy skin, etc.

These foods are alkaline and will minimize acidity in the body. (Lactic acid is built up from physical exertion, general stress and acid-forming foods and can cause muscular stiffness, fatigue and joint pain. Chronic acidity in the body will lead to blood and cellular tissue degeneration, ie, premature aging.) Acid is a natural by-product of metabolism and movement, but continued elevated levels of acid in the body can cause osteoporosis (As the body must maintain neutral blood, it will pull alkaline calcium from the bones as a survival mechanism. This is the true cause of osteoporosis), kidney stones, loss of bone mass, reduction of growth hormone, loss of lean body mass and increase in body fat production.

See how important it is to eat your veggies!!!

No identity!

Yesterday I posted my UK passport application, accompanied by my US passport and British Certificate of Naturalisation! I walked in the post office with my entire (dual) identity, walked out with nothing and £76 poorer.  Argh! And guess what--the Royal Mail is experiencing a strike today. What kind of dumb f*** luck is that, eh? Hopefully my parcel will be unaffected.

I'm supposed to get acknowledgement of receipt within a few days and my passport in 10 to 14 working days. If I don't hear from Identity and Passport Service in 14 days (that's 12th of July--it's marked on my calendar!) I am to call and quote my reference number and 'make enquiries.'  Argh, argh argh!! So it's just flat out of my hands for the next two weeks. Literally.

To add fun to the game, I got on the scale this morning and it said 137.6. Curious, as yesterday it was 134.0. Got off, switched it off, turned it back on, got back on. 136.4. Hm. Off, on, on again. 136.0. Did it again. 136.0. Okay then. We'll go with 136.0. Some mornings are just weird. (I did realise yesterday, though, that I actually ate no vegetables. How does a vegan go a day with no vegetables? Easy:

breakfast--toast and coffee
snack--coco loco nakd bar (eaten while queuing in post office)
lunch--chickpea dahl and brown rice
(after work--60 minute workout)
dinner--vegan sloppy joe and 4 oven chips
(then back to work to lead the local reading group at the library)
snack after getting back from reading group--bowl of cereal with soy milk

No fruit, no veg. Up two, perhaps three, pounds overnight. It's like magic! It's like those sea monkeys you used to see advertised in the back of comics! Fun for the whole family!)

DH is away for the weekend, so I'll be home alone. It's supposed to rain all weekend, so I'll be indoors most of the time. I plan to work out and do the laundry. Dream big!

Leftover baked potatoes?

When you bake potatoes, do you bake too many on purpose? I do, so I can make something yummy with them the next day. Here's a fantastic recipe I made on Sunday morning. It's adapted from the book Vegan with a Vengeance. I encourage you to try the vegan version! Any substitutions you do with flesh, I can't vouch for the results.

 Vegan Chorizo and Potato Brunch

Heat oven to 350. Cube two or three leftover baked potatoes and put them in the oven in a roasting pan to crisp up on the outside. You can toss them in a tiny bit of olive oil if you think they need it.

Meanwhile, combine the following:
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
2 Tbs ancho chile powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 Tbs raw cane sugar

Pulse these items in a coffee grinder or crush in mortar and pestle. Set aside.

Mince one large onion and saute in a bit of olive oil with three minced garlic cloves. Add the spice mixture and saute a minute or two. Add about 1/2-1 lb of veggie mince. (I just dumped some in). Add 3 Tbs ketchup and about 1/2 cup of water, 2 bay leaves, 1 cinnamon stick and a few big grinds of black pepper. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is evaporated. Turn off heat, cover and let sit while your potatoes finish browning. (If you use meat you're going to have to do all sorts of browning and draining away of grease and making sure it reaches a certain temperature so it doesn't give you trichinosis and all sorts of stuff. Good luck with that.)

When your potatoes are a lovely golden brown,  take them out of the oven and toss them in the skillet with the chorizo.

Strut when you serve this for a Sunday brunch.

If you must, you could have toast and scrambled egg or tofu with this, but we just had big platefuls of it with real coffee.

It was a huge hit with our omnivorous friend who stayed with us for the weekend.

Another goal reached!

I got a letter from CILIP today. I was successful in my application for ACLIP certification. So now I have another qualification to add to my CV.

My passport application is filled in and all I have to do is get my countersigner to sign it, and off it goes to the Home Office (along with my US passport and certificate of naturalisation--eek! I hate sending off my valuable documents) and in about three weeks I should have my shiny new UK passport.

Everything seems to be coming together as planned. Yay!

July Rotation

Thought I'd post my July rotation. This rotation has a cross-training focus and includes meditation on rest days. Kundalini yoga also incorporates meditation and chanting.

JULY
1 Ultimate Stretch Kundalini Yoga
2 Endurance for Movement (functional training)
3 REST meditation
4 Yoga Burn (ashtanga)
5 Bootcamp Maximum Calorie Burn (plyos & cardio)
6 Get Ripped to the Core (weights--light, high rep)
7 Express Cardio (step)
8 Better Burn, Better Buns (functional)
9 REST meditation
10 Body Fusion (step with weight intervals)
11 Total Body Power Yoga (ashtanga)
12 Aerobic Body Shaping (step with weight intervals)
13 REST--Kundalini Yoga for Beginners & Beyond
14 Body Sculpt (weights--slow and heavy)
15 Ultimate Stretch Kundalini Yoga
16 Low Max (step)
17 REST meditation
18 Yoga Burn (ashtanga)
19 Strength in Movement (functional)
20 REST meditation
21 Super Cardio Sculpt (cardio)
22 Total Body Power Yoga (ashtanga)
23 Cardio Sculpt Blaster (step)
24 Jiggle Free Arms (step with upper body weight intervals)
25 REST meditation
26 Finding Your Core (functional)
27 Ultimate Stretch Kundalini Yoga
28 Basic Step (step)
29 Jiggle Free Buns (step with lower body weight intervals)
30 Yoga Burn (ashtanga)
31 REST meditation

Maybe this functional training will shake up my body just a bit. I've been doing Jari Love 3 times a week in June, so the functional training is something different.