Valentines Day

Hello lovely readers,

While I don't feel Valentines day celebrations are a necessity, it is a great excuse to go out for a romantic meal or do something special with your partner.

One of my new goals in life is to live in the moment and enjoy all the happiness that comes your way. If that means celebrating Valentines day then so be it, it can't hurt after all.

I love low key, romantic dates and home made gifts and cards, so here are some of my Valentines day suggestions...

1. Go for a picnic in your local park. Get a nice big rug and a basket full of deli meats and cheeses and enjoy the summer sun just the two of you.

2. Moonlight Cinemas is showing the very romantic Breakfast at Tiffany's. Grab some ciders and a picnic basket full of goodies and enjoy nature, the summer night and a classic romantic film. Purchase tickets at: http://www.moonlight.com.au/ 

HOT TIP - Buy Gold Grass, you get a great little bean bag for the evening and have a nice big sectioned off area so you don't have to get there as early to save your spot.

3. Surprise your partner by booking a table at their favourite restaurant or by cooking up a storm form them before they get home from work.

4. I made these cute Dynamite Chocolates last year - 

For instructions go to: http://laurenconrad.com/blog/post/cupids-corner-darling-dynamite-diy-valentines-day-craft-gift-ideas-2012

5. Bake these cute cupcakes as a little after dinner treat - 

For instructions go to: http://laurenconrad.com/blog/post/sweet-tooth-valentine-s-day-heart-baked-inside-cupcakes-recipe

Enjoy xoxo

Me moments

Hello everyone,

So I know I said I would come back to you with results of the 12 week Ashy Bines Bikini Body Challenge, the reason I haven't yet is because after about 3-4 weeks I adopted the "I've lost 2kg and have had great fitness test results so I can eat these chips, it wont make a difference" mentality. Little did I know that the more carbs and sugar you eat, the more you crave it/give in and end up feeling guilty because you have spent so much money on a fitness program and diet and you are not following it.

I do think it is important to treat yourself on a weekly basis, it is all about self control and portion size, which is something that has taken me a while to learn!

I was a little disappointed as I had tried so hard at the start, it was starting to get me a little down, but then I realsied I had so much to be proud of. My percentage body fat had come down, my muscle reading had gone up, my weight had come down and my fitness test results had improved dramatically.

It took me a while to realise that it is way more important to concentrate on how you feel and how your clothes fit as apposed to the number on the scales, as so many different factors affect this number, how much water your body is retaining, the time of the month, how much you have eaten the day before etc. 

The bootcamp had really helped me work out what keeps me motivated, and keeping in mind how great you feel when you achieve results always helps too.

This post is all about motivation, working out what works for you and the importance of having a "me moment" every now and then.

A "me moment" can be whatever you want it to be, for me, it is sitting in bed watching some girlie TV like Pretty Little Liars or Gossip Girl with a bag of lightly salted, organic popcorn and painting my nails on a Friday night. Then getting up the next morning and doing something active so I don't feel too bad about the popcorn (which is actually considered a healthy afternoon snack if you have a small handful or two and it is high in fibre).

Doing exercise has never been something that I enjoy a whole lot, unless its going for a walk with a girl friend or a gym class with some buddies to motivate me - its pretty safe to say I will rarely go if I am alone. It was the bootcamp that made me realise there are so many different sports you can do, you just need to find one that you enjoy. I found I love boxing and jogging, I love doing different things at each session, I hate repetition (in food and exercise)- it bores me! I read somewhere that "anyone who says exercise is not fun, hasn't found the right kind"

I have made it my mission to try a few different sports this year, I want to take up cycling, I want to go Horse Ridding (I know this is not a high cardio sport, but it is still a sport and it is still something that I have not done since I was a child so counts as something different), I want to do more Reformer Pilates* and want to take up boxing classes (I purchased my own boxing gloves for bootcamp and want to make sure I continue to use them). 

*Reformer Pilates is great for beginners, a great studio is KX Pilates - http://www.kxpilates.com.au/

Another great motivator is exercise gear, if you love exercising and are really keen to stay on track, I find it is a great motivator to go out and buy new gear. I recently had to replace my runners as they were way past their use by date and then purchased 2 new tops to exercise in. Bye bye old oversized t-shirt, hello new Lulu Lemon singlets! Obviously this motivator is reliant on what bills I need to pay this month, but its always great to have a goal in mind for the future if buying new clothes is not feasible this month. http://www.lululemon.com.au/

My amazing Naturopath said to me, if you're going to have a treat, make sure you enjoy it, it is not healthy to dwell/feel negative about something you have eaten. 

Eat 80% for the body and 20% for the soul!

My fave Christmas gifts

I know I have been slack on the blog front, I apologise - the festive seasons got the better of me!

One of my favourite Christmas gifts was actually one from myself to my mum. The T2 ice tea jug. It can be used to brew hot or cold teas using loose leaf or tea bags. I gave her the 2L jug and just keep topping it up as we go through it.

T2 have such an amazing range of flavours, my favourite to serve as ice tea is the Strawberry and Cream - it is sweet but light and you can change the intensity of the flavour by using less or more tea. To sweeten mine up a little, I added the Turkish Apple tea (which looks like brown sugar), it is delicious.

Another fun flavour of tea from T2 is the Vanilla Mint - it is very refreshing and great served ice cold.

For more info, visit: http://t2tea.com/ or http://blog.t2tea.com/how-to-brew-ice-tea/

Another great gift I gave was some P.J shorts from Peter Alexander. The best part was, when I was buying them, Peter himself came into the store, had pictures with people, handed out free waters and actually served people at the register!

How cute are these shorts, that come in a little felt cup cake?!

For more info please visit: http://www.peteralexander.com.au/tem/PA_petersworld.tem

Now its time to be a little selfish and gush about my absolute favourite gift - I love my new Thierry Lasry Lively sunnies

http://www.thierrylasry.com/

These can be purchased at Green with Envy http://www.greenwithenvy.com.au/ or visit http://www.thierrylasry.com/stockists.php?country=australia for more stockist.

Fundraising

It is very hard to try and support the foundations we would like to help out, however we must remember that every little bit counts. So donating $10 here and there, even though its a small amount, it really goes a long way!

Every year I try to support significantly to one foundation, as well as donating a few coins here and there to the door knockers, and highway volunteers. This year I was fortunate enough to be able to help out three amazing foundations - the Breast Cancer Foundation, Ovarian Cancer Australia and the Cancer Council.

One friend had a "Pink Ribbon Breakfast" to raise money for the Breast Cancer Foundation and another has an annual "Australian's Biggest Morning Tea" to raise money for the Cancer Council. I had an "Ovarian Cancer Australia" fundraiser morning tea too. 

It is so easy to host a fundraiser, an is a lot of fun as well. You simply contact the foundation, get the ok to go ahead, they will sometimes sned you some info of the symptoms etc to put up at your fundraiser, and often send you some merchandise to sell to. You ask people to bring a donation amount (mine was $20), and you supply them with morning tea. It is a great way to catch up with friends and raise money for a great cause at the same time!

Fundraisers don't have to be for Cancer foundations either, they can be for animal shelters, Hospitals (Dry July is a great one to raise money for a cancer research at a particular hospital of your choice), Mental Illness foundations etc.

To hold a fundraiser, just go to the website of the foundation you would like to support and look at their "fundraising" section - if there isn't one, just find the "contact us" tab and give them a call or e-mail.

Coco for Coconuts

I am obsessed with Coconut, I love to eat it, put it in museli, use the oil in smoothies, drink Coconut water... everything, love it!

I wanted to share some of the benefits of Coconuts...

1. Coconut is considered a "functional food" as it is rich in fibre, vitamins and minerals

2. Coconuts contain Lauric Acids, these help keep your digestion up to scratch and boost the immune system.

Coconut Water:

1. Helps with weight loss as it speeds up the metabolism

2. Helps Hydrate your body as it has many natural electrolytes (Cocobella Coconut Water has 5)

3. Unlike Coconut Milk, Coconut Water doesn't contain much fat, so is a guilt free way to enjoy a little big of sweet each day.

Coconut Oil:

1. Coconut Oil contains 50% Laric Acid

2. Boost energy and endurance

3. Kills germs and viruses such as te flue, herpes, measles and other illnesses.
4. Coconut Oil also helps improve Magnesium and Calcium absorption.

I have 1 jar at home for cooking, 1 at work for my morning smoothies and 1 by my bed for moisturising each night. It smells amazing, is delicious and so so good for you!

Here are some of the brands I have tried...

For more info on the goodness of Coconuts please visit: http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/

Fresh Juice

There are many benefits from drinking fresh fruit and vegetable juice each day.

Not only does it make you feel great but it is a feat source of energy and vitamins and minerals your body needs to function at its best throughout the day.

I have done a little research and found the following fun facts about the importance of juicing and consuming your fruit and veggies each day.

When you drink your fruits and vegetables you absorb up to 80% more of the nutrients!

Fruit and Veggie juice reduces the amount of work your digestive organs have to do and has been show to increase the health of the liver and kidneys. Not only does this lead to better immunity and overall better long term health, but a cleaner and healthier liver also helps with weight loss.

Drinking fresh fruit and veggie juice can also prevent diseases such as cancer – although no cancer is completely preventable, keeping your fruit and veg intake up is a lifestyle decision that is believed to reduce the risk of developing cancers.

My fave juices are Oranges, Apples, Mint, Spinach, Cucumber, Celery, Ginger and Carrots all mixed together and consumed cold. Or Watermelon, Mint and Apple served on ice on a hot day.

If your not a fan of veggie juice, OJ is a great alternative. It is high in Vitamin C which is great for your immune system, and it is also high in the following vitamins and minerals:

- Folic Acid which boosts brain health

- B Vitamins which is good for the production of haemoglobin in the body

- Beta carotene which helps prevent cell damage

- Calcium which is good for bone health

- Potassium which is helpful in maintaining normal blood pressure

- Pectin which is a dietary fibre which assists in maintaining a healthy weight.

For more fun facts about juicing please visit boostjuice.com.au or thedailymind.com

Bok Choy, Orange, Tomato, Carrot, Apple, Spinach, Ginger, Chia seeds, Coconut Oil (make sure you melt it prior to adding it into your juice. I only use a teaspoon and melt it by putting it in a heat proof dish over a saucepan with boiling water in it - don't use the microwave, the good fats will melt away)

Clean Eating 101

Sorry for the lack of posts - getting up at 5am 3 times a week is exhausting - but great fun and makes you feel fantastic!

So thought I would give you an update on my meals.

For the first few weeks I was having a protein shake consisting of berries, fat free natural yoghurt, chia seeds, water, coconut oil and vanilla protein powder (a good brand is Sun Warrior - its $$ though but lasts a while).

I have since switched to porridge as I was getting a little bored with the same thing every day. I buy the High Fibre Uncle Toby's sachets of porridge (not flavoured), and use hot water, manuka honey and coconut oil to mix it into a warm breaky. I add berries, yoghurt and chia seeds for a little extra flavour.

For lunch I have been having meat and salad:

This is a chicken sausage roll made with chicken breast, grated zucchini and garlic, wrapped in a rye wrap and put in the oven for 30 mins.
The salad is made with avocado, spinach, tomato, spring onion, chia seeds and olive oil.

This salad is the same as above with tofu which has been cooked in olive oil and garlic, and a, organic Mediterranean veggie burger from IGA.

This salad is the same as above minus the Tofu. Then I have a sausage roll made with Steak instead of Chicken.

It is easy to eat clean if you are organised - doing a big cook on a Sunday and freezing your meals until you need them is a great way to get around planning your clean eating week.