Relax

~ Frankie Goes to Hollywood ~

Somedays I forget that this is supposed to be a lifestyle, not a diet. So, technically there should be no finish line as the "healthy" should continue long after my goals have been achieved. And I must also realize that my approach to this "diet" is sometime my downfall.

Every diet or weight loss program is based on some form of behavior modification. If you eat healthy, portion controlled meals you will lose weight.  How much weight (AND how fast) you lose depends on how long you’re willing to stick to the plan. And then when you do reach your goal you have to worry about keeping the weight off.  

 So shoudnt we rather be more focused on motivation then behavior modification?  Instead of keeping tempting foods out of the house because I can't control my cravings, shouldnt I say "I can have whatever I want"?  Food should then no longer be a temptation & if I decide to eat something "unhealthy", I moderate the amount I eat.

Instead of focusing on losing weight, I should rather focus on being slim, strong & healthy. Instead of completely giving in when I have a "bad day", I must just compensate at the next meal. Instead of depriving myself of the food I love, rather allow myself whatever I want, and I should find myself making better choices.

You don't want to reach your target weight then go back to your old eating habits and gain all the weight (or more) back. I can’t wait until the diet is over so that I can eat what I’ve been missing, as this lifestyle should stick around till I'm not around.

So I'm going to try to change my motivation & attitude.  Also, apparently chronic stress causes release of cortisol which causes belly fat, the most dangerous type of fat...so it's in your best interest to chill. 

Had an arm wobbly Crossfit class! My arms are still a little bit shaky - pike push-up's are really not the easiest thing in the world.  I'm getting more & more confident in my clean's so I think I will start adding more weight from next time. And we ran shuttles...

Night all!

All I want for Christmas is ....

you boobs ~ Mariah Carey ~

If you're like most girls, you have a love/hate relationship with your rack. Your boobs can act all wacko, they itch at inconvenient times, your headlights go on high alert and they disappear (99% of the time) like mist before the sun when you start loosing weight.

Now, I'd rather be fit, healthy and flat chested than overweight with boobage.  And if it bothers you that much you can always have a boob job. Your options are either fork out the cash for the op, wear a padded bra or hide all those kg's under clothes. I know my choice will be 1 or 2.

During the initial (and in my case, ongoing) stages of weight loss, women tend to lose fat in their breasts as a large majority of breast tissue is comprised of fat. Your body takes the fat from where it wants and doesn't really ask your permission first. Apparently the best thing to do is to minimize the amount of cardio performed while emphasizing weight training in an effort to increase the size of the muscles that lies underneath. It won't do much to the size, but it can perk them up slightly (i.e. no rocks in socks...)

Boob jobs are becoming so everyday now, and apart from the cost, are almost available to everyone. I'm just not sure I'll be able to sit on my ass for how ever many weeks it takes to heal up. And I've seen some baaaad side-effect from going back to the gym to soon.

Also, my new Crossfit obsession does not bode well for the gals.

On second thought - I don't mind being part of the Itty Bitty Titty Committee if I can look like these ladies.

Christmas Abbott & Camille Leblanc-Bazinet

I remember my Gran's advice: squeeze a tennis ball between your hands, elbows up & say "I must, I must, I must increase my bust", while squeezing the ball.  I wonder if there are tennis balls in the house....night all.

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Wagon Wheel

~ Darius Rucker ~

I love weekends - it gives me time to recharge, do things I don't have time for during the week or do nothing if I feel so inclined.  I have also previously mentioned that pants & bra's are optional over weekends. I love weekends but my eating plan vehemently disagrees. 

Come Friday night all my good eating goes out the window and I slip-up.  It's not that I go out on all-night booze & take-away benders. I might skip breakfast because I wake up a bit later. Or I will have that extra snack when it's not really snack time (i.e. not hungry).  

This weekend we made nachos at home, which is not the unhealthiest thing (only the chips & the cheese), but it's not something that I would normally eat during the week. I had a cup of Milo on Saturday evening while playing PC games and I had popcorn for lunch on Sunday whilst watching a movie.

Would the weight/cm's come off faster if I didn't have these weekend "treats/cheats"?  Most likely. But I also think that even 2 weeks of straight dieting will end up with me binging on something that's a whole lot worse then nachos, nut butter & Milo.

How do I keep my weekends more goal-friendly? Is it OK if I eat an extra handful of nuts or a tablespoon of macadamia nut butter (or two - seriously who can have only 1). Is it a mental thing that I have to figure out? Do I have to go balls to the wall until I've reached my goal or do I take it slow & steady & live life? Cause you cannot "diet" for the rest of your life.

On Saturday morning I did my first Crossfit "Chipper". It was amazing & hateful all rolled into one. 300 (or a 100 double unders that I still can't do without giving myself whip marks) skips, 80 push-ups, 60 thrusters, 40 medicine ball squat cleans, 20 burpees, 10 Turkish get-ups. I missed the 20 minute cut-off time with 100 skips to go. And everything is hurting a bit today (yesterday it hurt a f*ckload) - calves, inner thighs, outer thighs, quads, butt, lats, ribs, triceps, shoulders, boobs... It's amazing how such simple exercises can work so many muscles.

Barbell burn - I guess that is why they wear the socks...

I hate to think of it as "getting back on the wagon" or "starting on Monday", but that's what I do every Monday.  You almost have to have one of those heartfelt sport movie "get your mind back in the game" moments with yourself.  
 

 

Have a good week people. Remember to follow K&C on Google+ | Facebook | Pinterest | Bloglovin - you'll get a reminder when there is a new post out.

Soul Meets Body

~ Deathcab for Cutie ~

Since this is the Internet, and some people may read what I write in their tone, not mine, I just feel like I need to say the following upfront: I understand body dysmorphia is a real illness and that it can get real bad for any person living with it. In today's post I'm only referring to the milder aspects of the disease. 
 

Many of us have those moments when we take a look in the mirror & wish for things to be different. Body dysmorphia is a mental illness where a person is so excessively concerned with body image that they start seeing it as a defect. They have constant negative thoughts about their appearance which for the most is either minor or imagined. Some people are so preoccupied that they spend hours obsessing every day, constantly comparing themselves to others and asking for reassurance about their appearances. Body dysmorphia can also be quite mild, where people can accept that they probably look "normal", even though they may see their defects as obvious and unattractive. 
 

If you have every watched the show "How to Look Good Naked" (BBC) hosted by the flamboyant Gok Wan (just loved how he used to tap girls on the boobs and call them bangers or knockers) you will know how he tried to change the way ladies see themselves. In every episode he would take Lady X and put her in front of a line of ladies ranging from sizes a - z and she had to decide where she thinks she fits in. 99% of the time the girl would insert herself between two ladies that were at least 4 to 5 sizes bigger then her, reacting with shock when Gok would move her up the line to where her actual measurements fit in. Is this what we do to ourselfs?
 

A common group therapy activity for the illness is body tracing. Sketch an life-size outline of what you think your body's size is on piece of paper, then lie in the outline as another person trace your actual size inside of it. It should show the discrepancy between what we think our body shape is, and what it actually is.  I wondered how far off the average woman's perception of her body is?  I myself will sometimes ask Boyfriend "am I bigger or smaller then that girl" just because I cannot judge for myself. 

And how can you look (and feel) awesome at one point in the day, and then a couple of hours later you feel fat, wobbly & pasty in front of the same mirror? I know lighting plays an effect, but surely most of it must be in the mind? We focus so much on our bodies during weight loss that we notice the flaws more and not the subtle changes. Sometimes I still think I should be picking out a size 14, even though I'm actually closer to a 10. I put it down to having seen myself one way for so long, that my brain still needs to catch up... 

Practising handstands & eating a "with every topping" wakaberry :)

Tuna & coconut oil salad for lunch & chicken wraps for supper - summer food.

Early morning again tomorrow - Friday morning Crossfit! Remember to follow K&C on Google+ | Facebook | Pinterest | Bloglovin.  Night all, sleep well! 

Mirror Mirror

~ Def Leppard ~

I despise going in to a dressing room, but I cannot buy a piece of clothing without touching it & seeing on me from every angle. The stuff on the hanger never looks the same on your body. Normally I'll go in, eyes averted, put down the clothes, handbag, tag, other bags & then get right down too.

That's when I look in the mirror & think, seriously - when I left home my hair looked find & my makeup looked fresh but that bubble gets popped pretty quickly in this florescent lighting. And it looks like you are wearing underwear that should be donated to the Salvation Army. Why does buying clothes = self-esteem beaten like a pinata?

Even worse then dressing rooms are dresses with no zips. You start sliding it up your thighs before you realize uh-uh...this isn't going further. Now you do the "put it over your head" with your arms sticking up and for a couple of seconds there you actually think that you'll get stuck in this position.  Your either going to scream for an assistant or hulk-lady it & hope those seams pop....but then it's finally over the shoulders and it's not the right color and then the reverse has to happen....back over the head.

This lady took it a step further and documented her weight loss with changing room photos, she tells more about it here.  At least for me today was a good day, the lighting was dark, the sizes were good & I wasn't having a fat day so a few more gym tops found their way home.

Food was good for the day. I seriously need to reduce my coffee intake...but it soooo good.

Had an real fun Crossfit class tonight. We had to do as many rounds as possible of the following in 15 minutes of: 30 double unders, 10 toes to bar, 10 shoulders to overhead & 200 m runs. I managed to finish 4 rounds & now happy to work on it to better my score in 5 weeks time! Also practiced my handstands again and managed 6 seconds, whooo, we are getting somewhere!

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Night all

You're my best friend

~ Don Williams ~

I'm not a mushy girly girl. I like pink only because it looks awesome on my feet and I've always been the tomboy playing rugby (primary school) and PlayStation (highschool) with the boys. But I must say there is something quite awesome about meeting someone that shares your interests (sport, gaming & food), goals (get ripped) & chocolate cravings (...hmmm, chocolate...). 

Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying that you need someone in your life in order for you to get anywhere. It's just nice to share the same concerns or issues with like-minded people. That is why online communities such as Sleek Geek, Sleek Girls & Eat Train Evolve are little mecca's.  It's people with the same problems as yourself, and 99% of the time someone has the solution that worked for them that you might be able to adapt. 

Do you have a SO (Significant Other) or Friend/Buddy/Pal who is your alter-you? Or how do you cope if your SO or F/B/P does not share the same goals as you? I was so frustrated in a previous relationship where there was a very one-sided love for health & fitness - there was no "let's go to gym" when I complained about a fat day, or the "how frothy do you want your protein shake" after a workout, or the "come-on, move your ass" while going ("being dragged") for a run.

So Boyfriend, thanks for dragging me on runs for the last 3 years. And the pretty flowers.

Had a nice clean day of eating & practiced handstands again - working my way up to almost 3 seconds unassisted...yah, still a way to go.

Night all! 

PS:  Hope everyone's furbabies are OK with all these idiotic bangs going off?

Explain it

~ Moved Out West ~ [...Never heard of them, but it fits...]

We had lunch with my dad & gran yesterday, and once again I was forced to explain what Crossfit is. Have you tried it? No, not Crossfit, explaining what it is... And not to fitness nuts like yourself...oh no...try to explain it to your 80 year old grannie who keeps interrupting you to say that she used to make tea for the weightlifters when she was younger...

I haven't been Crossfitting for long, but even if you live CrossFit how do you describe it to people who don't have a clue? I mean, no one is going to stand there & read from the CrossFit Journal. But you can't be so brief & vague in your description that you make it sound like every other fitness program out there. 

The standard definition is: Constantly varied, functional movements performed at a relatively high intensity - the pic below demonstrates it quite nicely. One of my other favorites are: "This shit gets you in shape fast, gets you strong and keeps you that way, quite simple. It isn't easy, but it works..."

Halfway through explaining it to them I gave up and just showed them the official Crossfit video [Granny: "Which one are you?"].

On a lighter note, Urban Dictionary describes CrossFit as follows: "A bunch of rich white people paying $250/month to have an uncredentialed coach instruct them to have spasms with PVC pipes and seizures on pull-up bars until they vomit. They generally do this for a period of 10-30 minutes and call it a workout. Those who partake in these group activities also have the option to pay $1000 to attend a weekend course where they have an alcoholic instruct them how to better lift their PVC pipe. Some people who do these activities may also confuse being nauseous with being elite."

This weekend was spent playing Battlefield 4 and drinking lots of coffee :)

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