Run Baby Run

It has been four weeks since we joined our local Parkrun and I am so surprised to say that I am really enjoying the runs. I have always had a bit of a mental block when it comes to running because I always used to get extremely painful shins and calves everytime I ran. Not to mention the fact that I would hardly be able to move for three days afterwards. This never helped me get over the hurdle of getting to the point of enjoying running. That is until now. First thing Hubby made me do was buy decent running shoes and what a difference it has made – I don’t ever get sore shins and calves anymore which is half the battle won. 

He announced to me one day that he had found a great community event we could be involved in – the Parkrun. Parkrun organise free, weekly, 5km timed runs around the world. They are open to everyone, free, and are safe and easy to take part in. Running in scenic places also makes it far more pleasant and the sense of community fun is awesome. So every Saturday morning we bundle the two boys into the car and head off to our local park called Berwick Springs for our 8 am start. We have even managed to convince Michaela to join us the last couple of times and she has done so well. Like me she went from 0 km to 5 km in one go and was amazed that she could actually do it. This last week she and I both smashed our times for a new personal best so it is very exciting. Parkrun time you each week and then email your results to you later in the day. They also have volunteer photographers who come and take photos each week so the photos on this blog post are courtesy of Parkrun. All they ask is that every runner volunteers at least twice a year to help with the run so that it can continue – pretty good way to get a free run in each week. To find out more go to Parkrun to check it out. I laughed when I saw the photos – I reckon I run so slowly that I look like I am out for a casual walk in all of them. I have also had to learn how to run with a stroller – not an easy task when there are nearly 300 people running and you have to manoeuvre through the throng. It also means that I get to start right at the back of the field which suits me fine. The great thing about this run is that you compete with yourself by trying to better your time each week. I love not having the pressure to feel like it is a race. 

It has also done wonders for my confidence and really motivated me to find some other challenging runs – I have a few in mind but just not sure yet. My ultimate goal is to participate in the Pink Triathlon next January – not a huge event but I have always wanted to do a triathlon ever since Hami caught the bug – watching him participate always motivated me. 

 

The day before Australia Day was an event and  we all had to dress up in our Aussie gear -I donated my shirt to Michaela so she and Hami looked like twins. There were some interesting outfits. I must say as much as I love living here in Oz, I still feel like a Kiwi and see myself as one. I still have a very soft spot for New Zealand and not sure if that will ever go away.

 

 

 

 

 

Wagga Wagga Weekend

What an amazing and busy weekend we have had!!  We finally travelled out of the state of Victoria into New South Wales to a place called Wagga Wagga. The reason for this being that Hami participated in a Triathlon. When we got back from our trip I discovered that I have been nominated again for a hubnugget award on a different post I wrote – if you would like to vote for me then go here:

Easy French Country Table Makeover  or if that doesn’t work then here Home .

That being done, lets get back to the triathlon. This was all in preparation and training for the big one – The Ironman New Zealand at Lake Taupo in early March 2012. We parked our car in this street at the race – is this not prophetic?

This triathlon is the longest one he has done yet and the conditions were pretty tough. The race started and hour late which was a bit annoying. There was not one unfit looking competitor – all the athletes looked super fit and had all the latest gear – except us of course!!Hubby doesn’t have a bicycle that costs more than our car and requires a mortgage. We later discovered that every athlete was there as this triathlon is considered a qualifying triathlon for whatever they are trying to qualify for!! That meant that there were cut-off  times for every leg of the race and the times were quite stringent. No pressure!! By the time the event got underway the wind was blowing vigorously – that meant there were waves in the lake and that the water was a beautiful muddy brown – you could not see even 20 centimetres in front of your nose. This is Hami’s worst nightmare for swimming – he hates swimming in dark water and waves make him seasick!! Good news though was that he has been training in Lake Lysterfield near home and so the dark water was okay and he has had some experience in the wind too. I was so proud of him as he did his 2 kilometre swim well in the cut-off time and he managed to do it in the most awful conditions – even the top athletes were struggling. I even tried commanding the waves on the water to be still like Jesus did – I must say I was a little annoyed that they didn’t listen – they were meant to I know because if Jesus could do it, so can I – have to keep practising that one!!

 

I am always glad when the swim is over!! He came out the water looking a beautiful shade of seasick green and he mentioned as he ran past me how sick he felt. Next was a 120 kilometre cycle. That was just as bad as the wind picked up even more and made it very difficult for the cyclists. They were blown all over the road, rained on and in between managed to get sunburned when the sun came out.

Last leg was a 20 kilometre run around the lake and by then it was just getting cold – wind still blowing. The good thing was that Hubby’s knee behaved itself and didn’t give in much to my relief. He just continued on – he says he is like the tortoise in the Tortoise and Hare – slow but steady – he gets there in the end. He finished his race in 8 hours and 17 minutes and we were all very proud of him. It was very good training for the Ironman as he learned a lot about nutrition, what works for him and what doesn’t so that was good. I think being able to swim in such horrible conditions also gave him confidence.

 

 

The Hemingway support crew were awesome!!

This little Common Mynah bird was so cute – he kept hopping around my feet looking for food crumbs!

We stayed in a cool cabin at a tourist park and had a great stay. I love exploring other parts of the countryside and seeing new areas. We passed through a town called Euroa and found out that Ned Kelly and his gang robbed the bank in this town. Ned Kelly is a famous outlaw in Australia – he wore a metal helmet over his head and his gang robbed banks. Although he was hanged for killing policemen, he is considered a bit of a hero in Australia for his daring feats. The buildings in Euroa were lovely – I love that old red brick – it reminds me of a town called Pietermaritzburg that I grew up in as a child. Euroa may be a small town but it was unanimous with the family – they make the best pizza we have ever tasted!

All in all a really cool weekend!! Well done to my honey for a great triathlon – you make us proud!!

Healthy Living…

I had a visit the other day to my doctor to see how my blood sugars are going after a month. I adapted my eating habits slightly over the first three weeks cutting out sugars and eating smaller carbohydrate portions. I have to be honest – I felt hungry a lot of the time and I only lost about 2 kg in that time. I began to do some RPM (cycling/spinning) classes at the gym and this has made a huge difference to me. I felt a little frustrated at not seeing much weightloss after giving up everything I love (chocolate especially!!!) and so I decided to try something a little more radical that would initiate quicker weightloss. I started taking the Herbalife Nutritional Shakes with extra protein added for breakfast and lunch everyday. Now I can hear you thinking, “that can’t be very healthy especially if you have diabetes, to not be eating most of the day.” That was the exact response I got from my teenage daughter initially. I had to explain to her that the shake I was drinking was exactly balanced and more nutritious than the food I would put together for myself at those meals. My main worry was that  I would be hungry all the time. To my surprise I found the opposite. I have felt satisfied all day without the need to snack between meals and my sugars have felt so stable and constant. I have had no sugar lows that leave me shaky and reaching for a quick sugary snack at the end of the day. In one week on Herbalife I have lost 1.4kg and 10cm in total on my body. Not bad for a week!! The true test came when I went for my blood test. The results were amazing. They have gone from a fasting blood glucaose level of over 7 to 6.1. My doctor was amazed and delighted. I am just above the normal rate now and will be able to drop this further if I stick with the weightloss and exercise. Mostly I am glad that I have found an efficient way to lose the pounds that leaves me feeling good. This product has worked so well for me that I am now selling it as a distributor to those who want it. I know I am not a salesperson, but I still feel that I can help a few people and at the same time get my products at a reduced cost so it is win – win for me.

Overall I am thrilled with my results and improved health – looking forward to making even greater progress.

Honesty….

Being honest with yourself sometimes is the hardest thing to do. I have the type of personality that wants to hide (or eat) when I am stressed and there are things I need to deal with but can’t face doing. These things never go away – in fact sometimes they can get worse before I will buckle down and tackle them. Why do I do it to myself? I don’t know – you would think I would learn, but sometimes it is nice to just put my head in the sand and pretend it will all go away – rather childlike behaviour I would say. The other day a friend and I went for a walk around Lake Lysterfield – I have to exercise and lose some weight over this next month before I see the doctor again and she has to exercise and lose weight due to  high blood pressure. As we puffed our way around the lake (pushing Aaron in his stroller up some huge hills) we had a good heart to heart chat and we both had to chuckle at how we respond to things. We both admitted that being honest with ourselves sometimes didn’t come easily. I relayed to her how a few times I would go out and buy a pregnancy test convinced that I must be pregnant because there was no way my tummy could have expanded so much. Actually I knew I wasn’t but I was in denial – you are just getting fat girl – do something about it!! She laughed and told me that God had spoken to her and said, “if your are truthful with yourself about your eating and acknowledge it, the truth will set you free.” Ouch, yes the truth can set us free and it does, but getting there can be a painful process. I have had to look at a few things in my life and acknowledge there are areas I have buried my feelings and not been honest. This diabetes diagnosis is actually not the end of the world for me – I have had a word from God that I will be healed, but that comes with unlocking some things in the heavenlies that I need to unlock. I believe that I firstly need to be honest with myself and the Lord and move toward making healthy changes in my life. I see this more as a learning curve of accessing and laying hold of, so that I can then see other things manifest themselves in our lives. For awhile I have been praying for God to show me how to ascend and access our inheritance as a believer,which Is for us now as well as when we go to be with him. I think that as I am honest and seek Him, so I will get the keys I am looking for. In the meantime, I have to be brutally honest with myself and tread those places that can be so uncomfortable at times – the place of looking in the mirror and seeing what needs to be changed and trusting God for strength to change them. I am off to see the dietician tomorrow and I have joined the gym, so I guess I am getting there in facing myself and setting into motion what needs to be done.

Health update…..

My test results are in and it has been confirmed – I have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes!! I know I have been putting on a brave face, but the truth is that when the doctor gave me the news, I felt a bit gutted!!  I have known deep down that this is probably  true, but having it stated again still comes as a shock especially when he proceeded to tell me that no matter how strict I am on my diet, I will most likely need medication and then ultimately insulin to control it for the rest of my life. I can cope with a tablet or two, but the thought of having to inject myself daily as I had to do when pregnant is too much for me to comprehend. I don’t want to go there again. Not only that, but now I have to be sent off for a number of other checks – for kidneys, heart and eyes and feet – the list goes on and I feel like a lab rat. I am sorry to vent – just having a quick self – pity moment before I kick these feelings up the butt and put my faith in our God who is bigger than all these little issues and is the designer of my body – and perfectly designed at that. The diet change will definitely be good for me – but I see God doing more – it is so hard when doctors pronounce things over you that is truth but also feels like a declaration of your condition for the rest of your future. My mind was screaming in my head as he declared the need for blood pressure medication in the future (my blood pressure has always been good!!) and greater diabetes medication, “No I reject those words, I have Jesus in my life and that doesn’t have to be the case. Stop saying that over me!!” All the while I was smiling at the man trying not to let my emotions spill over. Sometimes it is hard to live in heavenly realms while on the earth – the world doesn’t get it …. but they will when they see my complete healing from this disease that God never intended me to have. So for now I will run in the little rat maze and do all the tests that are needed, but I am rejoicing already for the time they look confounded at how my body has changed and is restored – as a daughter of the king, I expect no less!!

A Wake Up Call….

About ten days ago I went to the doctor after much procrastination as I had a bladder infection. I thought I could flush it out myself (being fortunate enough never to have had this before and hence ignorant) I suffered for a few days before relenting. At my appointment they tested my urine and the doctors first question to me was, “There is sugar in your urine – are you diabetic?” This made my heart sink as I had gestational diabetes when pregnant with Aaron and I have been feeling for a while that I needed a blood test as things haven’t seemed right to me as I will have hypoglycaemic reactions when I forget to eat. Well what a wake up call again. I have not been eating all the things I should nor avoiding the chocolates, chips etc. I need to lose some weight (yep it crept back on over winter) and now I have been shocked back to reality. I can’t afford to be lax anymore. I went back to the doctor and he decided  I needed a full blood test and check up. After those results came back things weren’t all rosy. My cholesterol was a  little high but my fasting sugars were too high and so off I was sent for a fasting glucose test. That has been done this morning and now I have to wait a few days for the results. In some ways I am dreading it, but in another way I feel that if the diabetes has returned that it will force me to look after myself better, where I don’t always put myself first with a large family. So I can thank the Lord that my bladder infection wasn’t flushed out, as this could help me in the long run. Of course I believe that Jesus can heal me, and I pray for that,but it doesn’t get me off the hook in terms of being responsible to myself and my family. We all need to eat better – so out go all those sugars and too many carbs – it will be back to eating small, regular meals and getting that exercise in. I will let you know how it all pans out.

Sushi

I have mentioned before that sushi is one of our families favourite meals – from the 3 year old up to the oldest of us. We have discovered it is so cheap and easy to make (although it is a little tricky till you get the swing of it). Buying it just costs too much for our size family. Today I taught M15 how to make it and she did a fabulous job. This is what we did.

• 1 packet of seaweed paper
• jasmine or basmati rice cooked. We used 4 cups of rice and this made a good amount.
• Rice wine vinegar (Apple cider vinegar works just as well)
• Anything you want for a filling. We used cucumber, surimi, and avocado. Anything works – leftover chicken, salmon,tuna is all delicious.
• Sauces – we used a little mayonnaise in our sushi roll – sweet chilli sauce is also yummy.
• Soy sauce

Cook up your rice and allow it to cool a bit. Add a little bit if rice wine vinegar to the rice – this gives it a lovely taste but also stops the rice being too sticky when you put it into the seaweed sheet.

Spoon enough rice onto your seaweed sheet so that it covers most of the sheet. Flatten the rice down with your fingers. Keep a small dish of rice wine vinegar to dip your fingers into when the rice gets too sticky.

now place your fillings in a line down the sushi about 2 – 3 cm into the sheet. Add any sauce on top of your filling – we used mayonnaise today.

Now for the tricky bit. A bamboo mat really is handy here but not essential. Slowly fold the seaweed over while holding your filling in place and roll up the seaweed as tightly as you can.

Seal the end by using a little vinegar to keep the seaweed down. Let it stand for a couple of minutes. Then using a sharp knife cut it into pieces and arrange on a platter. When serving have a bowl of soy sauce that you can drizzle over your sushi before eating.

This is a very healthy and delicious meal. My very favourite sushi is with salmon slivers or teriyaki chicken. These make great party or drink snacks too.  So enjoy!!  If you don’t succeed at first making sushi, give it another try – my first attempt was rather sad too!!

Great Reads

There is nothing better than sitting in a sunny spot and reading a good book. I have been reading a few books on different subject matters, and I have found myself learning a number of things, so here are some of my reads and my thoughts on them….

I have just finished reading an amazing fiction book  – it is called “The Shack” written by William P. Young.

Now I know that there are people out there who don’t believe it is theologically correct and all that, but that is what I find so refreshing about it. It is so unreligious and challenges all our mindsets about who God is and even how He looks. It is a story of one man’s encounter with God at a shack and how his life is changed forever as a result. It inspires me to think bigger and really challenges me not to put God in a box because of my limited imagination or preconceived pictures I have of Him. It also humbles me to see others with more grace and to be less judgmental of others, but mostly how forgiveness is vital to walk in freedom.

I found myself weeping and at times laughing as I read parts of this book, as I could so identify with the character. This story hits home if you have ever suffered broken relationships, pain or tragedy in your life. It left me hungry for more of God’s presence in my life and less of religion and man’s ideas of serving Him. The fact that God is depicted  in this story as a motherly Afro-American woman did not bother me in the least – in fact I think it was brilliant of the author to do this as so many people have poor father role models and poor father images and this really helped me to see God with a tender really loving side. Definitely one of the best books I have read this year. For more info go to http://www.theshackbook.com

The other book I am busy reading is The Supernatural ways of Royalty by Kris Vallotton and Bill Johnson. This has given me a new insight into who I am in God’s kingdom – my true value as a daughter and my position in Him. I realize as I read this book that I have been brought up in a culture that has put a poverty mentality into me and this has been evident in the way I perceive myself and have related to God and how my faith has at times wavered based on my feelings of worth. A great book that inspires believers to see themselves as Christ sees us and to operate as kings and not paupers.

 

I have read a book called “Fit Not Fat At 40+” and this has helped me to understand my body and all the changes that happen as you get older. I have learned that stress releases cortisol and that this can cause hunger pangs which can lead to overeating and weight gain. I have also discovered that lack of sleep causes weight gain (Hello can relate to that one with a toddler who does not sleep well!!!). I also learned about a number of conditions and things that cause our bodies metabolism to slow down. It was all very interesting and helpful. It also gave solutions to eating and kickstarting your metabolism as well as exercise plans and solutions – a great book.

 

I also bought a magazine recommended to me by my friend mrspoz called “Super Food Ideas”. It was so inspiring and full of economical and very tasty dishes which I will try out and post as I go along. So thanks mrspoz – check out her blog. http://mrspoz.wordpress.com

 

 

And lastly, I have watched my first three Harry Potter movies (I can hear some of you gasping in shock and horror!!) and thoroughly enjoyed them I might add. Sorry if I have lost you at this point, but I am convinced that God is restoring supernatural signs and wonders to His church at this time and we have been so scared of the supernatural and worried about it influencing us when actually this movie has inspired me to step out more for God in the area of the supernatural and pray for miracles, as what we see in these movies is just the counterfeit of the power that we have in Christ. We can do greater things than these, but we have been lulled into unbelief and comatose church behaviour that is powerless and ineffective. Well no more of that for me!! I want to see more of God’s power in my life and I want to see more lives transformed and changed.

So that is my reading for the moment – I love that God can speak to me in so many ways and that creativity is just being awakened in me as freedom comes to me in greater revelation. What great books have you been reading?

fat to fab update

School and work have started again after a two week break and so I haven’t had much time for blogging. This is a quick update on the body makeover that I keep hoping will happen more by positive confession than my disciplined behaviour!!! I keep telling myself that I am thin and beautiful, but somehow I have an evil bathroom mirror that I am confronted with every morning when I shower – you know the kind I mean – similar to those mirrors you get at carnivals that make you look short and REALLY wide!! No all joking aside, I have found it very difficult to buy healthy  choices on a small food budget and so it has been difficult but I shall persevere.  I have managed to lose about a kilogram and a half over the last couple of weeks and that is with minimal exercise. I am hoping to up the exercise level but finding dark winter mornings are not helpful. I have not posted any recipes as they have not been particularly healthy – I have managed to lose the bit of weight by cutting down my portion sizes, eating every 4 hours (a small amount to keep my blood sugars stable), and cutting down on my bread consumption. So that is my wisdom for tonight – as it is almost midnight and I am typing in the dark next to a restless toddler who has woken up for the third time already tonight, I don’t guarantee that it will make much sense. May I get some sleep tonight PLEASE!!!!

Pork steak Tortillas

These were delicious and very easy to make. The pork steaks were very lean and I cut them up into thin strips.I then stir fried them together with oyster sauce, sweet soy sauce and garlic till it was brown and cooked. I then added my vegetables which were cabbage and carrot  and fried it all together.

 

I also added a few instant noodles to my meat to stretch it a little further.

To make the tortillas I used the following recipe:

• 3 cups of self raising flour (Or regular flour with some baking powder added)
• 1 cup of milk
• 5 Tbsp oil – I use 2 Tbsp olive oil and 3 Tbsp canola oil

Mix it together until it is soft elastic dough. Break dough into small balls and roll out flat with a rolling pin. The dough needs to be very thin.

Cook in a fairly hot non stick pan ( I don’t use oil as the tortillas don’t stick in a good pan and you don’t want them soggy and oily)

Throw it all together and you have a great meal. We also like to have fish tortillas with salad and avocado and a sweet chilli sauce. Tortillas are very versatile. Hubby and I really developed a taste for them when we visited Mexico 9 years ago  – eating beef and fish tacos was a favourite meal of ours.

Lastly ENJOY!!!

 

 

To m