YOGI TEA

Can really recommend these two teas from Yogi Tea, Choco Aztec Spice and Classic Cinnamon Spice. They are organic and smell divine as well as taste lovely! A perfect relaxing end to the day.

MONDAY BLOODY MONDAY

The day after the hardest 3 days of training I've ever done and I'm surprisingly feeling fine. Ok... this morning it took me about 2 hours to get up as I had to peel myself out of bed instead of the less appealing option of rolling onto the floor. My muscles had no comprehension of what the brain was telling them because they had no strength whatsoever. And although I am in desperate need of a massage because of the repeated beatings, I would do it all over again tomorrow. Demented I might be, but I DID love every second of the experience.

Next thing on the agenda is Krav Maga this coming weekend. I hope my muscles have healed until then. Krav Maga is the official self defense system of the Israeli Defense Forces. For you who want to come with, let me know. It would be great fun to have a couple of chicks go and raise some trouble for the instructors. Haha! But mainly, be able to raise hell should someone evil-minded try anything on with you.

Now, I'm gonna watch Biggest Loser and finish up all the chocolate, candy, sweets, etc. in the house as I'm back to my regular diet tomorrow. When you train 5 hours a day it's ok to eat like a big, burly army man, but I'm back to reality... sitting on my buttocks most of the time... and squeezing in some running and other workouts during the day. Hoping I can do a Body Pump class tomorrow night and a run tomorrow morning. We'll see...
But for now... Mmmmm Marabou! =P

Krav Maga in action

BODY COMBAT CULMINATION

The Body Combat training team

3 days of brutal beatings in the Body Combat training has finally come to an end... Really I shouldn't say finally coz it's with a bit of nostalgia I parted from this event and will actually miss the pushing to the limit, the screaming, the hard training both physically and mentally, the camraderie, the learning... Yeah, I will miss it! Although I am so sore it does feel like a cement roller has mangled me! However, I won't miss all the sweaty clothes and changing 5 times a day. :)

So, I am officially now an approved Body Combat instructor. I am psyched! Am thrilled the Group Training Manager saw this side of me and suggested BC as a good class for me to get training in and licenced. In a couple of weeks there's a full weekend of Body Pump training, and with the same trainer... I know what I have in store. She's tough!

We did this fun exercise where we had a piece of note paper taped onto our own backs, and others had to write a strength they felt you had. A few examples from my note others had written were:

• Very energetic
• Positive
• Inspiring
• So fucking funny!
• A tough braud in a fighter package
• Happy
• Training Freak
• Good at motivating
• Spreads joy
• Good leader

Felt such a rush of warmth going through me when reading all of these strengths. My strengths. Nobody elses. Something to remember on bad days!

Now, I think I'm gonna lie down on my Shakti Mat and relax. Rest those sore muscles. Thinking of going for a run tomorrow, but also think that it would probably be a good thing for me to rest at least ONE day. Haha! ........Nite, nite.

Our Body Combat trainer Pernilla Blomquist

One of the many exercises during the day

BODY COMBAT 42 SIZZLER

Here's the tease for the BodyCombat 42 release by Rachel, one of the programme directors at Les Mills. Track 2 that she talks about is my homework for tomorrow. Yeehaw! Check it out...

By the way, the blond girl on stage with Rachel at the end of this video is my instructor for this Body Combat training weekend. Her name is Pernilla Blomquist. Awesome! Tiny, but with a BIG personality... And she kicks ass!

DAY 1 BODY COMBAT TRAINING

Hoooooly Mooooly... what a day! Day 1 out of 3 of my Body Combat training weekend is finito! And my whole body is definitely aware of all the muscles that have been beaten, beaten, and beaten once again. But it was great fun!!! And I really love the intensity in the new release 42 that's coming out soon. I got homework tomorrow. To learn and instruct song number 2, which is a Karate and Tae Kwon Do routine. Love it!!!

Found a liked spirit person as well at the training boot camp. How could I miss him when he had a big ass tattoo on his forearm with the beautiful crest of Liverpool. Go on da bhoys!

RULE OF THE GAME: INTENSITY!

 If you're looking to shed stubborn pounds, the rule of the game is to increase the intensity of your workouts. I want you to be working out at 85 percent of your maximum heart rate (MHR). However, you may have heard the "fat-burning zone" theory that encourages you to work out at just 70 to 75 percent of your MHR. The outdated assumption is that your body is drawing predominately on fat calories for energy — WRONG! It's completely misleading and it's time to lay the "fat-burning zone" myth to rest.

During physical training, your body has three possible sources of energy: carbs, fat, and protein. Protein is a last resort — of the three energy sources, your body is the most reluctant to draw on your protein stores.

Whether your body takes energy from glucose, which it gets from the breakdown of carbs, or fat depends on the intensity of your workout. Training at a high level of intensity forces your body to draw on carb calories for energy — they are a more efficient source of energy, and your body goes for its premium fuel when you're working hard. If you are training at a low level of intensity, your body doesn't need to be as efficient, so it will draw on a higher percentage of fat calories for fuel.

Sounds like low-intensity training would be more effective when it comes to losing fat, right? Wrong. These physiological facts are the ones that spawned the mistaken belief that low-intensity activity is better than high-intensity activity when it comes to burning fat and losing weight. These days we know that even though the ratio of fat-to-carb calories might be higher during low-intensity exercise, fewer calories are used up overall. High-intensity exercise burns the biggest number of calories, both during and long after your workout.

From Losing It! with Jillian Michaels

ANYTHING ELSE BUT HOMEWORK

Anything... yes, I am doing ANYTHING else so I don't have to do my homework...

First a nice walk and play with Murphy... and now, cooking up a storm so I don't have to touch the stove this weekend.

BODY COMBAT WEEKEND

Tomorrow is the big day! 1st out of 3 days of gruelling, mind-blowing, sweaty, heart pumping, crazy, intense Body Combat training. I am a bit scared actually. What if I'm not as fit as I think I am? There's going to be constant beating and repetition of routines and I just pray to God I won't collapse or anything embarrassing like that. I think I will be fine, but that little niggling doubt always pops up now and again.

Getting ready for these 3 days, I feel really excited as well. I love training and I love the philosophy around martial arts. There's something mystical and ancient about it. Respect. Honour. Pride. etc. I think it's going to be an awesome, but long weekend. Hope I'll be able to walk on Monday... :)

Here's a video made by an instructor to show his dedication to Body Combat... It's pretty good! Makes me want tomorrow to roll in right away. Wish me luck!!



But first, homework assignment... =P

DID YOU KNOW...

Most of my friends have noticed that I have a love for "useless" information. I love little facts about nothing really important to others, but for me, it's just sooo exciting. So, I was thinking of doing a Did You Know series, where I will share some of my "useless" facts I encounter in my life. That way you can be just as excited as meee... Yay! :)

Did you know...
...Omega-3 , also known as Polyunsaturated fatty acids, are fats that lower your LDL (bad cholesterol).
...Omega-3 fatty acids are extremely beneficial and have been shown to reduce inflammation, heart disease, risk of heart attack and help relieve other conditions, such as diabetes.
...Best source of Omega-3 is from fish oil supplements, however other great sources are anchovies, mackerel, ocean caught salmon (not farm raised!), flaxseeds (in moderation because of toxicity once ingested in the body) and walnuts.
...Surprising sources of Omega-3 are cabbage, cauliflower, steamed broccoli and oregano!!!

RAINY MORNING WALK

Woke up this morning and knew straight away it was wet outside. Blaaah! Oh well, there's no bad weather, only bad clothes to dress for the weather. ;)) Got my rain gear on and off we went. Had a really good walk (could've gone forever actually!) but it's amazing how much less I burn when I walk briskly instead of running. My body need these days though to repair the muscles to be even stronger for next gruelling session!

Today I have Design and Economy. Whoo-pee-doo!
Have a great day y'all!

 Getting ready for the walk

 Back from the walk

SOUL FOOD

It's amazing what a little bit of soul food does for your well-being. I am like night and day! There is something looming in the background, but so what. I have faith in a higher power that always looks out for me... Why wouldn't it this time?!

Have been listening a lot to Dr. Wayne Dyer and his audiobook Being in Balance. It's really simple stuff we just don't think about when crisis hit, but now I feel calm as a meditating buddhist.

I'm going to start reading A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle. A lot of people have said it has changed their whole life perspectives. I will let you know what I think of it. Will be interesting...

But today was another great workout day. A run this morning, then brisk walk with Murphy in the afternoon, then walk to the gym where I joined a 60 minute Body Pump class and then as the cherry on top, a nice jog home. I feel great!

HAPPY

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rRjAYm3tps&hl=en_GB&fs=1&]

HOW YOU WANT TO FEEL

"Sometimes when you are in the midst of a situation, you struggle to find any positive aspects within it, we know that. Some things are intolerable, some things are so big and so bad that it does not seem possible for you to find any positive within it. But that is because most of you are trying to decide what action to take that would correct it, and sometimes you are in a situation where there isn't any action that seems appropriate, you feel pretty much in a corner. What we're wanting you to always remember, is that while there may not be a positive aspect to your action in this moment, while you may not be able to figure out what to DO that would make you feel better, you ALWAYS can figure out how it is you want to FEEL."

- Abraham-Hicks -

Ok, I've had some time to think now and really evaluate my situation, and I am rebounding already. I know I am a strong woman. I know I put too much pressure on myself. I know I want so much without sometimes stopping to think if it's even possible for me to fit it in. But I want it, my head says... :)) And I have learnt from my journey in life, that when I TRULY want something, I can have it.

Well, lately I have been so focused on my exterior, because of the fact that I want to look ripped. Not just good, but great. Not something you can achieve over night. I am going into a profession where you are judged... looked at and judged straight away. And some people would not even think about putting themselves into that scenario. However, it has been one of my dreams for quite some time, to continue motivating and encouraging people in their own fight for fitness. That puts immense pressures on me... or rather, I put immense pressure on myself. To be perfect, when nobody is perfect... and besides perfect is boring... Scarring represent you have been through something, and survived. That's how strength is built.

Somewhere along the line, I have forgotten about my interior, my feelings, my spirit, my inner light. And trivial "little things" that I can usually handle with my positive energy and ability to see good things, just became too much. This because of the fact that I have forgotten to keep on building my interior as well as my exterior. There has to be a balance between body and soul.

So, instead of forcing the issue of the actual problem, small or big as it may be, I will take another path and concentrate more on the stronger side of me, the side I have forgotten about in my quest to build a strong body.

I feel so much better. And I know I could. I just ALLOWED myself to get sucked down into the depth of despair instead of doing what I usually do... think positively, have FAITH, and feel happy and grateful for the things I do have in my life, especially the beautiful, true friends that always walk beside me in my life, who make me think differently, re-evaluate, who cheer me up... through thick and thin, for better or for worse. Thank you. I love you!

DROWNING

Today is a new day... Clean slate right. Woke up with a fever and an achy body. Sick to my stomach. Swollen cold sore. No surprise there. My body is stressing. My mind is stressing. Perfect opportunity for the virus to bloom.

I feel like my chest is caving in. I feel surrounded. Haunted. I feel like I'm drowning... How do I make these feelings go away?

POISONED MIND

"I only allow that which is good into my life. No one can depress you. No one can make you anxious. No one can hurt your feelings.

No one can make you anything other than what you allow."

- Dr. Wayne Dyer

This is true, unless that no one is myself...
Have had a very emotional day. Mood up and down. Life up and down. Same ghost coming to haunt me over and over again. I am so fed up with feeling bad about it. Everytime it enters my mind. Fed up with mentioning it and rolling my eyes, like it's a recurring thing happening... which sadly it is. I don't understand why. It seems to only hit me. Or is it because others don't talk about it? Is it a class issue? Is it low to talk about it? I shouldn't feed it energy, and usually I don't, but today it got to me... it got under my skin and curled up inside of me like a tumour, growing, spreading poison... Poisoned my mind.

It's hard to breath. My eyes are burning. I'm feeling numb. I'm feeling lonely. Alone. Only thing keeping me up is that tomorrow will be a better day. My slate will be wiped clean and when I step outside in the chilly air for my early run tomorrow morning, I will feel alive again. Feel fortunate. Feel grateful. Feel free. Feel happy to be me!

FEAR OF LIVING LIFE TO ITS FULLEST

Fear is like an auto immune disease. Your own beliefs attack your faith and fear eats your confidence.

Living life is scary, it’s like a video game but you have no “game over” and start over time after time after time. No, all you have is this one chance. One.

We live in fear. Fear of losing our jobs, losing our families, losing our friends, our health, our purpose in life.

And you wake up some days in panic. Life is going by and what do you do? What have you done so far? And how long will you be here? You’re scared. Scared to forget to live until it one day comes to an end.

An easy way to live life is to be miserable, to be sad, to be disappointed, hopeless without any goals or directions. It means you cannot disappoint yourself, don’t get your hopes up. But it means you will gain nothing but a deep dark emptiness in your soul. You stop believing you will succeed, you invite the feeling of having no place in this world, no purpose.

You get hurt, you get betrayed, stabbed in the back, cheated on, let down, lied to. But it does not make you less strong. It does not turn you into a being with a blank passive mind waiting for that “train of happiness” that will just make you all joyous and merry. Those trains never come, you need to pull your own wagon and sometimes it will be uphills and you have nobody to ask for help. It will be about you and your desire to be happy.

Being happy is a skill. It is a form of art. You don’t inherit it, you learn it.

The hardest thing in life is to keep reaching forward, climbing higher, demanding more of yourself than that of other people, lead by example forgive let go and practice what you preach.

Taken from Pauline Nordin's blog Fighter Diet

MUSCLE STREIK

I am a sooore mama! My body has finally packed in and refuses to barely move. My legs are like lead. Everything goes in slow motion. Was thinking about canceling the 75 min session of boxing today, but I thought to myself, I am no sissy... Once I start moving, I'll be fine, my muscles will be fine. Which they were, but NOW... they're frcuked! I think I will take a rest day tomorrow. Of course, walks with Murphy is always on the schedule, but that's it for tomorrow.

KICK-ASS WORKOUT

What a great fricking, kick-ass workout I just had!!! I feel so invincible it's crazy. I don't know if it has anything to do with the Fat Burner I took before jogging off to the gym, but something kicked in while I was at the gym and I completely rocked it! I was supposed to do one of the workouts from Jillian Michaels "Making the Cut" but actually got a bit intimidated by the NEW:ness of the gym, not knowing where all the equipment was, etc. So I did my own functional training set-up from what I've learnt through the years of studying this type of exercise. WOW! It was fricking GREAT!

I did exercises such as triceps push-downs in circuits with wider squats, triceps one-arm pull-back with alternating lunges, triceps kick-back with sumo squats, shoulder presses with regular squats. Then I banged out some front and medial lats raises in circuit with deadlifts and back pulls with gluteas presses. The abs got a bit of a beating as well with different forms of static as well as motion plank. To finish it off, I went down to the cardio section and thought I'd just have a nice easy jog for a few minutes just to try out the treadmills. But I went mental instead and did mad fast sprints on the treadmill for a total of 15 minutes and jacked my heart rate up to 187bpm at one point.

Had the yummiest protein shake when I got home, with low-fat organic yoghurt, banana and lemon. Delish! But how on earth am I going to be able to walk tomorrow. I'm still sore from Wednesdays workout. Even more so, how the heck am I going to survive 75 minute of boxing tomorrow morning??!!!

Now listen to this... Total burn today is.............. 1258 calories!!! I've been goooouuud! Haha! :))

COLD LAKE WALK & SWIM

Got back a while ago from our "morning" walk. It's a bit chilly out there alright. And now, it's SNOWING outside! Winter is marching in with heavy boots. Murphy and I had a really nice walk around the lake again. Not too many people out, which is always nice when you want to let your dog run free in the woods. As usual, Murphy always gets well excited when we get to the spot by the lake where he had his first dip at the age of 8 weeks old. He loves that spot for some reason! And then, he went mad and plunged in for a full body swim. CRAZY DOG! There was ice on the water. Silly pooch! Thankfully he's got that thick, water repellent fur so he should be fine.

Came home again after a 1 hour and 40 minute walk outside, and made a massive, yummy protein porridge. Now, I'm just gonna wait forit to digest and then I'm off to the gym for some fun functional training taken from Jillian Michaels book "Making The Cut". I highly recommend it if you need to lose those last 5kg/10-15 pounds that the body loves to hold onto. But if you have more like 10kg/20+ pounds to lose, read Jillian's first book "Winning By Losing". Awesome, eye-opening information for you who don't know how to get started.

Now, a lovely cup of tea... and some homework??? Nah, I'm gonna finish watching episode 8 from season 8 of Biggest Loser... while the snow flakes are growing bigger and bigger outside... THEN some homework. :)

After this picture was taken, Murphy jumped in the water and took a little swim. CWWWAZY DAUUG!

SNOOZ BUTTON

Man, oh man was it hard to get out of that cozy bed this morning. As always when I don't have a schedule to sync up to, I want to sleep forever. Probably to catch up on it since I'm up at 5am every morning anyway, just so I can fit in my cardio before the day starts.

It's a chilly morning out there now, but I'm looking forward to a long, brisk walk with Murphy. Then later I'm gonna go to the gym and do a kick-ass workout... Oh, and I suppose I'll get that school homework in Industriell Design and Economy & Marketing finished as well.
Let the day begin!

ASPIRING FITNESS INSTRUCTOR'S DIET

So today I had a rest day. Partly because my knees need a break after being pounded everyday running with dead sole shoes (need to take time out to get a new pair of running shoes! Nike Shox maybe??), but also because of Body Pump yesterday. It killed my legs. That's what "new" workout regime does to you. It feels great though and tomorrow I will be back in the game again. Have a busy weekend schedule coming up...

Have had some questions regarding my diet. Well, here's an example of what my diet looks like on rest days:

Morning Pre-Cardio Snack:

One Omega-3 Cod Liver Oil supplement. 2 almonds.

Breakfast after a 45-60 minute walk:

Smoothie made out of 100gr organic semi-skimmed milk,
100gr organic low-fat yoghurt, 20gr of fiber oatmeal,
12gr wheat bran (in swedish = kruskakli), 8gr flaxseeds,
75gr frozen strawberries, 32gr protein isolate.

Mid morning snack:

Organic coffee with 100gr organic semi-skimmed milk.
50gr boiled organic egg.

Lunch:

80gr mackerel in tomato sauce.
120gr whole wheat bulgur.

After a 30 minute walk...

Late afternoon snack:

50gr boiled organic egg.

100gr organic low-fat yoghurt with
psyllium seeds (pure fiber, no calories!).

Dinner:

Stir-fried vegetables fried in 10gr rapeseed oil,
some kind of meat such as fish, chicken or prawns.
100gr quinoa.

Dessert:

Cup of organic decaf tea with a splash
of organic semi-skimmed milk.

This is an ideal rest day with easy-going cardio and a meticulous diet. Gotta love being strict! A tip for feeling full quicker when eating: Drink a pint of water about 10 minutes before eating your meal + eat your food SLOWLY!

GOOD WORKOUT DAY

Just got back from the gym. Used my GOLD membership card for the first time! Yay!
Have had a great workout day today. 55 minute run this morning, then this afternoon a light jog to and from the gym, and at the gym I did 60 minutes of Body Pump. So much better sometime to have someone else pushing you in a group environment. I will be sore tomorrow... and don't I love it! In total I have burnt 960 calories working out today. Not too shabby, eh?!

Now, Biggest Loser and a screaming Jillian Michaels. Whoohoo!

NEW RUNNING SHOES

I am in desperate need of a new pair of running shoes... well, really, I need 2 new pairs but who can be choosy in these times. My current waterproof Asics have taken a beating and it's no wonder my knees aren't too happy with me. There's no shock absorber left in the poor soles. These shoes have been through all kinds of weathers and are truly waterproof... Irish mud, Swedish snow, English rain... They're tired! So, I am on a hunt for a new pair. Have no choice but to invest. But which ones? Love Asics, but maybe it's time to try a new relationship after 5-6 years?!

SLEEPY MORNING CARDIO

Wasn't too hard to get out of bed this morning despite only 4 hours sleep. But NOW, I'm feeling the deprivation. Early night tonight!

Morning cardio ticked off. Was a mixture of a zombie and an old woman shuffling around on my run this morning. Couldn't get the kick I usually get. I still got some calories burnt though.

Now, downing protein and oatmeal smoothie! Yummy.

SAAB VANDALISM

What is wrong with people???!!! Seriously, there's something not quite connecting in certain people's heads. Pisses me off that petty, tiny, meaningless things have to affect me because some other TWAT likes it.
Yes, my car has been harassed again. This time they took the Saab badge from the front hood. What?!!!! It's not like it's a Masseratti or a Ferrari. It's a bloody Saab! And yes, they're good cars, but seriously... REALLY... is the badge something valuable to take? NOOO!!! It's vandalism to MY car. Aaaargghhhh!

LAKE CARDIO

What a lovely start to this day I had. Bundled up in streamline clothes, out we went for a long walk around one of the lakes in the area. Murphy was bouncing around like the happiest dog around. Morning cardio was 2 hours in total in the end. It felt so good doing the cardio, not having the pressures of any schedules or deadlines, just to spend time with the ones you love... and of course, squeeze some exercise in at the same time. We even stopped by this weight training station they have built up with tree logs and metal bars, so we banged out some shoulder raises, push-ups, chins, dips, sit-ups, etc. Felt like being in military boot camp! Haha.

Now, lounging, just finished watching Biggest Loser on telly and checking out the football scores.

OMG, less than 2 weeks until my gruelling Les Mills Body Combat training weekend. I hope I survive! One more day and I am back to my shred countdown. Time to get RIPPED!

REPORT SNOR

Nice relaxing Saturday! J. is out for a run with Murphy and I am stuck at home finishing my report. SNOR! But I have to finish it. Deadline was Wednesday and unfortunately I forgot to bring my USB so that I could finish and print it off for my teacher. Next week...

Now, let's get cracking!

OLD BLOG NOSTALGIA

Sitting here playing around with the new blog. It's always a bit nostalgic to leave the other one behind, but if it doesn't work well for me, then I shouldn't mourn it either. Right?!
Have to give this an honest chance... Let me know what you think.

GOLD MEMBER

Whoo hoo! Went into the gym yesterday to talk schedules and classes. Got my membership card so I'll be able to use all the facilities as well as tanning beds. Not bad! I also signed up to instruct Body Pump on Saturday mornings (no more After Works.. haha!) and Zumba on Thursday evenings. That's going to be great fun! I am so psyched about this. Now, I only have to get my contract drawn up and class times sorted for Body Combat. Wiiiiii!

MAN HOME AGAIN

Had a lovely taco night! My baby is back in town. Yay! Love having someone to cook for, besides only for Murphy... haha!

Trying out this blog host to see if I like it. Seems like it's pretty good. People have good things to say about as well. Giving it a try this week.

No workout today. Nice to have a bit of a rest for once.