It's Friday Friday Friday - Sorry do you have that silly song in your head now?
This week's Friday is far better than last weeks because now it is official I have finished chemo.
God willing never to have to sit in those chairs again. Thank you to all the lovely people who emailed me and commented on their experiences on how they recovered afterwards. I owe so many emails I'm sorry.
I am realistic about taking things slowly. I think mostly we tend not to do that don't we? Always in a rush to get on to the next thing. This week I'm asking you to take time out with me to do things a little more slowly. Our household started school holidays so we will naturally have some slower times without the bustle of homework and not quite as tight time lines for getting out the door each day.
Don't underestimate the value of doing nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering.
So what's been happening ? I have slowed down - my body is making me - I'm feeling ok but I'm still definitely on go slow. I have had to give up my running at gym and my couch to 5k program at the moment and step back to just walking because my heart is doing something a bit wacky so I need to monitor it as I workout. Instead I'm walking each day on the treadmill- helps keep everything regulated at one speed and I get to watch the morning shows and catch up on the gossip :) I'm still doing my strength training three days a week and stretching too. I'm reassessing where I am heading with my return to fitness- and that's ok!
Websites and Tools
I found this very cool little tool on-line that allows you to make your own little workout - You just drag and drop the exercises into the screen and then press play! There's sample ones for you too so you can just use some of theirs if you prefer:)
You can find it here
I still really love to cook when I have the energy but now that I am trying to be more aware of what I am eating I needed a way to check some of the recipes I make because not all come with the nutritional info - so I found a couple of tools on line but I like the fitness pal one the best.
It allows you to add the ingredients and then calculates the nutritional info for you per serving - I found out our standard cupcake recipe that we use all the time - comes out at 70 cals for a mini cupcake :)
You can find the calculator here
The more I read the more I find that there is no one way to make changes to your eating and or exercise lifestyle and there are always going to be people who think that their way is THE way. I went to an interesting nutritional talk the other night and the guy speaking was very experienced and really had a lot of good points but there was no way I could incorporate all he was suggesting into my life- it was a version of dairy sugar red meat and carb free. - aggh LOL
I think the key thing is finding what works for you and your own family and if you get the results you want from it then keep at it or tweak until you do. Over at Taste they have a huge selection of recipes that suits all types of eating styles- If you click the collections under healthy recipes - here is a link
This is what comes up
I have been going through and saving different ones into my account there so they are easy to find. ( It's free! )
I have had a packet of quinoa in my cupboard for about two weeks - it's being touted as the new superfood and I kept seeing it pop up in recipes so figured we should give it a try.
So what is it??
Quinoa - pronounced Kinwa (though I always want to say kwino-a) is a grain-like crop grown primarily for it's edible seeds. ( thank you wikipedia)
Easy to cook - not that different from couscous in that it's just the quinoa and liquid - in a pot - You can use stock or water. I used stock and served it with a chicken and vege casserole I had made in the crockpot. We were half way through dinner before one of the girls asked what it was - they both just thought it was couscous. It's yummy and easy to make and makes a nice change from rice as a base. I have been looking though and taste.com has a quite a few recipes using quinoa.
via www.taste.com.au
This one is on my to try list
Here is a good blog article about quinoa too - well worth a read.
You may have noticed in the supermarket these little kiwi berries- I didn't pay much attention to them at first - I just saw them hidden between the strawberries and raspberries and thought they looked umm well not that nice and how would you prepare them?
Then someone mentioned them on instagram and said how good they were and I thought - far out that's just slack I should have bought them and given them a go - so I did. We love them - so yummy - sweet just like kiwi fruit - you eat the whole thing skin and all and they are great for in the girls lunches.
It's taught me a lesson to be more adventurous with new fruit and veges - on my to try list this week are those purple carrots that I keep walking past.
Chocolate!
I'm still eating chocolate - I do like it - alot. Though I have switched to 70% dark chocolate from lindt - It's my evening guilty pleasure - two squares with a cup of tea. And the nutritionist guru actually said that we should be eating it. Who am I to argue? It certainly cuts my sugar cravings and I am eating far less treats than I normally would.
Here is a fab website that quite clearly outlines the benefits of eating chocolate :) - No doubt there are equally as many that tell you had bad it is for you. But I'm going with this.
It's really quite interesting and worth the read :) That being said I am looking forward to Easter Sunday and breaking open some Easter treats :)
So that is all I have for you this week ... here is a little recap please join me in a few things and let me know what has worked for you.
This week consider
1. Slow down - reassess- think about what is working and what is not
2. Do some reading - check out a few of the sites I have shared or share some with me too :)
3. Try a new food - make a conscious decision to grab something you haven't tried before for have thought you want to give a go
and finally - have some chocolate :)
Hope you feel better
Next Week
Snacks, Inspiration and Measuring Up
