Endomondo iPhone App

Tuesday night we caught up with a friend and went to some training with him. It was an awesome night and I ended up meeting lots of awesome people, especially Dave, who is much into walking. However he showed me this iPhone app I hadn't heard of before called Endomondo.

Basically it allows you to track say in our case our runs. It maps where exactly we ran, the distance plus it keeps track of your speed. It divides up the speed into the various kms you ran so that you can actually see say when you ran your 5th kilometer at what speed you were going.

We downloaded it and tried it out on yesterday's and today's run. I am in love with the app because usually we just run for fun and I never really have an idea how fast we went. Yes we have received comments that we are going at a good speed but I had no idea that we are traveling at an average speed of approximately 10km!

So in case you haven't heard of it or haven't tried this one; give it a shot! Even the free version is fantastic and allows you to still track, map and track your speed on your runs.

Here is some pictures I took of the data of yesterday's run to give you an idea of how awesome this apps is:

History screen shot of all runs

Mapping the whole run

Summary data of our run

Break down/split of our run

Is there any other iPhone apps you have found useful in relation to fitness and health?

Have an awesome day!

Super Flexible Smoothie Recipe

As mentioned in my previous post about my sunflower almond milk recipe, I used this milk to make a smoothie the other morning. The great thing about this recipe is that it gave me choices and it was easy to use things I had in my pantry anyway.

I made this super smoothie after our Saturday morning run. After it I felt energised again and ready to go.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups milk of your choice (I used the sunflower almond milk I had made)
• 0.5 cup of mixed fruit (I used frozen banana for mine)
• 1 teaspoon sweetener of your choice (I used raw honey)
•  1 tablespoon dried fruit (I used goji berries because they are super good for you!)
• 0.5 teaspoon seeds (I used chia)
• 0.5 - 1 tablespoon oil (I used macca but you could also use flaxmeal, coconut oil, cacao powder or maybe even a green powder)

Process all of the above ingredients until smooth and enjoy!

What energy boosters do you include in your smoothies and why?

Enjoy the recipe! Lots of love! 

Total Body Strength Workout

I only started doing this last week but I can already notice that I am getting better with doing my weights in my total body strength workout. I came to the conclusion that it would be best to include weights and overall strengthening of my body in order to prevent injuries which is very very important when training for a marathon.

This is the circuit I completed 4 times (apart from the plank) with a weight of 2kg to start off

Shoulder press 12x

Squats with wide feet and going low x12

Biceps Curls x12

Lunges x12 on each leg

Bent over row x12

Push ups on knees x12

Calf raises x12

Crunches on Fitball x12

Plank hold for one minutes (this one I only completed twice)

Please ensure that you warm up for a minimum of five minutes before completing the circuit and that you do stretches for about 10 minutes after. It is also a good idea to search any of the above on YouTube if you are unsure how to do them.

One of the awesome things is when you have been doing strength workouts for a while and you notice the difference and how far you have come ;) Enjoy!

What are your favourite overall body strength moves?

Till next time!

Fruity Dinner

Hi There,

Since I have done the Juice Detox I always seem to want fresh fruit and vegetables when I am hungry. Everything tastes so much better as well.

So tonight I had two mangoes for dinner plus a avocado and banana smoothie. For the smoothie I used one banana and half of an avocado plus a small cup of water and blended the whole lot in my Thermomix. Sorry the smoothie was so fast gone that I completely forgot to take a picture for you to see...

Not only did it tastes delicious but I know exactly that tomorrow when I do my training I will feel my  best and will be able to put 100% into it.

The training has been going really well though I have to say I noticed that I stepped it up for this week. This morning for my strength training I did a lower body and core yoga DVD for about 30 minutes. My muscles were pumping but I felt really good after especially after the tiny meditation at the end of the practice. Shortly I will be heading out for a short walk with my hubby to get some fresh air and move my legs.

16 January 2012 - Today's Training and Nutrition

After the past week of my juice detox I am fired up and ready to step up my training and boost my nutrition for the New York Marathon later this year. This morning I first of all got up and did some yoga specifically designed for the upper body and core which is very very important for running and can make a huge difference especially when it comes to long distance running. In the afternoon I went to the gym and completed a faster 10 minute walk to warm up continued by 20 minutes in my MAP zone (for me this is currently 134-154) and finishing off with another 10 minute walk. I concluded the day with my basic bounce rebounder workout to support my whole system and strengthen lots of other muscles at the same time while having a lower impact on the joints.

In regards to nutrition I had the following today
- for breakfast I had a young coconut with a handful of spinach blended up in my Thermomix. However I felt like it was a little too filling for me and too rich. So tomorrow I will try something a little lighter a fruit green smoothie (I am currently thinking about apple juice, banana, chlorella and maybe a kiwifruit). I will let you know how this goes and whether I feel better using this.

- to drink throughout the day I had lots of water to stay hydrated and some peppermint tea when I went to visit my dad.

- for lunch I had a raw food soup using tomatoes, parsley and cucumber. It was so delicious and just perfect from the quantity and energizing.

- before and after my training I had a workout juice for which I juiced each 2 apples, 1/4 lemon, 1 celery stalk and 1/4 cucumber. This was amazing before the training it gave me a real boost and I felt ready to run. Also after the workout the juice gave me an overall well feeling.

- for dinner I had a sourdough bread roll and a multigrain breadroll spread with avocado and topped with lots of yummy veggies. I had cucumber, yellow capsicum. tomato and spinach. I found it very tasty and have to say that after the detox I appreciate the different tastes and food a lot more. I found myself consciously enjoying the food and enjoying every bit of it.

My plan is to continue the three workouts a day for six days a week and have one day a week off. I am also including as many fresh fruits and vegetables as possible to maximise my energy and decrease my recovery. Another important aspect I want to make sure of is that I get at the very least 7.5 hours of sleep every hour for this week as a trial to see whether this is enough for me. If it isn't I will be adjusting my schedule the next week.

After the detox I will continue to have my regular cup of tea at night; preferably fresh such as lemongrass, peppermint from my garden, fennel from the markets or a ginger & tumeric tea which can have an anti-inflammatory effect on the body.

Have a great evening and let me know about your training and schedule!

My training today - yoga with Shiva Rea Creative Core and Upper Body

I have been going to the gym to the lunch time yoga class for over a year but somehow it never fully connected with me. I suppose I still noticed the good that it did for my body which is why I kept attending the class.

The turning point for me was when a close friend invited me to a yoga weekend down south in WA with Amber Spear. This weekend established an amazing connection with yoga for me and a connection to myself. During the two days it was perfect; health focused food, exploring different yoga styles. I cam back feeling in balance with life and my surroundings.

From this point I have more and more connected with yoga and find that I keep learning more about myself on this journey. I recently decided to purchase a set of Shiva Rea's DVDs online because I want to work towards maintaining balance in my life. To be honest I had never heard of Shiva Rea before ordering the DVDs but I only found positive reviews which encouraged me.

So last night I decided to do the creative core and upper body DVD. It was an amazing workout; great if you have just spent the whole day at the office and challenging to build up that inner heat for a good workout. I loved it and can feel that happy pulling in my muscles today. I am planning on including more core work into my weekly schedule now because a strong core can boost your endurance massively. I am currently feeling a little bored with the standard core workouts so this DVD made a big difference by using yoga to strengthen the core.

I think the main thing is to find that style and/or teacher that you connect with so that you are able to reap the full benefits from your practice.

Enjoy your journey!

Today's Training

I have previously mentioned that my training program is based on the principles of Stu Mittleman "Slow Burn". Today I wanted to share with you what training I did today. During my lunch break I went down to the gym (yes I am one of those lucky people that get to go and enjoy the gym on their lunch break) for a treadmill session. In Stu's book he describes how to find what he calls the MAP zone which is based on your heart rate and your level of fitness. It is a heart rate zone where you feel comfortable, flowing and can easily hold conversations. Personally for me this zone is based on heart rates 124 to 144. In this zone you can run or walk; do what you feel like at the time and what keeps you within the heart rate zone. In the beginning you are more likely to do walking and with time you will be able to progress to comfortable running, where you will be getting faster and faster. The amazing thing that I have found is that whenever I do one of these sessions I end up having so much more energy than before and feeling fantastic. For me such a session is great during lunch time because it means I am off to a great start into the afternoon of my day.

I generally tend to do a bit of a mix of running and walking in these session which I also did today. My speeds today varied anywhere in between 7-8.5km/hr. My walking I did in between speeds 6-6.5km/hr. Usually I do anywhere between 3-4 of these sessions during the week. With time of training like this you will find yourself looking forward to these sessions more and more because they make you feel so great and you get enjoyment out of it; which is ultimately what exercise should really be about. You will be able to stick with something that you enjoy for the long run creating long lasting great results. You can translate this I am sure into any other type of exercise. I would recommend doing some form of exercise you are passionate about and enjoy which is one of the most important "ingredients". Plus of course you will become so much healthier and happier; bonus!


When I got home today I also felt like dancing so I took out one of my Zumba 20 minute express DVDs and just started dancing away in my lounge. Dancing is another of my passions; I find it lifts my spirit and I love moving to the music. So you can see I don't limit myself in my exercise or training; I do what I enjoy and love!


Quote for the day :
For true happiness, look within yourself. It's difficult to be happy if you rely on outside resources.
- K. D. Harrell -

On Nutrition for training....cutting out highly processed sugars

As mentioned in my earlier post I have decided to follow Stu Mittleman's principles from his book Slow Burn (Burn Fat Faster by Exercising Slower). Stu places a lot of emphasis on consuming many vegetables and cutting out highly processed carbohydrates (such as breads, pastas and baked goods) as well as cutting out highly processed  sugars and coffee.

Highly processed sugars, and brown sugar does also fall into this category,  drain our natural energy and also have a detrimental effect on our health. The problem nowadays is that sugar is in almost everything such as sauces, breads, juice or even salad dressings. We have become so dependent on sugar and most of us rely on it to obtain our daily energy. But that does not mean that it is actually good for us. Sugar has been proven to deplete our bodies of essential vitamins and minerals such as b vitamins (energy metabolism and red blood cell production), magnesium (thinning of blood, energy production, activating enzymes, helps your body to burn fat and sugar) and chromium (necessary for sugar and fat metabolism). The bottom line is if you eat highly processed sugars you will ultimately weaken your  body's immune system and this will foster a breeding ground for viruses, fungi, bacteria and yeast.

Sugar is acid forming in our bodies whereas our body requires an overall slightly alkaline balance. Too much acid can cause poor digestion, constipation, diarrhea and problems with bowel  movements, all of which can lead to weight gain. However it can also affect mental faculties and can affect your ability to for example think clearly or remain focused and can lead to forgetfulness. Your body will easily experience pains and nagging that just never seem to go away.

Another shocking aspect is that too much acid can weaken your bones! Once you throw out the acid/alkaline balance in the body your body will use calcium from the bones in order to neutralise the acids in the blood! And milk might not be the solution to this problem either because your body converts lactose into lactic acid in your body which again results in your body taking calcium from the bones to restore balance in the blood.

This is in a nutshell why I have decided to cut out highly processed sugars. The only sugar that I occasionally now use is Rapadura sugar. Rapadura sugar is dried cane juice and therefore still contains all the minerals and vitamins which makes it a much better choice for your body. (I purchase mine from Eclipse Wholefoods in bulk to make it more affordable at approximately $6.50/kg).

Wherever possible I have also decided to use dried fruits and  fresh fruits to sweeten my food in for example raw food recipes that I prepare.

2012 ING New York Marathon & the Heart Foundation

My newest goal is to run the New York Marathon in 2012 to raise $15,000 for the Heart Foundation!

After completing the Perth City to Surf Marathon, I am now in love with running and was looking for a new goal when I found out about the fundraising for the Heart Foundation. Another one of my passions is health and nutrition which makes this the perfect combination and I am so looking forward to the year ahead!

To date we have raised $1,126!

I did a few morning teas; one at my mum's work and one at my work. Manuel and I also went to the flea markets after we cleaned out our house, which not only gave us a lot more space but raised us approximately $500 for the Heart Foundation. Also quite a lot of people have donated using my fundraising website Every Heart Beat Counts

Manuel has been getting a lot of free stuff on gumtree which we are planning to take to the flea markets again on this coming Sunday 23 October 2011 in Karrinyup to raise more funds for the Heart Foundation!

Please feel free to contact us if you have anything that you  no longer need that we could use to raise funds for the Heart Foundation!

I have also started with my training again and I will be following a different training schedule (by Stu Mittleman) and method this time around. I will be sharing more information on this in my coming posts. I have also put together a plan for my nutrition to make even more positive changes in my life!