How to Work off the Halloween Sugar!

Happy Halloween!

I am an Aussie girl so I haven’t really grown up celebrating Halloween and always felt left out when I watched American TV shows. The good news is Halloween has started to make its way here and lots of people have started getting in the spirit. There’s even trick or treating in some streets! Although I have been caught out not having treats for the kids as I wasn’t prepared. No one told me that we’ve started trick or treating!

I walked into work to see some people dressed up which is kind of cool. This is Mr T’s 2nd outfit for the day! (I wasn’t allowed to reveal his name)

While Halloween is a time for the spirits to come out and play – the sugar-free folks may want to stay in as there is temptation everywhere!

So if you have indulged this Halloween the Tone It Up Girls (who by the way I am newly  obsessed with!) have the perfect Spooky workout!

So go on and indulge – this is the only time you will ever hear me say it’s ok to eat some sugar!

Enjoy!

Lyn xx

Ps I’d love to hear if you did anything for Halloween! Live a comment and share!

Cinnamon Sweet Potato and Kale Delight

By Amanda Hayes, C.N.

From KrisCarr.com

2 servings

-2 medium sweet potatoes
-1 bunch of curly kale
-½ cup raw walnuts
-1 tablespoon coconut oil
-1 tablespoon raw agave nectar (I am going to replace this with 1 tsp organic honey as Agave is higher in fructose)
-sprinkle cinnamon
-sea salt & pepper to taste

Clean sweet potatoes and poke holes with a fork on all sides. Roast in the oven at 375 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Check halfway through and rotate the potatoes.

With 25 minutes remaining, begin to prep the remainder of the dish. Wash and destem kale and place in a large sauté pan. Lightly steam for 5 minutes. Once kale becomes vibrantly green but is still somewhat crunchy, reduce heat and add one tablespoon of coconut oil, raw walnuts, and salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and let the flavors combine.

Once potatoes are soft and cooked through, place on separate dishes to prepare. Cut each potato in half without breaking through. Season potato with coconut oil, salt, pepper and sprinkled cinnamon.

Top seasoned potato with kale mixture. Garnish lightly with raw agave nectar around the plate and serve!

* For my Aussie readers – Kale is hard to find but it does exist here! Woolworths have just started selling it and you can also find it in some fruit and vegetable stores. If you can’t find it ask you’re local fruit and veg store to get it in  for you, it’s one of the most nutritious greens available!

Bed Bound To Gym Junkie – My Story of Healing

 

I really believe in being as authentic as I can with people who take the time to read this blog. I have never wanted to be the type of health blog that posts pics of what I eat every day or go into intimate details of my day (more so because it’s freak’n boring!) But there is a part of my story that I want to share with you today so you get an idea of who I am and where I have come from. I am not all about working out and eating clean to look good in a bikini (just to be real – I am a tiny bit about that!)

There are parts of my past that I have shut the door to and don’t revisit very often as they are really painful, but these things are a huge part of how I arrived at the person I am today.

Yesterday a chapter of my life was revisited when I went to a BBQ with friends whom I hadn’t seen in 10 years. These friends are very much part of my story and we held such a deep connection due to a common thread.  These dear friends were part of my support system – a support group I was a part of when I went through 7 years of chronic illness.

I’ve shared a little bit about my past health problems before but to recap, at the height of my illness I struggled to get out of bed, had muscle weakness and pain so severe that I would literally crawl to the bathroom and trips to the mall were sometimes in a wheel chair. There were times when I was so sick I was scared I would die, and then there were the times I was so sick I wished I would have died. There seemed to be no hope for me and no cure. No one really understood the cause of my illness and doctors suggested that I may be sick the rest of my life. Very few people fully recovered so it was something I would have to learn to live with. I was petrified to what my future looked like.

My support group was a place where I was understood and accepted. When so many of my friends didn’t understand or left me, these new friends were exactly like me and it was a huge relief. Finally someone understood.

Fast forward 10 years and I have been completed healed. Although I still suffer some niggling unrelated issues like IBS,  I have been healthy for over 10 years.

I was really nervous going to this BBQ as it was another life time ago and I was scared of the emotional floodgates it would open! But I was also excited to see everyone. They will always forever be part of me! It was sad to see that a lot of my old friends weren’t 100% and still struggled with their health.

I was able to proclaim my good health and of course everyone wanted to know how I healed myself or what the pivotal turning point was to my healing.

To be honest I don’t know if I can ever answer that. We all tried everything so what I did wasn’t any different from what they tried.  I was blessed enough to have parents who invested a lot of money in restoring my health and I think I tried every alternative therapy out there. It wasn’t until I tried Chinese medicine and acupuncture that my body began to show the first signs of healing. I will never forget that day. After about a month of acupuncture, herbs and intravenous vitamins  I walked out of the clinic and my body felt light for the first time in years. I was so used to the feeling of led in my legs and exhaustion from walking short distances that for the first time I felt this was lifted. It was the first time after 5 years that I felt a tiny flicker of light at the end of the tunnel!

For me my main turning point was when I made a decision to separate myself from my diagnosis of CFS/ Fibromyalgia. After 7 years of illness it didn’t matter what I had, I thought that if there was no known explanation as to why my body manifested this illness than there was no reason it couldn’t manifest health. I had made 100% commitment in my mind to be healed. For many years disease was my identity. I was known as the sick one. I couldn’t get past saying hello to someone without them looking at me with ‘that look’ and asking how I was feeling. I was tired of the attention the illness brought on. I did not want this illness to be any part of me so I tried my best to separated myself from it. It didn’t exist as far as I was concerned.

 

 

For this reason I distanced myself from my support group as it was the only way I could be distant from my illness and not be caught up in the talk of disease.

My healing was gradual over 2 years but it soon became a distant memory. I have gone from not being able to get out of bed or walk to not being able to sit still. I now have to remind myself to rest as I can’t help but be active now!

I don’t know why I healed and my friends didn’t. I know they want to be healed just as much as I did and it breaks my heart that they still live with it after all these years.

What I do know is you have to believe and think your good health into existence. There is no illness that the body and mind can’t heal. You need to believe in the impossible!

Maybe you’re battling an illness right now and are reading this thinking  “I am doing that! Of course I want to be healthy” But then so many people with a disease are quick to go back to thinking about  the science of the disease or the test results. If that’s the first thing you think while reading this than that may be why you are not healing.

I am going to repeat this…. there is nothing that the body and mind can not heal!

You have to believe it. You have to say it to yourself over and over again…

“I am perfect health”

Forget about the research or the science or what the doctors are saying….

There is nothing that can not be healed.

You’re body has the ability to heal.

My motivational God father Dr Wayne Dyer was diagnosed with leukemia a few years ago. He has been teaching personal development and the power of the mind his whole career and then he was faced with actually having to walk the talk! His first reaction was to freak out a little about having Cancer but then he decided he was going to be healed.  If there is one book you should read this year it should be Wishes Fulfilled by Dr Wayne Dyer, as he goes into detailed of being healed by St John Of God – an energy healer in Brazil. I won’t go into too much details about it, you need to read the book or watch his interview with Oprah on Super Soul Sunday, but after his healing he decided that he was healed and he was no longer going to check his blood for Cancer. He didn’t need a Doctor to tell him he still had Cancer. In his head he was healed and eventually he’s body would catch up. He now feels extremely well and lives a healthy life. He is healed no matter what  he’s blood count tell him. The label leukemia is no longer apart of him.

This is healing! The moment you doubt your bodies natural ability to heal you or the moment you justify your ill-health by your blood results you block the healing.

You are perfect health!

There are  countless examples of people who have completely healed from diseases that were terminal or Chronic and this can be your story too! Another out of this world book to read is one called Dying to Be Me by Anita Moorjani. This is a story of a woman who had a near experience after her body’s organs shut down from Cancer. This is a remarkable example of the power the mind and body has to completely restore to full health.

Yesterday was a welcomed and much-needed reminder about how far I have come. Sometimes I forget about what my life use to be like. I have never taken my body for granted and have always felt incredibly blessed to get out of bed and walk each day, but sometimes I forget the incredible power my body has for healing.

The power to heal is within you. If I can heal so can you! Expect Miracles!

Much love to you!

Lyn

Learn How To Run!

I have a confession. I may be able to do 100 burpees and lift heavy weights but I can’t for the life of me run! It’s always intrigued me how you can get by or exceed in one area of fitness but then totally flunk at another.

My problem with running is 1. It bores me and 2. I feel like I can’t breathe after 5 minutes! For a long time I refused to run and was very happy when my trainer said it was better for my body type to do HIIT and sprinting rather than run. There is a myth that running burns muscle, and I am naturally very thin and want to build muscle. I was so happy to hear that and if he said don’t run I wasn’t going to run!

The other day I was told something different that running won’t burn muscle if you are also including strength training. Marathon runners who look emancipated are normally only running with no strength training. When people asked me why I din’t run I use to use the example of who has the better body the marathon runner or the sprinter and the answer is always the sprinter. They usually have beautifully sleek muscle definition. However this theory was challenged by someone saying to me that a sprinter is also conditioned to be able to run long distance. They really are the ultimate fitness example.

I was recently invited to go for a run (with a very attractive guy!) but I had to admit that I didn’t run!  I was told that I wasn’t fit if I couldn’t run! Ouch. So of course you know what I have been doing! Learning to run! (and no not just because of the attractive guy but more for my fitness – honestly!)

I am always up for a challenge so I have decided to run at least twice a week. I have been  practicing the walk run method.  It’s a great way to slowly build up your ability to run. I have heard many people of all ages and fitness levels have had success this way.

I by no means have plans to run any type of half marathon or fun run but I would love to be able to go on a run with a fit attractive guy when he asks!

 

 

Have you  gone from not being able to run toloving to run? Would love your thoughts!

 

Rasberry Almond Cake

Hello Lovelies!

I am on Day 6 of weight-free living and to be honest I am starting to get cranky! The joy of withdrawing! I am surprised as I have been off junk food for so long now I didn’t think I would get like this!

Yesterday I felt terrible and I could see Lasagna and Spaghetti every where I went! In fact I was withdrawing so much I ate a large serving of fries with my chicken and salad to try to satisfy the urge to drown myself in pasta! Slap on wrist!

I also had one of the worst IBS Days I have had in a while (maybe the fries?) and my stomach blew up so much that I had hypochondriac thoughts that I had a tumour or I was pregnant! It was really uncomfortable and it made me think that maybe wheat isn’t my problem. However I will pursue with wheat-free and see if it makes a difference. It might take a while to get out of my system.

I have another wheat recipe for you today. I LOVE cake and this is delicious and gluten-free with low fructose. If you prefer it to be totally fructose-free I would substitute the honey with stevia.

Enjoy!

• 6 cups almond flour ( I used Honeyville)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 6 eggs
• 1 cups ghee, or oil of our choice
• 3/4 cups honey
• 2 tsp pure almond extract
• 1 pint fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9inch non stick bundt pan.

Combine dry ingredients into a bowl. Whisk wet ingredients in a separate bowl then add to dry ingredients until a smooth batter has formed.

Gently fold in raspberries into batter and pour into greased pan. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick or knife comes out clean when inserted into the middle. After 30 minutes of baking place a sheet of tin foil over pan to prevent the cake from getting to brown (almond flour browns very easily).

Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for at least 45 minutes. Flip cake onto a cake stand or plate and drizzle with glaze.

Coconut Butter Glaze

• 1 cup coconut butter
• 1 TBS honey

Combine honey and coconut butter into a bowl. Place into the warm oven until the coconut butter soften significantly. Once it has softened to a pourable consistency drizzle over cooled cake and serve.

 

This recipe is from another cool gluten-free website called Roost

 

P.S I will try not to bore you with too much wheat-free talk. It’s just all I can think of this week! 🙂

Lyn xx

How to Get Out of a Funky Mood

I have to confess… I have been feeling stuck in a bad funk the past few weeks. At one point I was blaming my hormones because that’s what girls do –  we have a tendency to make excuses and blame everything on our hormones!

As much as I try to be positive, have a good attitude, read inspiring and empowering books, say affirmations, have deep spiritual conversations, exercise and eat healthy, sometimes I just feel shit.

Know what I mean?

There are times when none of the above work because I am stuck in the “poor me” mentality and focusing on what I don’t have in my life and whatever negative situation is going on around me.

As much as I am hoping and praying and visualising and manifesting I can just feel so hopeless, helpless and stuck. Like I don’t know what more I could possibly do.

Do you ever feel this way?

When I get like this I usually know how to fix it and also the reason  I wound up in a funk.  The answer for me is meditation. Without it I go back into a funk!

If I could share with you one tip that will totally transform your life it is meditation. The frustrating thing is even though I know this and swear by this practice I tend to make excuses as to why I can’t. Normally the excuse is I don’t have time in the morning (I can’t get up early enough) or I want to watch X Factor. Crazy right? That’s my excuse to why I can’t do something that will transform my spirit!

Last night I told myself to cut the crap. I was going to inhale the good shit and exhale all the bad shit. I was going to be committed to meditating every day for the next 21 days.

If it’s good enough for Deepak Chopra and Oprah it is good enough for me!

Meditation can even be just 5 minutes of silence, it doesn’t have to get witchy woowoo or mystical. It is simply the quietening of the mind. For those that are more spiritually inclined it is a way to connect to your source.

Remember in Avatar when the Avatars connected their tail to the tree of souls That’s what meditation feels like, it’s connecting back to spirit, connecting back to the universe, love or God (whichever you choose to believe). The cool thing is we have this power inside of us and we don’t need a tail to connect to a tree!!

Meditating is incredibly magical as it creates shifts in your energy which ultimately affects the way the world receives you and the way you receive the world. When you quieten your mind life flows much more feely and you are able to co-create miracles. After all a miracle is just a shift in perception and meditation allows for this shift to take place.

I want to encourage you to join me in making a commitment to meditating as often as possible! I am going to resume practicing every day for at least 5-2o minutes. If every day is too much, no dramas just try it a few times a week. I have written another blog on meditating which outlines a great exercise to practice but you may also want to try the variety of visualisation meditations on itunes. I mainly meditate on anything from Wayne Dyer, Gabrielle Bernstein and Maria Elita’s The Miracle Meditation.

Deepak Chopra is also running a 21 Day Meditation Challenge for more abundance. Why not join the challenge!

I am curious, Do you meditate? Or is there anything else that keeps you grounded and calm? Leave a comment and share your thoughts!

How Much Does Eating Healthy Really Cost?

One of the main excuses as to why people don’t eat healthy is the cost! Especially families.  I know the organic food I buy in Australia costs a fortune so I often wonder how I would keep up this lifestyle with a family.

When I stumbled across this diagram I realised that it really is an excuse people make. Sure buying organic can cost a little more, but there are still cheap options out there for families…..

 

 

What do you think? Do you think this diagram is accurate? What’s a really healthy CHEAP meal that you whip up? I’d love for you to share you’re cheap healthy meal ideas.

Demystifying She-Hulk

Guest Post by Supernige

Are you one of those women who refuses to train with heavier weights because you are afraid that you will build humungous muscles and end up looking unfeminine?

Do you head straight for the 0.5kg weights and perform hundreds of repetitions in a desperate attempt to rid yourself of those batwings?

It’s time for a re-education that will revolutionise your thinking around training.

Firstly, yes you will make some improvements to your appearance using dinky weights, but after a short time the gains will slow because the body will have adapted to the same weights you insist on using workout after workout to help keep you from looking like She-Hulk.

The truth of the matter is that as a woman, you would find it very hard to build huge muscles from regular weight training. It’s a myth handed down from your granny and people didn’t know enough about the female form to ever question her. The women you see who do look like Arnie’s are professional bodybuilders and some may even resort to using steroids.

If you want to look more shapely, toned and sexy in less time then you have to drop the myth that weight training will give you massive muscles, and start training harder and heavier, otherwise you are just wasting your time going through the motions.

The trick is this – choose a weight that enables you to perform the desired number of reps in good form and once you have achieved this, increase the weight by a small amount. Repeat as necessary.

Believe it or not, this nifty little formula is called progression, and progression equals results.

I challenge you to change your mind about lifting weights. Give it a go. You may be pleasantly surprised at the results.

Happy lifting,

Supernige

 ____________________________________________________________________________________

Nige’s life is a rich tapestry of incredible stories that have shaped him as a trainer, an athlete and a man. He offers something as powerful as it is unique – personal fitness training, online courses and ebooks that will give you far more than just a transformed physique: he will give you your life back. He is also the creator of the motivational free weekly newsletter Kick A$$ Fridays. Sign up here: www.nige-atkinson.co.uk

Paleo Gluten-Free Bread

Yesterday I declared I was going off wheat and it seems many of you agree that wheat isn’t great for our belly’s! A few of you recommended I read “Wheat Belly”, so I will definitely be picking up a copy this week.

I thought it would be fitting to post a gluten-free recipe and I am sure it won’t be my last.

I was brave enough to attempt gluten-free bread after stumbling across an amazing website called Elana’s Pantry. You will get lost in all the great gluten-free recipes!

Not everyone needs to avoid gluten, but I really do think we need to include other grains in our diet and stop relying on wheat.

Why not try this bread recipe out? It was pretty easy and only took me 10-15 mins to make the batter!

• 1 ½ cups blanched almond flour (I used almond meal which I think is the same)
  
• 2 tablespoons coconut flour
• ¼ cup golden flaxseed meal
• ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
  
• 5 eggs
• ¼ cup coconut oil
  
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1. Place almond flour, coconut flour, flax, salt and baking soda in a food processor
2. Pulse ingredients together
3. Pulse in eggs, oil, honey and vinegar
4. Pour batter into a grease loaf tin
   
5. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes
6. Cool and serve

The verdict – while I wouldn’t be using this to make a salad sandwich it is really delicious! It’s a little sweet and coconuty! You could do so much with this recipe, maybe add bananas to turn into banana bread or add raisins or berries. I served with coconut butter and cinnamon but it’s even good by itself!

How to Lose the Belly "Pooch"

It was a beautiful day in Sydney today and you know what that means? Beach time!!

I am lucky enough to live only a few minute walk from the best view in the world! Always inspired to go for a walk or run when this is on my doorstep!

For so many getting into a bikini can feel a little daunting. I know a lot of you from other parts of the world are getting out of your bikinis and into your woolens but feeling good about your body should be a year-long deal.

I am pretty confident about my body (I am probably one of the rare ones!) Even when it’s not at it’s best I always feel good about myself BUT I do still try to get it looking it’s best to showcase my fitness rather than showcase my bikini.

I have been training really hard and eating so clean but I still can’t get rid of my “pooch”. My stomach has always been my weak area and the only area I really gain weight. I have lost quiet a bit off my stomach in the past 6 months but the rest won’t budge. And darn it I want abs! Having this blog keeps me very motivated to get there as I want to show you it’s possible without having to starve yourself. I also want to start moving my career into the health and fitness industry so I really want to get my body to the point where it shows how hard I train.

I was at the gym this morning and my old trainer once again pointed out the fact that I haven’t lost all the weight off my stomach and it needs to go. God love him! I always appreciate and love his honesty! I know most girls would want to hit him but I need that push, so I appreciate it! Now most of you would look at me and think my stomach was totally fine and it is! but I think the reason it’s more noticeable on me is because I am really thin everywhere else.

We talked about what I could do to get rid of the last few inches of body fat and I know it must be something to do with my diet. As you know it most of my posts, I refuse to count calories or cut out carbs or do any other of those extreme things. I know very well that I could do a total carb cut out and it would work but for how long.

What I have decided to do is cut out wheat, mainly bread as I know this has been bloating me and causing stomach pain. I have a very sensitive stomach, as I have had stomach ulcers and bacteria infections in the past so I am very sensitive to certain foods.

I will also slightly reduce my carbs, especially my fruit intake. I think some days I have 4 or 5 pieces and this may be far too much fructose. I am going to make sure I don’t get obsessive with all of this, but I want to make a few changes in my diet to try to get these abs!

I know so many people want a flat stomach and ab definition so I will share my journey along the way and let you know how I am going.

Ok so I am going to be brave and show you my pooch. I know it’s nothing major but as you can see I am skinny but have this weird bulge in my stomach! This was taken earlier in the day and by the end of the day the bulge gets worse! A year ago my stomach fat was worse – about 5 kilos more on my stomach. Once I get the results I want I will show you pics of what I was 6 months ago and my new defined abs!

Much better from the front!

I  just want to say if you’re a curvy girl please don’t be upset that I think that I have a stomach! I know what you are thinking! I know it’s nothing, but I just want to be as toned in my stomach as I am everywhere else. And I want to stop feeling so bloated with stomach pain!

So do you want to join me in finding our abs?

This week there will be no wheat products and only carbs in the morning and lunch. There will be also a limit to 2 pieces of fruit a day. If this doesn’t  help then I will look at going a little stricter but lets start here for now.

I am going to sit down over the next few days and work out a great diet plan to follow – and by diet I do not mean starvation or calorie counting! I will share this with you as soon as I have worked it out.

An example of one days meal plan will be:

Breakfast: Green Smoothie, 1 hard-boiled egg and organic oats with rice milk, chai seeds and coconut

Snack: Handful of nuts and a banana

Lunch: Large Chicken, Quinoa and Kale salad with lots of other vegies including Avocado and almonds

Snack: Apple with organic nut butter (I normally have organic peanut butter but I think I will swap this with almond butter)

Dinner: Grilled or baked fish with lots of vegetables

Desert: Chia seed chocolate pudding (chia seeds soaked in rice milk with cacao)

And for exercise it will be a lot of interval training and abs workouts like this:

Tatianna’s abs are what I am after! Or maybe not that extreme just more lines and definition! I am pretty certain I will start seeing my abs after a few weeks of cutting out wheat, so I will keep you posted!

What’s the area of your body that you would like to work on?