Killer Core and Cardio workout!!! Whoosh!

Hello everyone, how are you, what's news in your world? All good here. Hope you're eating clean, exercising and loving life :-)

I just came back from the Killer Core and Cardio KCC workout that most of you are following (who don't follow the Fit Yummy Mummy workouts) and sheesh was that a good workout. For those that don't know what the workout consists of, here it is:

- Russian twist with plate

- Suicide runs (sprinting up and back touching the ground at each end- 10m)

- Plank

- Step- ups with plate

- Side plank (30 secs each side)

- Backwards running 

- Weighted sit-up

- Running push-ups (x4 mountain climbers then x1 push-up) 

- Oblique crunch (30 sec each side)

- Skipping (rope)  

- Reverse crunch

- Knees up running (slow)

- V-sit

Jackie from Crabtree Fitness Professionals made us repeat these suckers twice, duration for each exercise 60 seconds. It was intense and made me sweat. Great work! I can't wait to see the results of the KCC ab challenge peeps next week. Can you believe it? Our ab challenge finishes next Wednesday 5th September.

Which reminds me my next Fit Yummy Mummy Challenge starts on Monday 3rd September and runs for 10 weeks so anyone wanting to join me.... You know the drill. Otherwise check my fitness tab for any new readers that wish to follow me and the success this program brings to our post baby bodies!! My main goal with this challenge will be strength training and really building and defining my muscles. I've never had my body looking like this before, so I'd like to take it to the next level.

I have a few days to catch up with so I'll endeavour to link the recipes to my food tab.

My goals thus far have been spot on, having said that I did miss my run today as I have a rest day today. However the fact that I took part in the KCC workout tonight should count as a bit of running, yeah? Good to see what my other readers are doing, so I understand when they tell me how much the knee up running killed them!

All workouts done and no caffeine day 5. I am on fire!!! Slowly working towards these abs resurfacing, just need to strengthen these muscles and looking for heavier weights. However I still haven't ventured out to buy some. Why???? I don't know. Unsure of going DB, plate or Kettlebell.

Breakfasts
Quinoa with fruit (I promise to post my steps and cooking process real soon for one of my readers that has requested this)
Pear and cinnamon porridge

Morning snacks
Frozen raspberries with natural yogurt and walnuts

Lunch 
Egg pizza

Ingredients
3 eggs
1 tomato
handful of chopped spinach and parsley leaves
1 diced red onion
handful of kalamata olives
1/2 cup of crumbled feta cheese

Method
Gently fry onions, tomato, spinach and olives. Then quickly beat up the eggs, add the crumbled feta and pour on top of mixture. Then place under the grill until cooked. Real fast and simple, extremely flavoursome. I just use whatever ingredients I have left over in the fridge. You can use your imagination and put whatever ingredients!

Vegetable arrancini ball with rocket

Afternoon snacks 
Cheese and crackers
Apple
Vegetable sticks

Dinner
Vegetable meatballs with brown rice and rocket, feta salad

Ingredients
500g beef mince
1 egg
2 slices of fresh breadcrumbs soaked in milk
1/2 cup crumbled feta
handful of parsley and coriander
4 small grated beetroots
1 garlic and 1 onion grated
2 carrots crated
S&P

Method
Combine all ingredients as pictured above and roll into balls (I made 12 medium size golf ball sizes) and bake in 180C degree oven until cooked (approx. 30 minutes).  I then made a passata tomato base sauce with basil and served with brown rice and rocket salad.

Beef and Chicken curries with pumpkin, brussel sprouts & feta salad

We went to our friends house for dinner and I made this salad with the ingredients I already had in my pantry and fridge.

Ingredients for Pumpkin, feta, brussel sprouts salad
1/2 a kent pumpkin (washed and sliced)
2 red onions (cut in wedges)
olive oil
sprinkle of coriander spice
400g can of 4 mixed beans (wash and drain)
12 brussel sprouts (steamed and sliced)
1 large slice of feta cheese, crumbled
bunch of rocket and spinach leaves (washed)
handful of parsley and coriander
1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds (lightly toasted)

Method
Roast (approx. 20 mins in a 180C degree oven) pumpkin and onions with a sprinkle of coriander, cracked pepper and drizzle of olive oil. In the meantime steam or boil brussel sprouts in salty water for 3-5 minutes and to keep them green and fresh, I place them in some ice. Once pumpkin and onions are cooked I lay them with the sliced brussel sprouts to absorb the beautiful sweet flavour and juices.

This is such a simple salad, as the pumpkin, onions and brussels were the only things that had to be cooked. When you are ready to serve simply layer up your rocket & spinach salad, cut up the pumpkin in bite sizes, crumble feta around, pumpkin seeds, beans, onions, pumpkins and so on...the best part is you just have to drizzle it with balsamic vinegar. Really tasty!

Please let me know what's news with you???  How are you going with your ab challege? Stay happy!

Xx Dani

Did you miss me? I missed you xx

Hiiiiiiiiiiiiii everyone, how are you?????

How was your weekend?

We had a fab few days and it has been so great to see the winters sun. We are certainly looking forward to our Spring and Summer here in Australia. Although my boys not so much as they suffer from hayfever, catch 22.

How have I been I hear you ask? Well......besides having my laptop away from my side for the past couple of days......

I've ditched caffeine drinks, including coffee and green tea. Day 3. PHEW! Kinda struggling but coping! A bit fatigued as well as I've done a couple of runs....SOOOO hungry!!!

My goals these next 12 days ~ just in case you forgot, well really they're here to remind me :-)

• EAT NO SUGAR WHATSOEVER (this includes honey & maple syrup)
• NEVER MISS A WORKOUT
• NO CAFFEINE DRINKS
• RUN AT LEAST X3 PER WEEK (on my day of rest AKA workout free days)
• FOCUS ON MY CORE FYM STRENGTH TRAINING

Okay so I've done pretty well with all of the above BUT on Sunday we did go down the beach and we had minimum chips on the beach watching the waves roll in....and on the way home a packet of mint and caramel slices just disappeared in my tummy. Between you and I, I really think they wanted to join the ab challenge. Seriously, this is tough!!! Like really tough to be so diligent. I will persevere.

I ran on Saturday and I'm sure you had a good laugh at my You tube stitch vid, it was made especially for you. I also ran today approx. 3km non-stop which was a good sign and a very slight stitch. Maybe I should not talk while I run with my running crew and just focus on my breathing, I think that's what it was. All I can say, is bring on October for the fun run so I can get this running over and done with. It's just one of my goals before I turn 40 to do a fun run. Unless I do like it.....we'll see.

Okay back to my glorious food, I am soooo in love with food....can't you tell??? How am I ever going to get those abs????

Breakfasts
Pear porridge

Natural wholegrain flakes with fruit

Snacks and drinks
Vanilla protein shakes
Herbal teas

Classic nutmeg (without honey) milk drink takes me back when I was a kid.....

My beautiful girlfriends Celeste and Kelly know exactly what to bring over for morning snacks. All these goodies ARE SUGAR free!! Love you guys xxx

Recipes to be provided and linked under my FOOD tab *COMING SOON

Lunches
Take away beef and pumpkin salad (dinner left overs)

Chicken, cheese salad sandwich on wholegrain bread

Dinners
Home made pizza's various toppings from ham, pineapple, mushroom to the FB posts of olives, rocket, feta cheese. My husband is in PIZZA heaven, we can't remember the last time we ordered take away.

BBQ scotch fillets with pumpkin, feta and spinach salad

I'll be back on track now that my fabbo Mac Pro has been updated with the latest and greatest software. There is so much work ahead of me, updating and linking my recipes to the FOOD tab to make it easier for you to find my recipes. Things have been so crazy these last few days that I haven't had a chance to post the recipes. I promise, I WILL. I am a woman of my word. Thanks for being so patient with me.

Here is our day out on the weekend at the skate park!!

1. Noah teaching Adrian how to "drop in" at the skate bowl 2. Oscar & 3. Mietta scooter riding 4. Mum & Oz

I look forward to reading from you and thanks for all your wonderful posts and comments on Facebook, you really make my day!!!

Xx Dani

Getting to Know...................

This weeks Getting to Know is ........................................................Chrissy Hancock.

Chrissy is an all rounder, you could say she possesses real fitness as she is strong, has great cardio fitness, has good movement etc. Chrissy also has that positve mental focus that when she walks in the doors to train thats all she focuses on. You know you will get 100% effort everytime. So lets get to know Chrissy a bit more.





Chrissy, 100% commitment everytime.

 
How did you discover Hybrid?
It was recommended to me by some wonderful Hybrid members.
What were your thoughts after your first class at Hybrid?
Loved IT! What time is the next class.

Favourite Hybrid Class?
Hard to pick just one, but bootcamp on the riverbank first thing in the morning is really hard to top.

Favourite Hybrid exercise? Froggies :-)

Exercise your not so fond of?
Not a big fan of grinders

What changes in your health, physique and performance have you observed since starting at Hybrid? I have noticed more energy, more endurance, my mental clarity has improved also.
Tell us something no one knows about you or people would be surprised to know about you?
I am extremely scared of heights, even step ladders can be a challenge for me.

What is your favourite music to workout too?
John Butler, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Black Eyed Peas just to mane a few.

Which Hybrid member inspires you most and why?
All the Hybrid family (members) inspire me, but a standout is Jen Harley. Jen is truely inspirational. Her positive attitude and balanced outlook to life is very motivational.

Proudest accomplishment thus far at Hybrid?
Climbing to the top of the rope! (NB question 7)
What are your goals for 2012? 
I have accomplished a few already, trip to Europe, City to Surf and now I am excited (anxious) about Tough Mudder.

One word to describe you?
Busy

One word to describe Hybrid?
Inspirational

Who would have guessed Chrissy is worried about heights, she scales the rope like a demon. I guess we know why she is so good on the rope now, Up and down really quick so the experience is a short one. Chrissy is a member we can all learn from, here commitment and determination in the gym is up there with the best of them. She comes with purpose every time and the results speak for themselves. A great all rounder who is HYBRID fit.

Day 12 TT12 - ab challenge ROUND 1 completed

Happy Saturday everyone, hope you're having a fab weekend so far!



Breakfast
egg muffins with spinach, tomato & feta

PWOS vanilla

Ingredients
2 eggs
feta
S&P
avocado (1/2 mashed)
handful of spinach
1 tomatoe
2 wholemeal toasted muffins

I was super hungry after I came home from my 6km run/walk...

Ohhhhh I was so hideous with my run this morning!!! Pathetic actually! Seriously. Here I am claiming to be all fit and healthy (well you know, kinda, I'm on a journey with you all) and I can't even run without getting a stitch? WTH??? Yes that dreaded stitch came back!

This is what I was dealing with !!! I had to take this footage to show you BUT I'm also here to let you know that I WILL NOT LET THE STITCH beat me!!!! Here goes! Have a laugh will ya!!

Morning snack
GF and nut free fruit bars

I make these for the boys lunch boxes regularly as they are not allowed any nuts at school, so instead I place various seeds and usually I put almond meal but I've started on either GF flour, wholemeal or buckwheat. I bake them so they are crunch like muesli bars.

Ingredients
Oats
Buckwheat flour
Pumpkin seeds
Sunflower seeds
Cranberries
Macadamia oil
1 tsp vanilla essence

Method
Mix all ingredients together until you get a nice dough like mix (add water or milk if too dry) and shape into muesli type bars

Lunch
Salad sandwich

Afternoon snack
Yogurt fruit parfait

We just cut up some kiwi & strawberry for the bottom layer, added yogurt, then frozen berries with walnuts, topped with yogurt. Kids had honey drizzled onto, I added a mint leaf :-)

Dinner **will post pics ASAP having connection issues**
BBQ scotch fillets with pumpkin, feta and spinach salad

Dressing
I mixed some olive oil, 1tsp honey, 2 tsp seeded mustard, squeezed 1/2 lemon and gave it a shake in this little jar and poured over the salad.


Fitness - ab challenge update


As you know I am doing the Fit Yummy Mummy Tighter Tummy in 12 days challenge which ended today. I took a quick pic from one of my core strength exercise moves today....

Well this is it....12 days of focusing on the ab region, I'll be repeating this program again for those that wish to join me. As for those that are doing their own program we are still going for another couple of weeks, as some of you mentioned you wouldn't see massive results in just 12 days. So I will repeat this TT12 again.

Here are my results......thus far.

I lost a total of 1.5cm around my waist & muffin top region

This was me 12 days ago when Celeste took a picture of me, so I got Adrian to try and take as close to those pics as she did.

Now I know it's no chisel 6 pack and not sure how far I can take this but hey, let's see what another 12 days does.

I didn't really commit 100% to this mini 12 day challenge. I had chocolate, I had chips, I missed a workout, I have more excuses than I can think of.

So........

My NEW goals for the next 12 days, starting tomorrow are:

• EAT NO SUGAR WHATSOEVER (this includes honey & maple syrup)
• NEVER MISS A WORKOUT
• NO CAFFEINE DRINKS
• RUN AT LEAST X3 PER WEEK (on my day of rest AKA workout free days)
• FOCUS ON MY CORE FYM STRENGTH TRAINING

Are you in???

Xx Dani

Intrinsic V Extrinsic Motivation. Using the right one for true self improvement.

It seems everywhere I look there is a health competition currently one or about to start in the Clarence Valley. We have the Biggets Loser in Grafton, Xplodes Biggest Leaner, Peak Health/Crossfit Yamba's Your Best Body Challenge and The GYM's (Yamba) 13 week Body Challenge. There maybe more, these are ones I know of without searching for others.

All of these are competitions (except maybe THE GYM's) have the aim to improve peoples fitness and health in one way or another. This is fantastic that there are so many of these competitions but if you look deeper into it there maybe be a down side. How many of the participants that have signed up this year for these competitions have signed up previously? I am sure the answer would be a very high rate. Whilst these sorts of competitions like the biggest loser attract large numbers of participants most are not first timers and most will unfortunately go back to theie unhealthy ways after the competiton is over. So why is this.

It may came back to the reason they are in it. They may not be fully committed, they may be wanting change but there reasons are not strong enough to completely change. They can commit for a few weeks but then that's it, they fall back to their old habits. The saying goes if something is important enough to you, you will find a way. If not you will find an excuse!!

When people are signing up for these competitions they have good intent, and they are motivated for a short instance, however the kind of motivation could utimately decide if the succeed or if the fail. There are two main types of personal motivation, Intrinsic Motivation and Extrinsic Motivation.

Intrinsic motivation is driven by the individual themselves, the are driven by themselves and not by external pressure. People are motivated as they want to change within themselves they have a geniune interest in what they are doing.

Extrinsic Motivation contradicts intrinsic motivation, this type of motivation comes outside the individual, motivation is present as there are things like prizes or money on offer. Competitions are extrinsic as it encourages people to beat others and to win, not to simply enjoy the intrinsic (self pleasure) rewards of an activity or challenge.

The question is this, how can health and well being be a competition? It shouldn't be. Remember I am not talking about sport here, I am simply talking about health, fitness and general wellbeing. I see many people enter competitions like the biggest loser or some challenge and they are only extrinsically motivated. They will be likely to fail, only those intrinsically motivated that enter, truely doing it for themselves and could not care about any external factors are the ones who will succeed beyond the competition.

To address the above issue Hybrid has developed a Kicking Goals 8 week challenge. It is not a competition, you are not required to be weighed, measured, anaylised, you are simply required to make goals that are important to you. There is no timeline when you can begin, it is your commitment, we are here only to guide you once you have made that commitment to yourself, a commitment that is a result of intrinsic motivation. Kicking Goals is around anytime you want to start, when you finally decide that something is important to you and you are ready to do what you need to do to achieve it then come see us and set some goals to kick.

Good luck to all those entering the local challenges. I hope you all prove me wrong and make lifelong changes, not just changes to win a competition or compare yourself to other people.

Day 11 TT12 - ab challenge

WOW!!! One more day to go and I'm done with the TT12 challenge. I have been a bit slack and haven't really focused properly. I really need to re-focus and not pick at sweet things at night. I just shared half a pack of chips with Adrian and a few "favourites" from cadbury chocolates (only because I won them on trivia night a few weeks ago, I'm actually surprised they've lasted this long!).

I will update my recipes ASAP and link them under my FOOD tab, just need to wrap things up tonight, so I'll keep this short.

No workout today - day of rest

Breakfast
Strawberry porridge

Morning snack
Cottage cheese with fruit

Lunch
left over chicken burger salad

Afternoon snack
Broccoli and hummus dip

Dinner
Parmesan chicken schnitzels with a plated bruschetta salad

I hope you have had a fabulous Friday. Enjoy the weekend, I am very excited as Adrian doesn't need to go down to the beach so he's here for the entire weekend YAY!

What's on for you this weekend?

Xx Dani

Day 10 TT12 - ab challenge

How are those abs coming along everyone? Here are our 2 teams:

Tighter Tummy in 12 days (x2)
1. Dani
2. Michelle
3. Christine
4. Sheri
5. Ritika
6. Maria
7. Liz
8. Pauline

Killer Cardio and Core workout (3 weeks)
1. Celeste
2. Jodie
3. Anita
4. Jess
5. Adrian
6. Daniel
7. Amanda (FYM)
8. Tace
9. Elise
10. Tami
11. Sanya
12. Sarah
13. Dee (FYM)

I need some feedback, comments etc....to make sure you are on track. I made some poor food choices when I went out the other night and seriously can notice that layer on my tummy. Don't get me wrong I don't think I am overweight or fat in any way....however to achieve that chisel look, seriously I need to drop down to 10% body fat (I am currently @ 17%) which I think for my frame (1.78cm tall and weighing 65kgs) I will look too gaunt and not so nice!

I'll post a video soon to let you know what I am talking about.

I really need to bulk up in my muscle region, invest in some heavier weights and a all natural, organic protein powder. No nasty synthetics. I'm on the lookout!!! So watch this space!

Breakfast
Pear porridge

Here's my bulk porridge that I make for the 6 of us and then store any left overs throughout the day as a top up for Zali or in our smoothies etc....Not only do I have oats in the mix but I also throw in some linseed, rye and barley! Just to cover all my fibre :-) I tend to cook either on the stove top with milk and natural fruit juice (from a pears can) or under extreme emergencies in the microwave, same method just watch it doesn't overflow!!! Sticky porridge aint' nice to clean up! Trust me, I do it daily.....


WORKOUT and AB EXERCISES I completed the workout B for the month of August. Come check it out if interested in following the same exercise regime as myself. You get 50% off Holly's FYM fat loss ebook and 30 days free trial at Club FYM. It is amazing how varying her exercises are, it keeps you motivated and for me today the Bulgarian dead lifts with my leg up on a bench was very challenging. Great to feel other muscles!!! This workout took me approximately 18 minutes.

For my interval training I did my typical 60 seconds hard core exercises (mountain climbers, heel kicks & squats) followed by 30 secs slow marching on the spot. I repeated this 10 times and worked out a ripper sweat!

Morning snack
PWOS vanilla

Lunch
Tuna salad wholemeal wraps

Tuna, carrots, avocado, spinach, tomato (not pictured) wholemeal wraps

Simple and fresh ingredients makes such a lovely nutritional and filling meal. After lunch Mietta and I were busy again, this time making colourful play dough!

Method
Mix all ingredients and heat in a saucepan until you get to the 4th picture seen above. Then colour away. We used 3 and came up with these.....

We're learning about traffic lights so we chose these red, orange and green colours :-)

Here is Miss M in action....

Yes she's even got her nails painted hot pink!! We are busy girls at home :-)

Afternoon snack
Chickpeas on the go with an apple

I'll make sure I update this post with my steps and recipe on cooking home made crunchy chick peas. I will also link it in my FOOD tab. Thanks so much for your patience as I make this site as user friendly as possible for you.

Dinner
Chicken quinoa feta burgers served with steamed vegetables

Ingredients
500g chicken mince
2 grated carrots
1 grated onion
1/2 cup grated cheese (parmesan or tasty is fine)
1 small block of feta crumbled
handful of chopped herbs (parsley and mint)
1/2 cup quinoa
2 eggs beaten
2 slices of wholemeal bread (which I blitzed into breadcrumbs and the soaked them in the eggs mixture)
S&P
clove of garlic

Method
Combine all ingredients and roll into balls, flatten into pattie shape and allow to sit in fridge for half an hour (if possible) if not they're ok to either fry up or oven bake with a light spray of olive oil in your pan or dish. I made 8 adult size burgers and 4 mini ones for the kids and oven baked them for 30 minutes on 180C degrees or until cooked.


***Beauty update****

By the way I keep forgetting to mention last month I went out to Creswick (for my local readers, they'll know where that is) and found my NEW Delightfully Natural beauty regime!!!! One of my gorgeous school Mums referred me to her girlfriend who only uses natural and organic ingredients in her products. I was about to buy the Mirander Kerr KORA range online when I thought, best I support a local Australian business who is also all about natural, organic ingredients and NO CHEMICALS whatsoever!!! Anyhow's a big shout out to Kelly for creating such a beautiful skin range, which I'll also convert into my make up, body and hair range as well.

So many times I think about what I feed my body and then realise..... what is it that I am putting on my face???? I sometimes turn to my pantry and make my own facials and masks, here's some stuff I did recently when I started running low on my regular beauty products.

Face moisturisers
Coconut oil
Olive oil
Avocado oil

Facial scrubs
Almond with your choice of oil (I use the left over almonds when I make my almond milk)
Oatmeal and honey (blitz oats to powder form and mix with honey until you get a thick paste)
Coffee - left over from my coffee machine when I'm in the shower I just add water! These are great for any blocked pores.

Face masks
Almond - crack a couple of eggs, add some almond oil and paint your face with this sucker and feel all the natural ingredients working hard to plumping your skin back to life. I love this!
Honey -  is also a favourite as my Mum is a bee keeper we used to do this all the time. Also the wax from the frames of honey she pulled out, I used to place on my red pimply spots as a teenager and in the morning they were gone!!!!
Yogurt - also can be mixed with honey (1tbs of each) for a fabulous mask leaving your face feeling great!

The list is endless really but I really want to embark on all fresh ingredients, organic, raw etc... as much as possible and I will share with you what I use, buy and where I get them from. If ever you too decide to join me down the path of youthfulness :-)))) I'll never forget an interview I saw with Elle McPherson and she said, she became a vegan at 40 years of age and completely made the change to everything natural and organic, including products. She claims this change of lifestyle contributes to her youthful looking appearance. I may not go completely vegan but I sure am trying to go down the all natural and organic path.

As I approach my 40's I too want to be feeding my body and face with the right natural, raw ingredients. Let's see how I look in a couple of years time aye???? You be the judge :-))))

How about you? What do you do to make yourself healthy, fit and youthful looking?

Xx Dani

Day 9 TT12 - ab challenge

How is everyone today? The sun is shining my side of the world, life is beautiful and here we are again. Another day, another excuse to write to you beautiful people. Show you a glimpse of my world, food choices (although last night I was pretty pathetic on my way home), fitness and anything else I am doing.

Breakfast
Organic corn flakes with dried apple, sultana & pumpkin seeds

Morning snack
Strawberry smoothies

Mietta and I just blended strawberries leaves and all, gotta love the green leaves full of vitamins!!! Yogurt, a splash of milk, chia seeds & for Mietta's smoothie we added a drizzle of honey. I went al' natural!

Lunch
Beef quinoa salad

This was such a tasty dish. I just warmed up some scotch fillet from the other day, cut up some cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, grated some carrots, crumbled some feta cheese, some lemon rind and juices from a lemon with some mint leaves. It simply tasted de-lish with a capital D!!!

Afternoon snack
Banana and handful of walnuts
latte

Dinner
Vegetable and bacon crustless quiche

W.e   a.r.e   h.u.n.g.r.y   ........   4 r.o.b.o.t.s   a.r.e   h.u.n.g.r.y!!!!!

I'm hoping you got the robotic voice in the above text :-) it must be late, I really need to get a wriggle on.

Ingredients
1 onion
1 red capsicum (bell pepper)
2 grated carrots
6 bacon rinds (fat removed)
12 eggs
handful of spinach
2 tablespoons of ricotta cheese
S&P
handful of parsley and mint
parmesan cheese
tasty cheese

Method
Dice onions and bacon. Spray fry pan with olive oil and gently fry. While that's happening, chop up the capsicum and grate the 2 carrots and add to the bacon and onion mix. I then fold the spinach into this mix as well.

Just to save on dishes, I crack all my eggs in the casserole dish I bake my quiche. In this case I allocate 2 eggs per person. Add any herbs you have & seasoning, ricotta and whisk away. Add cheeses and pour onion mix into casserole dish, top with more cheese if you like. Bake at 180C degrees for an hour or until it's golden brown and doesn't wobble in the middle :-)


Day of rest today ~ no workout however been running outside with the kids and playing footy!

We had a terrific day today, the winter sunshine and 16C degree day was simply glorious. I am off to bed now as I am super tired from last night. Which reminds me, a great night to meet like minded people and hilarious to catch up with my brother Daniel. Yes, you heard right. My brother's name is Daniel and my name is Daniela. I'll leave you with that and a pic of us last night!! Goodnight until we meet again.

Sorry it was dark there and the Iphone has such a super flash, that we're over exposed!!!

Xx Dani

Day 8 TT12 - ab challenge

HELLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! How are you???????

I am very excited today, wasn't I yesterday as well? Anyways, my blood is pumping after a terrific workout this morning and I feel FANTASTIC!!! I needed the early night and a solid 12 hours sleep, I have been addicted to online social media and updating my blog that I was neglecting my Zzzzz's and in return my body.

It is so important to allow our bodies to rest and rejuvenate, I suppose that's why the winter bug has been here all winter as well. No rest for the wicked!

Which reminds me, stretching before a workout and afterwards is also imperative.

baby Zali stretching as well ;-)

Why? It helps lengthen and loosen our muscles. I suffer from a neck condition and if I get a pinched nerve (which I did this morning, ever so slightly, but enough to annoy me today) so I was a little quick with my warm up. Our muscles are cold first thing in the morning therefore contributes to a pulled and torn muscle. So please make time to warm up at least 5-10 minutes. Learn from my mistake :(

My FYM workout (A) of the month August was once again very challenging. I was struggling with the plank lateral (on your side) T up. That's where I kinda pulled a muscle or pinched a nerve, so I eased off with the dumb bell (DB) weight and just raised my arm up and down. I am still recovering from my pelvis instability (happened throughout all my 4 pregnancies) which causes all my ligaments to stretch and I really need to take care when I am exercising. So please ensure you do the same regardless of a previous injury or not. Also consult with your doctor before commencing any exercise regime to ensure you don't cause any unnecessary damage.

My interval training this morning consisted of knee taps and heel kicks for 60 seconds on and 30 seconds marching on the spot. I did this 12 times. Followed by a PWOS (post workout shake).

Breakfast

Frozen berry porridge

Morning snack

Corn pikelets with yogurt and chilli sauce

Quinoa tomato salad

I use wholemeal flour and make my self raising with baking powder

I found the recipe on Taste for those that need the right amount of quantity and step process as once again, I just throw in an egg, milk, flour, seasoning, corn, parsley, cheese and whisk it all up until I get the right consistency. Sorry about the focus on the pic, I was in a hurry and didn't get a chance to review....bad photographer huh?

Lunch

Tuna pasta salad

Ingredients

Tin of tuna

Tin of crushed tomatoes

1/2 onion

handful of spinach

S&P 

chilli powder

I boil some wholemeal/wheat pasta, in the meanwhile fry up some finely diced onion, add the tuna and tomato, season with S&P and chilli for my plate. Real quick and tasty lunch idea.

Afternoon snack

Cottage cheese with veggie sticks

Crackers with 2 hard boiled eggs

Dinner 

TBA Light refreshments are provided at the DP Unplugged event tonight

Looking forward to meeting other bloggers and brands/marketers/ PR peeps tonight as we discuss our blogging experience. At the rate I am going, I am here for the long haul. I love writing to you, glad you are reading and giving me comments (BTW that's the only reason why I do it, if you don't write me I'm no longer going to do it!! ) nah! Just joshing, it's a great outlet for me as well. It's given me the best gig of my life (besides being a parent of course!) as this is something I am truly passionate about and I love engaging with other people (rather be doing it face to face) but happy that we have this form of interaction as I can reach everyone across the globe.

I hope you are all well. Sending you loads of positive vibes your way and I look forward to meeting with you all again tomorrow. Same blog page, same gal, same attitude. MWAH!!!!!

Xx Dani