Mind the alcohol ladies......;-)

After watching the inaugural, stylish and celebratory event that is the AFL Brownlow medal last night, anyone would of noticed the plentiful and free flowing alcohol...beers, wines, spirits, champagne....
I'm not about to tell you to never drink again, for reasons soon to follow, BUT, I am going to warn you about the negative effects of regular drinking and also help you to make a more informed choice about what it is that you are drinking (in terms of weight management and good health).

It is recommended that adults should consume no more than 1-2 glasses of wine in a day, with at least 2 alcohol free days each week.

- Alcohol over the long term can do damage to your liver, leading to liver cirrhosis,
- Alcohol has been proven to be a risk factor for developing heart conditions, diabetes, and many forms of Cancer,                                                                 - Stomach Ulcers,
- Can contribute to alcohol related Pancreatitis,                       - Infertility,
- Can cause brain and nerve damage,                         - Obesity                 - Vitamin deficiency
- Can risk birth defects to an unborn baby if used during pregnancy,            - Skin problems.

Many Personal Trainers will tell you about the clients who have come to them begging for help to lose the extra weight, of which they 'can't seem to budge', but are left dumb founded after their client reveals they regularly drink 2-3 glasses of wine each night. Not only does alcohol contain high sugar and kilojoule levels, often alcohol is paired with fatty snacks such as chips, oversized handfuls of nuts and pastries; double no!!

Just to show you exactly how many kilojoules are in an average drink....(which may explain why you can't lose those cheeky tummy roles or muffin tops no matter how hard you work out!!!)....

Alcohol Beverage	Portion	Weight	Kilojoules	Protein	Fat	Carbohydrates
Beer (4,6% alcohol V/V)	1can	340	544	1,0	0,0	16,7
Liqueur (30% alcohol V/V)	liqueur glass	25	286	0,0	0,0	0,0
Port/Sweet sherry (17% alcohol V/V)	sherry glass	50	290	trace	0,0	5,8
Sherry, dry/medium (16% alcohol V/V)	sherry glass	50	222	trace	0,0	1,8
Spirits e.g. brandy, whiskey (43% alcohol V/V)	metric tot	25	263	0,0	0,0	0,0
Wine, dry, red/white, rose (12% alcohol V/V)	wine glass	125	378	0,3	0,0	1,5
Wine, white, medium/sweet (12% alcohol V/V)	wine glass	125	446	0,3	0,0	5,9

(http://www.weightlossdiets.co.za/kilojoule-charts/kilojoules-alcoholic-drinks.html)

So - if you must have a drink, which is fine in moderation, stick to a glass of red wine (high in antioxidants - hooray!), try one of the many 'lighter alcohol content' wines available on the market, mix your spirits with a low sugar mixer such as soda water with fresh lime, and try to limit your intake to 2 glasses in a sitting, with a big glass of water in between each drink.

As alcohol can interfere with our vitamin and nutrient uptake, it is important not to rob our bodies of the benefits of the great food and exercise we are doing to make ourselves feel amazing!!!

And remember - a hangover and workouts never mix well!!!!
Xxx

Getting those Summer goals....how to make sure you reach them!!

As the beautiful spring weather and sunshine is upon us, the amount of people suddenly emerging from the comfort of the PJ's, hot chocolate and heaters on weekends or after work is increasing at a rapid and pleasing rate! And who wouldn't be adventuring outdoors; the sunshine practically calls my name. Dragging me out the door and changing all of my plans to include time outside to soak it all up!

This is the time when many lovely ladies (and men), start to make plans or goals that they which to reach in terms of their fitness and health. The most common of these being; to lose weight, to increase energy levels, to exercise at least 5 days a week, to eat healthier and to manage stress levels better.
Of course, goals can be more Career, Social, Family or even Spiritual focussed.

But how can we ensure that we reach the goals that we set ourselves? After all, there is nothing worse than disappointment to break our motivation! And I know that I have made many overzealous and over-enthusiastic goals in the past - surely I can save the world and run an ultra marathon in 4 months!!??

Keep the following mantra in mind - S.M.A..R.T goals are the best goals! The best goals are those that are planned, written and worked on in an organised manner.

S - Specific. Keep your goal as specific as you can so you know what you are trying to achieve. This could be "I hope to run my first 10km fun run in 4 months", rather than "I want to run" or "I want a better job".
M - Measurable. If you can't measure whether you are getting closer to your goals, or if you have actually reached it, how do you know if you are achieving success, or if your plan of attack is effective? An example; "I want to be able to lose 5kg in 5 weeks", or "I want to be able to complete 60 sit ups in a row in 3 weeks".
A - Achievable/Attainable - Of course, there is no point in setting yourself an awesome goal, but not being able to reach it because it is completely un-realistic. If you just started running, instead of having a goal to run a marathon in four weeks, perhaps your goal might be to run a marathon in twelve months. If your goal is to buy yourself a 5 bedroom house in the inner city, and you have a job earning $800 a week, make sure your goal is in an achievable time frame, or perhaps you could consider buying further out from the city or in a smaller house/unit to begin with.
R - Relevant - Your goal needs to be relevant to you, and what your short and long term plan is. If one of your long term goals was to run a successful home based business earning a full time wage, perhaps a relevant goal might be to make a business plan or complete the required study over the next year  or so. If your long term mission is to complete an Ironman event in three years, a relevant goal might be to complete a half ironman race in one year, or to include two of each discipline into your weekly training program for the next year.
T - Timely - Make sure you attach a time frame to your goal. It is very easy to have a goal, but without setting a date or week for it to be completed, you can easily procrastinate (which I am very guilty of!!!). If it's fitness or running you're wanting to work on - enter yourself in a fun run or a 'tough mudder/stampede' event. The extra motivation you get when you enter an event always helps your planning!

Don't forget to include your friends and family in big goals also. Having some social support, as well as having an effect of giving you more ownership and responsibility in being able to finish what you set out to do definitely helps!

Post your list of goals up around the house, on your diary, as your alarm (e.g 5.30am wake up = Getting closer to my 10km run!!), or read them aloud every week.

Try to keep your goals to 3 at a time (with your long term goals in mind also of course), which will prevent you becoming overwhelmed by too many goals and too many things to try to achieve (Which links back to the 'achievable'!!).

Dream big Gorgeous Girls Xxxx

The power of optimism & positivity....

After watch a documentary a few nights ago on how the brain responds to different situations, I found it quite interesting to learn that when human are presented with a somewhat negative situation, they tend to 'put on their rose coloured glasses' and our subconscious does not think that things are as bad as they seem. This way of thinking could be seen to work two ways:
- That we don't take all warnings seriously (For example, a health warning such as smoking, drinking or eating poor foods; in the belief that nothing will happen to us, we are invincible from lifestyle diseases and illness'!),
- That perhaps this could be further expanded and 'worked on' to bring forward into our everyday conscious thoughts to overcome stress, anxiety and times of negativity.

Obviously the later has a greater outcome for all of us, considering that stress and mental health have such a marked impact in Australia's health and wellbeing.

So how can we 'train' our brains to learn to think more optimistically to cope with day to day events, or arising issues? Here are a few exercises to practice weekly.....

- Challenge your thoughts. Many of us tend to say things such as 'I have to work", or 'I have to go to the gym", as if it is a chore. Change your thoughts to "I get to go to the gym to feel fit and strong", "Off to work today, bring on this holiday over summer!", even simple things such as "Ah, I hate getting out of bed, this sucks!", to "Today is going to be a good day", or taking a compliment from a friend, rather than instantly replying with "Oh, no, this outfit looks pretty average on me!". It may sound corny, but I guarantee if you try it (particularly saying it aloud to yourself), it actually makes you feel more energised and as if a weight has been lifted off your shoulders.
*You can write down a situation that happened to you today. Write down 3 thoughts that came to your straight away, then write 3 more thoughts that are a more positive and realistic way of reacting to the situation (the more you practice this, the more automatic it will become).

- The old glass half full or half empty trick! Again instead of thinking; "I can't even run for 20 minutes", think "I'm almost able to run 20 minutes". Motivating and much more positive!

- Take a step back from things other people say or do. More often than not, if a friend or family member is being angry or cranky, or hasn't called you like they said they would it is just as likely that something is wrong with them, not everything is related to you specifically. Your friend may have been caught up at work, has something going on in their own lives or quite simply didn't even see you when they walked past you at the shops and 'didn't say hi'!!

- Make a list of things that you have already achieved in your lifetime, as opposed to just making lists about things that you aim to achieve all the time. Sometimes we work so hard to achieve something at the 'next level', that we forget about all the awesome things we've already done! Remind yourself!

- When you have a tough day, remind yourself that tomorrow is only a few hours away. Making mistakes is the way we humans learn, so learn from it and move on - as a much wiser young lady!

-Make light of a situation. A little bit of humour makes everything so much more bearable!

- Write down 5 things that you did well, or that happened to you this year. Now, write down two reasons for each of those in terms of your own skills and attributes that lead to these happening in the first place. Believe it!

Remember - it is ok to have a bad day and feel a bit down, but it's times like these when you can use some of these exercises to help bring back you positive self and 'attack life' again!

Lots of love, laughs and positive times ahead Gorgeous Girls Xxx

A little solitude never hurt anyone..... :-)

As important as it is to make sure you're getting out and about on the social scene, sharing in some gossip, laughs and tears; having time to yourself also has it's place.
There are some people who really need to be around people all the time, but spending some time away from the chaos of life, can help to put things in perspective, clear your mind from all of the thoughts and opinions of others, as well as give you time to mentally rehearse and visualise where you want to go and the type of person you want to be.

After spending five months overseas, soul searching and re-acquainting myself with my own personal interests, goals and dreams; I have come back with a much more clear picture in my mind of where I want to head in life, the things I need to do to get there, how to explore my passions and how to think more independently without needing approval from others all the time.

It only needs to be 15 minutes, but you will notice the benefit immediately.

What can we achieve by spending time alone:
- Time to relax from all the 'happenings' of life,
- You will put things in perspective; what is important to you?
- You will enjoy others people company more than if you are surrounded by people all the time,
- You will learn to be independent and self reliant, particularly if you learnt things yourself and have to do things all for yourself (Hey - why not practise learning how to change a car tyre while you're at it!!!!),
- You get to do the things that you enjoy, make you smile and revitalise your spirit (Book in that haircut, get your nails done, go for a nice long walk along the beach!).

How can I get time to myself? And what do I do??
- Go for a run or walk outdoors (the amount of worries I have had disappear and look much clearer after a run is countless!),
- Go for a long drive; enjoy the scenery and pump up your music to sing along to (instant energy!),
- Undertake a new project (Start a short course or learn a new hobby),
- Be creative (have a go at painting, creating a scrap book of all your favourite travel photos, enter the world of jewellery making...),
- Challenge your adventurous side and go for a hike or camp over night in nature, you'll be surprised how liberating it is when you do it solo!

Let me know how you go Gorgeous Girls! Happy Solitude and Independence Xxx

Getting outdoors - mix up that fitness!!

So you wake up every second day, head to the gym for an hour where you monotonously run on the treadmill, sit on the stationary bike, do a few weights and stretch out your muscles. Do you ever get the feeling of boredom? Feel like there must be something else more inspiring and 'mind free-ing' out there??
Why not try getting out into the 'great outdoors' and let nature do it's thing; clears your head, uplifts the everyday 'office job boredom', lets your emotions and senses run wild and gives you a feeling like you've actually had a little getaway!!

You don't have to pack gear for a big weekend away, book a camping ground or hotel room, get someone to mind the kids and pets....it can be just as easy as finding one of the many trails around Australia to go for a nice long walk on - no planning needed! Think about it - we spend our lives indoors about 90% of the time....how did we forget nature, and all of its positive effects?

- Vitamin D is found in sunlight, and we need it to assist in our bodies absorption of calcium (to give us nice strong bones, and help the release of energy), as well as having a positive effect on our mental state.
- Fresh, fume free and noise free natural air!! Trust me - once you breathe it for a while and escape the day to day traffic and city noise, you won't be hurrying to get back home!
- The clear air has positive effects on our skin, without the exposure to chemicals, air conditioners, air heaters and stale indoor air. You will notice your skin naturally becomes more clear, and with the use of sunscreen - give you a much more 'uplifted' look (good riddance Botox!!!!),
- Being outdoor can help our Circadian rhythms (natural sleep, wake cycles), balance out our hormones, and potentially assist in having a better natural weight balance,
- Research has shown more regular exposure to nature can assist in reducing stress levels and reduced fatigue, so you'll feel great and more energetic,
- Walking, hiking or running on un-even and natural terrain can strengthen our muscles, particularly our core to assist our balance and our ankle, knee and hip joints - which are common injury sites,
- Many doctors have found that prescribing their patients with regular outdoor exposure; walking, cycling or even gardening have shown to reduce illness' (Diabetes, Heart disease and many forms of cancer).

But where can you find a great walking/cycling/running/hiking path??
- Your local state or government websites will have many links and maps to show you exactly where each walking and cycling trail is; most of these being very safe and easy to track.
- For the enthusiastic hiker, http://www.hikingaustralia.com.au/index.html has some great hiking places around Australia - grab some girlfriends and make an adventure!
- Check out some events that will get you off the road running or riding and into the outdoors - you're fitness will sky-rocket with the extra hills and unpredictable terrain!! ( www.salomontrailseries.com.au , www.rapidascent.com.au, www.supersprint.com.au , ),
- Take up kayaking or canoeing - the therapeutic benefits of being the water as well as a great upper body and stomach toning session!,
- If you're feeling adventurous, why not lock in an overseas trip to hike The Mount Everest base camp trek, Machu Pichu, Mt Kilimanjaro, The French Pyrenees (yes - the wine and cheese is amazing!), The lost city trek in Columbia, Whistler in Canada's British Columbia, The amazing Swiss alps......ask your travel agent or check out GA adventures, Intrepid...or scan one of the many companies offering great trips on the internet!

Which direction now?.....

At some point in your lives, you would of all felt like screaming "but what do I do next?". Unfortunately it's inevitable, and there are not too many lucky people out there who know exactly what they want to do, when to do it and how they are going to get there.
Having returned from an amazing overseas adventure for the first half of the year, I returned to resign from my job, with a goal to try something different and do something I really love each day. Don't get me wrong, I loved parts of my previous job - but perhaps it was the 'quarter year crisis', or the prospect of challenging yourself to see if you can succeed more in another career?
I have been studying, working casually and hoping that this 'big idea' will eventuate into something fantastic.....but sometimes it is easy to wonder - 'what if it doesn't work'??

Here are a few things to consider when thinking about making a big change or trying to decide exactly what it is you want out of life...

- What sort of environment do you enjoy being in? Indoors, outdoors, active, stationary?
- Do you like to work closely with other people, or constantly around people?
- What are your interests?
- Where are your talents or skills?
- What do you NOT enjoy doing?
- Speak to people doing something you think you might enjoy, they are often invaluable to giving you an inside perspective on your possible new venture!
- Quiz close friends and family about what they think you would be great at, would succeed in and what you would enjoy? (Sometimes an external point of view can be a real help in broadening our ideas)
- Sit down and try to visualise yourself in the role/adventure/path you think might be the one for you. Brainstorm the pro's, con's, hard parts and enjoyable parts. Does it still seem like a good idea?
- Look through magazines, scan job boards/internet job search engines; it can often provide you with some extra ideas, career paths, courses, volunteer work...
- Does studying and/or 're-training' in a new area interest you? Can you afford the added cost?

Lots of things to think about, but "If you love what you do, you'll never have to work a day in your life!". Finding the right thing sometimes takes people until they have Grandchildren - but if we only live life once, what's the point in continuing down a path we are not happy or satisfied with?

Good luck GorgeousGirls Xxx

"Thats what friends are for......."

Every woman knows the benefit and 'completeness' that we get from having a close friend or group of friends. Every woman needs 'girl time' regularly to 'vent' or share all of the experiences that have happened in our day to day lives over a coffee, walk or glass of wine.
In fact - many studies have shown that people who have a close friend or two are more likely to live longer, have less chance of becoming ill, are generally more happy, feel a sense of belonging, have a higher self esteem, have improved learnt social skills and are less stressed!

Sometimes, it's easy to take the tears, laughs, hopes, dreams, life changing events and warm hugs for granted - and I know I can be guilty of it!!!
So what can we do just to make our friends feel special?
- Why not lock in a manicure/pedicure date each month (gossip, with pampering - perfect!),
- Organise a Friday night dinner date at a friends place (swap locations each week, and get everyone to bring their own plate),
- Join a bootcamp, gym or organise a walk with each other every week; that's two birds with the one stone!!,
- Send a 'just because' bunch of fresh flowers to your friend while she's at work or having a tough day,
- Write your appreciation for her down in a cute card, sometimes it's easy to take friends for granted, but telling them how much they mean to you can brighten their whole month!
- Send an e-card to a friend to read while she's 'ploughing' through her work emails http://www.friendship-ecards.com/ ,
- Make a photo book of your favourite photos together, it will be a keepsake forever! (www.snapfish.com.au is a great start!),
- Offer to babysit or 'pet sit' for them while they have a lovely night out with their partner,
- Cook up a few healthy, delicious meals  (or surprise them with a bag full of groceries) for them to have when you know they've had a tough week,
- Take them out for a 'release' session at boxing, yoga, running group or a nature hike if they missed a job promotion, had a fight with a partner or just had 'one of those days'.
- Buy her tickets to a band or festival to reminisce about your younger, partying days together!!

     Love to all dearest friends Xxx

Family fun activity times....!! How to involve the kids in your workout :-)

As we all spoilt our 'Daddy dearest' yesterday for Fathers day, it was a great sight to look around and see many young families out and about going for walks, playing cricket on the beach or bike rides along the many bike paths in our lovely cities.
It did make me wonder however, why does it have to be a 'special occasion' to get ourselves outdoors and active?
If only everyday saw you throw on some runners, grab the pram and the kids and have a 'family active session' at the local park!!
Countless studies have shown the benefit of having a positive role model in a parent when it comes to remaining active later in life, as does healthy eating. Taking your kids out for some family activity time will also help to create more of a bond between you all and teach your children that play time can be fun outdoors!! It is so sad to sit at a café or even hear from a friend who babysits children regularly that our kids are growing up learning to use computers and I-pads in their spare time! Bring back cubby house building and hours of tiggy in the backyard!

- There are many 'Mums and Bubs' outdoor and gym based group fitness sessions available all over Australia, and the world for that matter. Many gym's offer child care facilities and even classes structured to be able to bring your littlies into the room to join in or at least have a play area to keep them entertained while you work up a sweat.
- As daylight savings draws nearer, take the family out for a walk after dinner or a for half an hour,
- Never under-estimate the power of street or backyard footy/cricket/basketball; you will never grow too old!!
- Take the kids for the first 10-20minutes of your run when you get home from work. They will love feeling like a grown up with Mummy or Daddy, and will surprise you how fast you have to run to keep up with them (even if they collapse in a heap after 10 minutes!!!), Speed work anyone??!
- Combine a jog around the oval with some push ups, sit ups and lunges while your kids participate in footy/netball/soccer training ; hey,, time is precious!!
- On a rainy day, turn up the radio while you sing and dance around the house with your kids. you'll probably laugh until your stomach hurts, which is a great ab workout in itself!
- Instead of going to the movies on the weekend, take the kids for a bike ride. Pack a picnic lunch and make a day of it. (Many local bike paths are easy to find through council and state government websites).
- Opt for holidays where you can be amongst the great outdoors to have access to the water, bush walks, mountain biking, flying fox, canoeing........,
-Think about having kids birthday parties doing an activity such as ice-skating, indoor rock climbing, flying trapeze, bike ed., swimming, giant playgrounds, trampoline or gymnastics centres...),
- Throw the kids on the playground while you jog around the edge of the grounds and complete 'station activities' on the playground equipment,
- Learn to surf or play golf together (there are lots of schools and clubs around that offer all ages lessons in a wide range of sports),

The amount of memories I have of my parents taking us out for a morning swim, run, walk or hit of tennis when we were little have stayed with me forever, and have created a life-long pattern of physical activity.

Sometimes it is simply an awesome solution to stop the screaming matches or tantrums coming from the back room!!
Get those kids and your perfect families active Gorgeous Girls! Xxx