:: Health and Fitness ::

107.5kg dead lift

I've been thinking a lot about health and fitness lately. Today marks one year since the beginning of my pancreas/large intestine fiasco and while I've had some really good days, it frustrates me that I still have really bad days.

So I've turned to my diet to see if there's something I'm eating that's making me sick without realising. I already have a list of foods I avoid due to allergies, intolerances and general inability to digest them like gluten, dairy, pumpkin, carrot, lettuce, cranberries and so on. But lately I've been directed to a group of foods called FODMAPs. FODMAP containing foods are foods such as apples, nectarines, peaches, beetroot, lychees, pulses, beans, artificial sweeteners (maltitol, xylitol) among many others. People with an intolerance to these FODMAPs get sick because they aren't absorbed properly through your digestive system and they begin to ferment where they shouldn't which causes all kinds of problems and pain.

I've been off these FODMAPs for about two weeks now and I already feel so much better. Who knew that something seemingly safe like an apple could cause so many problems? Now that I'm starting to feel better I'm getting more into gym and fitness again. Last month a few of my friends and I completed the Lorna Jane squat challenge (below) and have decided to keep doing at least 100 squats a day from now on.

This month we're completing a plank challenge (along with the daily 100 squats). I have rubbish core muscles, so hopefully this will help! Having a stronger core will help with all my other exercises like deadlifts (see first photo), back squats, leg press and even running.

Do you have any other monthly/30-day challenges you can recommend? A friend and I have decided to do one a month til the end of the year!

:: Fitness Inspiration ::

Inside my fridge

I need a lifestyle change. I'm not talking about a fad diet, I'm talking about a real change. For the good. I have spent far too long wishing to be fit and healthy, and have not spent any real time trying to reach that goal. I have spent far too long death staring the fit girls with their bouncy ponytails at my gym (lol).

I have some great excuses. My ankle hurts, I don't feel too good, my asthma's acting up, I'm too tired ... blah, blah, blah. If it's to do with diet or exercise, I will give you some of the most well-justified excuses you've ever heard. But here's the thing - I have more energy after I exercise, my asthma gets better the more I swim ... but I always forget these things.

Inside my pantry

I'm not aiming to be skinny. I don't have a skinny frame - I have legs a rugby player would be happy to have, and shoulders that can press almost as much as most boys I know. I am slowly understanding that being strong is not a bad thing. But now I want to be fit and strong. I may be strong, but I'm not fit. If I had to run for my life, I'm pretty sure I'd die (Let's hope there isn't a zombie invasion any time soon, because I'm so not ready).

I currently listen to Fall Out Boy when I'm at the gym, but I'd like a bit of diversity. I need your help, ladies! Do you have any workout song suggestions? Songs that make you want to get up and move, and make you want to push yourself just that little bit harder. Fun, upbeat and peppy is what I'm after! I figure if I can get around an hour's worth of music, I'll know that I've done enough exercise by the time the playlist is up.

Check out what I found while I was looking for music inspiration:

Ridiculously cute, right?

:: Gym vs Biscuits ::

About three weeks ago I joined a gym. It was probably the most spontaneous decision I have ever made. I was having a discussion about weight with a girl I work with, and she mentioned we get a discount to a gym in the city because of where we work. Within about 10 minutes I had emailed the gym and had a consultation booked for the next day!

I am not a big fan of exercise and every afternoon I have to practically drag myself to the gym, but I am slowly finding that once I am there I quite enjoy myself. I like the fact that for an hour each afternoon I can switch off and simply concentrate on the sound of my own breathing. I am terrible at cardio, so while I am on the rower/bike/cross-trainer my breathing sounds a bit like this: "*Supressed groan*, *puff puff*, *long exhaled breath with big puffy cheeks*, *wheeze* [insert the sonds of taking my asthma puffer here]" and well, you get the point! I love doing weights though, so I change up my sessions a little to add in some things I don't like with some things that I do. If only my gym had a pool!

The snap decision to join a gym was partly because of my wedding and partly because of how I have been feeling lately. In the past few weeks I have had a lot more energy and I feel a lot better about myself. I have decided not to stare at the number on the scales and instead focus on how I feel and also how my clothes feel. And let me tell you, already my clothes and I are starting to feel great!

Now I need to focus on what I put in my mouth. I have been teaching myself new recipes so I am not so repetitive in the kitchen when I move in with Mr LG. The problem is, the biscuits taste so good! The more I learn to cook/bake, the more I want to eat them!

What's your favourite form of exercise? Mine is swimming, but it's still a little too chilly here to brave the water! What's your food weakness? Mine is potato. I could eat it all day, every day!