What does 50kgs look like?

What does 60kgs look like?
What does 70kgs look like?

If you have ever been on a diet you will know that feeling of trying to get to a magic number on the scales. But that weight on the scale is often a poor indication of your heatlh and how great you are looking. The website  My Body Gallery allows you to punch in your measurements and see other bodies that weigh the same as yours.

Perspective is important. Get some



Juice Boost Protein Balls

Before you go adding Juice Boost's protein balls to your diet thinking they are the convenient answer to your clean eating diet...STOP!!
As with so many things that seem too good to be true the latest snack offering from Juice Boost promises so much but doesn't deliver at least not if you are trying to avoid sugar and eat cleanly.

Boost Choc Protein Balls – RRP $1.50
Ingredient list:
Almonds, coconut, sesame seed, Sunflower seed, Oats, Honey, Whey Protein Concentrate (75% protein), Milk Minerals (Calcium), Vitamin D3)Sugar, Butter, Milk Solids, Cocoa, Sugar, Vegetable Oil, Wheat Flour, Lecathin, Salt.
The Allergen statement contains:
Nuts, Gluten, Soy, Dairy, Added Milk Minerals (calcium).
NUTRITION INFORMATION
Serving Size: 36g
Avg Avg
Qty per Qty per
Serving 100 g
Energy 749kJ 2081kJ
Protein 5.63g 15.64g
Fat, total 13.66g 37.94g
- saturated 6.69g 18.58g
Carbohydrate 10.66g 29.6g - sugars 3.96g 11g
Sodium 56.59 mg 157.19 mg
Dietary Fibre 1.2g 3.1g
Vitamin A 0.06 mcg 0.17 mcg
Vitamin C 0.04 mg 0.11 mg
Calcium 23.70 mg 57.42 mg
Iron 0.36 mg 1 mg

If you want to be healthier, slimmer and hotter you need to get educated about food labels!

It would be great if food that was bad for us just wasn't sold. But let's deal with reality.

Not all products are created equal - there are many ways to manufacture products and there are many ingredients used to make up any one of the products on your supermarket shelf. But the good news is there are also some pretty strict rules about the information we must be provided with. If you understand this, where to find it, and how to interpret it, you have a pretty good shot of consuming food rich in nutrients and free of all the additives. Education! Education! Education!

Let’s go!


There is a government regulation that states that all foods sold in this country must state the ingredients used. Most ingredients list are pretty easy to find and are helpfully titled, ‘ingredients.’ The ingredients list must be in order of volume. So basically if gram for gram there is more flour it will appear first then in descending order the rest of ingredients will follow. Manufacturers aren’t silly, they have heard about you and all your dieting health-conscious friends and they know that being creative with this ingredients list might be the difference between you adding their product to your shopping trolley or not. So they got out their thesaurus and came up with alternative names for ingredients that might not send off alarm bells in your head.
 
Sugar can be found under the following list of names: fructose, lactose, glucose, xylitol, malt/malt extract, dextrose, sorbitol, corn starch, corn syrup surcrose, mannose, mannitol, modified carbohydrate, maltose, raw sugar, brown sugar, golden syrup, honey, white sugar and rice syrup.

Those zany kids writing up the ingredients lists like to be creative and it makes it tough for us less sugar-savvy dieters to know what we are consuming. But make no mistakes these are all sugars and a sugar by any other name will taste as sweet (and have the same negative impact on your poor body).

Here are some more…

 Fat
Beef fat, butter, coconut oil, cocoa butter, copha, diglycerides, dripping, hydrogenated vegetable oil, lard, milk solids, monglycerides, oven baked, palm oil, shortening, tallow

Salt
Celery salt, chicken salt, MSG, rock salt, sea salt, sodium, table salt, vegetable salt

The nutritional panel is also a must on packaging. Nutritional panels list energy per serving and usually per 100g or mls. When comparing one product to another compare the 100g panel. Serving size varies from product to product so you need to watch that.
A nutritional panel will provide information on energy in the form of calories or kilojoules, protein, fat, carbohydrates and sodium. Carbohydrates will be broken down further to indicate how much of the carbohydrates are derived from sugar.

Just like ingredients lists manufacturers will present the information in a way that positively presents their product as well as they can under the regulations.  Fair play, but if we know what we are looking for there is no fooling us.

For more on standards and guides to packaging go here.

Shit Crossfit Girls Say.....

This made me cry with laughter!

I hate my spin class trainer

Yes I know hate is a strong word. Yes I know I shouldn’t hate anyone BUT I hate my spin class instructor. Let me explain.

Spin class or any exercise class is designed to be challenging and certainly the point of spin is to burn calories and tone your body. So I’m definitely on board with an instructor pushing the class. I didn’t hand you my hard-earned cash so I could take it easy. People go to group exercise classes because they could never exercise at that level of intensity on their own. Setting up the spin bike in front of the TV and watching re-runs of 'Friends' does not a hot body make. So instructors, by all means get hot, get sweaty and get vocal, BUT there is a line and I’m afraid this instructor crossed it.

Miss I-like-to-ruin-your-day (yes that is her name) entered the room without a word to anyone. She left the lights off and this was a 6pm class so it was kinda dark. Not scary- I-can’t-see-my-hand-in-front-of-my-face dark but sort of movie-theatre dark. She had an accent (maybe Russian?) so it was difficult to understand her commands which may or may not be why she began the pointing. Oh yes the pointing. As we got started she would extend one long bony finger that ended with an equally long fake nail (so ok it wasn’t that dark) and jab it the direction of whoever wasn’t following her inaudible instructions. Her shrill screams would accompany the pointing and the poor recipient of the extended finger would scramble to work out what they were doing wrong. By the way it was usually nothing.

It went on. She never told us when to add resistance or take it off. She never asked if anyone needed help with their bikes. If you haven’t been to a spin class read about one here. She just screamed. Nothing was good enough. No words of encouragement came. No time checks. I was certain that at this point most of us wished those bikes were not steadfast so we could ride the hell out of there. I will show you just how fast I can go lady.

The reason her display bothered me so much was there were several new people in the class. Not just new to this particular gym but new to spin and quite possibly new to exercise. As I left that night I heard a few of them talking. They were never coming back.

Shame on you Miss I like-to-ruin-your-day. Sometimes it takes courage to come along to group fitness. Hell for some people it takes courage to participate in any form of fitness. It can be intimidating so if you had worked up the courage and you were confronted with some drill sergeant pointing at you and screaming that you are not good enough how would you feel? An instructor or a trainer has a special opportunity to make someone feel secure enough to make the changes they long to make. You should have encouraged and inspired us Miss I-like-to-ruin-your-day instead you humiliated. This woman is what is wrong with the fitness industry. If you ever come into contact with her or trainers like her just remember the rest of us were thinking good on you for coming. Well done for being brave and trying something new to help improve your health and your life. YOU did a fantastic job!

Me and Diet Coke – Splitsville!

I would like to tell you a story. It’s about a girl and a bad relationship and it goes like this. A young girl (ok, me) started fraternising with diet soft drink. It was so long ago that I can’t remember how it started but I do know why. I was 14 or so and like many other 14 year old girls the last thing I wanted to be was fat. I had heard about calories so the idea of a food or drink that didn’t contain them seemed magical. Sweet, available and appetite quenching I began to include the stuff in my diet. Pretty soon it was all I drank. In many cases it was a meal replacement. I know I too shudder at the thought but I was young, naive and bad health was the last thing I my mind. Without realising I had formed quite the bond with diet coke and as I entered my late teens the headaches I had suffered from intermittently became more intense and more frequent. With them came severe bouts of nausea. I know it sounds silly but diet coke was all I wanted to consume through these episodes. At times I was jittery from the caffeine and as the headaches worsened it occurred to me that the very thing I craved may have been making my headaches worse. I tried to stop. But whenever my headache came back all I wanted was diet coke. The on again off again relationship was volatile. Diet Coke didn’t help me and I knew it but for some reason I couldn’t stop. Was it addiction? Looking back I know it was. It seems ridiculous but the thought of not having it made me anxious. If I was sick its all I wanted. Years passed. I don’t like to dwell on the damage it has done to my body.

Sometimes I was drinking up to 3 Litres of the stuff a day.

It had to stop.

I worked hard on understanding my body. Through trial and error I have managed to significantly reduce the frequency of my headaches. If I was getting sick less often then I had no excuse right?

I have been diet soft drink free for four months. In the beginning I replaced the Diet Coke with soda water but I now I rarely drink that either. I feel like I have successfully broken the habit. I don’t know why it had such a hold on me. I don’t know why I couldn’t let go of something that was only doing me harm. My health has improved. I feel better. My mind feels clearer. I feel happier, less anxious. I don’t know the extent of how much it affected me or in what ways. I’m glad it’s over. In some ways it was a hangover from a teenager’s issues with body image that lasted over a decade.

I am writing this post not to warn you of the dangers of Diet Coke or other diet soft drinks (although I do hope you never start to drink the stuff) but to give you hope for change. If there is something in your life you don’t like, no matter how long you have done it, had it or held on to it, you can change.

I wouldn’t expect anybody to understand my addiction to Diet Coke. Just stop drinking it right? If only habit-breaking was that simple. But I do hope that if you suffer with an addiction or have a habit that doesn’t serve you that you keep battling to let it go. The freedom you feel when you do is just as addictive.

The Starbuck's Diet

"Oh fabulous," I hear you exclaim, "does this mean somebody has actually managed to come up with a diet that includes large slices of White Chocolate Gateau washed down with a Grande Cafe Mocha with an extra cloud of sweetened whipped cream?"

WOO FREAKIN HOO!

No.

AND I should also mention, this diet is not a throwback to 2005 when the lollypop brigade; Lohan, Zoe, Richie and an Olsen Twin or two existed solely on a double shot, very skinny mocha latte cap thingy on soy, no sugar, extra EXTRA foam pleeeeeeeeeeease!

No dear friends the Starbuck’s diet is actually not really a diet at all, but a story about a clever lady who lost weight using the resources she had. And just so we are clear, we LOVE stories about clever ladies. Meet Christine Hall, a 66 year old from Virginia USA who used the coffee chain to her advantage and carefully selected appropriate calorie options from the Starbuck’s menu for two years. The result: a regime that finally solved her weight loss issues.

BUT is it healthy? Because I ain't seen no kale or coconut water at Starbuck's!! And dietitians  are all cranky and nay-sayish about it. Apparently the diet doesn’t provide enough calcium and other similar important stuff.

But isn’t this diet better than the one she was on before? Doesn’t reducing your weight when you are considered obese make you somewhat healthier? Hasn’t she drastically reduced her chances of heart disease, diabetes and other serious health issues?

This is a perfect example of the trend of waiting and watching for the newest, most perfect idea BEFORE we take action. If more of us just took action now, knowing what we know and using what we have, we could be telling our own weight loss story to the world.

I would like to applaud Christine for not jumping on bandwagons, for not substituting someone else's wisdom for her own and for using what she had to get where she wanted to be. Christine grew where she was planted and is a better version of Christine for doing so. And maybe she should take a calcium supplement or something but why are we getting bogged down in detail when the truth of it is that this lady took initiative and responsibility for her problem and found something she could manage.

I am on my feet applauding loudly (ok so no I am kind of hunched over a laptop on the couch in some daggy old Peter Alexander PJ's but metaphorically I am with you Christine and we could all learn a valuable lesson here.

If you would like to read more about Christine and her diet go here.

Want great abs? You need to vacuum

So right now you are probably thinking that this is one of those misguided weightloss tips that claim you can drop kilos fast just by doing the housework. Oh if only it was this easy! Yeah I’m not talking about a few laps around the lounge with your Dyson. And I should probably add the disclaimer that housework like incidental exercise is all well and good BUT WILL NOT GIVE YOU KILLER ABS, TONE YOUR MUSCLES OR HAVE YOU RESEMBLING A SUPERMODEL!

So the vacuuming I am talking about is a clever little trick to help give you a flat stomach. The exercise, shown in the video below, works on your deep abdominal muscles and won’t build bigger muscles. So if you are a guy after a washboard stomach then this is probably not your new exercise best friend. But for us girls who want a flat, slim, midsection this exercise will do you many favours and the best bit? It takes no time at all!

Go forth and vacuum my friend…

please put your hands together for......epsom salts!

Epsom salts have been around for years. You will find them sitting on a supermarket shelf without fanfare. So what are they for? Well a host of applications actually, but the reason I have brought your attention to them here is because thof their powerful anti-inflammatory properties. They will help with aching muscles and fluid retention (so yeah you will look slimmer!). Pour a cup or two into a warm bath and soak for at least 20 minutes. For best results soak twice a week.

Lara knows portion size is important and we could all learn something here!

The latest edition of OK Magazine has provided me with two little bits of very welcome information. The first is that Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale have been spotted holding hands so that divorce rumour is obviously just that! So that's nice isn't it? Also Lara Bingle, everyone's favourite swimsuit model with a reality TV gig is singing the praises of portion size. Hooray!

Lara tells OK, " Portion size is such a big thing. I have small plates at home so that I only eat the size of my plate. Otherwise, you don't have that stop button - especially out at restaurants. You don't need that much food!"

I didn't ever think I would be saying this but we could learn something from Ms Bingle here. It is really easy to add kilos even when we are watching what we eat if we don't watch how much we eat.

what in the heck is Inulin?

Insulin? No, no. Inulin. What is Inulin? No idea? You aren’t alone.

Inulin is a group of naturally occurring polysaccharides. Oh right why didn’t you say so? Polysaccharides, of course! Sorry! Inulin is the stuff found naturally, mostly in root vegetables, which has been turning up on ingredients lists of late and it is high time you knew about it. Inulin is basically a carbohydrate, belonging to a class of compounds known as fructans.It is considered to be a fibre because it is not absorbed via the intestinal tract. It has a bland to sweet taste and feels creamy in the mouth.

There are some health benefits: Fibre - self-explanatory. Pre-biotic - helps with good bacteria in the colon. Cholesterol - lowers cholesterol in the blood.

But why on earth is it being added to my food?

As far a carbohydrates go inulin is low in calories, it also doesn’t create an insulin spike like other carbs and it adds fibre. If we are in the business of making products low in carbs we would do well to add inulin. If we are in the business of making products low in carbs that taste good inulin is a no-brainer. It’s slightly sweet taste and creamy texture in the mouth, mimic the fat and sugar us dieters like to avoid.

Is inulin all that bad? Apart from the fact that some people do have a hard time ingesting the stuff, not really, but if it is naturally occurring in root vegetables how is it being turned into something which winds up in your nutritionally-packed health bar? I think we might need to investigate…..

shame on you Pepsi!

Shame on you Pepsi!

Apparently we don’t have enough soft drinks to choose from. That’s right Pepsi Next is the latest addition to the Pepsi Cola stable. Apparently Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Max and Pepsi Lite don’t provide consumers with enough soft drink options. How is Pepsi Next different? Well let me tell you. Pepsi is neither a soft drink nor is it….wait for it, a diet soft drink. No Pepsi Next is what you might call a mid-calorie cola. Huh? A mid-calorie cola is a drink that does not contain the crazy, unnecessary calories of a soft drink nor does it allow the drinking pleasure of the diet variety safe in the knowledge you haven’t added a single calorie to your meal.

It’s amazing. Apparently consumers are delighted with this? PepsiCo’s Director of Beverages has been quoted as saying: “Consumer feedback during the research and testing stage was overwhelmingly positive. One consumer said, “if it tastes great, with less sugar naturally – why wouldn’t you like it?’

Words fail me.

Why is it called Pepsi Next? Is this the next frontier not to be confused with the final frontier that we now know  we will never get to with soft drink because clearly ridiculous concepts like this one can still have soft drink walking off the shelves.

In the US Pepsi Next is sweetened with high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, sucrolose and acesulfame k. A cocktail, which if you are at all familiar with sugar and sweeteners, you would not be crazy for thinking  PepsiCo has hatched some diabolical plot to kill us all! Luckily, us Aussie’s escaped these sinister additives because our Pepsi Next is flavoured with sugar and Stevia (the naturally derived sweetener that everyone has gone nuts over).

Pepsi Next claims to reduce your sugar intake by 30% over full strength soft drinks. Wow that’s great! BUT now I am still consuming enough sugar to spike by insulin levels at the same time as consuming something with no nutritional value and now with the added bonus of a sweetener that there is still no conclusive studies deeming it safe? Geez what a great product let me go out and buy some!

Can you guess I am not happy with PepsiCo? Good guess. Shame on you, Pepsi. We really don’t need anymore sugar or artificial sweeteners. I get you are a business and you must make money and fair play but I won’t be buying into this mid-calorie façade or any of the other products you have. Thank you and Good morning.

diary of a.....spin class



Spin. RPM. Call it what you like but sitting on a stationary bike riding up imaginary hills and sprinting to the finish line in imaginary races isn’t has daft as it sounds.

It’s also not as easy as you think. Let me start off by saying that I have been to many spin classes so I’m not going to go writing this one as if I have never been but I had never been to this particular gym before so let me take you through it.

Arriving for the class I chose myself a steed (that’s a bike if you hadn’t picked up on it) and went about fixing the handlebars and seat to a height effective for me. You want to position the seat at a height that allows a slight bend in the knee when the peddle is at its lowest. You want the handlebars to be in line with your hips. If the bars are higher you will get less of a core workout and trust me, you want the core workout it gives.

Spin classes are brutal on your bottom and nether regions and most classes have some padding options but if you find that yours doesn’t invest in a seat cover with padding.

So ok depending on your trainer and your gym the terminology varies. Turn it up. Add a gear! Add it on and so on all refer to twisting the resistance knob higher and obviously, turn it down, take it down a gear and take it off refer to lowering your resistance. A good instructor will make contact with newbies and ensure you know what to expect and how to adjust your bike. You will ride to the beat of the music. If you have a good ear for music this won’t be a challenge if you don’t watch the trainer. Their speed will indicate what to do.

Spin will work your entire body, even your arms. To get the most out of your workout always engage your core. That means contracting the muscles so it feels as though you are pulling them in. The more you do this throughout the class (or any class for that matter) the more calories you will burn and the better you will look.

One of the really great things about spin is that it will make you physically fitter and you can grow with it because you simply add more resistance as you become better at it. Most classes are 45 min long and you will be told varying things about its calorie burning effectiveness. Apart from running, a Spin class is probably the most calorie effective exercise you can do so if weight-loss is your goal, try Spin.

can chia seeds bring world peace?



I’m going to go ahead and say no but I would forgive you for thinking Chia seeds had magical powers with the carry on about them in fitness and diet circles at the moment. So what’s all the fuss about? It’s hard to believe these tiny little things can pack such a nutritional punch but Chia seeds it seems are the champions everyone is claiming them to be. Rich in omega fats and anti-oxidants they are also a good source of fibre and the benefits don’t stop there. Chia is a complete protein meaning it has all the amino acids – rare for plant based proteins. Chia seeds are estrogen free but also rich in linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid the body cannot produce. All round stars really!

They come from the mint family and are native to Central and Southern Mexico and Guatemala but we do grow our own here in Oz. Aussie farmers can boast superior sanitation procedures making them the better choice than the native crops.

So what do you do with them? Well this is where they really do shine. They are endlessly versatile. Add them to smoothies, cereal, baking or salads. You are limited only by your imagination. Oh and there is no difference between the black and white ones!

who is this dude they call insulin?

Insulin is less of a guy and more of a hormone but because in my imagination he is like the foreman in a factory, sitting in a glass-panelled office doing paperwork until there is some action on the factory floor at which time he arrives in a little white hard hat to give directions let’s go with the 'guy' analogy.  Insulin is created in the pancreas and when you eat, or drink for that matter, insulin is released.

Insulin’s job is to regulate your blood sugar levels. He keeps a check of what is going on (from his little office). When the sugar levels in your blood get too high (so after you eat) insulin orders the sugar out of the blood and off to storage. And what does your body like to store stuff as? FAT! Now I don’t want to be all down on insulin because he is just doing his job but the fact is instead of thinking of a better idea when sugar levels get too high he just keeps ordering more storage. Unfortunately there isn’t much you can do about insulin so you would be wise to be mindful of consuming the stuff that sends your blood sugar levels through the roof (i.e. brings Mr Insulin out of his office). What spikes your blood sugar? SUGAR! Yes that’s right. It is important to note that insulin will come along and check on things no matter what you eat but the storage order is only being sent when blood sugar levels get too high. In short if you are eating slower release foods (e.g protein, fats and complex carbs) insulin doesn’t need to send stuff to storage prematurely.

Glucagon is another hormone and he gets called in when your blood sugar levels get low. He orders some energy out of storage. What’s in storage? FAT! Aha! But, you see,  Glucagon won’t get called in while insulin is on the job. Hands up if you want Glucagon managing the factory? I know I do. Now in all seriousness your body has this stuff sorted - it's systems are pretty good and it is keeping you alive and functioning after all. But once you know what it does and how it does it you can send it messages to burn fat by fuelling it differently. We need to keep insulin in the office pushing paperwork if we want to burn our fat stores and let's face it we all want to burn fat stores.  

diary of a......crossfit session

So you have heard of Crossfit right? Surely by now we have all met a Crossfitter (I didn’t just make that name up btw that is what they call themselves)? A Crossfitter is most often a person who used to have zero interest in physical activity that now regularly sports a t-shirt with the words, “Fitness is our sport” emblazoned across the chest and who enjoys recounting visits to the Box (a box is a Crossfit gym, yeah I know!) in tedious detail. If you are a Crossfitter do you mind if I ask why  politics, natural disasters or the dissolve of Rick and Shane’s friendship on The Walking Dead are subjects that pale in comparison to this morning’s WOD? BTW a WOD stands for Workout of the Day but we will get to that.

Like Zumba, Pilates and aerobics before it crossfit promises a new way of working out that will challenge you and give you the body you have always wanted. Fuelled by rumblings that this is how a host of celebrities stay in shape – Jason Stratham, Brad Pitt and Jessica Biel – and a Reebok sponsorship (remember Reeboks?) the Crossfit phenomenon doesn’t look to be losing any momentum. But what is it? Why is it different and why are all these seemingly normal people entranced by a few squats and climbing up a rope?

Founded by a guy named Greg Glassman, Crossfit is nothing really new. Explosive functional movements for high reps has been employed before (notably by athletes and the military) to improve fitness and reduce weight.

Crossfit isn’t for the faint-hearted, the Crossfitters turn up to hone their technique on various foundation exercises (squats, dead lifts, sit-ups, double-unders, box jumps to name a few) for around 30 minutes before completing the WOD of the day - a combination of exercises performed either for a time or set number of reps lasting anywhere from 10 – 30 minutes.

By the time I showed up to be put through my Crossfit paces I had heard an awful lot, not all of it good, about the sport. Circulating widely is the fact that Crossfit is more of a cult than a way to exercise and that inexperienced trainers take wannabe athletes through difficult exercises at high levels of fatigue potentially causing dangerous injuries? Sheesh! The only way to make up your mind about Crossfit is to go and that is exactly what I did.

If exercise intimidates you then having to attend what is referred to as, a technique session will have you way out of your comfort zone. On a lonely Thursday evening I was put through my paces while not one but two Crossfit trainers watched on. The measly $15 I gave them for their trouble hardly seemed enough but that is the thing about Crossfitters, they are a dedicated bunch. I divulged as little as possible about my background and then I rowed, squatted and burpeed my way through the session. I was told I moved well and so I could attend any sessions I liked from now on. Phew!

Session 1

Turning up to the class the close-knit group stared at me without a word.  I felt clueless, intimidated and more than a little amused by their seriousness. I wondered if this is how GI Jane (aka Demi Moore) had felt when she was accepted into the Navy Seals?  I really liked the fact I wasn’t surrounded by Lorna Jane-clad women whose idea of working out was 10 minutes on the treadmill next to a girlfriend gossiping about their mutual friend who hadn’t been able to make it that day. No, this was a very different environment indeed. Young fit-looking guys smashing out squats that had them doubling over, gasping for air and looking to the clock for relief. Around the room anguish touched the faces of the crossfitters and I wondered more than once if I my muscles were going to be able to hold on.  My modified WOD involved throwing a medicine ball at a wall from a deep squat (wall balls is the technical term) for 10 reps followed by 10 burpees as many times as I could in 10 minutes. I have no idea what the RX would have been - that is Crossfit speak for at non-modified WOD. Rx is a Latin term, used mostly in the medical industry. It is an abbreviation for ‘recipe’ and means as prescribed. If you Rx your WOD then you completed it without alteration. Understanding the lingo is apparently important.

On leaving the cube (sorry I mean the Box, bad joke), I felt good. The way you feel when you run 10km fast or the way you feel after a hard spin class or for those of you who are not much into exercise the kind of feeling you get when you have cleaned the whole house, folded the washing and put the kids to bed - accomplishment.

What was clear to me coming out of the Crossfit session was that it didn’t matter what gender, age or fitness level you were the point of being there was to be stronger, fitter and faster. It is a goal that is so often lacking in many other gyms and indeed workout routines. Pushing yourself is the only way to get fitter and it is the only way to build confidence. I saw elements of the Crossfit stereotype: the seemingly arrogant, competitive guy whose priority was to get the best time and the heaviest weight because his sense of self was tied up in how much better he did than the men beside him. The woman next to me with quadriceps more befitting a male weightlifter, biceps even Arnold Schwarzenegger would be impressed with and a steely expression that was more intimidating than her physique.

What I now know about Crossfit having attended in a few different locations is that people are people and communities differ wherever you go. Camaraderie hits you as you walk through the door at some boxes and arrogance is more prevalent at others.

I’m not sure if it’s a cult, I’m not convinced it is the best exercise routine going and my mind isn’t made up about how much I do and don’t like it but like other fads before it people have embraced Crossfit because on some level it works for them. Maybe it will work for you and if it does then become a passionate Crossfitter and don’t let anyone stand in your way. If you gain fitness, a better physique and are happier and healthier than it gets a big thumbs up from me. Just one question though…why is everyone wearing knee-high socks?

Is Stevia Safe?

What is stevia?

If you are a regular reader of health magazines, you know what is going on in the dieting world, or truth be told even if you have just visited a supermarket recently you have probably heard of Stevia. The latest (and greatest) no-cal sweetener to save us from fat while enjoying all that sweet has to offer. But in a zippy and unexpected twist the new sweetener has no cals and is (gasp!) all NATURAL. Unlike aspartame, matidol and others, the only choice we have had when it comes to no-calorie sweeteners, Stevia isn’t manufactured in a lab by some smart dude. Stevia is a plant!

But is it Safe?

The short answer is yes. Stevia is now available in most countries and recent research shows that Stevia is safe for consumption however it was a rocky road for our sweet little plant. In the 1980’s animal studies linked Stevia to the adverse effects on fertility and reproductive development and possible genetic mutations. (Wowsers!)  Hence the ban in the USA. But then in 2008 after new evidence was submitted to the Food and Drug Administration and the ban on Stevia was withdrawn. The interesting part is that the new evidence was submitted by Truvia and PureVia companies which were looking to commercialise Stevia. Further controversy was that normally the FDA would require to studies to be submitted to review evidence but on this occasion there was only one.

Hmmmm

Over in Japan Stevia has been used for centuries and was commercialised in 1971. To date there are no adverse side effects recorded.

There are preliminary human studies suggest stevia can help reduce hypertension, although another study has shown no effects whatsoever on hypertension.

Another study found Stevia to have a mutagen effect but there is a swarm of criticism of this experiment involving rats. With evidence suggesting that the conditions were poor and so the results couldn’t possibly be used to prove anything.

So….

What we can get excited about is that there is an alternative to the cocktail of artificial sweeteners which have long been the centre of controversy and worry. What is probably most important to note is that the effects of stevia in large amounts remains untested and like all good ideas in the food industry Stevia is in danger of being exploited. Recently PepsiCo released a soft drink sweetened with stevia and it is likely others will follow. The choice is yours and I can’t argue with the Japanese but just remember they are NOT spooning it on to their cornflakes every morning….

is sugar bad ass?

If you follow health trends you may have noticed that momentum is gaining on the argument that it is sugar, not fat, that makes us fat. Sugar has also found itself the villain in the story of inflammation. If you are not across current affairs, inflammation, is being attributed with everything from cardiovascular to auto-immune disease.

So is sugar really a diabolical, evil enemy or wrongly accused?

Certainly there is no council for the promotion of the inclusion of sugar, no organisation campaigning on its behalf (children under the age of 12 do not count). The Australian heart foundation and the Cancer council have both raised concerns over effects of high dosages of sugar in our diets and there is compelling evidence that sugar in all its forms has contributed to the high number of cases of Type 2 diabetes. It seems everyone agrees (again children excluded) that limiting sugar consumption is good for your health but does any of that make it supremely evil?

It is hard to believe that pretty cupcakes, whipped delights and confections are entirely responsible for us being fat, tired and diseased but just because it masquerades as something so sweet doesn't stop it from being everything but.

Just ask David Gillespie.

Gillespie an obese lawyer was sick of being obese, tired and missing out on life so he began to research and found sugar may be responsible.  His first book offering on the subject of sugar's evil properties was appropriately titled, "Sweet Poison." You can find out more here. He found that sugar was indeed the culprit and subsequently cut it from his diet with what seems like extraordinary results - dropping a whopping 40 kilos and never gaining it back.  His health improved and so too did his mood. Gillespie provides some pretty damning evidence against sugar in his books. He believes the answer is to cut sugar completely from our diets and he isn’t alone.

Sarah Wilson, former editor of cosmopolitan magazine is one such story. Wilson has the auto-immune disease, Hashimoto’s disease, and so she began to investigate her food choices. Wilson's experiences on how sugar has affected her body can be read on her blog here. Most recently she has penned an e-book - an 8 week program on how to quit the stuff.

Before there was Gillespie there was Aitkin’s and while he went one step further and suggested cutting other carbs too he believed strongly that sugar was bad, bad, bad. Dr Nicholas Perricone promotes a diet that will free you from inflammation but try finding sugar in any plan he suggests? You won’t.  There is the South Beach diet, Australia’s own Body Trim and these are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head…

It is hard for me to go past my own experience with sugar when deciding whether I think sugar should go directly to jail., not pass go and not collect $200. Sugar gives me headaches. A glass of juice will give me a headache within fifteen minutes. Lollies will do it under five. If I spend a few days eating foods that contain sugar I can end up with a serious headache for days. And yet I have no disease and do not suffer from any allergies or sensitivities that come under any official sounding name that tells me I am not alone. I just know because my body reacts and has done since was a child.

If I am superman then sugar is my kryptonite and it seems it is David Gillespie’s, Sarah Wilson’s and probably many followers who found success on Aitkin’s, Body Trim and South Beach. So even if we can’t try and convict sugar on the whole list of charges, make no mistake, for some of us sugar is guilty in the first degree.

If you do suffer from any health issues I strongly urge you to experiment with cutting sugar out to see if it has a positive effect on your body and I will say that having read the program by Sarah Wilson it is probably the simplest and easiest one to follow if you are interested.  

Diary of a Bikram Yoga class

photo courtesy of Bikram Yoga Brisbane

What is Bikram?A form of Hatha Yoga. Series of 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises practiced in a heated (40.6C ) with a humidity of around 40%. It is a 90 minute class

My first Birkram classI had heard about Bikram yoga from various people who reported various things about the classes: its too hot, the heat makes you want to throw up, don't drink water during the class, drink some water during the class, you will feel amazing, its expensive, its good but i couldn't really get into it. And so on and so forth.
Like many things you approach with preconceived ideas I was nervous about attending my first class. It sounded brutal and I will confess that I wasn't sure how I would go - what if I felt sick and couldn't handle it?
On arrival two things stood out to me: the overwhelming stench of bad body odour and the extreme heat. Fortunately I soon became accustomed to the bad BO and barely noticed it after 5 minutes. I will get to the heat in a minute.
For 20 bucks I could attend as many times as I wanted for 10 days. Most Bikram (and indeed most yoga) places offer some kind of cheap introductory pass. Which is great because after that regular involvement will cost you.
Bikram is Hatha yoga and in layman's terms this is the one that is a series of poses rather than fluid movements where you progress from one pose to another. In Hatha Yoga you hold poses. The heat is intense. You know how it feels when you are close to a fire? Skin feeling like it is almost touching the flames, breathing in you can feel the heat at the back of your throat.
It isn't comfortable. A friendly Bikram goer told me earnestly, "don't worry you get used to the heat." I thought to myself, I hope so because this thing is 90 minutes long.
Going through the poses requires absolute focus. You can't slack off, you can't mentally plan the grocery shopping. Many times I imagined myself leaving. Many times I wondered, how long to go?
The poses themselves are not overly difficult but you are at war with your mind. It is not dissimilar to running when you're not fit except that it is much more difficult to let your mind wander. There is lots of instruction in Bikram which does lack at other Yoga places I have attended. There is an expectation that you attempt to do the pose properly and you will be given guidance if you don't or can't. This probably explains the mirrors. Oh yes you get to watch yourself while you workout which at first I hated but after the first few poses I realised is essential. The mirrors allow you to correct poses: you know how it feels when it looks right. At the end you do some weird-ass breathing exercises and I say weird-ass because seriously you feel like a bit silly.
And then there is the end. You know it is so when the teacher brings their hands together in prayer pose and says, "Namastase." This means, I bow to you. The lights go out and the class is over and as you pick your sweaty (oh yes you do sweat a bucket load) self off the floor and emerge into the world you suddenly feel pretty good. Light, free, happy even.
Make no mistake Bikram yoga is a commitment. Not just because it is 90 minutes long but because you can't be lazy, you can't go through the motions. If that is what you want from your exercise then try Bikram.

A few tips:
Try to be very open-minded
Nobody is watching you - trust me the concentration required means nobody has a chance to be bothered with what you are doing
Follow the instructions - you will be told when to drink, what to think about how to improve.
Drink lots of water before.
Don't even attempt Bikram if you are hungover