Sugar: Is It Really The Enemy?

In a word, YES. Sugar is the enemy. Sugar is the enemy to my health and also to yours!

The reason for this? Sugar increases our blood sugar levels rapidly. This causes the hormone Insulin to be released which then lowers the blood sugar again. The rise and fall of our blood sugar levels cause us to experience mood swings, cravings and is also responsible for our energy levels.

Excessive sugar can ruin your health in a number of ways:

Sugar suppresses your immune system, it contributes to obesity, it can cause headaches and migraines, it can also cause high blood pressure in obese people, and the list goes on!

To make things even more complicated, sugar is not always listed as "Sugar" on food labels. It seems that people these days require a Chemistry Degree to decipher the wording on food labels. Sugar can be listed as any of the following:

Sucrose, Glucose, Fructose, Dextrose, Mannitol, Xylitol, Corn Sweeteners, Corn Syrup, Cane Sugar, Beet Sugar, Fruit Juice Concentrate, Rice Syrup, Molasses, Date Sugar, HFCS, Malt, Maple Syrup and more........


I have learnt that is any of these are listed in the first 3 ingredients of a product, that I should avoid it!

Sugar is a Carbohydrate and carbohydrates are necessary for our bodies to function. But there are better choices of carbohydrates out there. For example, choose complex carbs such as Oats, Sweet Potato, Brown Rice rather than simple carbs like Honey, Sugar and Dried Fruit.

Some carbohydrates raise our blood sugar faster (high Glycemic Index, also known as GI) than others (low Glycemic Index), so choose low GI (ie sweet potato) over high GI carbohydrates (white potato) where possible.

I can understand why society these days is plagued with obesity problems. There are so many fast food options out there. Plus, many of these fast food places claim to have "healthier options". This I don't believe, most of these so called healthier options may have taken out the excess fat but have replaced this with loads of added sugar, whether it be in the dressings or the processed meat!

Sugar is like a drug, people can't say no. When they do try to wean themselves off the sugar they suffer withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, moodiness and irritability. So, of course what is the first thing they do? They reach for a can of Coke or bar of Chocolate!


Trust me, I've been there. I am still there. But I am trying to cut down on my sugar intake. I don't drink soft drinks/sodas (unless it's a mixer with alcohol, another thing I am trying to cut down on) I love chocolate but try to keep it to a minimum. So it's a daily struggle for me too!

How Do You Help Someone who Doesn't Want To Be Helped?

I have a wonderful girlfirend who I love to bits. Sadly, I rarely see her these days as she lives in my home town and I now live in the city.

She has been a very, very close friend for many years, since High School. (that's about 27 years!)

She is someone I love and respect, but she is not the same person I was drawn to as the new kid in school. I'll call her "Smiley". Smiley was the girl everyone loved. She was the person that you couldn't help but to be drawn to, like a moth to the flame! She ALWAYS had a smile on her face, she knew EVERYONE! And everyone loved her! And I'm sure they still do, I know I do. But sadly she isn't the same person.

I only see Smiley a couple of times a year. She is so busy with her business, 3 kids, her marriage, and, sadly her personal issues...... Smiley needs my help and I simply am not able to help her! Damn though, I have tried.

Smiley has been suffering for many years from weight gain, depression and illness. She works too hard, looks after a large family and, I'm sure she feels like she gets no thanks from her family...... she totally deserves a lot of hugs and thanks for her hard work.

Sadly though, Smiley has no time to herself. She is often depressed and unable to drag herself out of the huge hole she has dug for herself by being so accessable to everyone and not looking out for number one!

I have tried to help, I've even tried the "tough love" scenario. She hasn't returned my last email, so clearly that didn't work the way I wanted.

We both have a mutual friend who is very successful in the Health and Fitness Industry. Our friend has offered to help her out but sadly, Smiley isn't interested. She claims she has "no time" etc.

I don't believe that there can be "no time" to take care of number one. You only have one body and one life. Treat it as such!

To add to this, Smiley has been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. Surely that would be enough to make the necessary changes to your diet and lifestyle? My brother was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and since I was made aware I have been a lot more conscious of my health.

I've recently had my Blood Sugar checked (it was borderline, even though I had been very careful for many weeks before the test) My colesterol was not considered worth testing as the last test was excellent!

Being accountable for our own health is entirely up to yourself, NOT someone else. No one can fix your health issues if you're not committed to helping yourself!

Being Accountable For Your Own Health

It would be so easy to blame someone else for all the chocolate and booze I've consumed recently (yes, Sparkles, I blame you!) But ultimately I have no one but myself to blame!

I am struggling with a lack of self control. If I lived alone, I would probably be more accountable, I would have no one to blame. But I now live with my fella, and I find myself in a predicament. I love chocolate, Sparkles loves chocolate, I love to have a drink, as does Sparkles.

I know that eating too much junk, drinking too much and not excercising enough is always going to be my downfall. I am the sort of person that can go days without any exercise but suddenly, I will lose it and get the grumps. And I know I need to go for a run or punch something really hard! Why can't I get into the exercise habit? It will be so much harder now that Winter is nipping at my heels, I HATE the cold and would rather rug up in front of the computer or TV with a Chicken Pie followed by Scones with Jam and Cream for Dessert. Accompanied of course by a Hot Chocolate with Whipped Cream (and perhaps a bit of a Frangelico hot tottie! It is Winter you know, need to keep the bugs at bay :))


Woops, I seem to have lost my train of thought!

Oh yeah, I am well aware that when I have too much "bad" stuff (sugar, fat, takeout, alcohol) I feel like crap. I am less inclined to workout and will start eating crap at work. When I sit for 12 hours on my arse, that is something I cannot afford to do! Arse expansion is not on my list of to do's this year!

Today was exceptionally bad. Cold, rainy. I had to go out in thongs! (Still recovering from blisters) My toes froze! So of course, upon our return from Costco we had Ravioli Carbonara (two serves I might add) followed by too much chocolate. This, of course was washed down with some vodka! Sparkles was in bed by 7pm (To his defence, he does need to be up for work at 5am ish) Me? I am still swigging on my Mojito as I write this. I need to finish my supply of booze so I can start with a clean slate!!!

So, the first of the month is my start date. I WILL GET FIT AND HEALTHY..... besides, I will have no more excuses by then. My blisters should have well and truly healed. I should be able to put on those trainers and go for a run without drawing blood!

Sparkles? Can I depend on you for some support? Do you need to buy that filing cabinet to hide the junk food from me? Just be sure to place a strong padlock on it!

Oxfam Trailwalker

So I finally took part in the Oxfam Trailwalker 100km. Sadly, I failed to complete it!

I started out great, full of confidence, felt fit and well. My "Team" leader seemed to just want to go super fast, and I had no trouble keeping up initially. Until 12.5km in. Then the fatigue set in. Honestly, I think if we hadn't started out so fast, I might have had more success.

Our first checkpoint was at Churchill National Park. As we were approaching, all I could think of was a coffee, a stretch, putting on some sunscreen then moving on. I was not expecting to be met at the gate by our "Team" leader ushering us through the checkpoint and insisting on continuing without a break. NOT HAPPY!

So we continued onto the next checkpoint, Lysterfield Lake, where I knew we would have to stop for lunch. Yes, I was a bit slower but still felt I made it in a comfortable time. In fact we had done each leg in a faster time than we had estimated. I should have had a massage at Lysterfield Lake, I was starting to seize up a little, and I'm sure it was from the super fast start! Plus, as I hadn't taped my feet, I had the beginnings of a blister. So I took care of that, had lunch and a stretch and was raring to go!

As we left the checkpoint (21.5km down) I felt that the blister was rubbing something terrible. I had to slow down. Sadly the rest of my "Team" took off and left me, without even a glance back to see what was wrong. I was left walking the next leg (13.3km) completely alone. This is where I realised how important TEAM WORK is! A little support, some encouragement, all of that should be contributed by your "Team".

Numerous other teams passed me, all walking together as a "Team", even if they had injuries or illness. These teams stayed with their slowest walker, didn't desert them at their time of need!

Thankfully one group stopped to help me out and patch me up. Thank you so much Team 34, you are legends! Without your help I would have bailed in the middle of that leg.

I finally shuffled into our next checkpoint, Grants Picnic Ground, in absolute agony! I was more pissed off for being deserted. Yes, I was in pain but I was ready with a tirade of abuse which I kept to myself. I made that next checkpoint within our estimated time though. The rest of my "Team" had been there for more than an hour. I tried calling them, texting them and received no reply. So lack of communication was another thing that my "Team" failed in!

Needless to say, due to the pain, the lack of encouragement and lack of support, I retired after 35km. I am bitterly disappointed that I couldn't continue. I am even more disappointed with the efforts of my "Team" to work together as one!

I would like to attempt the Trailwalk again next year, but I will be better prepared and have a team that consists of people all looking for the same end result! People who are happy to walk together and help each other out! Not people who are taking part for their own selfish reasons!

Kettlebell Training

Allow me to introduce......... BRUTUS!

BRUTUS is my new kettlebell. And I've called him BRUTUS because he can be totally BRUTAL to work with!

As much as I love the Body Weight workouts I've been doing (and the results I've been seeing) I've always wanted to try kettlebells. In fact I discovered kettlebells years ago, before they became the trend. But, of course they were hard to buy so I never managed to get hold of one.

BRUTUS is hard work, but FUN! Moves include Double Handed Swings, Single Handed Swings, Alternating Single Hand Swings, Windmills, Turkish Get Ups, Squats, Clean and Snatch, the list goes on.......

Plus I can utilise BRUTUS in a Tabata Style workout which I really like the idea of. I tried this today and am sweating my arse off!

I've never been one to go to the gym. Just the thought of all those sweaty guys checking themselves out in the mirror..... turns my stomach. I like to get in and get out. With "Brutus" I can at least perform my workouts in the comfort of my own lounge room. There's no chance for me to change my mind, I don't need to travel to get to a gym, and I have privacy!

Skipping

I have recently discovered (or I should say re-discovered) skipping. I loved to skip when I was a kid, it was so much fun!

There really is an art to skipping and I have been practising my little heart out! Initially I couldn't skip any more than 5 reps without tripping over my rope or the rope getting tangled, or even simply running out of breath!

Skipping is a great fitness alternative. It's an awesome cardio activity, it can be done anywhere (a skipping rope is the easiest thing to carry around with you, in your handbag, your luggage etc) And it's also cheap!

Plus being able to do many variations of the skip: double skips, jog on the spot, jumping jacks keeps it from getting boring and mundane.

I've incorporated skipping as a Tabata workout. 20 seconds of skipping, 10 seconds rest, 8 rounds which is a total of 4 minutes. I've also been keeping track of how many skips I do each round and try to improve each session.

In fact I enjoy it so much I've all but given up jogging. Skipping takes far less time and you get the benefits in a shorter period than you would with jogging! Plus you don't have to leave the house. Just be sure to skip on a flat surface, floor boards or concrete are great (be careful of your knees though) Carpet is useless!

One thing you must have though is a reliable skipping rope. One that can be adjusted, one that won't tangle, preferably a ROPE rope like we had as kids (I am yet to find one). If anyone knows where I can purchase an actual ROPE, let me know!

Yummy Recipe, Vegetable Frittata

I've been doing a bit more cooking of late. Mainly because I am very lazy and will basically eat anything that's available when I'm hungry, regardless of whether it's healthy or not. So, I've realised that if I want to continue being healthy, I need to spend a bit of time preparing meals in advance.

I am a shift worker and the temptation to eat chips, lollies and chocolate is an ongoing drama. All of my workmates bring junk food into work. It is so hard to say "NO", but I have to keep thinking that I don't want my arse to expand and take up what's left of my seat!

And I have to say that bringing my own healthy snacks to work has made a huge difference. The days that I have succumbed to my own cravings and eaten junk, I found myself feeling like crap and struggling to get through my 12 hour shift! So I've gotten into the habit of bringing snacks such as:

Almonds mixed with some Dried Cranberries
Apples
Cottage Cheese with Rice Cakes
Protein Bar (I have even found a recipe for home-made Protein Bars)

Of course I will have more substantial meals as well. An example is this yummy Vegetable Frittata. It's ao easy to make and reasonably healthy, I think (certainly better than Chips, Burgers, McDonalds etc)

VEGETABLE FRITTATA

Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 5 minutes, plus 10 minutes cooling time
Cooking: 30 minutes

Olive Oil Spray
500g Frozen or Fresh Stir Fry Vegetables
(I've used a combination of Broccoli, Mushrooms, Carrots, Tomato's, Red Capsicum and more)
6 Eggs (Or a combination of Eggs and Egg Whites)
1/2 Cup of Milk
Salt & Pepper

Preheat Oven to 180C
Spray a 20cm (Base Measurement) Cake Pan with Oil
Line Base and sides with Baking Paper

Heat a little Olive Oil Spray in a Frying Pan and stir fry vegetables until they are soft. Transfer to the Cake Pan.
Whisk eggs and milk in a bowl until combined. Season with Salt and Pepper if desired. Pour over the vegetables. Bake for 25 -30 minutes until set or a light golden colour. Set aside for 10 minutes to coll slightly.

This is lovely served with some salad greens.

This is one of the easiest things to make and very yummy. You can change it up by varying your vegetables.