01 January 2014: The Blog is Back!

Like many of the goals I set for myself the 2013 plan to become a daily blogger was overly ambitious and unrealistic. And so I failed. This year I intend to take a more realistic approach - to both blogging and life - and as such I will post on this blog whenever the mood strikes or I have something interesting to write about.

When it comes to my other goals for 2014 I really liked the goals I heard a caller on Triple J explain they set for themselves each year and that was to: 

Try something new

Go somewhere new

Learn something new

I can't help the drive to be overly ambitious though; and think I can achieve these three goals 12 times over in 2014. I'm claiming this year as a year of new experiences, and I can't wait to see where it takes me.

2 July 2013 - Invisible Wholegrains?!

I was in the supermarket yesterday when I heard an advertisement for Maggi's new Invisible Wholegrain 2 minute noodles over the supermarkets loudspeaker. I couldn't believe it when I heard the tagline selected for this new product. In regard to the inclusion of  the healthy wholegrains in the product they had this to say -

"You'll know it's there, but your kids won't!"

This line was spoken cheerfully in the voice of whom we are made to assume is a Mother proud of the  accomplishment of sneaking something healthier into her child's diet and getting away with it by disguising it as the crap that is regular 2 minute noodles.

Needless to say I stopped still for a minute in the supermarket at this and had to restrain myself from pulling all of Maggi's noodle products off the shelf and stamping on them in a rage.

What Maggi has so tactfully implied is that healthier foods must be incorporated into a children's diet in secret; for the truth carries the risk that the child will declare the food as yucky, refuse to eat it and throw it in their parents face.

Why Maggi? Why would we encourage the need to hide the wholegrains from our children?

What kind of a health ignorant generation are you suggesting we raise Maggi?!

I think that children should be taught about and learn to celebrate healthy, natural and unprocessed foods. When I worked in childcare I kept an audience of up to 24 pre-schoolers captivated by the simple process of preparing some fresh pineapple. Children whose Mothers had assured me they hated all fruit were in awe of the textures, smell and taste of the pineapple. "I love pineapple" some cheerfully declared. I asked them to share this new-found love with their sceptical families.

When we show enthusiasm and excitement over something in front of our children, they tend to share in that attitude too. We should consider it a duty to guide our children towards excitement and enthusiasm about healthy eating. The goal should be for our children to demand the presence of wholegrains in their noodles, not to successfully sneak them past them.

I'm sick of fruit being disguised as lollies, of water being flavoured with cordial, of vegetables being hidden in a pasta sauce.And then we question how 1 in every 4 Australians have ended up obese. How the number one risk factor in this country contributing towards the burden of disease is poor nutrition.

I think it's easy to see how when a company like Maggi believes that children despising any food associated with being healthy is a fact common enough for them to advertise based on their ability to disguise it?

"With healthy whole grains that you'll know are there, but your kids won't!"

How are they going to know what to eat for their health when they're adults!? I don't think Maggi thought this one through very well and I do intend to be a pain and write to them about it.

Maybe being on holidays from uni has given me too much spare time on my hands.

1 July 2013 - Airbrushing

I'm ashamed to admit that there are times I have looked in the mirror and cried in frustration at the shape of my stomach. I don't even remember at what age I determined that the look of any bumpy parts on my tummy was so unsightly but what I do remember strongly is the eagerness with which my young eyes would scan the photographs of women in magazines and feel in awe of their smoothly lined figures. 

I'm ashamed to admit that my stomach wasn't the only target of this kind of negative appraisal and that I've allowed similarly degrading thoughts to take place when I've looked in the mirror  regarding my skin tone, hair, thighs, breasts, chin and even the crease formed by my armpit when I stand with my arm by my sides. I'm ashamed to confess that I have actually chosen not to wear a singlet in the heat of summer I've been so upset by the sight of that perfectly natural crease. 

Why? Why would elements of my body that are so perfectly natural cause me such frustration and pain? 

I'm ashamed to admit that I bought into the lies that we are fed through photographs. So here's the truth as I see it.... 

Stomachs are not usually flat or smooth. Women naturally carry extra fatty tissue in this area to protect our uterus's. Breasts are subject to the laws of gravity and are generally quite asymmetrical. Skin is usually not smooth and evenly toned. It displays our scars with their stories, freckles, birthmarks, fine lines, variations in pigmentation, cellulite, acne and wrinkles. Body's jiggle, especially thighs. Jiggling is normal. Hair often takes on a life of it's own, especially in rain and/or humidity. Creases form between limbs on our bodies. Because that's the way bodies are made. The mobility of our limbs would be compromised if they somehow seamlessly connected to the trunk of our body. 

I know I'm ashamed to have bought into the lies but can somebody please explain to me why we're so ashamed of this truth? Why we continue to take images of such perfectly normal, natural and beautiful women and distort them into something something unattainable and label it as ideal? Why there are so many women starving, over-exercising, dieting, crying, self-loathing, pill popping, injecting, and even subjecting their bodies to surgery because of the impression left on them by these photographs? 

I would love to see, in my lifetime, the advertising industry standards enforce a ban on using images of women that have been airbrushed, or touched up. Too much to hope for? 

How good does this look? Sunday 9 June 2013

I remember this ad being on TV when I was younger and loving it. If you've ever lived away from your home country and felt homesick you'll understand....how good does this look?

 

Thought for Thursday 6 June 2013 - You can't eat money

Change on Tuesday 4 June 2013: Blue Gold

I have a confession to make.... I waste a lot of water.

When I wash the dishes I fill the sink but then run the tap continually to rinse the suds from each scrubbed dish before I place it on the drying rack.

I leave the tap running while I brush my teeth.

I take long showers in the winter.

I don't use my washing machine on the water saving cycle because I don't want to have to wait the extra hour before I can hang it out.

These are habits which show that I haven't yet truly grasped the value of water. And since it's been weighing on my mind a lot lately I'm vowing to change them.

Why do we need to save water? savewater.com.au answers the question perfectly:

Fresh water is essential to our existence - it allows us to produce food, manufacture goods and sustain our health. It is also an essential part of the natural environment which supports all human, plant and animal life.

Global water consumption has risen almost tenfold since 1900, and many parts of the world, including many parts of Australia, are now reaching the limits of their supply. World population is expected to increase by 45% in the next thirty years, whilst freshwater runoff is expected to increase by 10%. UNESCO has predicted that by 2020 water shortage will be a serious worldwide problem.

One third of the world's population is already facing problems due to both water shortage and poor drinking water quality. Effects include massive outbreaks of disease, malnourishment and crop failure. In addition, excessive use of water has seen the degradation of the environment costing the world billions of dollars. 

I think the problem with water waste is the same as with many of the choices we make that aren't sustainable for the planet. We won't know what we've got til it's gone.

Now, when my OCD nature kicks in and I'm convinced the dishes aren't really clean unless fresh tap water has rinsed every last sud from them I think about the fact if we all continue using water at the rate we do we will run out. I think of the value of the "Blue Gold" that my kitchen sink's tap produces and I decide to conserve it.

I'm making a start with turning the tap off when I do dishes and brush my teeth, shortening my showers, and hitting that water saving button on the washing machine.

What changes can you make to save water? What can you visualize that helps you to understand it's value?

Lets not leave it too late.....

Fitness on Friday 31 May 2013 - Born To Run

Since my half marathon attempt earlier in the year my time spent running had been reduced to twice a week at most. I've always found that without the purpose of a race to train it's hard to muster up the motivation. That was until I started reading this book..... "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall. I will post a full review of the book soon but for now wanted to share this fantastic segment which details competitive ultra marathon runner Ann Transon's explanation of her love affair with the sport to her friends.

"But yeah, Ann insisted, running was romantic; and no, of course her friends didn't get it because they'd never broken through. For them, running was a miserable two miles motivated solely by the size 6 jeans: get on the scale, get depressed, get your headphones on, and get it over with. But you can't muscle through a five-hour run that way; you have to relax into it, like easing your body into a hot bath, until it no longer resists the shock and begins to enjoy it. Relax enough, and your body becomes so familiar with the cradle-rocking rhythm that you almost forget you're moving. And once you break through to that soft, half-levitating flow, that's when the moonlight and champagne show up."

After reading about Ann Transon I ran 10km for the first time in weeks. And it didn't feel like an effort. It felt romantic. New running goal: Compete in an Ultra Trail run in the next two years.

Whatever Wednesday 30 May 2013: Favourite Song

This is my favourite song....

It's not really deep and meaningful. In fact it's quite the opposite. It's a song that's fun and carefree and silly and that reminds me not to take life, or myself, too seriously. The video clip fits it perfectly.

Monday 27 May 2013 - A healthy version of: A burger with fries

Made this for dinner the other night and it was fantastic! 

Everybody loves a classic burger and fries...these are some ideas for ways to make it healthier:

1. The Patty: I used a kangaroo mince patty. Kangaroo is a meat known for it's healthiness due to how low in fat it is. If you're not keen for kangaroo than turkey mince, home-made vege patties or even lean mince beef would do to the trick. 

2. The Fillings: Bulk up on fresh salad greens, sliced tomato and onion here. Basically - the more vegetables the better!. If you can live without it - skip the cheese. If you can't live it try a sprinkle of fetta. 

3. The Bun: I chose to go without a bun but if you're choosing a bread enclosure choose wholegrain. 

4. The Fries: I used purple sweet potato (or as us New Zealanders know it - Kumara!) to make my oven baked fries and just a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to bake them. 

5. Condiments: I used an organic free range egg aoili - maybe not the healthiest choice but incredibly yummy. A homemade salsa is a great option to substitute for processed sauces as well. 

Frequency of Posts

Due to a busy schedule I am reducing the frequency of my posts to roughly the following

Week 1
Monday
Wednesday
Friday

Week 2
Tuesday
Thursday
Saturday

Hopefully I can maintain this for the rest of the year....