Woo-hoo! I'm half way there... (livin' on a prayer)...

22.2km down, baby... Feeling like I could do a little Bon Jovi dance, if I wasn't so sweaty already from my 6km walk...

Today is a delightfully rainy day in Hobart. I say "delightfully" because it's the first proper rain we've seen in about 6 months. Hopefully the harbinger of a reasonably wet winter, as the gardens, farmers and reservoirs need it desperately.

Lake Gordon, currently a long way from its picturesque best... (image from The Mercury)

Anyway, the upshot of that was that, rather than plonk in front of the TV and watch "And Then There Were None", which I taped last weekend, I decided to go back to the gym to do my walk. As a sign of just how long it has been, the whole reception area has disappeared behind mdf sheeting (they're doing a big renovation) and the entire cardio section of the gym has changed orientation. They've also installed personal screens on all the treadmills, so it's a bit like being on a long-haul flight, only slightly better air quality. The new view is over the swimming pool downstairs, which was actually quite nice, as I forgot to bring my ipod and headphones, so watching the passing parade doing their laps was quite mesmeric...

Something like this... obviously, I wouldn't take photos inside the gym.

Machine said my 6.0km burned about 400 calories, which is nice. While I prefer to be walking out in the fresh air, it's quite good to get the quantitative report occasionally.

Marathon - Challenge accepted!

Don't panic - not all in one hit! I think if I ran (or walked) 42.2km in one go, I would probably emulate Pheidippides' effort and fall down dead at the finish line! (Mind you, he apparently actually ran a total of 280km over two days, in comparison to which the modern marathon sort of pales into insignificance.)

My plan is easier still, as I'm aiming to reach the total distance (42.195km) in increments over approximately 3 weeks. Thanks to Lesley of Live to Slim, who inspired me to try this, in her blog post "A Noble Sacrifice" earlier in the month. I thought it sounded like a great and achievable goal, so I'm in!
Did you know that the standardised distance of the modern marathon was only set in 1921, based upon the length of the race at the 1908 London Olympics. This distance was determined primarily to enable the royal family to watch the start and finish of the race, which started outside Windsor Castle and finished below the Royal Box at the White City Stadium! There you go...

Cheerful looking lot, aren't they?

A little more history, something that I found quite surprising - the women's marathon has only been an Olympic event since the 1984 Los Angeles games! Particularly relevant since today (19th April) is the 50th Anniversary of Roberta "Bobbi" Gibb's completion (albeit unofficial) of the Boston Marathon, becoming the first woman to do so. It was the following year that Kathrine Switzer was virtually gang-tackled by race organisers for daring to run wearing an official race number.

Hard to believe that all of this happened well within living memory, isn't it?
Anyway, my progress so far is a walk early this morning, a beautiful clear Autumn day, accompanied by my new "Energise!" playlist on the ipod, around suburban New Town. 3.3 kilometres down, 38.895 to go...

You'll notice my new ticker on the right sidebar - follow my progress!

A fortnight out of the public eye...

Well, life has been quiet for the Duchess since my last post, and not by my own choice...

Autumn's a beautiful time in Hobart. The days are still warm, while the evenings are chilly. Nothing like snuggling into bed with a hottie (water bottle, that is!). While the forestry burn-off season has made us all a bit sniffly, the effect on the sunsets is nothing short of spectacular...

A friend shared this image last week on Facebook.

Unfortunately, I've barely been able to leave the house to enjoy it. Firstly, my daughter went down with a fever during the last week of term, so I needed to take time off work to keep her home. Then, predictably enough, I succumbed as well, and not being six and fabulous, haven't really bounced back with the finesse that she did. Now the BBQ King's also sick, which is sad, because he's just gone on two week's leave from work to coincide with the school holidays and his birthday next Monday.

Unsurprisingly, my nutrition has suffered, although I'm happy to say that this has been more a case of weird mealtimes and a drop-off in my newly-established water regimen, rather than a return to over-eating and relying on takeaways (although we did resort to pizza one night last week). I've basically been in bed 18 hours a day all of the last week, so predictably my weight loss has plateaued, but hey, that's better than a gain, isn't it?

My plans to join fellow blogger Live to Slim in completing a marathon in installments (in my case over 3 weeks) have also had to go on hold for the moment, but I have every intention of achieving this when I'm back on deck - perhaps starting next week. The great news is that, in the course of my "Say it out loud" pre-season challenge from 12WBT, my friend (the one whose success initially inspired me to have another shot at it) now wants to join back in with me! She only lives around the corner and I see her most days, so that will be a real bonus - I've never had a fitness buddy before! She has a completely different set of challenges to me, but that's fine, we'll give each other perspective!

Watch this space for a progress report on the marathon...

Water, water everywhere, and ev'ry drop to drink...

(apologies to S.T. Coleridge)
Welcome to 12WBT water challenge week! It's fairly self-explanatory, our aim for the week is to drink only water (including its variants) as a beverage. No soft drinks (obviously!), juices, milk, alcoholic beverages, tea or coffee (green tea and herbal teas are acceptable).
Quite honestly, it couldn't have come at a better time for the Duchess...

The glassware is my touch of irony for the day...

I feel like I've already achieved really well on cutting out soft drinks. Since this round of 12WBT started on 14th March, the only soft drink I've had was a lemon, lime and bitters when we went out for a meal last week. No coke, flavoured mineral waters or takeaway post-mix, which previously had featured a little too prominently in my nutritional intake. I'm not much of a drinker at the best of times, so the alcohol isn't a big deal for me, as it is for some others.
My big challenge is my one coffee a day, first thing in the morning. I've decided that I'm going to keep it, and compensate with extra water over the course of the day. The problem is that, on days I don't have my coffee for whatever reason, my mood always seems lower and this inevitably leads to a loss of discipline when it comes to treat foods.
How much water we should actually all be drinking is up for discussion. 12WBT says 2 litres each day, not including the water you're consuming while you're exercising. This table from Pinterest says that, for my weight, I should be consuming 3.4 litres a day! (Apologies for the imperial units)

However, I've done some research on Australian websites (some even actual medical ones!), and the consensus seems to be that we should all be drinking between 2 and 3 litres a day, but that there is so much variation due to individual factors that body weight alone can't be used to determine optimum water intake. Our food generally accounts for about 20% of fluid intake, so that also needs to be taken account of. And the good news (for me) is that the research now shows that caffeinated drinks are not nearly as dehydrating as previously thought, so I won't need to feel too bad about keeping up my one coffee a day.
My top ten reasons for drinking plenty of water:

1. (as Michelle Bridges says in her challenge video) After breast milk, its the only fluid humans are actually evolved to consume. 
2. Unlike virtually all the alternatives, it's sugar, calorie, carb and fat-free. Your body actually burns about 100 calories of energy for each 2 litres of water you drink - the colder the better.
3. It's great for your skin! I can feel the difference in terms of smoothness and clarity within days of upping my water consumption.
4. Having plenty of water available to your system allows effective removal of toxins and waste, which can otherwise accumulate in your body and leave you feeling blerghhh (that's a technical term!). This quality, together with the necessity of water for proper metabolic processes, is why water consumption is so important to effective weight loss.
5. Water aids effective digestion. Most obviously, life feels better when your bowel is working at it's best. But water is also important to the upper GE tract - as a periodic sufferer of reflux, I can attest to this!
6. Being properly hydrated enhances the benefits of exercise. Oxygen and nutrients are delivered to cells more effectively, aiding metabolism, meaning you feel more energetic and your muscles can work and repair at their full potential.
7. Drinking plenty of water is a headache cure, in that many headaches are the result of dehydration.
8. It's proven to reduce the risk of many cancers. Not sure whether this is due to additional water for healthy cell-reproduction, or whether it's because you're not polluting your body with the alternatives... probably both!
9. Apparently drinking plenty of water lowers your risk of heart attack considerably. The figure quoted in an article I read was 41%, but this obviously relates to a particular set of parameters around existing risk factors, amount consumed etc.
10. Your kidneys function far more happily if you drink plenty of water. The higher your blood glucose, the more water you need to drink for your kidneys to process it. Water consumption is thus critically important in managing diabetes or pre-diabetes symptoms.

So, the writing's very much on the wall - to feel your best, you need to drink between 2 and 3 litres of water a day. Lets do this!!!

Disappointed with myself ... time to set a new mini-goal!

So, as predicted, I did register a small gain at this morning's weigh-in. Only 800g, which is not too dire, considering the amount of chocolate and "treat meals" I've indulged in over Easter...
That said, I could kick myself, because if I'd kept my eye on the longer term project, I might have lost again, or at worse maintained, this week. Now there's almost a kilogram that I've got to lose again, for the second time in a month! I'm looking at the tubs of margarine in the fridge (the BBQ King's, not mine!) and thinking that 800g is actually quite a lot.

The one on the left is full, obviously.

So, time to refocus, and set a new mini-goal (12 weeks can seem a long time away!)...
My interim goal is to go sub-100kg by my birthday on 3 May, which is just under 5 weeks away. I think it's achievable, provided I:

• stick to my 1200 calorie nutrition plan;
• drink between 2 and 3 litres of water each day; and
• keep all chocolate and other temptations out of the house!

I'm committed to achieving this - wish me luck!

10 Easy Ways to Clean Up your Diet in 2016

I came across this great article on the 12WBT blog, which sets out some simple steps we can all take to improve our diet, whether we're signed up to 12WBT or not, trying to lose weight or not. Of course, I'm making mental notes of whether and how well I'm achieving each after only just over 2 weeks back on the 12WBT program.

1. Start with the kitchen: clearing all the junk and temptations out of the kitchen is always one of the pre-season tasks for any round of 12WBT, with good reason. And what better excuse to get rid of all the expired cans, packets etc. we all inevitably accumulate over time? My prime candidates are cans of things like chick peas, which I always think I will use to make my own delicious and tasty hummus, but somehow never do. Also bottles of dodgy flavoured mustards and dessert sauces which we receive as part of Christmas hampers etc., but end up living in the dark back corners of the pantry. There's also nothing quite like the feeling of satisfaction looking at the fridge freshly stocked with all manner of colourful vegies and healthy lunch-makings etc. I use the Tupperware "fridge mates" for vegies (I think we've got three different sets to cover all the size combinations), and they really do a great job of keeping vegies both visible and fresher for longer. (This is not actually my fridge, by the way, it's an image from one of my Pinterest boards - who on earth keeps cupcakes in the fridge???)
   
2. Plan Ahead - this one's about sitting down and working out your menu in advance for the week, doing a single shop (ideally) and not falling into the trap of collapsing in a heap at the end of a tiring day and not feeling up to cooking a healthy meal. I tend to customise my 12WBT weekly nutrition plan (menu), as I'm a bit fussy about breakfasts and don't like certain foods. I know Mish would say "suck it up, sunshine", but quite honestly I'm more likely to stick to the program if it consists of foods I would choose to eat. I also try to cook for both my husband and myself from my nutrition plan - he has a portion of starch and a larger serving size. This is definitely a task that requires sitting down and concentrating for half an hour, to try to match ingredients, achieve variety and get a good mix of protein, vegetables and limited complex carbs. There was a challenge recently for participants in the current round of 12WBT to do a big "cook up", freezing meals in advance for easy meals. I've never really been one to do this sort of thing in the past, as I tend to like to keep a bit of flexibility to work around last minute commitments etc. Something to keep working on...
3. Breakfast - okay, this is an issue for me. I really don't feel like anything but a cup of coffee when I first get up in the morning, but I definitely suffer from the late morning munchies as a result. I found the 12WBT Oat and Berry muffins were great last week, when I made them for the first time. Nourishing and I didn't feel like snacking before lunchtime. I think the sweetness of the fruit worked for me. I do occasionally feel like baked beans on toast, too, if I've got a bit more time to get ready. They're definitely a good "sustaining" food for a busy morning, despite the relatively low calorie count. I don't even miss butter on my toast anymore... (well, hardly at all!)
4. Get Back to Wholefoods - This is all about ditching processed versions of foods in favour of more "paleo" options. Personally, I can't stand brown rice, but I am eating whole fruit now instead of juices and I really like the rule of thumb about filling half your plate with food that comes from plants.
5. Three Meals a Day - my difficulty with breakfast is the major issue here. Unlike other participants in 12WBT, I don't seem to feel hungry while on the program. I tend to snack because of boredom or temptation, rather than because I need a "lift". We also probably eat too late at night some of the time. I've been reducing the amount of starchy carbs (bread, rice, potatoes, pasta etc.) I eat at night for a while, and I think it's improved my sleep, even if I haven't noticed any particular weight loss. Combining that with smaller portion sizes and limiting to 1200 calories a day should hopefully tip the balance.
6. Probiotics - I eat a bit of Greek Yoghurt in wraps, with curries etc., but other than that, I've never really thought much about stomach flora. I do take anti-reflux medication, though, so probably should consider taking some Yakult (yuk!) or maybe some probiotic capsules. Watch this space...
7. Resistant Starch - this was a new one on me. Apparently some sources of starch, including legumes, barley, cold boiled potatoes and banana flour (???) promote the growth of healthy gut bacteria (see above) and protect against colon cancers. Sounds good in theory. I'd better make some legume-based soups as we head into winter...
8. Ditch the Liquid Calories - this is a complete no-brainer for anyone trying to lose weight and/or combat the onset of type-2 diabetes. Soft drinks contain absolutely no nutritional benefit. I'll admit to a predilection for full-octane Coke when it's in the house, it's like I can't stop drinking it. I'm proud to say that I haven't had any at all (or any other soft drink, actually) since the start of the 12WBT round over two weeks ago, and definitely feel better for it. As with other temptations, my rule of thumb is simply "don't let it in the house and it won't be a problem". I don't tend to drink much alcohol anyway, but it's also full of calories, something to bear in mind.
   
9. Adjust your Taste Buds - giving up any habit is hard, more so if you try to do it "cold turkey". My weakness is sugar - I was having up to 2.5 tsp in a café latte - so my aim is to cut down gradually to a much lower intake, or even none at all. I'm having 1.5 sugars in a cup of plunger coffee at the moment, and it's fine. My husband accidently put two in the other day, and it was cloyingly awful, so this process is working. The soft-drink thing I thought would be harder than it is, but substituting plain sparkling mineral water for sugary soft drinks seems to be doing the trick so far. Fingers crossed...
10. Mindful Eating - I'm a renowned slow eater, always have been. That doesn't mean I'm being mindful, however, as I often work on the computer, read the paper or watch TV while I'm eating. One of my aims for this round of 12WBT is to get organised to provide more mindful dining experiences for the whole family, to think about and enjoy the tastes and textures of food and appreciate what goes into the quality foodstuffs we tend to take for granted in this part of the world.

A Healthy(ish) Easter feast...

Just thought I'd share the healthy options I incorporated into our extended family Easter lunch on Sunday. We had both sets of parents (grandparents) over, as well as my step-mother's father. The three of us were the only representatives of the younger generations, due to various expeditions and commitments of others. So, a nice relaxed group of seven adults and one six-year-old.
We started with a beetroot dip and crudités (I ditched the cumin crisps, as I thought there'd be enough other carbs with salads etc.).

Very delicious. The only changes I made to the dip from the recipe (which you'll have to join up to 12WBT to get access to) is that I added toasted whole cumin seeds and some Moroccan seasoning before I blended it up. I really like beetroot as a vegetable, although those with any sort of stomach-acid irregularity (as I tend to have from time to time) need to be prepared for the dramatic colour effects on your ... a-hem ... outputs. Lots of carrot and celery sticks to accompany, very well received.

The BBQ king cooked a whole piece of scotch fillet (beef) on our spit roast. Although not exactly on the 12WBT plan, I limited my portion size, and if you're going to eat roasted meat, this is one of the lower-fat ways to prepare it.

Along with the meat, we had skin-on oven roasted potatoes which my step-mother brought (I had one small one only!), and a selection of four salads, including two made by me. Firstly a salad based around quinoa, which I also really like, but have never actually prepared myself before. Added to roasted pumpkin (I cooked mine in cubes, rather than slabs, for ease of serving), spinach leaves, mint and a tasty lemony dressing, also very popular. This image is actually of a similar salad from Google (I'm really going to have to get better at snapping photos).

The second salad was a roasted beetroot and spinach salad with toasted walnuts, crumbled feta and a pleasant dressing flavoured with citrus and mustard. It was supposed to have roasted zucchini too, but as ours were distinctly mushy when I got them out of the fridge, the worms got those instead, and I really don't think the salad suffered too much from the loss. Definitely another one we'll be doing again.

My step-mother also made a couple of salads, a mixed salad of lettuce, tomatoes, celery etc. to please the traditionalists and also a crunchy quinoa-based salad, apparently from George Colimbaris. Very good also.

We finished with two different cakes, one a Simnel Cake made by my mother in law (fruit cake with marzipan layers traditional at Easter) and some Apple tea cake my step-mother had cooked for the night before. Had small slices only, but inevitably there was also some chocolate consumed...

All in all, I was very pleased with how it all went, menu-wise. I certainly don't think anyone felt that they were being forced to eat "diet food". It's good reinforcement that all of these changes are completely sustainable and I'll probably happily incorporate many of the 12WBT recipes into our normal family repertoire.