Monday 31 October 2016

Halloween

"I wish it could be Halloween every day!" the Little One said to me when it was all over, her loot spread all over the living room rug. 33 treats in total.

Since she was 2 we've tried to embrace Halloween. Having been a fan of anything spooky and scary from a young age. Though she's finally growing out of that now. This year she asked to be "A Witch's Black Cat." This was the only photo i managed to snap before my phone died.



This year the local "village" near her dad's put on an event for the littlies hosted by the local independent children's bookstore The Little Bookroom.


Was gorgeous seeing all the kiddos dressed up and following the trail from the local cafe and bike shop up to the independent toy store popping into all the shops they usually shop in or walk past, bumping into familiar locals. Along the way they picked up a mini horn for their bikes from the bike shop, spider cupcakes from the bakery, glow in the dark bands from the bookstore, mixed lollies from the convenience store, etc.

When the event concluded we rescued her dad from work and went trick or treating in the streets. All the houses that were participating were decked out in fake cobwebs, skeletons, spiders, or had signs letting people know there were treats inside. We only did two streets before she complained of her bucket being too heavy to carry. I think I counted around 150 kids and that was just in 2 streets! It was a phenomenal turnout. The costume standouts were a mini Donald Trump with his own wall, a mini Darth Vader, and a zombie surgeon covered in blood.

In the week leading up to Halloween we prepared each night by settling in to watch old episodes of Are You Afraid of the Dark? on youtube. Though they seemed to be more sedative than scary as she fell asleep during every episode!



After dinner I read to her the books we picked up at the bookstore. First up was 'What do Werewolves Do When It's Not Halloween' by a local author. Then we finished with a few pages from this irresistible edition of 'Picnic At Hanging Rock'.

Tuesday 18 October 2016

What i've learnt about myself from taking up boxing

I find a lot of stuff people do to keep in shape or get fit or tone up really rather boring. Running bores me, lifting weights bores me (and gives my body the wrong sort of shape), exercise classes both bore me and confuse me, yoga ... i don't even really understand the point of yoga except to just have a really good stretch which i can take or leave. In the past the only things i have enjoyed is hiking and hill sprints. Basically anything that involves a hill excites me. I grew up on a hill so perhaps it's muscle memory kicking in?


I had always meant to start boxing because the idea of being allowed to punch something was really exciting. But without a proper trainer i knew i'd just be wasting my time. Being able to hold the pads for someone is a gift, IMO. It takes a lot of skill to do it right. It was the Little One's father who introduced me to my trainer who, shall we say, is a bit of a character and i keep returning because he is, by far, one of the best in the biz.

I've flirted with boxing before. Mostly just doing circuit training (skipping, body weights, heavy bag, speed bag, etc) but i never stuck it out because to be quite honest it's one of the hardest most exhausting fitness regimes i've ever done.

When i started this year in late February i was about 54ish kgs and had hoped to drop some weight and tone up. It didn't quite work out that way. I also started with not being able to do 100 straight punches in a row, struggling to finish 3min x 3 of skipping to warm up, barely being able to get through a 45 mins without wanting to throw up/die/pass out/vomit.

    Mayweather style padwork (my favorite style)

Currently, as of Oct 18, i am 58/60kg, i can skip for 9 minutes straight and then some, i can do 100 straight punches followed by 100 uppercuts in a row without a rest, i can blitz through 18 rounds (2 min x 18) in a session going at maximum strength, i can spar for 3min x 3 with an opponent (by far the hardest thing of all IMO.) I have pretty much been turned into a machine.

And yet ... i've never been pudgier or more wobbly or, dare i say it, fat.

What i realised is, even though i am working out and probably burning around 500-800 calories per session 3-4 times a week, that doesn't afford me to eat whatever i want. My body is quite efficient and really doesn't need much extra fuel.



    Gennady Golovkin, my favorite of all boxers.



    Freddie Roach, training basics.

I have experimented with a lot with different food to give me the maximum amount of energy needed to complete a session. And what does it all come back to? 1/4 cup of oats and three dates. That's it. That's all my body needs to smash it out. Plus 100gms of lean protein post workout.

It's amazing as well as disappointing at the same time to know how little exercise affects my weight. That weight loss/body sculpting is 90% diet. That my trainer, who trains 6-8 clients per day, plus adding his own workout at night time, still struggles with the pudge. And yet, we're probably right now about as fit as we'll ever be in our entire lives.

If i want my slim size 6 body back for summer I gotta go old school in my approach: counting calories, watching portions, and keeping a food diary. Reminding myself that exercise is not a license to go wild with food and alcohol.

Saturday 15 October 2016

Spring Uniform

Can't say i've been very adventurous for spring. The weather certainly hasn't been inspiring. Seriously cold weather, rain, with patches of sun. The weather is absolutely all over the place. There's a reason why spring is my least favorite season and this is it. And the wind, oh the wind! My least favorite aspect of spring!

The Little One asked me on our way to kinder why the weather was so all over the place. I tried to make it sound really magical and explained that the wind blew the seeds and the sun and rain provided the perfect conditions in which they could germinate. So basically i embellished to cover Spring's ass.

Anyway, this is what i've basically been living in.

Outfit 1.


J. Crew sweater, Danni Minogue Petites for Target, Country Road pants, Manolo Blahnik lepoard flats (for illustrative purposes only - mine are Michael Kors)


Outfit 2.


        


J. Crew long sleeved cotton t, Country Road pants, Walnut canvas slip-on sneakers


I am pretty much obsessed with these Country Road pants. They are seriously comfy and hit right where i want at the ankle. They're the 'Side Pocket Sateen Jean'. I plan on buying a few more especially in white, black and charcoal.