GEORGIE - it's all in the head and not because someone puts it there!!

So I liked this story I read today - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1294631/Company-director-drops-stone-hypnotist-convinces-gastric-band.html

Hypnosis, its believers say, can work wonders. I have friends who've stopped being heavy smokers thanks to a few sessions so I'm really interested in the idea that you can lose weight using your mind.

But really - doesn't it really come down to just one thing - the belief thing? Whether you believe you're thinner or less hungry then you were before OR you believe you are worth looking and feeling better it's all the same in the end - it just comes down to our desire to do it really easily. That's how the media deals with weight and diets - journalists make us envious of the fact it's SO easy for some people to shed the pounds or get a kiss-ass body...

I guess what I am trying to say is that gaining belief rather then PAYING someone to instil it surely must be much more rewarding. That girl, who looks great and no doubt feels much better, lost weight by cheating her body into thinking it was full. But I feel like she also cheated herself a little. She paid someone else to help her with her weight problem instead of getting her head around her own issue and dealing with it head on. Not having the self belief to get your fat ass off the sofa in the first place and lose some weight without the help of a hypnotherapist smacks a little of an easy way out to me. Call me old fashioned but I would like to feel like I'd done something myself - without the help of anyone else. That's why getting healthy is so hard and so rewarding too.

ROSIE - Supermum (or not)...

So, I realise I have not pulled my fair share in the blogging stakes recently. My posts have been few and far between and I have relied on my oh so brilliant sisters to keep up the good work. Not that it's a chore, you understand, but it's another THING that needs to be done.

My excuse? I don't like to call it an excuse... more my reason - well, I've finally bitten the bullet and got a "proper" job. Without boring you with the details, I am now a fully fledged member of the working mothers brigade. And wowser, what a job. I don't mean my "proper" job, I mean all the other things that go round it! Packed lunches (me & Jack). Snacks (me & Jack). Bags packed (me and Jack). Spare clothes (just Jack). Dropping Jack off at the childminders and leaving him screaming in her arms (definitley just Jack). It's ridiculous how a 21 hour working week can take up your time!

So, needless to say, a few other things have fallen by the wayside. My regular "I-do-this-religiously-every-day-and-have-done-for-3-and-a-half-years" walk with Jessie in the morning has been cut in half. My exercise? Hmmm. The less said about that the better. Let's say I probably do about a third of what I would LIKE to do. And I am KNACKERED! I am asleep on the sofa at 9 at night!

I'm hoping it's just a phase and I will get used to it. In the meantim, my mantra -which I am screaming in my mind in a sort of frenzy - is to MAKE TIME. True with healthy eating, exercise, making time for loved ones (the monosyllabic grunts to my husband SO have to stop)... I think a lesson to all - unless everyone out there is superwoman (or supermum).

Love from a very UN-supermum. x

Zar is excited!!!

I've had a strange few weeks. I was absolutely sick as a dog with the flu for 2 weeks. This meant time out from the normal routine. I really felt like I was living in an alternate universe. No work, no exercise, I couldn't eat for several days. After the flu went, I was so weak I had to recover for a whole week before I went back to work. I haven't been working out this week as I didn't want to overdo it. For me, very strange.

Then on Thursday, I did something which I've been so excited about for about 6 weeks. It was quite strange seeing as I hadn't worked out for 3 weeks. I PICKED UP MY NEW BIKE - WOOHOO!!

I went out on the dream machine yesterday for the first time and - WOW! This is so exciting. I really feel like this is going to be great for me. I'm going to start cycling to work and back once a week. I've also signed up to do the Sydney to the 'Gong bike ride which is 90km on Nov 7th. If I have this beautiful machine at my toetips, I may as well get into it. As long as I don't get hit by a car....

There is no real message in this blog, just that I'm very excited about my new bike, and my new exercise routine. Let's just see what happens when I pick up the tricky shoes in a couple of weeks.....there could be some great home video footage there!!

GEORGIE - Did you ever think about where it comes from?

I'm at Hampton Court Flower show all this week - and right opposite the marquee we are working in is a garden where the RHS has grown a display of all the herbs that make up the supplements we peddle daily into our bodies. It's amazing to see and smell the plants like Oil of Evening primrose and St Johns Wort - I have never really thought about the basis of the little oil capsules that I use to make body and mind feel and look good. I like the fact that if you see them in their natural state you feel like you know what's going into your body. That's all really - a mega short blog I guess - but I think before I start taking any supplements in the future I am going to make the effort to find out what is actually in them and seek out the purest forms of these herbs and plants so I can get the most out of them. I had a little read up tonight about some of these plants on the internet and I am just gobsmacked by how much we get from nature that is healthy and therapeutic!! I feel enlightened!!

ZAR - healthy skin tips

I wouldn't say I was vain but I will do anything I can to keep myself looking good. This includes my skin. I try to stay out of the sun in terms of baking in it so I don't age prematurely, I cleanse and moisturise twice a day and I don't have to wear too much make-up. I also get to be in the fresh air much of the time.

I read the other day about foods that can help the health of your skin.

VITAMIN A
Milk, cheese, egg yolk, fish liver oils and foods rich in beta-carotene such as carrots, sweet potato, pumpkin, apricots and mangoes.

VITAMIN C
Citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons and mandarins as well as kiwifruit and berries.

ZINC
Lean meat, chicken, fish, dairy, legumes, wholegrain cereal and bread, pecans, sunflower and pumpkin seeds.

ANTIOXIDANTS
Berries, green tea, red and orange fruit and vegetables.

HEALTHY FATS
Oily fish (salmon, trout, mackerel, sardines), cold-pressed flaxseed and olive oil, nuts, seeds and avocado.

Don't forget that drinking plenty of water, enough sleep and exercise will also give you healthier looking skin. It goes without saying that smoking and alcohol will age you as much as exposure to the sun will.

GEORGIE - getting off that pop - again

Greetings!! Absento I have been while I took a summer break and it was lovely to take in some sun and sea and enjoy the irresponsibility of doing nothing but reading, relaxing, and er, eating and drinking.

Luckily Cyprus was healthy as hell. Fresh salad and pork/chicken kebabs, fish, hummus and lots and lots of watermelon! But a few G and T's every night and I am feeling a little bit over indulged on the booze front.

With a new job starting in a a few weeks, it's time to make sure I look my best when I walk through the doors to meet my new colleagues. Easiest way to brighten the skin and ensure a rested and healthy look for me is to get off the pop. So for a few weeks, it will be mineral water for me, and although it always normally takes me a few attempts to say no at a glass of wine in the evening (I always forget my vow and realise that I am going to have to start my pledge tomorrow) I would really recommend trying it for a while at least.

For those of us who occasionally over do it, waking up without a hangover is the best thing EVER. You never waste a weekend sleeping off your excesses and you can get on with enjoying whatever else you have planned - and you will be amazed how much better you sleep too.

If you consider doing it - and I would say just try it for 3 weeks and see how you find it - don't let any of your friends tell you you're a bore - alcohol is not required for a good time - you will be surprised how fun an evening out can be without the headache OR the hole in your wallet the next day!!

Good luck!

ZAR - Winter blues

I skyped Mum and Gega yesterday and felt terrible when they let me know that it was 8 degrees......in summer! Aahhhh.... Here I am struggling in 17 degrees of winter. The temperature doesn't worry me - I just stack more layers on but all I think about is food!! Banana bread, hot chips, brownies - fruit just doesn't cut it when it's colder!

One of the Sunday papers had an excellent article on avoiding gaining any extra padding this season - I should take note

Beware stretchy clothes
If you continue to wear the jeans and skirts that you normally do, you'll be immediately aware when they get tighter. Fitted clothes are as good a monitor of your body as the scales are. Continual monitoring is so important to keeping off lost weight.

Soupy soup soup
Inexpensive snd low in fat if you steer away from the creamy versions. Use fresh stock if you can. Add lentils and protein to make you feel fuller for longer. Make a big batch and freeze it so it's always there for a quick fix.

Spicy food
Great way to warm yourself up and fight winter bugs. If you're buying Asian or Indian takeaway, steer clear of creamy or oily dishes. Go for ones full of vegies. Or make my beef curry that I posted on March 19th. I have come to the conclusion that I need to eat more hot food in the evening - hot and sour soup, prawn sate etc.

Walk it off - at least...
As I tweeted a little while ago, I'm so glad I don't make morning exercise part of my routine. It is so easy in the winter to stay in bed in the morning and head straight home after work and then vegitate at the weekend. If you can walk somewhere - do it and commit to yourself to continuing your exercise regime or starting a new one.

Set a goal
My goal is not to put on weight over the winter. I know I need to get more specific. I will maintain 75kg by the time spring comes around. One of my customers told me about a "5 in 50" challenge (which I'll be writing about next week). Lose 5 kg's in 50 days or for me, I will maintain my weight over 50 days. If you don't hit your targets then you have to donate money to charity. Get a group of friends together and support each other.