Exercise

Well, things have gone pear shaped. Life - work, illness, toddler-ness, laziness, tiredness - has gotten in the way. I only managed to exercise four times this month, twice were in the last week and I'm really pushing it to call the 'exercise'.

However, something is better than nothing, so I will continue on.

The diet has also been, um, 'interrupted' - working crazy hours where you get paid-per-piece with a very high level of accuracy required seems to closely dictate my caffeine and sugar intake. Catering and lack of will power doesn't help, either.

Back on track though - time to continue on.

Federal election

This afternoon I had a group of students to whom the task was assigned to come up with one idea or concept that would change the world for the better.

 

One of their joke ideas was that everyone should be nice to each other.

 

In what sort of society are we living when that is considered a joke idea?

 

After exploring the option a lot more, it was decided that perhaps this wasn't such a crazy joke idea after all. They started moving from wacky, crazy ideas to actual strategies and plans.

 

It was not unnoticed that they were not the first to come up with this idea. I truly hope that they aren't persecuted, ridiculed, tortured, shot, or nailed to a cross for having this idea.

 

For the majority of my Facebook Friends who will be voting tomorrow - please take a moment to think about this radical idea. Perhaps it is truly as simple as this.

Exercise log - August

Well, it has begun.

August wasn't great, but I'm going to keep going. I'm definitely taking the view that 'anything is better than nothing'.

Diet: I've been up-ing the salads, although having fresh salads available all the time isn't always do-able. However, spinach + some veggies + tin of tuna is becoming my go-to lunch, ahead of toast or a sandwich. I'm still falling back on a sandwich for when there's no spinach, since I can freeze bread so I don't run out. I've been trying to have more protein for breakfast, for example one piece of toast with a boiled egg, rather than two pieces of toast. While Dear Husband was away, protein shakes were a back up breakfast (and lunch) for me.

Sugar's been a problem. I'm trying to avoid it, but of course all those yummy bring-a-plate morning teas are still so prevalent. At work we made a Periodic Table out of cupcakes for National Science Week - that was a whole lot of cakes to ice when I should have been eating a healthy morning tea. I'd not eaten breakfast due to daycare drop off dramas and was literally shaking, so a cupcake for morning tea it was. However, I will continue to try to eat well and not be thrown off by the 'excitements' that life throws.

Exercise: Got off to a good start, then stalled. The plan so far has been for Dear Husband to play at the park with Chubs, while I run around the park. Dramas erupted a few times with a cranky bub, and this plan didn't work while Dear Husband was away. I did fit in a massive walk around the botanical gardens which I didn't put on the log.

I had thought of exercise options for when Chubs would be my reponsibility, but none worked out. It's a 10 and a half hour day for Chubs at daycare when DH is away, so I don't think it's fair to leave her there longer. Even if I did, I'm too flogged and by the time I got changed into exercise clothes etc I would only have time for a ten minute run before I would have to pick her up before daycare closes, so it's just not worth it. Another possible option may have been to have dropped Chubs off at Nan's house for a play and for me to go for a ride on Nan's bike, but Nan was either at work or away herself. I had a few extra days of work and some pre-wedding events over the last few weeks as well, which cut down my options both as my time was tighter, and I'd used up a lot of babysitting from others that I couldn't ask them to babysit more - both for their sake and for Chubs' sake.

However, the plan is to continue. I will just keep trying to get done what I can. Dear Husband is home, so hopefully we can get back on track. I'm a bit dubious about how September will pan out - I've got a lot of extra work plus a wedding and several family events, so it's not looking much better than August, however the plan continues.

I've roped in a friend to keep me accountable, so hopefully things will keep on track!

Fabulous Croquet

I played croquet this afternoon with some long time girlfriends. It was truly lovely.

 

Chubs was having some Daddy time, and we had some yummy food, lovely conversation and great weather.

 

My croquet skills were moderate for a beginner (ie pretty rubbish...) The club had a staff member who walked around with us telling us what to do and what the rules were which helped a lot! 

 

 

Everything is better with cupcakes 

 

Sadly a lot of my photos didn't work out and I can't seem to upload them. :(   It was a lovely afternoon though - highly recommended. My best wishes to my dear friend xx

Visit to the Sciencentre

Woo hoo! Sciencentre trip!

 

It had been long time since I'd been to the Sciencentre. BC I used to volunteer when it was still in George Street. I'd not been over since it had moved to be part of the museum building proper at Southbank.

 

It was lots of fun, and Chubs just loved it.

 

Making whirlpools

 

It's a lovely trip for the day. We get the train in because it's convenient and Chubs loves the trip. The Sciencentre is part of the Museum, but has a separate entry fee (the rest of the Museum is free). Annual memberships are available, which are less than the costof three visits. 



Orbiting fun

 

We normally take a packed lunch which can be eaten in the dinosaur garden, and there's several cafes around too. You can leave and reenter at any time, so no need to worry about wasting the fee on a meltdown.

Musical science

It did get a bit busy later in the day, and lots of older kids and teenagers moving around was a bit overwhelming. At two years, Chubs is definitely at the very bottom of the target range and a lot was above her, but there was still plenty to keep her interested. Highly recommended!

Exercise, diet and weight loss

So, about two weeks ago, I found out that I'm overweight. According to my BMI of 26.9...

Once you have measured your BMI, you can determine your healthy weight range. If your BMI is:
- Under 18.5 - you are very underweight and possibly malnourished.
- 18.5 to 24.9 - you have a healthy weight range for young and middle-aged adults.
- 25.0 to 29.9 - you are overweight
- Over 30 - you are obese.

I've been steadily putting on weight over the last twelve years since I've left school. I've averaged about two kilograms a year, and have slowly gone from a size 8 to a 14. I did lose a lost of weight when I was pregnant however, so my gain-per-year rate is actually higher than two.

Contributing factors which I can see include
- a less than stellar diet (not awful, but room for improvement)
- no exercise
- motherhood
- hormones/medications
- not being seventeen any more

My diet is ok, but not great. We try to eat healthy foods, but I probably eat too many carbs and too much cheese. We don't tend to buy lollies, chocolate, soft drink and the like but when things get busy I will eat whatever is shelf stable and quick (such as cheese on toast, or raiding the chocolate drawer at work.) I try to keep portions down, but this is perhaps something that I need to work harder on.

I currently do very little exercise. I used to go to the gym before Chubs was born, but it just became too hard after she was here. They do have a creche at the gym, but none of us were comfortable leaving her there. There wasn't anything wrong with the creche, however Chubs was always more comfortable with people whom she knew. The expense when I wasn't attending was guilt inducing and I didn't really feel that it was working before Chubs, let alone after. I cancelled my membership when I finished my maternity leave.

Motherhood itself has probably had a large effect too. Whilst pregnancy for me wiped of 12 kilos and the 500 calories a day that breastfeeding uses were very helpful, the craziness and constant demands of life with a little one mean that often meals are easy, quick and shelf stable - more cheese on toast. If we're out during the day (which we often are) we will stop at a cafe for a coffee/ bubbachino and a little something to break up the day and give little legs a rest. One thing that we do a lot is attend mothers' groups and go on playdates. I was talking to Chubs about a friend (from mothers' group) that we were ging to visit. When I asked her what she was going to play with her friend she told me 'babies and coffee and playgrounds' - which shows that she knows her from mothers' group! Everyone brings a plate, and while we often have fruit, veggies sticks and other healthy options, the cake, chocolate biccies and other yummy yummy goodness are always in plentiful supply, as they are at birthday parties.

I've been on various medications that have had an effect on my mass (I think) but it's always hard to know as I can't exactly run a controlled test without a time machine. Dysmenohhorea, possible PCOS and possible gestitational diabetes haven't helped with trying to work out what is going on either. While 500 - 600 calories a day is the commonly quote figure for exclusive breastfeeding, I'm yet to find any information on the calorie demand of breastfeeding a toddler.

So, where to from here? I have decided that I need to do something. There are many reasons why diet and exercise won't work for me, but I need to just work towards 'better'. I have taken the approach that anything is better than nothing. In the last fortnight I have started to think about and implement changes in my diet, and I have done two exercise sessions so far.

I've been quite open in this post, since I want to share my journey. By following the example of others, I have realised that I need to think outside the box and look for possible solutions rather than just seeing roadblocks.

Coming soon:
Exercise changes
Diet changes

I Support You Movement

This week is World Breastfeeding Week. I know that I bang on about breastfeeding a lot - because it's important to me.

However, one thing that trumps breastfeeding or anything else everytime is support, and love. It was with much excitement that I heard about the I Support You campaign. Suzanne Barston, the Fearless Formula Feeder, Jamie Lynne Grumet (of Time Magazine cover fame) and Kim Simon of Mama By The Bay have launched the "I Support You" campaign.

The I Support You movement is a respectful, empathetic, compassionate exchange between parents. We all feed our children differently, but we are all feeding with love, and in ways that work for our individual circumstances and family dynamics. I Support You is the first step in helping formula-feeding, breast-feeding, and combo-feeding parents to come together and lift each other up with kindness and understanding. We have chosen to announce this movement during World Breastfeeding Week, to honor the commitment of those who fight for better support for breastfeeding moms; we are inspired by this, but believe that by changing the focus to supporting all parents, we can truly provoke positive change without putting the needs of some mothers above the needs of others. The “I Support You” movement aims:

1) To bridge the gap between formula-feeding and breastfeeding parents by fostering friendships and interactions.

2) To dispel common myths and misperceptions about formula feeding and breastfeeding, by asking parents to share their stories, and really listening to the truth of their experiences.

3) To provide information and support to parents as they make decisions about how to feed their children.

4) To connect parents with local resources, mentors, and friends who are feeding their children in similar ways.

With that in mind, I submit the above. I chose a coffee cup, because I'm not super keen on photos of my daughter and me being publicly available, but also because a friendly chat over a cup of coffee has often been a source of support for me. So, regardless of if you are a coffee drinker or not, to all the loving mothers out there - I support you.

I urge you all to celebrate support, diversity and inclusiveness, to leave the MummyWars behind, and to share the love around.