Saturday, June 4, 2011

Saturday catch up ~ Day 4

Day 4 of the NO chocolate Challenge and all is going well....
I stayed away from the chocolate isle when doing my grocery shopping yesterday, as I didn't want to hear my name being called.....:)
Its been a little crazy this side.....We've having a long weekend in Germany, so my hubby has been home Thursday, Friday and this weekend...which means my routine is totally our at the moment. I've not done the weeks washing nor ironing...I changed the towels a day later than usual but have been getting out, away from the computer a lot more. So blogging has been neglected, as has reading blogs...but today tried to catch up a little.

Training wise... Hubby and I ran a 10 km on Thursday morning....Friday I took the day off...Today I ran a 7km with my neighbors and tomorrow we planning to run between 12 and 14km...see which route we take, but will not be less than 12 as last Sunday we did 11km.

I've been doing Kettlebell most days, besides Friday my off day....even if only 30 mins of upper body...I believe some toning is better than NO toning.

Eating wise all has been OK....not 100% but as I am maintaining its not a train smash to keep to a ridged program with my eating for now....should I gain...then it starts again...and I mean a 2 pound gain would get me back to watch everything that goes into my mouth.

Last night we went out for dinner at friends, I had one glass of champagne, one glass of Red wine...Steamed Salmon, Roast Veggies, Salad, strawberries with scoop of ice cream, coffee and one slice of cake....
Was really tasty and I enjoyed.
This morning my stomach disagreed with what I'd eaten....can tell I'm no longer used to eating so much in one sitting and also the variations of different foods.
Thank goodness by the time I went for my run, my stomach had settled.

The way I see it, isn't necessarily the way you see it.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Living with this scare


E. coli Outbreak May Be New Strain

Germany, U.K. Are Hit Hard as E. coli Cases Spread Across Europe and Possibly Enter U.S.
By Peter Russell
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Farah Ahmed, MD

June 2, 2011 -- The E. coli outbreak that has left several dead and hundreds ill across Europe -- and may now have caused two U.S. travelers to become ill -- is a new strain that has never been seen before, according to an official at the World Health Organization (WHO).

According to a statement yesterday from the CDC, there are no confirmed cases of this strain in U.S. travelers to Europe. But media reports citing the CDC say that the two U.S. illnesses with E. coli-like symptoms are associated with recent travel to Germany and the agency is waiting for test results to see if it is the same strain. Both travelers are expected to survive.

In Europe, Germany and the U.K. have been hardest hit, but there has been one death in Sweden and reported cases in Spain, the Netherlands, Austria, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic, according to U.K.’s Mail Online.

The Health Protection Agency in the U.K. says seven people in the U.K. have been infected with the strain of E. coli linked to the outbreak in Germany.

Hilde Kruse, a food safety expert at the WHO, is quoted by the Associated Press as saying, "This is a unique strain that has never been isolated from patients before."

She says the new strain has "various characteristics that make it more virulent and toxin-producing" than the many E. coli strains people naturally carry in theirintestines.

Kruse says it's not unusual for bacteria to mutate, evolve, and swap genes.

U.K. Cases

The latest cases in the U.K. involve three people with bloody diarrhea and one person who has developed the potentially fatal form of the condition known ashemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).

Three of the four new cases are in U.K. residents who have recently returned from Germany, and the other involves a person from Germany who is on vacation in England.

In total, three people in the U.K. have been diagnosed with HUS and four with bloody diarrhea.

Cases in Germany

The Health Protection Agency says that there have been 470 cases of HUS in Germany, with nine reported deaths. German authorities have also reported 1,064 cases of bloody diarrhea related to the outbreak with four deaths, bringing the total number of official reported deaths in Germany to 13. German media have put the death toll higher, reporting that at least 17 people have died.

The Food Standards Agency in the U.K. says it has found no evidence that produce from possible sources identified with the outbreak has found its way into U.K. food outlets. It says that the European Commission has not been able to identify the exact source of the contamination.

The outbreak was caused by a rare organism called verocytotoxin-producing E. coli(VTEC) O104. Reports from Germany refer to the VTEC cases as cases of Shiga-toxin producing E. coli (STEC). VTEC is also sometimes called Enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC).

Cucumbers Initially Blamed

Initial reports in Germany blamed Spanish cucumbers for the outbreak. These have not been confirmed and investigations are continuing.

The Health Protection Agency says that until the sources are found, anyone visiting Germany should avoid raw tomatoes, cucumbers, and leafy salad including lettuce, especially in the north of the country.

The Health Protection Agency is working with the authorities in Germany, the European Centre for Disease Control, and the WHO.

Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome

Hemolytic uremic syndrome is a serious complication from VTEC infection that affects the blood, kidneys, and in severe cases, the central nervous system. It requires hospitalization and can be fatal.

Most people normally carry harmless strains of E. coli in their intestines. The harmless strains and the type causing illness are usually contracted by eating or drinking contaminated food or water. It can also spread from other people or animals through contact with feces.

Dilys Morgan, head of the gastrointestinal, emerging, and zoonotic infections department at the Health Protection Agency, says in a statement, "The HPA continues to actively monitor the situation very carefully and we are working with the authorities in Germany and with our counterparts across Europe as to the cause of the outbreak.

"We have alerted health professionals to the situation and advised them to urgently investigate and report suspected cases with a travel history to Germany."

Russia has banned the import of fresh vegetables from the European Union. Gennady Onishchenko, the head of Russia’s consumer protection agency, was quoted by the Russian news agency Interfax as saying: “Fresh vegetables produced in these counties will be withdrawn from circulation on the territory of Russia."

Spanish authorities have threatened legal action because of lost vegetable sales.


The way I see it, isn't necessarily the way you see it.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Start of June

Day one of the NO Chocolate challenge went well...
I did have to look away at the chocolate counter this afternoon.....
I did have to remind myself that I was doing a challenge and could not fail on the first day!!

Start of the new month got me jumping on the scale this morning....
Was happy with what I saw....am keeping my weight down.
I had a few pounds to lose two months ago, which I lost with the 17 Day Diet and have managed to maintain my weight lost since I stopped the plan.
This morning when I got on the scale, hubby peeped over my shoulder, he does not like me too thin....when he saw my weight he said...* That's okay, as you are all muscle *....
Wow...those words are words I've never heard come from him before!!!

Last night before teaching I was talking to the girls, one of them reached over and grabbed my shoulder and said * what's going on here, what you doing *

Thank you Kettlebell!!!


The way I see it, isn't necessarily the way you see it.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

May Recap ~ June

Starts tomorrow 1st June...


Today I want to recap the Month of May
The photo below was taken last night, a few minutes later Hubby and I went out for a 10km run ~ Trail and Road.
Hubby bought me a new belt in France, this belt holds my Ipod, the car key, a tissue, and little bottles filled with water...I'm loving it.
My main exercise this month has been running and Kettlebell.
I've been running four times a week on average, some days more...and doing KB most days, sometimes I focus on the upper body and abs and then other days I do the whole body.
Once a week I do an Aerobic Dance class to add variation to my training.
This month I felt strong with my running, and fell in love with KB even more.
I tracked the whole month and overall ate well ~ becoming more aware of sugar in my foods, cutting back where possible...but becoming more and more addicted to my 2 blocks of dark chocolate daily. This is why I have started the NO chocolate challenge for myself....and am thinking of doing this for 100 days!!
But lets get through June first....hahaha
I've added two glasses of Red wine to my Friday and Saturday evenings during May, and plan to keep this going for the month of June as I have visitors and also my birthday...its not a good month to make NO wine a challenge as well as Chocolate.
I managed to lose weight this month ~ I say....I managed to maintain my weight as not wanting to lose weight anymore...its all about maintaining the weight I have lost and staying healthy....

I look forward to June....hot summer days....longer runs planned....Kettlebell with heavier weight....My daughter and brother's visit.....trip to Berlin....BBQ's and friendships.

The way I see it, isn't necessarily the way you see it.

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Weeks preview and JUNE

Bio in Germany means Organic.....
The photo with this entry is of Organic Kefir, I prefer the taste of the one with lemon to the natural one
Have added Kefir to my diet after reading how good it is and filled with protein in all of Tosca's Clean Eating books and The 17 Day Diet plan.

I'm thrilled to see when I climbed on the scale this morning that I have not gained any weight, but lost in May.
May was the month after I did the 17 Day Diet and I added a few more carbs back into my eating plan.
Sugar has been the main ingredient I've been watching this month ~
Not really cutting back but keeping a check on where I am daily with sugar.
June is going to be the month I go without chocolate, its a challenge I'm giving myself as I have found slowly over the last few months my chocolate habit has become from one block every 2nd or 3rd day a week, to 2 blocks of dark a day...it will be a whole slab if I don't do something right now...I need to get more control right now and not when its too late.
I'm also going to focus on sugar in foods this month...
I bought a book for my ipad on sugar and going to read it and then see if any of the different names used for sugar ( there are so many ) are in the foods I eat.
My focus will not be on Fructose in fruit...I will keep my fruit to 2/3 serving a day
But on that white stuff thats gets put into so many of our foods.

Preview of last weeks training

Ran 32km
Monday ran over 8, Wednesday over 12 and today a 11km
I taught a Kettlebell class
I taught a Dance Aerobic Class
One personal Training session with Kettlebell
I did my own Kettlebell workout every morning besides Saturday
I took Saturday as my REST day

I'm really happy with my training
Am loving the changes to my body with Kettlebell, even if my neighbor says
* You have too much muscle *
I LOVE MUSCLE ~ and need more!!!! YES MORE!!



The way I see it, isn't necessarily the way you see it.