Saturday ~

My hubby went to the UK earlier this week on a business trip and the only thing I asked him for was MAGAZINES....my words to him were, I don't want the gossip magazines ( what I usually ask for ) I want the Runner and I had heard from a Blogger friend that there was a magazine for women runners....he came back back with these two mags and a few gossip ones....Have not had a peep at them as yet as I am saving them for when I lie on the hospital bed....pass the time.

I do envy everyone who can walk into a shop and buy a magazine they are able to read....I used to be able to do that when living in my home country. Now I have to drive to Fulda station and there will find a few English magazines, but all the gossip ones and at a price as imported.

Hubby and I went to a South African couple today for me to do a family and baby photo shoot..after the shoot she organized a light finger lunch for us all....

When she opened her fridge all I was was yogurt filled with Aspartame, Miracle Whip, filled with Aspartame, Diet soda...diet products...She knows my story, but I have learned you cant change everyone....they have to come to the decision to make the changes themselves.

I had packed in a bunch of grapes, Apple and a few nuts in a tupperware when I left home so was able to eat that for lunch and I ate her salad....the rest was not clean eating and not something I was prepared to eat just to keep the host happy...I have an excuse now...MS...I have MS so have to eat a certain way!!!

When you don't eat certain foods cause you trying to lose weight then everyone has something to say, but for MS, they say....oh OK!! and leave me alone.

I felt tired after the shoot, it takes a lot out of one ~ while hubby was driving home I felt myself dozing off a few times...but knew when I got home I had to workout...as it was raining, running was out of the question and tomorrow morning is our long 10km run ( 6.21miles)with the ladies from the neighborhood.

So changed into my workout gear and did 37 mins of heavy bootcamp, keeping my heart rate up...burned over 300 calories I worked so hard!!

Hubby sat watching the rugby on tv...totally impressed at how fit and strong I was...he actually said...* why dont we cancel the hospital appointment as you not will * ~ LOL....I surprised him...

Friday....Yes I got something done

~When I woke up this morning to the rain falling I knew unless it cleared later that running would be out for me as I am not found of running in the cold or rain...I have to keep reminding you all that I am a girl from Africa so love the heat ~ nothing nicer for me than running in the sunshine....with a little skimpy top in, this weather I have to dress in layers as I start off cold and within 15 mins I'm cooking and need to take the top layer off and have it around my hips while I continue running.

I did think about going to gym, but had some housework I needed to do, ironing and also I wanted to cook a batch of veggies in the oven for the weekend....( my house stinks of cooked veggies right now )

My neighbor came over to watch the final of Season 9's The Biggest Loser, where Danny won, Yes I know we are WAY behind, I'm just grateful we get to see this fantastic show as it really motivates one. When I saw how the final four ran a marathon ~ at what I considered as heavy weighted people still, then I think I can as well....this is what I mean by it motivates me...it took the last two 7 hours to walk/run but they did it...what a wonderful personal victory..

Anyway...back to my story. While she sat and watched the program I told her I had to do my training...so did my triceps, biceps, squats, lunges, sit upset etc for 45 mins...

Tomorrow is my off day as I have a photo shoot of a family and will have no time to train....

I've been adding photo's to this blog of the foods that are available in Germany....I want to explain that the word BIO means Organic ~ the make Alnatura ( all natural ) is the best available in Germany...I'm prepared to pay the little extra for certain of my foods.

Aspartame and Multiple Sclerosis - Neurosurgeon's Warning

Categories

Health

Aspartame is a low calorie sweetener. Called a potent neurotoxin by several researchers, it is being sold as a sugar substitute for those on low calorie diets and for diabetics. If you like Coke or Pepsi "light", you certainly are at risk, but both industry and health officials deny that there is any truth to this story. Manufacturers have recently beensued in California.

Trade names for Aspartame are NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, Canderel, Benevia, Misura, but in Europe we often cannot recognize that Aspartame is part of what we're about to swallow unless we know that it also hides behind the seemingly innocuous "E 951" label. We might also watch out for warnings on food and drink labels that say: "contains a source of phenylalanine" or "phenylchetonurics should not consume this product".

In truth, no one should be consuming Aspartame and those responsible for putting it on the market - Donald Rumsfeld had a part in politically forcing its approval - should be held responsible for unleashing an agent of chemical warfare on an unsuspecting public.

Dr. Russell Blaylock, a recently retired neurosurgeon, has been warning for years and has even authored a book "Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills". Blaylock says that Aspartame and Multiple Sclerosis are closely related. Unfortunately the Multiple Sclerosis society denies there is any connection between MS and Aspartame. The Society has chosen, according to Betty Martini, to hang on to industry funding rather than to warn its members. Blaylock explains the biological mechanism by which Aspartame circumvents the blood-brain-barrier and gets at the vital nervous tissues - the grey matter in our heads:

Thursday....going strong.

I woke up this morning with a sore throat and so late that I didn't get to do my normal morning routine of sit ups and push ups....I rushed to get myself ready to go next door to train my neighbor...hoping I would not scare her as I looked terrible when I looked into the mirror....I had watched a TV program on Addiction till 1am, then woke at 6am...watched tv till 7am and fell asleep till 8.15pm...one always feels terrible after that sort of sleep.

This is flaxseeds in German

When I got next door my neighbor said she was not feeling too well and if it was okay for us to do an easier program today. I was happy with that...so did 30 mins of Low Impact Cardio.....squats, then squats add abs, a Bob Harper Abs special I saw on his website, and then 200 sit ups...a good stretch to end our session which lasted for an hour.

I burned 491 calories

HR ~ 101- 122

I have my once a week class to teach later this evening .....

So two workouts for me again today....

Heidi asked what I put in my salad the other day.

Its such a basic salad which we eat most evenings as I am not a very creative cook.

Lettuce

Tomato

Cucumber

Yellow Pepper

Avo

Goats feta cheese

Little spring onions

Special salad seeds, ( photo above )

Message for Dawne

I have been Treat Free for a whole month today....and very chuffed with myself.

Today while shopping I bought an organic 70% carob chocolate

Got home and saw I had not packed it in ~ left it lying in the shop, but paid for it

Now what does that tell YOU???

Hehehehe...tells me that I can continue being treats free!!!

Wednesday ~ Running Day

Today I've had a busy day in the fitness department and loved every minute of it.

I got up this morning and before having Oats for breakfast I did my toning

200 sit ups...adding different elements daily

Push ups...not as many as I am now doing proper push ups...I have loved watching how I started doing them on my knees to using my bed and now to proper push ups...gosh I could never do them while a fitness instructor and now at the old age of 48 I am doing them. Do you know how empowering this makes me feel...who says one gets worse with age, I'm getting better and better.

I then did shoulders, biceps and triceps with my 2kg weights...the only ones I have so do lots of reps to tire the muscle.

My shoulders are so strong now...I even challenged my hubby and he could not keep up with me...oh how love that...he of course has 101 excuses as to why he couldn't keep up ~ LOL

At 9.30 am I met my neighbor for a run...now you have to understand this is my neighbor who has run the Berlin marathon and runs, she never walks the hills unless with us as a group....I got to her and asked * How far we running today? * ~ she replied *a 10km and was I happy with that???....Yes I am happy with that I replied, and prayed *Please let me get through this run*...we set off running from the start and we never stopped running till we got home...up those hills we ran, and the route she took us on had so many hills...heavens, why cant the forest be flat!!! She spoke to me all the way which meant I had to talk back....This was hard going, I wanted to say...* Can we run in silence please * as I found running the hills and talking a huge cardio challenge, but being the polite person I am I let her chat and I answered back with a smile....LOL...

We ran 9.8km ( 6.0 miles )

I burned 844 calories

Time ~ 1.05 ( Great for me )

HR ~ 131 - 150 ( this was a lot higher than my usual HR when I run )

At 11.30am just before logging off to go for my nails I got an email from my other neighbor asking if I would run with her at 5pm....My first thought was NO I CANT, have already run a 10 today, but decided that she needed me so I would be there for her...

Replied that I would but as I had already run it would have to be a short one....

So at 5pm I was dressed and ready for my *short* run....we ran from the start as well....no walking but at a much slower pace than this morning, for me and my partner is not as fit as marathon runner...the first 4km ( 2.4 miles ) is all up hill as well...so we had to pace ourselves...this long hill is a hill that my neighbor usually walks up, so it was victory for her today to be running it....

We ended up doing 7.5km ( 4.6 miles ) NO A SHORT RUN

Burned 707 calories

Time - 56 mins

HR - 127 - 172 ( have no idea where my HR reached 172 )

My Eating

I have a feeling I could be eating too much....

With not weighing my foods I think I could be a little on the heavy hand.

~would having two slices of Flaxseed Rye bread with something on it be considered as too much....should I only be eating one slice??? Would a rye roll for lunch be considered as too much bread?? Am a little confused with the food as point wise I am way way over and want to keep a check on this before i gain too much weight and then have to start the journey to get it off again.

I read this...

Can I lose weight eating only clean foods?
That depends on the following factor: How many calories are you eating? You can eat only clean foods but when you eat too many calories you will gain weight. Nevertheless, eating clean foods will provide nutrients that are beneficial on a cellular level. And if your cells aren’t starved for nutrients, you body will stop asking for more food.

DOES THIS MEAN I SHOULD START COUNTING MY CALORIES AGAIN??

I'M GOING TO DO THE TEST FROM TOMORROW, THURSDAY TO NEXT WEEK TUESDAY AND SEE WHERE I END UP ON THE CALORIE SCALE

Tuesday

Woke up this morning feeling my normal self again...

That medication the Dr gave me yesterday knocked me out badly

Now you know why I'm not someone who likes taking medication.

I actually sat at my computer and cried yesterday early evening.

Hubby came by put his arm around me and asked why was I crying

My reply through all my tears was

I HATE FEELING LIKE THIS.

I hate anything that does not make me feel like myself...

Could never be a drug addict...

My 30 days challenge is over I have that off my list of things to do...I passed!!!

I did my groups challenge when I woke up..

200 sit ups

3 sets of 10 push ups ( didn't do 4 sets)

3 sets of 12 triceps dips ( didn't do 4 sets)

I wanted to see how I felt after the medication yesterday....

I did do biceps and some shoulders as well.

At 9.15am I went across to my neighbor, she was not feeling well so told her we would do an easier workout today, with her being ill and me not feeling myself from the medication taken yesterday...BUT 15 mins into the workout we pushed and pushed...its not in us to loaf...to work at 50% ~ we used to 100% and thats what we ended up doing.

Trained for 48 mins

Burned 500 calories

HR 106-131

Tomorrow my *other* neighbor who has run the Berlin Marathon and I will be going out for a run if the weather permits...knowing her she will make me run in the rain and already I have decided I will run in the rain....I need a run tomorrow!!

Off Day

Today was my rest day due to my MRI and right now I'm feeling very dozy from the medication

To read the results please pop over to my other blog.

Hoping tomorrow this feeling will be over and I can do some light training again....

30 days on the 30 day Challenge

Today is my 30th day on Syl's 30 day challenge, I started a few days earlier than the official start of the challenge.

I have only missed ONE day of training...last weekend when we had two birthday parties ~ the one was 4 hours away and the other back home...

I'm very happy that I've been able to keep to the goal I set out for myself...to train everyday for at least 25 mins...and everyday I trained an hour or more.

I have been doing my group online challenge for 5 weeks and am going to continue with adding other toning elements daily ~ I have started adding new elements daily to this program.

I am loving how much stronger my upper body and abs have become. This motivates me to continue.

I must add I have also been Treat Free since the start of September.

Over the 30 days with doing this challenge and with being Treat Free I've gained weight....

This is not going to make me run and put my thinking cap on as to what I can do next...

I know I am doing everything that I should. I am eating well and training daily...there is nothing more I can do...or am going to do. I'm going to continue just the way I am and keep off the scale.

I will take my measurements and see how my clothing fits ~ and right now my clothes fit the same as when I was 5kg's ( 10 lbs ) less when I bought them.

I want to get to the stage where I no longer count points or calories

I want to eat clean, not only for a healthier slimmer me, but for a healthy me

Eating clean can only but benefit me with being diagnosed with MS.

I have to share something I tried and loved...its like a sweet dessert after dinner

Cut a Banana in half....spread a little peanut butter on both sides, then sprinkle crushed Flaxseed on the peanut butter...cut into small mouthful sizes and enjoy....

Today I ran 10 km with the ladies in my area...( 6.2miles )

It was only 7 degrees when we headed out, my poor hands froze, but 4 km into the run I pulled off my top and ran in short sleeves as I was HOT....I cant run with I am feeling hot...I feel so much better when I feel the cooler air on my skin cooling me down.

I felt tired today as I had run lots this week...in total this week I ran 34km ( 21 miles ) and then all the other toning and teaching I've done with heavy leg workouts as legs burn the most calories when you work them out.

We did 10 km ( 6.2 miles ) in 1.15 mins. ~ 5 mins shorter to the last time we ran as a group.

I burned an amazing 925 calories...am I overjoyed with that!!

HR 112 - 145

Before my run this morning I did 30 mins of toning ...

200 sit ups

Push ups ( a few less today as I didn't feel very strong )

Triceps and biceps...with shoulders.

This week my training looks as follows.

Did 8 workouts

Burned 4237 calories

Did 34km ( 21 miles )

2x Personal training sessions

1x Aerobic class

5,5km Walking with camera ( 3.4miles )

28km running. ( 17.3 miles )

I do not wear my HR monitor when i do my toning for the Group Challenge...so not counted in.

I am going to continue training as I have been from now till I leave for Cape Town on the 25th October.

The only changes I am going to make is I am going to take one day off a week for rest day.

Tomorrow morning I'm going for a MRI to see if there are any new lesions on my brain...I will decided from the results what my next steps are going to be. Treatment before or after my trip to Cape Town is what I have to decided once I know the results.

So tomorrow will be an off day for me....