Workout and Body Currently

Hey there, classy people!

Yeah, not too sure where classy came from , but hey, decided to roll with it today!!

I hope you're all having a smashing week and that there are plenty of good, good things happening in life at the minute (sometimes it just takes a simple look around at your life to see just how brilliant things are) because I know I'm sure struggling to keep that positivity bug floating around my head. Being bogged down with test and assignment after assignment, gosh the weeks do fly-by, but so do any chance of appreciating the day!!

Any who, that's not what I want to talk about today. Nope, today is a little catch-up on the recent recently's of my exercise routine. You may remember my last little catch up from a post a little while back stating how much I was loving my workouts at the minute and really felt like I was in the 'crushing it' season of my life.

Currently? Not much has changed! It's kind of odd that in the middle of deep, dark, cold Winter is when my body decides it wants to work hard, sweat heaps and challenge, challenge, challenge itself, but hey- I go with the flow!

So, what have I been up to recently?

I've definitely been focussing much more on strength and stability, like I mentioned in my last workout currently post, and am really loving the changes I've been seeing in my body as a result of all those heavier lifts and slower, but more stabilising and challenging workouts (combined with cardio on other days- still need to get the jitter-bug out of me!)

Took a picture of my legs the day of my leg-workout and couldn't help but grin stupidly at the fact that my usually spindly little legs now have muscle!! And quite a bit of it!!

I've started to incorporate certain days to certain body area; ie. Monday being leg-day, Tuesday a HIIT session to up that cardio and fitness, Wednesday generally a run of some description; long-run, interval sprints, hill-sprints etc. Thursday might be focusing on arms/ back/ chest (upper body stuff), Friday usually focusses on working those abs and core and Saturday is another run day which could either be a more challenging run; beach run, interval sprints etc. or a nice, easy paced, steady state, low-intensity long run- like this past Saturday.

This one is me prepping for my early-morning (read:5:30am) beach run... the beach is a scary, scary place when it is pitch black and you can only hear the waves to your side, hoping a surprise surge of water doesn't splash over you legs without you realising!

I think my face already knew the fears that would unfold! Just kidding- it was quite the challenging, leg strengthening (and wearing out!!), fitness inducing workout and yet it's these workouts that leave me the most satisfied- yep I challenged myself today; now I can do anything!

These are my legs after the brutal length of sand that never seemed to end. Yep, they were ready to collapse upon entering my house...

And this picture of me and my crazy hair- hey the beach is a windy place!- reveals just how early this run must have been if this is the post-run picture!

The coolest thing about my current workout routine I think is that I can feel and see the results. No, not just in that narcissistic, body-obsessed, mirror-watching way, in the way I can do daily things. Like shock people at how easy I can open a jar they've been struggling with for a good 10 minutes or so. Or lift 5 chairs at a time when setting up for the weekly school assembly as most of the other girls take 2 max.

I seriously am quite proud of my arms; purely for the fact at how far they've come! A big goal of mine was increasing my upper body strength (I used to have a lot of it as a gymnast and acrobat) and I think I'm reaching that goal!!

Or even simply waking up full of energy, feeling strong and powerful and knowing that this training; this challenging of myself is not only making me physically stronger but also so much more mentally powerful.

The prospect of lifting one more rep of a weight that just seems so impossible and then doing it? Heck, if I can do that, I can finish this entire maths chapter and crush my literature oral assignment. I can walk tall among my peers. I can breath confidence and I can succeed. And that's what I think is the most important thing about my new 'currently' in fitness.

Sure I could spend a post talking about how much more shredded I look, or how much any of my previously softer and squishier parts have firmed up and are looking toned and muscular, but you know what, that's just the added benefits for me. The extras. Because ultimately, if my workouts can make me feel positive, strong and powerful, then I am one happy, happy lady. And I think that's what we should all focus on too when we workout and make new goals- I'd rather be feeling like I'm utterly crushing it and still sporting my scrawny little runner legs, then be miserable and dreading life with super toned and beautifully muscular legs.

How about you?
Have you had a change-up of workouts/ exercise routined recently?
Favourite strength-training exercises?
Ever run on a pitch-black beach? My advice: don't, unless you're not even in the slightest little bit scared of the dark... because this just revealed to me that I am!

I hope that was a little inspiring/ insightful and hopefully made you want to get out there and move your body in any way that will leave you feeling strong, powerful and ready to conquer the world. Smile, love and be happy and as always; EAT SOMETHING DELICIOUS!! Bye for now friendly friends! :D

Turmeric... In My Oats??

Hi there everyone!
Happy whatever day of the week it is because I have no idea because life is just a little too hectic right now!

Breathe, Steph, breathe.

Phew.

Ok, we're good.

It's actually not that bad, it's just whenever I stop and think about how much school is chucking on us year 12's I get a bit overwhelmed, but when your in there, doing all the stuff; it's completely manageable. Just means I no longer have a social life/ weekend. We all have to make sacrifices!

Sigh.

Anywho, that's NOT what I want to talk about today (seems to be the only conversation one can have at school at the minute; which is where I spend the majority of my time!). Nope- today I want to discuss food. Can ya believe it!?

More specifically, a recent food trend that seems to have taken over the foodie/ healthy-living community. I first saw this trend pop up with people posting pictures of bright orange lattes and smoothies and whilst my initial thoughts were along the line of some kind of fruit-based product (mango, oranges) and then onto the typical; carrot/ pumpkin/ sweet potato concoctions, I was quite shocked when I read the description of these gorgeous creations to find out the secret ingredient was in fact TURMERIC.

Now this is definitely a spice I have not had much experience with, possibly just the odd dash into a random curry dish for add of colour, or a quick smell and then screwing up the face as I tried to work out which flavour to add to my meal.

I knew it held lots of amazing natural healing properties and anti-inflammatory benefits because my mum used to take natural pills with added turmeric to help with her joints etc. but it wasn't until I saw this new trend rising to the surface that i truly learned how utterly incredible this spice is! (Already a huge advocate for cinnamon, so I guess it was time to broaden my horizons!)

The coolest piece of info I think I came across was indeed the potency of turmeric and yet the utter safety of consumption. That's not something you hear very often in the generally accepted medicine aisle at the shops.

'In numerous studies, curcumin's anti-inflammatory effects have been shown to be comparable to the potent drugs hydrocortisone and phenylbutazone as well as over-the-counter anti-inflammatory agents such as Motrin. Unlike the drugs, which are associated with significant toxic effects (ulcer formation, decreased white blood cell count, intestinal bleeding), curcumin produces no toxicity'

-Source: The World's Healthiest Foods

*Curcumin being the yellow/ orange pigment that gives turmeric it's distinctive colour

So if that wasn't enough to pique my interest than the bright yellow pictures of everyday foods spiked with the incredible spice most definitely did!

And thus, my Monday morning bowl of banana turmeric oats came to fruition:

Like all my experimentations in the kitchen, this one resulted in me just adding random quantities of ingredients to my oatmeal pot and hoping that it will all turn out splendidly delicious in the end!

At first when I added a few dashes of turmeric to my 1 cup rolled oats, 1 sliced banana, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 cup unsweetened almond and water it did not go orange at all (duh Steph, it was still cold and not dissolved in!) so I added more still during the cooking process and when I came back after a few minutes of bubbling away...

I was met with a pot of bright flour yellow, bubbling oats!

I was a little apprehensive because I could smell the turmeric quite well and I wasn't really after a savoury bowl of oats (hence banana and cinnamon etc.) so when I let the mixture cool and then added in a spoon of greek yoghurt, transferred the oats to my mug (spread with homemade almond butter and crunchy peanut butter) and took my first taste-test from the leftover scrapes in the pot... I was pleasantly surprised to find it wasn't overpowering at all!

Nope, instead it just added this delightfully subtle and warming hint of spice that made you question, hmm what's that secret ingredient spicing up my oats??

And with all those other nutritional benefits coming along for the ride I was not complaining as i dug into my delicious warm, gooey, sweet, spiced mug of deliciousness! :)

It's another one of those sneaky health things that is just so easy to incorporate into day-to-day life (like adding frozen zucchini to smoothies) that just goes by unnoticed but not unappreciated!

Seriously a truly perfect start to the day (especially on a cold winter's morning!) And offering up the happiest of yellow colours to start your day bright and sunshine-y!!

Your turn:
Are you a turmeric fan?
Favourite way to use turmeric? Super keen for more awesome ideas if you have any- someone told me to add some to my next mango smoothie- definitely going to try!
Craziest thing you've ever added to your bowl of oats? I've pretty much done it all; pumpkin, zucchini, greek yoghurt, banana, berries, cherries, persimmons, apple... turmeric!!

I hope you all have an extremely fun and enjoyable day, do something you love, tell those you love that you love them, eat something surprising and as always; EAT SOMETHING DELICIOUS!! Bye for now friendly friends! :D

SATURDAY

Hidy-there beautiful people, and happy SATURDAY!!! YAYAYAY.

 Seriously cannot tell you how good it felt to be sitting in the car driving back home from school Friday afternoon knowing there was a full weekend ahead of me. Both mum and I sort of just let out a sigh of relief that it was Friday and it's times like this that I thank my lucky stars I am given this break every week, because I do not know how I would cope just going and going and going non-stop (it's like a rest day... for your mind/soul :P)

Anywho, today definitely wasn't a restudy for my body (mind and soul were quite content with a little extra sleep-in however before the sweat-session commenced) seeing the return of my beloved long-run-Saturday! *Squeal!*

^ This is a picture of my legs post-run.... they sure put in a mighty effort today!
So I woke up naturally at around 6:05am (soooo much better than the typical 5:25-5:30am weekday get-up) sauntered around a little, put on my running gear, did some dynamic warm-ups and then headed on out.

I was in a positive mood all of yesterday arvo and night and thankfully that seemed to carry through to the morning and to my run.

Lookie at how happy I appear- this is post-run too!

It was one of those runs where I legit could have just kept going and going and going. I felt strong, powerful, fit. My breathing was steady basically the entire run and when the thought of turning back around for the loop back home crossed my mind, I just wanted to keep going. So keep going I did!

And this is me realising that I just ran a heck of a lot of K's and am kind of hungry so need to stop snapping pics and whip up some brekky!

15.45km keep going that is!! That's probably the furthest I've run since my glorious (hint: not) days when I over-exercised my way up to 20+km every second day. But have no fear, this time I'm working up slower, doing just one long run a week, and going as far as my body seems to feel good (sometimes the body just did not want to run 22km- can you blame it- and yet it was long-run second day and I would force my body to do the run anyway- no wonder I became extremely fatigued!!)

I was super chuffed with myself and still felt good as I walked into my house and immediately needed some sustenance (I prefer to work out on an empty stomach; draw-back= ravenous monster upon finishing exercise!)

 Enter breakfast. I knew I needed carbs. Oats sounded good. I knew I really wanted some of my home-made almond butter- #nutbutteraddict, I also knew a green smoothie had to be featured because, well, I'm addicted. And they also hold so many nutrients while tasting amazing and are so easy to ingest!

And so a breakfast of almond butter oat balls and banana green smoothie was created and Steph was one happy, fed, camper (don't ask me how I managed to spare time taking pictures while my body was screaming food because I don't know. Or maybe it was all the 'taste-testing' I did while making this brekky... :P

To make the oat balls I simply threw 3/4 cup rolled oats, 4 pitted dates, 1 teaspoon maca powder, 1 HEAPED tablespoon almond butter, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and around 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk into the vitamin (any blender/ food processor will work) and whizzed until smooth and combined. Rolled into balls and popped in the freezer for 20 or so minutes whilst I made the smoothie and foam rolled and stretched and drank water!

The smoothie was simply 1 large frozen banana, 1 handful chopped, frozen zucchini, 1 handful spinach, 3 big scoops greek yoghurt and water- whaz and serve!

 Inside view^^

 I just quickly want to emphasise how much of a big deal it is to eat enough each and every single day, because if I compare how I felt on this run compared to how I felt on my Wednesday morning beach run, the differences are paramount.

Tuesday (day before Wednesday :P) I didn't eat a sufficient amount of food- for me, my body requires a lot!- and my dinner just didn't have the fuel I needed to power through a fasted-cardio session on the beach. Come Wednesday morning, my legs were tired and heavy, my breathing rough and off-pace, I struggled immensely and pushed myself harder than I usually ever have to. Sure, I felt super-powerful and amazing after ward, but comparing it to today where I felt like I could run and run forever??

The difference was on Friday I ate. And I ate enough to fuel my body, to fuel the amazingly efficient, energy-burning machine that it is. I ate a big breakfast. I ate a substantial lunch. My dinner contained complex carbs, fibre, protein- and even the 2 big squares of dark chocolate after dinner were just as essential!!

So yes, my friends, eat today to fuel for tomorrow- you will notice the difference; especially in your workouts!

Your turn:
What was your best workout from the week?
Do you feel a difference when you eat substantially less the day before a big workout?
Fav food to fuel your body to smash a workout? Bread/ pasta and heaps of veggies usually do it for me the night before a big session!

That's it from me today folks; I have a MOUNTAIN of homework to get done for the week to come and it's not going to get completed with me enjoying myself blogging all day!

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend, take some time out to just enjoy yourself, do something you love, move your body in the way that feels awesome and as always; EAT SOMETHING DELICIOUS!!! Bye for now friendly friends! :D

Dessert For Breakfast!

Dessert for breakfast.

It is most definitely a thing.

And it is most definitely real in my household!!

I've never really been much of a savoury breakfast person, although from the remarks and praise I've read from savoury breakfast enthusiast bloggers I have dabbled a few times changing out my sweet, creamy, gooey breakfasts for more savoury, crunchy, salty meals. So I haven't just waved them off without giving a good savoury breakfast a fair go.

I don't know. My body just seems to want a warm/ cold/ sweet/ creamy/ delectable dessert-type breakfast and when I do end up forcing the body to consume a savoury breakfast (*gasp*) I just don't feel as satisfied- or maybe a feeling of I'm missing out and whilst I do agree I crave less sweet foods during the day as a result; my body (emotionally probably rather than physically) is still upset I didn't give it what it truly desired. And that, my friends, is my scientific evidence that dessert-for-breakfast is a must. At least for me ;P.

So, for today's post, I thought I would showcase a few of my breakfasts from the week that was ringing true to the idea that I like myself a dessert-style start to my day for optimum enjoyment and energy!

So first up we have something I cherish so much in life. It has been there through thick and thin. Always present to warm up a cold morning. To stick to the ribs and fulfil that satiated contentedness feeling of fullness. To be eaten with lavish amounts of nut butter and livened with multitudes of mix-ins and fruits and flavours that make this food so versatile and exciting that a different bowl could be created Every. Single. Day.

Oatmeal:

This was a happy yellow mug filled with vegan vanilla protein powder zucchini oats, topped (and dolloped throughout) with creamy, nutty chocolate nut butter:

Simply chuck a serving (my servings are probably bigger than most) of steel cut oats into a saucepan with a scoop of vegan vanilla protein powder, 1/2 grated zucchini, 1 sliced banana, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 cup almond milk, 1 cup water and bring to boil, stirring every now and then for around 15-20mins or until liquid is absorbed.

Top with anything your heart desires!

This is just so good and delicious and NOM.

And it has a serve of veg involved (that you cannot taste at all by the way; simply adds more volume to your oats!! MORE BREAKFAST!!)

Our next dessert-like scenario involved a bowl, a smoothie and some crispy, crunchy, home-made golden granola:

The smoothie was simply 2 frozen bananas whizzed up in a blender with spinach, kale, 4 fresh mint leaves and some greek yoghurt- popped in the freezer until ready to eat.

Followed up by my delicious home-made peanut butter granola:

1/2 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 handful wholegrain cheerios
1 large tablespoon crunchy peanut butter
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

Heat up almond milk and PB, add to dry ingredients, rub through with hands, pop on baking tray, in oven (180 degrees celsius) for around 15-20 mins until golden and crunchy).

Top it off and voila!

Deliciousness in a bowl of food.

Next up we have our second dessert-oatmeal creation of the week, this one featuring double-choc, rich, protein banana oats in an almost empty jar of mixed nut butter (best way to eat warm oats!!)

To make this bad boy, I simply threw 1 cup rolled oats, 1 sliced banana, 1 scoop choc protein powder, 1 teaspoon raw cacao powder, 1 cup unsweetened almond milk and 1/4-1/3 cup water into a saucepan, heated, stirring occasionally until absorbed and then staring through some greek yoghurt for creamy, cheesecake and volume enjoyment!

Delightful, delicious, delectable. And chocolate. I mean, come on!

Lastly, I don't want to skip passed my beloved smoothies in the dessert for breakfast department as they are truly such an amazingly creamy, sweet, tummy-happy-inducing breakfast that tastes so much like a beautifully creamy dessert that one can't help but shed a small tear to the fact that this smooth, sweet drink contains so many nutrients, vitamins and minerals. That is truly a gift to the world if I ever did see one!

This huge greenie involved 1 large frozen banana, 1 handful frozen zucchini, 1 large handful frozen mango, soaked oats in almond milk, kale, spinach and water- whizzed up until smoothy-smoothy-smoooooth!

There's something just so satisfying about making a breakfast this big (you didn't see how much was left in the blender post-filling of this jar!!) and having a breakfast that just seems to never end!! My kind of meal!

Alrighty- I should probably wrap this up here before I get too overwhelmed by all this deliciousness and end up making one of these desserts for dinner (I won't be able to restrain myself in the end and my breakfast foods will occur for breakfast lunch and dinner if I'm not careful!) so with the happy memories of these meals once had, I shall bid thee adieu and leave you to whatever meal you have coming up next (soo hungry for dinner right now!)

Your turn:
Are you a sweet or savoury brekky?
Favourite savour breakfast to have?
Best breakfast you can think of eating right at this minute!? I could really go for a huge stack of choc chip pancakes right now... yep, dinner's looking promising ;).

I hope you all have a lovely rest of your day, look after yourselves, move your body in a way that feels good and fuel your body with the foods that make it feel goodbye. EAT SOMETHING DELICIOUS! Bye for now friendly friends! :D

What's My Diet, Exactly??

What's my diet?

What diet do I follow?

Where do I fit?

I used to ask myself these ^ questions all the time and for so long I wasted valuable moments on something that didn't exactly have an answer...

I'll try to make it a bit clearer to you as to what I mean and where I'm going with all this.

You see, if you look through my phone (the device to which practically every single one of my meals are stored for... something?!) at the never-ending snaps of food, there is no way you can come up with a concrete answer as to what dietary lifestyle I choose to follow.

Whilst you would see heaps of veggies and plates like this:

 Roasted potatoes, peas, raw veg sticks and natural air-popped popcorn

I'm not a vegan:

Post

 And sometimes my dinners turn out to feature no grains at all:

Baby carrots, peas, mixed four beans

There is no way that I am low-carb/ paleo!

 Creamy pumpkin and avocado pasta with mixed beans and parsnip:

 Quite a few times a week I love to start my day with a huge super-green smoothie with all the fruit/ veg/ natural carbohydrates:

 Frozen mango, frozen banana, frozen zucchini, soaked oats, kale, spinach, greek yoghurt, water:

 I'm definitely not low-fat/ high-carb fruitarian:

 Wholemeal spelt pancakes topped generously with crunchy peanut butter and mixed seed and nut choc nut butter (side of blueberry fro-yo)

 Nom:

 And when dinner time rolls round; sure there are some nights when I just don't do carbs in the grain form:

 roast veg, nuts and a big mug of soy milk

But I am most definitely not restricted as to the time i decide to eat my bread/ rolls/pasta/ rice etc.

Toasted sammy made with lots of hommus, baked beans and sliced tomato on wholemeal bread with some steamed greens and the remaining tomato.

Vegan pumpkin soup with a warmed up sourdough roll

I could go on and on but quite frankly; it would never end! I'm not carb cycling, I don't count calories. I'm not part of the IIFYM (if it fits your macros) club, I'm not a pescatarian, fruitarian, lacto-vegetarian, low-FODMAP, Atkins, 5:2, gluten-free,raw, Mediterranean etc. etc. etc.

So what the heck am I?

Well, that's the thing.

The real question is not what defines me as a person because of my eating habits, rather, why do I feel the need to be defined by the way I eat. Why can't I simply eat the foods that make my body feel its best and be ok with the fact that theirs no one specific label for the way I eat?

Human. That's what I'll label myself as. My name is Steph and I'm a vegetarian, fruitarian, paleo, low-fat, high carb human!

Your thoughts:

What are your thoughts on this whole topic of labelling diets/ lifestyles?

Do you identify with a specific lifestyle?

Bread after dark- do you do it?? :P

That's it from me today folks- I hope you have a truly lovely day, don't get caught up on the little things that really don't mater in the grand scheme of things, be nice to yourself and others and as always; EAT SOMETHING DELICIOUS!! Bye for now friendly friends!! :D

Fav Links of the Week!

Happy Sunday friends!!!

And happy much needed rest day for me! Phew was last week an intense/ tiring/ full-to-the-brim week of 5:30am wake ups, sweaty workouts, full school days and then homework/ study thrown in there too! (as well as all the other commitments that come with my roles in the school!)

So, yes, when I woke up naturally this morning to the sound of nothing more than the windy howl of a winter's day in Aus, it was so nice to just lie for a few extra minutes, smile gratefully at the extra rest and recovery my body deserves and then slowly make my way about my morning to tick off some random errands here and there- waking up, making breakfast, showering, blogging, Instagramming, off to a uni open day and then finishing off my study for the weekend... pretty  cruise-y! :)

If you're anything like me, the very mention of eating breakfast is the first thing to spark my attention in that long-winded paragraph, on account of I want to know what the breakfast was, see the beautiful, nourishing food and witness the very image of what was consumed.

Well, here you go:

Exactly what I wanted when I woke up this morning; hit the spot and definitely filled my body with loads of the good stuff to rest and repair properly for the week to come (definitely don't think I ate enough yesterday after a tough hills session and was ravenous all day!!).

A deliciously creamy green smoothie with warm, crunchy home-made almond butter and peanut butter granola :) Eaten separately because sometimes I like to enjoy each of the textures and tastes separately- you know, the soggy cereal thing??

The smoothie was simply 1 frozen banana, 1 handful frozen persimmons, 1 handful kale, 1 handful spinach, 3 scoops greek yoghurt, splash of water et, voila!

The granola was extra special as the almond butter half was made with freshly made almond butter I whipped up the night before in the Vitamix- so, so good! You can find almost identical recipes for my granola here, here and here!

Yum!

Now, onto some of the links I've been loving in the small pockets of time when I actually get to chill-out and blog read during the whirlwind of the weekdays!

Food:

23 Meal Prep Photos That Are Almost Too Perfect

10 snacks with 10 (or more!) grams of protein

HEALTHY HIGH PROTEIN ROCKY ROAD BLENDER ICE CREAM

fudgy double chocolate mug cake

Fitness:

What Makes Running Memorable?

Health:

Gaining Weight Is Hard.

are you addicted to food?

Good reads:

Is The Five-Second Rule Legit Or Nah?

I DIDN’T WORKOUT FOR HALF A YEAR + THOUGHTS ON FLEXIBILITY

My Body (And Her Body) is Not Your Measuring Stick

Alrighty, I hope you found some interesting/ inspiring/ delicious reads in there and now I have to rush off to the uni open day! Quite excited- life is starting soooooon!

Your turn:
What day is your designated rest day/ does it change from week to week or how you're feeling?
Breakfast today?
Favourite way to eat granola? Generally I'm a big fan of smoothie bowls, but every now and then I just love to separate the two and enjoy them both equally :D

As always; EAT SOMETHING DELICIOUS, and get ready for some more posts coming at ya through the week! bye for now friendly friends!! :D