SKINNY!

Quick question:
Would you rather be skinny or healthy?

Quite a number of you probably automatically, without thinking said healthy because as part of the healthy living community, that's what we endorse. I'm sure there was also a significant number- whether you acknowledged it or not- who said skinny.

Obviously the perfect scenario would be healthy and skinny but perfection is fairly rare.
I've rambled and raved on this before, here, here and here and you know what, I'm gonna do it again because it's a topic that seems to be on everyone's brain lately. (at least every girl at my school's brain) Being Skinny.

'I wish I looked like her!'
'My legs are tree trunks.'
'Why is she so lucky- she's so skinny!'
'I bet I'd be as skinny as her if I gave up food!'
'Ok, I'm starting the diet today.'
'I have so much flab.'
'Your gorgeous, I'm the fat one.'

Who said those things? A number of people, this is just a list of the common conversations I seem to be having with people all. the. time.
What do you say back to something like- 'You are so lucky to be that skinny, I wish I was like that.' Seriously, what do you say? I don't know- then everything just gets awkward!

Actually, I do know what I want to say though. I want to scream at the top of my lungs that being skinny doesn't make you healthy, it wont make you any happier and having an obsession with it along with a hatred of your own beautiful body will have more detrimental affects on your life than just being you.

You can't judge a persons health on their dress size.
You don't know if they eat fresh wholesome foods and skip the processed junk because they look like a model.
Health needs a different measuring system. Now.

You don't need me to tell you that people like this exist:

I think this is where the problem stems. The way you look (especially in teenager hood- hello fast metabolism and mandatory exercise in schools) can sometimes have no correlation to your lifestyle. In the long run, that statement is false of course... but do you think teenage girls are thinking about the long run? No, they're not.

 Think about how you felt the last time you ate a big take away dinner. Not while you were eating it (we all know that feeling's pretty good) but how you felt afterward. Were you bloated, had a stomach ache, felt sluggish and oily (you know the feeling). Compare that with the feeling you got after eating an apple (or other whole food). There's a difference right?

Think about how you think after vegetables have been removed from your life. (Sorry the pickles on that burger don't count as a serve of veggies!) Was your brain foggy? Was it hard to stay concentrated?

Think about your motivation and energy levels after a week of brown fried foods. Tired? Can't be bothered? Do it later?

Just stop and think for a minute.

Compare that to energy. To healthy digestion and a lighter feeling. A bouncy, wide awake-ness. A motivation to do things. A happiness that lifts you up and brightens not only your day, but everyone else's.

Compare it to health.

Notice how there was no mention of sizes/ shapes/ bodies. That doesn't come into it.

If you eat well and look after your body with exercise you enjoy doing than the body you have is the perfect body for you! That's it! Don't have a thigh gap- that's perfect for you! Have a bigger stomach than that girl next to you- that's perfect for you!

Do you see what I mean?

I don't diet. I don't exercise every minute of the day. I don't calorie count and I definitely don't deal with being hungry very well :) Yet I am constantly told I'm so skinny and lucky. I don't like it. I'm not being that whiny person with 10 billion first world problems. I truly don't see that statement (in the way it is presented) as a compliment. Id rather be told I have such bubbly energy and great focus and good stable energy levels, as they are the true traits of my health. Back when I was living off baked beans, cheese and pasta I was the same size but I was not the same person and I want that little fact acknowledge far above anything else.

Let's bring an end to Skinny= Healthy because it's just not true!

What about you? 
Do you agree with me? Disagree? Thoughts in general?

Phew, I feel good getting that off my chest!

See you guys next time! :D

My running routine

Hello wonderful people! How's it going?
It's Thursday and I'm in the mood for some thinking... out loud style!
This week I thought I would share with you my little running routine... because why not?
I'm really good at reasons why I do things.

Ok- let's go!

Somewhere between 5:00am- 6:00am I'll stir from my deep and dreamy slumber to awaken beautifully with a small yawn and stretch.
Ok, let's be real here.
Somewhere between 5:00am-6:00am I'll stir from my deep and dreamy slumber, do a big ol' stretch to get the juices flowing, shout a good morning to the world, laugh at myself and then spring out of bed!

After a few 100 sit ups (I love doing sit ups) my body is wide awake and I bound into the kitchen- this belly is ready for a little something!- and have some water and some dried fruit:

This particular day saw a date and a fig :) Notice how dark it is- indicator of earliness :)
With the hunger tamed enough for me to continue, I make my way to my room where I slip into my running gear and do some light stretching, a bit of rolling and a lot of dynamic stretching (so my legs are WIDE AWAKE!)

Simultaneously running down the stairs, I tie my hair back into some sort of pony tail and head out!

Lately I've been sticking to 15-20 min runs so my injury doesn't come back- I don't want to push myself too hard just yet.

Now, I'm a run-without-music runner because the pounding of my feet and the birds and other early morning sounds are so calming and therapeutic that added music pumping through my brain just isn't necessary. However when I first started running, I had to have something plugged into my ears or I'd just get bored. I think it was the school cross country team that changed me as we weren't aloud iPods in training.

After finishing my favourite route (don't know how far/ how many calories burned/ how long I'm gone... don't care) I run straight through the door, smile on my face and heart pumping.

I then begin walking around the house. Everywhere and anywhere. Up the stairs down the stairs in the kitchen, in the lounge room, round and round for about 10 mins. Then I do some more rolling, drink a fair bit of water and check emails/ blogs.

Energised, happy and ready to tackle the day!

Currently I don't run two days in a row (slowly building up) and so I cherish my runs even more now :)

How about you?
Are you a runner? I only found my love for running last year!
If not, what's your favourite past time? What clears your mind and relaxes you?
Do you like dried dates and figs? Only reason I ask is because I am completely obsessed with both!

Bye for now folks! :D

Experimentation!

If you enter my household on a weekend morning (no... that's a lie- on any morning) you might witness what can only be described as me crazily chucking random ingredients into bowls and hoping for the best experimenting :)

I love to create new taste sensations/ just make really weird (but good!) creations.
A few of my favourites:
 The breakfast pretzel:

The breakfast pizza:

And these colourful pizza parcels:

 On this fine Sunday I had full intentions to make these pancakes I saw whilst blog scrolling and so raced into the kitchen and thought.. hang on, I can take this idea and make something new!

I was feeling some kind of bake.

So I made a green... something or other:

Into my cutesie food processor went 1/2 banana, a handful of spinach and a splash of almond milk- whazzed!

Then I decided to combine that with 1/3 cup rolled oats, a big dash of cinnamon (like 3 big shakes) 1/4 cup coconut flour, a few chopped nuts and some raisins- stirred to combine:

Green stuff added:

Poured into mug:

And baked at 180 degrees celsius for 15 mins:

While it was baking I made something a little less creative but still extremely delicious:

A big handful of mixed frozen berries, whazzed up with some greek yoghurt! (note the awesome colour:)

Placed in the freezer to harden up a bit.

Whilst I was rummaging through the fridge for something to top my bake with I found an almost empty jar of cashew butter. Score!

I began spooning in my piping hot bake and realised it wouldn't all fit... so I simply ate the rest there and then (I was HUNGRY!)

Then I ate the rest like a civilised person:

Topped with a little extra nut butter for good measure:

Admiring the colour again:

A few spoon shots for good measure:

And then I was full!
I was fairly happy with this creation- it still needs a bit of work but that's what experimentation is all about! I'm thinking some different flavour combos next time like chocolate/ blueberry/ caramel (hello dates!)

Your turn:
What's your best food creation?
What's your weirdest food combo?
Do you get scared of stuff that's green?

I hope you guys have a good Sunday- remember to eat something yummy- and I'll see you later! :D

Best way to start the day for an exam :)

Hello, hello folky folks! It's Saturday! Yay!
 Do you know what that means?
 It means no exams!
Fridays, however, mean two exams... maths and geography... yay.
So how do I deal with exams and make sure I'm in the best possible state when sitting them?
I have a few tips!

No, sorry... I'm not going to give you the secret to ace-ing an exam, I'm just gonna give you my tips on how I get through them.

So Thursday afternoon I didn't freak out. I didn't sit in my room surrounded by books and cram. I went for a walk and read over my notes. That's it. (I had prepared earlier... if you have not- CRAM! don't stress, it'll make things worse.) Then I relaxed in the evening and went to bed at a reasonable hour, making sure I got around 8 hours sleep.

Waking up refreshed, happy and energised I screamed a 'Good Morning!' to the world and then went out for a morning run.

Now even more refreshed and energised I made some brekky to fuel my brain!

Some vanilla protein balls (1/3 cup rolled oats, handful wholegrain cheerios, scoop of vegan vanilla protein powder, 1 tablespoon of coconut butter mixed melted with half a cup of almond milk (microwave) and.. that's it!) Stirred to combine then formed into balls and placed in the freezer for 30 mins.

Washed down with a brilliant green smoothie:

This one had 1 chopped frozen banana, 1 chopped frozen kiwi fruit, 3 scoops of greek yoghurt, 1 handful of kale, one handful of spinach and some almond milk- all whazzed up to smoothy smoothness.

I had a nice balance of fat (coconut butter) carbs (oats and wholegrain cheerios) protein and calcium (protein powder, almond milk, greek yoghurt) dark leafy greens (spinach and kale) and deliciousness (everything)

You bet I ate all five of those protein balls... I was a hungry-hippo and- ofcourse- wanted to make sure my brain was well fed too ;)

So checklist:
Well rested- tick
Energised- tick
Prepared- tick
Well fed- tick

Exams- bring it on!
Why my routine works for me:
First of all, I am a morning person, so waking up early and going for a run sets me up for a great day. Secondly I'm a breakfast eater- if I don't eat breakfast I will faint, so breakfast is a must. Thirdly I'm a strong believer in enjoying oneself so this routine works for me! If you love sleeping in snuggled in bed, do it. It'll make you happy :)

In reality, preparation is your biggest success story.
Except of course when life throws you this in an exam:

Preparation will do nothing :D

There's always that one question!

Your turn!
How do you/ did you prepare for exams?
What was your routine prior to exams?
Any scary/ funny exam stories?

Bye for now friends! :D

Early Morning Productivity- Thinking out loud

Hidy-ho friendly folks!
It's Thursday and I've been thinking... out loud!
Thanks Spoons for the link-up!

Today I want to talk about my mornings.
I am definitely a person who is a heck of a lot more productive in the morning than at night- take the other day for example I woke up, chugged water, read blog posts, messaged some friends (about events coming up) did 100 sit ups, ate 2 dates, went for a run, had a shower and washed my hair... all before it was 6:30am!
Compare that to the night- I ate dinner and watched some t.v., then read a book.

I like to think I wake for a better reason than my internal body clock. So I tell myself this:

But why am I so productive in the mornings? Why am I the only teenager who wakes up before their parents? Why do I like to go to bed somewhere between 8:30pm-9:30pm?

Because that's just who I am!
Why?
 For some reason I feel better and enjoy my day more when I've already accomplished so much. I hate having things hanging over my head. If I have to do something I'll do it there and then, I've never really been an 'I'll do it later.' kind of person

 I also feel a lot more energised if I've woken up somewhere between 5:30am-6:30am because I think that's my bodies perfect waking time.

I'm also really scared of alarm clocks:

I like to rise with the sun

Ultimately I think the reason I like early mornings so much can be summed up in this quote:

Now I know not everyone loves the mornings...

However, if you want to become a morning person, here's a few tips:

1. Slash an hour from your day- trim down your evening tasks
2. Make sure you have a good hearty breakfast with lots of protein because some coffee and a piece of gum will not make the mornings more bearable! (check out some great recipes here)
3. Exercise when the sun comes up- early morning exercise can help us feel more energised all day!
4. Lastly:

How great is that?
I was reading a magazine the other day and there was an interview with Shailene Woodley (favourite actress at the moment!) where she said she started everyday shouting 'Good Morning!' to the world as loud as she can. I thought this was awesome and now I do the exact same thing :) You guys should try it, you will definitely end up either laughing/ smiling/ ready to tackle the day!

This is just me Thinking Out Loud... leave a comment if you are like me (I'm sure there are heaps of you... maybe) or if you prefer the mornings in bed :)