The bolognese that blew my freaking mind...

I made bolognese yesterday... big deal! I hear you say..

But it was a big deal you see.. because it was GILL'S bolognese.. Gill from River Cottage. And Gill from River Cottage, I now realise, has the best bolognese recipe in the whole world.. Think I'm exaggerating??!

You must CLICK HERE right now and get this recipe for yourself! Because it was the best freaking pasta sauce I have ever consumed! It has a whole lot of lovely, healthy ingredients but I think the thing that made it so wonderful was the cooking time. I let it simmer away for nearly two hours. Like a bolognese stew really! We left out the booze because we had none and swapped the pancetta for short cut bacon. Even with those changes it was amazeballicious!

I SO wish I had taken a better picture but alas, we ate it all before I managed to snap a classy food-bloggeresque image to share. The River Cottage crew have a lovely, much more appetising image on their page which I could've stolen (and given due credit of course) but in the interest of being an ethical blogger, this crappy picture will have to do!

We ate the whole batch last night. John and the kids had theirs with spaghetti and I had mine poured over some blanched broccoli and cauliflower. I would've had the spaghetti usually but yesterday was "accelerator day" on the 12wbt and it was just as delicious with veggies.

***Quick brag***
I have now dropped 9.8kg in the 9 weeks I have been following the 12wbt plan!! Feeling much healthier and my head is so much clearer!!

Consistency is the key

I am now in week 7 of the 12 Week Body Transformation. I haven't really posted anything about it as I feel like I shared SO much of myself in the last round that my focus shifted from the actual task at hand and I spent a lot of time thinking about how I presented myself in videos and blogs (and trying to inspire others along the way). This is not a bad thing per se however I did lose focus and wound up not finishing the 12 week program. I just dropped the ball and it was all too much pressure.

So this time I decided to keep it sort of on the down low. I have been sharing on Facebook and talking with family but the blog really hasn't been my focus. Having said that, I now feel like I can share a little bit about how I've been going.

My mantra for this round has been "consistency is the key" and I have been focusing on doing ALL the workouts I plan at the beginning of my week and consistently sticking to my healthy nutrition plan.

I have now lost 8.3kg over the last 7 weeks. Consistency is working. I am feeling fitter, stinger, my head is clearer and I can't wait to feel even better as the weeks roll on.

Are you trying to get healthy? Do you have a support network? What are you doing to get you to where you want to be? I'd love to hear from you. Please drop me a comment below.

xo

My face- 7 weeks and 8kg down and I'm beginning to see some changes.

Weighty issues..

I almost can't believe I still need to blog about this stuff. I mean, I have been at my ideal weight (prior to pregnancy) and maintained it for over a year. Yet here I am once again not really knowing how to do what I need to do to feel awesome and healthy... When I say I don't know how to do it, I guess know it's not really true. I know what I need to to. Actually doing it is another matter. 

Right now I feel fat, a little frumpy, intermittently sad/down in the dumps and very very unfit. I am also acutely aware that most of these things are my own fault. I have not prioritised my health and as a result I have ended up staring up from the bottom of the hole I have dug myself into... I know I can change this because I have done it before. I know all my own excuses because I have heard them come out of my friends mouths at times when they were not in control of their lives. I have challenged them on these excuses and pretty much told them to make a plan to succeed and just do what it takes to get there. Yup.. I've said those things... And now I am saying them to myself.

"If you focus on results, you will never change. If you focus on change, you will get results"- Jack Dixon

So right now I am going to remind myself of the things that have worked for me in the past in an attempt to figure out a way to replicate those things and begin to feel better. I want to be more in control of my life. 

Things I know:

1. I love weight training. It makes me feel like a freaking fitness queen and gets me great curvaceous results.

2. I need regular high intensity training. I hate running but when I do it I also get great results. Other classes like RPM are fun and give me the variety I need to keep interested.

3. My body does not handle lots of carbs. I have polycystic ovaries and some PCOS symptoms and eating a carb-loaded diet makes me crazy. My moods are affected and I just want to continue to binge on sugar and refined starchy foods. 

4. Planning my meals ahead of time helps me to feel in control and stops me from making poor decisions in the heat of hunger. 

5. I feel good when each meal contains a good balance of protein, low gi carbs and lots of fresh salad and veggies. I also know that nuts and flax seeds fill me up and keep me from wanting foods that make me crazy.

6. Fresh juices are the bomb and make me feel like I am drinking liquid sunshine/rainbows/vitamins... whatever.. I just know that I feel amazing when I drink green veggie juices daily. 

7. I like to be surrounded by other people who face the same kind of struggles BUT who are achieving great results. I draw strength from other's success and I feel great sharing my own experiences from others.

8. I need to schedule in intentional exercise and make it non-negotiable. Otherwise it will not happen.

9. I need to get my hormones checked because I feel greatly influenced by them and it doesn't feel quite right.

I am going to leave it at nine points just to annoy all of you OCD type people. 

Now I need to make a more detailed plan... back soon.

Ash

xo

Thanks endorphins.. I needed you today!