Brand new Blog Site

Hi All

I have moved my blog to www.vanyasaysso.com.

Please come and join me on my new site.

I can't wait to see you there and hear what you think of the new design.

Vanya

Returning back to exercise after a break

Hi all,

Some time in early October I suffered from a back injury.

Personally I think it was a combination of things that lead to it (lack of core strength, carrying Charlie around and pushing through the pain while excercising), but when it hit I was devastated.

I had finally gotten into a rhythm, gym three times a week and walking every day with Charlie.

I felt limited in what I could do physically until my back was feeling better. I couldn't go to the gym, I could only do walks which had to be at a much slower pace and shorter. I discovered that I had to listen to my body now.

But what was interesting is that the realisation that I CAN'T exercise made me want to do it even more. What is that all about?

Was I listening to my saboteur again? On several occasions Andrew had to remind me that I wasn't exercising because I had to give my back a break so it would heal. Returning to exercise too soon could do more damage.

Fast forward to today.

I got up at 8:30, Charlie was in a good mood and my in-laws stayed the night. Today was my big return to exercise.

My cloths lay out on the chair, prepared enthusiastically the night before, however as I dressed this morning enthusiasm was completely gone.

I wasn't tired, I had slept well last night. My back wasn't sore. I didn't have to look after Charlie this morning as my in-laws were preparing to take him for a walk while I was at the gym. So I had no excuses.... but here I was contemplating going later, or not at all today.

And finally it dawned on me! My saboteur was at it again!

I had no excuse not to go this morning. But she was talking me out of it before I had even stepped out of bed.

All I could do is repeat: "Push through, you will feel fantastic after you go." and so I went. It was only once I entered through the doors that my inner saboteur stopped wining and complaining.

As I sit and write this, I keep telling my self that I have to remember to push through my feelings of doubt. I have to focus on what is on the other side of the workout.

And you know I left the gym after a 40 min cardio session feeling really good. I felt light on my feet and my mind was racing with ideas for a healthy break to regain my energy. Todays day all of a sudden had possibilities that if I hadn't done the exercise would have been much different.

I would have had breakfast and coffee would have turned the TV on and watched (waisted time) would have eaten some more (because it's lunch time, not because I'm hungry), I would have talked my self out of a walk with Charlie (because I'm too tired).

Instead after gym I played and danced with Charlie, I was inspired to cook a healthy lunch and dinner. I then took Charlie for a walk and now I'm sitting at my local cafe writing this post as Charlie sleeps in his pram.

Today was a success!!!!

I am now excited to see what tomorrow will bring.

I'll have a Green Juice please

Hi all,

I must admit when my sister first proposed this green thick drink, which she had enthusiastically told me contained lettuce, celery and spinach amongst other things, I looked at her waiting to see where the hidden camera was.

I mean who drinks lettuce?!?

I didn't want a bar of it! She assured me that it tasted better then it looked, but I couldn't get past the ingredient list and the colour of the drink.

She tried several times to get me to try it and on the occasion I did, I made sure to make the most sour face afterwards.

If you are reading this Sanja, then yes I admit it tasted nice, but I had to give you a hard time. It's in my job description as an older sister ;)

At the time the green juice craze hit my house, it was all about Kimberly Snyder. Before Kimberly entered our house I was oblivious to the green juice craze. Today I see juicing all over the place. Could it be Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon (Frequency Illusion) or is juicing really on everyones mind?

So what is "Green Juice"?

Green juice is a blended fruit and vegetable drink that contains some form of green leafy vegetables, hence the green colour.

The taste however can range, all depending on what else you add to it. Kiwi fruit, orange, banana, apple, pear, grapes. etc.

Really you could add any ingredient you want. I usually try to use anything in my fridge or fruit bowl, to ensure all the produce are used before expiry.

To me, juicing means:

• Increased Energy - I find that after a green juice in the morning I am much more energised then after my morning coffee.
• Bowl movement - GUARANTEED! In fact make sure you are near the toilets about an hour after you drink the juice. (two if you are really blocked up)
• Fruit intake - I personally don't eat fruit every day. This way I get my 2-3 fruit a day 
• Additional Vegetables - While your green juice shouldn't substitute for your daily vegetable intake, this is a great way to add additional vegetables into an already balanced diet

While I don't believe that there are many "disadvantages" to green juice, here are some things that may be looked at as negatives:

• The feeling of full - As all the fruits and veggies are juiced, you would naturally need more to feel fuller. 
• Overload on carbs - If you are following a diet where calorie counting is required you would have to watch the volume you drink to ensure lower calorie intake and the percentage of carbs for the day. 
• Only select vitamins - As you can't juice every vegetable your green juice will not deliver a verity of vitamins outside the once the fruits and veggies you are juicing contain. As such you can't abandon eating balanced meals with a verity of all different coloured veggies. 

TODAY'S GREEN JUICE RECIPE  

This recipe can be done with any fruit or vegetable you have in the fridge so my mix today consists of the following: 

• 1/2 ripe Banana
• 1 Kiwi fruit
• 1/2 Apple
• 1/2 ripe Pear
• Juice of one Orange
• 7 Kale leafs
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup of ice cubes

You Blend all the ingredients and poor into a glass of your choice, here are some ideas:

Dabbling in organic this week?

Hi All,

This week I am trying organic produce!

The past two weeks have been very hectic with appointments for Charlie. We are now almost at the end of our tests for the transplant work up. This was a big job that has taken all of our energy.

So I'm  back in possession of a clear mind and ready to get back to my healthy ways.

So while waiting around last week and in-between appointments I was searching on a convenient way to eat organic fruits and veggies without the hassle of going to the markets over the weekend to shop for it. I know this may sound lazy but with everything going on I need convenience at least in this area of my life.

I was pleasantly surprised when I entered "organic delivery Melbourne" in my search engine. The options listed were fantastic. From Organic produce to Meat to eggs, the list goes, all delivered right to my door step.

After reviewing all the different suppliers I decided to go with Organic Angels.

The reason I chose them is because:

• they didn't required a monthly delivery subscription
• they had a list on their website of what type of veggies to expect in the box, 
• you could add extras
• and the delivery was going to be on Monday (perfect motivation for the start of the week)

My purchase was:

1. Medium Mixed Box
2. 12 Organic free range eggs
3. Organic Strawberries 
4. Organic Tomatoes

Total price (inc. delivery) $94

Note: to self, next time order an extra $10 worth of food for free delivery. 

I justify the price in my head with the fact that I haven't done any other shopping this week and intend to eat the fruits and veggies all week. Since it's organic it won't last long in the fridge so I'll have to give it a decent go.

Shortly after I finish I receive an e-mail advising me that the delivery will arrive between 2 and 4 pm on Monday.

Here is what arrived as promised at 2:30 pm:

First Impressions

Upside

• The box can be folded and left at the front door so they re-use on future deliveries
• The box had a really nice mix of fruits and vegetables, nothing too exotic that I didn't know how to cook
• The leafy vegetables had a few bite holes on them, which didn't bother me as I feel that if bugs can eat it then it must be good ;)

Downside

• My staple fruits were not in the box this week (lemons, apples)

This week I will try to cook up all my veggies and see what is left over at the end of the week. My intention is to try and eat mainly the fruits and veggies and so reduce my processed food intake. 

Next week I'll write my full review on my experience and if I am going to get another order. 

So stay tuned.

Vanya

How to you pick your self up when you fall?

Hi All,

I have started writing many posts this week, but none of them feel right to post. 

Since this blog is about me and my journey it's only appropriate that I share all my experiences, the good and the bad. 

This week I have spent a lot of time focused on how to "get up", as the last week has been quite hard for me. 

For those that don't know, my little baby Charlie was diagnosed with Biliary Atresia (BA) at 8 weeks old. BA is a childhood liver decease that effects 1 in 18,000 children and in short is a blockage of the bile ducks preventing the bile from draining.

To make a long story short we are in the process of tests to be listed for a liver transplant. We have been in and out of hospital since the diagnosis and so last week we went in again for 3 days.

On an everyday basis Charlie is doing well (considering) but he had to receive an Albumin infusion to ease his swollen tummy and since we were there the Drs decided to run as many tests as possible to get him listed for transplant. So in the scheme of hospital visits for us this was a good one.

Naturally this is my most dreaded situation because any time we go to hospital, even for his check ups I'm always emotionally drained after wards. There is always too much information and then you have to wait another month till the next check up. This is when my "fall" happens, I find it very hard to get up emotionally after this.

This time I knew what to expect and told my self that I'd make every attempt to make better food choices. This time I was going to avoid stress or boredom eating, because I now recognise those triggers.

Hopefully You have never been in this situation, but it's very hard to get good healthy food around the hospital cafes. I managed on Soups, Sushi and vegetable wraps. Definitely making better plans for the next time, by getting family to bring me food. 

And then I discovered a whole NEW reason to eat or in my case drink coffee!

So my snacks were coffee, as I was both tired and didn't wan too many snacks between meals. I realised I was getting coffee to "pass time".

I'd get coffee at 8 am as it would get me through until 11am, after all the Dr visits are done. Then another coffee to get me to lunchtime at 2 pm. Then another one at 3 pm to get us through until the next test is scheduled and so on. I had 5 coffees on Thursday!

Again plan for next time is to bring something to do, so I'm occupied. Sudoku, sketching, knitting, games on iPad, anything to help pass the time and doesn't involve eating or drinking.

And so finally I get to my topic at hand. After a few days recovering from the hospital stay (sleeping without beeping machines and nurses in and out of the room) I sit at my local cafe and contemplate my next move. The old me, my programmed saboteur is screening at me to let loose and"enjoy"food. Pizza, muffins, white bread rolls and ice cream.

She tells me that this is all too hard and to reward my self "don't worry about gym or a walk today you deserve a few days off. you are going through a lot!"

As she is talking to me I look over at my cute little hero playing in his pram.

After all the tests he endured last week, the prodding and pocking he sits with a smile and one tooth shyly peeking at me. And my inner motivator is finally within ear shot. Screeming at me to get up dust my self off and proceed on my path. She says "you are doing this for him, you have to get up you have to!"

I am visualising my baby boy after his transplant learning to walk. He will fall a thousand times to try and take that first step alone an unaided. Like many before him, he will get up after every fall and try again. Eventually the falls will be far and few between and he will never fall again. 

And so I must get up out of my momentary set back and make the first step forward. He is too important and I will use him as my motivation to push off the table and not look back.

vanya.

Cozy Quinoa and Chicken Soup

Hi All,

I was so excited about my dinner creation last night, so today I spent all day telling anyone who would listen about it. But really it was sooooo yummy!!

Don't believe me? Try it your self and let me know.

Ingredients:

• 1 litre organic chicken stock
• 1 cup of water
• 1 Leek, cut into 1cm tick discs
• 1 large Carrot, diced
• 1 celery stick, diced
• 200g Canned Lentils, drained and rinsed 
• 1/4 cup Quinoa
• 2 Organic chicken brest
• 1Tbs Mrs. Dash - Southwest chipotle seasoning 
  
• 1/2 Tsp Coconut butter
• Salt & Pepper to tast 

Instructions:

1. Place half the Coconut butter into a pot together with the leek and sautay until the leek is caramelised
2. Add carrot, celery, chicken stock and water to the pot and bring it to the boil
3. Place Quinoa into a small pot with 2/4 cup water and bring to the boil. Cover and cook on low for 15 min and until the water has evaporated. 
4. Once the soup is boiling turn the heat down to let the soup simmer until the veggies are cooked to your liking. I like mine crispy so I leave it on for 5 min.
5. As the soup is simmering, clean your chicken and season it with Mrs. Dash. 
6. Add the rest of the coconut butter to a frying pan and fry the chicken brest until brown and cooked through. 
7. Take the chicken out and cut into strips 
   
   
8. Rinse Lentils under warm water and add to the simmering soup
9. Season soup with salt and pepper, be careful not to season too much as your chicken also has seasoning which will mix into the broth
10. To server spoon out the soup add 2 tablespoons of the cooked quinoa and top with chicken

Serves 3 

Calories 280 per serve

I ate the rest today for lunch 

Vanya

Me, my self and my saboteur

Hi all,

Have you noticed that as soon as you make a commitment to do something, that annoying inner voice pops up and instead of cheering you on does everything to deter you from your set goal?

Without going too much into the philosophy of the "Ego" and how that inner voice or yours is NEVER positive in attitude, I have been thinking that in order to progress in my mission I need to find a way to communicate back.

In the past, even when I was sky high with motivation to follow the diet/fitness plan of the day, my inner voice would always bring me right down to my knees. It was always a race against time, how long I'll endure the bulling before I succumb and give up?

Much like a school yard bully, if you get told enough times that you are not worth it you eventually begin to believe it. My inner voice however is smarter then your regular school yard bully. My voice uses reverse psychology on me.

"Have the cake you deserve it you have been sooooo good!" OR "Have the cupcake (or four) it's been a hard day" OR "You can afford to stay at home and relax today. You deserve the rest you went to the gym two days ago"

This time around I'm just as determined as any other time, but this time I have accepted the fact that I need a new approach to succeed. I need to outsmart my inner voice!

For that I have enlisted the help of my aunty, who by chance is a physiologist. And she told me three very interesting things:

1. Our life is a stage of many actors and personalities (and no, not the kind I loved in "Me, Myself and Irene" and "Fight Club")
2. What my inner voice tells me to do as "reward" is actually "punishment" 
3. In face of something that scares us the inner voice is the loudest screaming to STOP in order for self preservation.

I'll talk about point 2 and 3 in another post. Today it's all about my life stage and it's actors.

My aunty asked me "If you were a spectator in a theatre watching a play about the "day-in-your-life" what would you see?" 

Well I see me on a health kick and in constant battle with my inner voice. She had me describe the actor on stage that represents that inner voice and who else I can enlist to help me through the time of weakness.

Over time we have all give way too much power to that negative inner voice, the one that is so good at sabotaging every attempt we make at changing our self. And for the purpose of my play I call it The Saboteur.

So here are "me, my self (the motivator) and my saboteur." 

Now every time the saboteur enters the stage and tells me 

"Wee Wee Vanyaaa, ave zee cake you deserve it, you ave been so good, no?" I call on my motivator to run in and she tells me "You are what you eat so don't be fast, cheep, easy or fake and even if you loose 250g a week that is 13kgs this time next year.....just keep going!"

So every minute of my day is a battle of wills and hopefully it'll subside as time passes and the saboteur realises that he is NOT the the boss of me.

Try this out your self and you'll see that you will be able to manage your temptations better then before. I find my self pushing back on my self sabotage and choosing healthier choices more often during the day then I did before.

I know it's only early days, but it's working so far.

What does your saboteur look like?

Vanya

Ultimate meal planing for beginners

Hi all,

This post is about how I meal plan.

If you have never done meal planning before then this is the perfect how-to for you.

You will need four things to start (you can build on this later)

1. Calendar  
2. Note pad
3. Pen
4. Meal Planner template (to stick to your fridge)

STEP 1 - Review your week in advance

It will ensure your plan aligns with any social activity you have planned for the week.

You may have dinner at your parents, lunch with clients at work or a date with your partner. On those occasions you will not need a planned meal. This will also help eliminate money spent on food that will go off if not eaten, but also no food waist at the end of the week.  

STEP 2 - Review your stock

Take stock of all freezer, fridge and pantry food items. You need to do this once and then update every time you meal plan.

This activity will save you money at the check out counter!

Once you do this you will notice how many ingredients you already have at home for great recipes. The stock list gives me the ability to use up what I already have and only stock up on what is missing. 

Another fun way to do this is to get some printable templates to fill in and reprint every week.

I found a really fun one on "The Organised Housewife" site  -> Freezer inventory printable

STEP 3 - Pick the meals for the week

Considering your schedule/calendar this week and your kitchen stock, you can now create your menu.

Things to consider when planning:

• Will you have time to prepare a meal every night
• Do you have special recipes your family like on specific nights
• Are you counting calories
• Do you have a new recipe you'd like to try
• Are you planning for you or for the whole family
• Are you planning dinners only or all the meals and snacks

Based on my criteria I have decided on the following menu for the week:

• Breakfast - Overnight oats with strawberries and blueberries 
• Lunches - Asian inspired coleslaw salad; Tuna and Quinoa salad
• Dinners - butter chicken with veggies; beef steak with veggies

STEP 4 - Write shopping list

Once you have your plan and stock, this weeks shopping list should now only include the things you need.

Hopefully you are able to re-use some of the food already in your pantry.

STEP 5 - Display meal plan on fridge

You should write out your meal plan onto a piece of paper or the template pictured above. Once completed you need to stick it up in your kitchen.

By displaying the meal plan in your kitchen it will ensure that if you are running late from work and anyone in the family can get a head start with the recopies, even if you are running late.

STEP 6 -  Go Shopping

STEP 7 - OPTIONAL Meal Prep

Depending on my schedule for the week I usually prep food in advance. So at any given time I have frozen healthy meals ready to warm up and eat. This helps me with self control when I'm short on time to eat healthy and not opt for the take away menu.

I hope this helps you get started on your healthy life style journey.

Happy planning!!

Vanya

Why meal planning lowers my anxiety

Hi All,

This week I want to talk about meal planning, how and why.

This is the post on why I have decided to go back to meal planning.

While there are many reasons people meal plan, such as:

• Saving time and money
• Encourages better nutrition
• Avoids unnecessary waste
• Encourages variety
• Plan ahead to give up the stress of “what will I cook for dinner” every night

The reason I have decided to go back to meal planning is because I despise food shopping. Yes it’s odd as I love to eat it.

Over the years of counting points, calories, fat, carbs and really anything that can be counted, when I walk into the supermarket I view food in a series of numbers. I start shopping in the “good” food isle first, which is also the low number isle (veggies).

I then stroll through the “bad” isles for the advertised meal suggestions. Clearly to be lead by the prettiest label/ packaging on the shelf. As I hold the 'Five taste - green curry' kit I imagine my self preparing the best curry of my life, in reality that never happened. 

I then surprise my self when I "accidentally" turn into the sweets isle. In the eyes of my co-shoppers I appear as cool and composed, unfazed by all the treats surrounding me. In my mind however, I'm sitting in the middle of the isle with all the sweets pulled off the shelfs around me, tearing the packaging of the Skittles bag with my teeth and eating the lollies there and then.

But I push on towards the light (the end of the isle), repeating "I’m serious about my *Insert name of current diet fad*!"

And then BANG

I spot the LIMITED EDITION Kinder Surprise collection. You know what I’m talking about!!

I have to get some it’ll NEVER be released again. And I can’t just get one. I have to collect all the cute toys.

“It’s OK” I say to my self “I’ll get ten, five for me and five for Andy. We’ll only eat one a day after dinner”….. as if they'll lasts that long.

So I have decided to go back to meal planning. My reasons however are:

1. to make the food shopping experience more enjoyable and guilt free
2. to ensure I eat healthy every day and don’t succumb to uncontrollable eating during the week

Later this week I’ll post how I meal plan, but in the mean time I’d love to hear what you bought at the supermarket as an impulse buy which turned out different to what you imagined it would.

Vanya

How to start living a healthy life?

Thank you for reading my first blog post and for your words of encouragement.

To say I was nervous to post my very first blog and put my self 'out there' is an understatement.

I think of my self as a very confident person however, telling my inner most thoughts, feelings and anxieties was not a very easy thing to do.

I have never openly discussed my feelings about my body issues. If the topic ever arose I was VERY defensive about it. Mainly, I don't think I allowed my self to acknowledge the truth about how I felt about my weight.

While pressing that 'PUBLISH' button I was worried about:

• Will anyone read this
• Will people judge me
• Will people's perception of me change
• Will I succeed in my quest and uphold the courage of my convictions

Well there is no turning back, my thoughts, feelings and intentions are now out for the world to see!

So I'm starting this new project the only way I know how, by putting together a project plan. 

My first question was "What does a healthy lifestyle mean to me?"

To me it means:

• Having a healthier relationship with food
• Eating in moderation and not going without
• Being active
• Learning better ways to combat my emotional tie with food
• Being happy and content with my self
• Living in the now

To achieve this I plan to start with the following:

1. Document my current states
2. Set Goals
3. Schedule my life
4. Work on my food
5. Schedule exercise
6. Set Rewards
7. Change my habits through small weekly or monthly goals

Over the next few days and weeks I will really think and plan on how to tackle each of the points in my plan. I don't want to rush this! 

I want to set a new foundation to my own thought process and create new habits. They say that we are more likely to achieve worthwhile goals if we have good habits.

In my next post I will share with you how I meal plan. 

Until then, what do you imagine when you think of living a "healthy lifestyle"?

Vanya

Live a healthy life because Vanya Says So

I was never a 'skinny' girl but I did weigh less then I do now. Over time I have slowly gone from 68kg to 94kg. From a size 8 to a size 14-16 (depending on the brand).

How did I put the weight on and Why?

Well, I eat when I'm bored, stressed, upset, happy and simply because it's in front of me. At social gatherings I'll eat if food is in front of me even if I'm not hungry, just because it's there or free.

I know better! I know how I should eat, I know what exercise I should do, but I always have an excuse:

• "I'll eat this cookie cos it's the last one"
• "I'll eat take away today cos it's too hot to cook"
• "I'll eat chips cos my husband is offering"
• "I won't go for a walk today it's raining"
• "I can't go to the gym now it's too late (3pm) I should have gone int he morning" and so on ....

With everything else being a priority in my life, over the years, I have spent thousands of dollars on diet products such as plans, books, DVDs, equipment, gym & personal trainers. I think giving money on "healthy ventures" made me feel like I was doing something in that direction. But it was only money spent to NOT go (gym) or file the books straight onto the shelf "to read over the weekend when I'm not busy". Well what weekend do we have to do nothing at all, to relax and read weight loss books? I most certainly always had something on.

And so I possess or have tried most advertised weight loss 'things' under the sun

• Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Lite n' easy
• Biggest Looser Online, Michelle Bridges 12WBT
• Treadmill, Rower, bicycle, other weights equipment
• Books & DVDs

It would be fair to say that if spending money on weight loss products would equal weight loss I would be Twiggy three times over by now. 

And to add to it all, I'm an all or nothing kind of girl. 

That meant that if I didn't follow a plan 110% every day and I didn't get the results I expected I would give up. 

Too much pressure you say?

Well all of this "failure" on my part would stress me out and guess what? Yup I'm comfort eating AGAIN.

So today I have decided to wipe the slate clean. Firstly I no longer wish to "loose weight" I want to learn how to live a healthy life. I want to know how to manage my feelings in relation to food, I no longer wish to exclude food because it's 'bad'. I want to eat guilt free and want to be more active and I want to enjoy my life. 

I want to be healthy for my baby. I want Charlie to grow up and look at me as an inspiration and example. I want my son to also live a healthy lifestyle and learn that stress is not handled by eating your feelings away rather by going for a run.

So today is the first day of the rest of my life. 

Today I commit to live a healthy life, not just loose weight but feel better and change some of my 'bad' habits.

May be some of the plans or products would have worked for me too, they worked for a lot of other people but my mind just wasn't in it.

Vanya