Skinny Latte Strikes Back

books for the soul: B by sarah kay

2013-06-18T20:20:00.000+01:00

Thank you for the incredible supportive comments on yesterday's post.

Thank you to the brave men and women who contacted me to share their own stories.

Thank you for reminding me why and giving me a reason to still keep this space alive, nearly eight years on, just when I think I've said all I can say.

Today, I thought I'd just share another book for the soul. This wonderful book that you can read in one sitting with your cup of tea:

It's a poem called B, by Sarah Kay. Just one poem, published in a beautiful hardback slender blue book.

It was given to me last year by a wonderful and inspiring friend and reading it always makes me think of her.

After reading it, I wanted to find out more about Sarah Kay who is an incredible young woman - if I were the type to use the phrase "girl crush" it would apply here! She is an American poet, known for her performance poetry and championing the spoken word. She teaches poetry and self expression to children and young people across the US and has performed her work all over the world. She absolutely commands your attention with her voice and words. Her TED talk, particularly the poem she performs at the end, had me in tears:

She performs "B" as part of the talk, actually! If you've never watched this talk, I thoroughly recommend it. It's part of my "inspiration toolbox" :)

It's even more wonderful reading it on paper, with utterly sumptuous illustrations by Sophia Janowitz. You'll feel uplifted and far less alone after reading it.

There is hurt here
that cannot be fixed
by Band-Aids or poetry.

So the first time she realizes that Wonder Woman
isn't coming, I'll make sure she knows
she doesn't have to wear the cape all by herself.

from B by Sarah Kay

Once again, thank you for reminding me I don't need to wear the cape all by myself.

Have you read a good book lately? :)

how bad does it have to get?: on domestic violence & why nigella lawson doesn't have to be a hero

2013-06-17T15:48:00.000+01:00

This whole Nigella Lawson domestic violence episode that’s been in the media these past 24 hours has got me rattled somewhat. I’ve felt so very sad. Tearful. And horrified. Not just by what happened to her, but by how some people in the communications profession have chosen to (ignorantly) respond.

Violence against women is appalling. In whatever form it takes. And sadly, a lot of us have a story to tell. I know I do. And perhaps that’s why I’ve been so sad today, because seeing and reading all this has triggered memories I really would rather forget.

What happened to me was incredibly minor compared to what some women I know have gone through – I wasn’t beaten up, I didn’t end up in hospital with a black eye or a broken nose, and I wasn’t attacked in public. But I was attacked, by my first husband, in our home in front of two friends. It remains the most humiliating experience of my life.

I had just turned 25, I had been married to him for four-and-a-half years and the marriage had been in serious trouble for months. He had refused to go to counselling with me and had only recently got work again after a long period of unemployment. It had been a very trying time and the cracks in our relationship, which I’d tried to paper over for a while, were now very obvious and getting harder to ignore.

The worst thing about the incident was my ex husband’s lack of remorse. He was sorry it had happened in front of people but not sorry he’d done it – I deserved it, apparently, for being rude and disrespectful. The next day, once he realised that this wasn’t something I was going to sweep under the carpet like I usually did, he was very sorry indeed….but it was too late.

It was the last straw. I couldn’t stay with him, not after that. I had a very clear vision of the future I would have if I stayed, where if I excused this incident there was no telling what he might do further down the track, when he was older and even more set in his ways. Was this the life I wanted for myself and for any children that might come along?

I knew the answer.

Seven years later, there are still occasionally times when I wish I’d taken him to the cleaners. I could have called the police. I had two witnesses prepared to back me up. But I was so embarrassed and ashamed, not just about what had happened, but the fact that my young marriage was now over. And despite everything I didn’t want to ruin his life. I didn’t want to hurt anyone. I just wanted to quietly withdraw from the mess my life had become; to run and not stop running until I was as far away from him as humanly possible.

I find it interesting that I walked away after just one violent incident – I didn’t give him another chance, I didn’t wait around to see if he would do it again or if it would get any worse - and yet I felt very judged for that. So why is it then that often the first thing that most people say when they hear about domestic violence is “well, why didn’t she leave when it first started”?

I told people about it at first – I wanted them to know that something monumentally horrific had happened, that I hadn’t just woken up one day and decided to leave him. Up to that point, I had wanted the marriage to work, more than anything. But I wasn’t prepared to stay at the expense of my safety and my self respect.

And while I got a lot of support from family and friends, particularly the two friends who witnessed it, the guilt and shame ate away at me and I felt like I was overreacting, that I wasn’t really entitled to be angry about what had happened to me, because it was so minor in the grand scheme of things and it only happened once. But here’s my question….how bad does it have to get? Surely once is bad enough? But whether a woman leaves after one incident or after years of abuse, that’s her decision to make.

I am appalled at some things I’ve seen in the Australian media today, one person suggesting (I'm not going to link to it) that Nigella should become a poster child for the domestic violence movement and be a role model, and if she doesn’t leave her husband she’s setting a bad example. I think the poor woman has enough on her plate right now without having the pressure of public opinion weighing down on her. How dare ANYONE feel they have the right to judge an abused woman and say what she should or shouldn’t do? Any woman who has been there knows that a vigilante-style call to arms is not what’s needed. Respect, solidarity, support, empathy, kindness and offers of help are needed.

Leaving is not always the answer. Only the abused person knows if that is the right thing to do, and when. But leaving, regardless of whether you leave after the first or the thirtieth time it happens, is NOT easy.

To have experienced violence, of any kind, at the hands of your husband or partner, someone you loved and who you thought loved you, and then to deal with the shock, shame, confusion and heartbreak that follows when you realise that in that one fragile moment, anything solid or of value remaining between you, any trust or loyalty, was irrevocably destroyed and that you will have to break a vow to save your own life…..I don’t have the words for how awful that is.

So what I’m trying to say, especially to professional communicators like Dee Dee Dunleavy, is when it comes to abuse and other people’s marriages, even if they're in the public eye, don’t judge. Don’t make assumptions. Don’t make big statements about what you think they should or shouldn’t do. Just stand with them, support them and be kind. Ask yourself "is what I'm saying helpful?" And yes, you could have chosen your words better. It’s your job after all.

I’m really not trying to make out that what happened to me was more than what it was. I’m not after sympathy. I’m not trying to make my ex out to be a monster either – it was a difficult time for both of us and looking back I can see he was unhappy too, it just manifested very differently. I guess what I’m trying to do with this post is own this part of my story. It’s not something I like to talk about and I feel uncomfortable and vulnerable having written this, but if I can’t talk about controversial things that actually matter to me on this blog then there's little point in me having this platform at all, really. It was really hard to write this because even now, the best part of a decade later, it feels like a very small thing. What happened to me didn’t really fit into any neat category of domestic violence. But it was still violence. It was still unacceptable.

My divorce from my first husband was final six months after I moved to the UK. It’s now been over five years since we’ve had any contact and I have no idea what he’s doing, where he’s living, whether he’s remarried. I don’t want or need to know. I just hope he’s happy but more than that I really hope that he learned from the whole experience. I hope, for the sake of any woman he might be with now, that it truly was a one-off.

Thankfully, the life I have now has more than made up for the sadness in my past. I am healed and loved and grateful to now be in an incredible marriage where I feel safe, respected and part of a real partnership, things that were definitely missing the first time around. It’s a shame I had to get so burned to realise that but I am proud I jumped off that sinking ship and kept swimming until I found the shore.

******

To any women (or men) going through something similar, please know you are not alone. You are not a terrible person. You are allowed to be outraged, you are allowed to be sad. It’s not your fault. You haven’t done anything to deserve it. You do not have to be a hero or a role model or handle this in any way that makes you uncomfortable. And there are places and people that can help you:

Women’s Aid

Refuge UK

Domestic violence support in Australia

National Domestic Violence Hotline in the US

gearing up for the zest challenge this weekend

2013-06-12T16:42:00.001+01:00

I'm getting ready for another 10k race - this time it's the Zest Challenge that's happening this Saturday in Henley-on-Thames. It will be no ordinary 10k, I'm expecting to get muddy, wet and maybe even a bit bruised! It's an adventure course with tyre crawls, balancing beams, rope ladders and all sorts of things, I just hope my stamina is up to it.

I'm lucky enough to be running as part of Team Alpro with some other lovely blogging ladies:

Zest created this one-off "blogger special" for us - very cool!

Here I am with some of the girls and our PT Stuart!

Alpro are also putting on a free breakfast for all the runners on Saturday which I'm really looking forward to. No danger of being tempted by croissants like I was in Bologna :) If you're running too, get there early!

To be perfectly honest, my preparation for the race hasn't quite been what it should have so while I am really looking forward to the race I'm also a little nervous. I expected to be able to keep up my training on a very brief trip to Australia this last fortnight or so, but it being winter there and all (not that I've noticed much of a difference in the weather coming back here, ha ha) I ended up with a cold and therefore running was completely out of the question. Luckily I was still able to be a bridesmaid at my sister's wedding without grossing the guests out with all my excess phlegm! I kept up my yoga too, miraculously, so the two runs I've done so far this week weren't complete disasters. Time will tell, I suppose. My Up and Running 10k friend Katherine said her aim for the race is "finish, have fun, don't hurt myself" and I must say those are my aims as well!

So the plan for the rest of the week is yoga tonight, a final training run Friday morning followed by more yoga, then this delicious looking mac and cheese to carb load on Friday night while watching my favourite night-before-race movie Run Fatboy Run!

If you fancy joining us for either the 5k or the 10k on Saturday, there's still time to enter! I really hope it's a warm day so I can take full advantage of the water slide :)

Wish me luck and stay tuned for what will no doubt be a fun-to-write race report, whatever the outcome!

Have you got a race coming up?

bella bologna: my latest cosmo article

2013-06-02T16:51:00.000+01:00

I wrote about my wonderful long weekend in Bologna last month for cosmopolitan.co.uk and the article is now online, so do go and check it out if you'd like to hear my thoughts and recommendations if you're ever fortunate enough to go to that lovely city. I'm still thinking about that ricotta cappellini :)

Who knows where I'll go next.....the adventures of Phil continue!

books for the soul: the gradual demise of phillipa finch by emma magenta

2013-05-29T09:00:00.000+01:00

A little while ago I was contacted by a lovely reader (hello Jill, if you're reading this!) asking me whether I had any favourite self-help books that I would recommend.

I think "self help" is an interesting term for the genre - like many things it's now been infiltrated with tomes that are perhaps the very opposite of helpful. It's a subjective thing, of course. "Self help" is, I suppose, a useful general term. It encompasses a great deal and is accurate in several ways - the aim of most books that fall within the genre surely must be to arm the reader with some knowledge but ultimately some inspiration to help themselves and take responsibility for themselves and their lives - but for the books that might fall into this genre that I really love I prefer to use the term "books for the soul". I think that more accurately reflects their value to me.

So, I'm going to do a little series on here on my favourite "books for the soul", hopefully somewhat regularly (!), where each post will be a brief spotlight on a book I've enjoyed that has illuminated me, inspired me, provided comfort and wisdom when I've needed it and maybe even cemented a few things I've learned about life too. It won't necessarily be a "self help" or "new age" book....it might be a memoir, a graphic novel, a book of poems....because that's the wonderful thing about books. All genres have the power to entertain, uplift, comfort and inspire.

I'm going to start with this one....

Although the central character's name is spelled differently to mine (it is very weird seeing it spelled that way, no offence to any Phillipas reading), this is a quirky heartbreaking story that's also very relatable if you've had one too many bad relationships.

It's a gentle exploration of what goes through a woman's mind as she negotiates the debris of her romantic life. As Phillipa finally reaches breaking point, she goes to a Purgatory-like place where she observes her relationship history and her various disappointments and mourns the loss of the confident, idealistic woman she once was, when she still had hope and believed in true love. Her search for it beat any remaining zest for life out of her and she now lives like a ghost. Until....

".....help came in the most unexpected form: a bigger, more splendid version of herself as she used to be before her first heart's disappointment. This forgotten self flew Phillipa out of the waiting room to a location above the theatre of her own personal drama.

Phillipa looked down on her past from a place far removed, and for the first time saw a collection of human beings who had been looking for love, just like her, making mistakes, just like her, and hoping for something better, just like her.

As Phillipa floated above her lost loves, they suddenly looked harmless and strangely innocent. It occurred to Phillipa at that moment, that eventually all we are really left with is our own reflection. [...]

Suddenly her inner coping structure collapsed and she allowed a dam of tears to break free, and all the long denied feelings, good and bad, gushed out. [...]

At that moment, it occurred to Phillipa that she was free."

(the emphases are mine, by the way!)

It's a beautiful book and it really spoke to me. I could have used its gentle warmth and humour quite a few years ago! If you're a sensitive, trusting person who just wants to love and be loved it's very easy to just get so hurt when other people treat you badly - not just in romantic relationships but in friendships too. It's very easy to let the person who has hurt you have all the power. You don't realise that you actually have a choice to wallow in the hurt and the betrayal or to let it go, a little scarred perhaps but stronger in the broken places.

My mantra these days, for a lot of things in life, is pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. So whatever pain might be dished out to me, I choose (well, try very hard to at least!) not to suffer, wherever possible.

This book is a lovely reminder of that. And I love the drawings too!

You can also watch an animated version of this story, where Emma Magenta's beautiful illustrations are brought to life and narrated by Toni Collette here. Highly recommended!

Emma Magenta
The gradual demise of Phillipa Finch: a journey through the trials of love to happiness and freedom (and it's ON SALE at Booktopia for AU$ 3.95 at time of writing!!)

Do you have a favourite "book for the soul"? Stay tuned for my next pick.

some wisdom from stevie nicks

2013-05-26T08:17:00.000+01:00

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Today is my birthday, which I happen to share with Stevie Nicks, and I was (coincidentally?) leafing through an old magazine and found this quote from her which I thought apt to share today:

"Time passes. The things that terrify you now will some day be a part of your past. Remember that, and you can stop beating yourself up, cause yourself a lot less grief and enjoy your life a little bit more."

Couldn't have said it better myself really! Happy birthday Stevie (and me!) :)

write this run (and that pink jacket)

2013-05-24T09:00:00.000+01:00

I really enjoyed speaking at Write This Run on Sunday May 12. If you're a blogger who likes to write about running, do yourself a favour and get linked up with WTR so you get notified when the next one is happening - it was awesome! I've loved reading what some of the attendees have had to say.

It's interesting being on the other side of these kind of things - being a speaker rather than a participant. While I love talking and meeting new people, it's always a bit disconcerting for me when well over 50 pairs of eyes and ears are entirely focused on me and what I'm saying! At every event I have spoken at I've always been a bundle of nerves beforehand and Tom will attest I certainly was before this one....it would be fair to say I freaked out a bit in the days leading up!

But...and I'm going to be honest here, because that was one of the things I really emphasised in my talk....I didn't accept Liz and Laura's invitation to speak at WTR because I felt particularly qualified to do so (having said that, it's always very nice and validating when people you admire think you have something valuable to contribute) but because the whole message of this blog is to get out of your comfort zone, dare to believe in yourself....and I need to practice what I preach a bit more. So I said "yes" and figured I'd deal with the whole "aargh! Public speaking!" demons later on.

Emily Benet wrote about a similar experience a few weeks ago and I completely agree with her philosophy:

When you step outside your comfort zone of course you can screw up. But as the modified saying goes, show me a woman who has never made a mistake and I'll show you a woman who hasn't achieved very much, or tried anything new, or... you get the drift.

Also, one of my "100 things to do in 2013" was to do at least one thing each month that scares me. So far those things have included being completely naked in a crowded communal area (in Iceland! I'll tell you more about that sometime) and being a birth partner.....of all the things that test my nerves, public speaking is pretty high up there. But saying yes and figuring out the logistics later has kind of become my rule in life! It's taken me to some pretty cool places.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I can waffle on here till the cows come home about believing in yourself, allowing yourself to be seen in the world and daring to try something new...but I think the most powerful way I can encourage and inspire others to reach their full potential is by actually doing it. Doing something you wouldn't normally do that makes you a bit uncomfortable is always a challenge but it's nearly always a hell of a lot of fun too.

And so, predictably, I enjoyed speaking at WTR so much and was sorry when my allotted time was up - probably a good thing, because once I got over my initial nerves I could have talked all afternoon! I came away feeling very proud of myself and absolutely buzzing - not just doing something a bit scary and coming out the other side ("I want to do this again!" I enthused to Tom in the car on the way home, which was in direct contrast to what I was saying on the journey in!) but from the vibe of the event as a whole. It was great to mingle with other bloggers (I think there should be more mingling time at the next one, the breaks went so quickly!) and all the guest experts were really fun and generous sharing their wisdom, experience and top tips, not only for blogs, vlogs and social media but for running itself...I was sorry to miss Marvellous Mimi, apparently she blew everyone away with her inspirational ultra running stories!

So if you're after a shot of writing or running inspiration, make sure you check out the next Write This Run event, you won't regret it. Who knows....maybe you'll even see me there again? :)

Thanks so much to Liz and Laura for asking me to speak at Write This Run. And if you're wondering about that lovely pink jacket I was wearing...:

source

It's the Shelly Excel Zip Through Jacket from Lorna Jane UK and it's been the best addition to my running wardrobe (well, my wardrobe in general, I even wore it with jeans yesterday) this year. You'll be sure to turn some heads while jogging along in this!

When was the last time you got out of your comfort zone? And/or wore something bright? :)

i'm a fitness freak (but you knew that)

2013-05-22T09:00:00.000+01:00

image courtesy of fitness freak

Have you heard of Fitness Freak?

It's a fabulous one-stop web site where you can find and book fitness classes in London - whether you're into yoga and want to try out a range of studios or a cyclist who wants to spin all over the city, it's a great way to see what's on offer at the best gyms and studios at a time and in the area convenient to you. In addition, they also run fab fitness-themed events, including a 90s style underground rave disguised as a fitness class which is coming up on June 5 and sounds awesome! I recently re-watched the first series of the 90s TV show Spaced and am feeling a bit nostalgic for the Eurodance and glo-stick filled nightclubbing of my late teens ;)

Fitness Freak also have an online magazine that has all kinds of cool fitness-themed articles and reviews, including a "day in the life" segment which this week features yours truly!

If you're in London, what's your favourite gym or studio (or park!)?
And are you a Spaced fan too?! :)

i am this person

2013-05-17T14:55:00.000+01:00

Just a little thought for your Friday....I hope you're having a good day :)

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"At a certain point in your life,

Probably when too much of it has gone by,

You will open your eyes and see yourself for who you are.

Especially for everything that made you so different from all the awful normals.

And you will say to yourself, “But I am this person.”

And in that statement, that correction, there will be a kind of love."

– Miss Dodger, Phoebe in Wonderland

race report: julia jones running festival half half marathon (10.5km)

2013-05-13T15:22:00.000+01:00

The U&R crew at the start line with our coach

Buon giorno tutti! I had a wonderful time in Bologna last week with the Up and Running alumni. Imagine a bunch of awesome inspiring women, to-die-for food and wine, a beautiful medieval Italian city, a kick-arse coach and a very enjoyable 10.5km race.....it was heaven and I didn't want it to end.

I have a separate post brewing on the foodie's paradise that is Bologna...but this post is all about the running. Which, as evidenced in the pictures above, thank God I was there to do! :)

You've heard me talk about the awesomeness of Up and Running's online running programmes on here before and I've been coached by Julia for the marathon a few years back now....but this spring I took part in one of their structured programmes with other women from all over the world. I did the 10k course, which is an eight week programme designed to get you running a 10k race, and enjoying it, by the end. I'd had a very lazy winter and had kind of lost my running mojo. This course gave it back to me in spades. It's amazing the difference it makes when your routine is just shaken up a bit and you feel motivated again.

And that's just the running side of things - the social side of U&R is brilliant. The support from the other people doing the course is heart-warming and utterly fantastic, I've made heaps of new friends. It's like a virtual running club!

So, as an Up and Running alumni, I was eligible to participate in their annual retreat in Bologna, Italy, which I was very quick to put my hand up for - I'd had so much fun on the forum I knew I'd have fun with everyone in person :)

The retreat included, among many other wonderful things, a boot camp with our coach, Julia, on the Friday; some personalised coaching for improving our technique (I have lots of glute strengthening exercises on my schedule now!); and running either a 6km or a 10.5km race through Bologna on the Sunday as part of the Julia Jones Running Festival. Yes, our coach has a running festival named in her honour! She has done amazing work for raising the profile of women's running in Italy.

Sunday morning dawned bright and early, we were all up and raring to go! I was sharing a room at the B&B with three other women so we were all quite excited and helped each other get ready which allayed any race nerves. I had been a bit worried about my rather epic wander around Florence the day before as I had been a bit sore when I went to bed. I also had blisters. Thank God for Compeed!

The B&B put on a daily breakfast spread which included some delicious orange-scented croissants that I became a bit addicted to, but which I stoically turned down that morning and instead chomped away on my usual pre-race fare of toast and jam, banana, plain yoghurt and black coffee. Then we all headed up to Piazza Maggiore for the start:

Photo courtesy of fellow U&R retreater Sunita

The start time was meant to be 10am but the announcers chatted on for about 15 minutes...which was fine but some of us were starting to need the loo again! I didn't know if I really needed to go or if it was just nerves/desperation to get started. Turns out it was the second one and my no-toilet record for races has been maintained!

Finally the pink balloons were released and we were off!

Image courtesy of Shauna

The race had a great turnout so it was a little crowded at the start but eventually the walkers and runners separated out and we could all fall into our own rhythms. The race started off through Via Rizzoli, Bologna's answer to Oxford Street, and out to the outskirts, around and back in again. It was a warm, almost muggy, overcast day with storm clouds brewing just over the horizon.

Having not done the 10km distance for a few months, I had no goals for the race other than to run the whole thing and have a good time. I didn't have any music with me so I soaked up the atmosphere and enjoyed the surroundings. Bologna is a really charming medieval city and I kind of had to pinch myself that I was there, pounding the cobblestone lanes, passing ancient churches and Renaissance fountains. I couldn't really stop and take any pictures (!) but it was beautiful. I took pictures with my eyes instead.

My mantra for the race was enjoy it. Enjoy being there, on those ancient picturesque streets. Enjoy being fit and healthy enough to run, any distance. Enjoy the feeling of satisfaction that comes from knuckling down, sticking to the programme and getting motivated again! I felt strong, happy and comfortable. Just what I wanted.

In boot camp on Friday, Julia had impressed on us the importance of noticing our feet during running so that was something I tried to focus on during this race. I concentrated on foot turnover rather than making my strides bigger in order to go faster. It really worked!

But otherwise, I was really in the zone for this race. I don't remember a lot about the individual stages - some kilometre markers I don't remember seeing at all! But that can be a good thing, there's nothing like the surge of adrenalin you get when you think you're about to see the 8km marker and it's 9km instead! My fellow U&R 10k course participants, Tessa and Jennie, had been right in front of me since the start and I figured if I could keep up with them I'd be happy. But at 6km, or thereabouts, they slowed down for a drinking break and I passed them! Then I just tried to keep in front of the lady in the purple t-shirt, whose footfall I could hear behind me for the rest of the race.

At the 9km mark, there were some locals standing and watching who called something out to me - I responded with my very basic Italian "nove! Uno altero!" ("nine! One more!"). I was told later that was very formal Italian to use...the locals were probably most amused!

The finale was coming up to the entrance of Parco della Montagnola, up a bit of a hill and then around the park where we'd done our boot camp a few days before. I sprinted towards the finish line, where I could see all the U&R ladies who had already finished waiting on the other side cheering. The announcer also called out my name - "FILL-EE-PA MOOR-AY!" - as I crossed the line. It was awesome, I felt like a rockstar :)

Then it was hugs and water and goody bag time! There was an area after the finish where we could help ourselves to water, iced tea, bananas and what looked like a brownie but was actually a "Good Morning" chocolate cereal breakfast bar. And instead of a medal, we got a Running Festival portable bag hook, to hang your bag from on a table when you're out and about, which is already proving very handy:

After showers back at the B&B, we all headed out - in the torrential rain, the storm had finally started - for pizza, beer and gelato to celebrate. What an awesome day!

Gelateria Gianni is where it's at.

I really, really enjoyed this race. My official chip time was 1:06:54 which I was happy with and it's not too far off my best time for the 10k. I was just stoked with the return to form and the return of my mojo, to be honest. When I think about where I was in February, as both the winter and my lack of motivation with running showed no signs of disappearing, in just eight weeks things were very different. I'm back baby! Whether you're a complete beginner or you're more experienced but feeling a bit stale and in need of a challenge and some support, I can't recommend the Up and Running courses highly enough.

Coach Julia (far right) with the Spring 10k course participants who made it to Bologna

Bring on the next 10km race....maybe that's the distance I'll rock this year :)

But during the retreat, the two Paulas planted the seed of us running the Barcelona Marathon together next year so who knows!

ice ice baby: my spa adventure tour in reykjavik, iceland

2013-05-08T16:32:00.000+01:00

My trip to Iceland a few weeks ago was utterly incredible. If you haven't been, you really need to add it to your list. I'm already plotting a return visit! I've written about the highlights of the trip over at cosmopolitan.co.uk so do check it out!

One of my favourite days was spent exploring the glaciers in a Jeep, where I saw snow whiter than I thought it was possible for snow to be. The glaciers were shimmering with a white glow, it was blinding, like a movie scene in heaven where all you can see is white. The further we drove, the thicker the snow and the fresher the air. All you could hear was the sound of the wind and the crunch of boots through the thick snow.

Iceland is full of natural beauty - geysers, waterfalls, rivers, fields with grass the colour of sand. It's utterly stunning and you feel humbled being in the presence of these majestic mountains that have been standing since the dawn of time; breathing such pure fresh air, purer and fresher than your lungs have ever tasted, so pure you're certain five years of London smog and the half dozen cigarettes you've smoked in your life are now expelled from your system.

It floors you. It silences you. And it makes you realise how we really must look after this planet of ours.

Seriously, if you ever get the chance to go to Iceland, go - you will be spellbound! And very relaxed if you happen to make the Blue Lagoon your first stop, like I did.....

Read more about my trip to Iceland and my favourite things that I saw, did and ate (it's always about the food for me, let's face it!) over at cosmopolitan.co.uk

Next.....all about Bologna, the Up and Running retreat and the Running Festival - stay tuned!

races coming up

2013-05-01T08:54:00.001+01:00

After recommitting to regular training in March with the Up and Running 10k programme, my first race of 2013 is this week!

I'll be running the Half Half Marathon (in other words, 10.5km!) at the Julia Jones Running Festival in Bologna, Italy this Sunday. I'm so excited, I've never done a race in another country besides the UK and Australia - this will be my international debut (ish!).

In June, I'll be doing another 10k - the Zest Alpro challenge which is an adventure course in Henley-on-Thames. There's still time to join me for that one, you can do either the 5k or the 10k.

And then, the week after the Zest Alpro challenge, I'm doing the Loomba Foundation 5k in Hyde Park - I should aim to get a PB for that one as it's a lovely flat course and takes place in the part of Hyde Park where the Brownlee brothers had their Olympic triathlon victory. It's a great chance to support a wonderful cause too - the Loomba Foundation work to support widows in third world countries where they and their children often struggle to survive and face both social isolation and poverty.

After watching lots of people get their spring racing season off to a great start with the Brighton, London and Manchester marathons these past few weeks, I'm excited to finally get my season started too!

What's your next race?

eight years later

2013-04-25T14:48:00.000+01:00

On Monday afternoon, I lugged a giant suitcase and backpack home from Gatwick Airport, through the arteries of London’s underground and on to the National Rail. The extra weight was debilitating and left me feeling slow and tired. Interestingly, thanks to weighing and checking the bags in as I left Reykjavik, I discovered that the combined weight of the suitcase and backpack was 27.5kg.

Exactly the amount of weight I lost seven years ago. Today actually, to the day. A coincidence, I wondered? Possibly not J But no wonder I was exhausted!

It’s strange to think that that one decision I made, on 25April 2005, and all the phenomenal change that followed it, was the best part of a decade ago now. In many ways I feel every one of those eight years – it does seem a very, very long time ago now, almost like it happened to someone else – and yet it feels like no time at all. I still marvel that, not that long ago, my life was completely different.

I hate to think where I might be right now had I taken another path. Had I remained oblivious to how much power I actually had to be the architect of my own destiny; had I kept telling myself I didn’t deserve the things in life I desperately wanted; had I not stepped up in that moment, staring very clearly into the future I would have if things never changed, and the glimmer of hope of how life could be if they did.

I had no way of knowing what would happen because of something so simple, something I had in fact attempted to do countless times before – lose some weight and get my health under control. It turned out it was a doorway into everything else that was possible in my life if I stopped making excuses, stopped giving up every time something got hard and started believing in myself.

I must emphasise that losing weight will not automatically make you happy, far from it. Not everyone is unhappy being overweight….but I was. And in actual fact, I wasn’t unhappy because I was overweight, I was overweight because I was unhappy. And realising that was what made all the difference. If being happy was my goal, then everything else was just a bonus.

Was I scared? Maybe not at first but as time went on I certainly was. Sometimes I still am. It’s all very well to see your problems and situation in the harsh light of day but where do you go from there? At the start of a very long road, the thought of taking even one step is terrifying. By being aware of what is holding you back, taking steps to do something about it means change. Changing your life. And not everything in your old life will survive the journey to the new one. That’s definitely a good thing. They get replaced with better things. Fear gets replaced with strength. Excuses get replaced with goals. Self loathing gets replaced with self respect. Lies get replaced with the truth. And mundane everyday life gets replaced with adventure!

Even now I’m still not sure what it was, but in that moment, on 25 April 2005, something in me snapped. Suddenly, the sadness, self-pity and frustration at being so far from where I wanted to be just vanished. I finally realised that would get me nowhere. I needed a plan. I needed to be positive. I was fucked if I was going to spend another minute of my life dissatisfied, broken-hearted, bored, negative, frightened and in the corner. All of that had to change. The only way I was going to get what I wanted was if I started, right then that very second, and didn’t stop.

Normally, seeing 103.5kg on the scale would have sent me into a spiral of depression, feeling useless and hopeless, wondering what on earth was the point, and my emotional GPS would have sent me straight to the freezer for a 4 litre tub of ice-cream. But this time it was different. It wasn’t a moment to feel depressed. It was actually a moment to celebrate. Little did I know what I’d started.

So friends, I urge you, whatever your goals are in life, run towards them. Run towards your brightest, best life. Don’t leave it another minute. Start running, keep going and don’t stop.

Whatever might have happened to you up to now, whatever decisions or mistakes you might have made, whatever unhelpful beliefs or behaviours you might have, don’t worry. Just draw a line. Today is a brand new start. Right now. Don’t beat yourself up about the past. Use it only as a measure of how bloody far you’ve come.

No situation is ever hopeless. You’d be surprised how much change can come about just from making one small decision. I am living proof of it.

iceland bound!

2013-04-18T13:00:00.000+01:00

I'm off to Iceland today! Heading over for a few days of exploring and writing about it for Cosmo - watch out for my article soon :)

Blue Lagoon Spa
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Have you been to Iceland?

our daily bread

2013-04-17T19:21:00.000+01:00

At the beginning of this year, I made a list in my journal of 100 things I wanted to do and be this year. Some of them were rather big, lofty things and others were quite simple like buy a wok from Chinatown (done), watch Sleepless in Seattle (done), clean out the filing cabinet (done), go to the dentist (done!!) and have a jar of olives in the fridge at all times (ongoing, but done so far).

Another thing on the list was to make bread once a week. Not such a hard task with a breadmaker, as I used to do, but fed up with having no bench space in the kitchen I've retired my breadmaker and make it by hand now - and I much prefer both the process and the finished product. Kneading dough by hand is so therapeutic. I especially enjoy the second knead when the dough is smoother and silkier, like a little pillow.

I've come up with a a convenient way of making sure we have enough bread during the week. On Sundays - which seem to be nice peaceful days for pottering about the house doing domestic goddess activities - I make a batch of the dough in the recipe below and then after the last knead, I split it in half. One dough goes on to be shaped and baked; the other goes in a bowl, covered in clingfilm or a plastic bag, and put in the fridge until Wednesday, when it is then knocked about again briefly, shaped and baked, and has acquired a bonus sourdough-like taste and texture in the meantime.

I can't recommend baking your own bread enough. It's one of the most satisfying things to do in the kitchen.

Gluten-freers, you can find a recipe for my favourite gluten-free loaf here.

Easy home-made bread
Based on a recipe in You're All Invited by Margot Henderson

Makes 2 loaves of bread

750ml warm water
2 packets dried yeast or 20g fresh yeast
1kg strong white bread flour (see note)
250g wholemeal flour (see note)
25g sea salt (I use Maldon)

Note: you need 1.25kg of flour all up for this recipe and the quantities can be 50:50 if you want a more wholemeal loaf, or stick to the original recipe if you want a lighter loaf but still with the nuttiness and goodness of wholemeal. The one in the picture is about 40 per cent white flour, 60 per cent wholemeal (because I was almost out of white!). I use strong wholemeal flour rather than plain which is more suitable for making a loaf that is predominantly wholemeal. If you're sticking to the original recipe you can use plain wholemeal flour.

Put 100ml of the warm water in a small bowl or jug and add the yeast, stir gently to combine and set aside in a warm place to rest for at least 10 minutes. It will go frothy and bubbly.

Combine the flours and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Pour in the yeast mixture and then rest of the warm water. Mix together with your hands - I recommend removing any rings! It helps to use the largest bowl you can, otherwise you might find it goes everywhere! It shouldn't need more water, be patient and try to work it all together. When it comes together it should be pliable and slightly sticky.

Turn the dough out on to a board that you've floured or rubbed with some olive oil and knead for approximately 10 minutes. Place the dough in a bowl, that you've also floured or oiled, cover with a tea-towel and leave to rise in a warm place for an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

Take the dough out of the bowl and knead again for about 10 minutes. Divide it in half. Either shape into two loaves, or shape one dough into a loaf and put one dough into a bowl, cover with cling-film and put in the fridge for baking another day (I leave it for three days and it's fine - bring the dough back to room temperature before kneading, shaping and baking though).

Place the loaf/loaves on a lightly oiled baking tray and place again in a warm place until they have almost doubled in size again.

Preheat the oven to 180 C/160 C fan oven/ 350 F/gas 4 and bake the bread for 40 minutes. Tap the bottom of the bread after this time: it should sound hollow. If it still sounds dense give it a bit longer. Leave to cool on a rack. Don't be tempted to cut a slice straight away, it will fall apart right in your hands. Let it cool for a good half an hour before tucking in.

And then tuck in you can!

What are your favourite toppings for fresh bread? I love:

A really lovely fruity jam - cherry or strawberry for preference
Avocado with cracked black pepper and a bit of lemon juice, maybe a crumbling of feta cheese
Cherry tomato and vanilla jam with goat's cheese (as per Sunday's lunch)

And when the bread is a few days old it makes excellent toast. My favourite topping then is my mother-in-law's home-made apple and green tomato chutney with a sharp cheddar melted over the top.

Have you tried making your own bread before? Do you make it regularly? If you try this recipe let me know - I think it's pretty good :)

food what i ate: another sunday, the week's over!

2013-04-14T23:04:00.000+01:00

And the week's up! Here's today's eats, drinks and moves.

On rising/in bed: Green tea with pomegranate in my favourite mug.

Before exercise: 5 raw almonds and water.

Exercise: Woke up feeling very stiff and sore from Friday's kettlebells. But decided to power through and get my run out of the way before the excuses were too persuasive.

I ran for 15 minutes to warm up and then did stretching and strides - 5 x 50m uphill strides and 5 x 100m flat strides. Given how lead-like my legs had felt when I headed off, I was amazed at how I flew through these strides. I felt light as a feather! Then I ran 20 minutes home, 10 of it slow and the last 10 at medium pace. Felt fantastic!

Brunch: I made scrambled eggs for me and Tom, served with the last few pieces of home-made bread from Wednesday (now fit only for toast), and some sauteed spinach. I had planned to have avocado with it too but the avocado had gone off! Meh. Also had coffee.

Snack: Big bunch of red grapes.

Late lunch: Sunday is bread-baking day, so I made some more bread - splitting the mixture in half after the first prove. One dough gets baked today, the other dough gets put in the fridge to bake on Wednesday. I've been asked to share the bread recipe which I shall do very soon.

I had some bread with some goat's cheese, rocket, basil and home-made cherry tomato and vanilla jam from The Little Paris Kitchen by Rachel Khoo. Oh, this was so good! The jam was lovely and sweet and went very well with the cheese. And the bread was to-die-for as always.

I had a bit of a domestic goddess day actually - I made the bread, the tomato jam, walnut and rocket pesto, spinach hummus and strawberry and coconut ice-cream.

Dinner: Penne with walnut and rocket pesto, broccoli, more rocket, mozzarella and chilli alongside grilled courgette, artichoke and asparagus. Asparagus has been another favourite this week - you might have noticed that when I like something I tend to repeat it a few times in quick succession :)

Dessert: No picture as the photo I took turned out all grainy (sorry!) but I had a scoop of my home-made strawberry and coconut ice-cream. I got the recipe from Honestly Healthy. It's just strawberries, coconut cream and agave nectar.

Then I had another cup of green tea with pomegranate, and I think I might have another one once this post is finished :)

So there you have it....another series of food what I ate! I really enjoyed doing this, it always makes me more mindful and encourages me to be more creative in the kitchen. And tracking, whether it's writing by hand in a notebook, filling in cells in a spreadsheet or doing a visual record like this, is always a fab way to keep yourself motivated and monitor your progress if your goal is a healthier diet and lifestyle.

These are things I noticed (you may have too) during the series that I'm pretty pleased about:

I eat a lot of vegetables (particularly green vegetables)
I eat breakfast every day, even if it's just small
I drink a lot of herbal and green tea (but do allow myself one coffee a day, if I want it)
I have alcohol and treats at the weekend, and only occasionally during the week
I enjoy my food, take a lot of pleasure in it, have a positive attitude towards it and cook things I like to eat
I get protein in the form of eggs, nuts, seeds, legumes (this week it was mostly chickpeas) and dairy (like Greek yoghurt) - I probably could be more mindful of protein and iron intake though, something to take on board
I'm working on a balance with gluten (today is possibly not the best example though!) - I choose rice noodles where possible and have gluten-free pizza bases, but also do enjoy a loaf of home-made bread
I try to have a strategy on days when I'm busy/have to be up early (Tuesdays and Thursdays)
I try to keep my hunger in check and eat meals/snacks that will satisfy me
I try to keep waste to a minimum and use up leftovers/food already in the house
I always try to make the healthiest choice possible but I am a human female and that means chocolate and/or wine is required every now and then :) I try to balance any indulgences by being as active as I can be.

I think this food what I ate series also reminded me how much easier it is to be healthy and mindful if you plan ahead. I remember in my WW days I used to have the bare bones of the day, food wise, planned out - I knew what I was going to have for dinner and usually lunch each day so everything else could fit in around that.

I've definitely learned over the past eight years that it will always take effort for me to live the healthiest life I can. Some years it's been easier than others but for the most part I still have to psych myself up and still have to consciously make the healthier choices. Even now, it's still not easy and not always my natural mindset!

It's been good to be reminded of principles that helped me succeed all those years ago that I can call on when I feel the need to get back to basics. While I much prefer the more intuitive way I eat now, and for the most part I trust myself to make the best choices for myself and my body, it does me no harm to zoom in every now and then to make sure I'm still on the right track but enjoying myself (and life) at the same time.

I hope you had fun sitting at my table with me this week - it was certainly a pleasure having you :)

food what i ate: saturday

2013-04-14T16:24:00.000+01:00

It's the weekend! Still had to be up early though because we were off to London for the day.

In bed/trying to wake up: Green tea with pomegranate.

Breakfast: Porridge with organic oats, Alpro almond milk and vanilla pouring yoghurt, banana, strawberries, chia seeds and a handful of Jordan's tropical fruit granola. Plus a coffee made with two espresso shots and steamed soya milk.

Snack: I had a meet, greet and tweet with the other members of the Zest Alpro challenge that's happening in June. If you fancy joining us, you can sign up for the 5k or 10k adventure race too!

This is the course - the blue line is the 5k and the orange line is the additional 5k to make up the 10k! I'd like to think after Helly Hansen Beauty and The Beast I could handle anything but the mention of slippery walls and tyre crawls is a bit spine-tingling! I'm looking forward to the water slide though.

Alpro put on a lovely spread for us - I had a cup of tea with almond milk (interesting - it's better in coffee, I think) and a cherry Alpro yoghurt with blueberries, almonds and some dried fruit.

Late lunch: It was now pouring with rain! Tom and I practically ran through Soho to my old favourite lunch haunt when I was interning at Cosmo last year, itsu. We shared a vegetable dumpling udon noodle soup and a miso soup - it's definitely been the week of miso soup, hasn't it?! I really love the stuff. And it was so, so cold and just what I felt like to warm me up.

Exercise: Power walk all over central London - we parked the car in our old neighbourhood for a walk down memory lane, quite literally. It's about 1.5 miles on foot from our old place to Oxford Street. Such a shame it started pouring! With all our extra mooching around, we covered a good 4 miles all up I'd say.

Snack on the drive home: A Jordan's Blueberry Frusli bar. I prefer the apple and sultana flavour but my Tesco didn't have that one, so I thought I'd give this flavour a try. Really liked the generous amount of dried blueberries in the bar.

Dinner: After our drive home it was freezing cold outside and still lashing with rain, so it was comfort food all the way.

I made chilli chickpea and sausage casserole with mint and horseradish lazy mash (ie: I left the skin on the potatoes!) and steamed green beans. I made the casserole pretty much as described in the recipe but I put in some fresh fennel I had lying around too which made it even more delicious.

This meal was just perfect - so comforting, warming and delicious. Just the right amount of spice from the chilli and paprika, sweet chunks of leek, nutty chickpeas, inky spinach. We ate all the sausages but we had quite a bit of sauce/chickpea stew bit leftover so I'm going to save that for Monday night's dinner and we'll make either some brown rice or a baked sweet potato to go with it.

I opened a bottle of red to use in the casserole, so we had some with the meal when it was ready. It was a Waitrose own brand Fruity Spanish Red...I got put on to it after seeing it mentioned in The Guardian a few months ago, praising its delicious and surprisingly complex taste given its bargain price and I agree wholeheartedly! It's a really nice red. I enjoyed my first glass of it but found it hard to finish my second (I think I was just tired) so I froze the rest in an ice cube tray to add to a pasta sauce or stew later in the week.

Dessert: Tom insisted (!) so we had some chocolate. I had two squares of my old favourite.

I'd forgotten how much I love that casserole! Already looking forward to leftovers on Monday :)

Stay tuned for the final instalment of food what I ate.....

food what i ate: friday

2013-04-14T15:24:00.000+01:00

Playing catch-up today! Here's Friday's food what I ate diary:

On rising: Hot water and lemon.

Breakfast: I was a bit nervous about the dentist so I could only manage a small porridge made with organic oats, Alpro almond milk and vanilla pouring yoghurt, organic bluebrries and chia seeds. And coffee!

Lunch: After returning from a thankfully uneventful trip to the dentist (my first time going to the dentist in a long time...I'm not going to tell you how long, I've been a bit naughty!), I found my fridge pretty much empty so I just made a quick soup to use up the rest of the broccoli:

Lunch was a strange fusion of Japanese and Indian! The soup was rice noodles, miso paste, ginger, spring onions and lots of broccoli. I had a paratha on the side:

I've recently discovered parathas - they are an excellent thing to have in your freezer. They are Indian flat breads, sometimes called roti, and these ones come ready made, frozen in individual serves, and you simply unwrap and fry on both sides in a non-stick pan (no need for oil) for about a minute on each side. These were just plain ones but you can also get ones flavoured with chilli or garlic - the garlic ones are my favourite!

Exercise: By the time I had done all my errands and work for the day, it was pouring with rain so my 50 minute run was off! I did my Kettlercise DVD instead:

I did a class with Guy Noble, the instructor in the DVD, in December and I could barely walk for about four days afterwards! It's a great workout and I really want to get stronger, especially in the core and upper body, so I'm enjoying having kettlebells as part of my exercise routine. I did the express workout and by the time I was done the sun was out again so I went for a short run afterwards. Felt fab but very sore!

Then Tom came home and we had a cup of tea before heading out to do the grocery shopping:

This was Bluebird Tea's Hot Mama Jama - a green tea with chilli, lime and passionfruit. Divine! It left a lovely warm after-taste in the throat, not unlike whisky! Perfect for the rainy weather :)

Grocery shopping was good fun!

Dinner: Friday and Saturday nights are when Tom and I indulge so that normally involves wine! We shared a bottle of Mt Difficulty 2011 Pinot Gris. This is one of our absolute favourites. I had just over two glasses all up.

We (well, I!) had some marinated green and kalamata olives with the wine while dinner was cooking, and then we had our main course, which was a gluten-free artichoke, basil and mozzarella pizza with roasted asparagus.

I bought the gluten-free bases at the supermarket and just topped them with tomato puree, canned artichoke pieces, fresh basil and some mozzarella. I roasted the asparagus the way I mentioned in Wednesday's post. I kept them in a lot longer so the tips went lovely and crispy.

This was a really lovely dinner - bursting with flavour!

Dessert: A scoop of vegan Swedish Glace vanilla ice-cream with raw chocolate sauce (recipe from Naked Chocolate) and strawberries and a few coconut flakes on the top. I love how the coconut oil in the sauce makes it hard when it goes on top of the ice-cream...like ye olde Cottee's Ice Magic that I used to have as a kid!

There was a thorough teeth brushing afterwards! :)

Coming up.....Saturday!

SLSB in this month's instyle magazine

2013-04-12T09:12:00.000+01:00

I was floored to discover that SLSB is mentioned in this month's issue of InStyle - in the list of InStyle's Hot 50 Websites to be exact :)

Seeing my name in this magazine actually gave me a bit of a shivery flashback....to 2003, when my life could not have been more different.

I vividly recall reading InStyle (it was my favourite magazine at the time) in the bath one wintry night, my fingertips shrivelled like sultanas, the water slowly growing cold. I remember the issue - Friends was still on TV and Courteney Cox was on the cover.

I remember sighing inwardly at the stories of interesting people and pictures of gorgeous clothes and exotic destinations I could only dream of wearing or visiting, wondering how I'd ended up where I had, wanting so desperately for things to be different and having no idea where to start.

Ten years later, living another life on the other side of the world, to see my name mentioned in the pages of that same magazine....it's a bit mind-blowing. I've come a bloody long way. I forget that sometimes.

If you take only one thing away from my blog, please let it be this:

Never give up.

food what i ate: thursday

2013-04-11T22:19:00.000+01:00

Thursday - one of my favourite days of the week! So close to the weekend, so full of promise.....

After shower/while getting ready: Hot water and lemon.

Breakfast on the train: My usual commuting breakfast wrap - a white/wholewheat wrap filled with organic smooth peanut butter, 1 small sliced banana, ground cinnamon and a sprinkle of cacao nibs.

9am: Organic Earl Grey Rooibos tea (Dragonfly brand). Decided to have a coffee-free day and succeeded!

Morning tea: A raw fruit "cookie" by Miss Wallflower Candy, also from my Nutribox. This is a raw vegan biscuit-like snack made of sprouted almonds, coconut, hemp seed, flax, agave, cacao nibs, goji berries, maca and vanilla. Loved it....just wish there had been another one :)

More morning tea: About an hour later I needed another snack! I had the rest of the Om chocolate bar from Tuesday (two pieces left) and most of this little package of raisins, hazelnuts and almonds, both also from my Nutribox (nothing left now!)

Lunch: In the work canteen. The vegetarian main course was a tart and I didn't feel like pastry today, so I had two of the hot side dishes - basmati rice and ratatouille - with a small salad and a big cup of miso soup.

I loved the miso soup - I wish the work canteen did that more often! There was a lot of tofu and wakame in my serving which was lovely. My salad was beetroot, raw peppers, green beans, chickpeas, hummus and sunflower seeds. This was a great lunch and kept me going all afternoon. I was seriously tempted to go back for more miso.

Afternoon tea: Pomegranate green tea (not pictured)

Dinner: We reheated the rest of last night's delicious spinach, orzo and lemon soup:

I usually make a big batch of something on Wednesday - curry, soup, etc - so there are plenty of leftovers for Thursday night so when I get home after a long day in London we just have to reheat stuff. Tom did offer to go out for pizza tonight, however, but I suggested we save that for the weekend!

I also had a piece of home-made bread (also made yesterday) with my soup.

Dessert: I had a small tub of 0% Total Greek Yoghurt which I carefully unmoulded into a small bowl so it looked a bit like a panna cotta. I sprinkled over some cacao nibs (it's been the day of cacao nibs hasn't it!), chopped raw almonds and flakes of coconut. YUM.

As I write this: Drink Me Chai spiced chai latte made with steamed Alpro almond milk.

No exercise today but will make up for it tomorrow with a big run. If I'm able to run after I've been to the dentist that is (sad face)!

See you tomorrow :)

food what i ate: wednesday

2013-04-10T22:23:00.000+01:00

Wednesday already?

On rising: Hot water and lemon...I seem to be keeping this habit!

Breakfast: I had a small breakfast because I wasn't very hungry and was planning a run before lunch. I had 1 small pot of 0% Total Greek Yoghurt with organic blueberries, raw almonds and chia seeds and a coffee made with 2 espresso shots and Alpro original soy milk.

Exercise: Today I did a 15 minute warm up run, then I had to do 4 intervals of 2 minutes skipping (with a rope) followed by a 1 km run. I did the warm up by running the long way to a nearby park, did the skipping intervals on the basketball court, and then did 2 laps of the park to make up the 1 km. I covered about 7 km all up.

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It took me a while to get the rhythm of the skipping (I was so out of practice!) but I eventually got into it and really enjoyed it - it was such an effortless activity when I was a kid, doing all those Jump Rope for Heart things, but 20 something years later I was surprised by how hard it was to keep the momentum going for the two minutes! But it was really fun. The last 1 km interval I ran home and surprised myself with being able to do medium pace for the last 500m.

Lunch: Absolutely starving hungry now! I made an omelette with 2 organic eggs, dill, spinach and goat's cheese, served with a piece of toasted home-made bread (from Sunday's loaf, now only fit for toast!), sliced raw fennel and oven-roasted asparagus and mushrooms.

Have you ever had roasted asparagus? If you haven't you're missing out. It's how I always cook asparagus now (apart from in a soup). It's so easy, you just put a tiny, tiny drizzle of olive oil over the spears, sprinkle with a little sea salt and cook in a moderately hot oven. If you want them tender just do it for 10 minutes, if you want them really browned and roasted cook them for 15-20 minutes. SO good.

Tea: A pot of Bluebird Tea Co.'s Skinny Minny tea - this is such a divine tea, probably my favourite one at the moment. I'll have to order another bag soon, it's slowly disappearing because Tom loves it too. It's got oolong, ginseng, fennel, ginger, orange and other goodies in it....seriously nice stuff!

Pre-dinner: I made another loaf of bread today. I've started making a batch of dough on Sunday which I then split in two. I bake one loaf that day and keep the other dough in the fridge until Wednesday and make another loaf then. This is all by hand, by the way, I haven't used my bread-maker all year! It was taking up too much room in our broom-closet of a kitchen so I thought I'd see if I could do without it. Turns out kneading dough by hand is rather therapeutic.

Eating fresh bread on the day it is made is such a treat so we had some with an aubergine dip I made, as I had two aubergines in the fridge that were starting to look a bit feral. The dip was so very simple - two roasted aubergines, some more 0% Total Greek Yoghurt, smoked paprika, za'taar (a Palestinian spice mix I had lurking the cupboard), some chickpeas, garlic and lemon juice.

Tom and I shared this plate - I had about 3 bits of bread. I also finished off the rest of the small yoghurt pot while making the dip :)

Dinner: A bowl of spinach, orzo and lemon soup. Still one of my absolute favourites. If you haven't tried this soup yet, do!

Afterwards: A mug of spiced Drink Me Chai made with almond milk, boiling water and extra cinnamon.

A strange day food-wise where, apart from lunch, I wasn't really all that hungry but I really enjoyed my run and the interval skipping. These past five months or so have been so cold, so dark and so gloomy...not to mention incredibly busy....so it's been a while since I've felt this fit and firm - it feels great to be back, so to speak. The Up and Running 10k programme is working wonders!

I think I made good choices considering my appetite and what was available to me (Wednesday is usually where we're getting down to the dregs of the fresh fruit and veg!) - plenty of greens, plenty of calcium too, and good protein and carbs in with the eggs, bread and pasta in the soup. All that was missing was chocolate ;)

I've got an early start in the morning so I'd better get myself organised for tomorrow....see you then!

food what i ate: tuesday

2013-04-09T23:57:00.000+01:00

And we're on Tuesday - day three of my food what I ate series, where I'm documenting food, drink and exercise every day this week. I commute to London on Tuesday so here's a fairly typical working day:

After shower/while dressing/getting ready: Hot water with lemon (no picture). Must be honest here and note that ordinarily I would have a mug of proper strong Earl Grey tea with soy milk, but I didn't feel like that this morning and am enjoying starting the day with a hot lemon....we'll see how long that good habit lasts me! If I'd had time I would have had some almonds or a yoghurt before driving to the station but I was flapping around and ended up having to dash.

Breakfast on the train: A breakfast wrap! I got this idea from Laura's healthy breakfast post on Uniquely Healthy about a month ago and now I always make these on my commuting days. They are an excellent portable healthy breakfast. I'm just not hungry at 6:30am while I'm getting ready, it makes far more sense for me to eat something once I'm on my way but I can't faff around with pots of yoghurt or porridge on the train as it rattles into London...well, I wouldn't like to try! My train leaves about 7:40am and that's when I happily settle in with my book, my iPod and my wrap for the journey in. This is my current favourite breakfast wrap combination:

Organic smooth peanut butter, a small sliced banana and....wait for it...a sprinkle of cinnamon and cacao nibs. It's absolutely scrumptious! I wrap it up in foil to take in my bag and once I'm sitting down about to eat it I squash it a bit so the banana and peanut butter get mixed together. Mmmm!

I also like peanut butter and sliced fresh strawberries; peanut butter, grated apple and a bit of cinnamon; and almond butter and banana in these wraps.

9am coffee: I was a bit tired this morning and really wanted a coffee when I got to the office. The work coffee bar did me a soy latte in my little Keep Cup.

Morning tea: Knowing I was going to do a hot yoga class in my lunch break, I tucked into this lovely BRaw apple and pear bar which was from my Nutribox. Nutribox is a monthly delivery of vegetarian (and mostly dairy free) gluten free snacks perfect for the office - I've been happily picking away for the last little while!

Lunch break exercise: I did a 1 hour Hot Yoga class at the amazing L!FE yoga centre in Brick Lane, East London. I haven't done hot yoga for ages and it was the perfect antidote to a grey rainy day. It was so lovely and warm in the studio, it felt like we were doing yoga on the beach! Lots of dynamic vinyasas and we even did my favourite Pigeon Pose. I worked hard but felt so relaxed too. I'm so happy to have found a yoga studio near my office that offers really amazing classes (pilates and yoga) that are totally doable in your lunch break. Lovely friendly staff and teachers too.

The skylight studio at L!FE

Post yoga smoothie: L!FE have a cafe attached to their yoga studio, filled with delicious organic treats, juices, smoothies....even cocktails! It's such a peaceful, cool place to hang out and I'm planning to drag a friend there for cocktails after work next week! I had a Super Charge smoothie (pineapple, beetroot, banana, yoghurt and chia seeds) for my walk back to the office.

Lunch: I grabbed a salad from the canteen - there's a great salad bar, always lots to choose from. I had a mixture of baby green leaves; grated carrot; beetroot; lightly cooked broccoli; peppers; olives; pesto pasta; aubergines; chickpeas; sunflower seeds; and hummus. The pasta was slighly gummy and the aubergine very oily, so I didn't eat all of that. I ate all the other vegetables though :)

Afternoon tea: There is quite a bit of chocolate in the office, we all have a bit of a stash! My contribution to the office chocolate tasting today was this:

Also from my Nutribox - raw chocolate! I had two pieces of this. The photo is deceptive, it's a tiny bar :)

My lovely workmate provided this, so I had one row:

It was yummy but not as good as Lindt 70% dark with sea salt, in my humble opinion!

And around 4pm I had a mug of pineapple and grapefuit green tea (Twinings brand):

I get lots of comments on this lovely mug - here's the story behind it if you're interested ;)

Dinner: Home! Train was fine but the drive was fairly dreadful, so Tom made me a small gin and tonic with cucumber when I got in (not pictured!), we debriefed about our days and then I got started on our dinner. A nice quick and easy meal is the usual fare on the days I commute. Tonight we had rice noodle and vegetable miso soup:

So easy and takes about 10 minutes to make, including all the vegetable chopping.

To finish the day off, I've just had a mug of mint and lavender tisane (Madame Flavour brand) while I've been writing this :)

And now to bed!

Do you exercise in your lunch break? And if you're a commuter, what do you do about breakfast?

food what i ate: monday

2013-04-08T22:02:00.001+01:00

Happy Monday friends! How was yours?

Just to recap, I'm keeping a food and exercise diary on here this week. I hope you enjoy getting a window into my eating habits for a week - I always enjoy seeing what other people eat, I'm a bit nosy like that ;) I quite like looking back at my own visual trackers too. I'm in training for two 10ks at the moment so it will be good for me to actually see how I'm fuelling myself.

So, here's today's eats, drinks and moves.

On rising: A cup of hot water with lemon. I read somewhere that starting the day like this is like giving your insides a steam clean :)

Breakfast: Porridge made with organic oats, Alpro hazelnut and almond milks, filtered water, cinnamon and flaxseed (at the moment I'm using Linwood's with added probiotic and Vitamin D). Topped with steamed almond milk, some Alpro vanilla pouring yoghurt, organic blueberries, a few almonds and a handful of Jordan's tropical granola (which has dried pineapple and papaya in it).

Coffee (just after breakfast): Latte made with 2 espresso shots topped with a mixture of steamed almond and soy milks. I had some almond leftover from breakfast - this made a lovely combination, with a vanilla-like after-taste. My love affair with my wonderful coffee machine continues!

Late morning tea: A plunger of Bluebird Tea's Mint Choc Rooibos. This is delicious stuff and surprisingly chocolatey - I didn't need a chocolate biscuit to go with it :)

Lunch: 2 pieces of toasted home-made bread with spinach and dill hummus from yesterday; apple, fennel, spinach and rocket salad with Tangy Almond dressing from the Honestly Healthy cookbook (I made a few substitutions) - wow, that dressing was amazing! Salty, sour, spicy and sweet all at once.

Snack: Red grapes and the rest of the Pink Lady apple I used in the salad.

After work exercise: Power yoga - Fire sequence on Shiva Rea Daily Energy Vinyasa Flow DVD.

After yoga tea: T2 sencha green tea

Dinner: Such a lovely sunny evening, even slightly warm you might say (!), so I made a veggie variation on grilled chicken with pasta salad and coleslaw.

I grilled some Quorn fillets with a little olive oil, and some lemon juice squeezed over the top when finished, and served them with a salad that's somewhere between pasta salad and coleslaw - cooked Dell'Ugo gluten free chickpea pasta mixed with grated carrots; finely chopped spring onions, fennel and sugar snap peas; and lots of finely chopped dill, mint and basil, dressed with a delicious dairy-free high-protein version of mayo - cashews, Dijon mustard, lemon juice and water blended together. OMG. Yum. I also sprinkled my portion with a Japanese chilli seasoning called nanami togarashi which added a lovely kick.

I can imagine this salad would also go very well indeed with slices of grilled haloumi or some veggie burgers.

I might have gone back for a little more salad :)

Tea: A cup of pomegranate green tea (Twinings brand). Was going to have a piece of chocolate too but didn't feel like it in the end (I know, weird!) so might have some tomorrow.

All up today was a really good day - now that it's sunny all I want to eat is fresh zingy salads so that's just what I had. I had planned a few soups and comforting curries this week in case the weather turned foul again but it seems that spring might have finally arrived.

I've got an early start tomorrow so better call it a night :)

See you tomorrow for more food what I ate!

write this run - coming soon!

2013-04-08T14:49:00.002+01:00

I'm speaking at Write This Run, a new event for UK running bloggers, in London in May. Whether you're a runner who writes or a writer who runs, if you want to take your running or your running blog to the next level you won't want to miss this inspiring event!

Not only is it a great chance for bloggers to get together but there's a load of guest experts to share their wisdom, experience and top tips for blogs, vlogs and social media; a running coach and physio to answer all your burning questions; runners with inspiring stories (including multiple marathon runners and triathletes); a healthy lunch and goody bag; and even a run at the end of the day with a very special VIP guest!

The event is nearly sold out.....there's something like three tickets left at time of writing.....so if you want to come along act fast - go and sign up now!

Hopefully I'll see you there :)

food what i ate: sunday

2013-04-07T22:08:00.000+01:00

Welcome to the first food what I ate post for this week! Each day this week I'll show you what I've consumed and also what exercise I've done. This should motivate me to behave myself, don't you think? ;)

So, Sunday....

On rising: A mug of lemon and ginger tea.

Before run: 5 almonds.

Training: 20 minute run, 8 x 100m strides, 20 minute run.

Brunch: 1 egg (dry fried/steamed), 1/2 piece toasted ciabatta bread, 1 large piece of haloumi (hidden under the egg in the photo, likewise some fresh basil), spinach, mushrooms, 1 tablespoon home-made tomato and apple chutney; 1 soy latte.

Tea: 1 mug of green tea with pomegranate (Twinings brand).

Late lunch: Home-made bread (so good!), raw sugar snap peas, raw carrot and cucumber batons, spinach and chickpea hummus from Honestly Healthy (I put my own spin on the recipe and used peanut butter instead of tahini [because I didn't have any] and also put in some fresh dill and ground cumin):

Tom and I shared this plate...and then went back for a bit more bread, it's so delicious fresh on the day you make it!

Tea and snack: 1 mug of green tea with pomegranate. A small handful of red grapes. A sip of Tom's beer.

Dinner: Leftovers from last night - courgette (zucchini) and onion tart with minty peas, broccoli, rocket salad and a sprinkle of omega seed mix (from Holland and Barrett):

Dessert: Home-made lemon sorbet (made in my new ice-cream machine):

Tea: Large mug of mint and lavender tisane (Australian brand called Madame Flavour)

I enjoyed today - taking pictures of (nearly) everything makes me be a bit more mindful, weirdly enough. Brunch was lovely, the coffee was particularly nice. I think the highlight of today was definitely lunch with that delicious hummus and my home-made bread, which I made the dough for last night and then kneaded this morning and baked after the run.

Speaking of the run, it was awesome today! The last week or so of running has been a little tiresome, just because I was feeling hormonal/tired/bloated/useless and it didn't help that every time I went out there was a ghastly wind that I had to run into (!) but thankfully that's passed now - the weather seems to have calmed down and I'm feeling normal again! Today's run was great. I really enjoyed the strides and felt very powerful during them. Even Tom joined me! I hope he'll do another race with me one day :)

Looking forward to porridge in the morning....or will I have yoghurt? I can't decide yet.....I'm already looking forward to my coffee though. See you tomorrow!

What was your favourite thing you ate today?

PS: If you would like me to share any recipes for the things I make, let me know in the comments and I'll put them up.