Whole30 Wednesdays

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That's right. I'm a Whole 30 kid again (for the 3rd time). As I work through the next 30 days of clean eating, I'll be talking about all sorts of health tips, tricks and recipes in my series of Whole30 Wednesdays - inspiration to get you through the Whole30 challenge or to incorporate some healthy habits into your days.

This week is all about: Coconut oil
Trekking the Whole30 trail has made me more aware of the things I'd once thought of as (ehhm) all-talk-no-action-health-foods. I'm eating my big, fat words! I've realised there are some brilliant health food additions that DO make a difference (inside and out)...like coconut oil. Whole30 is the perfect opportunity to get this versatile ingredient into (or onto) you. Here's why.
Controls weight
Eases digestion
Supports immunity
Boost metabolism
Stops sugar cravings because a good fat like coconut oil is more satiating than carbs
A nourishing skin moisturiser by replenishing skin with natural oils
Deep conditioning treatment for your hair
Reduces toxic build up in your skin if you drink it - add to tea or coffee or drink coconut water.
Helps with cholesterol

Whole30 Week 1 tip: KEEP AT IT!
Push through and get yourself to 7 days. It's smooth(er) sailing from then on. Here are my previous reviews. The first week is the killer but it's worth it! Hand on heart, this is the best lifestyle change I've made - why I keep sticking by it!

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What is Whole30? Just think no carbs, processed food, alcohol, dairy, grains, legumes, sugar.

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The way you feel in week 1 depends on your eating habits before you kick off the 30 days - you can feel a whole lotta good or a handful of crappy. Thankfully I didn't overdo the "one last final binge (never a good idea) of sugar, carbs and dairy so I'm feeling pretty bright and chirpy today. No headaches and no moodiness related to sugar bans.

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Have you tried incorporating coconut oil into your days or cooking? If you have some recipe ideas I'd love to hear them.  

Have a bright and healthy Wednesday! Maria x

Found

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If my day were to be a little brighter, it'd be because of a Tom Dixon candle, calf leather in my hand and Philip Lim carrying me. What do you think?

p.s. I know I've been missing from this blog (and visiting yours) the past little while (sorry about that). Things are sure to change...soon.

What I've been up to

Its been a tail chaser week for me and I've met Friday without any of my usual Friday Finds. What I do have, though, is an update on all that's been going on in my world this past little while...just excuse my iPhone's camera quality.

  

1. Wearing red. 
2. Smiles. I know, I know...I tend to repeat myself but the smiles I wear thanks to the hand-picked-folk in my world are tops.
3. Heading out of town. Winter rain. Misty grey beauty.
4. A winter's night with a hearty, spiced chicken soup, fresh bread, a good red and my guy to enjoy it with.
5. Drinking this sublime tea.
6. Switching from my summer essential Byredo to some winter notes.
7. Translating poetry to unveil Liszt's musical inspiration. Playing things like this makes practice a pleasure...

The Poem:

Francesco Petrarca CANZONE CXXXIV
Pace non trovo
Pace non trovo, e non ho da far guerra,
E temo, e spero, ed ardo, e son un ghiaccio:
E volo sopra ‘l cielo, e giaccio in terra;
E nulla stringo, e tutto ‘l mondo abbraccio.
Tal m’ha in priggion, che non m’apre, né serra,
Né per suo mi ritien, né scioglie il laccio,
E non m’uccide Amor, e non mi sferra;
Né mi vuol vivo, né mi trahe d’impaccio.
Veggio senz’occhi; e non ho lingua e grido;
E bramo di perir, e cheggio aita;
Ed ho in odio me stesso, ed amo altrui:
Pascomi di dolor; piangendo rido;
Egualmente mi spiace morte e vita.
In questo stato son, Donna, per Voi.

I find no peace, but for war am not inclined;  
I fear, yet hope; I burn, yet am turned to ice; 
I soar in the heavens, but lie upon the ground; 
I hold nothing, though I embrace the whole world. 

Love has me in a prison which he neither opens nor shuts fast; 
he neither claims me for his own nor loosens my halter; 
he neither slays nor unshackles me; 
he would not have me live, yet leaves me with my torment. 

Eyeless I gaze, and tongueless I cry out; 
I long to perish, yet plead for succor; 
I hate myself, but love another. 
I feed on grief, yet weeping, laugh; 
death and life alike repel me; 
and to this state I am come, my lady, because of you. 

Whole30: Take 2

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Whole 30 round 2 has kicked off for me today. I know hearing about Whole30 might be getting old  but I'm carrying on with this good thing regardless. In case you've missed it on my previous posts, Whole30 is all about saying no to sugar, alcohol, legumes, grains, dairy and anything else you think of that's processed. Think all things green, plenty of fruit, clean protein, herbal tea and black coffee and you're on your way to Whole30 success.

Here are some of the benefits you'll experience on Whole30:

1. This is not a fad. It's a way to clean your diet and bring it back to basics...for good.
2. Say goodbye to aches, inflammation and irritating gut cramps. I was skeptical too, but Whole30 shakes your body up so much that niggling pains disappear. I began training (ballet) better than ever and at the end of the day I wasn't sucking an irritated stomach in.
3. You'll have a refreshing energy from the minute you wake up.
4. You won't crave sugar.
5. You will lose inches. This is not the reason to tackle Whole30 but it sure is a nice side effect.
6. You will sleep like a bambino.
7. Your skin will glow and your hair will be goddess-like.
8. You need discipline for the first week. After that, it's a piece of cake!

So, who's joining me? Let me know if you're keen to tackle mon-fri (weekends free) Whole30 style. I'll be posting Whole30 Wednesday tips, tricks and recipe ideas if you're up for the fun.

Friday's Finds

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 Hey kids, it's Friday (and the intro to a long weekend in my neck of the woods). Here are the few finds I saved for these exact Friday minutes. Enjoy!

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 1. Remember the days (hello 80's) of the "two-in-one" Wash & Go product? Seat yourselves down - we now have a "three-in-one"...I KNOW! Crazy! Davines Authentic Moisturising Balm For The Face/Hair/Body; a face cleanser, a conditioner and as a rinse off body moisturizer.

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2. Jewellery to make you feel good about yourself.

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3. Iris Apfel visits the zoo. Watch the outlandish (91yo), native New-Yorker's zoo-treck here.

Maria x

Friday's Finds / story time

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Clouds are hiding the sun and rain drops are falling in my scrunched up hair - that's how I'm greeting this weekend and things couldn't be better. Coming to the end of a bumper week has me with a summer-type spring in my step, and for good reason; two days lie ahead to indulging in my favourites (more about that in a sec). Before we kick off into weekend games (and a story about my weekend plans below), here are the few finds I saved for today.



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1. Hecker Guthrie is back on my blog but this time spilling secrets on all things leather. 

Told you these guys are gold.

 

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2. A bloody good (dance) tumblr.

 

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3. One of my girlfriends and I have gone all neutrally-toned in the makeup department. You too? Here are some tricks to nail the look.

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As I was about to say, I've become good at the 'busy' thing and have expertly packed a weekend of  just about every little thing I love. I know you're on the edge of your seats hanging to hear just what I've got up my sleeve (you are, right?). My heart is skipping beats I'm so darn excited. So bloody excited I'm going to list them for you (this list is as organised as I've been in a long time):

1. Fine-tuning my piano skills (did someone say diploma?) has got me like a fat kid with cake. Why, you ask? I have this stupid thing I like to drown in called self-doubt. Years ago I had the whole thing down pat it held me back from everything my bones yearned for. My point is, I've finally shaken that rotten old blanket of doubt from my shoulders. Finally. Turns out I was actually half OK at my piano thing and my teacher has planted my into finishing my Dip. Performance.

2. You may recall me mentioning something about a 'new canvas' and how I'm ready to get painting again. Well, that canvas is still very, very new with not a drop of inspiration staining it. This weekend is changing all that...stay tuned.



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3. Most of you know me pretty well by now. If I'm not baking, I'm painting; if I'm not painting, I'm drinking coffee; if I'm not drinking coffee, I'm sipping wine with the boy; if I'm not indulging in that, I'm at ballet training. And this weekend is a big ballet weekend. I have a few hours booked with my original ballet teacher to put my skills before her critical eye in the stunning (massive) ballroom of her home. I'm a sucker for punishment (and big, open dance spaces) and she's the master of the art.  She's known me since I was a 3yo bambino; she knows my excuses, she knows my cop-outs and knows just the right pitch of 'scream' to get my butt moving! I. Cannot. Wait.

If you're still reading, you're absolutely all-kinds-of-wonderful. Thank you. Take a deep breath, there's no more story telling from me. Just a quick happy-weekend wish! Are you up to anything fun? xo

Whole30: bouncing off walls

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I can claim a solid (almost) three of weeks of the Whole30 food challenge/lifestyle change (not a diet!) and I'm feeling damn fine to boot! My energy is up, my stomach is f-l-a-t, I'm sleeping like a bambino, fitting into my clothes with room to spare and I'm thinking clearer. I'm not missing dairy, I don't crave sugar, I don't depend on coffee, I'm a hot-water-with-lemon-and-a-cinnamon-stick-converted-sipper aannd my skin is getting its glow back!

I should mention I didn't choose to tackle Whole30 for weight loss and I already had a reasonably clean diet. Tackling it was more a test of my willpower and I was curious to see if my gut really was reacting to grains, sugars and my cheese addiction.




The kind of stuff Whole30 gets on your plate. via

 Results so far:
1. I've lost inches. Getting into a ballet leotard every day of the week is a perfect measure of fat loss/gain (like it or not) and I could tell my mirrored reflection was looking leaner. You're not meant to weigh yourself on Whole30 (it's called willpower), but I had to confirm things with my scale pin! I've lost 2.5kg.

2. Speaking of willpower, I've fallen flat on my face over each weekend (Greek Orthodox Easter followed by Mother's Day celebrations will do it do you). So, I've basically done Whole30-weekdays and had a day off to enjoy something non-Whole30 once a week. Tsk tsk me if you must but I haven't fallen into a Whole30-failures-pit and I'm still seeing results.

3. My gut most definitely reacts to the non-whole30 stuff - dairy and grains. That wasn't a fun trial.

4. My skin is lookin' good. All I'm applying these days is my Aesop Fabulous Face Oil, a little mascara and I'm off!

Realisation:
I should've been more prepared to kick something like this off to go for gold (30 days straight). However, I really think weekdays of Whole30 eating with a couple days off is do-able and a much more longer-term approach. My results speak for themselves! I feel better heading to training with a light (did I say flat!) stomach, I don't have as many aches and irritations and I can pop anything on from my wardrobe without feeling pinched, squeezed or 'fat.' Not willing to compromise that for a cup of ready-to-bloat-me milk any time soon.

Friday's Finds

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Made it! Another week down, another two days to kick back. Here are the few finds that I've saved for some Friday minutes.

aesop

1. Post poo drops. You read right. Aesop (the skin care range of brilliance) collaborated with A.P.C. to serve up their answer to combating the malodorous!

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2. Top DIY beauty tricks and 8 DIY Facials to choose from and transform you skin into glowing yumminiess.

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3. This tumblr is where my ooh-ing and aaah-ing has been happening through the week. If you were to smack a label on my style, food, scent and abode, this'd be it (minus the cigarettes)!

Have a great couple of days doing whatever it is that tickles your fancy, lovely lot. x

Give it up / Whole30

Sugar, alcohol, dairy and grains - we will be miles apart over the next 30 days! I'm inspired to kick off a 30 day lifestyle change after reading about Krystal's (from Village) Whole30 challenge - you can read more about her story here.

Basically, Whole30 will see you totally strip a few food groups from your diet for 30 days and get your body bouncing back in the most incredible form. Sounds good to me.

I kicked it off yesterday; cutting out all the psychologically unhealthy, hormone-disrupting, gut-churning, inflammatory food groups. My reason behind this isn't centred around reducing the kg's that my scale-pin points to either (although it's not a bad 'side effect'). My motivation is to do with centering my body, metabolism and energy levels again. My schedule of not enough sleep, busy work days and ballet training through most of my 7 day week (topped with a few champion attempts of getting to the gym in a lunch hour) knock my energy supplies d.e.a.d! And it's not just my energy that's suffering. The stress has become obvious in my less-than-glowing complexion!

If you're interested in the journey, let me know. I'd be happy to share the experience, recipes, tips, thoughts. I've also got a Pinterest board going with all sorts of recipes and blogs for motivation.

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A few things I'll be reminding myself over these 30 days are:

 

1. This is NOT hard. Triple pirouettes on point are hard! Drinking coffee black is. not. hard!

2. There is no such thing as a "slip" up.

3. This will require effort!

4. Modifying the rules on the wine-ban is cheating!


The smaller print via:

Eat real food – meat, seafood, eggs, tons of vegetables, some fruit, and plenty of good fats from fruits, oils, nuts and seeds. Eat foods with very few ingredients, all pronounceable ingredients, or better yet, no ingredients listed at all because they’re totally natural and unprocessed.
More importantly, here’s what NOT to eat during the duration of your Whole30 program. Omitting all of these foods and beverages will help you regain your healthy metabolism, reduce systemic inflammation, and help you discover how these foods are truly impacting your health, fitness and quality of life.

• Do not consume added sugar of any kind, real or artificial.
• Do not consume alcohol, in any form, not even for cooking.
• Do not eat grains.
• Do not eat legumes.
• Do not eat dairy.
• Do not consume carrageenan, MSG or sulfites.
• Do not eat white potatoes.

In addition, no Paleo-ifying dessert or junk food choices.

One last and final rule. You are not allowed to step on the scale or take any body measurements for the duration of the program.

A few concessions:

• Clarified Butter or Ghee.
• Fruit juice as a sweetener.
• Certain legumes. green beans, sugar snap peas and snow peas.
• Vinegar.

Back to it

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We just spent one magical weekend away in Melbourne with my boy's extended family; totally (almost) out of site from work responsibilities and able to enjoy some rare and special moments together, celebrating in song, with laughter, and of course good, rich and unnecessarily sweet food! I've possibly indulged too much in the stuff and ignited a pretty serious craving issue; one that I've given in to over the past tail-chasing-month of mine. Now that the Easter eggs are gone, time has come for me to kick off the sweet treats and quick-fix energy boosters (too much caffeine) and switch back to my cleaner, leaner eating habits. Remember my "salad a day" post?

Salads aside, I have come back from the weekend with a few exciting baking recipes to trial. Looking forward to sharing them with you soon...

Body balance

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Just wondering how everyone else in winter-drenched towns is coping with all the second-serves of hearty meals, red wine and cheese platters these months call for? Personally, I'm feeling ready to exit hibernation and would like to tell my jeans where to shove their subtle "hint" of strain. So the time has come. A little detox for 2012 is in store! You might remember my post about this a while back? Well, it's on again. Over the next two weeks I'll be focusing on what Mr Duigan (trainer to Ms Macpherson herself) prescribes; less sugar, more greens and upping the cardio burn. Here goes.

Join in if you want. I'd love to see how someone else goes with the ups and downs of cleansing and detoxifying! I'll keep you posted on my progress anyway...

'Extra Strength' Vogue Italia Dec edition 2011

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Karlie Kloss bares all for the first time in print with the December edition of Vogue Italia, lensed by Steven Meisel.  If you managed to peel your eyes from that genetically blessed/Amazonian-God-like creature, you too may have noticed Kloss channeling a 90's supermodel spirit styled in a wardrobe of minimal silhouettes and playful accessories.

Le clean, le lean

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It's time. This time a full blown commitment (long / life term) is the goal. Able to enjoy good, fresh, clean food whilst bringing in the waist line and not feeling deprived is the numero uno aim. So (my) day 1.5 of ye Clean and Lean is well underway. I must admit, my past attempts of James Duigan's Clean and Lean eating plan have seen less than glowing results - having Elle as the example of his miracle works wasn't all that great for the confidence boost. However, James' latest project has seen him stamp his seal of success on the transformed Queen of Cupcakes' curves, Nigella Lawson.  You heard! Now that's inspiration...and believable! When someone can take that volumptuous derriere and transform it to the unimaginable, I don't know how much more proof one could want to know that James' method really works! Here goes...

Finders Keepers

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JOEY SCANDIZZIO...you genius thing, you.

After every visit to Joey, my bangs are getting shorter and shorter...and shorter. Today was the day for my scheduled chop and he managed to outdo himself yet again (check out Joey's work here).  Joey's *hot stuff in my neck of the woods and tops the list of bob cutters (seriously). Needless to say, I've been twisting and turning and loving taking a moment all-about-me (&Joey).

 Joey, here's a big fat XOX for you on behalf of my hair and your admirers!

*The man's Bragging rights:
JOEY SCANDIZZO
International:
Wella Trend Vision 2003 Berlin - Bronze 3rd
Wella Trend Vision 2007 Barcelona
Wella Trend Vision 2010 Paris - Top 6
National:
Hair Expo People's Choice Award
AHFA Australian Hairdresser of the Year 2011
AHFA Australian Hairdresser of the Year 2010
AHFA Mens Hairdresser of the Year 2008
Hair Expo Australian Hairdresser of the Year
2007-08-09-10-11 Finalist
American Crew Face Off 2008
AHFA Australian Hairdresser of the Year
2007-08-09 -Finalist
Wella Trend Vision 2003-07-10
AHFA Vic/Tas Hairdresser of the Year 2004

Resolution free

As we gear up towards the new year I've had a couple of days out of blog land to think about all things 'resolution.' With the belief that resolution setting falls in a flop mid-week 1 of January, I prefer to work on a slightly different action plan. I like Future Me's take on it. This nifty site allows you to send an email to yourself and choose the future date it appears in your inbox. I can also appreciate how this goes along the lines of visualising what you want in your life - writing as though it's happened along with collecting a few key images is said to do the trick! Looking back on 2010, my year's action plan is almost covered in big, bold ticks to claim this method a success!

Here goes the letter (albeit lighthearted) to give my 2011 a helpful nudge in the right direction. What's in it for you, you say? Read on for the perfect solution to our Xmas-indulged tums.

Dear future self,

You did it! Pat on the back for scoring that dream job! How are you going with kicking that caffeine addiction in the butt? With places like 30Mill setting up shop around the corner from you it must be tough...

Shall I be cheeky in assuming that a fabulous dance partner asked for your hand in cha-cha? Just in case you're still contemplating your attack on the dream, I figured the perfect motivation would be realising it's not yours truly posing perfectly in this picture. Frustrating, isn't it?

image: http://dancesportinfo.net

I'm so glad you found the exit from the lazy couch-comforts of 2010! Aren't you looking fab! Your previous posts about (Elle's trainer) James Duigan's Clean and Lean diet obviously set the foundation. Psst! His new release is out in Jan 2011 to flatten our tums post Xmas indulgence. Keep tabs here if you must, but you heard it from me first.

On a final note, I'm delighted to hear you managed to fly somewhere holiday related. It's been some time since spotting the ocean from your window seat. Oh! And that crockenbouche you made was an absolute treat!

Love you to bits,
Past me.

Give it a go! It's a whole lot more entertaining than scribbling a list of resolutions in ugly red pen, right? 

(aint) minding the gap

images from wmagazine.com

Embrace the hots for the latest 'must have'. Say farewell to unnecessary orthodontist bills and 'ello (Again!) to the gappy grin. It seems this old-time smile (FYI in the 14th century the gap was associated with lustfulness) has hit our screens and mag covers as the 'latest' accessory. Featuring in the current ad campaign for Chanel lippie gives you some idea of its current impact. So, forget the flaw. Begot the Imperfection! I have to say, on the right noggin, there is something a little intriguing about a spacey case. A positive shift from the botoxed clones spilling from under the knife, wouldn't you say?

es(scent)ial

image www.diptyqueparis.com

Get whiff of Diptyque's most recent notes and your love affair for this indulgence will be well and truly lit. Whether it's a deliciously seductive perfumed note or a custom blended wax formula that takes your fancy, diptyque scents set out to recreate (and deliver, they do!) the essence of exotic escapades. Its latest scent [Eau Duelle] promises a journey between gentleness and character, femininity and virility. With interplay of legendary opposites (sweet white vanilla and mysterious undertones of black frankincense) this is diptyque's weapon of serious seduction.

resisting the carbtation

Day 4 of the ol' clean and lean diet I'm thinking James Duigan will be worship-worthy if his diet can convert this couch bum I've developed. I'm far from starving, but keep eating to fill this void of fried haloumi or a rich creamy latte. Day 5's good progress was slammed by a 360 view of myself in Wolford's most flattering mirrors. that hurt!

Making it to day 7, Protein and I are goin' strong. Mr Duigan, you've helped me lose 1-1.5 (unsure thanks to my confused scale pin that makes no sense of it's call. As long as it's moving Down, I'm happy).

3 times cleaner

image from powersellerunion

Why the image of Jeremy Scotts fringed extras for Adidas? I was trying to find an image to link in with my 'clean and lean diet' theme and figured this is as close as I get to a human cleaning brush. Spotted these threads hanging around in Chapel Street's Adidas window this morning. Can't say I'm patting Mr. Scott on the back for this one.

To the point, this is day 3* of the clean and lean diet. I will not continue my riveting daily account, and do apologise for putting you through this, but I'm embracing the motivation while it lasts. I started the day with E-N-E-Rgy. Pounded my way through some serious stair runs. Skin looking good. Stomach flat(ish). Feeling good(ish). I'm in finger crossed hope that this good thing lasts.