I like to move it move it...

Sorry! That song will be stuck in your head now wont it?

This past week has seen me go from almost no exercise to 250 active minutes - mostly walking. I have been a bit distracted from blogging as my energy has been focused on trying to move more and keeping my food under control so I haven't updated the other Yelk and Ash blog either.

Since beginning again to make a concerted effort to get healthy I have dropped 5kg and I can't get over the extra energy I have in the afternoon and evenings that I didn't actually realise wasn't there before. May it continue!

Operation Move- Get Moving* is going really well. Kate asks us to timetable each week in advance so we know what time we have available to move and it has really helped me to see that I actually have more opportunities than I thought. It has also meant that I am trying to find more ways to incidentally exercise and I am getting out of the house on foot a lot more and the kids are being more active by default.

The little guy (3yrs) gets sore legs quickly if I try and get him to walk with me... and he is SLOW! So instead of using this as an excuse not to move when he is with me (which is most of the time) I put the word out on the Inner West Mums and Bubs Facebook page that I needed a jogger style pram and within minutes a generous Altona based mum offered to lend me hers for a few months! How generous! I'm a complete stranger and she just lent it to me. People are good aren't they?! So I've been able to get out walking with the little dude and he loves bouncing along in the "new" pram.

Anywho! Just thought I'd pop in and give this little update and I'll be back soon with some Squee-Worthy content.


*Disclaimer: I am participating in Operation Move - Get Moving for free in exchange for sharing my story with you all. Good deal huh!?

Hello, my name is Ashley and I am really REALLY unfit!

Hello, my name is Ashley and I am really REALLY unfit! 

I didn't used to be.

After I had my wee girl (who is 7 now!!) I got deep into the groove of being healthy and fit and I felt really vital and full of life for the first time in my life. I was working out with weights, doing a split program over 5 days during the week, getting up early for walks around the Tan and eating a really balanced and varied diet and I really felt amazing... amazing! I was putting my own well-being ahead of other things... which actually meant I had much more energy to put into those other things... everyone was a winner!

Ann Wigmore said:

“The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.”

...and I have to admit that I've been turning to the poison far more than I've been medicating myself with food in recent years and the most I've moved is walking from the train to my uni classes. There are a few different reasons for this which I will probably get into at some stage but don't have the energy to get in depth about now; mostly to do with being time poor, busy, medicating my emotions with sugar and carbs and putting my own needs before those of my family, work and friends.

So... in order to begin (again) the process of regaining my health and fitness I am about to embark on a 12 week "Get Moving" program through Operation Move.

The Operation Move website says this:

"We are parents, partners, domestic gods and goddesses. We work at home or out of home, we juggle ferrying kids to school with taking corporate calls on Skype, we are full time parents at home who love it and find it incredibly challenging all at once. We take care of everybody else and we do it with pride. 

We are also people who have put ourselves last for a long time, without even realising it.

Operation Move is for people who have been so busy living and being and doing that they haven’t put their physical health needs first.

We are for everyday busy people who know they SHOULD get moving, but don’t know what to do or how to fit it in to their lives."

Does this sound like you? It sure sounds like me and I've had enough of feeling shitty. It's time to MOVE!  I am the luckiest blogger on the block because I am going to be participating in this fitness program for FREE on the proviso (isn't that a great word?!) that I tell you all about it!! That is a good deal right?! Considering I can't help but talk about this stuff anyway. Win-win!

June 1st is the start date... eeeeeeeeeeeek!!!

How to STICK IT TO THE MAN with your friends

Just yesterday the Treasurer Joe Hockey delivered a federal budget that has made many of us very angry. It is a budget that negatively impacts the most vulnerable people in our community while mining companies, defence and big business are benefiting from massive funding injections.

The abc shared this handy graphic to help us navigate the budget. 

Click here to see it. It's really worth a look.

Anyway... This whole thing has got me thinking about how I can respond to this in a way that is actually effective. Sure, I can be a click-tivist and sign every petition that pops up in my Facebook feed. I can write to the government to express my rage- a good thing to do- I'm sure they take a little bit of notice of these things.

I've decided on a different approach though... I've decided to try and identify areas where people might struggle and address them creatively... so without further ado, here are my handy hints on:

HOW TO STICK IT TO THE MAN WITH YOUR FRIENDS

1. Go out and meet your neighbours 

You never know, they might need something you have and vice-versa, therefore helping you to rely on each other rather than a system that will no longer give you a hand-up

Sharing dinner with our beautiful neighbour Mayra

2. Join or start a local food co-op 

This is a great way to meet people, get away from the supermarkets and to stop relying on "the man" for your basic needs

Or go "food rescuing"!

Or even better - GROW YOUR OWN!! 

3. Raise some chooks 

Another way of bypassing a nasty system, plus they are just delightful to have in your life. Did you know that chooks have personalities? One of ours is super adventurous and we re-named her Harriet Houdini because she could escape from any enclosure. 

4. Donate your cash to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre 

Nothing sticks it to a xenophobic government like loving those problematic "boat people"

At Light the Dark silent vigil for slain asylum seeker Reza Berati

5. Find entertainment that is FREE

Join the local library; visit your community neighbourhood house and see what they have to offer; go jogging, cycling, roller skating, climb a tree; start a book club; eat IN with your pals; hang out with some ducks!

6. Start a 'resource-share' among your friends

Why would we buy six lawn mowers when we could just share ONE?! Do you have a food dehydrator? How often do you use it really?? You're lying! Now go lend it to you pal. 

You can borrow my Vietnamese coffee filter if you like! 

7. BARTER!

Do you have a useful skill? Are you a hairdresser? Well you might need an accountant! Hey... that accountant's hair is looking a little muffin-ish... see where I'm going with this?? (side note.. MY hair is getting a little muffin-ish and I have a LOT of skills I could offer you so please get in touch if you wanna make this thing happen!)

8. Look out for the little guy

If you are a person of means who might not be affected so much by the budget cuts please don't do the whole selfish "I'm OK Jack" thing. Have a look around you. Is there a person who has lost their job due to funding cuts? (that happened to me a few years back and it hurts), is there a family that is struggling to make the $7 medical co-payment? Please stop saying "$7 isn't much!"... It's a lot when you've got nothing. If you can afford to give to a charity that helps people who are struggling please do it. Or support people directly. Offer the hand-up that the Government will no longer give vulnerable people. And please, just think before you open your mouth because the things you say can be very hurtful, disempowering and belittling. Ok? Good.

9. Have a cup of tea and relax

It will be ok folks. If we support each other we will all be fine. Individualism is lonely and SO 1990! We are in this together. 

Do you have any other tips to help us to stick it to the man?? I'd love to hear about it! 

Free Printable Fitness Planner Just for You!

I'm figuring out how to put a pdf on here for you to grab! Hang tight! 

Email me via the contact details above and I can send you the PDF if you're super keen to get one!

#healthsquee... it's a thing!

Well hello there!

I've been feeling quite unhealthy recently.

After spending my 20s on a roller-coaster of eating well, eating crap, dieting, pregnancy, binge eating, dieting etc etc etc I am quite ready to get off. It's not super fun and I've had enough of feeling like rubbish. I completed the Whole 30 recently and for the first time in a really long time I started feeling great again!

It was a timely reminder that food can be like poison but can also be the most wonderful, cheap, accessible medicine you can find. Since completing the Whole 30 I have fallen back into bad habits and have been eating way too much sugar and grabbing foods that fall into the "less healthy" category more often than not.

It has made me realise that I am someone who is really good at doing challenges but really really very NOT good at keeping the new habits going after the 30 days or 12 weeks or however long the challenge goes. So no challenges for me... no thank you..

Today I posted this to Facebook:

I have had a wonderful response from my gal-pals and a nice little network is emerging from my feeling-crapness and while I am not up for any challenges or time-limited programs I really do want to get healthy and feel better and food is where it starts for me. I need to move too of course; but for now, I need to get my eating back on track and to do that I will be documenting my eats on Instagram and hashtagging them with #healthsquee.

If this is something you think would be useful for you, please join me on my healthy adventures and hashtag away!

Do you want to get healthy with me? I'm going to make a regular feature of #healthsquee here on the blog and will be making a little Facebook support group under the same name so stay tuned folks!

#healthsquee lunchy goodness