The Great Cardio Myth

My biggest guess for you going for a run, swim or cycle would be because you want to lose some fat, reduce the muffin tops and shred those love handles. Wanting to lose fat motivates us to do cardio right? Wouldn’t it just rock your sweaty socks if I told you relying solely on cardio is a waste of time.

The truth is cardio (and when I say cardio I mean low intensity long monotonous activity) is not the answer to a guaranteed fat loss method.  Here’s why:

Dying to be thin – the things that shock me on instagram

If you went through the list of people I’m following on instagram you would see there are quite a lot of fitness pages (not surprising). Most posts are of fit looking girls, healthy ones that love eating clean and working out which I love to see and it keeps me motivated. But then there are some photos that are posted and it practically glorifies being incredibly skinny, having ribs on show and promoting that a thigh gap is the epitome of ‘fit’.

A quick search of #thinspiration and it’s filled with emaciated girls praising thinness and starvation. I found one post that literally said ‘’WAKING UP THINNER IS WORTH GOING TO BED HUNGRY’’.  It’s no wonder that there are millions of girls with eating disorders just dying to be thin. I constantly see photos of girls with the desired thigh gap and endless comments along the lines of ‘I’m a 13 year old girl, I am dieting and going to the gym everyday and I can’t get the thigh gap. PLEASE tell me how to get a thigh gap!!’ or ‘I wish I could look like you, you’re so skinny’.

People are vulnerable, especially those who are young, depressed about their weight or feel they just aren’t good enough. When did society make it ok to start generating a ‘’how to get a thigh gap ebook’’ and spreading word that you just aren’t good enough unless you have that bikini body?  
It’s promoted that in this life, being thin is the pinnacle of success. Being incredibly skinny does not make you healthy!

Shouldn’t healthy be defined by healthy eating, regular exercise, enjoying life, enjoying food in moderation and in general feeling and looking better?

Quitting sugar so far & the best brownies EVER!

So I’ve been sugar free for 8 days and it’s going good so far. I’ve hardly had any sugar cravings (I must have out-sugared myself that my body didn’t even want it anymore), I haven’t even had those horrible headaches you get from weening yourself off sugar. My skin is already feeling and looking better, I’ve started to sleep a bit better too and in general just feeling so much better.
How have you been going with cutting out sugar?

The last couple of months have been terrible for me eating wise. It was my birthday month in March which meant almost every weekend I was out doing something celebrating my birthday with different people and justifying every bit of cake, ice cream, chocolate with ‘It’s my birthday, it’s fine’. Then came Easter and I can honestly say I would have eaten close to my body weight in chocolate within 4 days. It was disgusting. I felt gross, my body was changing and I desperately wanted to get back my pre-sugar binge body that I had worked extra hard on. Now that it’s May I have completely cut the sugar and to ensure I stay on track I have made a bet with my mum that if I eat sugar during this month I will pay her $500. I don’t have $500 so one tiny bit of chocolate is going to be extremely expensive and almost bankrupting. Not worth it at all, let alone the damages to my body again.

Many people ask if when I say ‘I’m not eating sugar for at least a month’ if that means I’m not eating fruit and I guess I need to clarify that I’m cutting all those nasty refined sugars out of my life, not the natural sugars our body craves.
Refined sugars are found in those processed foods like chocolate, ice cream, white breads, baked goods and generally anything processed.

I am completely obsessed with finding sugar free recipes that are healthy and taste oh so delicious so I’ve been scouring the web for some great websites and recipes that will help get me through the month and hopefully even longer!

Lately I am loving these;

www.iquitsugar.com

I even got the I Quit Sugar for Life book from one of my best friends for my birthday and there are so many great recipes in there that are easy and simple to make.

 

 

www.sugarfreemum.com.au

I’ve been following her facebook, instagram and blog for a while now and I love every recipe she brings out. There are so many great ones and I’ve used a lot of them and changed them around to suit my needs and wants.

www.spoonfulofsugarfree.com

This is a newbie I’ve found and started following on instagram. LOVE! Can’t get enough of searching through the dessert section and I’m aiming to make them all!

 

Ok so now for the best bit. The most delicious chocolate brownies that are completely sugar, grain and dairy free but taste better than the naughty version and its completely guilt free!

Ingredients

¾ cup coconut flour¾ cup cocoa powder¾ cup melted coconut oil3 eggs1 cup rice malt syrup3 tsp vanilla extract

 

Preheat oven to 150*C

Mix together all ingredients till a batter is formed

Pour into a greased baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes

I topped mine with a thick frosting of melted coconut oil, cocoa and rice malt syrup.

Chill in the fridge till firm

The brownies will keep for a few days in the fridge (if they last that long and you haven’t eaten them all!)