Warning: Food and exercise related topics ahead!

Yes that's right .... We're doing the "Whole 30"! Okay, so that probably means nothing to you .... basically it's a Paleo (caveman) based food plan .... 30 days .... meat, veg, fruit & good fats ..... hopefully amazing results! So thats the over simplified version which absolutely does it no justice at all! If you want to find out more about (and I highly advise you do but completely get it's not for everyone) go to .....
http://whole9life.com/2012/01/whole-30-v2012/
..... and soak in the amazingness that is the Whole 30! 


Okay so you should know that we are only on day 1 ..... and my enthusiasm may seem a tad premature BUT I am expecting that this will be amazing! I am a quarter of the way through the very helpful book, "It Starts With Food", that goes along side this "lifestyle change" (I hate the word diet, it completely takes away from the awesomeness you are doing for your body with this "program") and I am thoroughly convinced (no ... not brainwashed .... CONVINCED) that this is going to be an amazing 30 days for my family! Yes you read right, my whole family are doing it (Husband, 3 kids and me) ... you see this isn't a conventional diet, but more a promise you are making to your body that you are gonna treat it right, starting from now! I have done a lot of research and am more than happy to have my children take part, as I do believe they are getting everything they need from the high quality vegetables, fruit and meat we are eating..... so fear not readers I am not starving my children, they are eating very well in fact (I do consider any child that gets to start their day with bacon and eggs to be doing pretty well for themselves!!) I do, and have for quite a while, believed that the addition of dairy and wheat to my children's diet isn't necessary let alone healthy (ENTIRELY a personal belief for my family and I, no judgement guys :D) but finding a way to make it happen and be supported in it has been a journey. But I am very grateful to have my husband by my side on this one and boy does it make a difference! So here's what we ate today .... strictly 3 meals a day (the kids had extra fruit inbetween meals, cause well, they're kids and fruit is good :p) ....

MMmmm yum, might have this again tomorrow!!
Sweet Potato Cakes with bacon, eggs and sauteed spinach & garlic
cooked in coconut oil.

Lunch for Matt, Lucas & I ....
Organic chicken strips, cooked in duck fat with a salad of red mizuna, caps, cucumber,
tomato, carrots, the tastiest avocados, black olives and a dressing of
balsamic & extra virgin olive oil. The chicken was definitely the star!

Theo & Isabella's new & improved lunches.... salad & ham wrapped in lettuce leaves, quarter of an
avocado & cherry tomatoes, a banana and a kiwi fruit :)

Din dins ... tasty TASTY, like the tenderest, juiciest, perfectly pink, Tassie steak ever, cooked
in coconut oil, mushrooms & onions cooked with a bit of ghee, garlic roasted squash
and steamed brussel sprouts (which are the kids favs by far!) has left me nice and full for the evening!

So that's what we ate today! I felt VERY satisfied after each meal, all of the food was really tasty and they seemed to keep me going until the next meal. I had to push through the 3pm "want to munch on something", and right now I know I need to go go to bed before I open the fridge (I do have a little self control, I'm just trying to make it easier for myself :p) but they are more habitual hurdles rather than hunger so it is all going really well!

The goal is to feel healthier, ie. more energy, not so sluggish, not so over emotional/hormonal and to generally feel great! Also to not be controlled by cravings and ruled by food in general! Which is exactly what this 30 days is supposed to achieve! YAY! 

On the fitness side of things, I was very happy with my efforts last week, I trained Monday-Friday without much procrastination but found having 2 days off over the weekend is just no good! So I will have to put something on one of those days to keep me active and working through the weekend, maybe something enjoyable like some big walks or some family hikes? Something like that anyways :) Had my first train for the week today and it was HARDCORE! Ouch! Here's me thinking I'll be tough and use Matt's kettlebell for the swings, so I will really hurt tomorrow! This was our Z.A.P.T training tonight ....

5 pass thru's (12kg kettlebell)

6 swings (24kg kettlebell)

6 burpees

6 swings (24kg)

5 squat thrusts

10x rounds of the above then...

2/2 renegade rows with push up (12kg kettlebell ..... NASTY!!)

4 clean & squat presses (12kg)

6 swings (24kg)

4x rounds of that!

Pretty stoked I got through it without vomiting!! Yay me! 

And on that note ... bed time! Nighty night :) 

Ramblings....

Haha, I just saw the end of my last post ..... "Next week's goal, GO TO BED BEFORE 9.30pm!!!" ....... Well obviously that's going well! 


I didn't really come on here to post about anything in particular just to ramble on a bit and clear my head before bed. I did a half "Zombie Apocalypse Preparation Training" and half "Vivo Barefoot Running" train tonight and have nicely sore legs right now, always a good feeling! This was my playlist for tonight's train .....


1) All my Life - Foo Fighters
2) Happiness - Regurgitator
3) Killing in the Name - Rage Against the Machine
4) Alive - Pearl Jam
5) Superstylin' - Groove Armada
6) Somebody Told me - The Killers
7) Paranoid Android - Easy Star All Star
8) The Pretender - Foo Fighters
9) Work it Out - Jurassic 5 ft. Dave Matthews Band
10) Nosebleed Section - Hilltop Hoods


A slightly more angry list than usual (post argument with husband) but it felt good tonight! Was much easier than last night's train, which was my first train for 5 days, and it hurt!! AND ALSO.....

They ARRIVED!! Yay!! I'm very excited to explore fitness and training with these babies! I haven't taken them off since they arrived yesterday (okay.... I didn't wear them to bed but ya know what I mean!) and they feel pretty good. Well.... I don't really have a comparison and honestly, I have generally always worn ballet flats, thongs or chucks (all flat shoes) so the feeling isn't overly "new" as such, but I guess I will get a better indication when I get back to running.

My gorgeous little princess has finally caught on to the bout of sickness travelling around our family. She's so precious, it just blows my mind how much you can love something! We got the phone call from school to say we needed to go pick pretty Bella up cause she just wasn't doing well at all, so husband goes and picks her up and brings her home, she walks into the house, looks at me, her bottom lip drops and she just starts silently crying, so upset that she couldn't be at school, and runs up to me and falls into my chest .... such a precious moment! There is no more satisfying feeling than knowing your child finds comfort in your arms, is soothed by your words and finds security in your love! I love the moments I get to share with each one of my children!


I have been in a very strange mood of late. For about the last month or so I just have felt very .... hmmm I can't think of the right word to describe it ...... a bit melancholy, minus the depressed part ..... maybe pensive is a better word? I feel a strange sense of calm, very aware of everything yet not a part of anything. It's a strange feeling and I'm not explaining it very well! It's not a bad feeling by any means, just different to anything I've felt before! I've also found I've been probably a bit more confident and honest than usual (hence the increase in marital arguments! :p) probably more so with myself than with others. It's kind of like that feeling you get when your really fed up with everything and you find your a bit more blunt than you usually would be, except I'm not feeling it in a negative way! Hmmm I'm not sure where that was going .... lol ..... I guess it's just interesting to think about, for me .... probably not for you! 


So to end I wanted to share some positivity.... I like things that look pretty and words that sparkle with life so here's of few off my "Inspired" board on Pinterest ... you can find me here ........ http://pinterest.com/mamma_piper/

Nighty Night x 

Honesty Time ....

Okay so it's been a few days since my last post! It's been a very up and down few days.... emotionally, physically & mentally challenging. The biggest battle this week has been dealing with sick children! I'm generally not one to fuss or whine about my kids or myself  being sick, I am usually more than happy to relax, rest up and laze around with my munchkins, but I was just amazed this week at how much of a stuff around it can be when your trying to start new habits, eg. diet, exercise, routine, etc. It was just one of those weeks where everything seemed to be back to front and nothing fit together. I know it sounds like I'm just talking jibberish and I quite possibly am (sudofed is my best friend right now!!) but it was all the little things like, exercising late at night (generally at about 8.30-9ish) pumped me up right before bed making it hard to go to sleep and then causing me to wake in the morning, aching and tired. Add to that, being up a few times in the night to sick kiddies wanting midnight snuggles, and a complete change in routine with husband working afternoon shifts instead of his usual early morning shift. It just all threw me! I feel like I've spent the whole week on the back foot, just trying to catch up with life! Don't get me wrong here, I know it might come across like I'm complaining but I'm completely not, I'm just being realistic about the realities of setting new habits. 


Reality is, life happens!! Life in all of it's chaotic, spontaneous, wonderful, frustration; regardless of what you plan ..... just continues to keep on rolling. So my 2 big focuses at the start of the week, being diet & training, were pretty much none existent by the end of the week! 

Start of the week........

End of the week ........

Yes, if you look close enough, you will see a pizza box under the empty box of magnums! And I tell you what, neither were worth it, but it never seems to matter beforehand! In all honesty though, I didn't make it through even one full day on the "plan" but what else can I do but keep on trying! Oh and also, I haven't trained since Wednesday night ...... no excuses, I just didn't! (Okay I did get sick as well, but I CHOSE not to train and that's okay!)


Bah! I just had to take a big teary break, watching what I think must have been the whole weeks worth of masterchef episodes, repeated tonight. It's been on since 6 o'clock and we're up to the "family" episode. I have literally laughed and cried out loud!! My husband must think I am absolutely mental, I am seriously the biggest sook out! As soon as they bring the families out, I'm gone, a complete, blubbering mess!


On a side note, I have a strange urge to sew things right now! I've been doing a lot of sewing machine research today (all suggestions welcome!) and have added a heap of cute, crafty blogs with ideas (I'm really bad at sewing "patterns" but love to look at the ideas!) and have lots of wonderfully, colourful things floating around my scatterbrained head! I also really want to make a "Denim, Braided Floor Rug" which I found an instructional on this week. It looks really funky, so if it works out I'll post a link to where I found it :)


And on that note (completely unrelated segue) I really ought to go to bed! Next week's goal - GO TO BED BEFORE 9.30PM EVERY NIGHT. Nighty Night x

Zen Fantasies.....

I really want to  share a cool post I read called, "55 gentle ways to take care of yourself when your busy busy busy"! And honestly what mum isn't? Really, I liked the aesthetics of the page, that's an important start for me ... lol .... if it looks calm and pretty and catches my attention, I'm going to enjoy the read that much more. Really, who doesn't want to look like the fully "zen" chick, with her cool "I-just-chucked-my-hair-up-and-it-looks-amazing", off the shoulder baggy sweater, amazing skin and a really cool, "shabby chic" room to be all chilled out in! The picture alone makes me fantasise about a place where there is complete silence for longer than 10 mins, a place where I could sit on the floor without being full on rugby tackled by three children, a place to meditate/pray/think about things other than "what am I gonna cook for tea tonight?", a place where I would likely be utterly ...... well probably bored! I would most likely realise that, I probably don't want to actually be alone with my head for an extended period of time (I am a Quality Timer you know!). 

http://www.thefreedomexperiment.com/2011/10/28/55-gentle-ways-to-take-care-of-yourself-when-youre-busy-busy-busy/

I find this a lot as a mum, that the fantasies that keep me going throughout the day (and I'm not talking "50 Shades of Grey" fantasies here, guys!) are never really what they're cracked up to be! Days of quiet contemplation and sitting and admiring the ocean, have been replaced with the desire to talk and laugh and sing, really enjoy noise and my dreams of sitting on the beach admiring the colours and feeling "at one with nature" have been replace with the desire for adventure, wanting to grab one child under each arm and run into the waves, take them camping, running through forests, hiking up moutains! So as much as my fantasies have grown from wanting more than anything to just sit and take something in, to being fully involved and a part of a "Great Adventure"! (Captivating by Stasi Eldredge, a must read) All that aside, the article was a good read with a few more tips in it than just striving to achieve perfect "nirvana"!


Also I got back into training last night, it wasn't the hardest train I've ever done (I'm repeating last week's training sessions while husband has some time to wrap his head around the new stuff this week to be able to teach me next week) but I felt like I was going to vomit the whole way through, had to keep running outside to catch my breath and cool off in the night air! But I muscled through ..... yeah ... I'm tough ;) Diet has been a bit of a fail! But every day is a new day! The problem hasn't so much been sticking to the diet, cause I've been doing exactly what it says on my plan, the problem is all the stuff I ADD to my diet! Like the bowl of chilli, rice & sour cream I just couldn't resist on monday night or the fruit toast & butter (total of SIX pieces throughout the day yesterday) was just to much for my self control. I just didn't really think that much into it, it got to 11pm last night and I was still on the phone to my best friend (post workout, which normally happens around 8.30-9ish because husband works afternoon shift) and I thought, make some raisin toast, put some butter on it, put a little more butter on, eat it! It was as simple as that, no, should I shouldn't I, just ... eat it! But not stressing too much, okay I stressed a little bit when I stepped on the scales on Monday and it said I had put on 7kgs and then later that day it said I'd put on 5kg and then the next day only 2kg .... so obviously there's either something up with my scales (which there shouldn't be, they're only 6 months old) or weight really does fluctuate a lot (which I also didn't think was possible to fluctuate that much in a matter of days), so basically have decided to do monthly weigh ins instead of weekly, as to save myself from the ups and downs of weigh ins, but also probably go more on measurements than kgs. 


Everything has gone awry with little man's routine progressions since the kids have been sick and at home so might concentrate on that next week once everyone is better again. Also my grumpiness early this week ..... PMS!! It has been so much more prominent since having child number 3, I never would have noticed before! :p x

New week catch-up...

It's the start of a new week ..... hmmm ...... So I have been unbearably grumpy for the last few days, I don't know what's up with that! I'll blame it on the diet! Going without food you love (aka having no self control) is bound to make you grumpy. As well as the diet REstart, I've had a few sick kids and a dentist visit today so my lack of enthusiasm has been at an all time high. 


Another big factor could be, it has been as exercise free weekend so maybe I just need to hit the kettlebell today! Exercise is such a balancing act, you don't want to over-train and risk injury but days without training I find I'm extra emotional and quite grumpy, one of those, just can't win moments!


So I will keep this negativity blast short and post again tomorrow after MOPs, I always feel better after MOPs!! Mum heaven! :D x

That naughty D-Word....

I just did 6 .... SIX .... full Turkish Get Ups!!! WHAT!?! Husband said, "Just try it." and I did .... and then I did it again on the other side .... and then I did two more sets ..... SIX all up! So the 10 Turkish Get Ups by December .... pft!! Give me another fortnight ;)


Sorry, that's not what I came on here tonight to share with whichever lovely people who might read my little blog. Think I've got some post workout adrenaline sillies pumping through my body!!


So I just found something really exciting today (it's diet stuff, so if that's not an appealing subject, tune out :D)..... I joined up to The Biggest Loser Club about 3 or 4 months ago now and kinda followed it for a couple of weeks and it dwindled off due to very legitimate reasons (I LOVE FOOD!!) but in saying that I really love the theory behind the "diet" (I hate that word), it's common sense and stuff we all know about losing weight, except it puts it into a really easy plan to follow, a food diary to keep you accountable and educate you on how to make healthy lifestyle changes. So I've spent the last 3 or 4 months eating like it was "the week before the diet starts" and, well, this week has been no different.

Week 1 - Winter Detox Meal Plan 

But it's okay guys, I've got a plan!! So I was exploring the Biggest Loser Club website today and the exciting thing I found was, there are a few different eating plans you could choose from and there was one that fit me perfectly!! It's called the "Winter Detox" and it's more "healthy" food, which I'm really into instead of "diet" foods which I'm not so into. That was my only hang up with the previous plan I was doing, all the, diet yogurt, fat free salad dressing, low fat cheese, skinny latte's.... you get the point! I'd rather find a healthy alternative instead of buying low fat/fat free/skinny/filled with unnamed chemicals but with the Winter Detox they seem to explore the realms of "health foods". And the food sounds yummy! So again I'm excited to dive into it and I'm going to do everything in my power to make it easier for myself.......

Meal Plan for Matt & the kids.

 So I have my eating plan, I've set out husband & kids meal plans, I have my shopping list all written out and tomorrow after doing the groceries, I WILL portion all of my food into sandwich/snack bags so all my meals and snacks are ready to just be chucked together! I also plan to cook as many of the families meals as I can tomorrow so I don't have to face that overwhelming, "It's 4.30 .... what will I cook for dinner!?!" So that's how I'm gonna deal with this week, stay excited, stay organised and try to enjoy it (as much as I just enjoyed a pack of kettle, sweet potato and beetroot chips, and my 72% Dark Ghana Chocolate!!).


So that's it from me for tonight! I wanted to share some toddler activities that I found in a book, but maybe I'll save that for next week :D


Oh and on a side note, husband's Vibram Five Fingers arrived today! I made him model them for me so I could take a picture for my blog... lol ... he's pretty happy with them, considering how cheap he got them and the fact they came from China, he assumed they'd be fakes but after a pretty close inspection, we're pretty sure they're real! Score!

Very excited husband! He's been waiting for weeks for them to arrive! 

Can't wait to order my Vivo EVO's ..... maybe tomorrow ..... Nighty Night all :) x

Playlist

Tonights ZAPT Playlist - I like to call it "MUSCLES" ;)

• Gold on the Ceiling - The Black Keys
• Magic Fountain - Art Vs. Science
• Two Shoes - The Cat Empire
• Bounce - Calvin Harris feat. Kelis
• Superfast Jellyfish - Gorillaz
• Chase that feeling - Hilltop Hoods
• Bang Bang Bang - Mark Ronson and the Business Intl
• Happiness - Regurgitator
• Dirty Harry - Gorillaz
• Witness (One Hope) - Roots Manuva
• Bangarang - Skrillex
• Kids with Guns - Gorillaz
• Breakn' a Sweat - Skrillex

Lunch Dates, Goals & Other Ramblings

Today I had a lovely lunch date with hubs and our littlest fella at the tastiest vego cafe in town!

Kept little man busy by pulling all the sugar sticks out of the glass and asking him to put them all back in one at a time, while counting them. That and a vanilla milkshake kept him busy enough (as in he only spent half the time getting up and down off his chair and rolling around with the cushions off the sofa) while we waited for our food.

Healthy Juices and a BIG tasty share platter!

With a full tummy (still!!) and a quiet house (thank you Mister Maker) I am contemplating the goals I have set for myself over the last few weeks. Goal setting is a challenge for me .... I  LOVE making the goals but I hate when I eventually figure out that my goals are a little too ... well ... unachievable. For example when I was sitting down writing my fitness goals, I decided I wanted to be able run 10k by the end of the year ... a fairly decent goal given I learnt to run (plodding jog) 5k in 8 weeks, so 10k in four and a half months seems completely achievable right? But now I've decided I want to explore barefoot running (see previous posts) and the more research I do, the more I realise that I will be pretty much teaching myself to learn to run from scratch, I don't even know how long that will take to retrain my body let alone run 10k. So that's one goal to rethink.

At the other end of the spectrum, my second fitness goal was to be able to do 10 Turkish Get-Ups (with my 12kg kettlebell) ......

I thought this would be a big deal!! But with the ZAPT training we've been doing, we really focus on Turkish Get-Ups with each train (weak spot training) and already I can do 9 reps of the first half of the TGU *Floor to bridge position ... hopefully in the next few weeks (as opposed to the MONTHS I thought it would take me) I will be able to do a set of 10 (5 each side) Turkish Get-Ups. I know it sounds completely ridiculous but this really bothers me! It's completely not what I planned!!  

So it can kind of go either way with goal setting, sometimes the goal you've set is too far out of reach and sometimes you get there in a quarter of the time you planned. I am slowly learning to be a little more flexible and not concentrate so hard on strict time frames but rather finding what works best through research, trial and error, and either running with it or reevaluating it.

SOME OTHER GENERAL GOALS FOR THIS YEAR:

* Have a set (still flexible :p) date night/day with husband at least fortnightly

* Move out of this house!!!!

* Work on finances - sticking to a budget and building up savings

* Getting into a "good" routine in general ie. housework maintenance, meal preparation, fitness and eating plans ..... in general just being a little more settled and organised (Boring, I know, but my sanity is reliant on it!)

* Get littlest man back into a more settled routine

* Go on an annual family holiday

* Maintain the Zombie Apocalypse Preparation Training throughout the whole duration (3 months I think?)

* MAINTAIN A HEALTHY EATING PLAN ..... always a battle, always a let down and yet always a  goal that I am dying to achieve so ..... I'm breaking it down a bit into a few different parts

1) Stick with the Biggest Loser Eating plan for a 6 week period 

2) Exceptions to the above are date night/day and when I catch up with my girls (probably about once or twice a month), so that should give me roughly a meal off a week

3) Post six week eating plan, reassess and go from there 

OKAY six weeks ..... I can do six weeks ;)

* I obviously have a weight loss goal but maybe a little too personal to share at this point in time but all things going well, six months down the track I'll tell you how much I weigh and how much I lost and you can do the math! 

I know talking about diet and exercise gets really old pretty fast, everyone seems to have issues with their body and the way they look and I'm not going to pretend to be any different but the reality is I am unhealthily overweight and with 3 kids, an amazing husband and hopes and dreams for a future full of adventures together, it is just plain stupid for me to not do anything about it!

I have chosen to make a blog to be able to openly talk about these sorts of things without making people feel uncomfortable or judged (as apposed to just sharing on Facebook etc. where my friends would have no choice but to read my rambling thoughts) ..... when I am talking about these things, I am talking about them in direct relation to myself and not in judgement to how anyone else lives there lives. Why not take advantage of the WWW to have some support and share stories, achievements and failures and to be accountable with the goals I dream up in my head?!? So anyway that's probably enough rambling for today! Hopefully over time I'll have a group of people who feel the same and are open and encouraging and wanting to share their lives as well :D x

Zombie Apocalypse Preparation Training

So my husband has this strange fascination with zombies and the end of the world, etc etc .... I think it's something that's deep in the heart of a man, (read "Wild at Heart", they talk about this in great depth!) I know that if the day came we'd be fine because he already has it all completely planned out, how he'd protect and take care of our family. Whether he actually believes it's going to happen or not is not the point, but more it sparks a fantasy of being completely needed, to be the protector, to be the hero .... to be a man.


Anyways, all that aside, a friend of 'husband' started up an "exclusive" (small) Facebook group that is sharing in a training program that just so happens to be called, "Zombie Apocalypse Preparation Training", or ZAPT. Husband of course LOVED the idea of this, and me being me, I just couldn't miss out on the chance to be a part of the adventure so I decided to join in too. We have been going for about a week and a half now and I think it will be a 3 month program. Training sessions generally take us about 35-45mins and we've been doing it 5 days a week, and it is getting easier every day!


Tonight's train (with a 12kg Kettlebell) -


A) 10x sets
5 Pass throughs
5 Swings
5 Burpees
5 Swings
5 Squat Thrusts


B) 3x sets
3/3 Turkish Get Ups (Weak Spots)


C) 3x sets
10 Bear hug squats
8 Clean & Press
10 Zercher Lunges
12 Bent Rows
10 Curls


I'm also doing lots of research on training to barefoot run so hopefully I can strengthen my feet up again and get back to basics! I found some great info here....


http://trainingclinic.vivobarefoot.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Proprioception-Making_Sense_of_Barefoot_Running.pdf


A bit of food for thought! Tomorrow I might put up some of my fitness and general life goals .... just to keep me accountable :) x

To Barefoot or not to Barefoot .... that is the question!

So earlier this year I started using the "5k runner" app, which is pretty much the same as all of the Couch to 5k apps you see floating around! I really enjoyed learning to run, it has always been something I've wanted to be able to do, to be able to have a stress realise and a get away. People seem to love running and that's something I wanted to be able to understand! So I found the app really helpful ... Each day using the app (3 days a week) I found it easy enough that I could do but at the same time difficult enough that it pushed me. It was a challenge with an attainable goal and I really love it!


So I made it to 5k and was beyond stoked. And then on my second 5k run, I injured myself .... great! Such an anti-climax! I had a lot of pain in my right knee and I felt like I had pulled my Achilles tendon (if that's possible) on my left foot. The arches of my feet were so strained and I was waking up to shooting pains up through my heels in the middle of the night. 


The culprit, I believe, were the worn out shoes that I brought to play indoor soccer in, in Grade 10 (10 years ago)! Half way through the 5k Runner program I had put new shoes on lay-by but hadn't (still haven't) gotten around to getting them off. That's one thing I've learnt about being a mum.... your needs always seem to come last! It's really hard to justify spending $200 on a good pair of running shoes when your children need new shoes and winter jackets, food to eat, a house to live in ;) etc etc.


So convinced that I could find the shoes I needed much cheaper on the net, I went into a sports shop and got fitted for some shoes that "fit my feet" and jumped online and bought them! At a very reasonable price too! I patted myself on the back and thought how clever am I and waited in anticipation for the shoes that would help me run again!


So my brand new Asics Gel GT2170's arrived on Monday and I was beyond excited! I put them straight on and was prancing around the house showing them off! And then it started .... horrible pain up through the arches of my feet, the stitching in the side of the shoe digging into my foot, my toes started to cramp and I had to get them off! Soooo disappointing! These were the shoes I had tried on in the shop, the ones the lady had chosen to fit my feet! So having lost all faith in the sports shops in our humble town I'm doing all my own research about my next pair of shoes ....... and I'm thinking of going Barefoot! Not "barefoot" as in, not wearing shoes, but Barefoot as in, minimalistic shoes that will encourage and strengthen my feet to do what they were created to do! There was no such thing as arch support and gel cushioning back in old bible days and I have NO doubt they lead a more physically active lifestyle than I do. 


I had done a LOT of research, like quite literally hours of research, into the first pair of shoes I brought, went to several sports shops, did so many online "shoe type tests" and research into what kind of shoes an overweight, wide footed, near flat footed woman who likes to run should be wearing, the Ascis should have been my perfect shoe but alas I am still shoeless and just dying to get outside to run again.

This is my answer!! I am SO sure they will be perfect for me! It just makes so much sense .... all throughout primary school we would run with no shoes on, I have always been a bare footer, it's what I'm comfortable with! These HAVE to work! (Plus they look really funky and I don't have to wear socks with them ... WOOT!)

So I'm taking the plunge and buying them this weekend, will hopefully receive them next week and start hitting the trails again and learn how to "Barefoot Run" .....

which I have read, is quite a process, but I'll tell you all about that another day ;)

On a side note: Husband is waiting for his Vibram Five Fingers (yes the funny glove shoes :p) to arrive, so I'm very keen to do some "Barefoot shoe" (such an oxymoron! lol) comparison! x

First Post!

First post ... wooooo! Talking to no-one .... hmmm


Anyway, I'm hoping to get to this regularly, keep track of what's going on in my life and hopefully sharing it with some readers! :D