Its a subject close to our hearts, and uh hum very private parts, but we don't really talk about it.  Women are on some sort of contraception but do you really know how its affecting your body? So I thought we'd talk about it as its really affected one of my clients rather badly.

Most of us are usually on the pill.  But if you want to get buffed, lay off the pill. This taken from the Women's Health magazine ' Researchers from Texas A&M University and the University of Pittsburgh put 73 American women on a 10 week exercise programme. They found that after undertaking the training, women who weren't taking birth control pills gained a massive 60 percent more lean muscle than those who were on oral contraceptives.  Both groups did the same number and intensity of exercse and were encouraged to eat protein to promote muscle growth. Tests showed that contraceptive users had significantly lower blood levels of muscle building hormones such as testosterone and higher levels of cortisol, a hormone that breaks down muscle'

Kirstine and Lisa

If you thought the pill had bad side effects. Let me tell you about the dramas I've had with Kirstine Nelson and her 'devil stick'.  You probably already know Kirstine from the time she told us about her boob job journey. I was going to keep her as Ms X for this article but I thought heck you know about her boobs, lets just tell everyone that its Kirstine. And she didn't mind as she wants to tell everyone about her IUD experience or the 'devil stick' as she calls it.

Read more...

This past week I've been on a new weight loss plan, its called food poisoning!  not highly recommended on the list of diets but it certainly did the trick to make me lose some water weight and appetite.  But seriously, what an aweful thing to have to go through.  Getting food poisoning is horrible, all that throwing up and I won't mention what happens at the other end. 

I think the culprit to my unhappiness was the canned salmon I had for lunch on Tuesday. I did cook it so it should've killed any bugs so not sure how the food poisoning happened but boy did I know about it later that day.  I had stomach cramps, some light headedness in the afternoon and by night time I should've just drag my mattress to the toilet as that was where I was. Yukky!

The next day I just didn't feel like eating anything and just craved sweet stuff.  I even wanted to have fruit juice and fruit, things I don't usually have in the house.  Didn't want to face any protein. No chicken or fish has been on the menu since either!  All I've been really eating is oats and protein powder, bit of fruit and soup.  Not exciting but haven't been hungry either.  So actually its been quite good not having the appetite or feeling hungry but not great for energy levels or wanting to train.

Its now 3 days after the event and I'm still feeling achy and slightly lethargic, trying to force feed myself so I have the energy to train. Guess these things take time to restore glycogen and get back to even keel again.

So I thought this is timely to cover the topic of food safety so that you guys can avoid getting any bugs in your food or body either as it really does set your training back.   I'm not quite sure which bug I got but probably a combination!

The bugs that can cause poisoning include: 

Campylobacter
- The most common cause of food-borne illness in New Zealand: 10,054 reported cases during 2001.
- Risky foods include undercooked poultry, untreated water and unpasteurised milk.
- Symptoms include stomach cramps, muscle pain, headache, nausea, diarrhoea (sometimes with blood) and fever. Campylobacter can strike up to 10 days after you eat contaminated food, and effects will usually last for several miserable days.

Salmonella

- STM 160, a relatively new strain, has become a major source of food-borne illness in New Zealand over the last three years.
- Risky foods include raw meats, poultry, unpasteurised milk and dairy products, seafood and some fresh produce. Wild birds or their droppings, and untreated drinking water are also risk factors. Salmonella is easily spread from person to person and through food.
- Symptoms include diarrhoea, headache, abdominal pain, nausea, fever and vomiting. It usually develops within two days. In recent years 11 percent of reported salmonella cases in New Zealand have been admitted to hospital.

E. coli (variant 0157:H7/VTEC)
- E. coli 0157 or VTEC is also relatively new here, but its incidence is rising. It produces a toxin that can destroy red blood cells and damage the kidneys.
- Risky foods include undercooked minced meat, unpasteurised milk products, unpasteurised juice and contaminated drinking water. Not washing and drying hands properly and swimming in sewage-contaminated water are also risky. If you use tank water it should be filtered and treated, or boiled for three minutes.
- Symptoms include acute gastroenteritis, watery then bloody diarrhoea, kidney failure and occasionally death. Around 40 percent of VTEC sufferers need hospital care, and two to three percent die. Children under five, the elderly, and people with weak immune systems are at greatest risk.

Listeria
- Listeria is common but especially dangerous for the elderly and pregnant women. It can cause miscarriage or stillbirth.
- Cooking destroys listeria but, unlike other bacteria, it will grow on food in the fridge.
- Pregnant women should talk to their doctor or midwife about listeria and avoid chilled ready-to-eat foods such as soft cheeses, raw or smoked seafood, salad bar fare, cold meats, paté, pre-cooked chicken, and foods made from unpasteurised milk. (Freshly prepared salads, pasteurised dairy products and just-cooked food served steaming hot are best.)
- Symptoms include mild fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, aches and pains in the joints and muscles, or flu-like symptoms.

 

Food Safety Tips
Separate: Don't cross-contaminate

Cross-contamination is how bacteria spreads from one food product to another.
This is especially true for raw meat, poultry and seafood. Experts caution to keep these foods
and their juices away from ready-to-eat foods. Here's how!:

Separate raw meat, poultry and seafood from other food in the grocery shopping cart.
Store raw meat, poultry and seafood on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator so juices don't drip onto other foods. If possible, use one cutting board for raw meat products and another for salads and other foods which are ready to be eaten.

Always wash cutting boards, knives and other utensils with hot soapy water after they come in
contact with raw meat, poultry and seafood. Never place cooked food on a plate which previously held raw meat, poultry or seafood.

Cook: Cook to proper temperatures
Food safety experts agree that foods are properly cooked when they are heated for a long enough
time and at a high enough temperature to kill the harmful bacteria that cause foodborne illness.
The best way to Fight BAC is to:

Use a meat thermometer, which measures the internal temperature of cooked meat and poultry, to make sure that the meat is cooked all the way through.

Cook roasts and steaks to at least 145°F. Whole poultry should be cooked to 180°F for doneness. Cook ground meat, where bacteria can spread during grinding, to at least 160°F. If a thermometer is not available, do not eat ground beef that is still pink inside.

Cook eggs until the yolk and white are firm, not runny. Don't use recipes in which eggs remain raw
or only partially cooked. Cook fish until it is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.

Make sure there are no cold spots in food (where bacteria can survive) when cooking in a
microwave oven. For best results, cover food, stir and rotate for even cooking.
If there is no turntable, rotate the dish by hand once or twice during cooking.

Bring sauces, soups and gravy to a boil when reheating. Heat other leftovers thoroughly to 165°F.

Chill: Refrigerate promptly
Food safety experts advise consumers to refrigerate foods quickly because cold temperatures keep most harmful bacteria from growing and multiplying. following these steps:
Refrigerate or freeze perishables, prepared food and leftovers
within two hours.

Never defrost (or marinate) food on the kitchen counter. Use the refrigerator, cold running water or the microwave.
Divide large amounts of leftovers into small, shallow containers for quick cooling in the refrigerator.
With poultry and other stuffed meats, remove the stuffing and refrigerate it in a separate container.
Don't pack the refrigerator. Cool air must circulate to keep food safe.

Eat safely!
Lisa, Go Figure
13 August 09

It's been a hard grind the last few months. You've maintained a strict regime which has seen you get up before sunrise to work out. Some of you may even have worked out twice a day so that you've got your body in the shape you've wanted. You've deprived yourself of some of the treats of life but you've finally got to the weight, or even shape that you've targeted.

So what now? Do you simply just keep going on a strict regime until there's not much left of you? or do you relax a little and enjoy the fruits of your hardwork in the past months. Losing weight is easy (ish) but keeping it off is one of life's greatest challenges. Some of you may have lost 5, 10 or even 20kg to get your current figure so it's important to know how to handle the new you so that you're not tempted to gain the weight again. Here are a few strategies you may want to consider to help you maintain your current shape.

Balance. The key to successful weight maintenance is to balance calories taken in with calories burned. As you exercise, you burn more calories. When you increase your muscle mass, your body burns more calories all the time-even when you sleep. Over the past months you've been working to increase your muscle mass so you can afford yourself treats now again as your body will likely to be more efficient at burning energy.

Although working out and eating more healthily has been a focus of your life, don't make weight loss the center of your life. It needs to be a key part, but not the center. Have fun, take holidays, and participate in other activities outside the gym. Set realistic goals. You don't need be perfect at your diet or your exercise all the time. Allow some flexibility so you can stick with it in the long run. If your reason for dieting was for a bodybuilding contest, then think to yourself is it realistic for you to maintain your contest weight all year round? The answer is no. So perhaps the goal you need for yourself is a goal weight which you'll allow yourself to get to. If you've dieted or trained for your own personal satisfaction, then you may need to set yourself more challenging goals so that you keep yourself focused on maintaining your health and fitness lifestyle. This can include training for an event such as triathlons, fun runs or maybe a bodybuilding contest. Again, while it is important to have goals, we shouldn't be obsessive about reaching them and restricting enjoyment of life. If you "fall off the wagon," don't be too hard on yourself. Relapse is normal, and when you learn from it, you become stronger. Just jump back on the wagon.

Motivation and Support When you really want something, and you are ready, you will make it happen. Being able to motivate yourself is an important part of the process, but so is a good network of support from family and friends. People who have support are more likely to succeed. If it helps, find a weight loss or gym buddy to get each other through the good and tough times. But the key to permanent weight loss is doing it for YOU. You are more likely to succeed if you do this for the right reasons. Are you are losing weight because your spouse or doctor wants you? It's best if you lose weight because YOU want to do it.	Above and Below: My pal Nat and I earning our treats. Darn, she bet me at Wallsit
Research supports this. This process takes a lot of effort, and you will have the desire to keep it up if you really want this for yourself. Keeping a log of your efforts of exercise, food intake, or weight will help you stay on track. Be good to yourself. Praise yourself for the hard work you put into your weight loss efforts.
Roll with it. There will always be bumps in the road that you haven't prepared yourself for. Something's come up at work and you can't get to the gym or you've had to miss a few days gym training due to family commitments. Don't stress! your weight isn't going to come back overnight or over a few short nights. As long as you maintain a good eating plan and don't let yourself wander too much it will take you no time to get into your routine again. It's also good to plan ahead during your busy times. For example, if you can't get in your 30min cardio per day, maybe you can get in 15min twice a day. If you've forgot your packed lunch, do you know of a good healthy eating place you can pick up something. If you've been asked to a social function, plan for the calories especially if you like a glass of wine or 2! It's ok to indulge but make sure it's in moderation as you don't want to blow out your calories too much.

 

Summary Give yourself the OK to change your plan and don't be so hard on yourself. Life is about living and being healthy so focus on the overall goal, not the specifics. Vary your exercise routine so that you don't get bored or overwork a specific muscle group. Role-play difficult situations. Practice how you will respond to people who pressure you to eat more or sabotage your efforts. The more prepared you are, the better you will handle these bumps in the road. Lisa, Go Figure 13 July 09

Nat earned her hot chips that day!

 

A double whammy was coming up ie Go Figure's 100th episode and yet another one of my birthdays.  I was thinking of what I could to to remember both milestones and I thought why not just go and conquer the biggest birthday candle in Auckland, the Auckland Skytower! So I gave the Skywalk, a platform that goes around atop the Auckland Skytower a go.  There was the Skyjump option where you basically throw yourself off the tower but I wasn't feeling that brave or crazy!  Click here for full story

The skytower candle