Always Something To Be Learned

 

Truth is, it’s been the hardest 12 months ive ever lived through. It’s just gone a year since i lost my job and when i think back to this time last year, it’s hard to believe it ever happened. The emotions of that time were crazy….angry, upset, scared and more.

It took me 9 months to find the job i have now. That’s 9 months of living off centrelink and relying on my family to help me out. I had snippets of work here and there, but nothing that added up to more than 12 hours a week. I ran boot camps for a month for a company that couldn’t run a chook raffle at the local, plus i had 2 Care Assistant jobs that weren’t consistent in hours and were miles away. And then i landed this job, which is right here in the suburb i live in and i love it more than the job i lost.

So for all the grief losing that last job caused, im so glad it happened now, in hindsight, as it has led me to a much happier place. It also lead me somewhere else. A path down through the standard stubborn human mindset to the deep viney tangled mess of my mind where, once unlocked, I discovered an oasis, of sorts. A  place so peaceful and calm, that i could sit quietly and find myself there, not worrying about the problems, because i was able to concentrate solely on solutions.

The answers all came to me through books, both audio and hard copy, and podcasts. I had a complete paradigm switch. Instead of wishing my life was easier, cos im pretty sure at almost 46, im supposed to seriously have my shit together by now, I started to wish i was better, to wish I was better equipped to handle the problems coming my way.

I started to think that instead of cutting stuff back and out, to free up money, why not just make more money?? Why aren’t we taught to think like that? We’re all so quick to say “well, there’s only so many hours in a day that i can work…”…well yes, but, are you aware that the homeless guy sleeping under the Redcliffe Jetty has just as many hours in his day as Oprah?? Or Obama?? Beyoncé, Bieber and Ellen???? Crazy, isn’t it??

But, but, but….but they’ve got money, they’ve got staff, employees, nanny’s blah blah blah….they might now, but they havent always, right?? What you’re looking at is their “glory” and being ignorant about their “story”…what got them to the place they are now. They worked hard, and they worked smart and they never ever quit on their dream.

If you’re working as much as you can, and deep down you know you’re never going to be able to deliver on the dream life you’ve always longed for. Think about personal development. Think about clearing your mind out and starting again. We have generations and generations of “life rules” stuck in our heads and we can’t get rid of them overnight, but bit by bit, you can make the same paradigm shift I did and start to build yourself up the be the best damn version of yourself.

Which Diet Is Best?

An age-old question that most women, and some men, have spent years trying to figure out. Low carb, no carb, low-fat, high fat, high protein, and an abundance of celebrity endorsed and high-profile chef designed diets have filled magazines since the good old Women’s Monthly, became the Weekly. It’s a question that you could spend the rest of your life trying to answer, but the truth is, there is no “best diet”. What works for your best friend, or partner, is not necessarily going to work for you, and vice versa.

I hear a collective sigh of relief…why? Cos for those who have tried diet after diet after diet, yet have found none of them to work, were beginning to think they were destined to be overweight and unhealthy for the rest of their lives. It’s not true, there is always a way, but you do have to look at your lifestyle as a whole. If someone came to me and said they’d “tried everything” and still couldn’t lose weight, and I had a “one diet fits all” solution, what would that say about me? It would say that i was closed-minded, ill educated and id be doing an injustice to myself, my business and my clients.

When someone asks for help, you need to see this person, as they are, for the first time and not slot them into a general category with a generalised diet. People come to you as meat eaters and vegans, from different religions and cultural backgrounds, some with medical issues and allergies and some who just don’t like the taste of certain foods. You have to be able to cater to every type of person and adjust nutrition advice to suit.

So when you make a decision to try a fad diet like the “high fat, no carb”, or the “soup diet” or the plan advertised by your favourite celebrity foodies, you need to know, that it just might not work, or, it will work, but as soon as you come off it, you’ll put the weight back on. The latter happens when you deprive yourself of a certain macro (fats, protein, carbs) or when the calorie count is so low, that your body holds onto everything when you start feeding it again.

The best thing you can do for your body is to feed it well and in a balanced way. If you check out the fad diets, you’ll see that the idea behind the loss of weight, is that you cut something important out and that you burn more calories than you digest. Doesnt matter what you do, if you are in a calorie deficit, you’re going to lose weight. What you cut out, however, is going to make you crave that exact thing….so dont cut anything out.

Balance. Is. Key.

Wholefoods are always best, but in saying that, there are people who are allergic to grains, or who hate vegetables or who refuse to drink water. So you have to work around it. Be open-minded and educated in the ways of substitution. It’s no good telling a 40-year-old man who hasn’t eaten vegetables since he was 5, that he “must” eat vegetables or he’s never going to lose weight and be healthy. For one, it’s not true, and secondly, he’s going to go find someone who can help him, cos you clearly are not open to something different.

Each client is a challenge for many reasons. You’re success is in being able to break down the clients lifestyle and intricacies and improvise a plan that will assist them to reach their goals. If you’re reading this and want to figure it out yourself without paying out more money to a coach or online fad, my suggestions would be this. Dont toss out what you love. Dont consume what you hate. Drink water, add lemon or lime if you have to. Eat as many green veggies as you like. Stay away from processed foods as much as possible and don’t eliminate anything. There are ways to still have your chocolate, a beer and mums caramel dumplings…just do it in moderation and you’ll find in no time, your mind will start telling you when you should and shouldnt indulge. If you are someone who needs help to find what works, find yourself a nutrition coach. One who is open-minded and not about to manipulate you into his/her “one size fits all” mould. There are many of us out there, waiting to help you out. Good luck 🙂

~Q~

You’ve Lead The Horse, Now What?


You know the saying, im not going to repeat it, but how bloody frustrating is it when you get the friggen horse to the water and it wont drink, i mean, it wont even dip its bloody toes in, check out it’s reflection or skip a stone. It just digs its heels in and stands there. So i just stand there. Why? Cos i handed you the damn tools, the training, information, advice…im sure as hell not going to bring the water to your lips or assist you to bend to the awesomeness that awaits. Fuck that, and you, i got too much stuff to do to waste my time on people who wont help themselves!

Time. It’s so valuable, and yet people expect you to waste yours, on them. Why would i do that? My time is better spent working with people who want to reach their goals. I mean, everyone says they want to do this, do that, but when it comes down to it, what they really want, is not your help, but for you to actually reach their goals for them. I’m sorry, but if i want you to reach  your goals, be they fitness, nutrition, weight loss or business related, more than you want to reach them, then we have a problem. There was a time i would have done it tho. Anything to be able to say, “We did it!”….but not anymore. I refuse to put time and effort into people who wont do the same.

Lisa Grossman said, “I will help you with your business.” Amen Sistah!!!!! The middle word there is YOU. It’s your goal, your dream, your business etc. I will help you, but you got to step up, do the work, make the changes and bring the desire, ambition and motivation, cos i cannot get you across the line. If i did still drag people across the line, id be doing an injustice to those people who have the belief in themselves, who have the drive and the initiative to take what i know, what i can teach them, and get themselves across that line. Again, my TIME is valuable. Time freedom does not mean i want time to throw into patting the backs of others, it means i want the time to do the things i want to do, whatever they are, it doesn’t matter, cos it’s MY time.

If you want to lose weight, i can help you. If you want to start your own wellness business, i can help you. If you want to change your life around and be happy and healthier, i can help you. I have the time for you, if you have the time for me. If you are prepared to listen, to do what i tell you, to follow plans, train, be coachable and literally just shut the hell up and do as i do, you will reach your goals. You can do anything in this life you set your mind to, if you believe in yourself. I can HELP, but i WILL NOT do.

If you do not reach the goals you set yourself, it’s on you. You didn’t try hard enough. You didn’t follow directions, you didn’t listen, you thought you knew better, you continued to eat crap and you continue to make excuses and lay blame at the feet of others. Do not blame me. I wanted it for you, i gave you the tools, you didn’t use them. Your fault. If your goal or dream or desire is not important to you, then it’s not important to me. I’m not paying your bills or having to carry your weight around, so i simply don’t care. NEXT!!

I can deal with a lack of training, of knowledge, skills, even self belief to a point, cos i can fix those. I have those, and i can offer them to you, but i cannot deal with a lack of desire, of ambition, motivation and hunger. That is all on your head. Unless you have the latter, there’s no point in us working together. I don’t have the time for you. If you have the former, and need help, to lose weight, work from home, improve your nutrition or start an exercise program, let’s chat.

~Q~

Gimme That Thigh Gap!

I want a thigh gap😡not for silly vain reasons, but for reasons of self-preservation. Of course it’s not something you can just “get”, you pretty much have one, or you don’t. So, I was walking through a shopping center the other day and wondering to myself what the worst thing was that could happen when you have a thigh gap. I decided that when the arse falls out of your burrito while driving, instead of being able to catch it on your lap, it slips through your thighs and you end up sitting in hot mushy beans for the rest of your trip. Not to mention the looks you would get trying to pick those beans up whilst sitting at the lights. You’d look like a deviant taking a quick dive in between your legs to get those beans, and when you lift your arse that first time, they slide right down under your butt so that you now can’t sit down without creating a bigger bloody mess. You’re fucked, really….what are you gonna do?? You cant get out of the car, unless you’re heading home, but what if you’re heading back to work after lunch break? Are you gonna tie your jacket around your waist like you would when your period shows up unexpectedly? As soon as you do, youre gonna get sympathetic looks from the girls and sniggers from the guys (cos guys are immature like that), and you’ll try to say “oh no, not that, i dropped my burrito”….oh yeah sure, right, ok….”no, really, LOOK??”….ARGHHHHHH, nooooo, yuck, gross, put the jacket back on, go home, take the afternoon off, it’s fine really, go take care of yourself….like WTF?? It’s a burrito, People, but fuck you, im going home!!!!….and all because of your stupid thigh gap!!!!

I know, that escalated quickly, but you know its gonna happen. So let’s look at “no thigh gap”, which is me. This is my deal. I’m walking through that shopping center thinking about why i don’t want a thigh gap, but in the meantime, my bloody gapless thighs are RUBBING TOGETHER!!!!! I hate this. This is where i start to think, what is worse, mushy burrito humiliation or bad chafing? Im continually pulling my pants up, and tying them tighter, but that doesn’t work, these pants are made with a low crotch, you need a friggen thigh gap to be able to wear them without pain. The more i walk through the shopping center, the more i notice that i’m starting to walk with quite a side to side motion. It’s the only way i can stop my thighs rubbing together and although i think i’ve got this under control, i can tell people are noticing and thinking things like “Whoa,  someone had a good night last night”….”John Wayne eat your heart out”…yeah fuck you pilgrim! And that shit hurts for the rest of the day. Even minimal chafing totally stuffs up everything. Ask anyone who plans to spend an enjoyable day at the beach and within 10 minutes they’re in agony and their day is stuffed.

All I want is to live comfortably, and chaffing thighs does not fit into that plan. So i gotta get me a thigh gap, or a pair of ultrathin spanx to ensure the fatty pockets of my thighs are unable to enjoy making sweet smoochy chafe together.

~Q~

A Little of Everything

My blog life started with a one hit wonder 4 months ago. What began as a Nutrition blog, and ended right there, too, has evolved in my head to be a whole lot more. I didn’t want to box myself into just one area, when my head takes me to so many different places at night. The ideas and stories always just flow against the ebb of a gutless sleep.

Nutrition is still something i will be writing about. The more i study and read, the more i love what our bodies are made of, which primarily, is whatever the hell you put in your mouth. Think about that, i mean, really think about that…the old saying “you are what you eat”, is so very true. But enough, im not in a nutrition mood.

I’ve changed the name of the blog, too….A Random Point Of Q is so much more appropriate. If we haven’t before had the pleasure, my name is “Q”, and I’m a little “Hey Diddle Diddle” with a touch of “There’s No Place Like Home,” thrown in. A gob full of “Wonka” with a sprinkle of “American Horror Story”….ok maybe more than a sprinkle, but the point is, you never know what you’re gonna get, just as i never know what i’m gonna write. Isn’t that exciting?? Its like Xmas every time i tinkle the keys!!!

I guess this is my “introductory” blog. I didnt do that the first time around, just started yabbering about nutrition, but this time i better do it….apparently people want to know who writes this stuff. So you know my name, or enough of it to get you by, im 45 FFS, and living in sin, in Brisbane with a tribe of kids, mostly teens (that’s a blog post right there!!) and im a lesbian. My fiance is a lesbian, too. We live in lesbian sin together, with her kids, and my kids…kind of like a modern day Brady Bunch, or Gaydy Bunch, but without the Alice. Oh, and without the Greg and Marcia, too, cos they moved out at the end of 2016!

Im a non-practising fitness coach and nutrition adviser currently, and continuing my nutrition studies whilst doing a little network marketing in my spare time and working for a community center as a support worker. Im a little salt and pepper and that’s ok. Im not going to bore you anymore with my likes, loves and passions, cos “who cares” and those will probs creep into a blog here and there anyway.

Im as eager as you are to find out if it will be another 4 months til the next instalment, who knows? My only suggestion would be, to not hold your breath!

~Q~

 

 

 

 

What Is Nutrition?

 

Food is fuel….right?? That’s what we are told by some in the fitness industry. “Only eat what you need, remember, food is just fuel”….and to a point, this is correct, but we need so much more than just “fuel”. Vitamins and minerals are monumental in ensuring our bodies dont break down. No matter how much “fuel” you consume, unless you have an adequate mineral/vitamin intake, you will feel crap…tired, sick, rundown.

The human body is not an exact science, as far as nutrition and operations. What works for one, may not work for another. Eating an exact calorie intake will result in different results for everyone. Have you ever eaten less, but put on weight? Eaten more, but lost weight? The human body will do whatever it takes, even to the detriment of other bodily functions, to extract what it needs to survive, from whatever it is that you eat.

For example, the calorie value of food on the outside of the body, is not necessarily the same value once it is consumed. You eat a biscuit at 200 calories. Your body will ramp up its processing trying to get the goodness from that biscuit. No goodness, let’s store it away for later,or try to get rid of it as waste. 200 calories of green vegetables, once consumed, will be easily processed, the nutrients extracted and distributed around the entire body and absorbed where needed. The 200 calories of green vegetables has enhanced our body composition and health, as opposed to 200 calories of biscuit, that the body has to work overtime to process and in the end, do nothing with.

Good nutrition controls the energy balance of the body. Too much, or too little, and we don’t function right. Processes that we dont absolutely need to survive will begin to shut down, like reproduction, parts of our metabolism and some brain function. Good nutrition allows us to feel good, live well and get more from ourselves on a daily basis. Many people find that once they tweak their diet, they will at some point, start to exercise, too….and vice versa. Exercise and nutrition go hand in hand, but for many, it’s a process worked up to.

Sometimes the last thing we feel like doing is exercising, we can’t be bothered….so start with your nutrition. Swap a few small things, drink more water, cut serving sizes, but hey…you dont have to do it all at once. Minor tweaks like this, and you might just find yourself feeling like taking that walk. Before you know it, old habits begin to fade and new ones become second nature. Dont start big, start small…one step at a time.

If you want more information, or help, to do this, drop me a line, we can do this together.

Cheers

Susie 🙂