Are We There Yet?

December 30, 2016 Authentically Arwen

I have a confession to make. It turns out that I don’t, in fact, love the Holiday Season as much as I thought I did. Don’t get me wrong, I love the big meal and getting to spend some time with family and friends, but it is all starting to feel like too much. Too much eating and drinking, too much excess, too much not knowing what day it is, and dare I say it, even too much togetherness. I find myself really looking forward to things getting back to “normal.”

I am probably in the minority of people who can genuinely say they look forward to January. To me it feels like an enormous reset button and presents a great opportunity for a fresh start. Few things excite me more than opening a new diary, and thinking about all of the possibility its blank pages contain. All of the unimagined challenges, triumphs and everything in between, which will soon be jotted throughout, fill me with a sense of optimistic enthusiasm.

If you have started to think that this post is about New Years resolutions, then I can assure it is not. In truth, my jury is still out about them. In 20 odd years of making them, I would struggle to think of one I have managed to stick to, and I am quite sure that I am not alone in this. Part of me believes that sitting, pen in hand, on the last day of the year, making lists of ill defined and arbitrary objectives is only setting ourselves up for failure.

As we get ready for 2017’s imminent arrival, I have decided instead to resolve only to do my best. I know that this probably sounds trite and overly simplistic, but it feels to me like it covers all the bases. If 2016 has taught me anything, it is that I have no idea what is going to happen next. So, I have promised myself, that whatever I decide to undertake, I will do it with a good heart and a clear mind.

By a good heart I mean that I will be careful about the demands I let other people make of me. Often we take on so much, because we don’t want to say no, that we end up resenting it. We can end up feeling like everyone wants a piece of us. I have discovered lately that when this happens, it isn’t the other person’s fault, but entirely my own. As Matthew Kelly says

“Most people overestimate what they can do in a day, and underestimate what they can do in a month. We overestimate what we can do in a year, and underestimate what we can accomplish in a decade.”

I have had to remind myself of this so much this week, and tell myself that “no Arwen, you can’t expect to fit months worth of catching up with people into the week long winter break!”

As for the clear mind, this is a little more straight forward. I have been taking a leaf out of Marie Kondo’s book and clearing out the clutter. This all started a few months back. The girl I shared an office with was heading off on maternity leave, and there was a new guy coming it. The office itself is about as large as a box bedroom. I worried that a man and a woman in such tight confines might feel a little claustraphobic. So, before he started I decided to clear as much as possible out of the office. Years worth of boxes and files were sent to archive. (I will admit, I was ruthless, but so far nobody has looked for anything!)

As the clutter began to be removed from my work space, I honestly could not believe how much better I felt. The air seemed lighter somehow. I felt like my head was clear and I could breathe easier. It was amazing.

Since that happened, I have been trying to take the same approach in my home. My catchphrase for the last few months has been “is it OK to throw this out?” I have taken countless car loads to the dump and boxes to the charity shop. The latest mini clear out included no fewer than 26 coffee mugs! I can’t begin to tell you how cathartic and addictive it is to literally put your house in order.

Such a simple thing has had such a profound effect. I am calmer and sleeping better. Getting ready to meet a friend for dinner last night, in my cleared out bedroom, was an absolute pleasure. Even being able to put our Christmas presents away was revolutionary. Normally we would be still tripping over them until well into the New Year! I feel like I am getting ready to welcome 2017 as I would an honoured guest, with a tidy home and an expectant heart.

As much as I can’t wait for the New Year (and I really can’t) I am tying not to wish this time away. Before long we will be back in the routine of working, training, meal prepping etc. and longing for the next break! A good friend of mine describes these periods as being like deserts between rivers. I think this is particularly apt as it is almost impossible to appreciate the one, in the absence of the other.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have supported me in my endeavours this year. I wish you all the very best for 2017. Be well and don’t forget to have an adventure or two xxx

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Seasonal Sabotage!

December 8, 2016December 9, 2016 Authentically Arwen

The time to Eat, Drink and be Merry is just about upon us. This is the time of year when we get to relax and enjoy spending time with family and friends. A time when the diet relaxes and the training tends to wind down. I think it is important to have this time as a psychological break. A season of feast and plenty, before getting right back on it in the New Year. But, how can we manage to avoid ruining an entire year’s hard work, while still having fun? How can we avoid feeling like we are missing out, without ending up with a stocking full of regret? This is probably the tenth Christmas I have spent in “weight management” mode, so I have learned a few things to help me over the years.

Firstly, be realistic: There is very little point in promising yourself that this year you absolutely WILL NOT over indulge. Swearing to yourself that not one Quality Street will cross your lips and the Christmas Dinner will consist only of meat and veg. In my experience, trying to be overly restrictive in the run up to Christmas only leads to me end up diving head first into a trifle and reaching for the stretchy pants. I have found that a far better strategy is to decide, ahead of time, which of the Christmas treats I absolutely must have. I then allow myself to have these and actively avoid the rest. For me, this is the turkey and ham sandwich on Christmas night, made by my super sister, I look forward to it all year. You can keep the dessert, but if I don’t get my sandwich, did Christmas even happen?

Beware of the Bargains: Growing up, the tin of sweets at Christmas was a really big deal. It was the only time of year you could get them. They would be bought ahead of time, but on pain of death, we were never allowed to open them until Christmas Eve. Since I have moved out, I never bother buying them. Between work and our family homes, there is more than enough junk floating around to satisfy even the sweetest tooth. This year, however, I began to wonder if this was a little churlish. Was I a complete Grinch to not even have a single sweet in the house. I thought to myself I will pick up one tin, sure what harm? I went to the supermarket and saw they were 3 for €15! Wow, what a bargain!! In the space of about 4 seconds, I had gone from not buying any, to buying 3 whole tins. Luckily, I came to my senses and abandoned my purchase.

I will never forget a leader in Weight Watchers talking about buy one get one free tins of Pringles. She said when she looked at it all she saw was “44 points for the price of 22.” It really isn’t a good deal if you end up eating more than you intended to and feeling bad about it. Don’t let the marketers draw you in to ruining your progress.

Let work days be “normal” days: I will admit that routine is an absolute saviour of mine. Automating as many decisions about food as I can has made maintaining my weight so much easier than relying on will power alone. Every work day I have the same breakfast, and one of 2-3 different homemade lunches. I don’t deviate from this just because it is December. It helps me a lot to feel like at least some parts of my diet can be consistent regardless of the season. If I were to abandon this for the month, I know I would feel completely out of control.

Offices are a minefield for the diet conscious at the best of times, and Christmas is the worst. Across the country mince pies and selection boxes are being passed around with abandon. My advice, and something I have always had to do, is just give it a wide berth. I would always prefer to indulge in sweets and treats consciously. Sitting at home relaxing with a nice cuppa and the fur babies. Not while on a conference call and trying to get a balance sheet worked out.

Practice the one bite rule: If you take a bite of something, (especially if it’s calorie laden) and you don’t really love it, stop eating it. If you take a slice of grannies fruit cake and it’s as dry as the Mojave desert, proclaim it delicious and yourself still full from dinner, and leave it alone. Calories are too precious to be wasted on things which don’t make you make yummy noises.

Remember that Christmas is ONE DAY: I have lost count of the number of times I have heard people saying that there is “no point trying to be good in December!” This simply is not true. When you think about it, it is one day, one dinner and maybe a party or two. When you consider that on average in December, we will eat over 100 meals, it puts the big one into a little perspective. There is only so much damage you can do in a day (even if you do my trifle dive) a whole month ,on the other hand, is a completely different story. If you make a decision to abandon all your good habits in December, you can expect to have a significant backslide with your results. If you make this decision, accept that it is a decision and own it. Christmas did not do it to you!

Move on: Whatever happens over Christmas, it’s not the end of the world. Even if you eat and drink far more than you had intended and if the scales calls you out on it, it’s not terminal. Win, lose or draw this silly season, allow yourself to move on. The worst thing we can do is fall into the familiar negative feedback loop of self loathing. When 2017 comes in, be mentally ready to attack it, not wasting energy worrying about what you ate last year.

Lastly, enjoy: I for one am so ready for the break at Christmas. Having a few days away from work, watching old movies in my pj’s sounds like just what the doctor ordered. This is the time of year to catch up with friends and family and relax. Reflect on the year just gone and get ready for the one to come. However you will be spending this holiday season, enjoy it, for it comes but once a year. Be well xxx

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25% Off, Now What?

November 14, 2016 Authentically Arwen

I have not always had what can be described as a healthy relationship with food. As a girl I was naturally slim, so never really gave much thought to what I ate. Of course, like every other teenage girl, I lamented to my friends about how “fat” I was and about how I should go on a diet, but it was really all just idle chatter.

I spent the summer before my final year in University on a J1 visa in America. I loved every minute of it. Waiting tables by day and partying by night. When I came home, I had trouble getting back into the swing of things. College wasn’t for me. I studied English Literature, which was and still is a great passion of mine, but the whole student life thing just didn’t appeal. I didn’t fit in, I struggled to make friends and I was generally miserable. By the time my finals were approaching, I was in a deep depression.

I rarely made my classes, I didn’t have a job. I was sleeping around the clock and I had no money. I would eat one meal a day, which was always two slices of toast, a fried egg and a grilled tomato. The rest of my waking hours, which were few, were fueled by coffee and cigarettes. Naturally enough, I lost weight. A lot of weight. I plummeted to 7 stone (less than 45kg.) My family and friends began to pass comments about it. I took their concerned remarks as compliments and they were the one thing at that time, which made me feel good. I guess you could say, I had developed an accidental eating disorder.

Thankfully, not too long after finals, my roommate recommended me for a job where he worked. I got the job, and slowly began to emerge from the pit I had been living in. It was a long process, and definitely a story for another day. Slowly, as I started to feel “better” I began to put on some weight. Initially this was a good thing, and everyone was relieved. I figured I would just regain the weight I had lost during that year, and get back to normal. Unfortunately, “normal” came and went and I was still putting on weight. Over the next few years my weight steadily increased until I hit the 79kg mark. I had almost doubled in size.

I hated myself. I lived in over-sized clothes. I hid myself away. Dreading to go out and having to show everyone what I looked like. I remember buying a dress for my 30th birthday, (something which should have been enjoyable) I just pulled something which I thought might fit off the rail in Tesco and decided that would do. It was green and satinesque! Even the thoughts of trying something on was too much for me.

It wasn’t long after that awful green dress when I decided something had to be done. First to be tried was Weight Watchers and Aerobics, which before long gave way to Crossfit and Paleo! Initially, I had some success and the pounds came off. But it wasn’t long before the wheels came off the wagon and the weight would start creeping back on.

On and on it went, losing a little, gaining a little. Each time I tried again, it was with renewed energy and more extreme measures. At one time I was eating a 100% Paleo diet and training 8-10 hours a week. My body was so over trained and under nourished that my hair fell out. My skin was a mess and my hormones were all over the place. I was once again giving my family cause for concern. It was a decade later, and it seemed I had learned nothing. I was right back in a place of disordered eating behaviour. It didn’t matter how much weight I lost, I just couldn’t shake the fear that one day I would wake up back in my old body.

Then something amazing happened. It all fell apart. I changed jobs and I got really busy in work, so training had to take a back seat. Following a strict Paleo protocol was simply impossible with the hours I was working and with the other commitments I had. I had a series of injuries which kept me from training from a broken finger to a strained hip flexor. If I had tried to write a story of disaster, I probably couldn’t have made it worse.

While all this was going on, I was trying to do my best to mitigate the damage. I enlisted the help of two of the best nutrition coaches in the business and put myself entirely in their hands. I didn’t have the bandwidth to argue with them, so I just did what they said. I trained when I could and tried not to panic too much about it. About a month ago, and 5 years after the hideous green ensemble, I weighed in at 59kg. Exactly 20kg less than at my heaviest and about 25% loss in overall body weight.

I had eventually reached my “goal weight.” Okay, so what now? It is very peculiar reaching a goal like this. It never feels like you imagine it’s going to. I still don’t look in the mirror as see the body I want. I don’t yet feel satisfied and I certainly don’t feel finished. I have learned a lot on this journey, and made more mistakes than I can count. I think the greatest lesson I have learned, is that I don’t do well in extremes. I am very lucky to have great people around me, and I have become able to trust them, even when I don’t trust myself.

I really believe that although I may not be exactly where I want to be, that I am ready to close the chapter of my life that has been the last 5 years. I am ready for losing weight to not be the primary focus of my life anymore. I want to concentrate on what I can be more of and better at. The irony of my situation is not lost on me. I can only smile when I think about how far I had to veer off course in order to arrive where I am now.

For anyone else who might find themselves battling to stay on track, I have this to say. Just trust. Trust the process, trust your coaches and your loved ones, but above all, trust yourself! Be well xxx

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Timing is Everything

October 20, 2016 Authentically Arwen

Life is pretty hectic just now, but I get withdrawal symptoms when I am not writing. So I wanted to share some thoughts I have been having lately, in what could turn out to be my shortest post to date.

Have you ever noticed that after you hear a word for the first time, it suddenly seems to be everywhere? Or your friend introduces you to a band they love and then you hear their music on TV? When these things happen, it almost feels as though the stimulus was always there, it’s just that your consciousness was not ready to receive it.

There’s an old expression, which says that “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” Lately, this has taken on a much greater meaning for me. There has been so many times recently when I have heard or seen something, just at the moment when I needed it most. I definitely think it is happening because I am more ready.

I owe this readiness, in no small part, to reading a great book called “The Art of Asking” by Amanda Palmer. I hadn’t come across Amanda before, but I heard the book recommended and decided to check it out. I wholeheartedly recommend it. She is a fascinating lady and it is particularly well written. The main theme of the book is about encouraging people to ask for the things that they need. Having read it, this sounded like great advice. Typically of me, I decide to embrace this, and jumped headlong into asking people for things!

My first ask was in the form of a request for a book (I didn’t end up getting the book, but it did end up opening some other doors for me.) The funny thing about asking, is that it requires making yourself extremely vulnerable. You expose a need in yourself and of course, you have to be open to hearing the word no. Amanda eluded to this in her writing, but it takes experiencing it for yourself to truly appreciate how scary it is.

In order to be a ready student, waiting for her teacher, I have had to learn how to really ask. In a challenging time in my life, I have had to learn how to say “I am struggling, can you help me?” The most recent experience of this was with my 28 day challenge. I struggled with it way more than I was expecting to. The rest of the group were doing great and part of me really wanted to retreat into the shadows. I didn’t want people to see that I, of all people, did not have my shit together (not even a tiny bit!) The crazy thing was, as soon as I did admit it, as soon as I let it be known that I was in trouble, the support I needed came to me, and I was able to turn it around.

The older I get, the more I realise that in order to have the fullest and most authentic life possible, I need to be truly open. Yes, this means taking risks. This means leaving myself exposed to pain. But, it also means being open to all the joy and wonder that people and life have to offer. When you learn to ask, you will soon discover who will step up for you and who will slink away. Recognising a need in others, and doing what you can for them is a truly noble act. To those who have stepped up for me recently, thank you, you know who you are. To those who have decided to slink away, thank you, now I know who you are. Be well xxx

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Mexican Bean Stew | ArwenLouise | Ep27

October 16, 2016October 17, 2016 Authentically Arwen

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Half Weigh!

October 2, 2016October 2, 2016 Authentically Arwen

So here I am, exactly half way through my 28 day cutting phase. At the start of the phase I weighed in at 59.9kg, and today the scales read 58.8kg. A drop of just over a kilo so far, and almost exactly on target to achieve my goal of 2kgs weight loss by the end of the cycle. This however, does not tell the whole story.

I have spent a lot of time writing about and talking about the fact that weight loss is often non-linear. I have also spent a lot of time talking about how sometimes no matter how on point you are with your inputs (diet, exercise, fluid intake, sleep etc.) the outputs are not what you would have expected. All of this knowledge and experience, however, didn’t really prepare me for what has happened in my body over the past few weeks. Let me tell you how it’s really been going.

The 28 day cut officially started 2 weeks ago. I spent the week before it started getting myself organised. I tested out meals and menus to make sure they fit my calorie and macro targets. I worked on getting my mindset sorted. I cleared out any foods from my home, which I felt threatened to derail me. (I generally don’t keep junk food in the house, so this wasn’t hugely difficult.) I used this week to plan and prepare so that when the cut kicked in, I would be as ready as I could be.

I have to say I found this first week (week minus 1) a bit of a challenge. I experienced hunger, low energy and brain fog for the first 3 days in particular. Some of this hunger was undoubtedly real, as I was in a caloric deficit, but some of it was definitely in my head. When we start any diet or cut, we spend a lot of time thinking about food for the initial few days. This can make us feel hungrier than we really are. By about day 4, this had passed, my energy levels were recovering and I was settling in to things.

The next week (week 1) presented a different challenge for me. I was on a very rare week off from work. I was determined to eat as well as possible, which I did. However, as we were on holidays, I had a drink or two most evenings. This would have put me at my maintenance calories, or perhaps a little over. I track my weight each morning, so I could see it was holding fairly steady, apart from the small daily fluctuations that you would expect to see. I was not expecting to achieve weight loss during this week, so when I weighed in that Sunday at 59.6kg, I was totally fine with it. Nothing could have prepared me for what happened next.

On Monday morning I got up early as it was my first say back in work, stood on the scales and it read 61.4kg! I couldn’t believe it. I had literally put on 2kg overnight. Now rationally I know that this CANNOT be possible. In order to put on that amount of weight in one day, I would have needed to over eat by about 15,000 calories. I certainly did not do that. I tried not to freak out. I tried to tell myself it was a weird blip and that all would be fine by the next day. Imagine my horror then when on Tuesday the scale said 61.5kg. This is when I started to sort of lose it. What the hell was going on? I haven’t weighed over 61kg in months and now suddenly, when I am actually trying to lose weight, tracking my food and doing everything as close to right as I can, I PUT ON 2 KILOS!!!!!

“Breathe Arwen, just relax, trust the process and you will get the prize. Resist the urge to say F This and reach for the nearest chocolate bar. Give it time, you have 3 more weeks to do. See what happens at the end and make a decision about what to do then.” This was my mantra and believe me when I tell you, I repeated it to myself numerous times over those couple of days. Wednesday came and the scales happily reported 60.5kg. Phew! It looked like maybe things were starting to normalise, thank God! For the rest of last week, my weight continued to drop each day until by Friday, I had reached 59.8kg. Almost my exact starting weight, after nearly 3 weeks of hard work.

Why did this happen? I don’t know for sure, but I do have a theory. While I was on my week off, I made the decision to change my birth control. I had been using a Mirena coil for about 8 years, and I decided to have that removed and start using oral contraception instead. Both of these birth control methods contain hormones, but very different ones. I think that making this change may have resulted in some fluid retention, but honestly, who knows!

So, why am I telling you all of this? I could have posted a 2 line update saying “everything is great, 1.1kg down and on track for my target weight loss!” This would have been the truth, but it would not have been the whole truth. There are far too many voices out there trying to convince us that changing our lifestyles and our bodies should be easy. I am here to tell you that it’s not. There will be times when you will feel frustrated and deflated. You may feel, like I have during this phase, that your body is working against you. The difference between success and failure during these times is in keeping your head. Patience, persistence and consistency are what is going to get you to your goal, not lotions, potions skinny teas.

I have to say that being part of the group, has really helped me to stay the course during this up and down week. I didn’t want to let the other guys down by throwing in the towel. Whether they knew it or not, they were holding me accountable and keeping me focused. My advice for anyone trying to make a change, whether you are just starting out or you are a seasoned veteran is this: Trust your process. Leverage your network and as the wise man says “All will be well.”

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28 Days!

September 18, 2016 Authentically Arwen

For the past few months, I have been feeling a little bit like my progress with my weight loss has stalled. I have mentioned in previous posts that for one reason or another, I just haven’t seemed to be able to drag myself across the finish line to my “goal weight.” So, when Philly Kinsella announced that he was starting a 28 Day Nutrition Program for a small number of Academy members, I jumped at the chance to take part. The idea behind it was to get a small group of 10-12 people together, with similar goals, in order to enable us to support and encourage each other.

I have done plenty of nutrition courses, and spent hundreds of hours listening to and reading the work of the finest minds in the industry. For me, like many others, knowing what to do is not the issue. The issue is, actually doing what is required to get the results I want. I am a social animal, and having something or someone to be accountable to, outside of myself is hugely motivational. This program gives us the perfect forum to share our struggles and triumphs as well as tips, recipes and ideas. I couldn’t be more excited to be taking part.

My starting weight on day 1 was 59.9kg and my bodyfat, also measured on day 1 with calipers, was 17.5%. I have learned over the years to be quite detached from these numbers. They are just objective metrics with which to track progress. They do not impact how I feel about myself (anymore.) The days when I feel I look my best and at my leanest usually don’t correlate to the scales at all.

What I will be doing:

I have calculated my current maintenance calories and have set up about a 15% deficit. This means I will be aiming to eat just under 1600 kcals per day
I am aiming to get about 130g of protein per day (roughly 1 gram per pound of body weight.) I want about 30% of my calories coming from fat and the remainder from carbohydrate.
I will weigh myself each morning and track my weight on a spreadsheet. I weigh myself every morning anyway, so this is not a big change. The idea is not to become fixated on the numbers themselves, but by tracking my weight, I can start seeing the patterns behind the numbers.
I will track my food intake using MyFitness Pal. This will mean weighing and measuring food to be sure that the information is accurate. This can be a bit of a pain, and not something I will be doing forever, but I really don’t think there is another way to go about tracking calorie intake.
I will be continuing to train 3-4 times per week as usual
I will be leveraging the power of the group when my motivation, creativity and energy are flagging
The photo above is showing some of the food from the first few days of the plan, as well as a picture of me before starting. I will continue to photograph what I am eating, and I will take another one of myself at the end.

What I will not be doing:

Freaking out any time I see the number on the scale increase. Body weight fluctuations are normal, especially for women. This is why getting the overall trend of weight changes is important
Expecting everything to be easy
Giving myself a hard time if my calories or macros are not perfect on any given day. I recognise that it is what I do consistently over the course of the program, which will bring results.

What I expect:

I am hoping to achieve modest weight loss over the 28 days. 1-2kg drop would be great.
I would also hope to see some small drop in my bodyfat percentage, but I am realistic. 28 days is not a long period of time, and it may take a little longer for results to show up!
I am expecting to feel hungry at times. This is normal in a deficit. I am eating less than my body needs, so it’s natural to expect hunger. Even when not on a cut, it is normal to experience hunger. If you never get hungry, chances are you are over eating
Not every meal is going to be an Instagram worthy masterpiece. Sometimes eating is simply about fueling your body. This is especially true when you are aiming for specific macros. There will be times when I will eat something that I don’t particularly “want” #firstworldproblems
I expect to feel tired and lacking in energy at times. My body will have less fuel going into it than it is used to, so there may be less energy available.
I am going to have to get creative. As the wise man said “calories are scarce in a deficit,” so more thought and planning needs to go into each meal/day to ensure I get maximum benefit.

Overall, I feel confident that with a group of great people behind me, as well as great coach in my corner, I have every chance of being successful. The community support aspect of weight loss is something, which is all too often overlooked. If you are trying to change your lifestyle without the support of your family and greater community, you are facing an uphill battle. This is true if your aim is to lose 1lb or 100lbs. We may not be able to get those close to us on board all the time, but we can seek out others to support and be supported by. Our creativity is sparked by interactions with others. I know personally this week, I have been trying to come up with new and exciting things to try. I feel energised and awakened by being part of a group and harnessing its power!

I will let you know the final result after the 28 days, and also where I plan to go from there. A new body is a bit like a new outfit, you don’t know how it’s going to fit until you try it on. At the moment my goal weight is just an arbitrary number, when I get there I might decide I want to drop a little more weight. Or equally, I could find that I want to put a little back on. I will let you know when I get there. Be well xxx

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I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead

September 4, 2016 Authentically Arwen

Phrases like “I’ll sleep when I’m dead,” and “you snooze, you lose,” and very much a part of every day conversation. In today’s modern world, life is lived at such a frenetic pace, that often sleep and even rest are put to the very bottom of our list of priorities. Surviving on little or no sleep has become a status symbol. We almost compete with each other to see who can get by on the least amount of hours in bed, or who can pull the most all nighters. We one up each other about how busy and exhausted we are. It’s insane!

Up until 100 years ago, we slept and woke in rhythm with the sun. Before electricity became cheap and readily available, it was just far too expensive to keep our homes lit at night, so when the sun went down, so did we! Studies have shown that even in this short time span, the average night’s sleep has decreased by an incredible 20%. Our evolution has no chance of keeping up with such rapid change in our behaviour around sleep.

Adequate sleep is fundamentally important for every function in the human body. I cannot emphasise this enough. Lack of sleep has been linked to increased risk of almost every disease you can think of, from diabetes to cancer to heart disease. It has even been linked to obesity. The funny thing about sleep deprivation, is that we all think it doesn’t happen to us. Even as you read this, some of you may be thinking, “yeah I get what she’s saying, but I’m grand!” None of us realise how much not sleeping enough is effecting us, until we do get enough sleep and see how different we feel.

IPad Insomnia: This is a well researched phenomenon. Most of us spend a staggering number of hours each day sitting in front of screens. At work we are in front of computers, at home it’s laptops, tablets and cell phones. The trouble with this, is that all of these devices emit what is known as blue light. In the absence of light, our bodies release a hormone called melatonin. Melatonin signals to the body that it is time to get ready for sleep. Unfortunately, blue light inhibits the production of this hormone, so our body doesn’t get the message to start shutting down.

To combat this, there are a few things we can do;

Have an hour of no screen time before bed. Read a book or have a chat with your partner. Take a warm bath or even meditate. When you try this, you will notice just how much more sleepy it makes you feel.
Take all electronics out of your bedroom. All these little lights like the standby light on the TV or the numbers on the digital alarm clock can disrupt sleep. Put the alarm clock in a drawer or even under your bed. This has two purposes, firstly you won’t have the light contamination. But also, if you are having trouble nodding off, or should you wake during the night, you won’t start doing mental arithmetic trying to work out how little sleep you are going to get.
Make your bedroom as dark as possible. This is a huge thing, especially in summer, or if you live, like I do in a house with a street light outside your window. Invest in a set of blackout curtains. I was skeptical at first, but I promise it’s worth the investment. Studies have shown, that even a tiny pin prick of light on the skin can disrupt melatonin production. With this in mind, it is worth doing all we can to plug those light leaks.

Sleep and weight:

There are two hormones in the body associated with body fat. These are leptin and ghrelin. Like many other pairs of hormones in the body, they act in opposition to each other. Leptin is known the “satiety hormone” and ghrelin is known as the “hunger hormone.”

When we don’t sleep enough, our bodies produce less leptin and more ghrelin, which increases our appetite. Have you ever noticed that when you get a broken night’s sleep, you often feel hungrier the next day? I certainly have. If you aren’t getting enough hours in bed, it will be significantly harder for you to make good food choices.

Brain Fog:

Most of us will know that not getting enough sleep effects how we think. What we might not know is the extent to which this happens. Research has shown that the longer sleep deprivation goes on for the worse the effect becomes, and more worryingly, the less we notice it. It has been been compared the the effect of alcohol. How after two glasses of wine you know you wouldn’t be able to drive, but after two more you might feel perfectly in control of your faculties.

The effects of sleep debt are so numerous that I could turn this blog post into a book and still not have covered all of them. In fact, there are very few things in your life that can’t be improved by getting better sleep. If you decide to make sleep a priority, you will be more productive, despite being awake for less hours. You will be less likely to get into an accident. You will be in a better mood, and less likely to suffer from stress. It will be easier for you to manage your weight and your health will improve. Your athletic performance will improve. Your relationships will be better, and you will have energy to play with your kids and make love to your partner. YOU WILL FEEL BETTER! Go on, give it a try x

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A Point on Patience

August 28, 2016 Authentically Arwen

I will never be described as a patient person. I like to think I have some nice qualities, but alas, patience is not one of them. What little patience I manage to muster in my dealings with other people, I have absolutely zero with myself. This is not a new thing. Even as a little girl, if I tried something new, and couldn’t get to grips with it straight away, I would get frustrated and usually quit. Roller skates were tried out exactly once, (sorry mom) sports and instruments were usually abandoned within weeks. I just wanted to know how to do the thing, I wasn’t overly interested in the process of learning! As I have gotten older, my staying power may have increased, but frustration and sense of urgency has definitely not abated.

For about the past 6 months or so, I have been a kilo or two away from my goal weight. My goal is to be below 59kg (yes, 58.9kg will do) This number may seem arbitrary, but it holds great significance to me. Should I ever reach it, I will share the reason for this with you. Just before my trip to Madrid in May, I was the closest I have ever been. One of my weigh ins was 59kg on the button. I was as close as is humanly possible to be, without actually achieving it.

Then I went on my trip, and put on a little weight. This was to be expected and I was totally fine with it. I had had an absolute blast with one of my favourite people, eating and drinking with abandon. I would never accept a life where I couldn’t have weekends like this from time to time. When I got back, I assumed I would slip into my routine and within a week or two things would be back to normal. Not so. Work got busy and crazy. I was travelling a lot and it just seemed like it took me forever to get my momentum going again.

Finally, about a month ago, things started coming together. I was hitting the gym regularly, eating well, and walking the legs off myself and my poor dog. I had even replaced my bedroom curtains with black out ones, and removed the electronics from the room to make sure I was getting better quality sleep. For three consecutive weeks, I was exactly on plan. This isn’t to say that everything was “perfect” because let’s face it, that doesn’t exist, but for those three weeks, I felt like I was definitely doing enough to get results.

Can you guess what happened during these weeks? Absolutely NOTHING!!!! The scale did not move at all. Not one tenth of a kilo did I lose. I really started to wonder what was going on. I know rationally that the scales does not tell the whole story. I also know that sometimes there can be a lag between putting in the work and getting the results, but COME ON! I was working my ass off and getting nowhere. I was just at the point of saying “screw this” and ordering an extra large pizza when I stood on the scales, and as if by magic, I was down over a kilo!

That was last week, and to be honest, if I had written this post then it would have been a different article entirely. Last week, I was thinking “finally, I have this sussed, 58kg, you will be mine!” This week, however, I have picked a shoulder injury. Ironically, I think it was caused by excessive dog walking! It’s nothing major, but I can’t train and it all feels like a bit of a cosmic conspiracy. Damn it, I am so close, and I feel between one thing and the other I will never get there.

I am finding myself reminded of all the old adages. Remembering all the great sporting movies, with their motivational montages. I am reflecting on the cautionary tales of people who didn’t know how close they were to success when they finally quit. Stories of people perishing in the desert, mere meters away from water. I know my few hundred grams pale into insignificance when compared with the struggles some people go through on a daily basis. But, truthfully, it has become about so much more than the scale weight. This is something I cannot quit. This battle has been on going for years. Were I to walk away from it now, I know that it would haunt me. I need this to be the one thing, the first thing, that although it didn’t come easy, I didn’t walk away from.

This morning, I weighed in at 60.2kg. I have a bit to go still, and if the last few months are anything to go by, it may take a while. The intensity will wax and wane as life carries on, and the results will of course, not be linear. However, if I can finally master the art of patience, I will eventually reach the finish line. With or without the roller skates!

For recipes, tips and ideas, hit me up at the links below. Be well xxx

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Crossed Wires

August 21, 2016 Authentically Arwen

A few weeks ago, I made a big mistake. One of those embarrassing, cold sweat inducing, ground please swallow me up mistakes, that I am sure we all have made. Let me tell you what happened. I had been trying to get my hands on a book, and I wasn’t having much success. So I had put a post on Facebook to ask if anyone had a copy I might be able to borrow. A short time after, I was driving home from my mother’s place late at night. I had my cell phone on the passenger seat beside me. It lit up with a notification and I gave it a cursory glance. It was a Facebook message (you know the ones that make the floaty heads appear on your screen.) I looked at it for a split second, and I thought I knew who it was from. I thought it was from someone whom I know pretty well and have a fairly established relationship with.

So, I get home, and immediately tap out a response. I then busied myself with recipe prep and chatting to my husband. Meanwhile, the texter and I got into a conversation. It was only a couple of hours, and dozens of messages later that I realised I had been speaking to someone else entirely. Someone that I really don’t know very well at all. Someone that really I had only ever spoken to in passing. It was to my horror and dismay that I discovered I had been having a fairly open and direct discussion with essentially a stranger. To compound my mortification, a few of the messages I had sent would have made absolutely zero sense! All I could think was “oh shit! How am I going to fix this?” By this stage my new friend had said goodnight, and there was really no way for me to back track.

I fretted and cringed about it all night, and the next morning decided the only way forward was full disclosure. I told the texter what had happened and honestly, he couldn’t have been sweeter about it. He seemed to see the funny side, even if I couldn’t! We continued chatting, and it turns out we have a lot in common. Far from being ashamed, I now have that lovely shiny feeling of having made a new friend.

As I reflected on it in the days that followed, I couldn’t help wonder how different the encounter would have been had I known who I was talking to. How much more shut off would I have been with a stranger? It made me think about how closed off to new people and new situation we can be, without even realising it. The whole episode made me learn two things.

Firstly, there really is no such thing as a mistake. As the expression goes, as one door closes, another one opens. Every action we take in life will lead us in one direction or another. These directions cannot be right or wrong, they are just different. This applies to all aspects of life; health, relationships, careers etc. We will always be faced with options and choices. Some of which will seem impossible, but if we can remember, that no one choice will equal triumph or disaster, it can make making a decision a little easier.

If we take nutrition and lifestyle as a good example. Often when we want to get started with making a change, there can seem to be so many options, and so much conflicting advice, that we become paralyzed by indecision. We can spend weeks researching the relative merits of one program versus another, when the reality is, just picking something and going with it would be far more useful. We can waste so much time and mental energy trying to figure out what is 100% optimal, when really doing anything is better than doing nothing! If you start a program and realise it’s not perfect, you can always tweak it, but at least you have taken the first steps. Don’t let your quest for perfection be a road block for your progress.

The second thing I learned from this is that life is so much richer when you are open and receptive. When you don’t allow yourself to be closed off, life will throw all sorts of experiences at you. Some of them will be weird, some of them will be wonderful and some will be a little of both. I have realised that only by opening up and allowing these experiences to come to me, can I begin to hope to have the type of authentic life I wish for. If I want a full and happy life, rich with opportunity and adventure, I need to expose myself. Yes, this is completely terrifying and not without risk, but I definitely believe that the reward is worth it.

So, the next time a stranger approaches you with the offer of a book (or a coffee, drink, or whatever) instead of rolling your eyes and muttering weirdo under your breath, allow yourself to think that maybe, as Humphrey Bogart said, “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

For recipes and ideas check me out on social media at the links below. Be well xxx

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