Life's Blood

I am a true believer in donating blood. I know a lot of people would rather give money than have a vampire nurse steal blood from them but let's face it... Blood is far more precious than money.

I thought I might give a rundown of my recent experience for anyone a little wary of the process.

I waited for 15 minutes with a juice box to keep my fluids up, and then I was interviewed to make sure it was safe for me to give blood. This was the scariest part... And not because they pricked my finger to check my iron levels, but because they weighed me and I was shocked to discover I was 7kgs heaver than my usual 50kgs!!! After that, I was hanging to give blood, hoping the loss would leave me at only 56kgs!!!

Then I sat on a lovely recliner where the nurse wrapped a blanket around me (coz I'm a sook and it was chilly) and ran me through the procedure:
1. A band is placed around your bicep (like when they check your blood pressure) to make your vein more accessible.
2. An alcohol swab cleaned your inner elbow.
3. A small needle is inserted and you feel a tiny prick.
4. You have a little kip, wriggling your fingers and toes to speed up the process.

Voila... 6 minutes and 17 seconds later I was done!

Basically I got a juice box, had a nap, ate a lollie and got a sticker... Batman has it all wrong, this is the best way to save lives!!!

Home Run

My running partner is my iPhone! I have some fun apps that record my speed and distance, I have a gps in case I lose my way... Which has embarrassingly happened too many times to count. And more importantly I have music.

Studies have come out to prove what all of us have known all along... Music can pull you through a workout. Rocky had a theme song propelling him up those stairs and Olivia Newton John had it to 'get physical'. The fact is that music can elevate your mood and distract you so that your workout seems easier. 

The Top 5 most common songs on my running playlist are:

1.) Boom Boom - Outhere Brothers
2.) Till the World Ends - Britney Spears
3.) You Used to Hold Me - Calvin Harris
4.) My Favourite Game - The Cardigans
5.) Te Amo - Rihanna

So... What is currently on your playlist?

Skinny Dip

I pulled this this wonderful Micro-Dermabrasion kit from a Nutrimetics party lucky dip last month for half it's usual price of $80.95. I thought I was saving money, but you ladies all know how freebies usually turn out - I am now addicted and almost willing to spend the $80.95 for a replacement kit when this one runs out.

A lot of women go through the pain and expense of Acid Peels in salons. But this exfoliant gets the same results for just 2 minutes of scrubbing in the shower, once a week.

As you can see, the exfoliant itself is still a smooth, gentle paste for the face. Since using Micro-Dermabrasion, my skin has been smooth and clear. I get even better results than when I am at the Beach with the sand and sea salt being a natural exfoliator. i wonder what other treats Nutrimetics has available?

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EDITTED to add: After using this moisturiser a bit more, I have noticed how red and angry it makes my skin for an hour or so after use. A red, hot reash creeps across wherever I have spread it. Turns out this moisturiser has too much SPF in it for me as I am madly allergic. (it does say clearly 'SPF 25' on the front of the bottle... I just don't know my limits with moisturisers and makeup) I've only ever been able to use Ell McPhearson's Invisible Zinc when spending hours in the sun. But moisturisers and foundations have never been a problem until now.

Anyway I will continue to use the scrub, but have gifted the moisturiser to a friend of mine who is already addicted to Nutrimetics Micro-dermabrasion.

Relay for Life is an intense overnight event that remembers loved ones lost to cancer, celebrates survivors, and gives us a chance to fight back against the disease that takes so much.

The idea is to get a team of 10 to 15 people together, and be sponsored to always have someone walking or running… and it our case, cartwheeling and being piggybacked around an oval or track for 24 hours straight.

http://www.relayforlife.org.au/#

We started at 10:00am and had a long 24 hours getting scorched by the beating sun, soaked by a surprise torrential downpour and then cozying up under a lowered marquee to rest for dinner and snacks before starting all over again. A lot was achieved in such a short amount of time… 2 of our friends walked for 6 hours straight, only stopping to grab fruit and sandwiches to eat on the track. One ran a marathon of laps, 42km at a steady 12km an hour pace and there was a different Cross fit exercise every hour for people to dominate. But the biggest accomplishment was raising $42,000 for the Cancer Council!

The day wasn’t just about exercise and fitness. There was a jumping castle for the kiddies and a RedCross blood donor tent. 80% of donated blood ends up going to help treat cancer patients. Please remember, if you can’t afford to donate money, there is something more precious that everyone has in deep supply and that is your blood. If you are healthy and not squeamish of needles, please donate.

Hotel Realm

For those of you travelling to Canberra, I highly recommend Hotel Realm.

They have everything at your fingertips. Fine dining, gym, day spa, bar, and the staff go the extra mile.

The boyfriend and I were lucky enough to have a couples massage at Mudd Spa on Valentines Day. Lucky for me, they have complimentary hairspray, moisturiser and deoderant in their changerooms. Because our 1 hour head to toe massage was followed by a bottle of champagne at Ostani Bar, and then fine dining at Konoba restaurant... and I was completely un-prepared! As you get with surprises!

After our massage of bliss in a candlelit room, the massuese handed us each a pretty red rose which tickled me pink! Once we were settled in with complimentary bread and dip at Konoba restaurant, the maitre de placed another red rose on the table for the 'lovely couple'.

"I'm not usually a fan of beetroot, but couldn't go past this entre. The goats cheese finger and beetroot were an ideal combination of strong and subtle flavours."

Beetroot & eschallot tarte, crispy goat cheese finger, banyuls dressing
17.50

Braised lamb shoulder, roasted rack, gremolata, ratatouille, cooking jus
33.00
"I love ratatouille, and have never had it presented in such a way. All of the vegetables were diced into perfect cubes, making it so easy to get a bit of everything on the fork. The lamb was cooked to perfection and fell off the bone."

I cannot fault their attention to detail and thank them for helping make our night special.

We walked away talking about the possibility of having our wedding ceremony there... which is precisely what a girl wants her boyfriend to be inspired to bring up on Valentine's Day before he has even popped the big question!

Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

I love seeing all the ladies that get flowers in the office on Valentine's Day! I don't really know the background of how St Valentine's day became so romantic/consumerist but I love it all the same.

I was lucky enough to wake up to some heart-magnets on my fridge this morning! They are from Kikki.K, my boyfriend knows me very well. I had also sourced Kikki.K for his Valentine's surprise which is a jigsaw card in the shape of a heart. They have a few others, a cute little car and a duck. I think they are just adorable. Adds a little more anticipation to see what you have written as you have to put it all together.

Last night a girl with a heavy French accent came to our door selling art. I had heard a few years ago to beware of door-to-door pedallers as it's a scam. But I had just mastered making my boyfriend's delicious salad dressing, and had a nice glass of wine so was in the mood to humour her.

I was quite surprised that most of the paintings were very beautiful and she was only trying to sell them for about $100 each. After falling in love with this one called 'Carnivale' I called the boyfriend over to inspect it. His family owned an art gallery in Canberra where his father sold a lot of his own work, usually for thousands, not just a measely hundred. So when the boyfriend was equally impressed and gave me his wallet to get whatever pleased me the most, I felt confident that I wasn't being scammed.

...And if I am, who cares?! It's genuine art, not a print, and it looks gorgeous in my opinion. That's all that matters right?

Taste The Rainbow

February Weightloss Tip: Use Superglue as lipgloss!

I pride myself on my healthy lifestyle. I am lucky enough to adore fruit and veggies and I am actually enjoying training 6 days a week to run the 14k Sydney City to Surf in an hour.
...But my newest passion and hobby has been baking... and when it looks this good, the only way to stay thin, is to superglue my mouth shut!!!

Inspired by Omnomicon's rainbow cake recipe http://www.omnomicon.com/rainbowcake