Motivation Sunday!

Taking Away the OPTION to Fail: http://youtu.be/PR4LLUI9hps

I totally needed this, I needed to watch this video today. Ive been beating myself up all week, battling highs and lows and yes it does become an excuse to not do my absolute best!!

No matter what life throws at you, don't let it become an excuse!

Diabetes will not be an excuse!

I can be the best version of myself only if i take away the option to fail!!!

Thankyou Jonny Straws!

30 Day Squat Challenge

So today marks the completion of the 30 Day Squat challenge!!!

Why do I think this is important to write about you might be thinking? 

Well I wanted to tell the world that I actually finished this!! I have done numerous 30 day challenges and life always got in the way and I never ended up finishing them! But now I can say I actually finished this one!!

I am beyond proud of myself for sticking it out, there were some days that I missed but I caught up completely on the following day! 

Finishing something you set out to do gives you such a great feeling of accomplishment, no matter how big or small.

Next week I am starting a 30 day Walking Lunge challenge so that should be interesting! 

Anyway, happy days!

Paleo Apple, Cinnamon & Walnut Muffins

These turned out great! Exactly what I was looking for!
The main reason for baking these was to have something small on hand for when a HYPO attacks so that I don't have to grab for something full of carbs. 
To treat hypos I would usually grab a juice box and have a biscuit. Now I don't have to!

Ingredients:

• 1 & 1/2 cups of Almond meal 
• 2 tablespoons of a paleo butter substitute ( I used Nuttelex but you could use Ghee too) melted.
• 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 handful of chopped walnuts (approx 40grams)
• 5 tablespoons of natural honey
• 2 small apples, peeled and grated
• 3 eggs
• pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius
2. Place the Nuttelex or Ghee into a microwave safe bowl and melt on a low temp
3. Add grated apple to the bowl, and then the eggs and mix well
4. Add all remaining ingredients and mix well
5. I lined a mini muffin tray with patty papers, but you could bake without them.
6. Divide mixture evenly into each patty paper - this recipe made 36 mini bite sized muffins.
7. Bake for 10 minutes only, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted.
8. Let cool on a wire rack, and enjoy!

Approx Macros (per muffin 1 out of 36):
Calories:44
Fat: 3g
Carbs: 3.4g
Sugar: 2.5g
Protein: 1.4g 

These were a great little snack, to curb that "carb" craving. Even my partner loved them!!! 

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Staying on track, when those around you aren't!

Honestly, I hear this a lot! "It's so hard when my partner doesn't want to eat healthy" Or "people are always offering me junk food" or "we out a lot" and don't get me wrong it takes a VERY strong person to say NO!

But finding the willpower to say no can be extremely rewarding. A feeling of accomplishment, a feeling of satisfaction and a feeling of being in control. Food does not have to control your life and the sooner you develop a healthy relationship with food the sooner you will create a healthy relationship with those around you. 

I used to have the mindset of "I'd better have some now or I might miss out" it was such an unhealthy way to live! I'd have to finish that bag of chips or that block of chocolate. I couldn't just have a little bit and put it away. I guess you could say I suffered from Binge eating. 

Binge eating affects so many people, and its not just the moment you stuff your face with a ton of bad foods and sit back and wonder WTF did you just do, but its the feelings of guilt that follow, the feelings of worthlessness and not being good enough and it develops into a vicious cycle which would bring on the next binge.

But anyway, I might re-visit binge eating another time as I really believe it needs to be talked about some more. Tonight I want to talk about sticking to a healthy meal plan when those around you are not, especially people who live in the same house as you. For example husbands, Wives, Boyfriends, Girlfriends, Parents, Siblings, Housemates etc! 

It doesn't have to be hard, my partner and I eat almost then exact same meals I just might modify each meal slightly. For example, when I cook a stir fry I will cook him up some rice to have with his but I will just eat mine without rice. Or when we have burgers I will just eat mine with salad rather than having them in bread. Same goes for BBQ's, I will just have salad with my meat rather than bread. I still cook Spaghetti on the occasion, but I will have mine with a product called Slim Pasta (not sure if its available worldwide) but its made from a vegetable and is a great Low Cal substitute for Pasta.
For lunch during the working week, I still pack him a sandwich, 2 pieces of fruit and a muesli bar. For me I pack a salad, protein shake (with almond milk) and fruit. 

Once you get loved ones on board, it does become a lot easier. And although my partner is extremely supportive of the Paleo Lifestyle, He is French; So is very fond of bread, pastries and dairy!! So I cant hardly blame him, its in his genes!

Other tips for not giving in to temptation when your loved ones come home with unhealthy food:

• Have healthy snacks ready to go for you to eat instead.
• Am I really hungry? Am I hungry enough to eat an Apple? Yes? Then eat an apple. 
• Try distract yourself while they are eating "said food" Cleaning, go for a walk, do some gardening, have a shower, go read a book in another room etc
•  If you are still having a hard time saying no, maybe kindly ask your loved ones to try not bring these types of food into the house. Even just for a few months until you get your head around it. Besides, its not like you can avoid bad foods forever. They are all around us. 

 Well I hope this can help at least ONE person, and then Id be happy. If you have any suggestions or questions please leave a comment below!

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Diabetes & Exercise

What works for me, might not work for you.

I have done alot of trial and error with exercise since I discovered I had Type One Diabetes.

As many of you would be aware, exercise will lower our blood sugar readings in most cases. Although I have found most cardio activities will lower my blood sugar quick where as weight training and body weight exercises will actually increase my blood sugar.

So I try and structure my workouts approximately 50/50. 50% cardio vs 50% weight training.

When I first started exercising regularly (5-6 days a week) I found I was dropping low almost every single workout. It was extremely frustrating. I just could not get it right. I joined a group of facebook that was directed at Type one diabetics that workout and someone on there suggested I tried working out with no Insulin on board. This was probably some of the best advice I could of ever been given!!!

So I started working out in the mornings, before I had any injected insulin. I use a Pre-workout called C4 Cellulor most mornings, paired with a Banana to help sustain me throughout the workout.

Depending how hard I push myself through the cardio, my blood sugar is usually back down to almost what it was before my workout. Sometimes it might be slightly higher. But since I adapted this way of working out about 5 months ago I have not had one hypo!

As I said what works for me might not work for you, but its worth a shot right? Diabetes can be very unpredictable sometimes and it may become quite frustrating. Try new things, record how it made you feel and what your blood sugars were like during this event/circumstance.

I'd love to hear feedback from other diabetics, about precautions/preparations you go through when you workout!!

Thanks for reading! :)

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Paleo Sultana Biscuits

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of almond meal
• 1/4 cup of coconut flour
• 1/2 cup of sultanas
• 1 tablespoon of water
• 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons of honey
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 3 tablespoons of coconut oil/butter (melted)
• 4 eggs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees C
2. Beat the eggs first in a bowl
3. Mix in all other ingredients
4. Place large spoonfuls of mixture on a tray lined with baking paper (they will stick otherwise)
5. Place in oven for approximately 9-10 minutes
6. Let cool for approximately 5-10 minutes on tray, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. 

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The Most Amazing Paleo Zucchini Slice

The most amazing Paleo Zucchini Slice you will ever try!

Ingredients:

•  5 Rashers of Shortcut bacon ( or 3-4 Rashers of Middle Bacon)
• 1 Carrot, Grated
• 2 Zucchini, Grated
• 1 Brown Onion, chopped
• 3 Button Mushrooms, chopped
• 1 cup of Almond meal
• 5 Eggs
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• A sprinkle of Garlic seasoning (alternatively you could use fresh garlic)

• A sprinkle of dried chilli flakes (alternatively you could use fresh chilli, chopped finely)

 Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
2. Lightly brown bacon and onion in pan to pre-cook partially (see picture above)
3. Place zucchini, carrot, mushrooms, bacon, onion, and almond meal in bowl and mix
4. Lightly beat the eggs in a separate bowl, then add them to the mixture.
5. Add salt, pepper, chilli flakes and garlic seasoning.
6. Mix well to combine.
7. Place in oven proof dish and place into the oven for 35-40 minutes.

Try and let it cool slightly first before devouring a slice!!!
Enjoy!!

This recipe is an adaption of a recipe posted on http://paleolifestyle.com.au/ 

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A little about me

Hi my name is Ashton. 

Some of you may know me as "miss_diabetic_dumbbells" on Instagram.

I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes on 2nd November 2012. The day my life changed forever. Back then I thought it had changed for the worse, the only thoughts running through my head were "you're stuck with this for the rest of your life". 

 Fast forward 2 years down the track, and so many things have changed. I actually think learning that I was a Type One Diabetic has actually saved my life.

Before I was diagnosed, I was living a pretty unhealthy life. Fast food, booze, partying, no exercise and sleeping in every chance I got. But now, I am very conscious of what I eat and have developed a Paleo based diet. Approximately 80% paleo 20% non-paleo. 

I rarely drink alcohol, and partying? what is partying haha. 

During the week I am up at 4am every morning without fail and on weekends my body clock wakes me between 5-7am. And I  workout 5-6 times a week for at least 45-60 minutes each time.

If I could tell my 23 year old self that in 2 years I would be getting up at 4am every morning to workout I would have laughed in her face! Yeah right. 

Other things that interest me besides Paleo, fitness and learning more about Diabetes include: 

*Tattoos
*Metal Music/Going to Gigs
*Piercings/Body Mods
*Art
*Cats (any animals really, I'm a big animal person!)
*Cooking/Baking
*Photography

But anyway, enough about me. My plan for this blog is to share things that have helped me as a diabetic, to share amazing recipes and also to share fitness related articles and workouts that I love. 
And possibly expect anything relating to the other topics mentioned above haha

This is me :)