Sunday 30 November 2014

The Wait is Over/ Nu är väntan över!

Tomorrow we finally get the keys to the new place. This last month has been a lesson in patience. NOT MY FORTE. It's been a month of not really knowing what to do with myself. After finishing my PT training, I've been wanting to prepare for the move, write the business plan, do prepping research, but it's all felt like a stop and start exercise, with more questions popping up at every turn. I've had to realize that there is precious little I can do ahead of the move, apart from packing stuff into boxes. Trying to plan for January, when the whole clan is in one place, is futile.

Anyway, the wait is over now. :-) Onwards and upwards!

This is what utter boredom looks like translated into daywear: solo polo neck from
Grandma, wooly dress and running leggings. Couldn't be arsed... But it made me smile. :-)

******SVENSKA****** 

Imorgon får vi ÄNTLIGEN nycklarna till det nya huset. Den senaste månaden har varit seeeeg. Tålamod är verkligen inte min styrka. Jag har inte riktigt vetat vad jag ska göra av mig själv efter PT-kursen. Jag har velat förbereda inför flytten, fila på affärsplanen, göra research, men det hela har känts dödligt trist. Jag har fått inse att det finns väldigt lite jag kan uträtta innan vi har flyttat, förutom att packa ner tillhörigheterna i kartonger. Att försöka planera allt i detalj innan hela klanen är samlad i januari är helt enkelt meningslöst.  

Men nu är iallafall väntan över! :-)

Morning Belch Or Lack Of

Yesterday, I attended the Fitter Food Academy "Women's Health, Hormones and Happiness".  I spent a day listening to the clever Keris, Emma, Anna and Matt talk about the impact of stress, digestion, hormones and exercise on female health and happiness. It was all quite mind boggling; there is so much more to learn!

My key takeaway from the day was that it all starts with digestion (well, I believe I have the food part sorted anyway). Essentially, if my digestion isn't right, then I can't take on board all the lovely, nutritious food that I eat. I have always struggled with my stomach, but it has got a lot better since going lower carb, but I still feel like it isn't quite right. I have gone from constant bloating and gases to "only" being constipated. Better for people around me, but still uncomfortable. I also think that some of my exhaustion and general worn down feeling may come from lack of nutrient absorption.

Emma mentioned that the acidity in your stomach is the first thing to check (and sort out). Apparently, it is much more common to have too low stomach acidity than too high acidity, despite medicines being geared towards the latter. There is a simple test for stomach acidity, but unfortunately I had to wait till this morning to do it: the bicarb test. Simply stir 1tsp of bicarbonate of soda into 200ml of water and drink it first thing in the morning. If you belch within 2-3 minutes of drinking it, then you're fine, otherwise you have too low stomach acidity. Simon willingly subjected himself to the test too, and belched like a trooper. Me on the other hand... Nothing, nada, zilch, not even a murmur from my stomach. Yikes.  According to my brief Internet search, I should try this on three consecutive mornings, but it looks like I may need to supplement with some HCL (hydrochloric acid) to increase acidity. I am ever hopeful that I one day I too will have a happy tummy!

Lunchbox "cheap and cheerful". #paulssonpaleo #fitnessfestivalen



via Instagram http://instagram.com/p/wBZPZCntsq/

Thanks for Paleo goodie bag from @catpbish Fitter Food Academy visit yesterday #blog #fitterfoodacademy



via Instagram http://instagram.com/p/wBJc7MNzr0/

Saturday 22 November 2014

Tallow Time/ Talgtider

It was Cat that first came up with the idea of making something out of all the hard fat on the beef hearts that we now eat at least a few times a month. I believe she got it from Mark's Daily Apple, but reading his recipe now, it just seems overly complicated, so check out our below. 

Why use tallow? It is incredibly heat resistant. It will keep for ages in room temperature. It is mainly healthy saturated fat, meaning that it won't contribute to inflammation in your body (especially if you make it from grassfed beef). And last but not least, rendering tallow is a logical step to take if you eat meat, ie to use the rest of the animal in any way you can. 
  • Buy some grassfed beef fat, the hard kind - ask your butcher for it or use the stuff that you find around the heart or kidneys, if so inclined - we bought 650 g this time around
  • Cut it into small pieces, place it in a pan, aiming for a layer of max 4-5 cm
  • Turn on the lowest heat possible, do NOT be tempted to increase the heat
  • Wait 
  • Wait some more, stir occasionally, check in on it every ten minutes or so
  • Start pouring off the liquid tallow into glass jars
  • Season the leftover "beef scratchings" with salt and eat with a spoon, yum!

**********SVENSKA**********SVENSKA**********SVENSKA**********

Det var Cattis som kom på den briljanta idén att göra talg av allt fett från de kohjärtan som vi äter några gånger i månaden. Jag gissar att ursprungsreceptet kom från Mark's Daily Apple, men när jag läser hans recept nu så verkar det lite väl komplicerat, så här kommer vårt egna:

Varför ska man då göra och använda talg? Därför att det är otroligt värmetåligt. Och hållbart. Och bidrar inte till inflammationer tack vare den höga halten mättat fett (det härsknar varken i skåpet eller i din kropp). Dessutom är det ett logiskt steg att ta om man äter kött, dvs att ta tillvara på hela djuret. 
  • Köp helst gräsbetat nötfett, så hårt som möjligt - be slaktaren om det eller karva bort det hårda fettet kring t ex hjärta och njurar - vi köpte ca 650 g den här gången 
  • Skär fettet i småbitar, lägg i kastrull, sikta på ett lager på ca 4-5 cm
  • Sätt på spisen på det allra lägsta, och då menar jag verkligen det ALLRA lägsta
  • Vänta
  • Vänta lite till, rör runt ibland, kolla läget var tionde minut eller så
  • Börja hälla av den flytande talgen i glasburkar
  • När krafset som är kvar på botten blir brunt och lite knaprigt, ta av från spisen och salta och ät som fläsksvål (låt inte svalna för mycket dock, för då är det INTE så kul)

Friday 14 November 2014

Monday 10 November 2014

Trying to Keep Fit

I am not exercising much at the moment and I could blame parenthood in combination with office working, but that wouldn’t be very honest of me. Let’s face it, I am being a bit lazy. Until the day comes that I am feeling less lazy, I am sticking to a few things that easily slot into my everyday life:

  1. Active commuting: I cycle to and from the office everyday, which adds up to 56km a week.
  2. Mobility WODs: We have recently been inspired by MobilityWOD to do more stretching. So far, I am squatting and doing the ‘couch stretch’ while watching television.
  3. Playing: Yesterday, I played tag with my 5 year old nephew, hung upside down and climbed up a kids’ climbing frame. This is particularly easy to incorporate once the little ones start running and climbing around.
  4. Yoga: A few sun salutations go a long way, especially in the middle of a working day to clear the brain fog and get the blood flowing to the brain again.
All in all, I think I am keeping relatively fit and when the day comes for my next run, I think I will be ok… in pain, but I’ll survive.

Wednesday 5 November 2014

End of Chapter I/ Slutet av Kapitel I

Done! I'm now officially a PT, a Personal Trainer, a Sadist in Gym Gear! Whoop!


It feels odd not to be glued to my books and flash cards anymore. Not entirely sure what to do with myself, really. I've left London and my Pharma career, moved back to Sweden, done the training as both PT and Paleo Nutritional Advisor, helped my parents sell their house, bought a new house in the woods with the family and am now kind of just hanging around before we actually move. There's plenty of work that can be done, obviously, like writing a business plan and networking and all that jazz, but for a few days, I am just going to enjoy the end of this chapter.

Feeling a bit lost in the woods without my flash cards 
I'm thinking I'll celebrate by getting my a** kicked at the CrossFit Ängelholm. I gather that Nettan, aka the lady with THE guns, is coaching tonight, oh yeah!

-----------Å SÅ PÅ SVENSKA-----------

Häpp, så var man färdig PT, Personlig Tränare, även kallad Sadist i Trikåer. Hurra!

Det känns lite konstigt att inte ha böckerna och minneskorten som ständiga följeslagare. Man vet liksom inte riktigt vad man ska göra av sig själv! Jag har lämnat London och läkemedelsindustrin, flyttat tillbaka till Sverige, utbildat mig till personlig tränare och paleo-kostrådgivare, hjälpt mamma o pappa sälja sitt hus, köpt ett hus ute i skogen (Simlångsdalen, bejbi!) och väntar på att vi ska påbörja flytten om några veckor. Visst, visst, det finns MASSOR av jobb jag kan ta itu med (skriva affärsplan och nätverka, t ex), men jag tänkte njuta några i några dagar till av den sista biten av kapitel 1.

Jag tänkte dessutom fira med lite CrossFit i Ängelholm ikväll. Det ryktas att Nettan, typ den starkaste kvinnan på andra sidan åsen, håller i kvällens pass. Liiiite skakis blir man allt. :-)