Purple Tiger » Living Life WELL

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  • Welcome to the Purple Tiger!

    A place where we share our pursuit of a lifestyle of activity, healthy living and joy! Inspired by God and a passion to live life to the fullest (John 10:10)

    We want to wake up each morning, looking forward to the day ahead, energised and ready to go! Purple Tiger symbolises that pursuit and no doubt we'll be learning along the way.

    This is Craig and Di, and if you're crazy enough to want to join us on this journey, give us a shout out!

    Image compliments of our great friends from
    Vibrant Photography

There is not much I can say about this little power house that hasn’t been said before. Promoted as one of natures ‘super’ foods, this little package contains some interesting goodies.

from the Chia Co Australia

Chia seeds come from the herb known as Salvia hispanica and are documented to have been originally grown in South America. It is believed that chia seeds were first used as food as early as 3500 BC and were one of the main dietary components of the Aztecs and the Mayans. So what is so special about them? Chia seeds are an excellent plant based source for:

  • Soluble and insoluble fiber
  • Omega 3 ALA
  • Protein
  • Antioxidants
  • Vitamins and Minerals
  • … and … they have no flavour (simple to add to anything without changing the way it tastes)

To get a thorough understanding of the nutritional benefits of these seeds, go to  www.thechiaco.com.au/discover-chia/nutrition  This page has some great information and if you follow the links in the “Chia and the modern diet” section you will get a detailed break up of nutritional quantities in a typical daily serve (15g)

As mentioned above the seeds are easy to add to anything.  You can also buy a ground version of the seed which can be used mixed with flour for cooking, and chia oil for salad dressings.  You will notice that we often use chia seeds in mixes and recipes we share on this site, so you will find there are many ways to introduce this to your diet. Another cool thing about these seeds is that you can use them dry … or you can add them to water (each seed can absorb up to 9 times it’s own weight in water) to form a chia gel.  This gel adds a wonderful texture when mixed with your favourite yogurt or added to a drink, and can be used as a thickening element to smoothies. Check the difference below.

dry and wet chia seeds

To make the gel simply add 1 part chia seeds to 8 parts water, stir – let rest for 10 min – stir again and let rest for another 10min.  Then it is ready to use or store in the fridge for later.

Also worth noting is the gel version is what ends up happening in our stomach no matter which way we consume it. This has a range of benefits for our digestive system but also helps us feel fuller for longer. So if you are trying to lose or manage your weight, you might find this helpful.

Make sure you have a good read of the link above and if you want more opinions on this seed Google and YouTube are your friends- enjoy!

– Craig

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  • farhadDecember 24, 2014 - 5:38 PM

    thanks for all of these collection (Seeds) and their related benefits for human ,it is very valuable info for every one
    with many thanksReplyCancel

Coconut water from a fresh young green coconut is one of nature’s most refreshing drinks and is soooo good for you!! So good in fact that it has been known to be used in plasma transfusions because it has the same level of electrolytic balance as we have in our blood! It’s a “fluid of life” so to speak!

The health benefits are many – here’s some just to name a few:

  • It is packed with simple sugar, electrolytes, and minerals to replenish hydration levels in the body after exercising
  • Contains naturally occurring enzymes that help in digestion and metabolism
  • Despite very light consistency, its water has much better composition of minerals like calcium, iron, manganese, magnesium, and zinc than some fruits like oranges
  • Its water is also a very good source of B-complex vitamins such as riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, pyridoxine, and folates. These vitamins are essential in the sense that the body requires them from external sources to replenish
  • Helps control diabetes
  • Balances your PH and reduces risk of cancer
  • Boosts poor circulation …. and the list goes on…

Feel free to google the health benefits to see all the nutrient contents of this beauty of nature. Coconut Water Australia has some good articles. While they promote the coconut water in cans and other packaging, nothing beats a’la natural from the nut.

After raving about this for some time, we’ve been asked by many friends and family on how to open one of these suckers. Well we’ve compiled a visual of the process, below, to hopefully aid you in this process. Make sure you choose a green coconut (available from Woolworths and some health stores) and not the brown one as they are quite different. They would almost always have been de-skinned down to the white husk and wrapped in plastic as below.

Choose a meat cleaver or knife with a sharp edge towards the base so that you can create a cut in the coconut shell after you’ve removed a good portion of the husk (always keep fingers well below your cutting line for safety – see 3). Once you’ve established a good hole in the shell, use your knife to leverage and pry the top open. You can then use a soft spatula to also remove the flesh, which is also super yummy!

Steps to open fresh young green coconut

The flesh can be blended into smoothies, used to create coconut milk or shredded thinly over your breakfast cereal – all great options! The flesh should also be thin and slimy and the water clearish and sweet to signify that it is still young, which is prime for eating. The older the coconut gets, the thicker the flesh and more yellow/pink the water becomes, which is not as pleasant to eat or drink.

Once opened the water should be used soon otherwise it will turn sour in taste and off flavoured. Instead, store in the fridge if not used immediately. One of my favourite things to do with the water is mix in the ‘jelly-form’ of chia seeds to create a power-packed super nutrient-dense and hydrating drink (more on chia seeds later)!

Coconut water with chia seeds

Try one today!!!

If you’ve got any questions about how to open coconuts, feel free to comment below and we’ll get back to you when we can. Cheers!

– Diana

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  • MayaApril 14, 2012 - 9:12 AM

    I always think this drink looks like you are drinking frog eggs.ReplyCancel

  • DianaApril 14, 2012 - 9:54 AM

    Hey Maya. I checked out the nutritional value of frog’s eggs and I think coconut water with chia rocks it 😀 Tastes much better too!ReplyCancel

  • RobynApril 15, 2012 - 4:21 PM

    Cam loves green coconuts! I think it reminds him of when he was young & carefree in PNG!ReplyCancel

 

So here’s what I learnt recently… it’s great to lead an active life, but everyone needs a break from training or intense exercise once in a while. For the last 3 weeks, I’ve been backing up my 2 hour long runs with kayak fishing and PT sessions at the gym, in amongst my other running sessions during the week. Yesterday, after my 2nd PT session, my body basically said, “That’s it, you need some time out!” I felt like a bit of a wuss when I could hardly manage 3 abdominal crunches with the PT. My body was protesting big time after not having fully recovered from my previous plyometrics session. As a result, I spent most of the day in bed, sleeping and resting. Did my body a world of good though and I’m ready to tackle the world again.

Ok so I wasn’t exactly here today, but resting is the sentiment.  😛 Taken in New Zealand – Mt Cook

Laying down in the snow - New Zealand

So the lesson is this, it is good to listen to your body and know the difference between when it is having a whinge and when it really needs time out. Is it sore or is it injured? Does it need scaling back or is it being lazy?

If you are starting out on your journey of running or active lifestyle, believe me your body will protest because it is not used to the habit change. It will protest by telling you how sore your body parts feel and question your sanity and plead with you not to subject it to it again, but if it’s just normal muscular soreness, your body is great at adapting! Push through and it will get stronger with time! Obviously, if injury has occurred, seek help from the professionals. You’ll be surprised at what your body is capable of!!

Running, Kayaking, Fishing

I remember when I first started running the longer distances over 10km… boy was I sore!! I kept asking Craig whether he ever felt like that in his marathon training and whether the soreness would ever go away. I’m glad to report that ‘it does!!’ With consistency and time I can now run a half marathon distance in my training and not only wonder around the shops afterwards with no drama to the legs but go kayak fishing all afternoon! Gone are the days of needing to be couch-bound for the rest of the day, following a long run. Craig always said that day would come and I soooo looked forward to it!!

Consistency is key!!

Garmin running activities calendar

 

So get out there and have fun! Find what works for you to live an active lifestyle! Learn to listen to your body. Take time out when you need it and you’ll be bounding back on your feet in no time! I like what author and runner, Tom Holland, says:

The human body deteriorates when it stops moving, not when it is in motion

— ‘The Marathon Method’

See you out there!

– Diana

 

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I’ve recently discovered a love for essential oils and having the sweet aromas waft through our home. Not only does it smell good, it seems to help me relax also and best of all, the fragrance lasts for a couple of days – bonus! So if you’re after a natural alternative to air fresheners and something that is a delight to your senses, give the oil burner a go and see what a difference it makes to your home!

Aromatherapy oils

The oil can be burnt on it’s own or mixed with water depending on the intensity you are after. I also found a great website where you can buy in different quantities to make it more economical. Check out Escentials of Australia. They seem to have a wide variety of oil choices sourced from all over the world and the prices are very good too.

Enjoy the sweet fragrance of essential oils!! I’m taking a deep breath and appreciating the warm, citrusy notes of lemon ironbark eucalyptus…mmmm

– Diana

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beach running reflection Ballina

Now for those that know me I’m not a super focused goal setter, but if I get a crazy idea in my head I sometimes chase it down with bulldog tenacity.  Well the thought, decision & commitment to run a marathon was one of those.

* I entertained the thought – This is where actions seem to be born and in my experience the more you entertain a thought the more likely you are to act on it.  This can be good or bad e.g. entertaining the thought of a more active lifestyle is so much better for me than  entertaining the thought about that yummy looking cake in the tea room… 🙂

* I made a decision – Not so profound as a light bulb moment, but I simply decided that I wanted to run a marathon. Wanting to do something good for yourself will often lead to a decision to do it.

* I committed to it – telling everyone you are going to do something is a good way to up the stakes.  Now I’m not just accountable to my thought or decision. I told ‘everyone’,  so now I have plenty of supporters to encourage me when circumstances or  motivational struggles make staying committed tough.

Now before this reflection goes for too long here are some stats looking back over my 13mth marathon preparation (according to Garmin)

Garmin stats

 and just for interest sake – the 166,841 calories I burned is equivalent to 3,148 cups of chopped raw carrots … or …  364 cups (same size as the carrots) of hot chips.  That would only be one medium cup of chips each day for a year to wipe out 13mths of marathon training   … or …   224 hrs of cardiovascular training  … or …   running 2,348 kilometers .  That’s just calorie counting – we haven’t even looked at the shocking differences in nutritional value !!

– Craig

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