So after a long hiatus due to life just getting too hectic and busy, I am pleased to announce LivingLovingLifestyle is back!
Keep your eyes pealed for new content coming soon!
LivingLovingLifestyle
Thursday 5 February 2015
Tuesday 12 August 2014
Craft Revolution Monte Casino
So this past weekend I got crafty at the Craft Revolution at
Monte Casino. This was a beer festival unlike any other because you won’t find
any of your normal beers. At this beer festival, craft beer was king.
This is the first year the revolution has hit Monte Casino
as the craft beer trend has only recently started to pick up true momentum. Due
to its newness the revolution was relatively small, but let us remember, there
aren’t that many nationally successful micro-breweries yet. But the ones there were all the
ones most of us craft-o-holics know and love very well, with names such as Jack
Black, Slow Brew, Cape Brewing Co, Devils Peak, Copperlake, Ace Brew Works,
Boston, Brauhaus Am Damm, Brewhogs, Soweto Gold, Citizen, The Cockpit Brewhouse,
Everson Cider, Smack Republic, Swagga and Loxton. With each brewery offering
between three to six different beers and ciders there was something for
everyone to try.
But of course, where there is beer, there must be food to absorb it. The
Craft Revolution had this too with some of the yummiest food stalls like Tutto,
Barbeque Rib Manufacturers (BRM), Reds Roasts Sandwiches, Hogshead, The Smoooth
Wagon, Longtom (Who I got a dynamist cheese griller hotdog from) and
Amexicano.
With some fairly good live music (even if the speakers where too loud for
a small outside event like the revolution) the whole experience was a fun
Saturday day out. Sadly the weather was rather grey which put a slight dampener
on things.
Events like these are expensive though with R120 for entrance which
included a Craft Revolution beer glass. Then once in, you need to buy your “Castros”
which are the currency used inside the event. These come in R100 booklets of 20
(1 Castros = R5) and the most beers were 4 castros for a half glass and 6 for a
full glass which is about what you'll normally pay for a large glass of craft. With that in mind, to really sample a bit of everything and indulge
you need to be prepare with about R500 person.
What makes me happy as a craft lover is most of the beers from the
revolution can easily be found at The Beerhouse in the Pineslope Centre, so
anything I missed out on, I can go find there any day of the week.
The revolution may have been small this year but if this craft beer trend
continues this will surely become one of the biggest and best beer festivals around.
But no, this revolution won’t be televised.
Sunday 3 August 2014
The Beer House Fourways Johannesburg
Lately there’s been a sudden and overwhelming surge in popularity
around craft beer. The variety of tastes and textures of beers and ciders seems
to have sent everyone a bit nuts. I know I personally have a deep love of craft
beer and cider and the more restaurants and bars that have it, the happier I
am.
There’s even a craft beer event at Monte next week and one in Sandton next
month. That’s how nuts people have gone.
In the last three months or so three new bar/restaurants
have sprung up in the Fourways area and all of them are using the craft beer
trend as a cash cow of note. Today I went to the newest of the three restaurants:
The Beerhouse. This Cape Town import is situated situated in the Pineslopes Centre right at the bottom. If
you can’t find it just look for the bright yellow building. You can even see it
as you drive past on Witkoppen, or should I say you can’t not see it as you
drive past.
I was at the Beerhouse today for about four hours and I
thoroughly enjoyed it. From the time I arrived to the time I left it was packed
with people of all ages. And this is only after the Beerhouse has been open for
about a week and a half. But it’s not hard to understand why it’s already so
popular.
Let’s start with its food! From the chips to their pork
belly sandwich, it’s was all delicious! The food menu isn’t very extensive but
I’m sure you’ll find something good to eat on it.
Now let me tell you about the staff! I can’t speak for every
waster at the Beerhouse as we only had the one but he was the friendliest
waiter I’ve ever had and on top of that he was fast and efficient. He even took
our playfully abuse and jokes with a smile. Even the manager when he came past
was warm and friendly and willing to joke and talk with the customers. People
like these really are ambassadors for what a place like the Beerhouse
represents.
Now, it’s time to tell about the name sake behind the
Beerhouse, their beer and cider selection. Normally you go to a bar and its drinks
menu is a page and the food menu is seven pages. At the Beerhouse, that’s the
other way round. Whether you like IPAs, ales, weiss beers or ciders, they have
it all. One thing I really liked at the Beerhouse is you can get 100ml glasses
of all of their on tap drinks. These range from R7.00 to R15.00. So you can
sample a little bit of everything without braking the bank or being overly
inebriated. You can also get 330mls, 440ml and 500ml which all range in price.
This makes the Beerhouse very wallet friendly as you can often only get one
size glass of craft beer at one rather high price. They do how ever have a few
drinks that’ll make you raise your eyebrows such as a particular cider which
will set you back R300.00 for 750mls. Now I’m sorry ladies and gents, unless
that cider contains the elixir of life, I’m not paying R300 for one drink, but
if one of you out there has, please tell us what it’s like.
Over all I give the Beerhouse an A++ for atmosphere, staff
and food and drink and I’m looking forward to going back there again.
Thursday 17 July 2014
100 Days Out the Box Challenge
Just about everyone out there has a 100 days challenge.
They’re all designed to get you to push yourself to be healthier, be better, be
stronger.
So I want to throw my own 100 days challenge at you. Except
I don’t want to and I don’t want you to just try be healthier or happier. I
want all of us, to stop being so complacent!
It’s so easy for us to complain about how terrible our lives
are, how unhappy we are and so on. But at the end of the day, circumstance only
plays a small part in the life you have. YOU play the biggest role in your own
life. If you sit back and complain without doing anything about, it then
nothing’s going to change.
If you want your life to change you have to change it and
get out of your comfort zone. This is the point of the 100 Days Out the Box
Challenge, to get you to live outside of your box. If you can make a conscious
effort to get out of your box at least once every day for 100 days you can
actually start to feel the confidence to make the changes that ACTUALLY matter!
So I dare you to join the 100 Days Out the Box and every day
post a picture everyday of how you are living outside of your box. It can be
something as simple as taking a new route to work or trying a new fruit juice
or something bigger like starting a new hobby or maybe a new job. Post your
picture on Facebook or Twitter with #100daysoutthebox. I am literally talking
about something as simple as wearing your hair a different way or wearing that bright
lipstick you’ve never worn. The challenge starts on the 1st of
August, so prepare yourself to get out of your box.
Take your life into your own hands and do everything you can
to challenge yourself. Be the person you want to be, live the life you want to
live and stop being complacent about the situation you’re in.
100 Day Out the Box Challenge, it’s time to live the life
you want!
Saturday 12 July 2014
A day in the life of a pole addict – South African Pole Sport Federation League July 2014
Today I competed in my first pole competition. The South AfricanPole Sport Federation (SAPSF) was founded by Karin Nicklin, Tracy Simmonds, Lindi Gyökösi, and, finally, a woman who is very close to my heart, Julie Swart. The federation, previously known as the Pole Fitness Association of South Africa, is designed to develop and uphold the standards of the pole sport industry in South Africa.
The federation holds the league four times a year in different provinces.
It’s intended to be as easy entry into competitive pole sport for new comers
such as myself. There is no “winner” as each dancer is competing against
themselves. They can enter into the Bronze (beginner), Silver (intermediate) or
Gold (advanced) division. Each division has its own required moves and
obviously they get harder as the level goes up.
I’ve only performed once before at my studios annual
showcase last November so this was only the second time I’ve ever danced in front
of an audience. When I compare my first performance to today’s performance the
difference is astounding. But as for it being a perfect performance, it was far from it. I
ran into problems such as too much spin on a spinning pole and a double knee
hook that just wouldn’t go in.
So if you’re going to be competing in your first pole comp
anytime soon, here’s what I advise:
1.
Test your spinning pole before you start. I
under estimated just how spiny the one at this comp was today and it showed
in my performance.
2.
If you have to hold a move for three counts
practice holding it for six. Nervous will almost always make you go faster than
you should so what you count as six in your head is three in reality.
3.
Use really go grip. With good grip aid you can
hang onto almost any kind of pole.
4.
Smile during your performance, there’s nothing
worse than a dancer who doesn’t look like they’re enjoying dancing.
Thanks to support, encouragement, inspiration and care of
the wonderful Julie, my instructor and pole role model, I have grown in leaps
and bounds. The fact that I was able to do what I did today after only a year
and four months of pole is partly thanks to the amazing teachings of Julie. So Julie, and
my other Vertical Vixen instructors, Brenda and Rory, thank you! Thank you for being part of
changing my life. Through all of you I have discovered a mental, emotional and
physical strength I never knew I had. So thank you for helping my reach this
point.
I can’t wait for the next league and I’m going to keep doing
them until competing feels as natural as breathing.
Sunday 6 July 2014
Build your body confidence with Pole Dancing
Hey ladies, do you hate your body? Do you look at it in the
mirror and cringe or cry? I have. I’ve hated my body for not being perfect. The
strange thing is I’ve seen women that I think have perfect bodies, cringe over
the way they look. So who’s defining this idea of the perfect body anyway?
The truth is, the perfect body is one that’s health, strong
and fully able. Your stretch marks and love handles don’t change that fact. It’s
taken me a LONG time to realise that.
You want to know what helped me get to that realisation.
Pole dancing. Since I started in March 2013 I have lost weight and there’s now
some muscle definition around my stomach and even my legs, but at the end of
the day, I still have big hips and thighs and I’m still a size 14 and I’m still
more or less the same weight on the scale as I was when I started (yes I
probably have changed some fat for muscle, but still).
Yet, I find myself enjoying my body now, so what changed if
my body hasn’t that much? It’s simple, my perception of my body has changed.
Since I started doing pole dancing my body isn’t this wobbly gross thing. It’s
now a strong and powerful dancing machine that can do things I never dreamed of
doing.
Even the way I think of my hips and thighs has changed
simply because I need them. There are certain moves which you’ll struggle more
with if you don’t have a bit of hip, or thigh or bum to grip with. So those
body parts you hate suddenly become useful.
I haven’t stopped noticing those parts of my body and
wishing they were smaller and more toned and I still envy the way other women
in my studio look in their pole short. But then something special happens, I do
a move that they can’t, a move they want to be able to do and they envy me.
That’s when I’m reminded that I’d rather have this body, with its strength than
their beautiful lean bodies.
Pole dancing has given me a confidence to feel sexy and
beautiful no matter what I’m wearing. I’ve seen women who are two, maybe three
times bigger than me, strutting around in their pole shorts like a size 8 diva
and you know what, they look amazing. It just goes to show you, it’s not how
much you weight or even your shape that matters, it’s how you feel that
matters. No one can really pinpoint what it is about pole that transforms your perception
about your body but it really works wonders.
So change your perception and improve your body confidence
with pole dancing. Trust me, you’ll never look back.
PS. I’d love to hear your stories on how pole has changed
how you feel about your body so please share them in a comment.
Friday 27 June 2014
Practice a bit of body love
A good friend of mine, Esther Fennie, recently put up a post
on her blog, HighHeels and Protein Shakes, about practicing body love and I decided this
is a sentiment I want to echo.
You see, our mind set affects everything we do in ways we
can’t even begin to understand. What this means is if you see eating healthily
as a punishment, you’re doomed.
Just like if you hate your body and see it as fat, then that’s
all you’re ever going to see. This is partly because even if you do lose
weight, your mind says you’re still fat so that’s what you’re going to see, and
then you feel like nothing works so you fall off the wagon and give you. The first step is to accept the body you have.
The next step is body love which is about coming to terms with the fact that
healthy food is a reward not a punishment. As Esther put it, all she wanted was
pizza and she felt like a naughty child who just wanted to break the healthy eating rules instead of obey them. This is all because of the mind-set, if you
think good nutritious and healthy food is restrictive and punishing you, then
you’ll want to rebel.
So in order to succeed you have to change your mind set.
Every time you eat your plain oats, egg white omelette or chicken and broccoli,
remind yourself and your body that this is a reward for the hard exercises it
did or is going to do. You’re showing it love with good food instead of poisoning
with crap.
The same applies to exercise, you’re rewarding your body
with an increased heart rate, endorphins and health. If you focus on this
instead of the sore muscles or effort, then you’ll actually get somewhere with
your fitness.
If you check out Esther’s article you’ll see she’s had great
success since adopting this new mind set.
So change the way you think about your food and exercise and
practice a bit of body love, remember, health is a choice and a gift, not a prison
sentence.
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