I wish I'd told her how she brightened up those around her. I wish I'd taken the time to tell her that her positivity was such motivation.
I wish.
On the weekend, one of the personal trainers at my gym, Melissa Parry was killed in a horrific car crash. Hit by a driver going 150k down the wrong side of the freeway killed her instantly, along with 3 others in the car plus the driver of the wrong way car.
She was 23 years old. Healthy, strong, motivated, an enthusiastic shining light full of energy and life. Not ill, not old, no reason to be taken so young, apart from the actions of another.
I wish I had the chance to tell her what I thought about her when I could.
Live with no regrets. If you are unhappy with your life, it's up to you
to change it. noone else will. Don't wait until it's too late. If there
are goals you want to achieve, things you want to do, go for it.
Tomorrow may be too late.
If you love someone.....tell them. Tell them now. If they inspire you, encourage you, help you....tell them. If you admire them or hold them in high regard, tell them. If they brighten your day, or make you smile, if they motivate you or touch you in some way....tell them now. Because you might not get the chance and the joy and pleasure you can give them by letting them know is gone forever.
Don't assume they know. People are not mind readers. People don't just 'know'. So tell them.
I wish I had.
The following memorial was taken from the Facebook page of In Balance Fitness facebook page.
" Life is a song- sing it. Life is a game- play it. Life is a challenge- meet it. Life is a dream- realize it.
So, you've just completed a workout at gym, at home, in the park......venue of choice. How do you know you've given it your all? I've made up a list of 10 signs of a hard workout, using my own experience.
1. Your legs can feel like concrete and jelly, all at the same time. They can also feel numb but sore. I know, I know, doesn't make sense but that's just the way it is.
2.Your skin could double as a salt lick for cattle.
3. Your face is redder than Rhonda's in Bali.
Without the panda eyes ;)
4. Your mouth turns into a vacuum for oxygen.
5. The next day, you wake feeling like you are 80 years old. It hurts to move an eyelid and you feel as if you are in a body cast.
6. You can identify muscles you never knew you had by the way they hurt after a good session.
7. You want to vomit. Enough said. Why is that?
8. Your towel is as wet as if you've been swimming and not working out in air conditioning.....
9. Your HRM exploded.
10. You feel FANTASTIC and SPARKING with energy afterwards!!!!!
I've been MIA for a while, but it was for a good cause...after wearing glasses since I was 13 years old, I am now spectacle-free.....
Yep, I took the plunge and had laser eye surgery.
Noooooo.... not laser guns, all safe. Stand down.
It is a very quick process for all I had to be there for hours. After a final test for my eyes, I was given some Ativan to take which put me to sleep. I was woken for the procedure, given anaesthetic eye drops and a clamp was attached to my eye. Look at the green light and within 20 seconds all done. Same with the other eye.
I was on the medication for 4 days after the surgery, and antibiotic eye drops 4 times a day, plus lubricating drops and Vitamin c. I slept a lot due to the medication. I had 'bandaid' clear contact lenses applied to assist in protecting and healing for those 4 days and had to sleep in plastic shields which made me look like a very unsexy wasp. But I could SEE!
It is incredibly liberating being able to see. For those of you with good vision, you might not realise this. Sight is something we take for granted. But let me put it to you this way, as 10 things I've noticed with no glasses.
1. I can shave my legs in the shower and SEE what I am doing.
2. I don't have to have my nose touching the mirror to be able to put on makeup.
3. I don't have to carry a case with my prescription sunnies in, nor do I have to change glasses everytime I go from indoors to outdoors and vice versa
4. I can go swimming at the pool and be able to see my kids at all times!
5. I don't have little indents on the sides of my nose from my glasses
6. I can run without them fogging up on a cold or wet day
7. I can watch TV in bed.
8. I don't have to clean my eyeballs so I can see
9.I can have a good "pash on" without having to take them off ;)
10. I don't have to worry abut my eyes being knocked off with some extreme dancing.
My eyes are good. I'm off the antibiotic drops and on to steroid drops 4 times a day and regular checkups for the next few months and then done. It is amazing.
Every time I look at something it feels amazing. Knowing I can do so much more without as much inconvenience is amazing. Mind you, I've been off any exercise for about 2 1/2 weeks which is driving me INSANE and I cannot wait until I can be up and at it at the Sussan Womens Funrun this Sunday. I've had to watch my nutrition levels to keep on par and have done successfully, even still losing a little bit more weight. And for someone who is go go go all the time, I've had to learn patience....
A bloody hard virtue but one nevertheless.Although I don't see why " Hurry Up, coming through" can't be a virtue too LOL
The compliments have been many. Working in a kindergarten meant the children were totally thrown by me without glasses and a lot of questions about what shop can I buy new eyes from. Massive street cred from the boys when the word laser was used. Parents have said I look younger, so different. (Hmmm not sure how to take that one....)
So, finally, with my new eyes, here's my to do list for this week...
A thorough or dramatic change in form or appearance.
A metamorphosis during the life cycle of an animal.
As we fly down the last week of round 3 2012 of this fabulous program, it is a good time to reflect on what has changed. And, some wise people have encouraged me to look at what I have achieved, look at the differences in myself, rather than what I think I lack, which puts me in a spiral. Perfectionistic attitude anyone?
So I did. I dug out my diaries and notes and looked. I didn't have to look hard.
I did my first round in 2011, about this time.
That's me. A sad fat blob. I was miserable. I had the weight of the world on me, I thought nothing will ever change. I was too scared to do anything new and often scared to do anything on my own. Couldn't even go to the pool with my kids because I was too scared to get in the water, and didn't know how to swim. Inside, I felt I was always in the wrong, that people were talking about me, like I had few friends and the ones I did have were just doing it to be nice. Often a favourite fantasy was to live in a house surrounded by dense forest that noone could get through and in there I would live, hidden away, not having to deal with anything. I spent my time walking with my head down, looking at the floor. My diary entries I read were like from a starnger and they broke my heart. The poetry I wrote all through my teen and adult life until then makes me cry for that person.
Untitled.
Written September 1999
When you look at her face
All is calm, serene.
The face shows Happy.
But the eyes are the window
To the soul,
Eyes she keeps hidden
For fear someone discovers
how truly deep the fear goes.
Noone knows
How close she is
to ridding the world of her presence.
Why would anyone notice?
The children barely know she is alive....
Her employment would merely
be annoyed,
" Another staff member down"
Her lover?
Could merely move on
Without her weight dragging him down.
Would it really make a difference
If she were dead?
Would it really matter if she remained alive?
We will never know.
For she lacks the courage
to Live
Or die.
But then, on a whim, or a last ditch chance, I joined 12 WBT.
This really should be called something other than BODY transformation. For me it was truly a whole life changing experience. I followed the plans to the letter....which gave me a feeling of control. And the numbers began to go down. I found exercise made me feel GREAT and became something to look forward to. It gave me a purpose and I could feel it in my body and mind that I was getting stronger. Yes my body changed....but somewhere along the way, my whole way of thinking, my way of seeing life and myself changed completely.
I faced many of my fears..... for example, a friend offered to teach me how to swim. Those lessons were hard, so hard. So many false starts! Even now to put my head in the water I struggle with my fears but....I DID IT. I learned to swim, not gracefully or fast but enough to enter a tri-pink triathlon. That still to this day is one of my greatest memories....swimming in a triathlon.
I ran in funruns and found I was getting faster and faster. People were commenting on how good I looked, I began to grow more confident in myself and dared to think I WAS good enough.
End of Round 2 2012
I WAS succeeding. I WAS wanted! I looked up from the ground when I walked. I tried new things and set goals. Even my ridiculous thinking had changed...I had a morbid fear of using the phone to call people in case they were busy and I interrupted them, I avoided it at all costs. Now I can call and not feel like hyperventilating.
My self talk went from hateful vicious words to positive. When I got tired running, I could hear Mish's voice in my head egging me on supportively. Eventually I noticed the voice in my head sounded less like Mish and more like mine. It was my voice shouting " Just one more Km, Just one more Km" when I ran my first half marathon in 2 hours 19 mins. But it was Mish that created the environment for it.
The cream on the pie was being up on stage as a finalist in round 2 2012.
Now this round I have struggled. The old thinkings came back and crippled me, although nowhere near to the extent my whole life as I remember had been.
I felt like I failed because I wasn't a winner, and didn't recognise ( although I certainly felt it) being a finalist was the hugest and most magnificent honour I could have imagined. I didn't take pleasure in what I could do in the gym. I didn't believe it when people said I inspired them. All I could see was what I could not do or be. The ridiculousness of this hit when I said to my ever patient, very loving and supportive husband that I was useless because I can only deadlift and squat 60 kgs. What the????? A year ago I couldn't deadlift a bag of sugar! And now I'm doing more than 10 kgs over my bodyweight? Mental slap to the head.
But a year ago, I would not have been able to change that thinking. The tools and the sense of achievement in setting goals, even small ones through the program, have step by step transformed my muddy blackened mind into something as hard and as shiny as diamonds. The discipline behind JFDI and taming the inner labrador, exercising that willpower muscle also caused me to be more disciplined in my thinking....attacking the negative and replacing with positive thoughts. Taking the death wish that seemed to be my answer to everything and giving me a hunger and a yearning for life and everything in it. For the first time in years I can smile and really FEEL it inside.
Now I know someone people, if they have managed to read this far, have already rolled their eyes. Some might think I'm still being pathetic. But I can honestly say now....I DON'T CARE. This is me. This was me.
It could have been you.
So I want to take this opportunity to say thank you, although those words are nowhere near enough what I feel. Thankyou to Michelle Bridges for creating this program, for the mindset lessons, for showing that even she isn't perfect and for setting up the forum. Thank you to the people on the forums for their support, their friendship, their advice and their willingness to share the things that they go through. Thank you for your strength. Thank you for the feeling of belonging.
Only one more week before my time with 12 WBT is over. Only one more week before I stretch my little muscles and fly by myself. I look forward to the challenge.
Menu plans.
Again, good food, good preparation and happy family. We even had a BBQ and used the char grilled steak with avocado and corn salsa to serve to our guests, with great success. Fantastic to be able to physically show others how good the food is!
Love the chicken rice paper rolls for lunches....a little fiddly to make but once you get the rhythm it's all good. Kids love them too and makes their lunch boxes just a little more posh HA! The spaghetti and meatballs was a good dinner as well.
We ended up having visitors stay for a while with us and ate out. I was able to put into place what I had learned about choosing foods, sauce on the side, portion sizing etc and stay on track. It DID mean I wasn't able to try the kangaroo with quinoa and capsicum salad but I'm planning on doing that next week. I never thought I would LOVE eating kangaroo so much!
Sorry Skip...
Exercise Plans.
Due to different things that overwhelmed this week, I've missed my running training time this week :( and really missed it. Running has become something I enjoy so much, for all I struggle to breathe with it! I was able to smash my personal best for 5 km in the Lara funrun last week....from 30 mins down to 26 minutes!!!!! I was flying!!! Not as much as my kids....who ran 1.6 km in the kid dash. Mr 11 yr old came 4th with a time just over 3 minutes (Cue shocked face here) and Miss 8 managed a very respectable 6 minute run. I met up with other 12WBTers and fellow gym ladies and the morning passed with sweat, puffing and endorphins.
In terms of weights I'm still chugging along. I'm struggling with one thing though...the newbies in the gym who use equipment then leave it lying around so you don't know if it's still in use or not! So had to compromise on some of my weights, not being able to use what I would have liked.
Mentally I struggled this week too. I feel like a failure, very down and slipping back into the " look at the ground I'm worthless" mentality. I know this is a problem for me and something I need to strengthen but I'm lost how to go about it. Very wary of counsellors/psychologists after 2 very bad experiences plus, I feel I am the problem, I should get myself out.....I just need to know how. But until then I will soldier on, it's no excuse to give up. Feelings are transient and who knows? I feel like this now, but in a week or two I could be back to chirpy after a rest or a stern self talking to. My new mantra is NEVER GIVE UP, taking over from JFDI.
Personal bests for this week....
Reverse flys 10kg
Incline dumbbell bicep curls 8 kgs
The final DEXA scan
This week was the due date for my comparison dexa scan. I was a little nervous and then the results came in. Little to no change. To say I was crushed is an understatement. Rarely have I ever felt so low, it was all I could do not to burst into tears at the thought of so much hard work, until I had nothing left in the tank, all the DOMS, all the healthy eating, all the work and mental work I had done to stay on track....all for nothing. I sat on the train on the way home and thought it would be easier if I was in front of the train rather than on it.
Some excellent advice and brilliant support from the Lean and Strong Facebook forum helped set me fairly straight on what I can do in the future. And that the results are not as bad as I see, just not to my expectations. To be honest, I am still devastated. But I won't give up....how can it improve if I do? The results of the scan are as follows....
After 77 days
Bone 2.168 now 2.172 up 0.004 ( so yay no osteoporosis)
Lean 36.923 now 37.549 up 0.626
Fat 10.654 down 10.578 down 0.076
Body fat percentage 21.42% now 21.03%
This places my fat free mass in the acceptable range and my fat mass in the lean range. Technically I need to lose 300 gms of fat to be in the athlete range which will be my goal. As it turns out I increased my calories on advice, adding protein rich snacks but what that did was even out what I burned and what I ate. As close to a balance as I could get it apparently, considering I wasn't quite sure what I should be doing! So onward and upward. I may not be in the next round but every 12 weeks I'll be measuring and making sure things stay on track. So my last words to you this week are a timely reminder to myself.
You can sit on the couch, watch Biggest Loser on TV
You can blame it on genes or on your family.
Blame it on hormones or the impossibility
Whatever it is, you think " Don't blame it on me'
But you know you have feet, a heart and a brain.
You have a mind to decide if you'll stay the same.
You have free will, it's BURSTING to be free
It's all of those things that made me Me
So I got off the couch and I worked through the pain.
I never gave up, I even ran in the rain.
I am now lifting weights, I climbed mountains and swam
These things also make me who I am.
I do it every day, no matter what.
I believe that I CAN and not I cannot.
I face all my fears and do it anyway.
These fears are small once you smash them Mish's way.
So try it and see, try it like me
Now I no longer watch, I'm the one doing it , see?
I'm the one that's blazing a trail through all obstacles
I took the Impossible and made it I AM Possible.
Today dawned beautifully. I had a day off, a few errands to run, a quick bit of housework and the day was mine to enjoy. Gym time was planned for this evening and I thought I'd sneak in a CX class at 11.
BUT THEN.......the phone rang. It was a friend asking if I wanted to meet up for coffee. Sure , what a wonderful surprise! Plus, I could take care of those little errands straight after coffee since we were meeting so close to where I needed to be.
An enjoyable hour followed with ginger and lemongrass tea, lots of chat and a LOT of laughter. What a great day. All the errands were quickly dealt with, no queues! What a wonderful surprise! I put in our TAB tickets from the Melbourne Cup and walked out with $40....what a wonderful Surprise! It was a HAPPY, beautiful ZIPPIDI DOO DAH type of day.
I walked back to my car and there...that's when the Bluebird of Happiness doo dah'ed on my shoulder.
My poor WonderWoman car!
But wait! There was the Bluebird embarrassedly and apologetically cleaning it's doo dah off my shoulder....the person who hit my car had left a note under my windscreen wiper. There are good people in the world. :) Insurance is sorting everything out. It meant cancelling the rest of my relaxing day but at least, it is fixable. All except my calendar.
I missed CX class. But is that an excuse to not workout? Today didn't go as planned, should I have a meltdown and take to my bed? Someone accidentally hit my car, should I scream at her when she came over just so she knows how inconvenient it is?
No. Because through 12 WBT I have learned the art of self discipline, and the ability to be flexible. I have learned that things don't always go to plan but there is always another day, another hour even to change it. 12WBT taught me I have a CHOICE in life....in how I eat, how I treat my body and how I think and react.
Having the car in for repairs for an indeterminate amount of time is more than inconvenient for those of you who know my flight plans each day. And this week is particularly busy with in laws coming to visit and various long awaited functions to attend tomorrow night and Saturday. Slotting in gym looked like a herculean effort as it was and now, I have to find extra time. It all seems too hard like I can't do it. Like I want to throw my hands up in the air and give up. Cue dramatic scene.
Enter Choice....stage left.
I could choose to have a hissy fit and give up and spend all week doing nothing. Feeling bad and guilty because I'm doing nothing. And spreading that bad feeling all around me.
OR
I can take a minute. Accept this is going to be trickier than I first thought, put into practise another tool I learned through 12 WBT and PLAN
And you know what? The plan is good, functional and fits everything in I need to. It may not be quite what I wanted but it's still doable, once the big picture is broken down into smaller views.
We can plan and organise all we like, but every so often a little doo dah will pop up and throw you off track. You can plan to eat clean for the next week....and walk in to work to a birthday party with a chocolate theme and maltesers raining down.
You can plan to hit the gym and find that apart from the trick knee playing up again, the power's gone out at the gym and nothing's working.
You can plan a dinner party for 6 and have 5 struck down with gastro before they arrive and you are left with entree, main and dessert sitting at the table with you lit by a single lonely candle.
What matters is HOW we deal with the doo dah....what choices we make. We make choices constantly every day, every hour, every MINUTE. Everything becomes a choice sooner or later. The trick is recognising the opportunity and making the right choices for us.
Week 10. So many of my friends have said time has just flown and you know what? It has. Only 2 more weeks until end of round. 2 more weeks to reach your goals or to re evaluate. 2 more weeks until I go it alone.
Menu Plans
Yum yum yum yum yum! Loved the Greek lamb salad for lunch! And of course, the major favourite with EVERYONE was the Meatloaf! Miss 8 was particularly partial to the fried rice also, which turned out to be quite handy to cook up ahead of time and portion into containers to eat at Mr 11's cricket game. I had noticed, because his game went from about 5pm until 8pm, I was starving and snacking at the game....and the potential for overeating was huge. But now, the plan has been put into place, to make our own 'takeaway' meals.....some of the salad meals or ones that don't need to be eaten hot, and it's proving successful....there's food envy at cricket now too!
Actually, when I first started the meal plans way back when, I got teased at work. But I ignored them even though I was feeling pretty damn annoyed, I persevered and now, I've noticed the other girls are bringing in healthier lunches. One even told me " You're rubbing off on me Kristine!" I've had them look at my meals with food envy, with it looking and smelling so delicious all the time. And I'm not ramming the menu down their throats, I answer questions if they ask and they have watched and done the rest themselves. Just goes to show, when food is good, it will change people's minds for them without any 'preaching' or effort on my part! Plus ....it makes me look good ;)
Exercise plans
Loving the gym although not loving GOING to gym. Why is it so hard some days just to get out the door and into the gym? I know I love it when I'm there, I feel good, but some days, I'd rather stick a needle in my eye thean wak out that door. Still do it though....can't find a needle :)
Regardless of my lack of desire to GO, I have plenty of desire when I'm there. I got immense satisfaction actually yesterday. I went to gym later than usual so Troy couldn't go with me, I was flying solo. While I was getting organised in the weight room, there was a man making jokes to the woman who was working out with him....but they were put down jokes along the lines of " You're a girl, you won't be able to lift that" and the reasons why as she was trying to do walking lunges with a 10kg barbell. She was laughing but I was inwardly offended.
That was what I was thinking!
So being Friday I set up for my circuit of rear deltoid raises, squat jumps and sumo squats. I pleasantly excused myself to him so I could get the weights I needed. I could FEEL him looking at me, I'm only little, 49 kgs and 154 cms tall. I could almost hear his stupid head saying " Playing with the big boy weights now are we?" I set personal bests for those jumps...15 kgs plate for the jump squats and to add a little flair, I jumped onto the bench as well. Then 25 kgs for the sumo squats, all bottom halves. Then after those 3 sets, straight into the shoulder press.....with the 'big boy barbell' 17.5 kgs coupled with a one leg french press of 12.5kgs.
Was that enough? No, I wanted to prove a point, because I'm quietly narky that way.
Mr Muscles was huffing and puffing (to my offended little mind, overly much) doing squats on the smith machine. Miss ( or Mrs?) Walking lunges was waiting. When he finished I asked if I could use the machine. ( what's a few extra squats that aren't on the program?) " Sure" he said and went to take his weights off. "No no, leave them they'll be right" I said and added another 10 kilo plate each side so I was doing 60 kgs. And popped them out...with effort certainly and intense focus, but not grunting and huffing, out-squatting him without a nasty word by 20 kilos all up.
Maybe he needs ovaries and a uterus, then he can spend more time lifting people up instead of putting them down.
So now you know what a nasty spirited person I can be with a smile on my face....let's get to personal bests.
Not many this week but there's still some improvement, some helped along by righteous anger LOL.
Bicep curls with barbell 17.5 kgs
Reverse Flys 9 kgs
Walking lunges with kettlebells 16kgs
Side lunges with dumbbells 12.5 kgs
Squat jumps 15 kgs
Sumo squats 25 kgs
Standing shoulder press with barbell 17.5 kgs.
SSS challenge
Well now, I'm ahead of myself because that is tomorrow....I'm running in the Lara funrun (5 km) along with my children who are running the 2km kids dash. I did a training tempo run today but not as hard as I'd like, being careful to save my legs for tomorrow....managed a 3km tempo run in 15 minutes which is about 20-30 secs slower per kilometre than I have run at my fastest. The rest of the run was a 3 k warm up and 3 k cool down with the running club.
Note to self...film myself in slow motion....ANYTHING can look good in slo-mo!
I never imagined I would love running in a group so much. I'm one of the slowest ones there but hey, there is no judging, no impatience and it's run so everyone can take part at the own pace. I can see and feel the improvements through being pushed that little bit more and through the different training we do. For instance, Tuesday night, we did Harrison Drop downs I think they were called. Basically it was decreasing distances in runs but at increasing pace for each distance. By the end I was stuffed well and truly but runninng faster than I thought I ever could. So worth the feeling of concrete legs in the car!
Back in Round 2 of the 12WBT, I undertook a 50 kilometre walk along the federation trail. To recap on that, check out the link and read the Mini Milestone challenge.
Now I had two reasons to do this challenge. The first well, to see if I could do it! But right from the beginning, 8 weeks earlier, I wanted it to mean something. I wanted my challenge to be able to let someone else feel as GREAT as I felt, to feel the success and gain confidence, to change their lives and believe in themselves, like I learned to do. Those things are gifts that I will hold close to me, to experience such a huge turnaround in my life is more than I can express in words. And I found it through Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation. More than a weight loss program, this changed EVERY aspect of my life for the better. And ....it WORKS.
So after I completed the 50 K walk, I had raised the funds needed to sponsor another and pay for a heart rate monitor. Thank you so much to the generosity of my friends. And now, let me reveal to you, with permission, a picture of the results. I give you Theresa Lee, 10 weeks in to the program.
AMAZING! She was nominated by her friend.
"I would like to nominate one of my dearest friends whom I have known
since High School. Her name is Tess, she recently started to do some
training of her own and completed the 5km Run Melbourne. I would likeTess to receive this as she a mild case of Cerebral Palsy but as long as
I have known her it has never stopped her doing anything. She is a mum
to 3 beautiful kids including a son with Aspergers Syndrome so the
training could be a bit of 'Me' time for her. I have seen the Michelle
Bridges do amazing things for some special ladies and I know Tess
would love to continue training."
Now Theresa has not only lost the weight, she is RUNNING! Just recently she massacred a massive 7 minutes off her personal best time to run 5 km and has signed up for her first 10 kilometre funrun! She also regularly works out at 5.30, 6 am in the morning!
I challenge you, each of you to look at what excuses you make to not do the work. I still have excuses..." It's too hot, I'm too tired, i just don't feel like it!" But then I look at this AMAZING woman who has achieved so much in such a short period of time and she inspires me. Monumentally.
And just to finish, this incredible woman is signed up for another round......and I know she will SMASH it just like this time!
I can see the ending is near. Finale tickets are booked, the weeks are dwindling away. This is my last round for a bit at my husband's request (who wants me to face the new challenge of doing this 'myself' by putting what I have been learning into action. He has such great belief in me and I would be lost without his encouragement.) I am a little heartsick at thinking I am losing this little, or not-so little community, this feeling of belonging. As one door coses though, another opens. And I don't think the 12WBT door will ever be shut tight, all it needs is another knock at the door.
Meal Plans
Another delicious week and easy making and preparing. I think, for me, this why the program worked. My grocery lists are planned, ALL my meals are planned and everything takes little time to cook. The steps are simple to follow and I've grown in my skills as a home cook, using these recipes and new ingredients.
The megahit this week for the family was the 12WBT Bimbap meal. QUICK! EASY! DELICIOUS! and gone in 30 seconds :) Easy enough for the junior masterchefs to prepare next time!
The other perennial family favourite are the cacao fudge bites. Next time I make these, which will be.... oooo, about 20 minutes from now, I'm going to roll them into balls, much like rumballs. I like to add a little water to help press the mixture into shapes, and thought I may try to experiment with using a tablespoon of juice, perhaps orange and factoring that into the calorie count. I'll let you know how it goes.
Lunches this week were great and easily made. Lots of asian salads which I love, and the roast vegetable salad was good too. Note to me: next time, cut the veges smaller before roasting. The menu plan for next week is looking YUM and I already have a request from Mr 11 for the 12wbt lasagne as a treat meal.
Exercise Plans.
I overdid the legs this week and paid the price. On Monday I did a CX class and Attack class and there's lots of lunges and squats/jumps in those. Then Tuesday I had PT which was all legs and Wednesday which was a leg weight day. Come Wednesday night and I had DOMS to rival that of when I ran the halfmarathon. If I could have cut my legs off to get some sleep I would have, it was painful, with no way of getting comfortable. So lesson learned there, big time.
My motivation to get to gym is lacking but once I'm there I'm all ready. Tiredness is creeping in and I think it is just a case of doing too much in my life, as opposed to diet or exercise. Need to find that balance again.
Personal Bests for this week are few.
Bent over row with barbell 32.5 kgs
Dumbbell pullover on fitball 12.5 kg
Walking lunges with Kettlebells 12 kg
Standing upright row with barbell 25 kg
High cable overhead extensions with the rope 28 kgs
Pec Dec machine 32.3 kgs
Bicep curls with dumbbells 8 kgs
Have a little whinge to make....my gym has recently held a recruitment drive, highly successful by the looks of it. Way more people in the gym which is good. What is not so good is there are also way more people loading up machines with weights, then standing around having a chat, or wandering off, or worse, finishing their sets and just leaving them there. I get frustrated because you don't know if the machine is still in use, and if it's not, then unloading 60-80kgs of weights before I can do my sets is an extra workout I can do without. So, I am just mentioning it to the front desk when I'm in tomorrow, maybe the trainers on the floor might be able to just remind people of some of the gym etiquette....or help me get the weights off! There, whinge over....let's move on.
SSS and Weekly Challenge.
Well....lets start with the challenge...it was a Vlog again BUT this time had a time limit of 1 minute. 1 MINUTE! to try and explain how much my life has changed doing 12WBT. I had so many ideas on how to do it but couldn't put any into fruition because I am just not a technological genius....so I wrote a poem and filmed it badly.
Now...my SSS......was a BLAST! I convinced some friends to do it with me....we all entered the Valley Stampede.
It was so much fun! An obstacle course over the paddocks in Wandin on a freezing cold 11 degree day. We waded, rolled, fell and crawled through mud, under barbed wire, waded through chest high ice water, up and over a bus on a cargo net, over 8ft and 9ft sheer walls, logs, tyres, tunnels, down a giant 50 m slip and slide, ran up hills and through trip wires, leaped over fire pits, hurdled over barrels in a dam while being hosed by the CFA fire hoses, climbed up ropes and over car bodies. We even braved the electric shocks....10 000 volts of electric shock is like a sledgehammer to the body! But we did it.
BEFORE:
and 1 hour after:
see? WAAAAAY FUN!
I want to share another pic....this one is of my daughter Miss 8. I missed her sports day through work, and it was a beaming little girl who greeted me with her chest fluttering in the breeze...
A first for hurdles, a second for sprints and the teachers star award ...for behaviour and achievements on the day. Well DONE MISS 8!!!
Finally for all of us...........I hereby bestow upon you the.....
Some of you may know I work in a kindergarten. Yesterday turned out to be more educational for me than it was for them I think! So I thought I'd share the love and learning.
LESSON No 1: Dance like there's noone watching.....
All 28 of my little treasures yesterday did a massive danceoff.....to gangnum style. Now you would have to agree, it is not the most attractive of dance styles but then hey, neither was hammertime.....
Was any one of those kids worried about what their mates would think? What I would think? What about the kidlets in the above clip? NO! They all think they have the BUSTINGEST moves in the world.....they weren't worried when their breakdancing just turned into funny falls or if they were even with the beat or not. They were just having FUN.
LESSON No 2: Whatever you do, do at 100% full throttle.
There was no half hearted dancing with the kinder children either...these guys, it was all or
nothing, no holding back. There were arms and legs everywhere, bodies on
the ground and up in the air. It was 100% effort, and 100% FUN. There was not one child, who every day, doesn't dance their hardest, run their fastest, or throw themselves around. Small children don't have degrees of effort, it's all or nothing. You are either awake or asleep, no in between. You are either starving or full. You are either painting a massive masterpiece, using every single colour available or just staring at the blank piece of paper.
Hmmmmmm.
So how many times do I stop myself doing something because I'm worried what people would think? That I'm not good enough to have a go? I'll make a fool of myself? And then I sit on the sidelines wishing I had the guts to do it. Or I'll try but it's halfhearted so I won't make TOO much of an idiot of myself....
A 4 year old is braver than me.....sobering thought. A 4 year old is living life harder and fuller than me....even more sobering. Perhaps I should tap into my 4 yr old subconscious and just KNOW I have the best bustingest dance moves (without having to have a drink or 3 beforehand), or basketball moves, or gym moves and go at it 100%. Give it everything I have no matter if I can or can't. Power up that self belief into hyperdrive and throw myself in boots and all. What have I got to lose? Better yet, what do I have to gain?
An exhausting week, but you can't be tired unless you are having fun!
Menu plans
Good meals again, although not a big fan of the fishcakes. Next time I'll just do chicken I think. A personal taste preference really, I have never liked a lot of seafood. The kids were ok with it.
May I say a big THANK YOU to Michelle Bridges for providing the banana bread recipe for breakfast. I'm in the running for Mother of the Year in the Junior Masterchefs eyes and Wife of the Year too. Who knew banana bread could bring about so much love and happiness? GREAT way to start a Monday morning!
Big thumbs up to the nasi goreng and the basil and balsamic strawberries with ricotta. Hands down my favourite dessert EVER.
I am really loving how quick it is to prepare these meals, especially the dinner meals. This week I have had extra shifts and meetings, which makes for a rushed Wonder Woman, but I was still able to pop dinner on the oven and have it on the table in most cases in 20-30 minutes.
I'm having hommus dip with carrot sticks, snowpeas, capsicum strips or celery sticks for snacks. The act of chewing so much helps trick my head into thinking I've eaten heaps, it tastes GOOD and has started the kinder kids at work bringing in carrot sticks etc in their lunchbox. THANKS AGAIN MISH!
Exercise Plans
erk, a hard week for me. I go to bed by 9-9.30 most nights, up again at 5 if there is a morning workout or 6 if it's a normal day. I average between 7-8 hours sleep a night. But By Thursday I was done. How did I know? Because bith Troy and I slept right through the alarm we had set for 5 and didn't wake until 6.30!!!! An impromptu rest day it turned out to be, as we coud only get to gym early that day. We obviously needed the sleep so instead of feeling guilty I missed a workout, I just re scheduled and relaxed about it. Then Friday and yesterday I found myself waking from an 'accidental couch coma'. A little like a nana nap but way deeper and involves dribble. Not sure why it's hitting me so hard lately, I was tired last week too. I've looked at my calories and adjusted the amount I'm eating, but I know I have a hard time slowing down as a rule so perhaps it is just a life thing.
Running group is going well :) We did tempo runs yesterday. My length was 3 km and worked out to be 4.50 minute kilometre splits. Happy with that, although I was pushed and struggling to maintain that pace. Considering my previous best was 4 km at 5.15 minute splits, I'm thinking it was worth it!
Personal Bests for this week.....not many. I had to ease off the Hamstring curl machine and leave my set unfinished because my right knee starting hurting like mad. I could lunge with it, but not do hamstring work with it. I'll give it a few days rest then see.
Barbell Squat 60 kg
Dumbbell rows 16 kg
Seated donkey calf raises 118 kgs
Bicep cable curls with rope 36 kgs
Other news!
We're off to SYDNEY!
Tickets are purchased, waiting to hear back on accomodation....cannot WAIT for finale again! This will be my last one so I'm aiming to really ENJOY it! I am sad knowing that in 4 weeks I'll be flying solo after 3 rounds but I know I can do it. What I think I will miss most is the support and the friendship on the forums, hope I can meet some of you on Finale night!
Lastly, and a little off topic for a laugh of the day, Junior Masterchefs wanted to make gingerbread men. So off they went while I vacuumed. Amazied at what I heard when I switched off the vacuum cleaner, I did the good mum thing and took a ninja cam shot of them rubbing the butter through the mix.....
And your final thought for this week......repeat after me.
Yes!!! After a long dim and cold winter, the sun is out! Time to expose those blindingly white bits of skin to the warmth of the day and try a few outdoor workouts. Go for a walk, swim or a run! Soak up those rays!
The sun, apart from warming us up and giving light so we don't keep walking into things, gives us health benefits too.
The sun gives us Vitamin D. Vitamin D is essential for bone health, helping the bones to form correctly and strongly. It helps our intestines to function properly and absorb nutrients, is good for our skin and has an effect on weightloss too apparently.
The sun boosts our mood. Go on, test it out. Go outside and sit in the sun for 5 minutes. Feel happier already? Sunlight helps brighten our moods and to relieve depression. Think about it, how many of us suffer from the Winter Blues? But once that sun is out, everything is alright again, our mood lifts and there is a feeling of hope.
The sun improves our sleep patterns. Sunlight helps your body get into it's circadian rhythm, a natural wake and sleep pattern, so basically you feel more sleepy when it gets dark. Getting enough sleep has an effect on weight, energy levels and your psychological outlook as well This is all down to melatonin production, caused by the sun.
The sun could lessen alzheimer symptoms.This is according to an American study that showed alzheimer patients scored better on a mental exam after being exposed to sunlight thorugh the day. I don't think there's enough sunlight in a day for me in this case, but I live in hope. The sun keeps away vampires.Very important health benefit there, completely reduces the risk of your body being drained of blood during daylight hours by 100%. Unless it is Edward then the sparkle is enough to give you ample warning to get away. If you want to.
Seriously though, go on, go outside and enjoy it. If you normally run or walk on the treadmill, have a go outdoors. Smell what is blooming, hear the sounds, feel the warm breeze float over your skin. If you do weights, try a bodyweight workout outside, or change it up and go swimming or for a bike ride. Go out and LIVE!
What a laugh this week was...anger too as stated in my last post ( You said WHAT about my children?) but let's not let that dull the weird and fun from this week!
Menu plans
YUM! This was the week of the meatballs...so it seemed! We had veal 'koftas' which I made into meatballs and asian chicken patties, which turned out to be like big meatballs :) The junior masterchefs were most impressed....meatballs a big hit here.
We also had a big winner with the basil and walnut pesto (homemade) spaghetti with roasted pumpkin and tomatoes. I used the new 'Slim' pasta, and it was good. I had to rinse the pasta under running water as it was stored in liquid but it literally takes on the flavour of the sauce. And hey, if the kids like it it's a winner :)
Breakfast had an old favourite, apple couscous with yoghurt and cinnamon....mmmmm, very filling and oh so good. Love the banana smoothies as well, quick, easy and I can drink it while I'm organising children ( ahem yelling) for the day.
Exercise plans
An interesting week for me, found myself feeling more weary than usual which could be a result of the extra cardio I've added to my program. Still working out a balance there. By the end of the week I was stuffed and felt a little emotional during workouts. I was more than relieved to see others on the Lean and Strong facebook page were feeling the same this week. I wonder if it's just a week 7 thing perhaps?
The cardio I added this week was an hour body attack class after a 30 min CX core workout class on Monday....both incredible for calorie burn and I can really feel my core working. Tuesday was running club, a 9-10 k run consisting of a 3 k warm up jog and cool down jog, 2X 1 km time trials and a relay race as well as drills ( high knees, butt kicks, skips) Man, it was hard work but I loved it. I was concerned I wouldn't keep up but while I was behind the group all the time, I finished with them (thank god for traffic lights!) LOL. But remember.....
On to the personal bests for this week......
Leg extension machine 36 kg
Upright row standing with barbell 20kg
Rear deltoid raise with kettlebells 16 kg
Incline dumbbell bicep curls 7 kg
French press 12.5 kg
Bentover row with barbell 30 kg
Side lunges with kettlebells 12 kg
Adductor machine 61.5 kg
Abductor machine 47.5 kg
( I think I have those last 2 the right way round....I can never remember!)
A little bit of silliness but fun......here I am demonstrating how to workout with the family ( yes I know upside down, my 19yr old filmed it. You'd think she'd know the difference.)
SSS and Weekly surprise.
This week's weekly surprise was to design a workout....since I want to spend more time with my kids I designed one around that.....
Kipwil's Day at the Park.
This is a workout designed to work your strength and cardio fitness
while you are with your kids at the park. You only need a towel if
you'd like and a park with a bench and monkey bars. Children are
optional.
Type: Metabolic
Level: Intermediate/advanced lean and strong
Warm up (5 mins)
Light jog or brisk walk around the perimeter of the park for 5 mins or until you go right around.
Workout. ( 55 mins to complete all 3 rounds)
Round 1
8x Pushups….on a bench or on the ground
8x step ups onto a platform on the equipment, each leg
8 x jumping chin-ups on the monkey bars
8 x squats…make your bottom hit the bench!
30 sec plank.
Round 2
Run around the perimeter of the park for 5 mins or walk briskly. You
should feel slightly out of breath, able to talk in 3-4 word sentences.
Take note of how many laps you completed in the time.
10 x pushups on the ground, knees or toes
Walking lunges for 10 steps out then turn and 10 steps back, knee to ground
10 x reverse pullups off equipment or bar
10x Box jumps onto a bench or step
45 sec plank
Round 3
Run around the park a little faster than before, try and beat the number of laps.
15 x pushups on knees or toes. Try toes first then go to knees if needed.
15 jump squats
15 jumping chin-ups or chin-ups if you can!
15 static lunges each leg.
60 sec plank
Final Blast (5 mins)
Finish with your fastest run around the park for 5 minutes. How many laps can you do?
Stretch (5 mins)
Hold each stretch for 30 seconds.
Now as for my SSS.......well today was the Melbourne Marathon Festival and I was signed up for the 5.7 km. I've been trying to increase my speed in doing shorter runs but this was not the right run for that. So frustrating with people who walked 3 or 4 across, leaving no room for runners to pass, and block access for runners trying to get through a couple of the bottlenecks on the course. I am going to email organisers and see if they can design a course that is wider and avoids the 2 main bottlenecks that occured under 2 bridges.
But!!!! I ran, in a stop/start/dodge/weave fashion and completed 5.7 km in 32min 30 secs by my watch....which beats my previous training run of 6 km in 35 minutes. When official times and photos are released, I'll be sharing on here! In the meantime....this is before the start......
I wonder which one is me? LOL
Finally, let me leave you with a message from my friends.
I know I posted yesterday but I am FURIOUS. I've heard that because my children, MY children are eating our clean food and wanting to run in funruns that what I am doing is 'almost child abuse.'
So I am being ACCUSED of abusing my children because we don't have junk food or sweet biscuits in the house.
I am furious and hurt and, no well mostly furious. I think the defiinition of child abuse needs to be made clear to this person, because of course, no names mentioned at all. Believe me if I knew your name this would be to your face. So not only do I think you are an idiot, I'm wondering which one of my 'friends' it is. I know which circle it is, just not who. A statement like that cheapens the real trauma children go through when they are abused.
Let's look at some figures shall we?
According to the Australian Bureau of statistics, 65% of children in Australia will be overweight or obese in 2020. Currently we are sitting at around 25-26%. And rising every year.
and they are just 4 years old, haven't even really begun to live. All health risks aside, what about their social life?
And why?
Poor food choices, lack of physical activity and a longer times sitting in front of the television or the computer, learning from overweight parents and a small, VERY SMALL number of rare genetic disorders. Funny, parents can do something about ALL of those except for the last.
So let's see how I abuse my children shall we?
They play in the afternoons after school, go on bike rides, play team sports at their choosing. They LIKE to run around with me or Troy.
They learn from Troy and I. We like to look after ourselves, we enjoy being active and no surprise so do our kids.
They don't have a TV in their room and have a set computer time rather than as long as you like. They get an hour each which they don't usually use all up.
I don't keep biscuits or a lolly jar or other crap foods. But I do have a massive supply of fruit, low sugar and low fat muesli bars, vegetables and dip, etc etc. Are they missing out? No. We keep the 'sometimes foods' for SOMETIMES! Birthdays, Xmas, Easter....we celebrate. You don't need to celebrate the fact it's monday morning with a chocolate donut, or make kids feel loved because you pump sugar in their bodies. They want your TIME not stuff that makes their bodies sick over time.
I don't reward with food. You do something great then we 'reward' with an experience together....go to the movies or we go somewhere special they want to see. They are bushwalk nuts so we go to the You yangs, or Hanging Rock or the Grampians.
I cook clean food meals which we all eat, I don't cook separate meals. And no surprise to me, Miss 8's favourite food is lentil soup. ( Such a hippie LOL) Do they get pizza and burgers? Yep, we make them here. They ALSO get a chance every now and then to go out and have Maccas with friends, or icecream, or pizza. We just don't do it every week, maybe once or twice a month. They still go to birthday parties and eat the fun food. But I'll tell you this....they also CHOOSE to eat healthy options when we eat out...Mr 11 has told us he doesn't like how he feels after eating the greasy crap food.
I can say NO. It's an easy word. Children won't hate you if you don't give them their own way all the time. so NO you can't stay up late, NO you can't have another soft drink, have a water instead.
They have a healthy lunchbox. My kids don't need a side order of chocolate bar in their lunchbox every day, or a handful of lollies. They pack their own lunches....a sandwich or two, 2 serves of fruit, yoghurt, and a muesli bar or dip with crackers or vege sticks.
So there you have it. Such abuse, I should be locked up. I don't comment on others parenting habits because we all do the best we can, right or wrong. But maybe you should have a long hard look at what you are modelling to your children, what you are feeding your children and educate yourself a little more before you start screaming 'child abuse'.
So thanks, thanks for sending me off to work today in such a happy (NOT) state. I can assure you my kids are fine. They are happy and above all, they are HEALTHY. Are yours?
I don't know about you, but those two words, habitual user, conjures up images of a drug addict, huddled in a room somewhere stoned out of their minds. A dirty image, that breaks your heart. Someone who doesn't deny themselves what they are chasing, even though what they are chasing is death. You could say they lack self disciline to make better choices.
But think of the words self discipline and what image does it conjure up? To me I see army fatigues, boot camps, misery, pain and self denial. Not very motivating images really...unless it's the Commando doing the yelling then hmmm, yes, well, enough said.
After reading this, I wondered....how do I feel about that? It's about self talk and how we push ourselves instead of facing up to things we may need to. Guilty here. Does this mean we shouldn't push? That we shouldn't try to exercise self discipline? Does it mean that I can blame everything on some unresolved issues?
Personally, I think a lot of people reading that article will use it as an excuse. People who would point at me and say I have unresolved issues (ahem and who hasn't?) thats why I go to gym all the time, how sad for me. But I see working out as a HABIT, I go regularly, I physically and emotionally miss it when I don't go. A lightbulb went off.
I am a habitual gym user.
There it is. Habitual user.
I have been working out 6 days a week for a year now. Some weeks I may only have 4 or 5 days but I am always active. A complete turn around from what I was....sit on the couch and love the midday movie tearjerker/real life story. But now, if I miss a workout, I get twitchy. I get a little irritated way more easily. I pace around the house, fiddle with things, can't get my mind to settle.
Withdrawal symptoms much??? I don't crave a hit or a cigarette, I crave a run, I crave a chance to stretch muscles and move.
But this isn't a negative to me. Creating the habit of reaching for an apple than a handful of maltesers is a good habit. Eating clean and choosing clean food when eating out is a good habit. Working out is a good habit. Wanting to move my muscles the way they are designed to is a good habit.
All these habits are promoting and fuelling my body and my mind. I feel better than I have ever done before. I have more energy, I am stronger, I am more confident, I smile more, I am more relaxed.
We all operate with varying amounts of self control. We all have habits. It's self control and habit that get us out of bed and choose to do a myriad of things....shower, prepare food, brush your teeth, care for children or others, earn money....self control and habits are a GOOD thing.
So why not choose to create positive habits? Why not create a habit of walking or running in the morning for 30 mins? Why not create the habit of drinking a glass of water instead of diet soft drink? Why not create the habit of doing something GOOD for yourself and talking GOOD WORDS to yourself. Feed your body and feed your heart.
There is only one YOU. Only one life. Only this day. Once you are gone there will never be another you. Don't wait until you see the end to try and hang on. That's like running down the Up escalator.
Yesterday is over, we only take the lessons we learned from that day to further our actions and learning today. Tomorrow is just a measure of time, it doesn't actually exist as yet, so why wait for something non existent? Make a good habit today. Repeat it tomorrow. And the next day and the next. Soon, it will be automatic and it will be hard to imagine life otherwise.
But don't take my word for it, see for yourself.
