CATCH UP TIME

Wow, my last post was 5 days ago. What a busy time its been in between with another major change happening within my life and a whole new set of circumstances to get used to and learn to work with. Things have certainly been out of whack this week as you'll read below.

Sunday: taught my usual classes and worked reasonably hard, about 6.5 / 10. Ok so thats not very hard at all. The motivation was a bit low. Then we had our welcome back party in the afternoon.
Eating: 1/10 (poor effort!!) too much white junk, alcohol, and not a piece of fruit within cooee.
Exercise: as above
Had a great time though and so did everyone who came along. Its so good to be back!

Monday: First day back at work as a project manager. I laddered 2 pairs of pantyhose but wore the 2nd pair all day. Havent done that for 2 years! Also, heels all day...weird again. I spent Monday night finishing cleaning up after Sunday's party.
Exercise: none
Eating: helped to finish off some left-overs so not really on program. Drank wine (also left over from Sunday). BUT didnt overeat so thats a bonus.

Tuesday: Travelled to a country school with my boss. Worked an 11 1/2 hour day, including travel time. Had lunch at 3.30 after breakfast at 7am with nothing but water in between. Had a bit more wine with (late) dinner and some more left-overs. BUT didnt overeat again so thats good.
Exercise: Did a walk/jog (but very little jogging) in the morning for about 40 minutes. Effort wasnt great. I was in one of those "well at least I'm out here moods" and I was enjoying the gloriously mild morning we were having.

Wednesday: Things are starting to settle down a bit.
Exercise: 1 hour hi/low aerobics style class + 45 mins step class.
Eating: better today. No alcohol and better food choices.
I am mustering all my strength to stay out of the food shops around work!!

Thursday: Looking forward to the end of the week but grateful that I finally have time to get on the computer to answer emails, read blogs and update my own.
Eating: OK but I did have a glass of wine with dinner and a spicy thai chook kebab which wasnt exactly "clean food" but was there to be finished up.
Exercise: none.

So after seeing all that I know I need to get organised. I havent done any weights this week and not enough effective cardio. I also know that I need to stop eating whatever is around and make sure my meals are clean and a bit more regular. In effect I've had a week off from Ness' program but I felt that I needed it after the huge changes that have happened.

Here's my plan for the following week:

1. Morning cardio (running/walking with 10kg backpack) on Monday, Tuesday and Friday.
2. Weights: Mon, Tues, Thur evenings and hopefully 1 session on the weekend.
3. Eating: get it as clean as possible and more regular.

Really I just need to tighten up where I've slackened off a bit lately. Not sure if I'll weigh and measure tomorrow as I'm expecting a rise again, so whats the point of ruining my day and my positive outlook. BUUUUUUUT my goal will be to get back down to 68.7 kgs by the following Friday.

Will try to keep blog up to date to help keep me on track!!

Cheers

M

SATURDAY NIGHT AT HOME - FEELING A BIT SORRY FOR MYSELF

Yes thats my plight tonight. WH is watching the cricket or soccer or something with balls??!! And here I am reading blogs and posting my own when I'd rather be...... yeah the list is endless. Today I got my hair cut by Natalie who is undoubtedly one of the best hairdressers in the world. We put in a splash of brown highlights and my new do looks superfab. The cut isnt hugely different but the colour makes a fantastic statement. Even WH liked it!! So now that I'm looking so hot the last place I want to be is stuck at home.

I probably should have called this post "If I have too many more weekends like this one, I'll never reach my goal". I'm struggling to stay on track when the weekend rolls around and I know this will really sabotage my weight loss efforts. Yaeh I know all about the "free day" but I seem to be having 2 or 3 of them each weekend which isnt good. After a bit of an indulgent day yesterday I should have gotten right back on the strict track today but I didnt and tomorrow with the welcome back party...well....its not looking too positive. I also found that I didnt work as hard in the circuit classes this morning so didnt get as good a cardio workout either. At least I will tomorrow. I'll just have to be very focussed next week!!

WH and I talked about "5 year goals" over dinner tonight. I had given mine some thought and had listed my fitness goals, travel goals, advancement goals and personal/relationship goals. I was quite pleased with what I came up with. Interestingly WH said one of HIS goals was to see me lead a more balanced life somewhere in between being obsessed with and being totally slack about my weight. Am I THAT bad?? He has known me for 16+ years. He is an intelligent man who's opinion I respect very much. So I ask myself again...am I THAT bad??

Having said that, tonight I purchased Josh Dickinson's Competition Prep manual so that I can read up on what my prep will entail. I'm also hoping it helps me stay focussed over the weekends so I dont sabotage the good work I've been putting in throughout the week. Its also highly likely that I will hire Josh as my trainer for the 2007 comps. I've been very impressed by his work with other clients who've achieved fantastic results.

Well I'm signing off so I can go and .....empty the dishwasher. We have a big busy day tomoorow so I should try and get as organised as possible. Ciao for now

M

I GAINED 1/2 KILO BUT I'M REALLY HAPPY....

....because of the following:

1. My body fat went down another 1.1% which translated to .6 of a kg
2. My measurements changed very little (up a total of 1/2 cm)
3. And last but most importantly...I feel good. I can tell I've lost some weight (2kgs of body fat actually) and thats whats important.

I've had a BIG social week with 4 days since I last weighed where I ate out and either chose to eat off plan or just ate too much of a good thing. Oh and lets not forget the alcohol :-) But I've kept up my training making sure I did all of the weights sessions on Ness' plan and at least the equivalent of the cardio on the plan. So what more could I want under these circumstances?

I trained shoulders and abs last night after posting. Worked really hard again. I have DOMS in triceps (fading now), glutes and hammies (still stiff and sore) and biceps. I guess I better get used to this in light of my impending comp prep.

Today I had lunch with my best friend and chose warm chook salad again. Typically I ate too much as the place we went to gives a free garlic bread roll with all mains and I was really hungry so I devoured it. Yes there is just a bit too much white junk still in my diet and thats something I have to improve on if I want to wear my Brissie dress at Xmas. My girlfriend also told me that she is having a birthday party for her little boy in the middle of November and I've set myself a mini goal to be under 67kgs by the time of the party. I'll be seeing a lot of people there who I dont see very often and I want to look as good as possible.

I had another little victory today in that BS and I went to GJs after doing our grocery shopping after lunch. Now I wasnt at all hungry but I did fancy something sweet and naughty. So there we were with me staring at the sweets cabinet, looking, looking trying to decide what to have when I realised that there was nothing there that I fancied and I wasnt going to have anything just for the sake of it. I had a small coffee with skim soy and was quite happy.

So I'm chalking up all these wonderful little positive changes in behaviour and feeling quite good about it all. God please let this postive roll continue. WH will be home soon and I plan to enjoy a nice relaxing evening with him with a few wines and dinner (to be decided).

Have a great weekend all.

M

CHUGGING ALONG

Yes a busy day with taking WH to work, kindy drop off, home to clean, clean, clean as my aunty and uncle were visiting in the arvo. Then kindy pick up and hosting afternoon coffee and cakes for the family. I also had to pick WH up later on so before I knew it, it was dinner time and the day was just about over.

I did a pre-weigh this morning to see how I've gone this week but tomorrow is official weigh day. I'm up .3 on last Friday but not overly upset as I've had a few days of not eating on plan so thats to be expected. Despite this increase, I stuck to my healthy, clean eating today and only indulged in BS's sandwich crusts when I was starving at lunch time. The things we do when we're desparate, hey??!! I made sure that all the cakes and biscuits I had for the family were chocolate so I wasnt at all tempted by them. I had my herbal tea and was quite happy.

As far as my training goes I have shoulders and 1 more ab workout to do and I'm all up to date :-)) I think I'll tackle them tonight while I watch RPA. Tomorrow morn I'm teaching a 1 hour fat burner (low-medium intensity class) so there's some extra cardio which isnt on Ness' program. Oh and lets not forget the 2 circuits on Saturday.

Its a nice feeling to sit here knowing that I am in control of my eating and that I'm getting a good balance of exercise thanks to teaching commitments and the convenience of being able to do weights at home. I havent felt this way for a long time. Although I've had days where I havent followed my eating plan properly, I've been very pleased that I didnt just chuck it all in and start binging for days after. Dare I say: "I'm making progress"

Tomorrow I'm lunching with my best friend (and BS) as its my last day of freedom. I also have a very busy day with lots to do so it'll just whizz by. Then I want to enjoy a nice evening with WH to lead into a busy but potentially great weekend. Oh and I'm getting my hair coloured (roots done) and cut on Saturday so I'm searching for a new do to signify the new me. So exciting!!

Well I have menus to plan, shopping lists to write, jobs for the day to list, herbal tea to drink and shoulders and abs to train so I'll say bye-bye til next time.

M

GOING STRONG AGAIN

Well the title says it all really. Monday's craving for pasta came and went and yes I loved the indulgence but got right back on track again. In fact after my post I hit our "weights room" and did the chest/tris workout from this week's personal program. I pushed really hard and later in bed I could still feel my muscles twitching after a challenging session!!

On Tuesday my eating went back to being spot on clean and I did legs and abs. Worked hard again and now have serious DOMS throughout upper AND lower body. What a great feeling!! (I know.. what a sicko!!) I got my period on Tuesday so maybe thats why I craved pasta the day before?? Oh and I must mention that on Sunday/Monday and Tuesday we shifted all the furniture out of and then back into our lounge, study and master bedroom. Big deal you might think but some of the pieces were made by my dad and they are mega heavy (even removalists have previously complained about how heavy and awkward some pieces are).

There was one piece in particular (the top section of a dressing table) that weighs a ton and is awkward to pick up. Well we had to lift it to around shoulder height so it was a huge test of shoulder/arm strength. WH didnt think I'd be able to do it but I was determined to prove him wrong and sure enough I managed it (albeit in 2 goes). WH was suitably impressed and I just strutted around doing bodybuilding poses like a (proud) goose :-)

Today I lunched with another friend but stuck to the warm chicken salad (nice dressing but not low fat) and just 1 glass of wine. Ate a bit more than the suggested serve of protein but hey I'm just normal that when there's delicious food in front of me, I eat it. No guilts though as it was teaching night and I always give 100% to my step class and then a good 70% to the aerobics class if I've got it in me. Its a great cardio workout and this week's program only has 2 cardio sessions anyway so my plan to do extra has been shelved.

I also did weights before my classes (back and bis) so all up it was a bit training day. I just have shoulders and 1 more ab session and all weights are done and dusted for this week. I'm on a roll which I'm relishing as next week will really test me (back to full-time work).

So I'm feeling good right now and enjoying my last few days of freedom before I'm chained to an office again. Never mind, at least I'll have a nice steady income to compensate for this new inconvenience in my life. BS seems to be enjoying his new kindy so we hope that continues and this Sunday we're having a welcome back party at our place to catch up with all our old friends again. Life really doesnt get much better :-)))

M

SHAKY START TO WEEK 2

Today I'm feeling the effects of a few days of not so clean eating. Although yesterday was good, Friday and Saturday weren't and I even strayed off plan today as mum and I went out for the day and I had pasta for lunch in a cafe (read that: big serve, high in fat, super tasty!!). However I handled the rest of the day well with fruit for dinner and herbal tea after. On many occasions previously I would have continued to eat junk for the rest of the day so I'm pleased with my efforts to cut back for the rest of the day.

That said though, I'm feeling very blobby around the middle again and this is a bit depressing. I'm staying right away from the scales and tape measure until I get a few really good days under my belt. Speaking of which...I must do some weights as I'm falling behind on my program. Will try to fit in some decent cardio as well tomorrow (maybe even early morning!!).

Well I'll keep my post short tonight as WH is waiting for me to finish on the computer so he can empty the study as we are having new carpet being laid tomorrow. The house is in total disarray, not to mention the time spent emptying the rooms and then having to put everything back. Ah the challenges we get thrown to make it hard to exercise when you want/need to.

Til tomorrow

M

I'M FINALLY BACK

Well its taken ages but I'm finally back into blogging. I've been away since the 7th of September which seems like a lifetime ago. There is just too much to cover since my last blog so I'll skim through the main bits:
1. The move went well.
2. BIG stress around settlements of both properties (not initiated by us I might add!!) but all ok in the end.
3. Moved into our new house all ok and are reasonably settled.
4. Have been catching up with friends, family etc :-)
5. Eating and training a bit all over the place until 1 week ago.

My friend Gordon (recently separated) came with me to the SA INBA body building show on 1 October. We had a ball checking out the competitors and getting a feel for the overall standard. I came away fired up and motivated to be up on stage next year. Man ... have I got a lot of work to do!!

So after some stuffing around I finally got my "10 Week Blitz" underway last Saturday the 7th of October. I started at just under 72kgs (yes I'd been having too much fun socialising and eating and drinking whatever I felt like) with measurements that were nothing to be proud of. I decided to do Ness' 6 week personal program for 1.5 times with the last week being my choice of training. I've got the tracker going and am trying to follow it as closely as possible but allowing for my teaching commitments that equal a great cardio workout.

So here's a snapshot of what I remember of the 1st week:

Saturday 7 Oct: Teach 2 circuits (total 90 mins) and use them to do a cardio workout. Effort = 7/10. Eating = 100%

Sunday 8 Oct: Teach a step class + a combo (aerobics/circuit) and get another great cardio workout (total 105 mins). Effort = 8-8.5/10. Eating = 100%. I also do a weights session before dinner which is a whole body circuit. Effort = 8/10. Going well.

Monday 9 Oct: No exercise as I'm up to date with cardio and have a rest day from weights. Eating = 100%

Tuesday 10 Oct: Weights first thing in the morning with the full body circuit again. Effort = 8/10
Eating = 90% as I have the girls over for (healthy!!) lunch but we have a glass of wine.

Wednesday 11 Oct: First "non-perfect" day. BS and I have lunch with WH (who is going away for the rest of the week). I eat a bit too much (grilled chook breast) and "indulge" in 3 tiny hot chips. I also have wine which I planned to do. I skip my afternoon snack (why eat when you're not hungry) and I'm feeling really good about handling this day so well. I teach my 2 killer classes (step and fat-burner) for a total of 90 mins and get an awesome cardio workout with a 9/10 effort. I have a light dinner after classes and am happy with the day.

Thursday 12 Oct: Eating all back on track and 100%. I decide to do BodyPump as my weights workout tonight. BIG MISTAKE!! I find the instructor dull, boring and uninspiring and struggle to put in a big effort. Effort = about 5-6/10. Not happy with this. Will know better next time.

Friday 13 Oct: Weigh day!! 3kgs lost and 14cms lost from 5 measurements. :-)) I am feeling FANTASTIC. Go out to lunch with BS and make a really bad choice of meal so once again will know better next time. No arvo snack and light dinner. The girls go out for a night on the town. I drink very little and manage to not stay out too late. When I assess this day I'm happy with how it all turned out except that I did a pathetic cardio workout (25 mins) at the gym which I will not bother with in future. The less said the better execpt...I'll know better next time.

Saturday 14 Oct: Free day. Ate what I wanted, had quite a few drinks and caught up with a very dear and long time friend. Life doesnt get any better really. Oh and WH came back from interstate :-) Used the 2 circuit classes to do a cardio workout with effort of about 6/10 today.

Sunday 15 Oct: Back on track with the eating which was about 90% (I have some greek yogurt which is not low fat with my swordfish for dinner...hey if this is the worst that it gets then I'm doing REALLY well!!) I get my cardio workout from my Sunday classes but with a little less effort this week (about 6.5-7/10) and I miss doing weights as we spend ages shifting furniture so we can have some new carpet laid on Tuesday. A pretty good day though.

So there's my summary of my progress so far. I have a very interesting week ahead:
1. BS starts at his new kindy tomorrow.
2. I'm taking my mum out for the day tomorrow.
3. Carpet going down Tuesday.
4. Have some repairs being done Wed morn and then lunch with another friend.
5. BS only in kindy for 1/2 the day on Thursday and then having rellies over in the afternoon.
6. No kindy for BS on Friday and my last day of being a lady of leisure before I go back to work the week after.

I also have a long list of things that I want/need to get done next week (including regular weight training!!) I've got a feeling that the week will just fly right by.

I look forward to blogging again, especially with more of my thoughts and feelings rather than just facts about what I've been doing. Please stay tuned and feel free to leave comments on blogger or by email.

G'night all

M