LIFE AT A FAST PACE - TAKE 2

Well Friday passed in a blur. I had a nice breakfast on the way to work and then bumped into Cheryl and spent about 1/2 an hour chatting to her ... oops gotta get to work!!

Last night we went to SIL + BIL's for drinks and dinner. Friends and family were visiting from Sydney and it was a fun night. Miss S is my SIL's bestie. Miss S is a marathon runner so we had a very interesting chat about my City 2 Bay training and up-coming race. Miss S assured me that if I can run 8 or 9kms now (which I can) then I will make the 12kms on race day. She even said that doing 10kms before race day is not necessary. I'm rethinking my training for the next week.

You see Iworked out not long ago that I started my training a week early. I actually have an extra week up my sleeve. This is really good as last week I only ran 3 times and not 4. So I have an extra week to get 4 runs in and then taper. Sounds good to me so I must stay healthy now ... oh and I must register for the race.

We took BS to the Royal Adelaide Show today. OMG what crowds!! Secretly, I loved it though. Without any guilt whatsoever, I enjoyed 2 hot cinnamon donuts (sitting down) but had no other junk for the day. PROGRESS!! I was, however, blown away by the incredible consumption of junk food by the majority of people there. It was quite amazing really. No wonder we are progressing in leaps and bounds as a nation of overweight - obese people.

But I'm plugging away at my daily targets and am happy to report that I'm doing well. Keeping alcohol consumption to 3 drinks or less at any one time, not eating when standing up, getting my water in and moving for at least 30 minutes every day.

Looking forward to Father's Day tomorrow. It'll be a busy day. I hope to blog again tomorrow night.

Cheers all

Magda

LIFE AT A FASTER PACE

One thing I've noticed since starting in my new job is the faster pace of my life. I have rarely eaten both a morning AND afternoon snack since I've changed jobs. I'm just too busy with meetings and work to be stopping to feed my face all the time. I do try hard to eat every 4 or so hours at the least so I dont get famished, as we all know how disastrous that can be.

I've also allowed myself the luxury of stopping for a cappuccino on the way to work on most mornings. I luuuurve my cappuccinos. They are such a treat. On really hectic mornings if I havent eaten breakfast at home I'll have some fruit toast too. This is another treat which I really enjoy. But I do try to eat breakfast at home as a general rule.

This is how my morning went today:

5: 15 alarm goes off
5:20 hot lemon drink + small protein shake
5:30 back training
6:00 protein shake + pear (eaten standing up tsk tsk) AND at the same time roll out cheese scone dough (made last night), cut, brush and place in oven to bake
6: 15 make BS's breakfast (he's woken up early today), pack his lunchbox, get school clothes ready (including ironing)
6:30 shower, wash hair
6: 50 make-up + dress for function after work and pack bag of extras
7:00 help BS dress himself, pack all requirements for a Father/Son after-school function (including cheese scones)
7:10 brush teeth, dry hair
7:15 change my mind about attending the function after work, get changed, pack food and run around doing last minute stuff
7: 30 leave for work ... will have breakfast in a cafe with 10-15 minutes of "quiet-me-time" :-)

Today was not a typical morning but its not unusual to have days like this. In the end, life is what you make it. If I stressed about every non-routine day, I'd be a basket-case. So now I go with the flow and do my best with eating and training. After all, adding up a lot of small stuff eventually means achieving the big stuff.

Cheers all

Magda

TICKING THE BOXES

Funny how things change so drastically from day to day. This morning I was crabby (well I am a Cancerian), grumpy and NOT in good spirits. The usual things annoyed the cr*p out of me and I was pretty short on patience. Not sure why but I think there's some deep stuff that surfaces every now and then.



This same deep stuff often drives me to "self-medicate" with food. Because, after all, food solves everything ... what, you disagree?? Well at least it makes you feel better for 5 or 10 minutes and often I havent thought beyond that. I'll take that 5 or 10 minutes of pleasure and bugger the consequence.



However today I didnt entertain these thoughts. Didnt even stop to consider them. They were banished from my mind.



I did my running training. Tick for 30 minutes of exercise.

I drank enough water / herbal tea. Another tick.

I had no alcohol. Thats a BIG tick :-)

I ate all my food sitting down. Yep another tick.

And as for binging .... no way jose!!

My weight has dropped by 2.6kgs which is just water / bloat but its something. I have actually been craving lots of veges, fruit and vegetarian meals, instead of the chicken and other meat that I usually eat. Monday and Tuesday were vegetarian days but today I had chicken again as I'm not set up to eat a proper balanced vegetarian diet. Feeling good about my food choices nevertheless.

Well I'm off to bed to read a lengthy report (lucky me!!). Alarm is set for 5.15 to fit in that mandatory 30 minutes of exercise. Good night all.

:-) Magda

MORE ON MY MOJO

Now that I'm feeling well again - no more annoying headcold or thumping headache - I've done a weights session as well tonight. I did chest and shoulders and am already feeling very tired and heavy through these areas. I will have chest DOMS (I always do) :-)

My future trainer has suggested that I just maintain work on my chest, back and shoulders to keep the muscles stimulated. I will do abs too but no leg work. The running is tiring enough and I could think of nothing worse (or more counter-productive for my current goal) than pounding out a killer leg session and then expecting to run distances too. If its not a running day then legs need to rest!!

Of course I will expect to lose some body fat over the next month but I'm not setting any ambitious targets as I know that birthday celebrations and holidays will make it quite challenging. I want to focus more on positive behaviours and I believe the results will follow. And finally, I realise that success in achieving the fat loss will be determined to a huge extent by how my mind is working. If I can get that right AND KEEP IT RIGHT then the journey will be so much easier.

Good night all

Magda

HELLO MOJO - WELCOME BACK

Today I woke up with my mojo well and truly back. No thumping headache. No feelings of dreading my running training. No wallowing in my “I feel so fat and frumpy” misery. Here’s my take on things today and its good to have the “old Magda” back:

My alarm went off at 4.50am as I hadn’t done my weekly long run. I lay in bed for about 30 seconds to assess whether I still had my headache. All clear so up and at it. I ran for one hour and it felt good. I didn’t even check the time til after the 46-minute mark. So it was like the home stretch after that. Only disadvantage is that I cant measure the distance as it was weaving through and around my suburb. No big deal. I’m now back in a positive mindset where I believe that I will complete the City 2 Bay without having to walk it. Less than 3 weeks now. Bring it on.

I knew I would eat well today and I did. Even though I was on a training course and there were some very yummy looking (free!!) cakes provided for morning tea (you know the ones you've just GOTTA have coz they're complimentary), I raided the fruit bowl and had a delicious apple instead. Good choice Magda … now just repeat these good behaviours over and over and I will be heading in the right direction.

As I was getting ready for work I thought about my weight and how I look and feel. But instead of just wallowing in self-pity and misery I acknowledged that yes I am too heavy but that changing this is all within my control. It is all up to me. Life deals some very raw deals that we have no control over but this is NOT one of them. Perspective Magda, perspective.

Since my mini meltdown last week when the blackest cloud came over me and I was in a bad place, I have drawn so much inspiration from other people's blogs. Little snippets of advice, observations, perspectives etc have got me thinking right again. I wont name individuals but I will just say that there are some very wise and inspirational bloggers out there and I thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge and experiences. Reading about others' struggles, challenges and then achievements restores my faith and belief that indeed I CAN do it too.

Here is a mini plan that I have for the month of September. Its a brief set of daily non-negotiable behaviours that are in place to keep me on track with healthy eating and regular exercise. I will be endeavouring to practice these behaviours EVERY day - even when its WH's birthday on the 14th, when we attend our friend's wedding on the Gold Coast on the 27th and for the holiday we'll have on the Sunshine Coast after that.

1. I will exercise for a minium of 30 minutes every day.
2. I will limit myself to a maximum of 3 alcoholic drinks on any one occassion. (This is an improvement and its achievable even though its still not ideal).
3. I will drink at least 2 litres of water or herbal tea.
4. I will only eat when sitting down.
5. I will continue to improve in avoiding binge eating (build on the success I've already had).

Thats it. Its short. Its simple. And thats all I'm prepared to commit to right now. No point imposing lots and lots of rules that are just waiting to be broken and then be beating myself up over it.

Bring on a great month where I will progress towards the person I want to be.

Cheers all

Magda

FEELING UNDER THE WEATHER

Hi all,

I'm feeling a bit under the weather with a shocker of a headache that has lasted 2 days. I wonder what is in store for me healthwise as I never get headaches for no reason. I skipped my run yesterday and today as well as I just havent been feeling "right" and am mindful of pushing through not being well and ending up needing time off from my new job. I also had a headcold last week but managed to get all my running training in. Its just now I'm a bit behind.

I have lots to post but it'll have to wait as I'm heading off for an early night. Hope I wake up feeling fantastic again.

Cheers

Magda

TAKING A STEP BACK

Thank you to everyone who left words of support and encouragement on my last post. They all meant a lot to me. Some comments really hit the nail on the head and have got me thinking about doing things differently.

As you can see I have deleted that post. Every time I looked at it, it upset me further. Under the circumstances I wasnt happy to have it out there. There are people out there who are in far more difficult situations than me so I would rather deal with this privately.

Thanks again

Magda

8.1 IN 55

No thats not a mathematical calculation. Its how far I ran today. And judging how I felt at the end of the session I am truly cacking myself that I wont make the 12kms. I was just about dead at the end of 8kms and its only 2/3s of the City 2 Bay distance. AAAAAAAAARGH!!!!!!!!!!!

Funnily enough there was a decent stretch that I thought I ran well. I headed out onto the main roads today and going "public" probably improved my form somewhat. That was until about the 30 minute mark after which I am just struggling along. Week in, week out nothing changes.

My food experiment didnt go to plan so my theory wasnt tested. I'm a bit over it all actually. I guess its time like these when a coach / trainer /mentor would be really great. The only thing keeping me going is my pride and my determination to do all the training and be as best prepared for the race as I can be. I refuse to give in so i'll just suck it up and do it with my sooky lala attitude.

Magda

MY LAST FLEXI DAY

...yes today was the last flexi day that I will have. In my new position I will work a 5 day week. Every week. Irrespective of the hours I work. I'm a bit sad about this because flexitime allows me to take time out to spend with my BS, especially when the school holidays come around. But if I look at the bright side (which I always try to do) then I will at least be in a better routine and of course the pay rise just puts a nice layer of icing on the cake (which I shouldnt be eating LOL). Also with my new work place being a MUCH smaller office, I'm hoping they arent into the Friday morning tea junk food fests that my previous workplace had.

I had a great day off today. But it was over so quickly. I managed a little sleep in so I didnt train this morning. My next weights session is shoulders (hopefully tomorrow) and then a 55 minute :-0 run on Sunday. The City 2 Bay is 4 weeks away. My goodness it has come around quickly.

I talked to a trainer today and was happy with how that went. My first priority is to do the City 2 Bay so we agreed that getting all my running training in is paramount. It was suggested that in the meantime I just weight train my chest, back and shoulders to keep the muscles stimulated (yep good advice) and after the City 2 Bay and the holiday I'm having at the end of September, we will start then. That makes sense but I'd like to drop a few kgs of body fat in the meantime so I'm starting from a better place. I guess up to me.

I think a couple of more conversations in the meantime will have things heading in the right direction :-)

Cheers

Magda

STEPPING OUT OF AN ERA

Today I finished work in my project management job. The day was extremely madly, crazy busy. From the moment I arrived at work, it was meeting after meeting to resolve project issues and hand-over projects. At 11.30 my team and other colleagues converged on me for a small send-off with some nice speeches, flowers and a card. I will miss this great bunch of people where the camaraderie is second to none and its a great place to be.

In the afternoon I attended my final site meeting and REALLY earned my salary with a very difficult meeting with unhappy clients. Why is it that some people just cant be thankful for what they are getting? In my job I plan for and then deliver say a, b and c. And what is people's reaction to that? Well its never "gee thanks, that will make thing so much better for us". No, its always "but we have to have a, b, c AND d,e,f and probably g and h as well". What happened to the old "glass half full" perspective? Not many people I come across share this outlook with me and they piss me off.

OK I'll get off my soapbox now because thats behind me. No doubt I'll have a whole new set of challenges to face next week so they will be a breath of fresh air LOL.

I finished the day feeling completely wiped out. WH and I weakened and had a quick dinner out which was not on my plan but the damage was 1/2 a gourmet seafood pizza (about 4 small-medium pieces) and 1 glass of wine. It could have been a lot worse as I had eaten very little during the day and had managed hardly any water.

But on a more positive note I will brag about my great run these last 2 mornings. Yesterday I did intervals and I pushed harder in the 3 minute steady pace phase and then eased right back in the 3 minute recovery phase. I was happy with my effort and how I felt after the session was over. I knew I'd given it more than at previous sessions. Today I did a 35 minute steady paced run and again felt that my effort was good. As an added bonus, at around the 15 minute mark I actually got into that elusive "runner's zone" and was feeling really good. Love that place. Love that feeling :-)

Oh and Imustnt forget to brag about the wonderful DOMS I have in my chest and triceps :-) Very sore when I started running but then my attention went elsewhere. Will be training shoulders and bi either tomorrow or Saturday so bring it on.

Tomorrow I'm speaking with a trainer about .... well .... training. My mind is open and I hope it goes well.

Well guys I'm knackered so it'll be good-night from me and hope to blog again tomorrow.

Cheers all

Magda

JUST LIKE THE GOOD OLD DAYS .... ALMOST

Well the DOMS came today as expected and gave me the nice feeling of a bodybuilders high. Whats that you ask. Well its a few things like: DOMS setting in after a hard weights session, cardio done and dusted for the day - you're tired after the effort you put in, food all clean and on plan, drowning in water LOL. I dont use many supps but for those that do, they're another qualifier for the high feeling.

WH cant believe that I have utilised the exercise room two nights in a row. "What is going on?" he says. Oh and the "happy juice" (aka protein shakes) are back on the menu (post training). Its just like the good old days.

Today I talked to my fellow running friend at work to share my experiences with training for the City 2 Bay. On her recommendation I'm going to ramp up my "steady paced" intervals tomorrow to see how I go. 3 minutes steady pace with 3 minutes recovery pace should be manageable. All up, I think its a 40 minute session.

Two days to go before I finish my current job. I'm very busy at work but am crossing things off my To Do list. Bring on Friday when I get a day off.

Cheers all

Magda

REMINISCING

Tonight I weight trained for the first time in several weeks. My arms feel leaden and I know I'll have chest DOMS tomorrow (I always do). Once I got in my exercise room, lay down on my bench and had the bar in my hands all my pleasant memories of last year's comp prep came flooding back.

It was a time I really enjoyed. I learnt so much about body building, about myself, about my WH and about how body building affects other bloggers. I lapped it up and just "lived it" for that year. I loved seeing my body change. I loved having sky high self-confidence not just in my looks but also because I was ACHIEVING a goal I'd set myself. I was no longer a dreamer, a talker, a lurker. I was a doer.

Transforming myself from Fat Girl to Figure Competitor was one of the hardest things I've ever done so my sense of achievement at the end was incredible. More wonderful memories that I'll always cherish.

I loved being accountable to my trainer. Reporting in almost daily with my training results, diet, general chit chat, thoughts and worries I was not alone and the support, encouragement and guidance I got was just what I needed.

I miss all that now. I thought I'd be ok training myself but I'm not, as evidenced by my long absence from my exercise room. I need to be accountable. I want to be lead and showed the way so I'm not standing at a crossroads wondering which way to go. I want to be encouraged and supported and kicked up the backside when I slack off and praised when I achieve a mini goal.

I have some work to do.

Good night all

Magda

THE DREADED SUNDAY RUN ....

.... was tackled again today. Why dreaded? Well the runs are getting longer, therefore harder and I'm getting slower instead of faster but I'm not giving up.

Today was 50 minutes and I automatically run it a bit slower so I'll last the distance. My 5km time increased to 33 minutes today and I covered 7.5kms in the 50 minutes. At that pace, the 12kms will take me about 80 minutes ... so I wont be setting the running world on fire, will I LOL??

But in my "glass half full" outlook I will say this:

1. My goal is to run the 12kms and not have to walk any of it. I'm on track to be able to do this, even if I slow down to make it.
2. Even though each longer run is harder than the one before I press on through and do it regardless. I'm not a quitter.
3. There have been days where I REALLY didnt feel like training but I did it anyway. I want to achieve this goal and I'll do the training thats required.
4. There are many people training much harder than me right now so I'll just pull my head in and get on with it.

I have two more long runs and then I taper ... YIPPEE ... bring on that taper. I have decided to try an experiment with my diet to see if it helps me run a bit faster or if it makes the longer hauls a little easier. I'm putting it into practice tomorrow so maybe by next Sunday there will be some improvement. Fingers crossed.

Funnily enough, I actually look forward to Monday's easy paced run which is just 30 minutes. The other two runs throughout the week are also much easier than Sunday's longer "steady pace" run. I have to laugh though as my "steady pace" is marginally faster than my "recovery pace". However I've resorted to a new "recovery pace" which can otherwise be described as my "crippled Cliff Young shuffle".

Today I also had brunch in North Adelaide with a special friend and then baked gingerbread biscuits which BS then decorated. It was a good day.

I have four days left in my current job, then Friday off work, another busy weekend and then I start my new job. Hmmm and maybe a new chapter in my life.

Cheers all

Magda

ITS UP TO ME

Well I'm happy to report that life has gone back to the ho-hum calm that it was before. I never thought I'd appreciate it so much. I'm still baffled by Thursday's incident but I remind myself to be thankful that it wasnt worse than it was. When I spoke to Mum on Friday she was ok. A little tired but overall she was ok. Today Mum and Dad were over for a few hours in the afternoon and she was her old self .... devoting lots of attention to our BS and getting excited about them buying a new car. This is how I want my life to be.

Thursday's events left me thinking about life, family and health and how we so easily take things for granted.

Take life for instance. If there's one thing I want to embrace, its the attitude of seeing the glass as half full. Its so easy to fall into a miserable, negative rut but why should we? I truly believe that we all have so much to be grateful for. Sure life has its ups and downs and at times the downs we are dealt are pretty tough to handle. But we do handle them and we make it through and life goes on and it can be wonderful again.

I think one of the hardest things I had to face was the realisation that my WH and I could not have a biological child. We tried naturally. We tried IVF. We tried IVF again with a super-healthy organic lifestyle. But despite having a healthy and fit body, I think my reproductive system just said "too old' and there was no pregnancy. So we turned to adoption and we are blessed with a gorgeous boy who makes as happier than words can describe. I still have occassional twinges of wishing I knew what it was like to be pregnant or to give birth but then I remind myself that I have my own unique adoption experience which is as emotional and moving as giving birth would be (or so I choose to believe). So my glass is (more than) half full yet again.

Then there is family. As you may know, I'm an only child so I'm closer than normal to my parents. We're a small family so we get along really well and I'll do anything it takes to keep it that way. I also get along really well with my ILs and once again there have been times when I put the effort in to keep the family relations happy when nobody else would. But thats me just doing what I believe is necessary to keep the family unit together and happy.

And lastly there is health. This is probably not the forum where preaching about good health will fall on deaf ears as most bloggers would be pretty committed to a healthy life-style. But I know that I have been pretty slack in this area this year. I wont beat myself up too much because that is counter-productive but I will admit that some (actually many) of my lifestyle choices are not supportive of me being in optimal health. My weakness for wine, snacky foods, sweets and less than 100% effort in training mean that where I'm at today and where I want to be in terms of weight, body composition and fitness are miles apart.

So is the glass half empty ... eg "poor me, I just cant lose this weight, find time to weight train, give up the yummy things" ....or is it half full .... eg "I can lose this weight. I'll make time to weight train, and I'll limit the yummy things and I'll get to where I want to be".

Its up to me

:-) Magda

NO MORE DRAMAS PLEASE

My phone rang at 1.30 today and it was my dad sounding very incoherent. Mum was having serious chest pains and he'd called an ambulance. After settling my own panic I instructed him to call me back when the ambulance had arrived and they knew what would be happening as he said that the pain was easing. I also instructed him to go with mum in the ambulance and NOT to drive himself as I could tell how upset he was.

Anyway she was taken to the RAH and WH and I left work immediately to meet them there. On the walk down (its about 6-8 blocks) all sorts of thoughts went through my mind including the worst thought possible which left me feeling .... well words just cant describe it. I forced myself to put that out of my mind because everything would be OK.

So after 3 1/2 hours in the emergency department where mum was questioned and tested over and over again they found NOTHING wrong and sent her home. I fail to understand how severe chest pains and an inability to breath can mean there is nothing wrong... ?????

As we finished our dinner (and a bottle of wine) after the event was over I shared my fears and concerns with my WH because it was a good time to talk about things. We had a scare but in the end mum is ok. I know how this incident left me feeling so I can appreciate how much harder things are for Rae and Lia. My heart goes out to you both.

Its nearing the end of the day and I feel like I've been through the wringer. Its time to call it a day and hope for peace and calm tomorrow.

Magda

NOT MUCH TO SAY

I left home at 7.10am for another day of working in the country today.

I got home at 8pm.

I'm tired and I'm sick of these stupidly long days.

Magda

MONDAY MUSINGS

Today's run was an easy paced 25 minutes which was bliss after trying to push myself to run with some speed for 45 minutes yesterday. I was a bit surprised to find my average pulse rate today at 150bpm which is quite high. I didnt feel as though I was working that hard but thats the reading I had. It made me wonder just how aerobically fit I am or am NOT right now. I'm now running 4 x / week with 2 longer runs and 2 shorter. Other aspects of my lifestyle could certainly be better and if I was 5-10kgs lighter than that would be in my favour as well. I'm certainly noticing niggly aches and pains in my legs which I've not had before and the message they're sending is quite explicit.

Yesterday's run was annoyingly slow and I just cant break past the barrier which says "longer runs = slower pace" in order to survive. Lots of thoughts went through my head as to why my running performance was SO ordinary and I think that about 80% of it comes back to diet which is the aspect of my lifestyle that could certainly be better - or at least consistent. Lately I've gotten onto the "celebrating this, celebrating that" merry-go-round again and so fat-loss progress has been zilch.

Which has left me realising that maybe training myself (other than the City 2 Bay training program I'm following) isnt such a good idea. Evidence is showing that I'm not as highly self motivated and dedicated as I thought I was and that guidance, structure, accountability and support from an independent person is critical to my success.

Hmmm food for thought.

Cheers all

Magda

SADNESS ....

... on a few different levels.

This afternoon we had our good friend Mr G around for a BBQ with his kids. So why sadness? Well about 2 years ago Mr G was married to Mrs S and we were like best friends. They are Godparents to our BS and we are Godparents to their BS. Perfect!!

Then they split up.

And tonight Mr G leaves Adelaide to live on the Gold Coast and at the end of September he is remarrying.

Now dont get me wrong. I'm completely happy for him. The break-up was VERY hard on him (it wasnt his wish by any stretch of the imagination) but he met somebody else, fell in love again and is starting a new life. So my sadness is totally selfish. I miss the good old days when the four of us would get together and have the BEST times (evidenced by the photo above taken at my 40th). Life is very different now.

I ran this morning after some internal deliberations around whether to risk the weather or not. Eventually I did and I only got rained on lightly and briefly but it was COLD and windy and I was slow. I started timing myself over 5kms but accidentally turned the stopwatch off when it rained so I have no record for this week but I could tell that I was slower than last week. I'm convinced that I'm not built for speed and my goal is just to run the 12kms and not have to walk any of it.

I was having some interesting conversations with myself during the run too, but I think thats another post in itself. Maybe tomorrow.

Cheers all

Magda

STAYING DRY

Its pouring with rain as I write this tonight and there have been several downpours of hail as well today. Luckily, in the main I have stayed dry as I had no running scheduled for today. But tomorrow is another story and with a 45 minute steady state run (which means no cruisy Cliff Young Shuffle) I'm praying that I dont have to do it in a downpour. I will be timing myself over 5kms again and hope for some improvement.

Yesterday I did my 20 minute steady state run which is comparatively easy as its nice and short. The Conference Day we had for work presented some eating challenges which I still have to learnt to handle better. What is it with free food that makes me think I have to eat as much of it as possible? Especially the junky stuff like the scones and carrot cake slice we had for afternoon tea. Whilst I'm not binging as such, there are still too many treats finding their way past my lips and I need to curb them if I want to be a few kilos lighter for the City 2 Bay fun-run.
Of-course having drinks and nibbles for my bestie's birthday last night also didnt help my cause as once again my resolve wasnt as strong as it could have been.

My saving grace was that I taught 2 classes this morning and kept my breakfast and lunch very lean and clean. I havent filled in at the gym on a Saturday for a long time so it was really nice to see some of my old class members and be given a very warm welcome back. It lifted my spirits and gave me an extra dash of enthusiasm for my teaching and I was rewarded with some nice positive feedback.

So right now I'm focussing on training for the City 2 Bay. I should be doing more (some!!) weight training but life (and excuses) are getting in the way. The more I think about it, the more I'm coming to realise that I'm not very good at training myself and that structure, support and accountability go a long way to achieving success in the goals I've set for myself - other than running the City 2 Bay.

Cheers all

Magda

DITCHING THE B WORD

Well my trip to the country is done and dusted and although I have one more visit next week, it wont be an overnighter. Yippee!! My new job will have little/no country travel I expect.

So before we headed off yesterday (my boss came this time too) I did my 2nd longer / harder run for the week and I did the first 15-20 minutes in light rain. I can remember a time when the slightest bit of moisture would have had me bailing on an outdoor run but that is ancient history now. Rain shmain. Unless its really chucking it down it aint stopping me. I'm ticking off all my training boxes (there arent THAT many) and its a great feeling. Now if I can just apply the same enthusiasm, dedication and consistent effort to my eating I'll be a lean, mean training machine. LOL.

But jokes aside I'm actually doing OK. Not 100% perfect lean and clean but am really focussing on my mindset and my choices/actions in an effort to ditch the binging. This was actually my breakthrough news at the end of July. Despite having lots of treats on holiday and for my birthday celebrations, I actually didnt have any binges (you know the type where you just stuff in a sh*tload of crap , usually secretly, for some really dopey reason). But then I had a few relapses at the end of July and was feeling a bit disheartened hence I didnt write about it. But now I've had another good run (albeit a brief one) so I thought I'd share.

So tomorrow is a shorter run followed by a Planning Day for our unit (where I still am). Then its drinks for my bestie's birthday in the evening. I love Fridays :-)

Cheers all

Magda

CELEBRATING .... AGAIN

Thank you again to everyone who left me messages of congratulations on my last post.

Well despite being back in a bit of the celebration mode, today's eating wasnt too bad. A very busy schedule at work helped somewhat in keeping the cals down through missed snacks - not ideal but better than stuffing food in coz I'm feeling stressed. So tonight we went to a cafe with BS and had a celebratory meal with champagne (for me) and wine (for us). Kept it to 2 glasses in total so all was good and under control.

I'm going bush again tomorrow so I'll be back on Thursday to share more useless trivia about my life :-)

Cheers all

Magda

BREAKING NEWS WITH CONGRATULATIONS TO FOLLOW

Hi all,

Today I was successful in landing myself another job.

I've been looking for a while and I missed out on another one a few weeks ago but this time around I was successful. In about 3 weeks time I will be leaving the government department where I've worked since 1983 (with 2 years break while we lived in Brisbane) in a job I've been in since 2000. I'll be moving over to another government department (much smaller than where I am now) and filling somebody's (a previous friend actually) position while they take maternity leave. The position is a promotion for me as it is a Manager's role.

OMG I beat 15 other applicants and I'm excited but (quietly) terrified. As I spoke to Miss R today (who's job I'm taking over) she mentioned a few times how challenging the role will be. I guess this is my test of how good I am at applying all my previous experience, knowledge and skills, how confident I am in my abilities (or can pretend to be), how tough I am and whether I've got what it takes to succeed.

I guess I could ask myself all these questions in the context of my life in general:

Can I apply all the things I've learnt, the skills and attitudes I've developed from the experiences I've had to have the life I want?

How confident am I that I have what it takes to achieve my goals?

How tough am I to weather the storms, the hard times, the fluctuations in motivation and still keep pushing on?

Do I have what it takes to succeed?

Cheers all

Magda

THE 3 Fs

Well my breakthrough news turned out to be a short-lived flash in the pan which seems like ancient history now. So onto whats been happening in my "Fitness Fun and Figure" life now.

1. FITNESS

City 2 Bay training is going well. You'll note that I've updated my 5km times in my sidebar. Today's training was a 40 minute run (no, not an easy Cliff Young Shuffle, but a RUN). I timed myself at the 5km mark and have recorded it for all to see. But I had to push on for 8 more minutes and that bit was really tough. I had a fierce headwind and I was pooped. It was really tough and at one point I even yelled "F*** OFF" to the wind (Good one Magda. Waste that precious energy!!). I finished the run looking beetroot red and hopped in my car to measure the distance which was 6.3kms. Then I felt really good :-)

2. FUN

Friday night out with the girls was fantastic. Mamma Mia was hilarious. If I wasnt laughing at the movie, I was laughing at Miss R sitting next to me, laughing herself silly. What great therapy at the end of a busy and at times tough week.

3. FIGURE

My goal to compete again is a bit on the back-burner for now. I'm working through some stuff on an emotional level and considering some of the logistics too. I call this my "thinking time" and when I've worked things out it'll be "doing time". Plus my running training is my priority now. I'm quietly determined to tick off all the days and sessions and then see how I go on the day. I still have no idea about what time I want to do it in. My only goal is to run the distance and not have to take a walk break.

Cheers all

Magda

HOUSEKEEPING

Hi guys,

please be patient for a couple of days while we change over ISPs and I make sure my blog still works with a new sign-in etc. (WH and I have checked out what needs doing and we think all will be good but you never know).

I'll be back as soon as possible.

Cheers

Magda

BIRTHDAYS AND BREAKTHROUGHS

Well last night saw the end of about 2 weeks celebrating my birthday. Our family doesnt do things by halves and it felt like we were doing something on most days. But in reality here's what I was treated to:

Lunch out with WH on the day. We went to lovely city cafe with the best home-style Italian food.

Dinner out with my work colleague that evening as we had travelled to the country for various meetings.

2 nights later my friends came around for drinks and nibbles. I hardly ever eat fruit cheese (which I love) but I had some that night.

Last Friday my mum and I spent the day together doing some shopping for me and having coffees and lunch.

That night WH took me out to a VERY NICE Italian Restaurant (Auge) which was superb. I had some unusual but very delicious food. It was heaven.

On Saturday my Mum cooked my favourite dinner and made my favourite cake. I ate a bit too much because I found it very hard to resist. Check out the picture above. Its a vanilla slice with home made puff pastry (yes my mum rolled, folded and rested it 3-4 times) and custard made from egg yolks, sugar, milk and flour. When its cooked and very thick you stir through the stiffly beaten egg whites. The custard is then spread in a thick layer between the 2 sheets of (cooked) puff pastry and cut into squares for serving after dusting with icing sugar. Its the best vanilla slice in the world :-)

Sunday night we wound it all up and my body did truly say "ENOUGH".

July has been a tough month as far as eating goes because it seemed to be a string of holidays, eating out, celebrating and trying to stay sane around so much food. But I'm really pleased to say that I managed a huge achievement this month, a really significant breakthrough which I'll blog more about tomorrow.

Cheers all

Magda

MELBOURNE POST THE ALL FEMALES

On Sunday my WH arrived in Melbourne for a mini get-away with me while our BS was on the Sunny Coast with his grandparents. So I bid farewell to the girls and moved into the Rendezvous (Flinders Street) for 3 nights.

We had a fantastic time. On Sunday we were the ultimate tourists scouring the city, Bourke Street Mall, then Southbank and the Crown complex, then Southgate and the Sunday Markets and then over to Federation Square. We walked heaps and loved every minute of it. After changing into nicer clothes we went to a bar in Southgate for a pre-dinner drink and then ate in a casual cafe where they tried to rush us through (Grrrr). That really pisses me off so we drank our bottle of wine nice and slow and then had coffees and shared a small desert. They couldnt get rid of us that easy.

After a nice smorgy breakfast on Monday (oops ate a bit too much) we walked to Bridge Road and shopped (the Prada T shirt made my day) and then walked to Chapel Street and shopped some more. Dont know what distance we covered but my legs were tired and sore. Dinner on Tuesday was in a Greek restaurant in Southbank and the food was just superb. Oh and the wine was good too :-)

On Tuesday I was a bit more sensible with my breakfast choices and portions and then we hit Spencer Street DFO. Didnt get much there but WH picked up a great leather jacket on the walk back to the city. I would have bought a pair of Prada shoes but sadly they were all too tight on my big heffalumpy feet (GRRRRR). I had lunch and a couple of wines with Combat Girl and we chatted away as though we'd been friends forever. I loved it and was so happy that I got to meet her and got to know her better. That night we wandered up to Lygon Street where we soaked up more atmosphere and made the most of our last night there.

Both WH and I loved Melbourne and are keen to go back again. The shopping was excellent, it was easy to get to the places we wanted to go and the weather was kind to us. What more could you want?

Cheers all

Magda

THE ALL FEMALES - MY TAKE

The beautiful Lindy Olsen .... and little old me.

Irene, me and Liz Nelson. I trained with Liz at the beginning of this year and I was so happy I got to meet her in person. I have a lot of respect for her and enjoyed the chat we had at the show. Irene too was really lovely. I hope the show inspired her to also take the plunge.

The Adelaide girls. I had such a great time with these ladies and look forward to doing it all again next year (I hope).

Well the All Females is over for another year. As with every bodybuilding competition there are the highs (making it to the stage for the first time/in better condition) and the lows (dealing with the post comp blowouts and the loss of the "ideal body") and all that in between.

I was lucky enough to see all of the pre-judging and the evening show and I enjoyed every minute of, just lapping up the atmosphere, admiring the awesome physiques and appreciating the hard work that it took to get there.

Here are my highlights (in no particular order):

Meeting the ladies from blogland and Lindy's forum. I was lucky enough to meet/greet/talk to: Lia (and Daniel), Rae, Lindy, Shar, Liz, Irene, Lisa, Combat Girl, Charlotte, Jacinta, Katie (Spartze), Katie P, Di and I hope I didnt forget anyone :-)

Seeing Rae on stage. If there is anybody who is a complete natural with style, poise and elegance, its Rae. She was lovely to watch and a well deserved first place in the Intermediate category.

Shar was the "OMG how much has she improved girl". Fantastic legs. Gorgeous bikini. A close 2nd to Rae, I'm sure.

Erica lit the stage up with her smile. She was out to enjoy herself and that she did.

Sportsmodel Hilds was so pretty with a gorgeous toned yet curvy body. Great package.

Ursula blew us away. Does that woman have muscles or what??!! But beautiful too and just pipped for first place in her category. That was one tough line-up.

Di was stunning in her presentation and surpassed herself with yet another brilliant routine. Although tiny in size, she just glows with an amazing stage presence.

The Masters ladies filed onto the stage. Kerry and I turned to each other and in unison said "Oh. My. God." What a high standard this year. We were blown away.

The whole show did have a great atmosphere and I love the way that ladies from all around Australia come to enjoy it.

Congratulations to everyone who competed. You were all beautiful and amazing.

Cheers

Magda

SHOPPING AND THE BRA SAGA

Hi all,

this is one of the topics I promised to post about and now is a great time to do it.

For my birthday I prefer my family to give me money (rather than presents) so that I can buy things that I like and that I want. (I'm sure many of you ladies understand this after a string of useless pressies that you look at in dismay but then quickly smile and throw in a false "thanks, I love it".)

So for me its $$ for shopping thank you.

BUT I hate shopping when I'm considerably heavier than I like to be (like now). Its no fun buying clothes that you're not going to look smokin hot in. In fact its depressing. So how have I coped?

Well I really limited myself this year to a few (inexpensive) things to see me through til I melt this unwanted fat away. It was quite a challenge but I made it with a few tops including a Prada T shirt from Melbourne that was reduced from $350 to $55. JACKPOT!! It looks a bit small for me right now so I just thought PERFECT!! and grabbed it. Also a new pair of shoe/boots in cream suede with killer heels, a get-me-by skirt and pair of trousers and then a new bra and matching undies.

I hate bra shopping and yesterday's experience took my hate to a new level. I go into BNT and explain that I want a new bra and I'm quite specific about what I want. The girl tells me to take a bra in a size that I think will fit, go and put it on and the professional fitter will come and see me. So I estimate I'm now a 12D and off I go.

:-( :-( I'm spilling out of the cups badly and I dont need to be told that I need a DD. BUT I JUST CANT ACCEPT IT!!!!

Bra Girl: This is too small. I'll get the DD.
Me: But I've NEVER been a DD.
Bra Girl: Looking perplexed.
Me: I dont want to be a DD.
Off she goes to get the DD which I put on.
UGLY.
MATRONLY.
I FEEL LIKE A FAT OLD WOMAN.
NOT HAPPY JAN :-(
Bra Girl: Most of the girls who come in these days are a D or DD. Its the chicken.
Me: Looking perplexed.
Bra Girl: repeats herself in a lowered voice.
Me: You mean the hormones in the chicken.
Bra Girl: Yes the hormones.
Me: Well I'll be dieting on Monday and .... note to self "Its time to start eating organic/free-range chicken instead of just thinking about it".

I ask her to find a style which will fit me in a D cup. I'm pleading with a desperate look on my face. She goes off and comes back with 3 different bras. I try the first one and .... IT FITS. Bra Girl checks it, ready to destroy my brief moment of happiness, but she cant because IT DOES FIT.

HOORAY!! I"M NOT AN UGLY, MATRONLY, FAT OLD WOMAN. I'm in a D cup and I'm happy.

PS If any ladies out there are in fact a DD I mean no harm or disrespect. Some large breasts look great, mine dont. For me a DD signifies that I'm indeed too heavy and its time to melt away some of that unwanted body fat.

Stay tuned for more ramblings shortly.

Cheers

Magda

WELCOME CHERYL

If you havent already done so, go and check out Cheryl D's new blog. Its at

http://cheryldbb.blogspot.com/

Miss Cheryl is an Adelaide Figure Girl and has decided to "come out". She is no longer a lurker and is now a blogger.

GO CHERYL!!

Cheers

Magda

CATCHING UP

Since Monday I have crammed in a gazzillion hours of computer time and am finally up to date with all the blogs I follow. I've read stuff thats made me laugh, cry, feel proud, shake my head, nod my head and reminisce. I havent left comments anywhere although there were many times I wanted to. After this weekend my world should return to normal and I'll keep up to date with reading and comments.

THANK YOU all for the birthday wishes you left on my last post. I was surprised by the number after I had been AWOL for some time. Despite being away for work, I had a great day. I still got up at 5 and did my running training. WH took me to lunch and I ate what I wanted with no guilt whatsoever and I had 2 LARGE glasses of bubbly ... WOOHOO. My colleague and I worked late that evening but the naughty devil announced to everyone we were presenting to that it was my birthday and she surprised me with a small gift. Then it was out to dinner and a shared bottle of wine ... life wasnt so bad after all.

Although I'm a bit late I'd like to wish Katie (Spartze), Pip, Kimmy and Ali all a Happy Birthday too. I believe we are all Cancerians (Lia too) and share some very distinct traits.

Over the coming posts I will write more about:
1. The All Females
2. Melbourne post the All Females
3. Shopping
4. How I celebrate my birthday (its not limited to one day)
5. Life on the other side of 45 - dont miss that one!!
6. And other juicy tidbits that spring to mind.

I also have photos to share. But right now its VERY late so time for bed and Good Night.

XX Magda

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME

Hi all,

OMG I have so much to write and so little time. Things have been crazy busy since getting back from Melbourne and now I’m back at work they’re even crazier and busier.

I want to write a long post with Melbourne pics and all but it’ll have to wait as I’m about to head off for some more country work and will be away overnight (and on my birthday too!!!).

For those who left comments before I went away, thank you. I had a ball!!

Now I must end there as I’m leaving shortly. At least I’m going with another lovely lady from my office and we can have a drink or two to continue my celebrations.

Cheers all

Magda

SHORT AND SWEET TONIGHT

One sleep to go.
The suitcase is 60% packed.
The remaining 40% is all out ready to be used one more time before being packed.

I'm one session ahead with weight training :-)
Planning a run tomorrow morning as cardio was very lite on today.

I'm excited to be going to this great show.
I'm excited for all the girls who have put in the hard yards and who will have their glory on stage on Saturday.
I'm excited to be meeting a lot of the ladies from blogland (I hope). If I act as though we are long time friends its because I feel we know each other so well. Much of the stuff I write about in my blog I would NEVER sit down and talk about with my regular girlfriends. I love having this forum in which to write about this aspect of my life.

If you're competing on Saturday then I wish you GOOD LUCK.
If you recognise me but I miss you please come up and say hello.

Cheers all

Magda

TRAVELLING WELL

Travelling well considering I slept terribly last night and got up at 3.30am to potter around before taking mum, dad and BS to the airport. As I was leaving the airport BEFORE 6am to come home and get ready for work I was wishing that I'd taken these extra 2 days off work. But I fronted up like a trooper - just a walking-dead trooper LOL.

Work was busy and stressful and nutrition had a small wobble today in the form of a small packet of salted peanuts and 3 jelly like lollies. But I stopped there and considered that a victory considering my past record.

With BS away I was really tempted to suggest eating out at our local cafe tonight but I resisted. I just knew that there would be wine, a little too much food, probably not lean and clean food (who can stomach a chicken salad in this freezing weather??) and then my training would go out the window. So we had dinner in (chicken with various green veges) and then I trained shoulders, bis and did some cardio that got missed this morning. Feeling good about it all now :-)

Mind you I think we will eat out tomorrow and I can feel a good quality steak coming on with lots of cooked veges - oh and there probably will be a wine or two to celebrate my end-of-the-week.

2 sleeps to the All Females and on that note its time to hit the sack.

:-) Magda

POSITIVE MESSAGES AND NEGATIVE FEELINGS

Last day with my BS before he goes to Queensland for a week with the in-law grandparents. He's flying out on the red-eye with my mum and dad. Gosh it'll be a big, tiring day for him.

Today we went to see Speed Racer. What a great movie with spectacular visual effects and a nice feel-good story-line. I even had a little cry at the end. In the final race Speed Racer is thwarted at the start and he ends up in last place. But throughout his fight back he recalls all the support, encouragement, past events and wise words from his family and mentors and gives his all 110% to finish the race. There were so many positive messages that could be applied to many facets of our lives ... hence my emotional reaction. BTW, BS enjoyed it too cause the cars had lots of BOOST (aka turbo).

Its a pity those feel-good feelings didnt carry through to the video games arcade ... AAAARGH I HATE THOSE PLACES (blood pressure rising) and there was an (unscheduled) visit to GJs to unwind after the stress over-load. I do confess that I indulged in a mini biscuit but compared to past sins this was a 2 on the richter scale - a hardly noticeable tremor.

But I have been dealing with some difficult negative feelings today (completely different unrelated issue) and have been very aware of my usual habit of seeking out comfort food at such times. I'm pleased to say that I didnt resort to this behaviour today and hence at the end of the day I'm not feeling worse from bad eating.

I trained back and abs tonight and was able to increase the intensity with the limited equipment I currently have. This was a positive and helped a little with my mood. Oh and I did cardio in this morning (more rain) enjoying 8/12 Tabatas on the bike for a solid 30 reps and then doing about 15 mins on the most challenging rower program. My legs were feeling quite tight during the biking - hopefully thats the centimetres coming off.

Well time to read blogs and see whats happening on Lindy's forum. G'night all

:-) Magda

PS 3 sleeps til I fly out to Melbourne for the All Females.

AN ARCTIC DAY AND COQ AU VIN FOR DINNER

I dont think the mercury hit 12 degrees in Adelaide today and we had heaps of rain just to consolidate the wintery conditions.

I had the day off to spend with my BS - happy happy!! Here's how it went.

6.45am morning cardio: 2 min walk/ 6 min jog intervals x 4. Legs a bit tired and heavy after yesterday's training.

Breakfast of oats, psyllium husks with protein powder + goji berries, LSA and a little lite soy milk + green tea

BS and I baked a cake which got wrapped in plastic and frozen ready to take in for a work morning tea. It was a lemon sour cream cake and it smelt divine but not a crumb passed these lips.

My best friend visited with her son and we had a couple of hours chatting and drinking tea while the boys played. Missed my morning tea meal but wasnt even hungry for it.

After a lunch of multigrain pasta, various veges and fresh sardines lightly grilled and tossed through the pasta and veges (Yummo!!) BS and I had a massive play session which ended with us on our bed and him covering me in anything he could find (pillows, PJs, socks etc) and then taking my ugg boot off and tickling me to death. I was in hysterics.

We braved the Arctic conditions to visit our local Leonards as they were having a special on chicken breast fillets and Istocked up and made a liter, low fat version of Coq au Vin for dinner. It was definitely a casserole day today as no salads or stirfries would have cut it. I even made dumplings for my WH (he's SO English) but skipped them myself to keep my dinner lean and healthy.

After dinner I trained chest and tris and was blitzing along until I hit the tri presses and then I was fading fast. Will definitely get WH spotting for me at the next session. I was feeling so good that I even chucked in a half hour low-moderate intensity cardio on the bike to round it all off.

When I look back over today I'm really proud that I resisted the cake I baked and I didnt go looking for food all day just coz I was home. I opened a bottle of red wine for the Coq au Vin and didnt drink any of it. I considered making apple crumble for dessert (WH LOVES it) but decided that we didnt need it.

Gosh when your head's in the right place everything else just follows.

Cheers guys

Magda

THE NEW ATTITUDE

Well I've now lived one week with my new attitude, my new approach to training and my new approach to eating .... well maybe not TOTALLY new but different / better / the "new and improved version".

Here's what I've achieved since last Saturday:

1. Cardio every day except Thursday. It was TTOM and I was very sore so I rested. I'm still planning to run the City to Bay so am training for the 12km run but am also doing bike work when the weather isnt on my side. Highlight of the week: one hour of cardio on saturday morning. It was 2 min walk / 5 min jog intervals x 8 for an hour in total. BLISS!!

2. I prepared a new weights program for myself and have done the required 4 sessions plus another today which is the start of my 2nd week's weight training. DOMS hit progressivley from legs to chest and tris to abs to bis and I knew I was back in business. I have some weight training issues / challenges to sort out but nothing that cant be overcome.

3. Eats have been quite good on most days. Time off work to spend with BS while he's on school holidays presented some small challenges (in the form of hot chips from his plate) but I had them and then I stopped and didnt feel compelled to eat the stock of the local bakery just because I hadnt been perfect. In fact I havent had a cake or biscuit or sweets all week. (I tell a lie - we went out to breakfast today and I ate a pancake with some proper maple syrup - but again that was it - no out of control mindless eating which has been the pattern before).

4. Work was MEGA busy at the start of the week and oh the pressure to get things done. This would normally have me seeking out comfort food non-stop but I resisted and ate my planned meals/snacks and then just got my head back down, bum up and working.

5. I'm feeling really good. I know its early days and I shouldnt get all smug about just one week but I figure its better to be positive and optimistic than putting myself down like a Negative Nelly.

I've achieved stuff this week that I havent done for months and now I know where I'm going and can see a bit of progress I'm liking myself and life a whole lot more. Even my WH has made a positive and supportive comment about my change in attitude. God bless his honest little soul :-)

Cheers all

Magda

TO POST OR NOT TO POST

I've been umming and aahing as to whether to post about this or not. But in the interests of being open and honest and sharing my journey with my readers I've decided to write about a significant recent incident.

In my last post I mentioned that WH and I would be talking about goals over the last weekend and we did talk about where we wanted to live, what sort of cars we wanted to drive, what we wanted for our BS, future travel ... all the typical materialsitic stuff. Then he asked me what my personal goals were and I (feeling all happy and positive because I'd actually made some positive decisions recently) went into my spiel about what I wanted to achieve in competing.

Thats when it all turned ugly.

I wasnt getting a very positive, encouraging, supportive reaction like one would expect from their nearest and dearest. So going into it further (and somewhat disbelievingly) I questioned whether he thought I could do it, whether he believed in me? And the answer was a firm and definitive "NO".

Well I was shattered. Some of the things said were very hurtful and critical and felt like a stinging slap in the face. I spent the rest of the evening going over and over everything that was said (none of it good!!) and crying.

Sunday was a day of little conversation in our house. I was still hurting badly, crying frequently and going over it all again in my head. But the difference with Sunday was that I came to realise some (more) unpleasant things:

• Every hurtful thing my WH said was TRUE.
• I've done NOTHING in the first 6 months of this year to move me towards reaching my goals.
• I've said I'm going to do X and then I do Y. When I'm doing Y I'm dreaming about X but avoiding it.
• Nearly all of my choices/actions this year have been either destructive, the easy option, self-sabotaging or just downright WRONG if I indeed want to achieve the things I've set my heart on.

So after crying what seemed like a river of tears and realising what I'd become and how I was perceived by those closest and most important to me, I DECIDED TO TOUGHEN UP. It was like a fire being lit inside of me and my thought pattern changed from "woe is me, I'm hurt and upset, poor me" to "I'll show him. I will NOT take the easy option. I'll do the hard yards. I'll achieve what I've set my heart on."

The switch has been flicked.

Cheers all

Magda

Footnote: In case you're all thinking that I'm married to a heartless bastard LOL I can say a definite I'M NOT!! Its just that my husband doesnt pussy foot around. He calls it as he sees it. He will never falsely give a compliment if he feels its not due just to make me feel better. But when its earned he will be there lavishing praise and singing my praises. What happened on the weekend was like his version of "tough love" (you know that Craig Harper type but times it by 10 and dont hold back). It was probably long overdue.

I'm OK now. The wounds have healed on the surface. But I need the scars to remind me where I've come from and where I dont want to go back to. Oh and I have a new training partner ...... yep my WH has agreed to be my spotter so I can lift heavier and take another step closer to my goal.

WRAPPING UP THE WEEK

Psychologically my week ends on a Friday and my new week starts on a Saturday. So Monday is actually the 3rd day of the week, not the dreaded first. Does it help with Mondayitis?? Well if you employ the typical mindset of wanting to start a week well (you know ... start the diet on Monday, head off to the gym on Monday) then you'll do this on Saturday, follow it up on Sunday and by Monday ... hey you're feeling great. Hence no Mondayitis. Is that logic sound?? It works for me (especially if I've had a bit of an indulge on Friday - like my boss's birthday cake, home-made pizza for dinner and a couple of wines) so I'm sticking with it.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow and the weekend. Not a lot planned and WH is still crook with the winter lurgy so best if we take it easy. In fact, I've been warned that tomorrow night we are discussing goals. Apparently we dont have enough/the right/meaningful/various terms goals and its frustrating his little Virgo self to bits. I guess my personal competition goals are NOT what he means but hey ... I'm throwing them in there. Bring on the discussion.

Are you doing anything interesting on the weekend?

Cheers

Magda

WHAT DOES GOOD HEALTH MEAN TO ME

Liz posed this question in her blog recently and I thought I'd draw on today's experience to answer it.

So what happened today? Well I travelled to the country for work again. But this time I went with another person from my office - a man in his early 40s. Single, smart, a bit of a larrikin (in a nice way) and a very grounded and happy person. Easy talker. The trip was pleasant and we had a very successful day workwise.

Now lets talk about the food. I picked him up at 8 oclock and off we headed. As we neared a major town about 90 minutes later he asked if we could stop for coffee. He told me that his breakfast had consisted of a coffee and some strawberries before he left home. I couldnt say no even though I always stop in that town but only to use the toilet. I dont buy food or drinks.

So we go into the cafe at the roadhouse and he orders a decaf latte and has a blueberry and custard danish with it. Hmmmm. The he says that he must get water for the trip, asks if I want one (I dont as I have a water bottle in the car) and buys a flavoured "vitamin water" or something equally bizarre. There's no plain H2O happening for him. Then to finish off his breakfast be buys a packet or Red Rock sweet chilli and sour cream chips. OMG I pass comment but dont want to make abig deal out of it. I AM GOBSMACKED!! Then he eats the chips in the car and the smell is just about making me puke. WTF??? I normally like those chips but something about them today - or maybe it was the fact that it was still somewhat early in the morning - just had my stomach turning.

Now lets get onto lunch. A toasted bacon and egg sandwich, a small ham and pineapple pizza, a small bottle of ginger beer and a slice of carrot and walnut cake. He was VERY hungry I was told.

Now how do you think this guy looks? (Remember he's over 40!!)

Well he's as lean as a guy in great shape. Flat abs, no love handles, just lean all over. I tell you THERE IS NO JUSTICE INN THIS WORLD!!!

So what does good health mean to me? It means a lot more than how you look. I believe that skinny (or lean) does NOT always mean good health. Imagine how his arteries would be and how his heart would cope with the clogging that his arteries would be building up.

Good health means eating well MOST OF THE TIME. You know things like fresh (or frozen) vegetables, fruit, good quality carbs and lean proteins. Treats are ok but in moderation.

Good health means being active for at least 3 days / week. Choose an activity you enjoy and just do it. There's no point in fretting about which exercise is the best. The best one is the one you enjoy doing because it means you'll stick with it.

Good health means choosing to be a positive and optimistic person. You know the glass can be half full just as easily as it can be half empty. Its your choice how you view it. I guarantee that a positive outlook will instantly have you walking taller, prouder and with a bounce to your step. Much better than dragging a miserable slumped frame around.

Good health is also about enough sleep, enough (waking) rest and leisure time and balance.

How healthy is your life?

Magda

AND THEN ITS TUESDAY

Hmmmm chugging along.
Lovin http://lindyolsen.com and reading others very inspirational blogs.

Feeling ordinary as though I just havent found my groove this year. I know its all up to me to make it happen but to be honest I'm not sure what I want "to happen".

Will keep working towards running the City to Bay as its something I've always wanted to do. But am I passionate about it? Does it excite me?
Well I think you know my answer.

Perhaps I've fallen victim to the old "Too much thinking. Too much talking. Too little action." (If thats not a famous proverb already then I'm claiming it as mine)

Good night all

Magda

MONDAY ROLLS AROUND AGAIN

Hi all,

well another weekend has bitten the dust. Gee they come quickly and go even more quickly.

After my magnificent run on Saturday (of which I did walk some sections - I'm not fit enough to run for an hour non-stop yet) I caught up with a friend who was visiting Adelaide for the weekend. She is living in Whyalla (due to her WH's work) until August so it was nice to see her for a cup of tea and a chat. I actually wanted to take a bottle of bubbly over but thought better of it as we both could have ended up quite tipsy.

Dad's birthday dinner was lovely. WARNING!! to the All Females competitors: Put down your lean protein and salad or your black tea or coffee and move away from the computer screen NOW.

Ok to everyone else...here's what we had: peppered ham in puff pastry (nibbles); home made chicken soup (my mum makes the best) with noodles and dumplings; veal schnitzel (yes veal!! a true schnitzel is NEVER made from beef); shallow fried gnocci; mushy peas (home made); crumbed cauliflower and some steamed veg. For dessert mum made a walnut torte and sweet cream cheese in puff pastry rolls. The food was divine and it took a lot of willpower to eat only a moderate portion :-)

We lazed around home on Sunday and just got the domestic chores done. Nothing exciting.

WH is home sick with the winter lurgy so circumstances made it impractical to go out for my morning exercise or to use the exercise room. Was this a problem?? No sirree (shaking head). I moved a set of heavy dumbbells and a set of light dumbbells into the study and did another circuit style workout of the following:

Squats x 15r (heavy)
Bent Over Rows x 12r (heavy)
Static Lunges x 15r (light)
Push-ups x 12r (from my knees - have lost a lot of fitness here)
Stiff Legged Deadlifts x 15r (heavy)
Lat Raises x 12r (light)

4 circuits completed and MOST body parts worked. Thats one for me :-)

Hope your week is shaping up to be a good one. Cheers all

Magda

FROM TEA'S BLOG

1.Where is your cell phone? kitchen bench top
2. Your significant other? lounge room
3. Your hair? looking daggy (I havent been out today)
4. Your mother? totally selfless
5. Your father? a year older as of last Tuesday
6. Your favorite thing? holidays
7. Your dream last night? dont think I had one - or if I did I cant remember it now
8. Your favorite drink? Cointreau on ice
9. Your dream/goal? to place in figure at the national level before I'm 50
10. The room you’re in? study
11. Your ex? approaching 50 and still living with his mother (again) - says it all doesnt it!!??
12. Your fear? being unloved
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? happy and at peace with myself
14. Where were you last night? at mum and dad's having dinner to celebrate dad's birthday
15. What you’re not? patient
16. Muffins? bran
17. One of your wish list items? holiday to the Greek Islands
18. Where you grew up? Adelaide
19. The last thing you did? made a cup of tea
20. What are you wearing? tracky dacks, sports top, sneakers
21. Your TV? on - WH is watching soccer
22. Your pets? big fat lazy moggy called Miss Moneypenny
23. Your computer? new
24. Your life? fortunate and blessed
25. Your mood? ok
26. Missing someone? no
27. Your car? Audi A3
28. Something you’re not wearing? make up (only coz I havent been out today)
29. Favorite store? anyone of the designer shops in Singapore at sale time
30. Your summer? too long ago to matter now
31. Like (love) someone? yes to both
32. Your favorite color? red
33. Last time you laughed? today
34. Last time you cried? about 2 weeks ago
35. Who will re-post this? surprise me

Magda

HELP!! I'M TECHNOLOGICALLY CHALLENGED

Ok this Bloglist thing sounds like its worth a go. I've looked it up and read about it but how do you set it up? I could find NOTHING that explained this to me.

Magda

RUNNING IN THE RAIN

This morning it rained.
Then it cleared.
I headed out for my jog.
When I was at the first furthest point from home it started to rain.
So what did I do?
Did I whinge?
Did I get angry?
No I put a big smile on my face and gave thanks for:

• the rain that would do all of our gardens good
• having 2 good legs that allow me to go running
• having enough money to buy an IPod and good running shoes
• living in such a lovely area that I have lakes to run around and parks to run through
• my BS safe and sheltered at home playing his X Box
• my WH enjoying his coffee and reading the paper
• the weekend after a busy week at work.

As I neared the one hour mark I was tired and was really shuffling. Then the remake of Need You Tonight by INXS came on my IPod and gave me a small burst of energy. But it didnt see me home so I hit the play again button and cranked it up LOUD. I thought F*CK THIS SHUFFLING, I'M FINISHING WITH A RUN and I dug in and found energy I didnt know I had and powered it on home and finished on a true runner's high.

INVINCIBLE!!

Cheers all

Magda

MORE OF THE SKIN HEALING DIET

I started today with a 40 mins + steady state run - well it was a jog actually. I'd like to be able to say that I cruised through it but when you're carrying about 10 unwanted kilos, no run/jog feels like a cruise LOL. But I did it and was happy with my HRM reading.

Work was mega busy today and in fact its been like that all week and looks to stay that way til the end of the year. I love my job when its like this. I feel energized, alive and motivated. I havent heard further about my interview but the way I feel now, I wouldnt even be upset if I missed out.

One disadvantage of the busier schedule is that I wont make my PT session tomorrow. I'll have to do an improvised back, core and bis workout at home but thats ok. Another thing was that because I was so on the go today I found it impossible to eat every 3 hours like I normally do. But I kept my food clean and on track and within my "skin healing diet" guidelines. I ended up guzzling heaps of water in the evening as that had suffered too. Although I'm sure nobody is interested, I'll post what I had today (sorry if this bores you to tears)

5.05am: 1/2 WPI (pre-training)
7.00am: I slice wholemeal toast, 1 egg (whole), 2 small rashers of lean middle bacon, mushroom (all cooked in a non-stick pan)
11.45am: green veg with chicken (same as yesterday)
3.45pm: soy cappuccino + Slim Secrets bar (Binge Buster)
6.30pm: stirfried green veges (different to lunch-time) + chicken with a spicy coating (This was in the freezer so I'm not sure exactly what was in it).

I dont log my food in CalKing anymore so cant report the cals or macronutrient totals but I'm happier doing this now.

Yippee for Friday tomorrow. I've decided to skip the whole floor morning tea as with my diet restrictions I'm sure there will be NOTHING suitable for me bar some fruit. I've made myself a nice salad and will just have a small tin of tuna with it. And I'm looking at this as "I'm choosing to eat like this to heal my skin" and not "oh I'm missing out on all the foods I love". I will however, look forward to a wine or two in the evening but keep my dinner mainly lean and clean.

On Saturday we are having dinner at my mum and dad's as it was Dad's birthday on Tuesday. Mum is cooking up some lovely favourites so that'll be a "free meal" which I can and will enjoy now that I'm not killing myself trying to win my RRLA. My plan is to:

1. Not over-eat on anything
2. Make sure I stick to my "2 treat" rule
3. Relax and enjoy the evening.

I think thats all doable.

Cheers all (and I dont mind if you secretly wish me luck in avoiding a major weekend blowout.)

Magda

THE SKIN HEALING DIET

I feel so much better knowing that the pressure to lose a considerable amount of weight in a short time is off me. I'm so much happier and more relaxed and will introduce more (lean and clean) foods that I enjoy back into my regular diet. I want to eat in a way that can be maintained in the long term - make it a lifestyle - yet in a way that gets me lean and more importantly - KEEPS ME LEAN.

I've decided to make some dietary changes in order to help heal a skin condition that I've had previously and which has recently returned. Its a form of psoriasis and when I had a bad bout of it about 5 years ago, my Naturopath gave me an excellent topical cream and suggested some diet modifications. They were: cut out: red meat, dairy, white flour and alcohol (although we compromised on this by me reducing my alcohol intake as I really love a wine or two, once or twice a week). I was also to increase my intake of fatty fish. So I did this and sure enough the psoriasis cleared without me having to resort to many of the things the dermatologist had advised. I was a happy camper then and I'm expecting the same result now.

Mind you I'm a dairy lover as I regularly eat low fat cottage cheese, diet yogurt and have skim milk in my cappuccinos. I dont mind a soy cappuccino but wont go near soy yogurt anymore and will miss the cottage cheese. Oh and I love kangaroo meat, a good steak and just about anything made from mince :-( White flour isnt that appealing so I'm OK chucking that. Just a few more diet challenges to overcome.

Here's what I ate today:

5.05am: 1/2 serve WPI (pre-training)
6.00am: 1 serve WPI + small pear (post training)
7.00am: 2.5 egg whites + .5 whole egg with spinach and zucchini
10.00am: green salad with smoke flavoured tuna
11.00am: 55g salted peanuts (was really hungry and resorted to the charity box of treats)
1.00pm: Subway honey and oat 6 inch sub with ham, swiss cheese (oops should have skipped that) and tons of salad + lite mayo (I forgot to take my lunch today in the morning rush to get ready and out of the house. I dont normally buy my lunch and was out of the metro area then).
2.00pm 2-3 jelly snakes/babies (put out at the meeting I was attending. (At least I stopped at that small amount!)
No afternoon tea as I was travelling back to work and running late.
6.00pm: steamed green veg with chicken breast lightly flavoured with sugar and salt free cajun sprinkle.
8.00pm: Chai tea with vanilla and a splash of lite soy milk.
I drank close to my 3.5litre quota of water/green tea.

So not a BAD day but there's room for improvement.

Today I did an (almost) full body weights circuit which I just loved. It actually had an aerobic training effect too as my rest periods were short and I chose challenging exercises and weights. I've been quite slack with my weight training lately so this was a good step in the right direction AND it left me feeling really good too. Here's what I did:

DB Squats (quite deep) x 15r
BB Chest Press x 12r
Stiff Legged Deadlifts x 15r
DB Upright Rows x 10r
Walking Lunges x 20r
Dips (from bench) x 20r

I repeated it 4 times and all up it took about 40 minutes. Just perfect in the time I have available in the mornings.

Well its late so I'll be toddling off for my precious sleep. Cheers all

Magda

MY SITUATION

OK I'm a bit embarassed now coz I dont think I've explained things clearly and I'm sending the wrong message out. Here's my dilemma.



Some time ago I enetred into a Reverse Risk Leverage Agreement that went like this: My goal was to get under 65kgs by the All Females. If I didnt achieve my goal then I'd lose $500 of my own money + 1 month's use of the internet. I made this "deal" with my husband as I thought it'd motivate me to finally get serious about losing weight and not just yoyoing up and down from 67 - 70ish kgs. Its like an external motivator and after failing to lose weight for too long (since the beginning of this year) I thought this would be "the answer" for me.



Well I was wrong. I've had good periods. I've even had some GREAT periods but when I lapse I do so badly and take several steps backwards hence my lack of true progress. So at 3 1/2 weeks out I'm now in the position of "too much to lose, too little time". I'm eating well (again) and training too but can I / will I make the big loss that is required? HIGHLY UNLIKELY.



My guess is that I'd have to:

1. Eat virtually no carbs til then and have too low a caloric intake.

2. Do cardio twice a day.

3. Have no cheat meals/treats whatsoever.

4. Probably do a massive dehydrate the night before.

5. God knows what else. I've considered some other stuff but I just wont go there. Never have and never will.



So am I prepared to crash diet myself and flog myself physically to achieve this?





NO I'M NOT. I truly believe I'd do myself more harm than good and its just not worth it. (Weighing myself this morning gave me a definitive amount that I'd need to lose and I realised that it just wasnt feasible).



But having said all that I'm still working towards the sub 65 but I want to achieve it through healthy eating in a way that can be maintained as a lifestyle - not through a drastic crash diet that leaves me feeling like death on 2 legs and at risk of binging even worse than I now. So I may not make it by 11th July but if its week or 2 or a month later then I'll still be happy with my achievement.



As I shared with CG tonight - my utimate goal as I approach 45 is to be at peace with my body, at peace with my eating and at peace with myself. When I achieve that I'll have everything I ever wantedn :-)



So when you meet me at the All Females please dont judge me on my losing the deal with my WH. If I succeed in eating well, training regularly and feeling good about myself between now and then, I'll be considering myself to be a winner.



I havent responded to comments individually tonight as I hope this post does that. Thanks so much to Rae, Shar, Deb, Kek, CG and Pip for taking the time to comment and offer your support. It means a lot to me.

Cheers

Magda

I HAVENT GIVEN UP

Well despite going bananas at my own Pity Party yesterday, today I just got on with it and did it. Did what you may ask? I ate clean. I followed Lindy Olsen's 7 Rules for Success adding 1 more excellent rule thanks to the ever wise and helpful Combat Girl (big thanks going out to you CG). Yep Rule # 8 is the "2 treats" rule that says: "If you're having a treat, always limit it to 2 of anything" (such as 2 glasses of wine, 2 biscuits etc ... of course with some things one is more than enough but you get the drift, I'm sure). Not that I had any treats today but I've decided to adopt that rule for myself in future.

So today was lots of lean protein with either veges or salad, mainly green although I havent committed to do the Green Detox in full. Tomorrow I'll make my ultimate decision about whether I'm prepared to give it my all to reach my sub 65 goal by the All Females or whether I've just left it too late. The number on the scales will be the deciding factor. I'm a bit hungry as I type this but thats just me having to get used to eating less after a few indulgent days.

I've been keeping up with my favourite blogs but I havent been commenting much due to lack of time. Like many others I enjoy going onto LindyOlsen.com and find that it takes hours to keep up to date on all the posts there. Oh so much to do, so little time.

Cheers all and tomorrow I'll blog my ultimate decision so please come back again

Magda

RIDING THE UPS AND DOWNS

So whats been happening with me since I last posted?

I spent Thursday night prepping for my interview on Friday. WH gave me some hypothetical questions and I prepared for them plus I got a heap of info off the net (thank GOd for Google).

Friday was a madly busy day. I had it all worked out as to what I'd do when but when it rolled around I ended up cancelling my PT session :-( as it was all getting too rushed and I knew that the pressure would freak me out even more. My interview was that afternoon and I didnt want to arrive feeling like I'd been through the wringer. I knew I would LEAVE feeling like that and that was enough.

So how did it go?

I'd be surprised if I got called back for round 2. I thought I did ok until the last question which I clearly didnt answer well. They helped me a little and the prompting allowed me to talk about the issue to some extent but not enough in my opinion. I've also spent about 3 hours over the weekend doing a written exercise that also forms part of the selection process. What will be, will be.

On Friday night I went out with the girls to see Sex and the City again. I loved it just as much the 2nd time around. Sadly some of the others werent as keen to kick on and my "big night out" fizzled after one drink after the movie :-( (I know who WONT be invited next time!!).

On Saturday I had a rare sleep in til 10am which is just unheard of for me. Sadly this meant that I missed my training. Saturday is my favourite training day coz I do a one hour cardio session. Today wasnt much better with just a brief walk to the shops and back. Yep things havent been great on the training front for me and that also means ..... yep diet :-(

I was going really well for almost 3 weeks but when I slipped up it felt like I was back at square one. What is it with square one that I feel compelled to return there over and over again? Its like I'm on a great positive roll. All is going well. I'm in the zone and doing everything right. And then BANG that switch is flicked and I'm doing everything wrong. The headset just does this about face and its like the old fat girl just takes hold again and I'm tired of battling with her over and over again.

I have 3 1/2 weeks before Melbourne and I dont know where to draw my strength from to beat the fat b*tch down and get myself back on track again.

Magda

REALISATIONS

Firstly thank you to everyone who left me wishes to get well soon.

I had an early night as planned and with an extra blanket over the quilt I got to sleep at 9pm and slept through til 6 this morning. I know I sweated as fair bit and woke up with the headache still. Stayed in bed for most of the morning. Endured a couple more sweat-fests and then it eased up. Drank heaps of water and now just have the remains of a mild headache. Not 100% yet but MUCH better than this time last night.

Being home to recuperate gave me time to think about things and work some stuff out about me.

Its becoming more and more obvious that for me bad food = bad health. I believe that both of my recent illnesses can be attributed to poor nutrition just prior to me getting sick. Normally I'm very healthy and strong and I could tolerate bad food with no real ill effects. This seems to no longer be the case. What I considered to be "treats" are foods that if eaten too often or in larger quantities, will actually make me sick. Sadly my "treat foods" are also foods that I find hard to have in moderation. So what's the message there??

If I want to stay healthy, strong and sane then eating well is absolutely essential. This needs to be at least 90% of the time and not just when I think "sh*t I need to lose a bit of weight". I also need to mentally redefine what "treats" are.

3 or more glasses of wine? Maybe not.
Benedictine (a winter favourite) once or twice a week? Shaking head.
Cakes/biscuits/ice cream? Hmmm better to not even start on them.
Nibbly foods before dinner? Danger. Danger. Will Robinson.
Bread and butter? Just say "no" Magda.
Pasta? Choose the protein option Magda.

As I said in a previous post, I'm a work in progress and the path I need to travel just became even clearer and more obvious.

Cheers all

Magda

FIGHTING ANOTHER ILLNESS

Its 8.30 and I'm soon to head off to bed. I've had a headache all day which has been depressing. Now I'm feeling really cold even though we have the heating on and I have a spencer (yeah NOT sexy I know!!), a wincheater and a big woolly cardy on. I ache all over my back (not from training) and my eyes are burning. Please oh please let me shake this as I dont want to go from one illness headfirst into another. But I'm feeling like crap there's no doubt about that.

Good night guys and fingers crossed all is back to good tomorrow.

:-( Magda

SO WHATS MY SCARY AND EXCITING NEWS?

As you may know (coz I've blogged about it before) my WH and I work in the same place. Not just the same building but in the same unit with the same boss. However its a big unit with 4 or 5 sections and then smaller teams within those sections. My WH manages one of the sections and I work in a different section. Our paths dont often cross although if I stood up at my desk and turned around, I'd see his desk. We're both OK with this.

But "this" is likely to change some time soon and its looking like my WH will actually manage the section in which I work (insert screwed up frowning face). I wont go into the reasons why this doesnt sit well with me just to say that I feel its inappropriate and some-one has to go. Seeing his career there is looking positive and promising and mine .... well lets just say that I havent been firing on all cylinders on the work front ..... so I've decided "its time to go .... Magda".

I've worked in this unit since 1997 or 1998 and its comfortable. I know the people. I know the work. I know the ups and downs but I've been actively looking for other jobs recently and a couple of weeks ago I wrote a quick application for one in another government department. WH read it and told me not to be upset but based on what I wrote, I wouldnt get an interview.

Well what does he know??!! They rang on Friday and told me I have an interview next Friday. So the mind boggles!!

Am I ready to step out of my comfort zone and tackle something really different?

Do I have enough self confidence to believe that I can take on something new, learn it and do it well?

Can I put my fear of the unknown behind me and jump into a new adventure with enthusiasm and passion?

Could this job be a new beginning which finally sees me moving out of the work rut I've felt stuck in for a long time now?

I guess at the end of the day it all boils down to me.

I have to go into that interview and "wow 'em" and sell myself as "the" person for that job. And if I'm successful then I have no reason to doubt myself, to lack confidence, to be scared or to stay in the negative rut.

Hence its scary but its exciting too. Friday 13th is I day so we'll see what it brings.

Cheers guys

Magda

TTOM EATING

OK I was doing really well with my eating and then on Wednesday I slipped up a bit and followed it up by eating 10,000 cals (it felt like it) on Thursday. Then lo and behold it was TTOM today (slapping forehead with palm of hand)

Now I've always insisted that any binges I have do NOT result from TTOM as I would binge at all different stages of my cycle. But on this occassion it was right before and I dont even know if this is the (usually) high risk time. Maybe, just maybe this binge was due to the effects of TTOM. If it was I'd be REALLY HAPPY (wierd I know) as I'd know when I was in the danger zone and I could plan accordingly.

Although today's eating wasnt "clean", at least I stuck to the usual meal and snack times and ate a normal amount of food with a couple of wines and nibbles at/before dinner time. Whilst its always hard putting a binge behind you and committing to getting back on track, I know that this is what I will do - no ifs or buts. Just do it and do it tomorrow :-)

I had some news today that is both scary and exciting but I'll post about it over the weekend when its not so late and I'm not as tired. As I was up several times last night I need to get a good night's sleep so I'll bid good night to all and say hello to my awaiting bed.

Enjoy the long weekend guys and visit again to read my news and what goes with it.

Cheers

Magda

ITS FINALLY HERE - THE SEX AND THE CITY PREMIER

Ladies tonight I’m off to the SAFM premier of Sex and the City. My beautiful SIL works for Austereo and she has scored tickets which is amazing as it’d have to be THE most popular movie premier this year. I cant wait!! I was a huge SATC fan and I’ve been hanging out for the movie version for ages (like everyone else).

So which SATC girl do you most resemble?

I’m blonde and older like Samantha. But I missed out on her sex life LOL.
I’m a working mum like Miranda. But I’m not nearly as career driven.
I’m a hopeless romantic like Carrie. But I have MUCH better taste in men. (No love rats for me thank you!! And if Aidan had been my boyfriend I NEVER would have risked that relationship)
I’m twice married like Charlotte. But I’m nowhere near as demure.

In the end … I’m me and I’m happy with that. Its just fun to see where I’d fit in the foursome.

Cheers all

Magda

MANAGING THE "DANGER ZONE"

There’s nothing like a decent sleep to make one feel a whole lot better the next day. It may have only been about 7 hours but it was pretty much uninterrupted and I woke up feeling good.

Today’s training was running which I hadn’t done for about 9 days when I was sick last week. I surprised myself with some sprint repeats after setting out to do one song walk / one song jog but found that too easy going. The whole session was just over 40 minutes and I felt fantastic when I got home.

I’m really aware that I’m now in my “danger zone” as far as my diet goes. This is my 3rd week of eating lean and clean with a view to losing body fat and traditionally this is the time that I fall of the wagon in some form or another. Its usually because I’m disappointed with my progress (not the case now), bored (trying to enjoy a variety of yummy foods this time) or I just get into that I’ve-been- depriving-myself-for-a-while-now-so-I-deserve-a-treat mindset. Previously I have been my own worst enemy literally talking myself into bad choices with the reasoning that “I’ll get back into it tomorrow / next week / whenever”. This time I’m on top of it as Operation Sub 65 is foremost in my mind.

So on that note I’ll wrap up today’s post and get stuck back into what I’m paid to do here. Hope you’re all having a good day.

Cheers

Magda

FEELING TIRED AND FLAT

Well I think the aftereffects of the weekend have hit me BIG TIME. I am very tired with absolutely no energy and a dull headache that has settled in since about 5pm. (I'm not dehydrated as I've had lots of water / herbal tea today).

It was around 11pm when I went to bed last night as I was cleaning up after the dinner. Then I was up at 5 to train and there's also not enough sleep from the night before compounding the issue.

But despite this I've stayed on track with my food today and I havent resorted to anything junky to make me feel better like I've done on countless occassions before. I've eaten my planned meals knowing that rest and sleep are what I need - not a sweet muffin, yeasty bun or toasted foccaccia.

So on that note I'm getting my running gear ready for tomorrow morning and then I'm hitting the sack for that much needed sleep. Will catch up with blogs tomorrow.

Good night all

Magda

SUNDAY IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE

Phew what a busy day. Here's the abridged version coz its late and I SHOULD try to sleep.

Up just after 7 (BS needed feeding) and got stuck into my training - in my pyjamas LOL!! Did chest, shoulders, tris and a little bis and 30 mins moderate intensity cardio.

After food, shower, more food and getting washing underway it was time to hit the kitchen. BLISS!! I luuuurve cooking :-)

The dinner was a success. I prepared an antipasto platter with prosciutto, smoked ham, a couple of cheeses, olives, toast fingers with cream cheese, smoked trout and avocado, prosciutto and spinach frittata and meatballs in spicy tomato sauce. We then had slow roasted lamb shanks with white bean puree and caramelised onions however my lamb shanks didnt turn out quite like they should have so they will be on the menu again before winter is over. Dessert was a moderate fat version of tiramasu. So how did I handle tonight??

Drink in moderation - tick
Stop eating before I felt stuffed - tick
Enjoy dessert without guilt - tick
Clean away leftovers without stuffing more food in - tick
Happy with how I handled tonight - tick
In the right frame of mind to get straight back into clean eating tomorrow - tick.

Good night all. This happy camper is off to bed.

Cheers

Magda