Tired

OMG I am sooo tired. I just cant catch up on my sleep, and I wake up feeling worse than I did when I went to sleep. Last night it tried to storm, and it was so windy that I kept waking up hearing stuff falling on the roof. This morning I am overcome with guilt, because I was too exhausted to get up and go to gym. I cant wait for this holiday, although it probably wont be much of a rest! 25 days to go!

Training is going well, eats are going well too - although I struggled last night to keep it clean. Sugar was calling me, but I managed to ignore it. Blah. I'm staying strong, and beginning to feel a lot leaner. I think my arms are showing much more definition, although the scales and measurements arent moving all that dramatically.

On Sunday morning when I was doing my weekly groceries, I got to the register and had one of those "hmmm" moments. The young guy at the register picks up my bag of snow peas... looks at me quizzically and asks "are these beans?"

"no, snow peas"....

He then picks up my cucumber and says "this is a cucumber, yeah?"

"yes" I said, thinking; does this boy not eat vegetables? He then picked up my leek - and all he had to do was hesitate and look at me, so I jumped right in saying "its a leek".

"A leek?... how do you spell that?"

hmmmmmmm. Maybe it was his first day? It really makes me wonder how anyone could get to the age of 17 and NOT know what all this stuff is!!! OK I'll grant him that a leek probably isn't your everyday vegetable, but the rest???

Tuesday I went to the eye specialist to find out about Implantable Contact Lenses (as i was unsuitable for Lasik) - and I'm now booked in to have it done - the 15th of March next year (the Ides of March, my dad tells me... is that a bad omen?) - my right eye gets done first, then a few weeks later the left gets done. Exciting and frightening all at the same time!!

Have a great Thursday!

My fabulous week

I'm baaa-aaack! What a busy week I've had! Tuesday morning I was up at 4am and then off to the airport to catch my flight to Rockhampton - what a long day that was. Spent my day training new staff members, then found myself a gym and joined up for a 5 visit pass. I had been to this gym before, but I'd never explored it before. Its an old building (think it might have been a bank once) and its HUGE. I've never seen such a huge gym. They have an enormous aerobic room (which had supporting columns up through the middle lol! - not good if you forget they're there) a normal weights room, then a pretty big womens weights area (and no baby-weights either, very pleased to see) and a special cardio area. What I didn't realise that this place had another level underneath, containing a 25m pool, RPM bike area, boxing gym, squash courts and a "Powerlifting" weights area!! Almost made me want to move to Rocky!

Despite all this, there is little or no airconditioning, and it gets pretty hot up there. I did a Body Step class on Wednesday afternoon and I was dying afterwards - so hot! Aaaaaaannnyway, I kicked butt while I was away! I visited the gym 5 times in 3 days, on Wednesday I burned 819 calories all up (very pleased with myself I was!) - and by Thursday afternoon I had already reached my weekly goal of 2400 cals burned, 8 hours of exercise. I was also shattered and exhausted! Probably did too much too quickly, but I felt so motivated.

Food was brilliant - I kept logging my calories to keep track, and it really helped. My only blunder was a breakfast omlette one morning... made with whole eggs, and it had bacon and cheese, and came with white bread and butter. I ate it. It happens. But all in all, I survived pretty well!

Some other exciting news... my work got a corporate box organised for the Robbie Williams concert in two weeks. They announced last week that there were 7 tickets to give away, and that they were going to draw names out of a hat.... yep you guessed it... I'M GOING TO ROBBIE WILLIAMS!!!!!! Woohoo! So exciting! And in a corporate box too!!!! Its on Thursday 14th December.

And to cap off a brilliant week, yesterday we went to have a look at an Nissan Xtrail, and ended up driving home with it! Its exciting, and I love it, but I will miss my V8. I used to love driving it because it had a lovely V8 rumble and I felt a bit tough! The Xtrail will be a lot cheaper to run though, its a 2003 model, white, automatic, tinted windows... my new baby!

Just when everything is going well...

... you get sent away for work again. I've been working so hard on establishing my new fitness routine, gym every morning and walking the dogs in the afternoon, and now I have to go to Rockhampton tomorrow for the rest of the week. grrrrrr. The bonus is that I will have a car, so at least I can go to gym up there.

Travelling for work has always been the biggest problem for me, I find it hard in terms of nutrition. Its a challenge to eat clean when you're dining on restaraunt food all the time, and sometimes the places I stay at dont understand what you mean when you say "No dressing, and I dont want the potato" - they look at you like you're from another planet or something. There is usually no option to cook for yourself either. I generally take my own food for meals 2 and 4, so thats no problem. Its breakfast and dinner that have "undone" me in the past! But I WILL be saying no to the breakfast buffet, and WILL say no to carbs at dinner... send me your positive thoughts!!!!

Well, measurements day was Saturday, and I'm quite pleased with the results. Although the scales aren't moving a whole lot, the cm's and mm's are coming off. After 10 weeks I have lost a total of 9cm all over, and 9mm in skinfolds. Technically I have only 2 weeks to go, but I have decided to continue my challenge until just before the trip. I realise that I wasted the first 6 weeks by not focussing properly, and its only been in the last 2 weeks that I have been really determined. Having this deadline of the trip dangling in front of me has been the best motivator ever!

Paid for the balance of the trip on Saturday, and then went outside and got myself a little sun. I've decided that I refuse to go to England and be whiter than the locals. So I'm dedicating half an hour each Saturday and Sunday on getting a little suntan. I dont need to look like a 'bronzed Aussie', but I dont want to be white as a ghost either!

Hope everyone has a fantastic week!

Spiders

We're not in the bush, but we're in an area that is close to bushland, and bigger blocks.  And that means more "wildlife".  And that means huges spiders.  The other night I was watching TV and I saw something out of the corner of my eye..... I shrieked "HUNTSMAN HUNTSMAN HUNTSMAN!!!!"  Oooh it makes my skin crawl just thinking about it.  Huntsman are especially bad because they are big and hairy and they bloody jump at you... So poor BF had to get up and get the spray and chase thing thing around the lounge room, while I hid in the kitchen (I actually got into the pantry and shut the door... sad arent I?)

Then a few days later I was about to leave for work and I went looking for the cat (just to make sure he wasn't locked in the bathroom or anything) and he was sitting in the garage.  Just sitting - looking at the bar-fridge.  I asked him what was wrong, and he "meowed" and walked up to the fridge door (we have a strange relationship, me and the cat - he's a talkative Siamese, so we 'chat' quite a bit).  So I bumped the fridge and a mid-sized huntsman ran out from underneath.  So the cat chased it around and batted it like a ball for a bit with me yelling "GET IT CONNOR - GET IT!".  Not sure if he got it - I had to leave before the game was finished.   I hope he did, otherwise there's another spider loose in the house.

I've been using Fitday again since last Thursday, and managing to keep my calories in check.  I have realised that I was grossly undercalculating how much I was actually eating - it is so easy to consume more calories than you think you are.  Anyway, now its under control, and I feel a lot more focussed.  Actually seeing some changes on the scale, so thats a plus.  For me, using Fitday is a really good idea, it makes me rethink everything I'm about to eat...

Woke up at 3 o'clock this morning - and spent the next 2 hours dozing, then waking up - for some reason I kept thinking I'd overslept.  When I actually got up, the first thing I thought was "Oh well, at least today is Friday.... hang on.... its only Thursday - groan"  Did Body Attack again this morning, got through 400 calories.  Felt like I got through it a lot easier than last week too - yay!  I love the high-kicking track - reminds me of my jazz ballet days when we used to do the Can-Can.  Then I'm taking the dogs for another powerwalk this afternoon, and then Step tomorrow morning.   Just call me Cardio-Queen!

Its Monday again...

I had a fabulous weekend. Saturday I was up early to take the dogs for a long walk before the hydro-bath man came to bath them Then I headed up to the shops and had myself a mini shopping spree! I bought three new tops for work, a pair of trousers, a new hair clip, three gym tops, two sports bras and (this is my favourite one) a "gift pack" of mini-perfumes - Christian Dior - Jadore, Addict, Pure Poison, Miss Dior Cherie and Dolce Vita - all for me!!!! I love those little mini perfumes, they're just the perfect size for your handbag, and you get to try some that you wouldn't normally try. So now I'm all set for fragrance for the trip!

42 days to go, by the way... just in case you thought I'd forgotten my countdown.

Saturday afternoon I was meant to be going to the fitness expo with Andj, but unfortunately she fell sick so she had to ring and cancel. Hope you're feeling a bit better now Andj!

On Saturday night my boyfriend and I had a fantastic evening - first having dinner (and cocktails!) and then going to the movies. We saw Jackass Number Two, and I have to say that despite the bad reviews it got, it was absolutely hilarious. I have to admit that I had never dry-retched in a cinema before, but I have now!! Ewww it was so gross in some parts, but pretty funny - the whole cinema was in stitches the whole way through. Nothing wrong with a little (or a lot of) toilet humour to cap off an evening!

Sunday was the usual groceries, washing clothes, chopping dog food... but I am so proud of myself to say that I ate 100% to plan on the weekend. I had a free meal on Saturday night but I didn't go overboard, I stopped when I felt satisfied, no munchies in the movies, 2.5 litres of water each day, felt GREAT!!!

And... I worked out that I burned over 2400 calories last week, and did over 8.5 hours of exercise - woohoo! Now its my goal to better that this week. Next weekend is another measurements day, got to see some changes!

100 walking lunges...

I dont like the scales. They're moving in the wrong direction lately. I cant claim to have been eating totally clean, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. This week I have been spot on though, and the goal is to still go to gym 5 mornings per week - but also to walk the dogs a minimum of 3 afternoons each workday. Then another longer dog walk on Saturday. So far so good!

Tuesday afternoon after the dog walk I wanted to do more - so I did 100 walking lunges (without a break) around the garage. After about 70 my legs were screaming, and on the final 20 my hamstrings were cramping like crazy. Finished that, caught my breath, and then did 60 pop squats (2 sets of 30), then I had to lay down! Got the heart rate soaring, and I felt GREAT! Think I am going to do that a couple of afternoons a week, that should get my butt into shape. My legs are sore now though.

A funny thing happened at the gym on the other morning. I was doing my usual shoulder workout, and a guy moved to the bench beside me to do some dumbell chest presses. He sort of acted all cocky and confident - I just got on with my workout. Anyway I was between sets, and this guy picks up his weights, leans back to lie on the bench, and as he did.... HE.... FARTED. OMG I was horrified! I didn't know which way to look, I bit my lip and tried not to laugh!!!! He carried on with his set, but he dropped the weights early and got out of there quick-smart!! heheheh

This morning I did an Attack class, my gym is trialling it at the 5.45am timeslot for a month. The whole class was red-faced by about halfway through - my god I forgot what an awesome workout they are! After the "running around" track I thought my ankle was going to break, it hurt so much, and made it a bit hard to finish the class. So I loved it, but jeez its a lot harder on your body than I remembered (either that or I'm getting old!)

This week I received the most lovely surprise in the post. My mentoree and new friend Alicia E sent me the most beautiful thank-you card, and a voucher. I was completely touched - what a wonderful way to start the day! Could not wipe the smile off my face! Hopefully very soon we will be able to meet for a coffee and a chat!

The week is nearly over - where did it go?!

I'll have her body, thanks

Kristia Knowles... motiviation to go for a jog! I love this bikini too.

51 Days til our trip!

A few more days to go than Shar though!

I had an eventful night on Thursday night in bed (no its not what you're thinking - get your minds out of the gutter! hehehe). Got woken up by BF sitting bolt upright and turning on his bedside lamp... "Whats wrong?" I asked. He sat there staring up at the ceiling, looking from corner to corner over our heads... saying nothing. So I asked him again. He said "oh... nothing - must have been dreaming" and turned the light off and went back to sleep.

Took me ages to get to sleep after this. Then sometime early this morning I was woken again by him trying to take my pillow from me!! So I sat up and said "Babe, thats my pillow" - and he looked at me and asked "Where's MY pillow gone?" hehehe I was starting to giggle by now. Anyway, he sort of shrugs as if to say "oh well", and lays back down on his now pillow-less side of the bed. I thought - I cant let him sleep without a pillow... so I climbed all over him to find that his pillow had been thrown onto the floor a couple of metres from the bed. Gave it back to him, and tried to get back to sleep.

Then around 3am I woke with a screaming headache, I must have been dreaming something bad because I was clenching my teeth so tight- my whole face was hurting! Then all too soon the alarm went off at 5 and I got up to go to gym.

Well i asked BF what was going on in his sleep - and apparently he'd been dreaming about a huge spider running accross the ceiling of the bedroom, which is why he turned the light on and stared at the ceiling (I'm so glad he kept that to himself at the time... **shudder**) Also he'd had a dream about being in a car accident - wonder if that's how the pillow ended up on the other side of the room?

Didn't do step on Friday because of extreme tiredness - I would be just as likely to trip over the step rather than put my foot on it. So just got on the cross trainer and treadmill for some steady state cardio. The woman on the treadmill beside me turned out to be my accross-the-road neighbour!

Got up this morning to take the dogs for a walk to find it teeming with rain! It must be Jodie bringing the rain with her! As nice as it is to have rain (we're on level 4 water restriction now) - it does put a stop to things on the weekend. If the rain stops, I will take the pooches out.

Off to go shopping soon for a digital video camera for our trip!! Have a fantastic weekend!

Wednesday - Week 7

Had a mishap in the gym today!  I got on the abdominal reverse curl bench this morning, not even looking at the setting it was on... should have though.  The pin wasn't in properly, and the thing waited until I was fully lying on my back before it popped out and had me crashing down to the level position!!!!!  It made an awful noise, and I leapt off it pretty quick!  Turned around to find the whole gym room staring at me!  How embarrassing!  Took me a few minutes for my heart rate to return to normal after that!  LOL!

Anyway, not a lot to report today. I've been very low in energy the last few days, mostly due to lack of sleep again.   I feel like my get-up-and-go got-up-and-went!

We've had the bobcat in at our place in the last few days... BYE BYE VEGIE GARDEN :(  Our front and back "wilderness" has been removed, and we're now living in a dust pit.  Hopefully we can get a driveway laid soon - our cars are filthy, my shoes are filthy - dust just gets everywhere!  We've still got heaps of big gum trees, in fact, there is still more plant life on our block than in our last place.  We're just trying to tame it a little.  The new vegie garden might have to wait a little while though.

Got this by email today and I thought it was cute:

Dear Dogs and Cats,
The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food.
Please note: Placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by Formula1 and is not a racetrack. Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king size bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years; canine or feline attendance is not mandatory.

The proper order is: Kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough!

Hope everyone is having a good week!

"It has been said that our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, but only empties today of its strength."

Where did the weekend go?

Weekends just go too fast.  I need a holiday!

Got up nice and early on Saturday morning, walked the pooches, cleaned the house, did the groceries etc, and then one of my girlfriends came over for lunch, along with her 9 month old son Joshua.  He's growing up so fast, and really turning into a little man now, lots of personality!  hmmmm, am I getting clucky?

Saturday night we watched a couple of DVD's, during which I had 3 glasses of bubbly and fell asleep on the lounge!  Just cant keep up the pace anymore - jeez I'm getting old.  I woke up on Sunday morning with the beginnings of my stomach pains again, but my "miracle cure" glutamine seemed to save the day - after a shot of that I seemed to improve dramatically.  I really want to take my glutamine overseas with me, but I'm a bit worried about how I will go travelling with a "suspicious white powder"!!!  Might have to switch back to tablets for the duration of the trip.  I think it is really helping with my stomach issues though.

Not much else happened on the weekend - we went and looked at a car (for me), a Nissan Xtrail.  I liked it, and the price was right too.  We'll see what happens. 

Anyway, another week beckons, I am at week 7 of my challenge now - how fast time flies!  Weight went back up a little on the weekend, bugger.  Did the bike class again this morning, I think there was something wrong with the bike I was on - the tension was stuffed or something, I kept turning up the tension and it didn't feel like I was working hard enough.  I like to think that its just me getting fitter, but in reality I think the bike was faulty... Finished the class and jumped straight onto a treadmill for a 10 minute jog - jelly legs after that. 

56 days til our trip!   eeeeeeeeek!

Eye Assessment

Well I went and had my Lasik eye assessment yesterday afternoon.  First I had to watch a video about all the potential risks and dangers associated with Lasik, then had a whole heap of tests done, only to find out that my cornea is too thin to have either Lasik or PRK.  To meet the Australian Standard, the cornea has to be a minimum of 510 microns or something, and mine is way thin, getting down to 380 microns in some parts.

He said it was nothing that I've done, its not like I've worn away the cornea by wearing contact lenses for so long, its just the way I am - like having fine hair, or thin fingernails... thin corneas cause no other problems other than if you want to get Lasik done.  But I do have an option - I'm suitable for Implantable Contact Lenses, which has not been done a lot in Australlia, but if I go with that it means that I CANT get them done before the trip.  Plus you have to get one eye done at a time, with a few weeks in between.  So this might be an option for February next year.  Got lots of research to do!

Unfortunately because I was so excited beforehand, and totally had my heart set on being able to have it done, I was so disappointed when we left that I burst into tears as soon as we got in the lift.  And I was weirded out with having dilated pupils (which means that your eyes cant adjust to the light and bright light/daylight hurts),  and I was feeling quite low yesterday afternoon.  Spoke to mum and dad about it, and they were great - dad was telling me to be philosophical about it - things happen for a reason, and this other procedure sounds like a much better alternative, its reversible, the results are instant rather than waiting for that "adjusting" period of 3-6 months that Lasik has... I just cant have it done now, thats all.

Anyway I had a glass of wine and a handful of peanuts last night, which made me feel even worse.  I felt so gross and even drunk on ONE glass of wine!   Didnt feel like going to gym this morning, but I got up on autopilot and went anyway.  I humm'd and haaah'd about doing Step because I felt really lacking in energy.  At the last minute I decided to do it anyway, but only used one block instead of two.  Felt absolutely shattered afterwards, burned 430 calories, but also felt much better.  What would I do without exercise?!!  It always makes you feel good!

And was rewarded this morning when I stepped on the scales to find that I've reached 57kgs!

This week for some reason I'm not enjoying my food.  Apart from last night I've eaten 100% clean and on plan, but I'm so bored with my food!  I need to find some good recipe alternatives for dinner.  There's only so much chicken and salad, lamb and salad, and fish and salad that a girl can bear.  I've been eating this way for a year and a half now and always enjoyed it, but for some reason this week I cant stomach it.  I eat stir fries for lunch, so I dont want to eat that for dinner as well.  Does anyone have any suggestions, or point me to a few websites?

Good luck to all who are competing this weekend in Melbourne - wish I could be there!!

Monday

My weekend wrap-up... On Saturday morning I got up early and took the pooches for a walk around the new area, then we had Foxtel come out to do our installation.  Unfortunately they were unable to do it because there are some issues with the power pole that they need to run the cable from... long story, anyway, we had Energex come out and fix the power line, then had to re-book with Foxtel - so poor BF has to wait another two weeks to get his Fox Sports back!!

We went shopping after that - for a new lounge suite!  We're so picky, the sales people must hate us!  I think we went to about 6 different places trying to find the right one. We found one that we really really liked, but it was too big for the lounge room!!  So we came away without a purchase, but its still on the agenda.  While we were in Harvey Norman we found these fabulous "massage chairs" - they had about 6 or 7 models ranging from $1000 to about $9000.  OMG these chairs are amazing!  I got on one expecting that it would just vibrate or heat up, but its acutally got little "fingers" almost!  They have a rolling motion, or kneading, or tapping, and goes all the way up your body - even massages your feet, hamstrings, butt... everything!  We sat in these chairs for about half an hour, all the time we were going "oooooh... aaaaaaah.... OH MY GOD that feels good!!!" its a wonder we werent chucked out!!  hehehe.  If you've got a furniture store near you - you HAVE to try one of these chairs!!!!  When I win the lotto, I want one! :)

I had an optomotrist appointment on Saturday afternoon, and I received the good news that my script has not changed!  That's now 2 years with a stable script, and also my eyes are in great health.  Sooooooooo.... I have booked in to have an assessment for Laser Eye Surgery... I will find out on Thursday if I'm eligible!  I have been wanting to have this done for about 10 years, but I've never had stable vision.  So now, cross your fingers, I might be able to get it done before our trip!!

My challenge is going really well, this morning I was under 58kgs which I'm quite happy with.  On Saturday I was able to squeeze into a pair of 3/4 denim pants that a few weeks ago I couldn't do up.  Well they were tight, but at least I could wear them and still breathe... an important factor dont you think?  We have a new Amart AllSports open near us, and they have a huge sale on.  So I went and bought myself a new pair of gym shoes (finally - after months of putting up with shin splints!)  They are New Balance running shoes, white, with hot pink trim!!  Very snazzy, and my feet were glowing in the bike class this morning (darkened room with fluoro lights).

Food was great on Saturday, could have been a little better on Sunday though  - had a real sweet tooth last night unfortunately.  Anyway, I didn't do too much damage.  I'm going to have a sensational week this week!  Bring it on!!!!!!!!!!!

The kitty and the toad

This story has a happy ending!  But I had a rough night!

Last night my lovely boyfriend added the final touches to Connors' "Grand Cat Palace" and added the cat flap.  Connor was very excited that he could come in and go out as he pleased!  The food and litter was promptly moved outside, and he was all set.

At about 9pm, we were just watching the end of Spicks and Specks, when I heard the cat come in and what sounded like paper being rustled.  I thought "oh he's playing with one of his paper balls - he must be happy".  Then he ran past us and up the stairs... where he sat and looked at us and shook his head.  When I looked up at him I though "oh how cute - he's still got the ball in his mouth!"... then I realised that the paper ball was actually FOAM... he was foaming at the mouth... and what I had thought was paper rustling had actually been him shaking his head and the froth hitting the floor.

Well I jumped up in an immediate panic!  The only thing I know of that turns an animal into an instant froth-maker is cane toad poison.  I whisked him up, ran to the kitchen sink, got BF to hold the cat down in a headlock, grabbed a syringey thing (no needle of course - it used to contain cat medicine in a paste) and squirted water into his mouth over and over, much to Connor's disgust.  It was actually heartbreaking to hear his cries - he was obviously in shock, and yowling, kicking, scratching, foaming, biting me.  Imagine the poor little things fright - he's obviously had a toad come into the enclosure, he's chased it, maybe tried to bite it - got rewarded with poison being squirted into his mouth, only to run inside and get pounded with mouthfuls of water for 10 minutes by his protector - me!!  We washed and washed his mouth and wiped his face, and only when we put him down did I start to freak.  Cane toad poison can kill a small dog, so imagine how scared I was for my poor little 4kg cat!  Freaked out so much I started crying.

Anyway, I rang the 24 hour animal emergency number and they said I had done the right thing, if he was going to show signs of it he would have been convulsing and fitting by now.  So I felt a bit better.  They said I should continue to wipe his mouth out with a wet cloth, getting around the gums and inside of the cheeks etc - yeah right - have you ever tried to do this with a cat?!!!  So poor Connor was tortured once again - BF had started to look like he was a cat himself - he was drenched in water and covered in white cat fur, not to mention all the scratches and bite marks from holding him down.

So we finally ended the torture, and I stayed up with him until about 11pm, which is soooo late for me.  But I had to be sure he was going to be ok.  He seemed to be back to his old self this morning - all I can say is that he was very VERY lucky.  Cane toads are nocturnal so I've decided that I'm only going to let him out into his enclosure during the day.  Most of the websites I've looked at say that cats are very smart and dont usually get struck twice - so hopefully he'll be very wary of toads in the future.

And because of that debacle last night I hardly slept!  So there was no way I could get up to go to gym today.  I've been good with food though, not really even wanted to eat junk so thats good.  Had to drive down the coast today, traffic was horrendous - all I can say is B.L.O.O.D.Y. INDY!  Grrrr

Here's to a better night and day tomorrow!!

Back into it and going strong

Alright I've really got my head in a good space at the moment - now that all the stress of the house stuff is out of the way, I'm focused and committed and ready to work.  I've figured out that I've got about 10 weeks until we leave on our trip, (eeek which also means 10 weeks til Christmas!!) so its time to put my head down and DO IT!

A major motivating factor here is that I tried on a few pairs of jeans on the weekend, and cant zip them up... aaaaaaauuuuurrrrggggh!  Now I'm going to be in the UK, Austria and Italy in WINTER, those jeans HAVE TO FIT!!  I refuse to buy a new wardrobe - these jeans are only a year old for heavens sake!  A few centimetres off the hips will do the trick... that seems to be the first place that I put on fat, and the last place I lose it from.  :(

Did a bike class yesterday - I'm really getting into these classes and loving the burn in the legs.  I'm a sicko I know.  I'm so motivated right now that after the bike class I just wanted to jump on a treadmill and run... but sadly I had to get home and get ready for work - silly day job!  This morning I did shoulders/biceps/triceps and then 20 minutes jogging following by 10mins powerwalk on the incline.  Again I wanted to stay for more but ran out of time.   Happy with myself that the last two mornings I have left the gym with a bright red face, so although I looked goofy, I worked really hard.

Anyway I promised the pups I would take them for a "walk" this afternoon (I use that term loosely, as I've said in previous posts - its more like me being dragged at top speed - but we call it a "walk" anyway) and now that I've promised the dogs, I cant let them down!!  Concentrating on having totally clean food - that bloated feeling is slowly going away (after my big carb-fest last week) - looking forward to having a flat stomach again.  Need to buy a new training diary, I've got one day left in my current one!!  Ahhh now I have a good excuse to pop into Rebel Sport and drool over the gym clothes!

It's Connor's birthday today!!  My little kitty-cat is 9 years old now, cant believe how time flies! 

Photos!

Andj, me and Deb at the QLD INBA's last weekend. Note the obvious skincolour difference! Why is it that us Queenslanders are all so pale when we have so much sun? (except for competitors of course!)

Today I had the priveledge of meeting Selina who is down for a brief visit to Brisbane. We chatted away for a couple of hours - it was lovely to meet her, she really is sweet and has the most amazing eyes! I'm so glad we got to meet as I felt like I already knew her. It was so hot today in Brisbane - 30 degrees or something.

This is my little man Connor this morning, basking in the sun of his new "Grand Palace" that my boyfriend made for him. It is at least three times the size of the one at the old place (he's an indoor cat, so his 'outside' area is important to him) and now the only thing missing is a cat door so he can let himself in and out! (a minor detail dont you think?!!) This will be rectified this week, so we should have one very happy kitty!

Update!

I really need to post more often, there is too much to say and you will all be bored with reading it before you get to the end!

Soooooo - where to start?

I guess the most important information is that our old house settled yesterday.  I have to say I feel like the biggest weight has been lifted - I was getting quite anxious about it and just wanted it to be done.  So we are now the proud owners of ONE mortgage, not two.  Phew!

Last Saturday I went to the QLD INBA's to cheer on Deb and Alicia, and it was a really good day.  Congratulations to Deb on her outstanding 2nd place, she was awesome!   And well done to Alicia, she looked fantastic on stage and has come so far in such a short time!  Almost made me want to get up there myself!

It was great to be able to hang out with Andj for the day - Andj is lovely and we had quite a few good laughs - thanks for the company!  I met Rachel too, and she was so sweet and friendly and just about ready to "pop" with the baby - I have to thank her for letting me join her "cheersquad"!  I met Liz, who competed in a very tough field - I thought she looked amazing - great physique, and great hair!  I think I said it over and over how much I loved her hair, and when I wasn't saying it, I was thinking it!!  Lovely to meet you Liz!

Unfortunately the photos I took were blurry, I just cant figure out this camera!  I did get a good one of Deb, Andj and me, which I will post this weekend. (Andj has posted it on her blog too).

On Monday I went to Gladstone for work, and was lucky enough to meet with Carolyn and Tracey!   Carolyn joined me for an early morning treadmill session and we had a great chat about pretty much everything!  It was awesome that she was able to take the time to train with me - it made the hour on the treadmill just fly by, and I hope we can catch up again soon!   Then on Tuesday afternoon Tracey and I went to the Coffee Club where I had a lovely Chai Latte and we talked away the early evening.  It was so good to meet her, especially after we didn't get to meet at the comp on Saturday.  Thank you both for taking the time while I was there - you were both as gorgeous and friendly as I thought you would be!  So I've been very spoiled in the last week to get to meet so many wonderful and inspiring women!

Hmmmm what else - well we've finally got internet back on, so my boyfriend is happily e-baying away.  I havent had much time to get on it actually, besides I have to fight him for it!

Bit disappointed with my own efforts at the gym this week - haven't had much time for weight training, and there have been a few celebrations in the last week so my food is all over the shop and my weight has gone back up.  I feel like I have gone a little backwards this week - one step forward, two steps back... nothing that a little hard work and clean food wont fix!

Stay strong everyone, have a great weekend!

All moved in

We are all moved in to our new place, living amongst a sea of unpacked boxes and holes in walls!  Saturday was a HEEEUUUWWWGE day, basically we were on the go for 12 hours before we actually sat down for a rest.  My hamstrings were absolutely killing me from all the bending over and reaching down that I was doing (probably should have used my knees more I know) - but anyway, its all done now thank goodness.

There has been so much going on with the move, the old house due to settle next week, and also planning more of the upcoming holiday, that I think I'm going a bit senile.  I'll skim-read things, then I not fully understand what I've read... like the other day I saw a sign on the road and it said "Commuter Carpark" but for some reason I read it as "Communist Carpark".  I'm forgetting so many things - people ask me to do stuff and 10 minutes later I forget what it was that I was supposed to do.   On Monday I filled my mug with hot water and a dash of milk before sitting down and realising that I forgot to put the coffee in first... and last night I was getting my glutamine out to have some before bed and I dropped the container and half of the powder all over the floor.  WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME???!!!!!!    :-)~  Just too much excitement I think.

Anyway my challenge is going pretty well - apart from the crap takeaway that I ate for 3 meals last weekend.  Well I had no kitchen and I had to eat something!!

So far, 3 weeks into it, I have lost 3cm off my waist, and 2cm off my (stubborn) hips.  Scale weight has only dropped less than a kilo.

I still have no internet at home, and I cant access blogs from work (sending this via email) so I havent been able to read what anyone else has been up to.  The ISP has indicated that I should be connected by next Friday.  BF is having E-bay withdrawals I think!  Plus we haven't got Foxtel hooked up yet - so he's not happy!

Good luck to all those who are competing in the coming days!  I'm sorry I cant log on and read everyone's results just yet.  I'm going to watch the Qld INBA's this weekend to cheer on Splice and Alicia N.  Good luck girls!  Will be great to catch up with everyone again.

And I have just found out that I have to go to Gladstone next Monday for 3 days.  Will just have to make sure I finish all the unpacking on the weekend... so much to do - so little time!

Perseverance is failing 9 times and succeeding the 10th.
- J. Andrews

Its Moving Weekend!

We're moving house tomorrow!!!! Cant wait to get settled into the new place, even though we're going to be staring at great big holes in the walls (due to the termite search a few weeks ago!) for a little while. Still it is so nice to be finally getting out of this place and on to our great big block of land! Finally I will be able to start tending to my vege garden!

I will be off air at the new place for about a week, so no internet :( so I wont be able to read any blogs during that time. I should still be able to post via email though (from work) - so I'm very sorry I wont be around, but I promise I'll catch up with everyone's blogs as soon as I'm able.

And THE most exciting thing that's happening for me at the moment is that we have decided to finally go overseas! Last night we went and paid for our flights... we're leaving on Christmas day and having 2 days in Singapore, then flying into Manchester in England. We'll spend New Years with BF's cousins/family over there, and we'll also be able to do day trips into Scotland and the rest of England from there too. Then we're heading to London to meet my uncle, then off for a couple of days skiing somewhere in Europe (probably Switzerland, not sure yet). Finally we'll be off to Rome to visit the city that I am obsessed about (!!) and have a short trip to Naples and Pompeii. Then fly home from Rome!

Its so exciting and not that far away, so I've certainly got lots of things to think about and plan. I have been wanting to go to Rome and Europe (and especially Pompeii) for about 15 years, so I'm super excited about finally getting to go! BF has always wanted to ski - so he's very excited about that part.

Anyway with that exciting news I'm off! Hope everyone has a great weekend... think of me... carrying boxes and lifting tables and stuff. I hate moving!

Time flies!

Wow - long time no post!! Sorry for my absence, life is pretty crazy right now.

So first of all, we have a new contract on our house!! Everybody cross your fingers, with a little bit of luck everything should settle in about 3 weeks! We found out on Tuesday - and so far everything is on track for a quick settlement. I burst into tears when I found out that the contract was finalised, felt like such a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

We spent today moving some more stuff over to the new place, and the "official" move is scheduled to happen next weekend... bye-bye old house!!

A new challenge is underway for me, I started last Monday. I bought myself a new journal for my goal/inspiration book... and I've loaded it up with my goals, a calendar for me to cross off each day as I go, some success quotes etc, and I'm feeling totally pumped and ready to shed my winter "skin"! I have about 3 or 4kgs to "release", which is usually the hardest to lose! I was getting a little dejected at sort of aimlessly hitting the gym with no goal in mind, so its nice to have something to shoot for. I've had a pretty good weekend too, and that is usually my biggest hurdle. My free meal last night was quite tame by comparison to the last few weekends.

I have given myself two "checkpoints" during my new challenge, one at 4 weeks, and another at 8 weeks. I have written in my goal book that when I have reached those checkpoints and I have performed totally to plan, I will reward myself with either a massage, facial, new item of clothing or maybe a new lipstick or something.

My pamper night last Saturday night didn't eventuate... the boys didn't end up going out, so my plans were dashed at the last minute. We ended up still having home-made pizza, and got a couple of DVD's out - Scary Movie 4 (pretty funny) and Skeleton Key (pretty good). So it was a good night anyway, just didn't get to do the mudmask or the bath. Oh well.

Last night a girlfriend came over and we finally got to watch "Pride and Prejudice"!! Well worth the wait, but I do think the book is much better (as usual). If you get used to the "old" english used, reading the book is well worth the effort - such a good story! Bridget Jones is loosely based on Pride and Prejudice - just a piece of useless information for everyone on a Sunday night...

Anyway I'm loving doing these cardio classes, I've done one cycle class so far (its not an official RPM or anything- but it sure did get the thighs and butt burning!) and I'm doing the Friday morning step class. This week I'm planning on doing 2 cycle classes and 1 step. Plus 3 days of weights and interval cardio on the regular cardio equipment. I've already started to see a change on the scale, which is great!

Feeling good and much more in control - so bring on week 2!!!!

Step class

Today was a cardio day, and as I walked up the stairs to the gym I caught myself dreading the thought of an hour of cardio with just me, my ipod (which is in serious need of some new tunes) and a treadmill and/or cross trainer...

Soooooo - I did a Body Step class!  Have not done an aerobic class for ages, like years, so it was GREAT!  It was the brand new class too, so luckily it was new to everyone and I didn't feel so un-co.  I have to say though, either this new step tape is easier, or I'm a hell of a lot fitter than I used to be... I kept glancing at my heart rate monitor and I was surprised to see that it was mostly below 160BPM.  Only a couple of times it climed above 170.

Anyway, I enjoyed it so much that the time just flew by.  I'm now planning on re-working my training schedule so that I can do some more classes!  Next on my list might be an RPM class *shudder* - nasty, but a really good workout.  Unfortunately I think I need lots more cardio in my life, so if I can make it as fun as possible then it makes it so much easier.

Got a big day planned for tomorrow... got to get up early-ish (maybe 6.30am... well that IS early for a Saturday) and take the dogs for a walk, then head off to the shops to get the groceries done nice and early.  Then we have the dog-wash man, then an open-house at 3pm.  After that the evening is MINE.... ALL MINE!!  I think my boyfriend is going to some kickboxing on Saturday night... so I'm staying home alone... so here's my plan...

Run a nice hot bubbly bath.
Apply a face-pack and relax in previously mentioned bath
Moisturise and massage aching feet - possibly paint nails
Make a home-made pizza
Enjoy home-made pizza!! (maybe a red wine too)
Get out new release DVD "Pride and Prejudice" which I have wanted to see forever but cannot watch as BF flatly refuses to sit through Jane Austen! hehehe

Relax and enjoy the "me" time - just me, my kitty-cat and the dogs!

Cant wait!  Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!

Leg Day with Sue!

I trained legs with Sue and I survived!! hehehe maybe I should get a T-shirt printed! LOL!
I had a fantastic day off work yesterday, I took a lovely scenic drive up to Noosa to visit Sue and Jodie. After my bragging last week about how the weather's been 28 degrees and all sun, our lovely "August" westerly winds arrived (a month late) bringing lots of miserable rain and cool weather. Oh-oh! sorry guys...! Strangely though, the sun was splitting the sky until I took the Noosa turn-off... the closer I got to the coast the more miserable the weather got. Poor Jodie got a very bad sample of what Queensland weather is like... trust me Jodie, its normally not like this!!

So we had coffee at a little cafe and chattered away, and then we all went off to find the gym. Well... I have to say that I now know that I've been slacking off when it comes to leg training!!! And its amazing how those little corrections to your form make all the difference to how you feel during the exercise. I learned a few new exercises, like doing the bottom half of the exercise in leg press (ooooh the burn!) and drop sets on the leg extension (killer), then the dreaded pop-squats (I had a feeling that they were coming, and I wasn't disappointed!) and walking lunges. By halfway through my legs were jelly, but I loved it! I have never EVER trained with anyone before, I've never even had a PT session or ever had a training partner, so it was a whole new experience for me!

So all in all it was a great workout, my legs were quivering for the rest of the day after that! It was so cool to catch up with Sue and Jodie again. Last time was a bit of a rush because it was the day of the comp and there was so much happening, so it was lovely to be able to sit and relax and have a bit of a chat.

Here's a couple of photos...

Me and Sue shivering...

There's another photo of me, Jodie and Sue that I want to post, but blogger is being difficult... will try again later... grrr

Today I'm sore (as expected) and I have a very sore butt! Quads are getting stiffer as the day goes on, so no doubt I'll need a walking frame tomorrow lol! This morning I did shoulder and triceps, and incorporated a few new moves/techniques into it, see how fast I learn? hehehe

Not much other news to report! House still not sold yet, but this week we advertise with a price so hopefully that makes a difference. Oh and termite thing at the other house - well after calming down a little we've realised that the damage isn't as bad as originally thought. We've had a friend who's a termite inspector come out and tell us that there's no current activity in the house, so that's a huge relief. AND we can fix all the damaged walls ourselves (BF is a carpenter) so the cost will be minimal... so its all GOOD!

Anyway, time to go cook dinner... better be off!