It's been a couple of weeks since my last "blogession" & forgive me for I have sinned! I have not been on track at all & I was kidding myself to think that I'd reach 69.9 by New Years Eve! GRRRRR!
So, I'm just going to write off the rest of this year & eat & drink as much crap as I want & worry about it all in 2014! JUST KIDDING! I will definitely NOT be doing that!
I went for a short 3.5km run yesterday with 2 training buddies & actually knocked 3 minutes off my time for the same distance the previous week! I didn't even realise that until I got hoe & looked at my results - I was pretty happy with that & also happy that I didn't have any foot pain during that run. We then met up with the other 2 groups of friends that were doing different distances & tempos & had a lovely coffee/juice & chit chat. It was lovely & relaxing to sit & chat amongst friends who share similar goals & beliefs & are all really positive. I always leave these gals all fired up & happy! They rock!
The plan designated to me from my physio was to run 4kms a couple of times this week, then 5kms next week if no niggles from the 4km runs, gradually building up to 8kms in time for the Sunset Series in February so that I can run alongside my sister Sharon like we did last year for some cheeky selfies with all the zoo animals!
I think I've been overly paranoid about my foot today, it's like my brain is trying to make it feel sore as it's been plaguing me for so long. But a roll on my recovery ball showed me that it is getting a lot better! Fingers are crossed as I have big plans for 2014!
Anyway, back to the first sentence of my post.....yes, I was all fired up to reach 69.9 by years end, but it's just not going to happen. I've had a cold, a sinus infection & haven't trained as much as I'd have liked to due to work commitments & a new computer system quickly coming our way in February. I know right - EXCUSES, EXCUSES. I sat here thinking "What would Mish say to me if I told her all of this"? I'm pretty sure she'd slap me & tell me to suck it up! And I won't even start to think what Commando Steve would say to me!
As I discussed with one of the girls yesterday, yes it'd be grea tto have the life where you can train effectively every day & eat perfectly every day, but the reality is that it's just not that easy to get back on track & stay there. I think this time of year is worse as everyone's so busy with catch ups etc that I get home & then think "oops I didn't train today" & by that time, it just ain't going to happen! I'm being honest, I just haven't wanted it badly enough whre I've put my training & diet before everything else going on around me.
I have just under 2 weeks until the end of the year, I'll be happy to lose 1-2kgs between now & then to be honest! I do want to enjoy Christmas & New Years Eve. I will however be behaving myself drinks wise!
I've spent some time today on the 12WBT website, printing out recipes & getting organised.
I wish you all a Happy Christmas with your loved ones, please stay safe on the roads xo
Saturday 21 December 2013
Sunday 8 December 2013
Sussans Womens Fun Run - Decisions, Decisions
As some of you know, I had signed up to do my second half marathon at the Sussans womens run yesterday, well before my foot injury from the Melbourne half marathon in October. My foot has been ok, it gave me some grief during the City2Sea & Eureka climb, but held up pretty well afterwards.
I went to change my distance to the 10km but the bibs had already been sent so I could only change on the day. After chatting with my sister, she suggested to leave it at the half and see how I was feeling during the race, worst case, pull out at 10kms. Great idea!
Sharon & I got to the event & did our pre race rouitne of toilet and bag drop & then we were lucky enough to find Sarah & Katherine right before the start of the race. Sarah was running her first 10km & I really wanted to see her to wish her all the best.
The start wasn't the best, there were so many walkers all spread out along the road, we had to go up on the kerb to pass them. Sharon left me at her usual 1km mark - she is 1-2 minutes per km quicker than me - then Sarah & I stuck together until around the 3-4km mark when I encouraged Sarah to go ahead as my foot had started to hurt.
Shortly after that, I helped a lady get her hat which had flown right past me down a side street & then I had a couple of people pass me who had read my dedication bib for the day & say to me "sorry for your loss & good on you for doing this, keep going" - I dedicated yesterdays run to a high school friend who passed away last year from breast cancer, leaving behind a husband, young toddler & also a 7 month old - very sad. It made me really emotional. From there, it was a battle for me to get my head in the right place to even continue running without being emotional about Judy. I then had to stop & put some voltaren on my knee - it's obviously compensating for my foot & that had started to hurt too. I'd decided at the 8km mark that there was no way I'd be able to complete that second lap & get that second half mara, so I just followed the 10km markers to the finish. It was officially my worst ever 10km 1:20:10 - even worse than the dreaded Emma & Toms run that I did last year which was 1:10 & I was disappointed back then. So you can imagine how frustrated I was!
I received my finishers medal & managed a smile at the end then went to find Sarah, Katherine & Paula who had all done really well - big Congrats to Sarah for completing her first 10km, I'm sure there will now be many more to come! I then waited for my sister to finish her half mara & got chatting to an old lady who had walked the 10km & was waiting for her daughter to finish her half marathon.
I saw Sharon come across the line, absolutely spent & gave her a big hug from over the gates. She is a marvel for doing her 3rd half mara, and knocking time off of each one, mind you! So proud to be her sister!
So, I have decided & did decide during the last 3kms of that run, that I need to concentrate on smaller runs until my foot is back to 100% again. Or even do more cycling or eliptical work which will take the load from my foot so that I can still continue to lose weight. I'm seeing my physio tomorrow so I'll see what he suggests & I may even go for that MRI to see what's going on in my foot - even though it will cost around $300 as it's not covered by anything it seems - I think I need to rule out any stress fractures for sure. I'm not liking that this foot injury is now affecting my knee.
I am also hoping to participate in the 60km Weekend to end womens cancer walk with my sister in March 2014, so I really need to know what's going on with my foot to decide if I can attempt that weekend & what steps I need to take to get there - no pun intended!
Yes, this post is a stark contrast to my last post about Bikram, which I received a lot of feedback that a few of you really enjoyed it, but we all have our days, even me.
I'm off to another Bikram class tonight - that should at least get me giggling again.
I went to change my distance to the 10km but the bibs had already been sent so I could only change on the day. After chatting with my sister, she suggested to leave it at the half and see how I was feeling during the race, worst case, pull out at 10kms. Great idea!
Sharon & I got to the event & did our pre race rouitne of toilet and bag drop & then we were lucky enough to find Sarah & Katherine right before the start of the race. Sarah was running her first 10km & I really wanted to see her to wish her all the best.
The start wasn't the best, there were so many walkers all spread out along the road, we had to go up on the kerb to pass them. Sharon left me at her usual 1km mark - she is 1-2 minutes per km quicker than me - then Sarah & I stuck together until around the 3-4km mark when I encouraged Sarah to go ahead as my foot had started to hurt.
Shortly after that, I helped a lady get her hat which had flown right past me down a side street & then I had a couple of people pass me who had read my dedication bib for the day & say to me "sorry for your loss & good on you for doing this, keep going" - I dedicated yesterdays run to a high school friend who passed away last year from breast cancer, leaving behind a husband, young toddler & also a 7 month old - very sad. It made me really emotional. From there, it was a battle for me to get my head in the right place to even continue running without being emotional about Judy. I then had to stop & put some voltaren on my knee - it's obviously compensating for my foot & that had started to hurt too. I'd decided at the 8km mark that there was no way I'd be able to complete that second lap & get that second half mara, so I just followed the 10km markers to the finish. It was officially my worst ever 10km 1:20:10 - even worse than the dreaded Emma & Toms run that I did last year which was 1:10 & I was disappointed back then. So you can imagine how frustrated I was!
I received my finishers medal & managed a smile at the end then went to find Sarah, Katherine & Paula who had all done really well - big Congrats to Sarah for completing her first 10km, I'm sure there will now be many more to come! I then waited for my sister to finish her half mara & got chatting to an old lady who had walked the 10km & was waiting for her daughter to finish her half marathon.
I saw Sharon come across the line, absolutely spent & gave her a big hug from over the gates. She is a marvel for doing her 3rd half mara, and knocking time off of each one, mind you! So proud to be her sister!
So, I have decided & did decide during the last 3kms of that run, that I need to concentrate on smaller runs until my foot is back to 100% again. Or even do more cycling or eliptical work which will take the load from my foot so that I can still continue to lose weight. I'm seeing my physio tomorrow so I'll see what he suggests & I may even go for that MRI to see what's going on in my foot - even though it will cost around $300 as it's not covered by anything it seems - I think I need to rule out any stress fractures for sure. I'm not liking that this foot injury is now affecting my knee.
I am also hoping to participate in the 60km Weekend to end womens cancer walk with my sister in March 2014, so I really need to know what's going on with my foot to decide if I can attempt that weekend & what steps I need to take to get there - no pun intended!
Yes, this post is a stark contrast to my last post about Bikram, which I received a lot of feedback that a few of you really enjoyed it, but we all have our days, even me.
I'm off to another Bikram class tonight - that should at least get me giggling again.
Wednesday 4 December 2013
Bikram Yoga! The Bridget Jones version :-)
I have been wanting to try Bikram yoga for over a year! I've only ever done a couple of yoga classes & that was a few years ago! So when my friend Sarah wanted to try it I thought - perfect - let's do it!
I made sure that I was well hydrated a couple of days prior & especially today - I drink enough water generally - usually 2 litres plus an extra 750ml on training days, but I knew that with being in such a hot room & sweating out all of those toxins that I would need extra.
We rocked up to class, checked in & got sorted & entered the room - it was hot but I thought - this is bearable-famous last thoughts. Sarah & I set up our mats, towels & water bottles & sat there whispering to each other as most of the other participants were lying down relaxing - well except for one - there's always one in every class....you know the girl who does planks & side planks & leg raises right before a yoga class? I whispered to Sarah "What is she doing-is she trying to psych us out or what" - very intimidating. I was scared. Good on that girl though for being so fit that she can do those things prior to a bikram yoga session - but I'd prefer it if you did those at home next time ;-)
The instructor came in then & turned ON the lights. NO - turn them off - I want to bumble about trying to do these poses in the dark please! No such luck....
We started off with a breathing exercise & you had to have your elbows up, head back, elbows touch, exhale, head down. Well let me tell you - I had my elbows up when they were meant to be down & I was forgetting to inhale after exhaling so when the instructor said exhale I was thinking "What - I was meant to breathe again? Oh, ok then!" The instructor spoke quite quickly too so you had to concentrate.
We went through some postures, I couldn't do a lot of the postures fully, so I just did my best - one of the poses is called "Awkward pose" - of course I did that one really well! LOL
And then IT GOT HOT!!! Really hot. Like a furnace. Like there was no escape. I sat down for a bit until the feeling passed & then picked the posture back up again. I looked over at Sarah through my sweat laden eyelashes & was glad that she was there sweating up a storm as well. A few moments later, I accidentally looked at the clock.........IT HAD ONLY BEEN 25 MINUTES!!! I'm done! No way am I going to last in this heat for another 65 minutes! All the while the instructor is saying "right foot up on left thigh, knee down, hand behind back etc etc", oh and my favourite of the class " hold on to your foot with all 10 fingers clasped" - sure no problems - can I just go & dry myself off first - I was so sweaty that my hands were slipping no matter what I was trying to hold on to! Every time she said "hold your foot" I had to stop myself from laughing as I knew what was coming.
I sat down for another minute or so & had a few sips of water until the furnace feeling passed, then stood back up again. Oh, I'm meant to get my forehead to touch my knee whilst my legs are split stance standing? Sure, that will be no problem, how about I just lie down here and have a rest doing the Savasna?! The Savasna is where you lie on the floor on your back, heels touching, palms facing up & concentrate on your breathing. This helps reduce your heart rate & encourages healing - also known as the dead corpse pose. I liked that one - UNTIL we had to do it after each floor pose.
We did approx 30 minutes on the floor & after each pose, we had to do Savasna followed by a full sit up. Towards the end it was hard trying to turn around from the last pose into the Savasana - after doing our rabbits or camels or turtles or whatever other poses we did. I'm pretty sure all of my poses looked like a deranged elephant - arms here when they should have been there, leg up here, not on the floor etc etc At one point I saw myself in the mirror trying to keep it all together & had a silent laugh to myself.
During the "Balancing Stick" I was wishing that I had a stick to balance on!
My "Triangle Pose" was more like a circle.
My "Rabbit Pose", well I'm sure that it would have looked like I was having a nap!
Then the lights were turned off. We made it! We were still alive & we didn't pass out or leave the class! Both soaked with sweat, we got our gear together & were relieved to get outside. We are going back for another session on Saturday & then a couple more next week. It will be interesting to see how we go with the heat the next time. It was hard as I'm not very flexible but I did enjoy it. I will need to take a different towel next time though as my light green towel fluffed all over my dark clothes - not a bright idea!
My last word of advice for anyone that hasn't tried Bikram yoga yet - listen to the teacher when they say only breather through your nose after the initial breathing exercise. I forgot about that & opened my mouth & was smacked in the face by a furnace - I think that's what made me feel a little off for that brief moment as well.
I came home & had a shower and I'm now feeling stranegly invigorated - and not hungry either? I just had a Powerade Zero, some watermelon & more water as I don't even feel like food as such. I will have a decent breakfast tomorrow though. I'm hoping I have a decent sleep tonight & that I'm not invigorated in the "stay awake, can't sleep" sense. Guess I'll just have to practice Savasna then won't I?
Aside from tonight - I've had a 1.4kg weight loss this week which I'm very happy about. I'm in a great place mentally & I'm going to keep going!
Thank you Sezzy for trying Bikram yoga with me, it was fun! (Apart from your parking ticket :-(......)
I made sure that I was well hydrated a couple of days prior & especially today - I drink enough water generally - usually 2 litres plus an extra 750ml on training days, but I knew that with being in such a hot room & sweating out all of those toxins that I would need extra.
We rocked up to class, checked in & got sorted & entered the room - it was hot but I thought - this is bearable-famous last thoughts. Sarah & I set up our mats, towels & water bottles & sat there whispering to each other as most of the other participants were lying down relaxing - well except for one - there's always one in every class....you know the girl who does planks & side planks & leg raises right before a yoga class? I whispered to Sarah "What is she doing-is she trying to psych us out or what" - very intimidating. I was scared. Good on that girl though for being so fit that she can do those things prior to a bikram yoga session - but I'd prefer it if you did those at home next time ;-)
The instructor came in then & turned ON the lights. NO - turn them off - I want to bumble about trying to do these poses in the dark please! No such luck....
We started off with a breathing exercise & you had to have your elbows up, head back, elbows touch, exhale, head down. Well let me tell you - I had my elbows up when they were meant to be down & I was forgetting to inhale after exhaling so when the instructor said exhale I was thinking "What - I was meant to breathe again? Oh, ok then!" The instructor spoke quite quickly too so you had to concentrate.
We went through some postures, I couldn't do a lot of the postures fully, so I just did my best - one of the poses is called "Awkward pose" - of course I did that one really well! LOL
And then IT GOT HOT!!! Really hot. Like a furnace. Like there was no escape. I sat down for a bit until the feeling passed & then picked the posture back up again. I looked over at Sarah through my sweat laden eyelashes & was glad that she was there sweating up a storm as well. A few moments later, I accidentally looked at the clock.........IT HAD ONLY BEEN 25 MINUTES!!! I'm done! No way am I going to last in this heat for another 65 minutes! All the while the instructor is saying "right foot up on left thigh, knee down, hand behind back etc etc", oh and my favourite of the class " hold on to your foot with all 10 fingers clasped" - sure no problems - can I just go & dry myself off first - I was so sweaty that my hands were slipping no matter what I was trying to hold on to! Every time she said "hold your foot" I had to stop myself from laughing as I knew what was coming.
I sat down for another minute or so & had a few sips of water until the furnace feeling passed, then stood back up again. Oh, I'm meant to get my forehead to touch my knee whilst my legs are split stance standing? Sure, that will be no problem, how about I just lie down here and have a rest doing the Savasna?! The Savasna is where you lie on the floor on your back, heels touching, palms facing up & concentrate on your breathing. This helps reduce your heart rate & encourages healing - also known as the dead corpse pose. I liked that one - UNTIL we had to do it after each floor pose.
We did approx 30 minutes on the floor & after each pose, we had to do Savasna followed by a full sit up. Towards the end it was hard trying to turn around from the last pose into the Savasana - after doing our rabbits or camels or turtles or whatever other poses we did. I'm pretty sure all of my poses looked like a deranged elephant - arms here when they should have been there, leg up here, not on the floor etc etc At one point I saw myself in the mirror trying to keep it all together & had a silent laugh to myself.
During the "Balancing Stick" I was wishing that I had a stick to balance on!
My "Triangle Pose" was more like a circle.
My "Rabbit Pose", well I'm sure that it would have looked like I was having a nap!
Then the lights were turned off. We made it! We were still alive & we didn't pass out or leave the class! Both soaked with sweat, we got our gear together & were relieved to get outside. We are going back for another session on Saturday & then a couple more next week. It will be interesting to see how we go with the heat the next time. It was hard as I'm not very flexible but I did enjoy it. I will need to take a different towel next time though as my light green towel fluffed all over my dark clothes - not a bright idea!
My last word of advice for anyone that hasn't tried Bikram yoga yet - listen to the teacher when they say only breather through your nose after the initial breathing exercise. I forgot about that & opened my mouth & was smacked in the face by a furnace - I think that's what made me feel a little off for that brief moment as well.
Here we are straight after the class - sweat is "in" right?!
Outside in the cool fresh air afterwards
I came home & had a shower and I'm now feeling stranegly invigorated - and not hungry either? I just had a Powerade Zero, some watermelon & more water as I don't even feel like food as such. I will have a decent breakfast tomorrow though. I'm hoping I have a decent sleep tonight & that I'm not invigorated in the "stay awake, can't sleep" sense. Guess I'll just have to practice Savasna then won't I?
Aside from tonight - I've had a 1.4kg weight loss this week which I'm very happy about. I'm in a great place mentally & I'm going to keep going!
Thank you Sezzy for trying Bikram yoga with me, it was fun! (Apart from your parking ticket :-(......)
Thursday 28 November 2013
How I became overweight & how I've turned it around & become truly happy!
This post is very personal to me but I feel it's time to let go of the past for good......I'm sorry if it's a bit erratic/all over the place!
To most of you I'm a very happy person. That is very true these days!
What most of you won't know about me is I used to be a disgraceful eater & dislike myself immensely!
I used to be very happy with my figure & myself, I used to wear short skirts - I still have my favourite one - it is a size 10. I showed it to my sister the other week & we both looked at it and went "wow" look how small I used to be!
When I was around 30 (back in 2006), my second engagement fell to pieces. I went off the rails (no pun intended for those who call me Raels) & went out drinking frequently (not water either!). This then turned into eating crap food on the way home from a night out with girlfriends, crap food to help the hangover the next day - OH and crap food for the rest of the week as I'd blown my diet anyway so who cares! And repeat. Again and again. I was eating take away almost every night of the week and not to mention chocolate or chips - whatever I could get my hands on really! My mentality was "Well I'm single now and have no one to answer to/cook for/watch my weight for" etc etc
I would wake up the next morning promising myself that today I'd be better, today I'd eat healthy, then the demons would take over & I'd be at the take out shop near work buying a fried spring roll & chips for lunch! I was in a very dark place for a couple of years & the subsequent years that followed found me trying to lose the weight but only to end up back where I started. I also had a couple more really crappy relationships during that time as well - I was a walking doormat - all too eager for anyone to stomp all over me.
I began to punish myself internally:
"I'm not good enough"
"No one wants to be with me"
"No one loves me so who cares if I put on weight"
"Even if I am being treated poorly, I'm still getting attention" etc etc I really could go on and on and on. Very low self worth back then.
I had huge support from family however it never felt like "enough" to stop me being out of control with my food or my feelings, thoughts and actions. I stayed home a lot as I didn't want people to see that I'd put on 15 or so kilos in 2 years. I felt so alone. I remember feeling so low one night & calling my sister who lives an hour away & having a big teary on the phone with her (best sister ever) and then her husband (best brother in law in the world) and I remember them telling me that they loved me & to just be patient and the right man would come along-back then it was all about being single. I put so much value on being in a relationship that when I became single, I didn't really know who I was anymore, which is the main reason I ended the second engagement anyway. I thought being in any kind of relationship would "fix" me.
I tried everything, self help books, cd's and counselling - the counselling did help immensely but I thought I could go it alone.....
In 2007 I got a puppy - Titch - and for the first time in ages I felt the stirrings of happiness, I had a little furkid who needed me - not as much as I needed him that's for sure. I look back & know that Titch was sent to me to "save me" as such - I wasn't even looking for an animal the day I found him & I wouldn't change a thing about the day that I brought him home without any preparation whatsoever - ebter emergency trip to pet shop for furkid accessories!
Roll on 2011 (and another dog later (Tara) from 2010 - Titchy needed a playmate lol) & my sister asks me if I want to be a trainer at a football club that she's head trainer at - sure - heaps of fun & I get to spend more time with some of my family every week. Not to mention there are men at football clubs wooh hoo. We had to wear all white - pants & polo top - not the best look when your butt has become the size of a baby elephants butt let me tell you. As for running on to the field to do first aid or run water - gee there were some mini earthquakes happening on a Saturday! I'd come home absolutely stuffed from being a trainer for 8 hours and the 2 hour return trip so I'd just have take away AGAIN-I'm not cooking when I've been working hard all day! I was getting exercise during the day but eating way more than what I'd burnt off - silly me! Enter shitty fling with hot football player that was pretty much over before it began-I was a trainer for 2 years & finished up at the end of 2012.
In May 2012 I hit rock bottom - I hadn't weighed myself in such a long time, but had been buying new bigger clothes, always with the view that "I won't need these for long, just until I lose some weight". I'd been drinking a bit more again. I was lethargic all the time.
I jumped on the scales one morning to find an 8 in front of a 4 = WHAT????? 84.1kgs??? I've never been 80 anything in my life! I rang my sister & burst into tears and just spilled my guts. I knew I had to do something, I knew I had to change, but at the same time, I had no control, I wasn't strong enough to avoid crappy food or alcohol. I still remember that conversation - my wake up call - And then I came across the 12WBT. I signed up for Round 3 2012 & got all motivated again. I actually started cooking every night & exercising almost every day, losing 7.5kgs that round and making some wonderful new friends who are still in my life this day.
I got my weight down to 69.5kgs in May this year thanks to 2 more rounds of 12WBT (enter more wonderful new friends), and life was great again, I didn't care that I was still single, I was getting out and about again & enjoying life!
I didn't participate for another round as I was going overseas to Dallas, Texas for work. Big trouble over there - fatty food everywhere & even their "healthy" options weren't too good. I struggled to get fruit some days! I came home for 3 weeks before leaving for the second trip & it was much the same again, except I found my workplace had organised a whole heap more fruit & veg for us that time. My colleague who is quite thin also managed to put on weight! By the time I was finished with the work trips - I'd banged on 4.6kgs over the space of 8 weeks! Back to 74.1kgs - my goodness!!!!! That was mid August. Another work conference in September with the most delicious gourmet food & wine - of course I was going to enjoy it! A little too much perhaps....12 W B - what's it called? LOL
In the last 2 months, I have not been perfect. I signed up to Round 4 12WBT which started the week I was on holidays, then I came back & was unwell for a week & this week has been an "off" week as well. There have been times where I've had take away for dinner, chocolate in the evening. I've been very good with very limited alcohol though-apart from my holiday where I had a couple of cocktails each night. Yes, I completed my first half marathon & other fabulous events in October & November, but I still feel that if I don't get these feelings out of me, they will always be lurking, ready to pounce the next time I'm pondering KFC for dinner versus a Mishy 12WBT meal.
A lot of my issues with food & comfort eating used to stem from the fact that I have now been single for 4 years. I even had my Aunty ring me up one day & ask if I've met anyone yet and then said to me (& I quote) "You're best to set yourself up for a life alone by the looks of it". That comment absolutely ripped me to pieces - was I not worth anything unless I was in a relationship?! And from a family member - gee what must my friends who are in relationships think of me then?!
Bad times, very bad places mentally for around 5 years from 2006 to 2011.
For the most part of the last 18 months I value myself more than I ever have in my whole life. I am a good person. I try to be a good friend. I care about the people around me & enjoy seeing that they're happy. I'm thoughtful. I can be a total nutbag. I'm honest. I can laugh at myself without the feelings of self doubt afterwards. I love my life. I love that my calendar already has quite a few entries in it for 2014! I love that I can now look forward to the mystery man appearing - near future would be nice - but I have learnt that I need to love & respect myself (not being a "love me do" here) before I can expect to be in a relationship with someone who treats me the same way. I'm getting closer as I'm getting rid of the bad guys a lot quicker these days - one didn't even make it through a whole coffee date! I'm willing to compromise on small irrelevant things but not the things that are important to me. I love that the people around me support me & don't judge me or use me as a doormat - not that I would allow that behaviour these days! I have said goodbye to a few friends over the past 18 months as I realised that it was all about them & not mutually respectful friendships. I'm in a happy place.
My goal is to be back to 69.9kgs at least - by New Years Eve - I can do it, I've done it before. I'm over my cold bug so it's back to it - bring it on! I still have 9 weeks of the 12WBT left & I intend on smashing them to pieces!
Thanks for reading this - I already feel so much better for sharing the short version of my journey so far.
To most of you I'm a very happy person. That is very true these days!
What most of you won't know about me is I used to be a disgraceful eater & dislike myself immensely!
I used to be very happy with my figure & myself, I used to wear short skirts - I still have my favourite one - it is a size 10. I showed it to my sister the other week & we both looked at it and went "wow" look how small I used to be!
When I was around 30 (back in 2006), my second engagement fell to pieces. I went off the rails (no pun intended for those who call me Raels) & went out drinking frequently (not water either!). This then turned into eating crap food on the way home from a night out with girlfriends, crap food to help the hangover the next day - OH and crap food for the rest of the week as I'd blown my diet anyway so who cares! And repeat. Again and again. I was eating take away almost every night of the week and not to mention chocolate or chips - whatever I could get my hands on really! My mentality was "Well I'm single now and have no one to answer to/cook for/watch my weight for" etc etc
I would wake up the next morning promising myself that today I'd be better, today I'd eat healthy, then the demons would take over & I'd be at the take out shop near work buying a fried spring roll & chips for lunch! I was in a very dark place for a couple of years & the subsequent years that followed found me trying to lose the weight but only to end up back where I started. I also had a couple more really crappy relationships during that time as well - I was a walking doormat - all too eager for anyone to stomp all over me.
I began to punish myself internally:
"I'm not good enough"
"No one wants to be with me"
"No one loves me so who cares if I put on weight"
"Even if I am being treated poorly, I'm still getting attention" etc etc I really could go on and on and on. Very low self worth back then.
I had huge support from family however it never felt like "enough" to stop me being out of control with my food or my feelings, thoughts and actions. I stayed home a lot as I didn't want people to see that I'd put on 15 or so kilos in 2 years. I felt so alone. I remember feeling so low one night & calling my sister who lives an hour away & having a big teary on the phone with her (best sister ever) and then her husband (best brother in law in the world) and I remember them telling me that they loved me & to just be patient and the right man would come along-back then it was all about being single. I put so much value on being in a relationship that when I became single, I didn't really know who I was anymore, which is the main reason I ended the second engagement anyway. I thought being in any kind of relationship would "fix" me.
I tried everything, self help books, cd's and counselling - the counselling did help immensely but I thought I could go it alone.....
In 2007 I got a puppy - Titch - and for the first time in ages I felt the stirrings of happiness, I had a little furkid who needed me - not as much as I needed him that's for sure. I look back & know that Titch was sent to me to "save me" as such - I wasn't even looking for an animal the day I found him & I wouldn't change a thing about the day that I brought him home without any preparation whatsoever - ebter emergency trip to pet shop for furkid accessories!
Roll on 2011 (and another dog later (Tara) from 2010 - Titchy needed a playmate lol) & my sister asks me if I want to be a trainer at a football club that she's head trainer at - sure - heaps of fun & I get to spend more time with some of my family every week. Not to mention there are men at football clubs wooh hoo. We had to wear all white - pants & polo top - not the best look when your butt has become the size of a baby elephants butt let me tell you. As for running on to the field to do first aid or run water - gee there were some mini earthquakes happening on a Saturday! I'd come home absolutely stuffed from being a trainer for 8 hours and the 2 hour return trip so I'd just have take away AGAIN-I'm not cooking when I've been working hard all day! I was getting exercise during the day but eating way more than what I'd burnt off - silly me! Enter shitty fling with hot football player that was pretty much over before it began-I was a trainer for 2 years & finished up at the end of 2012.
In May 2012 I hit rock bottom - I hadn't weighed myself in such a long time, but had been buying new bigger clothes, always with the view that "I won't need these for long, just until I lose some weight". I'd been drinking a bit more again. I was lethargic all the time.
I jumped on the scales one morning to find an 8 in front of a 4 = WHAT????? 84.1kgs??? I've never been 80 anything in my life! I rang my sister & burst into tears and just spilled my guts. I knew I had to do something, I knew I had to change, but at the same time, I had no control, I wasn't strong enough to avoid crappy food or alcohol. I still remember that conversation - my wake up call - And then I came across the 12WBT. I signed up for Round 3 2012 & got all motivated again. I actually started cooking every night & exercising almost every day, losing 7.5kgs that round and making some wonderful new friends who are still in my life this day.
I got my weight down to 69.5kgs in May this year thanks to 2 more rounds of 12WBT (enter more wonderful new friends), and life was great again, I didn't care that I was still single, I was getting out and about again & enjoying life!
I didn't participate for another round as I was going overseas to Dallas, Texas for work. Big trouble over there - fatty food everywhere & even their "healthy" options weren't too good. I struggled to get fruit some days! I came home for 3 weeks before leaving for the second trip & it was much the same again, except I found my workplace had organised a whole heap more fruit & veg for us that time. My colleague who is quite thin also managed to put on weight! By the time I was finished with the work trips - I'd banged on 4.6kgs over the space of 8 weeks! Back to 74.1kgs - my goodness!!!!! That was mid August. Another work conference in September with the most delicious gourmet food & wine - of course I was going to enjoy it! A little too much perhaps....12 W B - what's it called? LOL
In the last 2 months, I have not been perfect. I signed up to Round 4 12WBT which started the week I was on holidays, then I came back & was unwell for a week & this week has been an "off" week as well. There have been times where I've had take away for dinner, chocolate in the evening. I've been very good with very limited alcohol though-apart from my holiday where I had a couple of cocktails each night. Yes, I completed my first half marathon & other fabulous events in October & November, but I still feel that if I don't get these feelings out of me, they will always be lurking, ready to pounce the next time I'm pondering KFC for dinner versus a Mishy 12WBT meal.
A lot of my issues with food & comfort eating used to stem from the fact that I have now been single for 4 years. I even had my Aunty ring me up one day & ask if I've met anyone yet and then said to me (& I quote) "You're best to set yourself up for a life alone by the looks of it". That comment absolutely ripped me to pieces - was I not worth anything unless I was in a relationship?! And from a family member - gee what must my friends who are in relationships think of me then?!
Bad times, very bad places mentally for around 5 years from 2006 to 2011.
For the most part of the last 18 months I value myself more than I ever have in my whole life. I am a good person. I try to be a good friend. I care about the people around me & enjoy seeing that they're happy. I'm thoughtful. I can be a total nutbag. I'm honest. I can laugh at myself without the feelings of self doubt afterwards. I love my life. I love that my calendar already has quite a few entries in it for 2014! I love that I can now look forward to the mystery man appearing - near future would be nice - but I have learnt that I need to love & respect myself (not being a "love me do" here) before I can expect to be in a relationship with someone who treats me the same way. I'm getting closer as I'm getting rid of the bad guys a lot quicker these days - one didn't even make it through a whole coffee date! I'm willing to compromise on small irrelevant things but not the things that are important to me. I love that the people around me support me & don't judge me or use me as a doormat - not that I would allow that behaviour these days! I have said goodbye to a few friends over the past 18 months as I realised that it was all about them & not mutually respectful friendships. I'm in a happy place.
My goal is to be back to 69.9kgs at least - by New Years Eve - I can do it, I've done it before. I'm over my cold bug so it's back to it - bring it on! I still have 9 weeks of the 12WBT left & I intend on smashing them to pieces!
Thanks for reading this - I already feel so much better for sharing the short version of my journey so far.
Thursday 21 November 2013
The Aftermath & DOMS - AND the City2Sea/Eureka double!
When we finally left camp on Sunday afternoon, we realised how sore we were. Getting out of Sally's car was a surprise, that's for sure. By the time Tracy arrived home, Sharon & I realised that we couldn't lift our arms above our shoulders & we were doing "The Waddle". Tracy kicked us both off for showers & all I can say is - after washing my hair 3 times, there was still dirt & muck in there! It felt so much better though - actually being able to shower!
Tracy then kicked us out by the pool - gee this is going to be even tougher than Commando camp!
We had a yummy dinner of chicken, roast veggies & some yummy potatoes & some wine which went straight to my head! I fought to stay awake, but by 9pm it was all over - off to bed I went. I woke up during the night - I rarely sleep right through ever - and attempted to roll over - nope - no can do - THAT'S how sore I was! My arms just didn't have it in them.
The next morning, after I "slid" off the bed & showered, I had to get Sharon to tie my hair up as I couldn't reach!
Sharon & I had a lovely brunch with one of her nurse friends at Hilarys Harbour, then we went for our hot stone massages & facials - all I can say is - WOW - if you're ever in Perth, head on down to Revive Day Spa in Mt Hawthorne. Feeling much better after that, we then went out for dinner with Tracy & her family.
The next day, it was time to fly to Monkey Mia, where we stayed until Saturday morning. We swam, did a sunset cruise, camel rides, wildlife ocean cruise, went to shell beach & the stromatolites, saw dolphins everyday, oh & did 50 burpees each morning in the sand thanks to a challenge set by one of our fellow camp mates - to do 500 burpees by 22nd November! Apart from the burpees, it was a very relaxing holiday & by the end of it, we were both starting to feel quite relaxed & content.
Time to head back home - landed at 11pm on the Saturday night, then up at 5am the next morning to go & do the 14km City to Sea run AND the 88 floor Eureka Stair climb - yes, slightly crazy, BUT life is to be lived! The City2Sea was tough on my foot & I was worried towards the end how I'd go in the stair climb but I did both! Thanks to Sharon & Alana who sang happy birthday to me up countless flights of stairs & roped some of the volunteer water staff in as well! Hahaha
Enjoyed a lovely dinner with some very wonderful ladies on the Sunday night-each one of these women have either inspired me, taught me something or supported me in the last 12 months & my life would not be the same without them. They are a fantastic bunch & I'm both lucky & thankful to call each one of them a friend. You guys all rock!
Tracy then kicked us out by the pool - gee this is going to be even tougher than Commando camp!
The next morning, after I "slid" off the bed & showered, I had to get Sharon to tie my hair up as I couldn't reach!
Sharon & I had a lovely brunch with one of her nurse friends at Hilarys Harbour, then we went for our hot stone massages & facials - all I can say is - WOW - if you're ever in Perth, head on down to Revive Day Spa in Mt Hawthorne. Feeling much better after that, we then went out for dinner with Tracy & her family.
The next day, it was time to fly to Monkey Mia, where we stayed until Saturday morning. We swam, did a sunset cruise, camel rides, wildlife ocean cruise, went to shell beach & the stromatolites, saw dolphins everyday, oh & did 50 burpees each morning in the sand thanks to a challenge set by one of our fellow camp mates - to do 500 burpees by 22nd November! Apart from the burpees, it was a very relaxing holiday & by the end of it, we were both starting to feel quite relaxed & content.
Sunrise at Monkey Mia
Time to head back home - landed at 11pm on the Saturday night, then up at 5am the next morning to go & do the 14km City to Sea run AND the 88 floor Eureka Stair climb - yes, slightly crazy, BUT life is to be lived! The City2Sea was tough on my foot & I was worried towards the end how I'd go in the stair climb but I did both! Thanks to Sharon & Alana who sang happy birthday to me up countless flights of stairs & roped some of the volunteer water staff in as well! Hahaha
After City to Sea
At the top of the Eureka tower!
Enjoyed a lovely dinner with some very wonderful ladies on the Sunday night-each one of these women have either inspired me, taught me something or supported me in the last 12 months & my life would not be the same without them. They are a fantastic bunch & I'm both lucky & thankful to call each one of them a friend. You guys all rock!
The rest of this week has found me battling a cold since Tuesday, I thought it was hay fever, but on Wednesday it was a full blown head cold! I ended up missing my Hertz relay run on Wednesday night, but my 17 y/o nephew stepped in for me & proceeded to run the 5kms in 20 minutes!
My diet has not been the best this week as I've had very low energy or motivation, however when I'm normally sick, I opt for take aways like KFC to "make me feel better", this time I've been having soups & raisin toast & 2 minute noodles - not ideal - but it could be much worse. My calories have been at just under 1200 each day, not "quality" calories I know, but I'll tackle that once I'm on top of this cold. To top that off - I pulled a muscle in my neck last night! Maybe my body is punishing me for "stopping" for a holiday??
Where will I go to next?!
Tuesday 19 November 2013
Commando Camp - Final Day - Fears conquered - well partially anyway!
In my last blog - part 2 - I omitted that we also had to do 40 burpees in the scorching heat on Saturday afternoon - one of the trainers picked someone from the group and asked her to pick a number. She picked number 4 so Nick said 4 x 10 = 40 burpees off our debt. Poor Kirstan had to stand there and count them out for us while we did them, she didn't enjoy that at all, you could see it on her face. Bruised knees & hot hands would be an understatement!
On Sunday morning I woke up feeling much better, we were up before our 6am wake up call as well! Off we went for some more technique work, this time it was clean and press! I tell you what - that Commando Steve can certainly move his body well - WOW! Once he was happy with everyones technique, it was then time for another team challenge - suicide runs with paired clean & press. 2 people would run while 2 would do the press & another 2 resting with the spare person filling in for any team member as required. Sally & I didn't stop - we just kept going the whole time-I've never done so many presses in my life - 40kg at that! We smashed it - AND our team didn't come last this time YAY!
Time for breakfast & the unnerving worry of our still remaining 100+ burpee debt.....after brekkie, it was time for ABSEILING! We were split into 2 groups - team 1 & 4 and team 2 & 3. My group went to gear up for the abseiling task first whilst the other team went to do the leap of faith.
Nick was fantastic, he just kept telling me "just listen to my voice and do as I tell you, I promise you won't get hurt, you're 100% safe" - I'm thinking he must have hypnotised me while I was up there LOL I leant back and took my first step down & everyone was cheering for me & I was even cheering out loud for myself too! I was so happy - AND THEN the cliff face totally disappeared - there was a huge indent & nowhere for my feet to go! I panicked big time, but managed to calm down and reach the ground. Morgan (my Friday night burpee buddy) was at the bottom & she gave me a big hug - more tears - at least not painful ones! I walked back up to the group as we all had to repel twice - except there was a catch for the 2nd time - whilst leaning back at the top, we had to touch our heads - yes that's right - not holding on to the rope - putting our trust in the brake person at the bottom of the cliff and also Nick. I freaked out more the second time than the first, but again Nick got me through! I flew down the second time - it was so much fun! Check out the middle right photo of me touching my head! Scary stuff!
On Sunday morning I woke up feeling much better, we were up before our 6am wake up call as well! Off we went for some more technique work, this time it was clean and press! I tell you what - that Commando Steve can certainly move his body well - WOW! Once he was happy with everyones technique, it was then time for another team challenge - suicide runs with paired clean & press. 2 people would run while 2 would do the press & another 2 resting with the spare person filling in for any team member as required. Sally & I didn't stop - we just kept going the whole time-I've never done so many presses in my life - 40kg at that! We smashed it - AND our team didn't come last this time YAY!
Time for breakfast & the unnerving worry of our still remaining 100+ burpee debt.....after brekkie, it was time for ABSEILING! We were split into 2 groups - team 1 & 4 and team 2 & 3. My group went to gear up for the abseiling task first whilst the other team went to do the leap of faith.
Team #4 all geared up to abseil!
Everyone knew that my last attempt to abseil didn't go off as planned - I failed to do it, so I was quite nervous & my sister was in the other group so I was on my own with my new Commando team mates and trainer Nick. I was the 5th person to do it, I was so nervous. Nick was fantastic, he just kept telling me "just listen to my voice and do as I tell you, I promise you won't get hurt, you're 100% safe" - I'm thinking he must have hypnotised me while I was up there LOL I leant back and took my first step down & everyone was cheering for me & I was even cheering out loud for myself too! I was so happy - AND THEN the cliff face totally disappeared - there was a huge indent & nowhere for my feet to go! I panicked big time, but managed to calm down and reach the ground. Morgan (my Friday night burpee buddy) was at the bottom & she gave me a big hug - more tears - at least not painful ones! I walked back up to the group as we all had to repel twice - except there was a catch for the 2nd time - whilst leaning back at the top, we had to touch our heads - yes that's right - not holding on to the rope - putting our trust in the brake person at the bottom of the cliff and also Nick. I freaked out more the second time than the first, but again Nick got me through! I flew down the second time - it was so much fun! Check out the middle right photo of me touching my head! Scary stuff!
Leap of Faith was a different story - I attempted it 3 times, getting further up the pole each time, but I just couldn't do it! My body felt so weak from soreness that I was shaking, my palms were sweating & I just couldn't keep climbing up on the small pegs :-( Trainer Dan really tried to get me through as did another team mate - Clive, he actually inspired me to try for the 3rd and final time & wanted to climb up behind me but for safety reasons of course, he wasn't allowed. On my 3rd attempt, I'd gotten about 3/4 of the way up & then I did a sideways jump off the log so I still had the suspended feeling.....although I then came back towards the log and had to put my foot out to stop myself from crashing into it and then I did a bit of a penguin slide in the bark LOL I can laugh now! It's on my list to conquer, but I was happy that I'd conquered the abseiling.
Before my 3rd attempt - I was so nervous!
7 metres high & only a small plank to stand on before the jump off!
Getting there, sweating bullets!
C'mon Raels, you CAN do it - Clive tried so hard - he's a great guy!
My graceful face plant in the bark!
Time for our last lunch.....all still wondering "what about the burpees".......in comes Nick & announces that if our strongest 4 burpee people can do 50 chest to ground, hand release burpees in a row to a strict 5 second count, our remaining debt of 137 would be wiped, but if they failed, we would ALL have to do the 137 burpees anyway. Up stood Clive, Morgan, Tracey & Kirstan - absolute powerhouses! We all walked down to the matted area feeling guilty, hopeful, happy, nervous.
THEY SMASHED IT! Celebrations - burpee debt wiped by 4 amazing people! We all couldn't thank them enough AND it was 37 degrees!!!
Commando Steve did his wrap up chat, presented each of us with our Commando Steve t-shirts, took photos with all of the trainers and then had him sign a photo - Sharon had found a photo of him looking more like a supermodel than the Commando on the internet & it made him crack up laughing when he saw it!
Troy, Dan, Commando Steve & Nick
Sharon & I with Nick & Dan
Cheeky Commando
So - what did I gain from this camp?
1.New friendships with some amazing people - we are still in daily contact already! AND we are doing a 50 burpees a day challenge - yes we are MAD!
2.I experienced this with my amazing sister Sharon, who inspires me everyday with all of her achievements, not just the fitness ones-she really is the best sister & friend that a girl could ever hope for.
3.I learnt that it's ok to fail at something as long as you try your best (Leap of Faith)
4.I conquered my fear of abseiling & now want to go back to that Brisbane cliff & be rid of that demon forever & maybe even try a bigger one!
5.I pushed myself way outside of my comfort zone on little sleep, hard training & exhaustion!
6.I was completely NOT in control of my life for the whole weekend - we never knew what we were in for from one minute to the next
7.I learnt a lot about form & technique & will never squat or deadlift the same way again!
8.Nick & Dan are just as, if not more inspiring than Commando Steve - yes, that's right! Don't get me wrong, CS was amazing at camp & is amazing at what he does in his career BUT Nick & Dan were always in the thick of it with you egging you on. And Nick guided me to abseil so he's my favourite hahahaha
9.I learnt what it's like to have to carry a 1.5 metre pole around with me ALL day! Once we left camp, Sharon actually looked for hers - that's how used to them we were by Sunday afternoon.
10.I did more burpees over that weekend than I have in probably my whole life!
11.My mind does give in before my body most of the time BUT on Sunday during the Leap of Faith - my body was done - listen to your body when it's telling you enough is enough, but don't use it as an excuse when you're feeling ok.
12.It's ok not to have a shower for 2 days due to time constraints as long as you are with people just as sweaty as you are! Hahahahahahaha
I could go on and on & I'm still processing a lot of the things we went through so I'll keep you posted on any further ephiphanies as they arise!
My next blog will be - The Aftermath & DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) from the camp - ie.how I couldn't lift my arms or roll over in bed for 2 days! LOLMonday 18 November 2013
The Commando Camp - Part 2
We are woken at 6am on Saturday morning & told we have 15 minutes to be outside. Awesome, just enough time to get dressed & have a quick wash & maybe even brush my teeth.....NEXT MINUTE - we have FIVE minutes to be outside! Rather comical seeing 11 women in one dorm frantically trying to get ready so we're not fined more burpees!
We get outside & Sharon & I aren't wearing our white t-shirts with our names on them, we are told to go & get them. We madly scramble back up to the dorm to put them & come back, only to realise that we didn't take our dowels with us so 10 more burpees each added to the burpee debt - 2 others did the same so 40 burpees added to the camps burpee debt in the space of 2 minutes - this was not going to be a good day.
We were taken through our paces by Commando with some burpees, planks, push ups & other "fun" things in the grass that was filled with bindis & prickly dry grass but you just had to suck it up & get it done!
Breakfast followed which relaxed everyone as we guessed that we wouldn't be made to workout straight after eating - but we weren't allowed to get too carried away, as we had only a few minutes to spare after brekkie to get back to the meeting room for a mindset chat with Commando Steve. All I wanted to do was brush my teeth, fill my water bottle & maybe a quick spot of deodorant - and even then it was rushed....the mindset session was good, we had a few moments in between so I went & got my first pic with Commando and then Nick & Dan - who told me that they were worried whether I was going to turn up to the morning workout after my tears the night before, they were very supportive & Shaz & I were starting to think that maybe, just maybe we could get through this camp alive!
We get outside & Sharon & I aren't wearing our white t-shirts with our names on them, we are told to go & get them. We madly scramble back up to the dorm to put them & come back, only to realise that we didn't take our dowels with us so 10 more burpees each added to the burpee debt - 2 others did the same so 40 burpees added to the camps burpee debt in the space of 2 minutes - this was not going to be a good day.
We were taken through our paces by Commando with some burpees, planks, push ups & other "fun" things in the grass that was filled with bindis & prickly dry grass but you just had to suck it up & get it done!
Breakfast followed which relaxed everyone as we guessed that we wouldn't be made to workout straight after eating - but we weren't allowed to get too carried away, as we had only a few minutes to spare after brekkie to get back to the meeting room for a mindset chat with Commando Steve. All I wanted to do was brush my teeth, fill my water bottle & maybe a quick spot of deodorant - and even then it was rushed....the mindset session was good, we had a few moments in between so I went & got my first pic with Commando and then Nick & Dan - who told me that they were worried whether I was going to turn up to the morning workout after my tears the night before, they were very supportive & Shaz & I were starting to think that maybe, just maybe we could get through this camp alive!
Nick & Dan
After the mindset lesson, we were given 5-10 minutes to be on the basketball court. A quick sunscreen dash etc & then Commando took us through our paces on squat technique & deadlift technique using our dowels & then we tried a 40kg deadlift - which I did 5 reps of. All teams then added 20kg more & whilst I only managed 1 rep - I've never ever deadlifted 60kgs in my life!
We then had a team challenge with rowing & deadlifts & that was actually fun - yes, you heard it here - something "fun" at the Commando camp. My team came last but we didn't care - we all worked our hardest.
It was then time for lunch cold meats, raw veggies, salads & fruit - wooh hoo - more rest time afterwards! After lunch, we had a nutrition session. Commando Steve is a big advocate of the Paleo way of eating & it was a really good session. It was quite hot though as it was approx 36 degrees that day & sdome of us were really tired from the heat & the morning sessions.
After lunch - back on the basketball court! Actually, that's a lie, we firstly had to move all of the equipment from Friday night down to the basketball courts - nothing like a mini warm up Commando Style in 36 degree heat! Commando then checked our squat technique & push press technique, all I was thinking was - oh no, what's in store after this!!
We were told to get into pairs, so Sharon & I paired up of course - we hadn't worked much together that day as we were in different teams all morning. We had to pick one team member to go first - 5 exercises - step ups on the tyres, push press with 10kg or 20kg weight, rowing machine, squats & kettlebell pulls - you had to do 1 minute rounds with 10 seconds rest in between & record the number of reps at each station 3 times through - it was a hard 17 or so minutes! I was so glad I had Sharon there egging me on - your partner was there to count & record your reps & encourage you - we then swapped over & it was Sharon's turn. All of the trainers were checking your technique on everything as well so there was no slacking off! Afterwards, we were exhausted, it was so hot outside & we'd all worked really hard.
Nick & Dan then took a recovery session & we got to play with our foam rollers - no such thing as an afternoon tea break on the Commando camp!
Me doing the Scorpion - it felt so good!!
After the recovery session, it was then time for an outdoor yoga session - they had 2 yoga instructors come to the camp which was a nice change of pace, except lots of groans from most of us trying to get into all the different positions with muscle soreness from the days activities & the smashing from the night before. We were lying there all relaxed when poor Sharon cried out - she'd been stung by a bee! Oh no! She's never been stung by a bee before so we were worried whether she was allergic to them etc. One of the instructors scraped it out - after trying to take it out with tweezers - which Sharon told her was a big no no! Poor Shaz :-( Luckily, she wasn't allergic.
After the yoga session, it was then dinner time - the afternoon had been jam packed - dinner was roast beef & veggies or garlic & chilli chicken. I started eating my dinner & it really wasn't going down that well, I actually started feeling sick, so I went to our dorm & threw up :-( I felt terrible by this time & I think it was due to the heat as I hadn't drank enough water to compensate for being outside most of the day training...I went to lay down, then Sharon came in & wasn't well either. I threw up 2 more times after that. Nick came in to check on us, then Dan. Part of my brain was hoping that Commando wasn't going to come in & make me get up as I was all clammy & yucky. Dan was really nice though, as he said, it had been a huge day & we both only had around 4 hours sleep the night before. I didn't go to the Saturday night session - and it wasn't even training - it was a team building session which a few of the girls filled me in on the next day.
The trainers did make the others do 50 burpees off our debt - poor buggers. And we still had almost 200 to go even after that!
Another night of broken sleep followed, those beds were really not comfortable at all!
The next post will be the 3rd & final installment from the Commando camp where I abseiled for the first time ever thanks to Nick!
Sunday 17 November 2013
The Commando Camp - Tears, Torture & Treasured moments - Part 1
As most of you know, I went to the Commando Camp last weekend with my sister Sharon. We awoke at 5am on the Friday & boarded our flight to Perth, arriving at 8am Perth time. We had a lovely latte & hot choc whilst waiting for my friend Sal to come & pick us up - she was doing the camp as well. We spent the day in Freo at the markets & went for lunch at an amazing place - The Raw Kitchen - the food was delicious!
We then went to Sal's place to "prepare" for our trip to the camp, all three of us were getting butterflies about what was in store for the weekend.
We arrived at camp just before 7pm, found our dorm & got changed into our workout gear. We met wqith Nick & Dan - the other 2 trainers on camp - & were given a fluoro vest & a dowel which we had to keep with us at all times unless instructed otherwise.
Sharon with "Anthony" & me with "Lyndon" - yes, we were still smiling at that point!
We were "pumped" - how hard could this be??????
We went into the meeting room with Dan - one of the trainers & had a motivational session - awesome - this camp is going to be fun! The calm before the storm we now call that time!
Time for our fitness tests so that we could be split into our levels of fitness - 2 minutes each of maximum push ups, sit ups & shuttle runs - from memory I got 54, 35 & 13. That put me in group 4 which was the bottom group, but I had told them about my foot injury so I wasn't too fussed with that.
All was going well, we were having fun! This camp was going to rock!
AND THEN we got taken to this (note that we took these photos the next day) -
Nick advises us that all this stuff needs to get moved "down the road" & we were split into 2 teams of 14 - groups 1 & 2 and groups 3 & 4. At that point, we were still feeling ok, until we realised that the jerry cans were full of water & weighed a lot & the kettlebells weren't those 8-12kg ones either. We each grabbed an item & stumbled along the dirt track, in the dark with our headlamps on - oh and we still had to cary our dowels at the same time! We had no idea of where the end point was, or which way the road went up or down or when it curved etc it was madness!
IT WAS TOUGH! After a while, it didn't matter what you carried - we were swapping items over to share the load - everything was so heavy! At one point I had the rope wrapped around me - just little old me - and I thought I was going to fall over as it had all looped to the front of my body - hard to see when it's dark. The logs were painful & heavy, the tyres were a pain in the butt, the jerry cans were hell, the kettlebells were evil - OH and yes - we PAID FOR THIS! Our group stopped to take stock & have a breather, swap items over etc, we ended up sticking our dowels down our tops at the back so at least we then had 2 hands....little did we know that we'd pay for that later on as it was a "safety breach"!
At this point, I noticed that Commando Steve had joined us - I didn't like him very much at that point & we were only 30 minutes in!
50 minute mark is announced & we're thinking - awesome, now all we'll have to do is load all this stuff on to the 4 wheel drive that's been up our backsides the whole time, surely they won't expect us to carry it all back hey?!
WRONG! This IS Commando camp after all. We had 45 minutes to get all the gear back, working as one whole team together. That's right - 5 minutes less to get it all back & we were all smashed & exhausted already. Punishment for being late back was 5 burpees for every 30 seconds for the whole team! We did the math & worked out that even at the same pace on the way up that would be 100 burpees!
On the way back, I took the rope but then had to stop to wait for the rest of the group, Commando tells me to put the rope down & go back & help? I'm thinking no way am I unravelling this heavy rope just to go and put it back on again so I told him no - you had to be there, I laugh about it now, but I'm surprised he didn't make me do 10 burpees on the spot there and then for snapping back at him!
We finally get all the gear back to camp & find out about our "burpee debt". We did burpees in the dirt - proper chest to ground burpees, hard burpees, we get to 13 & someone's chest hadn't hit the ground so we had to start again! I think we got to 30 or so in the dirt, then had to do another 50+ on paving, by this time, I was a wreck, I was tired, exhausted, absolutely smashed physically, mentally, emotionally & every other way that you can imagine. I was crying my eyes out with each burpee as my hands & knees smashed in to the hard ground, knowing that if I did them wrong that we would all suffer. Sharon then got upset as I was upset & then a girl from team 1 - Morgan - came over & did the remaining burpees next to me to get me through.
Burpees by night!
Once we were finished, I burst into tears & had a big hug session with Sharon. Nick came over & said "you got through, well done". Little did he know, in my mind I was ready to pull the pin & leave. Commando Steve then appeared and said for me not to overthink it & get some sleep as I'd need it. I still didn't like him very much at this point - he was such a big meanie! Sharon & I were both terrified of what was in store for the rest of the weekend!
By that stage it was past midnight & we'd been up for around 23 hours. We stumbled to our dorm, had a quick shower & went to sleep exhausted, emotional & bruised.
More to follow - that was just Friday night!
Sunday 3 November 2013
Hot chocolates & omelettes! Oh - and did someone say stairs?!?!
It's been a few days since my last post......I have been following my physios training plan & ramping up my training - on Wednesday I ran for 10 minutes, followed by 8 minutes of stairs - I ended up with 20 flights up & back in total of a 19 step staircase, then I did 20 minutes on the bike. My foot was feeling great on Wednesday afternoon, so on Thursday I ramped it up again - a 12 minute run, followed by 10 minutes of stairs - and I smashed 27 flights up and back in that time so I was quicker than the day prior (insert YAY! here), then I did 20 minutes on the bike.
I had my physio appointment on Thursday afternoon & told him everything that I'd done - UH-OH - I was meant to have rested on Thursday - OOPS! He told me that I had to rest on Friday which suited me fine....then proceeded to treat my foot which was still sore but less sore than previously.....note to self - don't tell physio that it's not hurting as much as he'll just dig in deeper! He has given me my training plan for the next 2 weeks so I should be ok to do the double events that I've been looking forward to for months - City to Sea run & Eureka stair climb.
On Friday, my foot was very sore - so I rested and attributed the soreness to the treatment the day prior. I was worried that my foot would be sore the next day & I was going to be at the races for Derby Day so I was a little worried but I woke up on Saturday morning & my foot felt fine - BIG relief!
Time to get hair & makeup done & then meet up with the ladies! We had a great day, apart from one of the gals being unwell due to a virus - she stuck it out for a few hours but had to leave early :-(
The weather was perfect & all up it was a brilliant day! I had 3 vodkas, a cajun chicken wrap & a connoisseur cookies & cream ice cream - they were handing them out - I LOVE cookies & cream - so I coudn't resist - besides, I'd walked ALL that way to the track from Epsom Road right? Hee hee! The old me would have consumed a bottle or 3 of wine or champers or whatever was the drink of choice for that day & eaten very fatty food such as hot chips, hot dog etc so I think I chose well - oh I did pinch 2 hot chips from one of my friends - I can't lie or hide it! Oh & a glass of champers at Sezzy's before we left! Hmmm, did I forget anything else?!
It's been a great weekend & today I finished it off today with 2 catch ups - firstly with an old friend who is currently going through a rough patch - a yummy breakfast in South Melbourne & then later on with a new work acquaintance who was down in Melbourne from Brisbane for Derby Day - we didn't manage to catch up yesterday so we met for a cuppa (best hot chocolate ever) & I then dropped her to the airport. Both of these people are very supportive & even though I've only known Kate for a brief time, she told me today that I've inspired her to start running & she's now registered for her first 5km run in January - that's a great feeling to think that my running, also known as "waddling" is having a positive effect on people.
There is now only 5 more sleeps until I get to the Commando camp in W.A - I'm so excited! I have my packing list ready to go & I really can't wait - my sister Sharon & I are bursting with excitement - imagine what we'll be like on Friday morning!
Hope you all had a great weekend :-)
I had my physio appointment on Thursday afternoon & told him everything that I'd done - UH-OH - I was meant to have rested on Thursday - OOPS! He told me that I had to rest on Friday which suited me fine....then proceeded to treat my foot which was still sore but less sore than previously.....note to self - don't tell physio that it's not hurting as much as he'll just dig in deeper! He has given me my training plan for the next 2 weeks so I should be ok to do the double events that I've been looking forward to for months - City to Sea run & Eureka stair climb.
On Friday, my foot was very sore - so I rested and attributed the soreness to the treatment the day prior. I was worried that my foot would be sore the next day & I was going to be at the races for Derby Day so I was a little worried but I woke up on Saturday morning & my foot felt fine - BIG relief!
Time to get hair & makeup done & then meet up with the ladies! We had a great day, apart from one of the gals being unwell due to a virus - she stuck it out for a few hours but had to leave early :-(
The weather was perfect & all up it was a brilliant day! I had 3 vodkas, a cajun chicken wrap & a connoisseur cookies & cream ice cream - they were handing them out - I LOVE cookies & cream - so I coudn't resist - besides, I'd walked ALL that way to the track from Epsom Road right? Hee hee! The old me would have consumed a bottle or 3 of wine or champers or whatever was the drink of choice for that day & eaten very fatty food such as hot chips, hot dog etc so I think I chose well - oh I did pinch 2 hot chips from one of my friends - I can't lie or hide it! Oh & a glass of champers at Sezzy's before we left! Hmmm, did I forget anything else?!
It's been a great weekend & today I finished it off today with 2 catch ups - firstly with an old friend who is currently going through a rough patch - a yummy breakfast in South Melbourne & then later on with a new work acquaintance who was down in Melbourne from Brisbane for Derby Day - we didn't manage to catch up yesterday so we met for a cuppa (best hot chocolate ever) & I then dropped her to the airport. Both of these people are very supportive & even though I've only known Kate for a brief time, she told me today that I've inspired her to start running & she's now registered for her first 5km run in January - that's a great feeling to think that my running, also known as "waddling" is having a positive effect on people.
My delicious omelette from South Melbourne
today - YUM! (I didn't eat it all)
There is now only 5 more sleeps until I get to the Commando camp in W.A - I'm so excited! I have my packing list ready to go & I really can't wait - my sister Sharon & I are bursting with excitement - imagine what we'll be like on Friday morning!
Hope you all had a great weekend :-)
Tuesday 29 October 2013
Ramping It Up! Well, sort of!
On Sunday, I was registered for Race 2 of the Spring Into Shape series but my physio had instructed me not to participate due to my foot issue so I rested. About the only exercise that I did all weekend was walking my dogs :-)
Yesterday - Monday - I went to physio & oh boy, it HURT! It felt like a knife was being dragged through the soles of my feet! I even told Nathan that he's a big meanie. He just laughed - evil man he is....I was a little tender afterwards. I was going to go to my gym's 5.30pm boxing class after work, but I was so tired that I just came home. An old excuse, not good enough, I know, but I'm a bit apprehensive of doing any training other than running or stairs & upper body work - and yes, I know that boxing is upper body work - BUT I was more worried about the stance positions etc & my physio told me yesterday "focus on what you want the most in the next 4 weeks, not the boxing class that you can do on any Monday". So the boxing class went out the window!
The next 4 weeks I have so much on! I have a 2 night & 3 day Commando Camp - with "THE" Commando himself in W.A, then I have 4 nights & 5 days relaxing at Monkey Mia in W.A with my awesome sister, who is also doing the camp with me. We land back in Melbourne on Saturday 16th November at 11pm-ish & the very next morning we will then be going to do the 13km City to Sea run at 8am, followed by the Eureka stair climb at 1pm! It's my birthday that day - and what better way to celebrate than with 2 events! It will mean that I can have a glass of wine AND cake & not feel bad about it. My physio knows that all 3 of these things are important to me & he has assured me that I will get there! Fingers crossed. The Eureka stair climb has been my goal since the date was announced.
Today - Tuesday - I went for a 10 minute outdoor run, followed by 5 minutes of stair climbing on real stairs (not gym equipment) & 25 minutes on the stationary bike. My physio wanted me to slightly ramp this session up to see how my foot reacts. If I wake up tomorrow without much more discomfort, then I get to try a 12 minute run & 8 minutes of stairs - YAY! I'll be so happy if I can accomplish that tomorrow without too much discomfort. Funny thing is though that after today's session, my foot feels really good, so it's either getting much better or is being kind to me tonight just to slam me into pain tomorrow morning - I'm hoping it's getting much much better!
On a 12WBT note - I have been working on my goals for the coming 12 weeks & will share those once I've decided what I will achieve - do you like that "WILL" achieve versus "What I'd like to achieve"? Yes, that's right - I'm back in the drivers seat, fully buckled in, revving my engine & ready to rumble with the scales, tape measure, my mind, my chocolate habit!
Until next time, in foot fitness & health LOL - here's hoping - Me ;-)
Yesterday - Monday - I went to physio & oh boy, it HURT! It felt like a knife was being dragged through the soles of my feet! I even told Nathan that he's a big meanie. He just laughed - evil man he is....I was a little tender afterwards. I was going to go to my gym's 5.30pm boxing class after work, but I was so tired that I just came home. An old excuse, not good enough, I know, but I'm a bit apprehensive of doing any training other than running or stairs & upper body work - and yes, I know that boxing is upper body work - BUT I was more worried about the stance positions etc & my physio told me yesterday "focus on what you want the most in the next 4 weeks, not the boxing class that you can do on any Monday". So the boxing class went out the window!
The next 4 weeks I have so much on! I have a 2 night & 3 day Commando Camp - with "THE" Commando himself in W.A, then I have 4 nights & 5 days relaxing at Monkey Mia in W.A with my awesome sister, who is also doing the camp with me. We land back in Melbourne on Saturday 16th November at 11pm-ish & the very next morning we will then be going to do the 13km City to Sea run at 8am, followed by the Eureka stair climb at 1pm! It's my birthday that day - and what better way to celebrate than with 2 events! It will mean that I can have a glass of wine AND cake & not feel bad about it. My physio knows that all 3 of these things are important to me & he has assured me that I will get there! Fingers crossed. The Eureka stair climb has been my goal since the date was announced.
Today - Tuesday - I went for a 10 minute outdoor run, followed by 5 minutes of stair climbing on real stairs (not gym equipment) & 25 minutes on the stationary bike. My physio wanted me to slightly ramp this session up to see how my foot reacts. If I wake up tomorrow without much more discomfort, then I get to try a 12 minute run & 8 minutes of stairs - YAY! I'll be so happy if I can accomplish that tomorrow without too much discomfort. Funny thing is though that after today's session, my foot feels really good, so it's either getting much better or is being kind to me tonight just to slam me into pain tomorrow morning - I'm hoping it's getting much much better!
On a 12WBT note - I have been working on my goals for the coming 12 weeks & will share those once I've decided what I will achieve - do you like that "WILL" achieve versus "What I'd like to achieve"? Yes, that's right - I'm back in the drivers seat, fully buckled in, revving my engine & ready to rumble with the scales, tape measure, my mind, my chocolate habit!
Until next time, in foot fitness & health LOL - here's hoping - Me ;-)
Friday 25 October 2013
Starting out slowly & all things mint chocolate
I woke up a tad tired today, I think I was over excited about doing another round of the 12wbt!
I got out of bed, did my usual morning routine of puppy cuddles & pats etc, packed my gym bag & headed off to work.
I arrived at work to find a Cadbury Mint Flake on my desk! Oh no! :-( I hadn't tried these before! A colleague had got one for me from his supermarket as mine doesn't seem to have them - yes, I'm being honest, I did look for them last week as I wanted to try them.
At lunch time, I went for a little 1km run to my gym - my physio doesn't want me running more than 5-ish minutes at once until he sees me again on Monday to re-assess my foot. My foot has been very sore since the half marathon almost 2 weeks ago. I've had an ultrasound & an x-ray done which has cleared it of being a stress fracture, but I still need to be careful how soon I ramp my training up so that I don't end up injuring myself any further. My physio is fabulous! Although, I don't tend to tell him that during treatment - OUCH!!!!!
Anyway, back to my teeny run - it felt "ok" as in I didn't need to stop, but there was still some discomfort. I then rode 8kms in 25 minutes on the stationary bike at the gym & had a decent stretching session, before walking back to work. I love that my gym is only 1km from work - it's a great gym & so convenient! My foot is actually feeling good this evening. Last week it was still very sore to the point that I had a slight limp. I'm very happy that it's starting to improve!
Back to work & the Cadbury Flake talking to me saying "eat me, eat me, I'm going to taste so good" & me telling it to shut up & I'm not having it before 3pm!
3pm rolls around - Flake is still intact - WOOH HOO - I did it - I ignored the craving!
3.01pm rolls around - Flake is opened! LOL hey at least I lasted almost a whole day! It was very yummy & approx 170 calories which I thought wasn't too horrific seeing as I'd eaten very well throughout the day up until that point.
Tonight it's grilled mexican chicken - no cheese - with veggies - YUMMY!
I'll be having Camomile tea for the rest of the night as I really need & want a decent, long sleep!
Have a great weekend everyone!
I got out of bed, did my usual morning routine of puppy cuddles & pats etc, packed my gym bag & headed off to work.
I arrived at work to find a Cadbury Mint Flake on my desk! Oh no! :-( I hadn't tried these before! A colleague had got one for me from his supermarket as mine doesn't seem to have them - yes, I'm being honest, I did look for them last week as I wanted to try them.
At lunch time, I went for a little 1km run to my gym - my physio doesn't want me running more than 5-ish minutes at once until he sees me again on Monday to re-assess my foot. My foot has been very sore since the half marathon almost 2 weeks ago. I've had an ultrasound & an x-ray done which has cleared it of being a stress fracture, but I still need to be careful how soon I ramp my training up so that I don't end up injuring myself any further. My physio is fabulous! Although, I don't tend to tell him that during treatment - OUCH!!!!!
Anyway, back to my teeny run - it felt "ok" as in I didn't need to stop, but there was still some discomfort. I then rode 8kms in 25 minutes on the stationary bike at the gym & had a decent stretching session, before walking back to work. I love that my gym is only 1km from work - it's a great gym & so convenient! My foot is actually feeling good this evening. Last week it was still very sore to the point that I had a slight limp. I'm very happy that it's starting to improve!
Back to work & the Cadbury Flake talking to me saying "eat me, eat me, I'm going to taste so good" & me telling it to shut up & I'm not having it before 3pm!
3pm rolls around - Flake is still intact - WOOH HOO - I did it - I ignored the craving!
3.01pm rolls around - Flake is opened! LOL hey at least I lasted almost a whole day! It was very yummy & approx 170 calories which I thought wasn't too horrific seeing as I'd eaten very well throughout the day up until that point.
Tonight it's grilled mexican chicken - no cheese - with veggies - YUMMY!
I'll be having Camomile tea for the rest of the night as I really need & want a decent, long sleep!
Have a great weekend everyone!
Thursday 24 October 2013
A Fresh Start - Back on the 12WBT wagon - Round 4
So after doing 3 rounds of the 12WBT in 2012/13, and having the last 2 rounds off on my own, I have signed up for round 4 starting on 11th November!
WHY DID I DO THAT you may ask?!
Well, after a shaky few months up and down on the scales after 2 trips to Fatty Texas, and then more ups on the scales than down, I need to be accountable & keep the focus on what I want - to be Fit By Feb 14!
I spoke with my amazing sister this evening & she is signing up for Lean & Strong so we've both decided to JFDI (Just Fricken Do It) & get back on track!
10kgs is the goal for this round & although the first week has me away on my holiday - with my sister by my side, I know we will give it a cracking start together!
I'm going to use this blog to keep accountable as well! Thanks Sezzy for the idea!
My next post will be MY COMMITTMENT - keep me committed people please! :-)
WHY DID I DO THAT you may ask?!
Well, after a shaky few months up and down on the scales after 2 trips to Fatty Texas, and then more ups on the scales than down, I need to be accountable & keep the focus on what I want - to be Fit By Feb 14!
I spoke with my amazing sister this evening & she is signing up for Lean & Strong so we've both decided to JFDI (Just Fricken Do It) & get back on track!
10kgs is the goal for this round & although the first week has me away on my holiday - with my sister by my side, I know we will give it a cracking start together!
I'm going to use this blog to keep accountable as well! Thanks Sezzy for the idea!
My next post will be MY COMMITTMENT - keep me committed people please! :-)
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