If you don't like how things are, change it! You're not a tree - Jim Rohn

Sunday 27 March 2011

I'm Coming Clean...

I have an obsessive personality. Only mild, but it's still there. It's in the way I either do something or I don't. It's in the way I learn everything about a subject that interests me and have to force myself to learn about something that doesn't. I think it's why I got such great marks in Criminal and Torts law, but not in Constitutional law. It's the reason I know the lyrics to so many songs, from so many genres, and so many decades. (It's also why I have so many songs on my itunes that I have to cull my playlist everytime I change my ipod settings, but that's a different post).

It's the reason don't count calories. It's the reason why I never will. 'I've eaten 1600 cals but I've exercised off 600, so I need to eat 200 more so my body doesn't go into starvation mode' is something that will never come out of my mouth (or be typed by my hands). It would be so easy for me to fall into the obsessive calorie counting cycle and the pitfalls and dangers that come with that.

Now, I'm not saying don't ever count calories. It's a great starting point for those wanting to lose weight, especially for those who have no idea about that they're eating. But it won't work for me.

Why?

It takes the fun out of things. I like food. I say all the time that I could never be anorexic because of that simple fact. Food is not the enemy. It's something to be enjoyed. Food is to be looked at as fuel for your body. I don't eat it continuously, and I generally only eat when I'm hungry. I only overeat when there's something like a random movie night with friends I haven't seen for a while, or a birthday or family/friends get together. Things like family BBQ's when the home cooked comfort foods like mum's potato bake, and my aunt's fried rice, come out. Things that we don't get very often becuase they're really not that good for you. (my mum's potato bake includes potatoes, diced bacon, cream, 3 cheese sauce mix, and a layer of melted cheese on top. I have a very, very large extended family and 90% of them know how to cook so there's always great food on these occassions).

I do occassionally read the nutrition labels on the back of things. I know that there's 6 teaspoons of sugar in a can of Coke, and I know there's just as many in a glass of apple juice. I know what your body needs and why it craves things at certain times. I know that a serving size and what they put in a packet are 2 different things.

BUT...

I don't worry that I ate a chocolate bar, or a small packet of potato chips at work during my breatk. I am on my feet for anything up to 10 hours a day. My job is physical. It involes a lot of bending, twisting, pushing, pulling, reaching etc. I generally don't eat those sorts of things on my (very rare) day's off and I usually get soem sort of 'other' planned exercise in on my working days anyway.

I can stop at one piece of birthday cake. I only drink alcohol on occassions. I don't eat alot of desserty things. I don't eat cheesecakes, or pavlova (a travesty in Australia I know). I don't like custard (which rules out a lot of things), and I don't like caramel (which narrows the dessert field even more). I'm a person with fairly simple tastes in food. I like chocolate (and almost anything chocolate flavoured), I will pick salt & vinegar potato chips over pretty much anything else, I'm not a huge fan of creamy foods so I'll pick something like spaghetti bolognaise over something like a carbonara pasta. I prefer to season my foods with herbs and spices thatn with soy sauce or fish sauce. I don't add salt or salty sauces to anything I eat (unless the recipe calls for it) and I don't eat butter or margarine.

Actually margarine is one of those 'I do it or don't' situations. I was 8 and one morning (at my Grandmother's) I woke up and decided I wouldn't eat it anymore. I have no idea why. I ate my toast without it that morning and I haven't eaten it since. The only exclusion is with vegemite on toast. Just a little to soften the bread and that's it. I can't eat it on anything else. I specifically ask for sandwiches made without it, and if I forget and they use it, I can't eat it.

I was taught, at an early age, that certain things happen at certain times of the year when it comes to food. Things like the stone fruit I love so much (like the plums that we used to pick from the tree in our nextdoor neighbours yard, nectarines and peaches) are a summer thing and to savour them when I can get them. That the oranges are a winter thing, just like when we play netball. Things like my mum's salmon rissoles are made for Good Friday because we don't eat meat that day. So, the salmon rissoles became something special, something to look forward to. (I now know how to make them, and do, but they're never as good as mum's). My sister and I always got chocolate eggs for Easter. We always got a bit but the best part was that we always got 1 bunny. A Red Tulip bunny. One that stands up, and is hollow on the inside. It was the highlight of the Easter weekend. It didn't really matter what other chocolate we got, or how much, it was the rabbit that was the part we looked forward to. It was the bunny that was eaten last, after everything else was gone. And mine always lasted longer than my sister's. She eats what's in sight. I can resist. Even now, when my sister and I can choose between money or chocolate, we always have to think about it. Because the easter chocolates only come out once a year (even though it's out for longer, we still don't eat it until Easter), it's still something special.

It's like the bon bon candy that my Grandmother has in her house at Christmas. It's the Christmas fruit cake and the pudding my aunt makes (different to the one that makes the rice, other side of the family). They're things that only happen at that special time, so that makes them even more special.

It's why I don't calorie count. Who wants to know the calorie content of evey bite of a chocolate bunny they eat, when they only eat it once? Who wants to know how long in the gym it's going to take to burn off the mound of potato bake you ate at your sister's birthday dinner? Who wants to agonise over whether to have a piece of their own birthday cake because it's chocolate mud cake with chocolate ganash icing, and cream in the middle? Not me. I'd much rather think 'I over indulged over the weekend, so I'll just eat healthier this week and exercise a little more to make up for it. But it was a great weekend.' Doesn't that seem a little healthier than obsessing over every morsel you put in your mouth?

Life is to be celebrated. Things like proposals, and weddings, graduations, and new jobs, moves and children, birthdays and anniversaries. Even commiserations like funerals and the end of a relationship. These things in life are important. They are to be celebrated with good food, drink, and laughter. With fun times and friends. Not with being worried about whether that scoop of ice cream, or that last maragrita will follow you on your thighs for the next week. Life is to be enjoyed.

One of the goals of this blog is to show my journey on the road to being healthier and fitter than I am now. That includes mental health, and, for me, calorie counting is not conductive to that. As a psychology student, I have studied obsessive disorders, as well as eating and exercise disorders, and they wreck so much havoc on the lives of the individuals who battle these diseases, as well as their families and friends that, to me, it just doesn't seem worth it.

Ok, moving on...

It's been over a week since I updated here. It's a bad thing. Life kind of got away from me.

I've been working crazy hours. There's days when there's been only 10 hours between when I clock out and when I come back the next morning. I've been going from nights to mornings and back. Every day I go to work I get asked to stay late, or come in early the next day, or come in on my days off. It's driving me up the wall. It's screwing with my sleep schedule, it's screwing with my exercise (or lack of) and with just about everything else.

Last week started out well in terms of nutrition. I was eating well. Until Thursday when it all went out the window, and then down the drain. I feel flat and unmotivated and just essentially yuck. And when my nutrition suffers so does my exercise. I have done barely anything. On Thursday I went to the pool. I swam for about 30 minutes. The Friday before (the day after my last post) I went to they gym after I finished work. I came home at 8pm, watched the end of Biggest Loser, got changed, and hit the gym for 30 minutes of cardio. May have been a bad idea.

I slept in on the Friday morning. I was planning on getting up early and going to the gym, but I valued my sleep more. I worked a 10 hour shift that day, 10am - 8pm. I was tired when I got home but I knew I wouldn't sleep. So I did something productive. I went to the gym. I did 20 minutes of running intervals on the treadmill. Then I did 5 minutes of intervals on the rower. When I went to stand up, I nearly fell over, my legs were like jelly. I did a 5 minute cooldown on the eliptical and then went home.

That's all I've done this week. Until today...

Today I went for a run. Well, run/walk. From my house, past the netball courts, and back towards the primary school I used to attend many years ago. (They've fenced it off properly now so I can't get in to take advantage of their open grassed area or their stairs). Then through the reserve, and back to my place. Takes about 45 minutes. Longer if I follow the path through the reserve I normally take rather than the shortened version I took today.


I love to run. The burn in my legs, the feel of moving myself across the ground, the breathlessness that comes with a good, hard, long run. It's been a while since I ran outside. Since I did any real physical activity outside. Even the swimming pool is indoor now (it's a 25m heated pool, the 50m Olympic size one has been shut for the winter season).

It's a different feeling when you run outside. It's just... more. It's more of a burn in your legs (my calf muscles especially). It's more invigorating than running on a treadmill. I don't know if it's the wind in your face, the fresh air, the scenery, the noises or what. It's more of an effort to get from point A to point B without the help of that little black belt that helps move your feet. It's more of a calorie burn. It's different, and for me personally, it's better.

Any sort of outdoor exercise is better for me. I work inside, in an air conditioned workplace. With no windows to see the outside world, just bright lights, and cold coolrooms. To be outside, in the natural environment is better for my mental health. There's nothing worse that getting up before the sun is up, going home mid afternoon, and not takign advantage of the sun. Autumn has started now, so the days are getting shorter. It's now dark when I get up at 4am to start work. It's dark at 7pm. If I finish at 3pm, I get only 4 hours at most with the sun. If i work 7-5/6, I barely need my sunglasses for the drive home, and definitely don't need them for the drive to work.

Tomorrow is Monday. I don't know why but that always seems like I good day to start anything new.

So, the plan for this week... (part of my obsessiveness is my continual need to write and tick things off, to do lists):

*Get an outdoor workout at least twice this week. It can be a run, it can be interval training, it can be an outdoor strenght workout. Anything. As long as it lasts at least 30 minutes and is outside! (Weather permirtting. It's rained all over the State this last week except for here. And there are rain clouds outside now.)

* Drink 2lt of water every day. This is normally not so bad, but with the cooler weather coming in, it's getting harder to do.

*Get a strength training workout in 3 times this week. Easy. I think.

*Get my nutrition back on track. I just feel better when I eat better. Especially when I cut out my carbs of a night. It's just a personal thing.

Have fun

Thursday 17 March 2011

Water, water everywhere

And I haven't had enough to drink. I can feel the headache brewing behind my eyes.

I am usually (like 99% of the time) really, really good with drinking water. I pretty much don't drink anything else. A little orange juice or tea. Very occassionally some coke or other fizzy soda. I just don't want it, and I don't like how it makes me feel.

But today, my water consumption is very very bad. I was only supposed to work a 6 hour shift today, so I didn't take my water bottle. I always take a water bottle to work with me. But today I didn't. And instead of a 6 hour shift, I got a 9 hour shift. I was on my feet for 8 hours today, and we were busy. No time to sneak off to the taps to drink something.

And when my water intake is bad, my food is bad. Today it included 2 chocolate bars, and a McFlurry from Macca's (McDonalds). Very, very bad.

I am, unfortunately, one of those people who suffer from migraines. And debilitating ones at that. The sort of ones that leave me curled up around the toilet for 2 reasons: 1: I'm not sure if I'm going to throw up or not, and 2: the floor is cold. Migraines make me really hot and I find it hard to cool down. This is bad for me because I don't feel the heat. I also can't take even the slightest bit of light or noise. Even the tiniest noise makes my head feel like a jackhammer is quite happily hammering away at my brain, and light makes me feel like someone is trying to slice out my eyes and my brain with a knife. It's not pleasant. Neither is the fact that the slightest bit of movement makes my head ache, and my stomach roll. It's like the worst hangover you've ever had, without the fun part.

I'm lucky that I don't get them very often. Maybe once or twice a year. Usually if I'm stressed, but if I've had very little water, and I can feel a headache starting, like I can right now, it can quickly turn into a migraine if I don't take immediate action. This usually being 2 asprin (or ibuprofen depending on the severity) and at least a litre of water. If I'm not fast enough with that it involes my bed and trying to sleep it off. At the moment, asprin and water seems to be doing the trick.

So, trainer tip for you: DRINK LOTS OF WATER!!!!! I try and drink 2lt (67+ ounces) a day. More if I'm exercising, or it's really, really hot.

So, I didn't get a walk in yesterday. I know, I know, I swore I was going to. But I took my washing off the line abotu 30 seconds before we were hit with a drenching rain. Unfortunately it did nothing to stop the heat. But it did prevent me from going for a walk. And I'm not one of those people who is overly enthusiastic about going to the gym if I'm just doing cardio. So, I didn't go. But I didn't feel guilty either.

So, today I planned on going after work. Which I was supposed to finish at 12pm. But M twisted her ankle bad enough to need crutches last night, so I worked an extra 3 hours. She very bravely tried to come to work today, and lasted 4 hours sitting down before the pain got to her and I drove her home. In her car. Which means mine was left at work (about 5-10 minutes walk).

So I planned to go after I finished work at 3. But when I dropped M home, we got sidetracked. So I walked to get my car (up 2 hills) and drove her to get something for lunch (which she hadn't had). We ended up at Macca's (hence the McFlurry) and then back to her place to watch Tangled. *I want the chameleon and the horse :D

So basically, I left my house at 5.45am, and got back at 7pm. Needless to say I didn't make it to the gym. But I did only have a salad with chicken and bacon for dinner (lettuce, cucumber, tomato, green capsicum, a little danish fetta, 1/2 a chicken breast fry fried and a little diced bacon). It's my go to meal. It's easy, quick and filling.

Then after dinner (and watching the Biggest Loser, and if that's not motivation I'm not sure what is), I got on the Wii fit for 30 minutes. I haven't been on it for nearly 2 months *hangs head in shame. Oops. It was mainly balance work tonight. A little boxing to warm up, alot of balance games (I have bad ankles from years of gymnastics and netball and I really need to strengthen them and this is a great way to do it), and then some yoga to cool down. It was actually pretty good. I'm very competitive so I like to beat my best score (or get to the end in the Bubble Balance games. I haven't managed it on the Wii Fit Plus version yet. The bee's keep busting my bubble).

So I got a little exercise done, and ate lightly for dinner to make up for the terrible snacking I had today.

Going to drink some more water and then head to bed. Got the alarm set for 6am tomorrow. Going to get my gym session in before work (working 10am-8pm) because I know I won't get it in afterwards. Especially when I have to be at work at 6am on Saturday.

Night

Wednesday 16 March 2011

Last Night's Workout.

Just a quick post while I'm waiting for my washing to finish and I can take advantage of the amazing weather and hang it out. (I hang it out most of the time, unless it's raining, so I guess it's not really taking advantage of it. I love the smell of washing that has been allowed to air dry outside. BUT it is autumn now (or fall) and soon the weather will be getting colder, daylight savings will end, and the sun will start to hide away a little, so I take what I can).

Managed a gym workout last night. That's a big thing for me 'coz I'm not someone who really likes to workout of a night. I don't like that it's crowded with people coming from after work, I don't like women who sit on the bikes or walk on the treadmill while reading a book or flicking through a magazine for 30 minutes or so, but are barely getting a workout. (I mean, if you're going to make the effort to go to the gym, you can at least make the effort to actually do some work.) Or people that talk on their phones while working out. I really don't need to hear your conversation while I'm running next to you. Or some men who glare at you when you want the free weights, or the pull up machine. Women use weights too. Deal with it.

I prefer to work out in the afternoon. Between 1-3pm. There's practically noone in the gym at that time. Or early, like 6am. I'm not a morning person so that's harder for me, especially when I have to start work at 5am (my gym is a 24 hour one so I could get up at 3 and go, but I'd much rather go after work at 3pm). That way it's done and out of the way when I finally get home and I don't have to convince myself to get out of the comfy chair and get into the gym. I find that if I take my workout clothes with me and get changed at work I just go and do it. Then when I get home I can just laze about for the rest of the day/night. Working a job where I'm on my feet all day, the last thign I want to do when I finally sit down, is to go and work out. I'm sure alot of you can relate.

I went to the movies with M yesterday afternoon. It was only kinda planned. We went and saw Rango and really, not that great. And I love Johnny Depp. But again, not that good. But I did see the previews for Hop, and for Kung Fu Panda 2, so there were some positives to come out of it. (I'm slightly obsessed with kids movies lately. They're so much better than alot of the M or higher rated movies coming out lately). And movies always involve some sort of junk food. Usually it involves popcorn, and chocolate, sometimes lollies (candy) and potato chips. And of course the movie soft drink. BUT yesterday I was semi good and only had a medium bucket of popcorn (which I couldn't eat all of) and a medium coke (which I drank all of and could have had more, oops). That is all :D And no McDonalds on the way home (another movie ritual).

So, after all that salt and butter (I don't use butter/margarine myself, not for anything) I felt slow and sluggish and horrible and decided on the way home that a gym session was in order. I'd only gone for a swim on Monday so I was in need of a full workout. I planned to go for a full workout on Monday but after a late night on Sunday, and an early wake up call on Monday to go to the pool I showered and went back to bed. When I got up a few hours later my legs and butt were sore so I skipped the gym.

I hit the gym about 7.30pm and there were more people there than I expected but I didn't have to fight anyone for anything I wanted to use. *does happy dance. So, after a 5 minute warm up on the eliptical (I normally use the treadmill but they were taken so the eliptical it was) I hit the weights. I don't have a typical routine for weights, alot of it depends on what isn't in use, and how I feel on the day. Yesterday I felt good so I started with the assisted pull up machine. From there it was the leg extension and the leg curl, and the seated row (3 sets, 12 reps each machine). Then onto the free weights. I tend to use 4-5kg (about 10-12lbs) dumbells for the free weights. It's enough to give me a workout without incapcitating me for work the next day (I do alot of lifting, pushing and pulling at work). So with a stability ball I did chest presses and shoulder presses (3 sets, 12 reps) and then some walking lunges (10 each leg) and some one legged squats (8 each leg). I always plan my workouts like this: back, front, legs. So if you work the chest, you work yout back, if you work your triceps, you work your biceps. And always work your legs. Squats, lunges, machines, just do something. They're the biggest muscles in your body.

Then it was onto cardio. I was planning to use the rower, but there was someone on one and I don't like to use the second one when someone's already on one. The same with any of the cardio equiptment. I like to have a machine between me and the next person. *shrugs. I'm not sure why. So, rower out, I hit the eliptical again. Was planning on using the treadmill this time but my ankle was playing up (old sports injury) and I didn't want to aggrivate it.

I like the hill progressions on the treadmill and the eliptical so that's what I chose last night. Cadence hills was my choice (up the hill then down it in steps) and the plan was to keep my speed to almost the same while going up the hill, and then increase it going down, then slower on the flat. So basically it was to keep my speed above 10 on the flats, above 12.5 on the inclines, and about 15 on the declines. I also varied whether I had the weight on my toes, heels, or on the balls of my feet. Where you put your weight changes the workout each muscle gets (I'll go into this in more detail later).

I did a 5 minute cooldown on the treadmill (I made it eventually :D) and then onto the floor for some abs workouts and some stretching. I'm not a fan of abs workouts but they are a necessary evil. I have a very strong back, but not so much a strong stomach, so it's something I work on out of necessity rather than choice. I always do crunches, and planks and usually a few different things like reverse crunches and leg lifts but last night I hadn't eaten before hitting the gym (silly me) so I kept it to the crunches and the plank.

Stretching is probably my favourite part of a workout. I just find it really realxing. I participated in gymnastics for years, so alot of my stretches are things I learned there. Obviously stretch the muscles you have used in your workout. At the very least it'll help with muscle sorness the next day. I use it as a way of keeping, and improving, my flexibility.

Will make sure I fit in a walk this afternoon (legs are sore so won't push it for a run today). Dad and I are having Chinese takeaway for dinner tonight while mum's away on a work thing, but will try to make it relatively healthy. Chicken and veggies here I come :D

I can hear the washing machine beeping, so I'm off to hang the washing out so I actually have something to wear to work tomorrow.

Have fun

Monday 14 March 2011

In The Beginning...

How did I get to here? How did I get to the point that I know what I know? That I am the size that I am? That I am at the fitness level that I am?

The sad thing is that I wasn't always like this. I wasn't always overweight, or unfit. I didn't have overweight parents (extended family I'll get to later) While I was never 'happy' with my size, (blame being a teenager and not actually realising how slim I was), I was never unhappy. I was never one of those girls who stood in front of a mirror and picked her body to pieces detailing everything she didn't like. Even at my heaviest I never did it. I never really noticed my weight, or my size, or my body shape and sometimes, looking back, I wish I had. Not in an obsessive way, but just in a way that I could notice what I was doing to myself before I got to the state I was in.

I was always active. I always played sport. Anything and everything I could participate in I would.

So how did a slim, active girl become an overweight 20 year old?

I was always the 'slim' one of the family. My sister has always been bigger than me (although she is shorter than me too), and my female cousin on my mum's side was always overweight, even as a kid. I used to play every sport imaginable. Until I was 10 I did swimming club racing anything up to 6-7 races a week, and lived in the pool during the summer, I played tennis (both doubles and singles) and competed in Little Athletics. I was continuously on the move, even when I wasn't playing sport. We had a huge backyard with a swing set and trampoline, a kelpie cross cattle dog to play with, and a park with football field across the road. I used to do cartwheels and other gymnastic things (without ever having done gymnastics) up and down the backyard just because I could.

When my family moved I gave up swimming, tennis and Little A's but picked up gymnastics, netball and walking to school. I played on the high schools hockey team, and continued to play netball, but gave up gymnastics after I hit a growth spurt at 13. By the time I was 16, I stil played netball, but this was mixed in with studying for yrs 11 and 12, working a part time job and music lessons and band practice.

After a breakup with my first boyfriend at 16 from a serious relationship, I turned to junk food while I was a work to get me through the shifts. As I generally only worked a 4-5 hour shift, I only got a 10 minute break, so instead of getting an apple of something relatively healthy, I'd grab a bag of chips, or some chocolate, along with a bottle of coke and gulp it down before getting back to work. I also, like everyone I work with, picked at the food, because I worked in the deli section.

Slowly but surely I started to gain weight. I first noticed that my work pants were a little tight, but I put that down to the fact that maybe I was still growing, and I'd been in the same sized pants for 2 years (ignoring the fact that they were a loose 10 when I started). By the time my year 12 formal came around, I was a size 12, and not really noticing anything was wrong.

My first year of uni consisted of college food, sugar highs to get me through long nights of assignment writing and exam prep, and the only exercise I would do was to walk up the hill every morning for classes. I stopped playing sport, and couldn't be bothered to go and join the gym, no matter that I had friends that did (although it was in the middle of the last semester and I couldn't justify spending the money. Ironic isn't it?). Still was in denial about my weight problem, because I could still fit into my size 10 mini shirt (although it was a little tighter than before) and I had a boyfriend and friends and other things to worry about. At least that's what I told myself.

By the middle of my second year of uni, I'd lost a little bit, and had started going to the gym. I moved into self catered accommodation, but, being the first time for really fending for myself, I returned to eating crappy foods that, while not being terrible for me and not eating take away more than once a week, really weren't great for me either. However, I got a friend to come to the gym with me and we both fell in love with BodyPump and BodyBalance. We would do this probably 2-3 times a week and I loved it. It was the first real gym setting I'd been in and I was instantly enamoured with it.

By my third year I had gained even more weight, but was still only a 12-14. I picked up netball that year, and was still going to the gym, but I had lost my gym buddy and my motivation wasn't high. My eating habits were starting to get better though. The only conoslation with losing my gym buddy was that I picked up another one. Another friend and I were going to the gym twice a week and I was also doing BodyJam and BodyCombat with yet another friend. But the one coming to classes was likely to give an excuse as to why she couldn't come so I wasn't as consistent with it. If only I'd actually put some effort into the gym that year, maybe I wouldn't be where I am today.

During the September break in my third year I was discussing with my mum, all the health issues that run in my family. I have type 1 diabetes and heart disease on both sides, cancer on my dad's side, and obesity on my mum's side, although dad's family aren't exactly tiny either. It was then and there that I decided that I needed to look after myself. Not because of my weight, but because of health issues. I knew that I had put on weight because my size 14 pants were starting to be too tight and I refused to get a size bigger. I made a vow then and there that I wouldn't ever get past a size 14 (Aus). The first time I stepped on the scales I saw 90kg. I nearly cried. I stood there asking myself how I got there.

I had never stood on scales before and cared about the number that was showing before that day. Sure, I'd been on scales before, but I've been lucky that I never struggled with the teenage angst of feeling too fat, or not pretty enouugh, so, in retrospect, I guess that kinda led to me being where I am. I'm thankful that I never went through that faze, but if I could go back and do some things differently, I'd tall myself that it's not just about feeling good, but about being healthy as well.

When I saw a photo of myself at my sister's High School graduation formal I took a long hard look at myself and realised that I'd let it get too far, I'd become far too comfortable at the excuses coming out of my mouth, and took another look at my size 14 jeans, that were a little too tight, and decided then and there that I was never going to get bigger than I was at that moment.

I compared myself at my smallest (my yr 10 formal) and my heaviest (my 3rd year uni ball) and nearly cried again. I look like I have doubled in size. That high school photo is my motivation. I know that I will never be that exact size again, but if I can get close to it I will be happy.

I lost 10kg in that first year, although I didn't lose a pants size :( I am not sure if it's a good thing or not, but I put on, and lose weight, fairly evenly across my body so it takes a while for me to actually go down a clothing size. At the end of my 4th year of university I went to the USA for 3 months to work in a ski resort. It was a wonderful experience and I had an absolute ball. But, America is the land of fast food and I put on 5kg while I was there. (Not too bad, my sister put on the same while she was there and she was only there for 3 weeks!)

Enter a year of failing my university classes and deciding to put my degree on hold for 6 months, and I lost the 5kg I put on, but nothing more. At the end of that year I decided I wanted to become a personal trainer. I'd been lucky enough to have had a great trainer myself, and I saw that I could do this, and, more importantly, that I wanted to do this. This was a way of me being able to help people. I could understand where a lot of them were coming from. I could empathise because I'd been there.

So, enter last year. I moved to Sydney to do my personal trainers course. I was running again. I was walking everywhere. I was eating healthy again. I was losing weight. (Not in the numbers, but my clothes fit better and I felt better). I graduated with my master trainer's qualifications in the April, then I graduated with a B Arts in Psycholgy in the November.

And here I am. That's my story. Nothing heartbreaking, or life changing happened to me to make me put on weight. Just life, and bad choices. So, I am now on the journey (again) to fix it. To change my life and live it healthier and fitter than I am now. This is not about losing weight, although that will be a bonus. This is about a lifestyle change for the better.

Sunday 13 March 2011

Hello World

Well, that about sums it up. Hello to any and all out there in blog land.

This is my health and fitness journal. It’s my way of documenting what I eat, when I exercise, how I feel both mentally and physically. It’s about me giving out my favourite tips when it comes to training and nutrition. It is not a weight loss journal. At least, not primarily.

This is about living a healthy, fit, long life.

So… in that theme…

Why here? Why now? Why write this blog at all?

Why here? I’m not really sure. I’ve tried this before and it never really happened. I have many online journals, the only one I seem to write in somewhat constantly is my LJ, but writing about health and fitness just never seemed to fit there. That’s about other stuff. Different personal stuff. So… here I am.

Why now? That’s an easier question to answer. In 2 months tomorrow I fly out for a Conitki tour of the USA. Los Angeles to New York City. About 6 weeks give or take of being on the other side of the world. I have been there before. Lived there actually, for 3 months working in a ski resort while I was at university. I loved it. I also know how much ‘bad’ food I ate and how much weight I put on, even when I skiied and snowboarded almost constantly for the last 6 weeks, and walked everywhere. So I don’t want to do that again.

I’m not really aiming for weight loss before I leave. I’m not worried about what the number on the scale says. But right now I feel a little flabby. The pants are a little tighter (and a size bigger) than I would like. I know that I can look and feel better. I want to be able to party my way across the USA feeling sexy. I want to have fun dancing the nights away and having an amazing time without that little voice in the back of my head, (I’m sure we all have one), that is questionning how I look in the numerous photo’s that I’m sure will be taken. I want to be able to rock a bikini on the beaches of Miami, and I want to be able to fill a suitcase with amazing clothes from all the shopping I will be doing. I plan on taking an almost empty suitcase :D It will be summer and I want to be able to wear amazing skirts and dresses without my thighs rubbing together. (I’m not sure how successful that will be. Even when I was a small size I have always had bigger legs). I want to be able to show off a trim, toned figure.

This blog is not about weight loss, although I will celebrate every kilo that I lose. It’s about making my life healthy again. It’s about upping my commitment to the gym, running and the pool. It’s about rekindling my love of cooking good, nutritious food. It’s about getting out of the rut I’m in at the moment and into the groove I was in while I did my presonal trainers training (and isn’t that a great sentence?).

So there you have it. The hows, why’s and why nots. The ins and outs of this blog.

Tomorrow my backstory. Just how did I get to here.