Blogger Challenge Week 2

Ok, so, as I wait for my printer to work itself out so I can print my visa application (Canada work visa, very exciting), I figures I should actually sit down and write this out. A miniscule 2 hours before cut off time. Like usual, I leave things to the last minute. Especially when I have to be at work at 6am.

Anywho...

The challenge this week was to find something positive out of this 12wbt we've all been doing. We're always talking about how hard it is, or how much we hurt, or the food we don't like/don't want to eat etc. It's always got a slight negative tone to it, whether we mean it as that or not. And I'm just as guilty. Especially today when I only got a loss of 200g (more on this later).

So, the positives....

We were posed with the questions of what are we taking up.giving ourselves. Are we learning something new? Taking up a new sport? Giving ourselves a social life?

I have to answer in the negative about all of these things.

I'm not taking up a new sport. Other than the fact that most sports are played on a weekend and I'm a casual employee and therefore work on the weekends, I am leaving the country in a little over 3 months. So, there's no point in joining a sporting team, even if I had the weekends available.

I'm not giving myself a social life. Again, I work weekends. Either late nights or early mornings. SO, no going out on weekends. Also, my friends don't live in this town. I have 2 people I would consider friends in this town. And that kinda comes across as sad but it's not. I have many, many acquaintances in this town. I know alot of people. There's just too many I would choose to socialise with as friends etc. That's not to say I don't have friends. I do. Not a lot. But the ones I do have are amazing friends. The best. They just happen to live all over the world.

Learning something new? Maybe. There's no skill set I could say I'm learning. II don't have access to gym classes (much to my disappointment. I would love to regularly attend body pump, jam or combat classes), so my exercise is done outdoors, at the gym or at home. As I'm a PT, I'm finding that I'm just going through the motions a little with my exercise at the moment. What little I'm doing. I am learning new recipes. And I have always enjoyed cooking. So it's nice to have a few new, easy and tasty things to cook under my belt.

I think part of my lack of positive answers this week has to do with the fact that my motivation has wained this week. as of today I have lost 1kg. Just 1. And I know that I haven't been putting in a lot of consistency in my exercise but I have been eating really well. I have been changing recipes that I don't like for ones I do. I have been staying within my calories. I work on my feet for anything from 5-10 hours a day. Mum and I have been putting in at least 30-40 minutes walk a day. And I know that's not a lot.

I guess the positive is that I know I have to do more. I have to exercise. No excuses. Not even if my eyes are starting to droop on the 5 minute drive home. I cannot nap for 30 minutes and then go to the gym. I will go to the gym, tired or not; having worked 10 hours on my feet or not; having started work at 5am, or finishing at 10pm. I will go to the gym. I don't have a choice.

If I want to meet my goals of slimming down and needing to buy new clothes when I get to Vancouver, then I need to get over whatever is holding me back and just f*cking do it. Just get into the gym. Or outside.

So, I guess that's my positive. Next week I will be in the 70's, never to go back to the 80's. I have gotten over this all or nothing mentality. I need to ficus on the future, and Canada, and all the wonderful opportunities waiting for me over there.

I WILL DO IT!!!

Now I feel like I need to pull out my old psyc textbooks and read over them again. Do to myself what I do to my clients. Get them to look inside themselves. Get them to look at all the things they don't want to look at and have hidden away from for so long.

At least this has made me do that a little too.

I am a work in progress. I have to remember that the target will always move. That healthy living is just that, and not about being a certain size or number on the scale.

I can do this!

Weigh In Wednesday

Via Pinterest

A small loss this week. 200g down. Now, that's not alot, but, seeing as I was thinking that I would possibly go up because I haven't had a chance to really exercise a lot, and my eating hasn't been great.

This brings me to 1kg down in 3 weeks. Not great, but at least the scale has gone down.

Next weigh in will be 4 weeks down. Wish me luck.

SSS workout



Super Saturday Session today. Well, sort of. I have to start work in 25 minutes so it's only a quick update.

We are supposed to try and burn 1000 calories in the Super Saturday Session. I managed 671 in just under 1 hour (58 minutes). I was pretty happy with that. I've never really been sure how much effort I would need to burn a certain amount of calories, so to burn 10+ calories a minute with cardio was a nice surprise.

Via Pinterest

I started with a run. Usually my run is a little longer but today I did the shorter route. Usually I continue running up the hill, then over 2 streets before coming back down and picking up the path that leads back to my house. Today I just folowed the path, and skipped the second part of the hill and the 2 extra streets. I've never even measured the distance, so I downloaded the Runkeeper app, set it up, put my HRM on and off I went.

25:37m later, I was back at home. My run was 3.22km and my average pace was 8:02 mins/km. Not too bad considering I haven't really run for a while. It was a run/walk and it felt good. I burned 317 cals. Yay!!!

Contrary to the above picture, I love to run. And it does give you a nice ass.:D

When I got back home, I decided to do the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred DVD. That DVD is tough. It's deceptively simple. The moves aren't hard, not at all. But it's hard to do, especially as you get to the end. As you tire, the moves seem harder, and even a 1kg weight seems incredibly heavy. But it was good. I was covered in sweat. I was puffing. My heart was racing. And it was 30 minutes.

In 33:50m, I burned 354 cals. Yay me. I makes me feel good to actually see the results of my effort in a 'solid' format. It's nice to see cold hard numbers, as well as feel the burn in your muscles.

Off to work now. Another 10 hours on my feet.

Wish me luck.

HRM and walk

My heart rate monitor arrived today. I was lucky. The Toll guys arrived just as I was about to walk out the door to work.

This is my heart rate monitor. It's a RS300x. It's a cross training/fitness heart rate monitor with a few more features than the standard FT4 or FT7. I got it for 30% off and free shipping, plus a free wrist band/key holder.

I tested it out tonight when mum and I went for a walk. We went for about 25 mins and I burned 154cals. Not too bad. It's interesting to see how much of a burn you get for your effort.  

Will have to test it out with a major workout tomorrow. Or the SSS on Saturday before work.

Weigh In Wednesday.

via pinterest

Yay!!! I never thought that getting on the scales would feel so good. Especially as I've already lost 10kg previously and kept it off.

1.4kg down this week from last week. *does happy dance. Ok, so it's only 800g down from my starting weight, but I got rid of the 600g I put on last week, plus the 800g. So I'm going to be happy with that. Especially as I haven't exercised alot this week.

My 12wbt ticker thingy no longer says 'I'm a work in progress'. Yes!

Via pinterest.com

Now to keep the scale going down.

Blogger Challenge Week 1

I have decided to do the blogger challenge. Basically Nutritionally Yours has been good enough to organise this for us this round.

First blogger challenge: introductions. There are 10 questions for us to answer. And at first glance, they look fairly easy to answer. But, I've spent the last few days thinking, really thinking, about these answers.

So, here they are:

1. Tell us a little about yourself. What makes you, you?

This is such a deceptively simple question. But, how do you squash yourself down into a few words? How do you describe almost 25 years of life in such a short space? I'm not sure, but I'll try.

I'm 24 (25 in May). I'm a personl trainer, with a B Arts in Psychology. I have a love of travel, having been to Japan when I was 16, worked in a ski resort in California when I was 21, and went back to the US on a Contiki tour last year. I am currently in the process of filling out a work visa application for Canada and I can't wait. I am currently, and happily, single and have no desire to change that at the moment. I believe that things happen for a reason and you meet people for a reason. I have played almost every sport you can name for as long as I can remember. I went to uni and put on 30kg (I think, I never knew my weight before I stood on the scales and it said 90kg). I lost 10kg while I was still there.

I'm a dancer, singer, actor, major procrastinator, stubborn Taurus, oldest child, 2nd youngest in the entire extended family. I'm fiercely independent, loyal and strong. I love the arts, and miss gymnastics.

2. Why did you decide to do the 12WBT?

I joined the 12wbt primarily to lose weight. I know about exercise. I know about healthy eating. I'm a PT. But, I needed someone to be accountable to. I needed some new recipes. Some new meals that are healthy, cheap, easy and quick to prepare. Also, I'm moving to Canada, one of the fittest nations in the world. And, call it shallow, but I want to look good when I get there.

3. What are you hoping to achieve through the program?

I would love to lose the 16kg that will get me back to 65kg. But, if I can lose 11kg, and get back to 70kg, that will make me happy. I want to have a lifestyle change where healthy eating is the normal, and exercise is a habit.

4. Why have you decided to blog about the 12WBT? What will be the main focus (e.g, food, exercise, a bit of everything?)

I have been blogging for a while. I have a livejournal account where I have been blogging for a few years. Then I started this one about my own weight loss journey, so it was a natural progression to blog about this journey as well.

This blog will be a bit of everything. Food, exercise, mental things, personal things etc.

5. How will you be exercising this round? Gym, home, outdoors or a mixture?

Exercise will be a bit of everything. I have been a member of my gym for a few years. I have many workout DVDs to use at home. I like to run outdoors. So, exercise will be a mixture of things. The only thing that I wont be doing is gym classes. My town doesn't have any to offer so I can't do that.

6. What is your greatest strength that will help you?

I struggle to answer this question. I have determination. I have persistence. I am stubborn. But at the same time I'm a perfectionist. I have an all or nothing mentality. I tend to get bored easily. So, I'm not really sure.

7. What are you afraid of?

Failing? Succeeding? What lies at the end of the journey? Probably everything.

8. What are you looking forward to the most over the next 12 weeks?

My fitness levels increasing. My strength increasing. Getting new, healthy, yummy recipes under my belt. Being able to do a sit up without someone achoring my feet.

9. What is your downfall? Food? Exercise? How will you overcome this?

My biggest downfall is me. My tendency to procrastinate. To put things off. I can eat healthy. I've done this before and I've lost weight. I can exercise. I enjoy it, it's just the getting out the door. I need to stop procrastinating.

10. If you had to pick one word to motivate you over the next 12 weeks, what would you choose?

CANADA!!!!

Fitness Test

OH. MY. GOD.

Today was fitness test day for me. Every 4 weeks we will revisit the same fitness test and compare our results. Obviously the aim is to improve on the results from the last time. The results categorise you into beginner, intermediate, or advanced.

We had to do the max number of push ups in a minute (knees or toes), sit ups (how far up you can go), a sit and reach test, a 'how long can you hold a wall sit' test and a 1km time trial.

Now, as a PT, alot of people assumed I'd be in the advanced category. But, just because I can lift weights, and I'm pretty fit does not mean I am anything over beginner stage. I fell rougly between beginner and intermediate. Some things were beginner, some things were intermediate, one was advanced.

So, here are the results:

No of push ups in 1 minute: 25 on my knees. Not great, but not terrible either. My upper body strength isn't that great. This put me in the intermediate category.

Sit ups: This is the one people laugh at me for. I cannot do a sit up without someone holding my feet. Not one. Therefore I am a beginner.

Sit and reach test: This is a flexibility test. You reach for your toes and see how far you get. You get either a +,- or a 0cm result. Mine was +12cm. YAY!!! This put me in the advanced category.sit

Wall sit: I lasted 35 seconds. A little better than I thought I would. This puts me in the beginner category.

1km time trial: I did it in 8mins 24 seconds. This puts me in the beginner category again.

So, overall I am probably intermediate.

I was impressed with my push ups. I've never been a fan, even though I know the science behind them and I make all my clients do them. I just dont, so to be in the intermediate category is fine for me. I need to get to 31 to be in the advaced category. I don't think I'll get here in 4 weeks but maybe in the 8 or 12 week fitness test I will be.

The sit ups amuse me. I have never, ever, ever, EVER been able to do an unassisted sit up without using my hands a little as leverage. Not when I did Karate as a kid. Not when I did gymnastics as a teenager. NEVER!!! So I wasn't too surprised at the result. I'm not sure how to improve on that either. It ever mattered that I could swing myself around a bar with just my core strength or that I could hold a handstand, or a candle position, or that I can cartwheel in a perfectly straight line between gym mates 2 feet apart. It doesn't matter that I can hold a plank, or do mountain climbers or burpees. It didn't matter that I ould do back and forwards walkovers, handsprings and the like. I have never been able to do a sit up. Will have to try some things out to see if I can fix this. To be intermediate I need to be able to do 1 full sit up with my hands across my chest. I really want to be able to do this by the end.

The sit and reach didn't really surprise me. I have always been flexible. I have always been able to touch my toes. Part of it is natural (my physio who taught us our rehab training said I'm almost a floppy but not quite). Part of it is from years of gymnastics and the stretching that comes with it. Part of it is a love of stretching and the feeling of looseness that comes with it. I would love to get my whole hand over my feet by the end of the 12 weeks.

Wall sits. I HATE THIS! Not just because it hurts my quads and hammys. I can deal with this. This is where it's supposed to hurt. I can even deal with the hurting of my core as I hold my back straight. It's the pain in my knees. I have feet issues (thanks again to the physio from the rehab course for telling me this when all the specialists and physios I have seen for the last 12-13 years have been telling me there's nothing wrong). This causes ankle pain (I think I almost single handedly keep the guys who make sports tape in business). This can also cause major knee pain. I get it exercising sometimes, but I usually get it when I've been on my feet all day at work. This I can deal with. I've been dealing with it since I was about 9 or 10. I've gotten good at managing it. I know when I can push on and when I have to stop. I know when I need to ice them, or when I need to use heat. I know when to take ibuprofen of a night because I know in a few hours I'll be awake and in pain. It's a little like recognising the signs of a migraine and trying to beat the headache before it turns into one. (I get migraines too). The problem with the wall sit is that it makes my knees ache. Now, this again comes partly from my feet issues. But it is also partly because my knee caps don't sit in the centre of my knees. If I pull my feet into my body so my knees point to the ceiling, my kneecaps sit slightly to the outside of my knees. It's only noticible when I have my knees bent. It's not a leg strength issue. I can leg press more than I weigh. I can do squats and lunges no problem. Wall sits are a whole nother story. But, maybe, I can improve on the wall sit time a little. At least to 1 minute which would put me in the intermediate category.

Finally, the 1km time trial. I cheated a little because I didn't want to do this indoors on a treadmill, but I struggled to find somewhere that was 1km, or 500m or even 400m to do this. So, I did my normal 3km run (a little over) and took my average time from that. Problem is that where I run is quite hilly, so my time for each km lengthened a little. I might need to get my mapmyrun app to tell me when I have done the 1km, and just run from my house to the 1km mark, and walk back again. That way it'll be the same distance, and fatigue won't have much to do with it. To be intermediate I need to be between 5.30mins and 8 mins. I would love to be intermediate by the next test. If not, definitely by week 8's test. It's only 25 seconds I need to shave off, and if I do it as the 1km, rather than an average, I'm sure it'll come down. I doubt I'll get under 5mins 30sec by the end of the 12 weeks, but that's my goal.

I'll do it all again in week 4.


Happy training.

Weigh In Wednesday

This will be a regular posting. Every Wednesday it is weigh in day. Where we face the scales and see whether we have put in the hard work the previous week, or not. This week is only a short week. We only started Monday. And also... today is Thursday. I was driving home yesterday. I wasn't going to be able to weigh in on Wednesday.

My weight: 82.4kg. That's a gain of 600g.

Now, initially I was disappointed and upset. But then I realised something. I have been away for the past 6 days. And while I ate ok, I didn't eat amazingly well. James is a great cook. I think it's the Italian heritage. It's in their blood. He made lasagne from scratch. It's always amazing and this time was no exception. We went to the movies and had popcorn. We had Chinese on Friday night.

Oh well. I'm not apologising for it. I don't see him very often, so I'm not going to apologise for enjoying myself.

Also, while I trained for a few hours on Saturday, I couldn't move the rest of the week. I'm serious. Even yesterday, getting in and out of the car to drive home, hurt my legs a little. The pain is at the stage where it usually is the day after a full workout. So I can push through it.

All in all, practically no exercise, and not eating great = 600g gain. But next week, it will all go away.

Soooo Sore

Oh. My. God! I don't think I have ever been this sore in my whole, entire life. Not even the first time I did a body punp workout. Or when I danced. Or the numerous times waking up the morning after a body combat class and baing barely able to walk. Nope. Today has the honour of being the sorest day after a workout that I can remember.

Everything aches. And I mean EVERYTHING!!! My chest, back, biceps and legs I knew were going to ache. But everything does. My biceps and triceps. My hammys and my quads. My glutes and calves. My upper and lower back. My chest. My ABS! Oh my god, I struggled to sit up to get out of bed this morning. And I think I'll be struggling for a few more days yet. My muscles even hurt to touch. James ran a hand up my leg earlier, and you'd have think he had a razor blade in his hand, that's how much it hurt.

Via pinterest

But it was worth it.

I did TRX training yesterday and loved it. For those of you who don't know what TRX is, this is the contraption that I worked out on yesterday:

Via http://www.trxtraining.com

 It looks harmless doesn't it? What if I told you this was designed by a Navy Seal who needed something to use to workout while holed up in an abandoned warehouse on a mission? What if I told you that they use this to train the Navy Seals? And police? Firefighter? Elite athletes?

Doesn't look so harmless now does it?

It can also be used to train complete novices.

It folds up into it's own little carry bag and it is easy to transport places. It attaches to any stable pole, either vertical or horizontal, just as it is. If you have a door or wall mount, it attaches there too. So, it's great for training anytime anywhere. No excuses.

It also kicks butt.

Want to see some of the exercises? I know you do...

Via http://www.thetoughspot.com.au

So here we have an oblique crunch, a single leg squat, a chest press/push up and tricep extension.

Via pinterest

So, very easy to set up and very easy to use,. You can do almost any exercise you can think of on this thing. And it works on your strength, your flexibility, your co-ordination, and your stability, all in one go. And, if you put together a workout where you move from one exercise to the other quickly, you get a whole body strength workout and a cardio workout at the same time.

I'll add links when I get my access to the website too.

Going off to see if I can buy some workout gear (for outdoor PT sessions), like ladders and cones, and a heart rate monitor. I know, I should have one by now, but I don't. I like to actually see what I'm buying. Not that I think I'll have much luck, but we'll see. Hopefully the walking around will do wonders for my aching muscles.

Yay for a few days off

So, a very, very quick update.

I am heading to Sydney in approx. 1 hour. I have just finished work (I started at 5am). I now have to shower, pack, and leave. I think I need petrol too.

So, tomorrow I have TRX training and I'm soooo excited. I've been hearing about this for months and have only just got the opportunity to train in it. So, after tomorrow, I will be able to use the TRX or, not only myself, but also my clients. It's an all over body workout, and you only need 1 metre or so of room.

I got my TRX in the mail the other day. It's kinda exciting to get mail. It doesn't happen very often.

So, TRX training tomorrow, then I have Sun, Mon and Tuesday in Sydney. I'm staying with a friend of mine (ex actually, but we're still really good friends) in Sutherland. I can't wait to have a few days of no work. Some time where I can sleep in and just relax.

Gtg. Need to pack and shower.

Cya

Pre-season task 8

Measure Up
Ok. So, we have made it to the 8th and final pre-season task. The 12wbt officially starts on Monday.

But, first, we have to 'measure up'. Body measurements and weight.

So... here we go.

Week 1 Thursday 9th Feb

Weight:     81.8kg Ouch!
R Arm:     32cm
L Arm:     32cm
Chest:       99cm
Waist:       95cm
Hips:         111cm
R Thigh:   63cm
L Thigh:   58cm

WTF!!!!!

5cm difference between my thighs?! I know to expect a little difference between my legs/arms etc because you use one side a little more than the other but 5CM! What. The. Hell?

Hopefully I can correct this imbalance over the next 12 weeks. I don't want my left leg to get bigger, but I'd like my right side to get smaller.

It's the opposite of my boobs. I'll explain later, in a different post.

I also bit the bullet and had photos taken. I didn't take them with the paper/magazine. One; I couldn't find one, and two; I'm not in this to win the 'most amazing transformation' prize either.


So... here goes.

Front View.

Right Side

Bum View

These photos are taken on slight angles (on the side or down), but they don't hide my shape. I'm alot bigger than I had convinced myself that I was. This is all about to change!



I will NEVER EVER EVER be this size again.

Via pinterest.com

12wbt pre-season task 5

Say it out loud.

This task asks us to basically tell the whole world that we're doing this 12wbt thing. Basically, shout it from the rooftops.

Now, that's just not me. And it's not that I don't like talking to people. Or telling them things. I do. But, it has been my experience that, once you tell someone that you are changing your lifestyle when it comes to food and fitness, they sabotage you. Maybe not consciously, or maliciously. But sabotage they do. And I honestly believe that, most people, most of the time, don't realise that they're doing it, or the impact it has.

Take the workmate who has been watching you eat salads and snack on friut for the last 2 weeks, who suddenly offers you a piece of chocolate saying 'just one bite won't hurt'. Or the family member who scoffs at your efforts. Or the partner who asks continually about your 'slimming/diet foods'. Or the friends who take you out, order chips, pizza and/or burgers with fries, say something they feel is completely harmless about your healthy fish, or chicken, or salad, convince you to have 'just one drink', which, of course leads to more which leads to the late night greasy preventative hangover cure?

I'm sure that most people don't mean it in a horrible way. I'm sure that, for the most part, most of them have no idea the impact their words have on us.

But, they're the reason I don't want to shout my commitment from the rooftops. I don't want to be sabotaged. I am quite capable of doing that myself. I don't need any help.

My mum is doing this with me. The other 12wbt-ers are doing this with me and you're here, reading this, so I guess you know as well. That's enough people, for me, who know I'm doing this.

So, here is my commitment:

I, Danni, commit myself to the 12 week body transformation. I commit to changing my body size, my food and exercise habits and my life.

I commit to eating clean and following Michelle's 1200 calorie a day limit. I commit to following, with few alterations, Michelle's diet plan.

I commit to exercising 6 days a week, no excuses. I commit to burning 500 calories at every session, and 1000 in my super session.

I commit that, at the end of these 12 weeks, I will be a healthier, fitter, slimmer version of me.

I commit to losing at least 10-15kg, and wearing a sexy size 10 (that fits properly, no muffin top) at the end of the 12 weeks.

I commit to having a severely smaller wardrobe, and having to buy new clothes in Canada because my wardrobe is to big. I commit to needing less space in my luggage, and taking up less space in my seat on the plane.

This is my commitment to myself, Michelle, and the rest of the 12wbt gang.

Wish me luck. I might need it.

12wbt pre-season task 3

So, this pre-season task is all about goal setting. 1 month, 3 month, 6 month, and 12 month goals.

via pinterest

This task I found very confronting. And I'm not sure why. Why should I feel confronted my writing down my goals? Why should I feel nervous about actually setting goals? Feeling nervous about uprooting my life and moving to Canada? That I should feel nervous about (and I kinda do). I shouldn't feel nervous about setting goals and achieving them.

Is it a fear of failure? Is it a fear of not achieving it? Or is it a fear of actually achieving it? Am I scared of what might happen and how my life might change if I actually do meet my goals?

I don't know and I'm not sure where it's come from. It's something I'm going to have to work through over the next few months.

Via pinterest

So, here's my 1, 3, 6, and 12 month goals. Some of these are pretty vague, partly because I'm not sure where I'm going to be country and city wise in 6-12 months.

1 month

• Lose 4kg. That's 1kg a week. It is achievable.
• Make exercise a habit. We have to exercise 6 days a week. In a month, I want that 5-6 days a week exercise plan to become a habit.
• Make eating fruit as snacks a habit. I need to kick the sugar/chocolate/chips habit. If I can swap these things for fruit, it will go a long way to helping me meet goal 1.
• Plan my meals of a weekend. I'm doing this 12wbt with my mum so planning my meals for the week, and shopping for the ingredients shouldn't be too bad.

3 months

• Lose 12-15kg. That's 1 or just over 1kg a week. That's do-able. It's achievable. Especially of my months 1 goals come to fruition.
• Run 5km, 3x a week. I need to make running a habit too. I like to run, I just get sidetracked and do other things instead of run. I want to be one of those people who run because they like to, who run for the rush at the end. And maybe do a 5km fun run at some point.
• Exercise 6 times a week. This follows on from my month 1 goal. I want to be someone who exercises 6 times a week, and make it just another part of my week. Like going to work.

6 months

• Lose 16kg. Again, this is so-able.
• Keep my weight off and steady. Pretty self explanatory.
• I don't really have anymore goals for the 6 month mark. I'm not sure if I'll be living in Vancouver, of if I'll be back in Australia. If I'm back in Aus, I'm not sure which city I'll be living in. This makes it hard to come up with specific goals.

12 months

• I want to be fit, toned and healthy.
• I want to still be maintaining my 16kg weight loss.
• Again, I'm not sure where I'll be living so I don't have anymore specific goals.
• I want to be happy, healthy and fit.

I want to be a size 10. I want to be 65kg. I am about 81-82kg right now. I can do this.
These are my goals. Most are specific. They are all attainable.

Here's to making, and reaching these goals.

via pinterest

12wbt pre-season task 2

via pinterest

One of the pre-season tasks for the 12wbt is to find all of our excuses, and then find ways around them, ways to stop them ruiling your life. We need to find ways to stop that irritating little voice inside your head. You know the one, the one that tells you you're too fat, or stupid, or tired, or it's too late to start now so why bother trying at all. The one that tells you that you're doomed to fail.

SO, here, for all the world to see are my excuses, and my rebuttals.

I'm too tired: go to bed earlier, get up earlier, training will give me more energy. It will make me sleep better, and therefore I will be less tired. If I work the afteroon/nights, I need to train of a morning. If I work the morning/lunchtime shift, I will take my clothes to work with me and go to the gym on my way home.

I'm too busy: But really I'm not. If I have time to be on the computer/internet/phone/with my head stuck in a book etc, I have time to train. I have time to eat properly, and exercise. And I can make more time if I cook/prepare my meals/snacks ahead of time.

I can't be bothered today: WHAT THE HELL?!! I can't be bothered to take some time out to take care of myself? If this were a client (pt or counselling) I would wonder what had happened to this person to make them think that they are unworthy of their own time. So, why can I talk sense into my clients and not to myself? Well, no more! I managed a university degree in psychology. I have my master trainer in fitness. I could be bothered to go back when I failed my exams both at uni and for pt. If I can do that, then I can be bothered to take an hour or so out to look after myself.

I'm a procrastinator: I am and always have been. I remember when I was at school, I would always tidy up my room and/or desk before starting my homework, even if it wasn't necessary. My mum used to say I was the most disorganised organised person in the universe. This habit followed me a little to uni. If it was a class I wasn't interested in, I would put off study for a while, and concentrate on a subject I did like. I don't put everything off, and I need to put myself into the list of things I don't procrastinate about.

I don't know what to expect when I get to goal: I wasn't always a size 14. I used to be a size 8-10. But I haven't been that was since I was 16. I don't know what it will be like when I get there again. My friends don't have a problem with the way I look, and I've never really had an issue with it. (This might change when we get to the photo/measurements day). I am comfortable whith myself at this stage, but, when I get to goal I'll be just about to move to Canada, so I will be out of my comfort zone anyway. May as well be out of my comfort zone and thin and healthy.

I have to work: In part, this is one of those external, out of my control, excuses. Because I don't work set days or hours, my plans can change at the last minute, throwing my whole day off. I need to work, I need the money, but I need to take time out for myself too. I need to organise my day so that I can fit my exercise in. I need to use my diary and compromise on what I am doing. If I haven't exercised that day, can I fit it in before/after work? If yes, then get out there and do it. If no, then work that much harder/longer tomorrow and be really good with my eating that day.

Most of these are internal excuses. I've never really been one to talk down to myself. I've never had a problem with self image or self doubt. I've never been one to tell myself that I'm too fat, or that I can't do something. And my parents have always been supportive, and told my sister and I that we can do anything, and that belief has followed me into adulthood.

However, I do use the 'it's too hot, too cold, raining' etc excuses. I have a gym membership. I have a car. I have workout dvd's. There is absolutely no reason why I can't get a workout in, one way or another.

I'm sure this list will be added to at some point. I'm sure there are more excuses that will rear their ugly heads as I work my way through these pre-season tasks, and the 12 weeks.

via weheartit.com

Who, What, Where???

I know, I know. Last blog entry I was all about the 12wbt. I was excited about starting. I had my head set with some goals. I was ready for pre-season to start the next day. Then... radio silence.

So, you're asking, what happened?

Well, a few things. The main issue being the internet. Or, really, the phone.

For the last 2-3 months, our phone line has been playing up. It will work just fine, then, randomly, it will just cut out. No dial tone, no static, no nothing. For anything up to a week or more. Which means, for some reason, our internet wont work either.

It's frustrating. Very much so. We had tech guys come out, and tell us that there was nothing wrong (which there wasn't, because the phone would work when they came out to check it), and then it would stop working again the next day/week/hour. All very frustrating.

Hopefully it's fixed now. I hope. Fingers, toes and anything else crossed that I can.

Also, my computer kinda blew up. Well, not exactly blew up, but the battery started smoking, so I have to send it away to Toshiba because it's still under warranty, so they can either fix it, or give me a new one. So, I've been kinda without a computer. I have a netbook which I'm currently using, but I had to get all my files/favourites/music/everything off the hard drive of the computer I'm afraid to turn on. Which I have now, so yay for external hard drives.

So, I haven't really been able to do my 12wbt pre-season homework. I haven't been able to get to the internet, which means no vidoes, podcasts or emails to actually see what these tasks entail.

However..........

Today, the internet is working. Today I am downloading all the podcasts I can so I can listen to them with or without the internet. Today I am going to go through the tasks that are open and sit down and do them. Properly. With everything I have. No excuses. No cop outs.

I owe this to myself to do this properly. No-one can do this for me but me. So I will.

Step one...

Excuses.

So, I'll leave you now. I'll go off and do my pre-season homework. And I'll come back and tell you all about it. Maybe later today. Maybe tomorrow. But it will be done, and I'll post it here and on the forums to make myself accountable to all of you.

Wish me luck.