Blogger Challenge Week 6

Wow, halfway through the 12wbt. It's gone so fast. It seems like no time at all since we were eagerly awaiting for the very first pre-season task to be open so we could start this journey to the new us.

It's definitely been a roller coaster ride for me. Ups and downs, not only in my weight, but also in my habits.

So, Whirlise has created, yet again, the perfect set of questions for this weeks blogger challenge. All about the adjustments we have made over the last 6 weeks or so.

1. What adjustments have you had to make to your exercise regime over the last 6 weeks? I.E have you upped your weights, can run faster/harder, or gone up to a new fitness level in the 12wbt?

I really haven't made any adjustments to my exercise over the last 6 weeks. To be brutally honest, my exercise has been sporadic at best. There are weeks when I have been really on the ball with it, loving seeing the calorie burn I get at the end of a workout (my HRM only shows my cals at the end of the session when I look at the overview), and how I feel. Other weeks the only exercise I have been getting is at work, or the dancing around the living room/bedroom I do on a regular basis.

This will change over the next 6 weeks. I owe it to myself.

2. What have you changed in regards to your food intake? I.E. do you follow Mish's plan to the letter or have you had to alter it due to dietary/family needs?

I have generally been pretty good with my food. I don't follow Mish's plan to the letter. I alter it to suit my work times, and what I already have in the fridge/freezer/pantry, but I try to stick to the 1200cals, or as close to, as I can the majority of the time.

I love the feeling I get when I eat properly. I have some great recipes under my belt now, and some that I use fairly often (the pancakes and hoisin stir fry mainly), and I feel so much better when I eat like this than when I eat crap. My body thanks me for it.

3. What is the difference in your mindset? I.E are you more confident? More happy in yourself? Do you still struggle to get out the door for your workout?


I wouldn't say that I'm more confident, or happy within myself. I've always been a fairly confident person, and I've never been one to base how I feel, or what I do, think, or say, on my appearance. I think this may have actually attributed to my weight gain, because I was never a 'do I look fat in this dress' etc kinda girl.

I still struggle to get in my workouts, but I can remember how much better I feel afterwards. I still occasionally have a junk food binge, but now I just get back on the wagon, and the feeling of being so full of crap that I feel physically sick is enough to make the next binge just that little bit smaller.

I guess overall my outlook on food has changed the most. And, if nothing else changes, not my weight, or my dress size, or my exercise routine, I will be happy, and thankful to Michelle and the 12wbt, for making my food choices better.

.

2011 Retrospective

I saw this on someone else’s blog the other day and I just had to do it myself.

2011 Redux

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?
A Contiki tour of the USA. Explored New York and LA on my own.2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?I don’t think I made a resolution last year. My resolution this year is to get healthier, and make the most out of the time I have in Canada when I get there.3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
One of my sister’s best friends had a baby boy in December 4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, thankfully.5. What countries did you visit?
USA6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
A fitter, healthier me.

7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
I don't remember specific dates, but all of the 6 weeks that I spent in the USA. I met some beautiful people, had some amazing experiences, and had some great adventures in new places.8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
The USA on my own, and starting with PT.9. What was your biggest failure?
I don't think I had a failure. I like to think of everything as a learning experience. Maybe not losing the 10kg that I wanted to before I went to the USA10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nope. I don't tend to get sick.11. What was the best thing you bought?
I don't know. I love my Guess handbag and wallet. And I love my 2 peep toe shoes.12. Where did most of your money go?
On the USA and into savings and off my HECS debt13. What did you get really excited about?
My trip to the USA (do you see a theme here?)14. What song will always remind you of 2011?
Cupid Shuffle by Cupid. Reminds me of New Orleans15. Compared to this time last year, are you:

– happier or sadder? Neither.

– thinner or fatter? About the same.

– richer or poorer? About the same.16. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Exercise and healthy eating.17. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Eating crap food. Spending money18. How did you spend Christmas?
With my family at my Grandmother's.19. What was your favourite TV program?
I didn't really have one. 20. What were your favourite books of the year?
Didn't read much of anything actually. I need to work on this.21. What was your favourite music from this year?
A mix of everything. I heard a lot of new music.22. What were your favourite films of the year?
I saw so many this year. And I loved a lot of them. 23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was 24. I didn't do anything special.24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I don't think anything would have made my life alot more satisfying. If I was fitter and healthier I would have enjoyed the USA even more than I did.25. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?
I still love the classics, but am starting to lean more towards colour than just black and dark colours.26. What kept you sane?
Music and friends. Looking forward to my trips (2011, and 2012) so I didn't go mental and quit the job I hate.27. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.

It's never too late to experience anything.

Blogger Challenge Week 5

Whirlsie posed a great question for this week's blogger challenge:

What does being healthy mean to YOU? What is it that has made you start this journey into being a healthier you?


An interesting, and brain scratching, question.

Health means different things to different people, and different things at different stages of life. What healthy was to me a few years ago, probably isn't what it means to me now, and more than likely, won't be what it means to me in a few more years.

I don't get sick. I never have. Other than the odd cold I don't get even the normal virus' that most people seem to get. I never even had the chicken pox as a child. So I guess I've taken my health for granted. I have never broken a bone, and I've never been seriously sick. I don't have any allergies, nor do I have hayfever, asthma or eczema. I an generally healthy.

My weight, like many, is the primary reason for me embarking on the 12wbt. I am overweight. I feel overweight. I look overweight. And I hate it. So I'm going to change it.

Healthy, to me, right now? Being able to do the things I want to do, rather than only things that my body is capable of doing.

I saw this picture the other day, and it really got me thinking. Which of these 2 ladies do I want to be when I get to that age? Do I want to be the one who looks frail, and needs assistance daily? Or do I want to be the one who is still full of life and vitality? I know the answer to that one.

My grandmother is 72 this year. She lives in her own home with her dog. My grandfather died 11 years ago. None of the family live closer than 1 hour away. She has to rely on herself to do everything on a daily basis. I want to be able to do that. I want to be independent for as long as possible. I want my body to be able to support me until it wears out, but from use, not from frailty.

I want to be able to appreciate my body for all the things it can do, not all the things it can't do.


I want to feel healthy inside and out.

I want to be fit.

I want to enjoy life without worrying about how I look, or if I will be able to keep up, or even do the things that others are doing.

So I guess, to me, right now, that's what being healthy means to me.

Under The Sea.... Under The Sea....

 

Darling it's better
Down where it's wetter
Take it from me

Haha. Can you tell I'm a Disney kid?

So, next week I'll be 'under the sea'. Well, a little bit anyway. Next weekend my dad and I are going...

SCUBA DIVING!!!



I can't wait! I've really wanted to learn to dive for ages. It's been on my bucket list since I worked out that you really could go under the water and stay there for longer than you could hold yor breath.

I've always been fascinated by what goes on under the water. We really don't know anything about what happens down there. We know more about the moons surface than we do about the bottom of the ocean. How weird is that!

I was going to be a marine biologist until I realised how much math you needed to study before you got to uni, and math really isn't my strong suit. I'm not terrible at it, but definitely not good enough to do 4 unit math a HSC level. So I did law and psychology instead.

Mum bought dad and I lessons for Christmas, but it's only next week that we've been able to get everything organised to go (dad had his hand operated on about a month ago, so that needed to heal, and then my parents are going to Europe in May for 6 weeks, then I go to Canada the Friday after they fly back in).

We have to do all this online testing before we start. It's ok, just a lot of it. And I have to be able to swim 200m. Or 300m with fins. I can do fins. That's ok. Run 200m? Easy. Swim 200m? I haven't done that since I did my junior livesaver certificate when I was 15. Sure, I swim occassionally. But the heated pool is only 25m, so I tend to swim 25 or 50m, then stop. Then do it again. But there's no time limit on the swim so I'll be ok. I just have to get my butt into the pool this week and next week. And we have to be able to float/tread water for (I think) about 10 minutes. I can do that. Not the tread water continuously for 10 minutes but I can float and tread water. So that will be ok.

I can't wait. It's so exciting.

Off to study now. Wish me luck.

Work Woes

I hate not being able to have a routine. How I would love to be one of those people who worked a set number of hours a day, a set number of days a week, the same days week in week out. But I don't. I work casual. At a supermarket. My days aren't the same 2 weeks in a row. My hours aren't the same 2 days in a row. I might only get the required 10 hours between when I finish work, and when I start again the next day.

All in all... it sucks.

Take last week. My roster said 5am-1pm on Friday. 5am-3pm on Saturday. And 3pm-8pm on Sunday.

This is what it was supposed to be. This is what it was when I left work on Thursday afternoon at 2pm.

When I arrived at work at 4.50am on Friday, it was to be told that I was not in the deli, but in the bakery. Same time, different department. Like someone couldn't have told me. Then, a few hours later I was told by my deli manager that my Saturday shift was changed to 3pm-9pm because one of the girls wouldn't work nights and to start on Sunday at 11am. Then I was told by one of the guys in the cash office that I was now finishing at 8.30pm because I had too many hours.

That was fine. Then I went grocery shopping on Saturday morning. I was served by my 2IC. She told me that I was to finish at 8 so I didn't need a lunch break. Fine with me. So, I had lunch. Had a snack before I left for work. Was organised enough to know what I was having for dinner when I got home.

Soooo, off to work I went.

To be told, 45 minutes after I started, that my manager wanted me to stay until 9pm, and start at 12 on Sunday, because she doesn't trust the guy I was working with to do his job properly.

HOW IS THAT MY FAULT?!!!

So, I worked it out. 3 shifts. 3 days. 7 SHIFT CHANGES!!!!!!

Can you believe it? And not once get a phone call! It seems they can only call when they want me to start early.

Like today.

I got up early to take a PT session. But, because of my hours and non-routine that I have, I was so tired that I went back to bed. When I woke back up at 9.30, I planned to have breakfast, clean up, get my butt to the gym and cook my dinner so that I could eat it at 9pm when I got home from my 4-9 shift.

I had breakfast. I started to clean up. Then I got a phone call. 'The bakery is short a person, so we've put your 2IC in there, and can you come in at 12 and cover for her?'

Ahhh, no, I can't come in at 12. It's 11.20 right now. I'll be in at 1. Still go home at 9. Come back in at 7am tomorrow.

That didn't happen.

It's now after midnight. I signed out of work at 11.33pm. I'll be back at 9.33AM.

Tonight wasn't anyones fault. A lady I was working with has been having ex husband issues and she had to go home. Not her fault. But we couldn't get anyone to replace her. So I closed, essentially on my own. My manager helped (a little. Like kinda doing the washing up.) But I did everything else.

So, I get my 10 hours break. Which is crap. The 10 hour break is 10 hours from signing out to signing back in. So, an hour each side to come home/go back to work. I need to eat. I need to shower. I need to sleep.

All in 10 hours. I don't think so.

This has been so hard on my 12wbt thingy. I'm not sleeping. I'm not eating properly. I'm not exercising. I don't have any routine.

And I'm not sure how to fix it.

Sorry for the rant. I just had to get it out.

Inspiration

Now, as everyone knows, I've been having little trouble getting my head in the right space over the last few weeks. I haven't been exercising or eating like I should have been, and my weight loss (and in some weeks gain) have shown it.

So, after reading Cassey's post (definitely go check out her site, she's ah-ma-zing!) on inspiration boards, I just had to make one. So, this afternoon, I made 1. Well, more than one actually. I have 2 on my computer and, because I'm a hard copy kinda girl, I also printed out a while heap of things and pinned them onto a pinboard which is hanging on my wall. (Head here to see some of what I used. Make your own pinterest account. You'll be amazed at what you'll find.)

So, after a few hours of playing with the photos, working out which ones I wanted, finding the right display, and the right layout, this is what I came up with:

So, this is my fitness based one. Let me explain a little:

SLEEP: I need more of it. Working the completely strange and unpredictable hours that I do, I never get enough. That needs to change.

Danneel Ackles: She's about my height, and has a similar body type to mine. While I will never look like she does (or that good in a jumpsuit), she is what I strive for. My fantasy end goal if you like.

Quotes (and the like): I am always interested in what people have to say, especially motivation quotes. They keep me going at the gym when I need that little push.

Plane: Travel in general is my craze. I want to go everywhere, see everything, experience all the world has to offer. And I'm off to Canada in 3 months time.

Lillies: I am in love with lillies. My mum sent me some for my 21st birthday and I fell in love with them. Now everytime I see or smell them they make me smile. We need to learn to take time out for the little things.

Gymnastics: a little reminder of what I used to be able to do, and what I hope to do again.

Bath: A reminder to take some time out. Some me time if you will.

Buddah statue: Not about religion, and not about meditation. Just about remembering who you are, and what you want out of life. Being aware of yourself, and not letting everyone take pieces of you so you're left exhausted and with nothing at the end of the day.

Model: fitspration. Enough said.

Food: fresh food. The best way to eat it. A visual reminder to eat more of this and less of the junk.

Puddle jumping: Remember to take some time out to be a kid. Don't let the responsibility of being an adult bring you down all the time. Remember to have some fun.

Sunshine: I don't get out enough. Also, I'd love to have a view that demanded a wall of glass like that.

My other one is more a 'what do I want out of life' kinda board. It has alot of the same pictures in it, with a few more. Malamute puppies, kittens, animals in general, things I want in a house of my own, more flowers, more fitness pictures and more quotes.

The one on my wall is purely fitness quotes. Motivations for me to get out the door. It also has my 8 and 12 week fitness goals underneath it on the whiteboard.

What inspires you to get out the door? Do you need some visual reminder of what you want and what your commitments are to get you out the door or are you just intrinsically motivated?

Blogger Challenge Week 3

Whirlsie has once again posted a great question for this week's challenge:
How will you acknowledge and reward yourself during Round 1, 2012 of the 12WBT? What are the small wins? What are your big accomplishments? How will you achieve these and how will you reward your efforts? (food doesn't count!)

The obvious reward for me is a new wardrobe. Hopefully from Vancouver. But that's still 3 months away. So, what will I do to celebrate the smaller milestones along the way? And what will these milestones be?

Small wins:

• Losing 5% of my body weight (4kg).
• Losing 10% of my body weight (8kg)
• Running 5 mins without stopping

Big accomlpishments:

• Losing 8kg (halfway to goal) (I know, I said this up top too)
• Getting to goal weight (65kg)
• Being a size 10
• Running 5km on a regular basis
• Going from beginner to advanced on everything (except sit ups)
• Beating my PB on the 1km run on the fitness test.

How will I achieve this?

I will admit, these last few weeks I haven't given it my all. My eating has slipped from tracking everything and following Michelle's plan, to barely thinking about what I'm eating and not tracking. My exercise... not really existent, sporadic at best.

Now, to fix it all. I will get back on the horse in terms of my eating. I will sit down and work out my meal plan. I will grocery shop and make sure I have all the ingredients I need. I will make sure that I have healthy snacks on hand.

I will make exercise just another part of my day. I will exercise with everything I have, 6 days a week. I will give it my all.

Rewards for my efforts?

I have never really been one for rewards. I mean, I can make them, use them as an incentive for getting to my goals, but I've never really been one to take them. I mean, I love a massage, and I love the way I feel after I have one (a friend of mine says I look high at the end). I regularly have my eyebrows etc waxed to look and feel better about myself. I would have my nails done (either manicure, or acrylic) if I was allowed to have them at work. I have my hair cut semi regularly, and occassionally have foils put in. I have a bubble bath with music, sometimes candles, always a good book, when I have the house to myself and I want one.

I see no reason why we should deny ourselves the pleasures that come with looking after ourselves, and make us feel better about ourselves, just because we are on a weight loss journey. These are things that I, personally, don't see as any different than getting my eyes or teeth checked. They're a normal part of keeping myself looking and feeling good. (This may make me sound vain, but I hate having my eyebrows out of control. It makes me feel out of control). These sometimes small things can feel like something I can control in an environment where I don't really control much.

I don't understand why some people put off getting things until "I'm a xx size" or "I weigh xxkg". To me it makes no sense. Why shouldn't you look after you now? As you are right in this moment? Are you not worthy of having the same things as thinner people are? Why not?

I understand that these sorts of things are a personal preference and I don't mean to come across as bitchy, or unsympathetic. I understand there are constraints on people that doesn't allow them to have these things on a regular occurence.

I'm not sure where this mindset comes from. Maybe it's having been bought up believing that I can do, have and be, anything I wanted. That I don't need to wait for the right time, or the right place, or the right person. That if I work hard enough, I can have it.

Maybe it comes from my psychology background? The lessons on negative self talk, and putting yourself last. Maybe it comes from seeing my mum put off buying/doing things for herself, and putting herself last. I'm not sure.

But, I believe that things like that, are, for me, not rewards. These are things that people do all the time. Young, old, thin, overweight, pretty or not. It doesn't matter.

I guess for me, rewards are big things. Going overseas. Scuba diving lessons. My first leather jacket that I bought when I first started working.

But most of my rewards are physical... That high at the end of a run. Feeling exhausted at the end of a full on session. Feeling my jeans get looser. Not having a double chin in my photos. Feeling lighter and better about myself. Beating my PB times/calories burned/weight lifted/reps completed/times etc.

I will, of course, get my hair recut and foiled before I leave the country. I will allow myself a massage when I have massive knots in my muscles. I will allow myself to have a bubble bath and read a book if I want to.

I guess my biggest reward for myself is knowing that I did it. I will get to the end and be able to say 'I did the 12wbt' and I made it out the other side. I will be able to say that I am lighter, fitter, healthier and stronger. And I DID IT!!! No-one did it for me. That feeling of accomplishment.

Also, while I'm in Canada (however long that might be), I want to do the Stanley Park walk. It's about 6 miles (10km) right round, plus the walk to and from the youth hostel I will be staying at. I want to be able to do that and enjoy it. Not just huff and puff, and feel my legs aching, so that I miss all the scenery. It's supposed to be a beautiful place, and I want to experience all it has to offer.

What are your thoughts on rewards?

Fitness Test Week 4

So, our weekly surprise for this week was to redo the fitness test we did in week 1.

If you remember my post here you would remember that I was somwhere between the beginners and intermediate levels.

We still 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.

It's been 4 weeks and I really haven't been doing the exercise that I should have been doing, so I wasn't really expecting too much of an improvement.

So, here are the results:

No of push ups in 1 minute: last time I did 25 on my knees. This time I did 26 on my knees. Pretty much no improvement, but better than nothing. Still in the intermediate category.

Sit ups: Haha. That's all I have to say about that. I couldn't do a sit up then, I can't do a sit up now. So, I'm still a beginner.

Sit and reach test: I got a +14 this round. That's 2cm further than last time and still in the advanced category.

Wall sit: Last time I lasted 35 seconds. I was happy with that given the state of my knees. This time I managed 3 minutes. 2 minutes and 25 seconds longer than last time. My knees were screaming at me, and I was sweating like hell, but I was determined to do better than last time. I am now in the advanced category. ADVANCED!!!! I went from beginner to advanced in 4 weeks!!!! YAY!!!!

1km time trial: I did it in 8mins 24 seconds last time. This time I did it in 6 mins and 29 seconds. I took 1 minute 55 seconds off my last time trial. OH MY GOD!!!!! Talk about making me smile like an idiot for the rest of my time in the gym. This puts me in the intermediate category. YAY!!!!

So, overall I am probably still intermediate, but I'm hovering more towards advanced than beginner. Except for the situps. I just want to do 1! JUST. ONE. SIT. UP!!! I will get there.

So, goals for week 8 fitness test:

time trial: 6 minutes even
wall sit: 4 minutes
push ups: 30
sit 'n' reach: +15cm
sit ups: 1
So, I have improved on everything except my sit ups. And I did it in 37 minutes and burned 396 cals doing it. It was amusing to watch my heart rate climb while I struggled to stay sat against the wall. :D

So I'll do it again in 4 weeks.


Happy training.

Weigh In Wednesday

Via Pinterest

Recorded a gain today. Back up to 81.8kg. It's a little disappointing but I really haven't followed the plan this week. I haven't really exercised, I haven't followed the food plan.

I've really struggled with the whole mindset thing this week. But, it's a new week, and a new chance.