Maintenance and Thinking Big!

I threw this photo of this well equipped gym to remind me that they exist!

Today I woke up to a pleasant scale surprise telling me that I'm well on the way to nudging off my holiday excesses. What I am finding is that I seem to be getting away with eating more than I did when I took action to prepare for the figure comps last year. I know the science behind the metabolic effect of increased lean body mass is cloudy - from what I've read, an increase in LBM doesn't have as bigger effect as initially thought. Basically I don't know the reason for the change, but it's really nice to be able to eat more! I've also purposely started adding in more good carbohydrate and consequently I have been able to really kick some butt with the workouts I've been doing.

I did Kenpo X yesterday which is a martial arts styled workout - lots of drills etc. I didn't feel completely "smashed" after it (which is what I would prefer - yes I know I am a sick puppy). Made a note to push it harder next week. I also swam 1km (mixed strokes) whilst the girls had some swimming lessons and went for an easy run/walk this morning.

I have been really inspired by Rae's post about her Olympia aspirations and her determination and will to achieve it. I think that if you can believe, you can do it! Which got me thinking to my whole life shebang and what makes me inspired.....

My dream is one of coaching - to be a great motivator and inspiration to those people I meet - whether it be teaching RPM, counselling a patient or personal training. My goal is to be an outstanding mentor and coach! I want to use my knowledge and deliver the science in ways that others understand and are excited by. I want to be seen as someone who "walks the walk" as well as "talks the talk" in everything I do. I want to get my feet dirty :)

I'm ready to work on my dream :)

Back on the Bike

Today was Day Five of p90x, back and legs which involved lots of unweighted leg exercises (my favourite) and pull ups. I again modified these to start from lying and hope to progress to straight leg and then finally on a medicine ball. However that progression will probably take a little bit. Then I did RPM 33 in my study which got a tad uncomfortable, with the thermometer nudging 35 degrees at 9am. Yuck!

Consequently I am starving today :) However pushing it hard on the bike felt terrific! I felt strong and powerful (must be that extra weight!).

Hmm what else? I'm looking into doing post grad studies in Exercise Physiology when I get back home amongst other things. I have been perusing the CEC requirements for my Cert 3 and 4 and have covered most of these topics in my degree, though doing some CE will be a good refresher. I thought that if I was to do more study, I wanted the course to have "some teeth". I have also considered Dietetics. I also need to do some Pharmacy CE. It's something to pass the time.

Humbled by yoga!

Today's workout on the p90x program was "Yoga X" - a mixture of sequences, standing balance work, flexibility work and abdominal work. Ninety minutes of pure hell, basically because I could not believe how inflexible I am in certain areas! It was my first ever yoga DVD and only my third ever yoga workout - this is something I obviously need to work on - development of strength whilst in positions of stretch. As Alwyn Cosgrove says "muscles are dumb" - meaning they can't differentiate between whether fatigue is caused by pumping iron or using your own bodyweight. It is certainly food for thought and I'm keenly watching Meghan's journal to see how she goes with Turbulence Training.

Eating has been pretty good, though I still have this tendency to pick at things whilst I prepare them - I am consciously working at eating extra and avoiding the trolling - that way the eating picture is far more accurate!

Girls back at school and kindy tomorrow. I am looking forward to spending some time by myself :) Well a few hours anyway!

Day 3 of the X

Today's workout was Shoulders and Arms - I was not looking forward to this one as I am still suffering nasty DOMS from the chest and back workout. Essentially the workout was four different giant sets done circuit style twice. There were some great variations on the bicep work and you can choose your rep range to suit your requirements. Most sets are 30 seconds to 1 minute long and at the moment, being back at the beginning after hols, volume is queen for me right now. I am beginning to feel my triceps already.

I posted this picture to remind myself of where I was last week - on the beach~! It is hot and humid here, which is unusual for Woop Woop, but there was rain last night which was a welcome sight.

I had a dream about Sue from Ideal Bodies last night. I rescued her cat! I don't know if Sue owns a cat, but we were trying to work out what to feed it and it kept jumping into our fridge every time we opened the door to eat our roast beef! I dream as if I am inside my body watching a scene unfold. Does that make sense?

Until next time :)

What you didn't know about me and were to scared to ask :)

Available or Single: married and definitely unavailable
Best friend: I have many close friends, but no "bestie"
Cake or Pie?: How about one of each - sultana cake is my pick for cakes and Saskatchewan Pie is my favourite pie. Saskatchewan pie has a filling of mixed berries...mmm :)
Drink of Choice: Hard to resist freshly squeezed juice
Essential Item: earplugs, to combat DH's snoring
Favourite Colour: blue
Gummi Bears or Worms: I'm not a fan of either
Hometown: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Indulgence: Sunday paper, smoked salmon and preferably in tandem. Smoked salmon is delicious on a croissant.
Jan or Feb: January - I love the feeling of starting a New Year!
Kids: 2 daughters 7 and 4
Life is Incomplete without : a kick butt workout!
Marriage Date: August 1996
Number of Siblings: 4 - three brothers and one sister
Oranges or Apples: both!
Phobias or Fears: I hate rodents of any description and I fear sleeping in when I have an important event to attend early in the morning!
Quote?: "I believe your most attractive features are your heart and soul" Savage Garden
Reason to Smile: You are worthwhile because God chose you to exist in this world.
Season: Spring
Tag three people: nah, this is old hat by now!
Unknown fact about me: I still have baby teeth in my bottom jaw and no second teeth behind them (sob)
Worst habit: procrastination
XRays had: wrist, ankle, pelvis, mouth
Your Favourite Food: grilled salmon with baby potatoes and grilled asparagus as a main. For dessert apple and macadamia crumble with vanilla bean icecream :)
Zodiac: Virgo - I must be a throwback because I am messy and generally disorganized..sigh.

Yes I am

I am officially a computer dork. I'm trying to pretty up this blog and I've lost half of the info from the last one. Looks like I will be trying to fix things up today.

This morning I did Day Two of P90x, Plyo X, which is a hour long program of plyometrics. I really enjoyed this workout and picked up a few plyo moves I haven't seen before. If today's back DOMs is anything to go by, I am actually going to enjoy the Yoga DVD which is on Day Four of the program!

Day One on the "X"

Today I started my "Extreme Home Fitness" program p90x. Today's workout was Chest and Back - essentially supersetting pull ups and push ups in circuit style for about 45 minutes. There were lots of variations on these moves eg divebomber style push ups, diamond push ups and the like. It requires a pull up tower, but I modified this by using two chairs and a body bar and pulled myself from a lying position on the floor, which was still a good workout!

Eating has been pretty good - had a friend for morning tea this morning and rather than run up against my evil baking monster, decided to do a plate of egg and lettuce sandwiches, accompanied by a bowl of cherries. If it is to be it is up to me :)

Quick training post

Today I went to the local football field and did a good 25 minutes of solid sprint training. Lots of drills! It was great to do something different and finally get moving again. I gained 1.5kg on holidays which isn't as bad as I had thought. Hot and sticky here today and I have taken the girls swimming twice today. I must admit, although I love them to bits, I cannot wait for school to start!

I'm back and so is Serena!

I was very excited to see Serena Williams win through to the Australian Semis today - so many people have written her off as being out of condition (which compared with this pic she is), but I have really been inspired by her self belief and positive mindset. I guess the lesson that has been reinforced is that you can do anything you set your mind to.

I have a feeling that with all the external whirlwind that is happening around me that I will be able to compete in October. I have been looking at having a tummy tuck, but if I choose to compete will delay it until December, which I am happy with. My plan is to do the p90x program which is extremely high volume which is exactly what I need right now, to put a good foundation in place so I can really put the foot on the accelerator come July. I am also going to be continuing my RPM training in the Bolthole and working on my pelvis/lower limb function as well. I will have glutes like bowling balls come October!

I had a wonderful holiday in Mooloolaba except for a late migraine, but these have improved out of sight since starting on some related medication. I was getting them nearly every week, so one only is a real blessing. I ate way too many calamari rings which points me into strong action for a few weeks. Better to nip the weight gain in the bud now than have to deal with too much excess.

Catching up with Di

What fun! Today I got to catch up with Di which was a lovely treat and so much fun. We talked for ages and it was great to talk about all things training and Figure. I told Di that I had been inspired by her blog and wishing I could compete in April, but I think that if I compete this year it will be definitely October - I want to make some more changes before I go to the trouble of peeling off the body fat again! Besides, I am just now beginning to feel happy in maintenance mode (read go out to an Italian restaurant, have pasta and pizza and feel good about it) - I don't think I want to gain anymore as I am starting to feel really strong and positive with the amount of training I am doing. I ran 11km yesterday in under an hour and felt terrific!

Di and I are meeting on Thursday and doing a leg training session. We're going to punish ourselves with some of my leg drills. Now that's DOMs I am really anticipating (insert evil cackle now>> )

Happy New Year to all

Happy New Year to all. Just putting in a blog whilst I am on holidays at Mooloolaba. It is midday and because none of us wants sunburn, we have come to the local Maze Mania for a play! There is free internet access, so I thought, why not?

The beach has been lovely and I have been running every second morning and enjoying the surf every day. It has been wonderful to get away from Woop Woop and put things into perspective a little bit more.

There is an awful lot on my horizon right now, but I cannot mention anything just yet. I'm hoping though that it will be all good.