Enjoy the journey!

I had a good day and taught RPM this morning at Toowong. I had a wonderful surprise this morning - Alicia came to my class - and she is looking so lean and "killer" (pardon the picture) that I almost didn't recognize her! She has made some amazing changes to her body and it was so much fun catching up with her. It just meant I really got to focus more on caning the old legs as I taught class! I have still got killer DOMS from all of those weights I have been hoiking about this week.

Tonight I heard an absolutely fantastic talk about what it was to be really free. Basically the guts of the message was that to achieve true freedom you need to be firm with yourself about what it is you're actually doing, as opposed to mollycoddling yourself and "waiting for it to happen". Who said "time waits for no man?" Thomas Moore? I can't remember. Anyway, I think the statement is so true. If you set yourself a goal, move towards it with full intention with the aim of truly living it along the way. This is another goal of my preparation - to fully live in every training session and every meal and to move with mindfulness and with purpose - to live my own personal truth.

Wow, that was deep...but hey, that's what comp prep does to you - illuminates other things in life which are just as important!

Training and Eating for the day.

For Stacy, here is what I ate and how I trained today.

My eats:

Meal One: 2/3 cup oats cooked in water with 1 scoop Ladybird Tone and 1/2 cup skim milk on the top. Yummy and creamy and vanilla scented.

Meal Two (post workout): kangaroo chilli con carne, 1/2 cup brown rice, 2-3 cups steamed veggies :)

Meal Three: baked apple with cinnamon on top of 200g reduced fat natural yoghurt and sprinkle of protein powder

Meal Four: packet of Steamfresh Veggies - carrots, corn, beans over 125g creamed cottage cheese, sprinkled with paprika, microwaved Plus 2-3 rice cakes with tuna, cottage cheese and as many veggies as I can fit on them ;)

Meal Five: Fruity chicken curry (as prepped from "Survival from the Fittest" -only change is I used half low joule chutney, half regular, and added an apple and some sultanas instead), 1/2 cup brown rice, 3 cups steamed veggies

Meal Six: piece of fruit and a paddlepop (this is my Thursday night treat as I stay up late watching Heroes, Lost and The Amazing Race- and I get hungry )

As you can see I am not one to promote a low carb existence!

Training today: "moderate" day. After hammering myself in RPM and upper body training, I did 40 minute easy run (5.30 min ks) and 35 minutes leg and shoulder training - moves included cleans, leg press and a great divebomber/BOSU shoulder press combination

Am I crackers or what?

Yeah, you read right. As well as my planned 12k run, I'm planning on doing the Master's Figure Division on Oct 14th (ANB). I'm well within striking range of my comp weight, but not as close as previous preps. I've been chewing on this for about a week now - every time I train, I am finding renewed energy and focus and wanted to do this again to prove that you can eat well, not go on any sort of crazy diet and get up on stage in top condition.

I've always wanted to be old enough to compete in the Master's Division and now I just may have a chance.

Off my cardio Hobby Horse!

Yes, I struggled with my running yesterday....why, because I did some intervals straight after cranking out an amazing strength training session - I trained my back/triceps focusing on bigger compound type moves again and I hopped on the treadmill afterwards, wondering why I felt so fatigued! (duh!)

I'm planning on participating in RPM this morning, I can just focus on myself and give it an almighty shake this morning, but not before I do some strength training beforehand.

We are all enjoying school holidays - it's a great opportunity to slop around without having to worry about being at certain places by certain times. I'm not sure what I am going to do with the girls today, but I am sure it will be fun.

Cathe Presale Announced!

Cathe Friedrich is filming again shortly! Her latest project is a 4 day split program which will have some incredible premixes on it. I will be posting details on my site, www.thefitnesssolution.com.au , on how to preorder it. If anyone wants to know more about Cathe DVDs and how useful I found them when I lived in the middle of nowhere, please feel free to contact me via the store contact form on the site.

Here are the details of the workouts:

The Ultimate Weekly Workout Program
The 4 Day Split is designed to be the ultimate cardio and strength weekly workout program that fits your busy lifestyle. It consists of four (approx. 60 minute) workouts. Each workout will have a separate cardio segment followed by an intense heavy weight training routine. We will use the push pull training approach since time is of the essence and we want to effectively maximize your time as we push you to complete and total failure with little to no rest between exercises. The 4 Day Split series will come in one DVD case on two DVD discs for maximum premix value:
Disc A:
Workout #1 High Intensity Step Aerobics Plus HEAVY WEIGHTS Chest/Back
Workout #2 Low Impact Step PLUS HEAVY WEIGHTS Shoulders and core

Disc B:
Workout # 3 Cardio Kickbox Plus HEAVY WEIGHTS Legs and Core Workout # 4 Boot Camp Cardio PLUS HEAVY WEIGHTS BI's and TRI's
* as always, we reserve the right to make changes to content, format, equipment used and workout times without further notice.
Incredible Premixes
The 4 Day Split - Cardio & Weights is a complete workout system and features some of the most versatile and unique premixes us or anyone has ever offered. For example, the normal workout program contains a cardio section followed by an intense strength training routine using the push/pull method; i.e. chest and back. This means you would work each muscle group of the upper body just one time per week. Though a lot of people prefer to train this way there also many who prefer to train each muscle group twice per week alternating upper and lower body. So, we have even developed a premix that does just that by featuring a cardio section followed by a total upper body section. The other disc will have a cardio section followed by a complete lower body strength session.

But what if you don't like training with the push/pull method? Well, don't worry we have premixes that feature different combinations of muscle groups like chest and triceps and back and biceps. Don't like to mix your cardio with weights? Then try either our upper and lower body premixes or our total body strength premix. We even have timesaver premixes for those with time constraints. In summary, almost anything you can think of can be done with Cathe's 4 Day Split - Cardio and Weight DVDs. As always, please feel free to make your premix suggestions in our forums. We always love to hear your input an ideas.

Ooh yes, it's all about me!

Ever have those times where you feel like you are running around like a headless chicken and are so busy spending time with everyone else, that you find you're not spending enough time on yourself?

This last week, I've really let my workouts and nutrition slide, only getting in one good RT session, as I think I taught a class every day this week, except for Tuesday. So far this week, I have three RPM classes on the table and I'm going to build my week around those. I taught five RPM classes, including a "High Performance" class and one Bodystep.

I spent yesterday afternoon prepping a whole lot of meals and it was a great feeling to pull my post workout meal out of the freezer this morning and not wonder "what the hell am I going to eat?" It is kangaroo chilli, brown rice and a plethora of vegetables which should fill me up nicely.

My weekly plan is:

Monday: Teach RPM, lower body stretching on foam roller
Tuesday: Run, Weights A
Wednesday: RPM, Weights B
Thursday: Run, Weights C
Friday: Teach RPM, lower body stretching/core work
Saturday: OFF
Sunday: Teach RPM

Off now to get ready for a busy, busy week. Lots of programs to write today!

Truth in "Despair"

Warning: Liz rant ahead :)

Even though I think this "de-motivation" poster is hilarious, I believe there is a serious undertone to all of this. "Consulting" (as described above) is rife in both the weight loss industry (where companies profit from people's failure) and fitness industry (where I have seen people given questionable training programs and restrictive eating plans where failure is almost guaranteed to be the end result).

This becomes a cycle of people plonking down even more money for the next "new" weight loss thing or personal trainer and becoming justifiably disgruntled when things doing work out. The saddest part is that the 'failed individual' blames themselves - "I must not have had enough willpower, I wasn't strong enough etc etc"

Which is why I consider myself to be an exercise coach/physiologist and not a personal trainer! I believe the best coaches give you the tools and skills to chart an excellent transformation course. Then once the 'transformation' is complete, the tranformee should have an excellent skill set to manage their transformation for the rest of their life (the important bit!) Another reason that I'm glad I chose not to compete this year and decided to work on the "rest of my life" bit. It has certainly been a fantastic journey.

This morning I had the pleasure of meeting one of my online clients for the first time. It is amazing how "knowing" somebody online has translated so easily into the "real life" situation so beautifully. She was able to come and experience being caned in RPM "Liz style" and even though I wasn't feeling 100% (see the Fukitol post), I was able to come home with the goods in the end! The best part was that I had envisioned my client looking like her "before" photos and when I actually saw her, the time we've spent working together has been well worth it because she's looking like a lean and mean machine - just fantastic, which just goes to show that online training can work really well.

I'm looking forward to a restful weekend...but first I have to teach RPM Hi Performance tomorrow at Indro :) Then I'm slobbing out for the weekend. Recovery is just as important as training :)

Thank you Kek

Thank you Kek, where would I be with out you? Life is just blowing...my nose...right now. Colds suck.

No wiings, no Fuckitol!

I've been trying to post Marie's brilliant image of "Fuckitol", the pill you take when "life just blows"! Today has been one of those days where I've had "no wiings" either. It's been one of those days. However that just means tomorrow will be brilliant!

Strut, pout, put it out!

This morning I got the opportunity to sub a Bodystep class. I have not had much chance to teach the last release at all with my schedule so it was a welcome break to get into the Group Fitness Room and "strut, pout, put it out!" (Track 8). It was a lot of fun and a great break from the seriousness and focus of RPM. I will get to teach the class again in a few weeks' time - can't wait.

Apart from that, fairly quiet and cold here today - it's only 12 degrees in my kitchen which is unusual for Brisbane.

Looking forward to it again!

Here I am at Qld Titles last year 2nd from the right!

Today I am feeling more settled and got in a fantastic training session. As I worked out, I really thought about my goals - wanting to nail this run and then getting back on stage next year. I cranked out a fantastic run - what I call my "run of fives" which is starting off at marathon pace and adding 0.5km/hr increments on the treadmill every five minutes for five cycles. I was running 4.30 min k's at the end and max HR achieved was still in the 155s - very happy indeed. If I can just get my glute to function properly, I will be in seventh heaven! I have not been able to run this well (and fast for me) since before Miss S was born (we are talking nearly 9 years ago) and it's a bit of a thrill really!

Then I hit the weights and did a Cosgrove type workout, supersetting:

Incline chest press and Cable Seated Row; Wide grip Lat Pull Down and Shoulder Press (I made this fun by doing "crazy" shoulder presses - on one leg using different weights in each arm) and finally Close Grip Bench Press and High Pulls. I then did two sets of cleans afterwards because I was feeling happy.

This is just enough strength training to keep things interesting whilst I am training for this run - then it will be less cardio and more strength from August onwards (gotta remember the bowling ball glutes!).

Quick check in

What a busy day and weekend! On Saturday I had to renew my First Aid and CPR which is a requirement if you want to work in the Fitness Industry here and on Sunday I had a huge day of Admin, followed up by teaching RPM.

Today I taught RPM and spent most of the day catching up on paperwork and writing programs. I am very busy with DVD orders too all of a sudden which is terrific. I'm very excited to see what Cathe, Amy and Tracey all come up with over the next few months.

I'm so proud of Di - she is the official poster gal for the Queensland INBAs this year. If you haven't seen her check her out on www.journeycontinuesasmrsb.blogspot.com She looks amazing with her RPM legs :)

Energy to burn!

Must have been those extra carbs, I was on fire today in RPM! I just have so much energy! I'm sure some of it is psychological energy because I feel so content and happy with life lately. I'm busy, but it's a good busy! And I've even got enough time to find images like the one I've just posted, hee hee.

PMS is climbing a wonderful tree and being whacked by a coconut!

In other words - the downside of being a woman! You think you've got it all together, then "boom", Mistress PMS comes along and gives you an almightly whack in the chops! I've been hungry, irritable and tired today and craving carbohydrates. I've had some extra carbs, so I'm looking forward to the beating that I'm going to give the bike tomorrow when I teach RPM.

I've put together a good mix including Billy Idol's "Shock To the System" (yeah I'm a Billy fan from way back) and Warp Bros "Going Insane" (yeah, that's me!)

Tomorrow is my big shopping day. I cannot believe how many fruits and vegetables our family eats! I should have put in my threes that I cannot understand why healthy choices have to be more expensive than junk food. I've got this fantastic post workout concoction going - brown rice, salsa, tuna and any vegetable that I can lay my hands on. It's filling and it really helps my rate of recovery.

No other exciting news to mention :)

Fun with "three"

Wondering why I'm back so soon? DH caught the wrong train - it was Express and went right past the station. I don't know where they come up with the notion that men take notice of what they are doing, but never mind.

I've been tagged by Lesley about My Threes:

Three Things That Scare Me:

1) being financially dependent on someone else (ladies, a common theme)
2) being stuck out in Woop Woop again (but that is as likely to happen as is the chance the Pope falls pregnant)
3) my kids not being resilient enough to deal with the downside of life.

Three People Who Make Me Laugh

1) DH - We can easily stay awake all night and laugh at each other's jokes.
2) My brother Dan - he impersonates all of the cast from "Star Wars" and after 20 seconds, I am laughing so much I want to pass out.
3) My bro-in-law David - he is a cop and his stories are hilarious. He was our wedding MC.

Three Things I Love

1) Exercise (duh!)
2) Deep and Meaningful conversations about Life, the Universe and Everything
3) A good book, some warm PJ's and a back rub :)

Three Things I Hate

1) People who "pass the buck" and have an excuse for everything
2) chokoes and liver/pate products
3) The back page of the paper being taken up with Rugby news and nothing about the French Open or any other worthwhile sport.

Three Things I don't Understand

1) Why manufacturers think that images of Betty Boop are desirable on Women's PJs. Give me good old flannies any day.

2) Why underpants come in the ugliest prints imaginable!
3) Why people think that giving up processed crap is a sacrifice.

Three Things I'm Doing Right Now

1) Cooking dinner
2) Bathing the girls
3) Setting the table

and being on the computer. Yes I am Supermum!

Three Things I Want to Do Before I Die

1) Go to a selection of major sporting events - Grand Slams, Olympics etc
2) Travel the world
3) Learn another language

Three Things I can do:

1) Make a mean cake and the best choc chip cookies!
2) I am known as the "bloodhound" in the family. I rarely use a map in finding out where to go ;)
3) Teach a great RPM class

Three Things I can't do well:

1) origami. I totally suck!
2) clean houses. Bores me to tears
3) remember lines from movies.

Three shows I watched as a kid:

a) Scooby Doo
b) Battlestar Galactica
c) The Six Million Dollar Man.

I am going to tag three people to do this - here goes -

Magda (because I loved your seven things so much)
Lia (for the same reason)
Alicia (because I want to know if she knows who the Six Million Dollar Man was)

Embracing Discomfort

“Do not fear risk. All exploration, all growth is calculated. Without challenge people cannot reach their higher selves. Only if we are willing to walk over the edge can we become winners.”

Not exactly sure where this quote comes from, but it really sums up how I am feeling today. I came to the realization today when I was running that I could afford to take some risk and push myself that bit harder. Today I ran 5 minute ks and managed an average heart rate of 144. I'm really amazed by my progress and my fitness level - I've never really imagined myself as being that fit, but obviously I am.

Sometimes it takes time for the mind to catch up with the body and to actually see that improvement and challenge is possible.

Sooo today, big improvement in my running (and glutes not too bad) and some bigger lifts with my weights. I am really looking forward to this race and the prospect of competing again next year - I'll be the chick with "bowling ball glutes". A girl can dream, right?

Spreading Myself Too Thin!

I have been troubled by a few issues and finally I came to a decision today. I think that I have had a case of "Woop Woop Rebound" - that is, I have gone from being totally bored out of my tree to being so busy that it hurts! I have decided to shelve plans to work in the personal training area at Fitness First for now, and have decided to focus on growing my online business, which after only a few months has exceeded all of my expectations! Doing both options would have meant either giving up my own training for now or doing it at ungodly hours - life is too short to be miserable - being in Woop Woop taught me that. The PTC was extremely understanding about my lack of time, being a mother as well and I'm grateful to be just doing the Group Fitness Stuff.

After all of this talk about training, I decided to take a rest day. I feel so much better for a bit of down time and have spent the day catching up on correspondence and long overdue paperwork.

Lots going on!

There seems to be an awful lot going on in the exercise DVD world. All of my DVD suppliers - Amy Bento, Cathe Friedrich and Tracey Staehle have announced that they are all filming new DVDs shortly. I will be posting presale details on www.thefitnesssolution.com.au shortly for anyone interested in purchasing the new DVDs. No charges will be made until the DVDs are in stock.

My other announcement is that for Fitness Solution clients, I have partnered with David Greenwalt, owner of the Leanness Lifestyle ( www.leannesslifestyle.com ), to offer all of my clients Club Lifestyle access and "The Leanness Lifestyle" book and MP3 downloads for a heavily reduced price. As many of you know, I have been a member of Leanness Lifestyle for nearly 3 years and it is David who taught me how to prepare for a competition the right way. David recently competed at the NPC State Titles in Illinois, coming 2nd in his division. Amazing for a natural athlete in that particular federation. You can contact me through www.thefitnesssolution.com.au for more details. I am very excited about this partnership and I recommend the book as "The Text" for all Physique and Figure Competitors. However it works just as well for regular Challengers.

Taught RPM this morning and gave the bike (and the class) a good caning! I've been dreaming up an even better combination of tracks to give the ultimate workout! What else? Just busy doing paperwork and cooking up a big batch of pumpkin soup. Winter is a great time for soup!

The heart is willing but the body is weak

Whoa! Busy today. I started off with another New Member Orientation, helped out a friend of mine with a revised program gratis. I was glad I did this as she mentioned that it was her birthday tomorrow, so the free session had come as a wonderful surprise. Then I decided to do my workout.
I decided to test out my running and did 10 cycles running 4.45 to 5 min k intervals - felt really, really strong and was maintaining my HR under 145 the entire time. Then all of a sudden my right glute failed. I lay down on the floor and tried to activate it when it occurred to me that my glute function has really gone down the gurgler because I haven't really been focusing on it, thinking "she'll be right mate" as any good Aussie would. I then did some glute activation exercises and decided that I will have to rejig my program to work up to Cosgrove lower body training more effectively. I'm a bit disappointed, but in the end I've never been let down by doing more preparatory work first. I'm going to talk to my physio, Dan and possibly get into the Pilates studio once a week for some one on one help with it. So stay tuned for my new and improved glute program!

Come rain!

Big news for us Brisbanites. It is raining! Not just a little shower, but it has been raining pretty solidly all day. We are in the midst of Level 5 Water Restrictions so having this rain is absolutely wonderful.

Training has been great these past two days. Firstly I did my strength training yesterday and really pushed it. I then saw two clients for New Member Orientation, who both signed up for Triple Packs with me and then I got in 50 mins steady state running. I am going to sign up for the Bridge to Brisbane which is a 12km distance. I think I am well online to easily go under the hour which is my goal. That I am having a break from competing this year means I can let "Enduro Liz" break free again! This morning I backed up and gave the 9.30am RPM class at Indro a thorough pasting. I really enjoyed myself, the fitness is coming back and I no longer sound like Darth Vader on the microphone.

Tomorrow I have another New Member Orientation and I am committing to squats, deadlift shrugs, Bulgarian split squats and the like and am probably going to do some interval training for my cardio. My energy levels are pretty good - I'm attitributing that to plenty of good food and positive mindset.

Spinning that wheel

Life has just been full of RPM these days. Taught RPM yesterday and today and am going to enjoy tomorrow as I am delving back into my weights again.



I officially start some of my training duties at Fitness First with a new member orientation at 10am. I'm going to squeeze in my weights before hand and do my cardio after lunch. It's times like these I'm grateful for my age and experience - the thought of attracting clients doesn't fill me with dread as I think it does the younger trainers - I'm busy enough as it is, so I'll just take it nice, slow and relaxed, Liz style.



I really enjoyed teaching RPM today - did a great mix of CDs finishing off with "The Night Train" which comes from RPM26. That's my favourite!

Makes all the difference!

Yes, good food does make all the difference. I have been eating very healthily for about two to three years now and I have always felt like I had become used to just how much better my body runs on a) good choices and b) lots of variety. I rarely eat junk food, except for the occasional treat when I feel like it (there is such a thing as being too healthy). Except for yesterday - I was extremely busy and on the run all day. Even though my choices weren't super dreadful - I had a McDonald's Extra Lean Burger for lunch and a couple of slices of Pizza Hut Thin and Crispy veggie supreme pizza for dinner, plus my usual vegetables , it really did feel like I was not running on "premium unleaded" like I normally am. Sometimes it takes these sorts of days to realize just what a difference eating well makes.

This is why I ask my clients to aim for "consistency" and not "perfection". This way you can learn from your actual experience without beating up on yourself. Was I "perfect" yesterday? - no - but my experience helped me solidify what I know about good eating. It's just another way of "walking the walk."

Shall we say, I don't think it helped with my post workout recovery - taught a great RPM class, but exhausted this morning.

Today I have enjoyed catching up on some housework and am off to do a little food prep - pumpkin and cauliflower soup is the go :) I just cook my regular pumpkin soup, only I add in a head of cauliflower. It's a little more textured than the pumpkin soup, but it's nice and chunky which is what I like.

Tomorrow I am off to Get Active Brisbane with DH and the girls. ( www.getactivebrisbane.com.au ) and teaching RPM. Should be a busy, yet fun day!