Princess

Yeah, I'm a princess of the rehab variety!

Training today: Bodyattack (went as full throttle as I could at 5.45am), Run 25 minutes
Lower Body: hip flexor stretches, glute bridges in neutral spine, incline leg press (3 x 15)
Upper Body: serratus anterior activation, pec broomstick stretch, seated row with lower trap focus/neutral t spine, T Spine mobilization with foam roller.

Pleased to say that although the old clavicle is really tender, I'm starting to achieve much better range through my cervical/thoracic vertebrae. Rather than cursing this problem, I'm looking at it as an opportunity to learn more about clavicular function.

I am grateful that I have acquired such a firm foundation of knowledge in this area over the years. I'm know I've saved myself a lot of physio bills.

Today I'm off to work. I've decided that today is "Larabar Monday" - as well as my massive salad, nectarines, yoghurt and rice cakes, I've packed an Apple Cinnamon Larabar which will come in handy when my tummy starts growling at 5pm.

More DVDs for Sale

I'm planning on closing my DVD store in the New Year and I'm offering anyone who is interested in picking up a good quality fitness DVD for nearly half price the opportunity to do so before I hit the mass market so to speak.

I have Cathe Friedrich Core Max (2 copies only) - usually $34.99, now $19.99, Amy Bento Abs(3 copies) usually $20.00 now $11.00; One copy of A Team Bootcamp which is a plyo interval style workout $12.95 (was $25.00), HiLo Cardio Knockout (was 30.00 now $17.95), Tracey Staehle DVDs - all $15.00. If you're interested, contact me via my Store I also have Cathe's Hardcore Series on sale reduced from $35.00 to $23.95.

She is Beautiful and other thoughts....

"The Girl is So Beautiful".

This was one of the tracks in our Bodystep 78 launch this morning. I did from Track 6 ("She is Beautiful") all the way through to Track 11 with Clare, who is a young and upcoming stepper from Melbourne (to show you how upcoming she is, she shadowed at the last Quarterly here, so she's pretty darn talented indeed). Our theme was Fitness First's Ninth birthday (nine years since they opened their doors in Brisbane) so my get up involved a hot pink boob tube from Supre layered over a yellow wide necked T Shirt and my Lulelemon pink and black shorts - not to mention a party hat! Was a bit disappointed in myself when I made a few mistakes - I'd get nervous then I'd relax, only to get nervous again...bugger!

RPM with Bron at 9.30am was hilarious - I had to do a quick change out of my Step outfit into my RPM outfit - we decided to be clowns attending a 9th Birthday party so we kitted out in clown suits (that were a bit of a stretch over my massive cycling quads :) ), wigs and squeaky red noses. RPM, after Step was pretty good - if an hour of solid cardio hadn't calmed me down, the sight of Bronnie and I wearing our suits was just a great laugh and a pretty good relaxant. Despite not spending a lot of time on the choreo for this one, I breezed through it without any errors at all (which makes me think I should try doing that for Step and see how I go..lol!)

I think that having the launches every few months brings the fun factor into the workout and us being dags up the front probably helps to keep everyone relaxed and smiling.

Afterwards, the girls and I went to a cafe with a few of the RPMers from class and had a catch up and coffee. Good fun.

I also thought I'd post an update about my shoulder injury. I went to see a sports doc on Thursday, got X Rayed and apparently the lump that I have is over the distal end of my clavicle, not my AC joint, which is good news. I do need some physio to sort out my tracking, but hubs has been awesome (I've been teaching him how to mobilize my first rib - how romantic!) and I'm actually feeling like I'm moving better, although the pain is still pretty localized over my lump. X rays showed an issue with this bone, but I'm also having an MRI to try and work out more about the lump itself.

Unfortunately this has meant no strength training for the last 3-4 weeks which has been annoying to say the least - but I'm really positive that whatever this problem is, that I can work it out. I must say I've been wondering whether lifting super heavy shit(ie bench pressing body weight as an example - gee, I loved writing that!) is all that fantastic for my hypermobile shoulders, even though Louise reckons it's fine.

The house building project is coming along well with shelving, skirting boards and architraves all going in this week. Next week I think the tiling is to be done, another step in the right direction. With an impending move , I'm taking action by starting to use up any tinned food in the pantry - just hope I don't have too much left over. When we were moving around a lot, I had a tin of salmon which went through an interstate move and then off to Woop Woop. Needless to say it wasn't the best when we got around to opening it.....

OK, time to go and make a meal out of anchovies, green curry paste and lima beans from the pantry (NOT!)

Brush With Fame Pt 395 section B

The Section "B", refers to "B Grade" celebrity - would have scored this fellow lower, except he:

a) comes from another country
b) had an entourage
c) posed willingly for pictures (am kicking myself I didn't get a photo..but I digress)

Yes, folks, today as I hurtled into Fitness First CBD (running late as per usual) I had a literal "smackdown" with none other than Hulk Hogan, semi retired professional wrestler that is touring here. I extricated myself as quickly as possible to the sounds of Hulk and his entourage commenting "Australians move so quickly or was it the two shots of vodka I had this morning?" Then I wondered if I should have challenged him to a round of RPM...

Could have gone something like this:
Me: "Hey Hulk, want to see what a real smackdown looks like?"
Hulk: "huh" (remembering the man has had two shots of vodka )
Me: "So you really are a pussy then?"
Entourage moves closer.....
RPM regular Anthony waves me into the studio with a cleated shoe. "Time to teach!"...OK,
I'm off and teaching...bugger...convincing "Hulk" to participate in class would have been kind of fun.

Seriously though, the man is about 6'6" and built like a Sherman tank. And his entourage of beefy wrestler boys - all of the same dimensions, with Hulk definitely being the top dog physicality and brutality wise!

My brush with Mr Hogan has outshadowed my whining about my corrupted clavicles so I'm going to leave it there....

and regret that Brit had already left Bris vegas by the time I got to the gym to teach my class.

What's wrong with this word?

No, it's not "shit", "f**K" or even "c***".

No, the word is "enough" and how we choose to apply it to ourselves.

Today I taught Step class and a beautiful tall athletic girl approaches me about personal training and who I'd recommend.
"My clothes don't fit "(read ' I'm not good enough')
"My arms are flabby" (read 'they're not good enough')
"I just don't feel fit" (read 'I'm not fit enough')

Enough, enough, enough, blah, blah, blah.

I turned to this beautiful young thing and said, "did you see yourself in Step? You were amazing. You ARE amazing and you're smoking hot. You don't need to lose weight, you need to change your mindset to amazing yourself with your feats of fitness, getting fitter, faster and stronger".
"I've never looked at it this way before." (read 'you mean I'm good enough just as I am?')
"Dismissed!" ( "Amen," sister!)

Today I chose to dismiss "enough" and decided to be amazing today. RPM was amazing and so was Bodystep. Now off to a rehearsal for the new one - my affirmation is when faced by difficult choreo " I can, I can, I can!"

Hope you all have an amazing day!

Thank goodness for Larabars!

Training today: Bodyattack (modified so no overhead work), Run 30 minutes, stretching

Today's shoulder update: I'm suspicious the problem is acromio-clavicular degeneration - first line treatment, rest and anti inflammatories - I can now feel a grinding sensation and hoping it's not bone against bone, mate against mate, state against state. Solution? Practitioner Only High Dose Fish Oil, NSAIDS (I'm so lucky to work in a pharmacy where I have access to both)

Today's work update: Horribly busy, did over 400 scripts - and our Consis dispensing machine chose to have a spack-attack just as I had five people waiting for scripts. Thirty minutes later I had the bastard back in operation,, only after a fair bit of cussing ensued (why is it that the staff laugh if I say "fuck"?) and phone calls to the manufacturer.

Today's Nutrition: To say that I have been a Starvin Marvin is the understatement of today. Luckily a Larabar came to my rescue. These little rippers are full of fruit and nuts and just gorgeous as a bit of a treat. Came in very handy as it stopped me turning into a complete cracker(broken machinery and being hungry don't combine too well for me!). Our resident Naturopath has been on holidays in the US and bought me one of each flavour - so next stop is Pecan Pie, followed by Apple, followed by Pistachio. I think I'll enjoy one a week so I can make them last :) Thank you to Shelley for introducing them to me, via Katie :)

Today's Thoughts: This is on my Facebook page and it's a favourite of mine: ""All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us" J Tolkein from "Lord of the Rings - thought of this today - just do what needs to be done and don't stress out about it :)

(wo)Man in Motion

"I can see a new horizon underneath the blazin' sky
I'll be where the eagle's flying higher and higher"

I've nicknamed my Saturdays "Superhero Saturday" because I start off teaching a class and sometimes feel like a bit of a superhero - inspiring, motivating and loving it loud. Then class finishes and...poof! I turn into a dork in a lab coat dispensing prescriptions and providing advice on things such as how to remove splinters to potential interactions between natural medicines and the prescription stuff. Then I may be helping someone out who's worried about feeding their baby or giving advice on haemorrhoid creams (woot! sorry about that, I'm really very immature...still).

Some days are pretty slow and torturous and others are so busy that you feel you've been crumpled up and fed through a paper shredder. Today has been one of those - just happy to come home and chill out and not do anything.

There's an interesting overlap between the pharmacy and the fitness world. Many of the pharmacy customers take my classes. One of my RPM participants has just applied for a position working at the pharmacy. I don't do those diet shake programs that have infected the pharmacy world very well (can you imagine? lol! ) - when I explain what you could EAT for the same caloric value, it sends all potential shakees running into Coles salivating at the thought of some beautifully cooked fish and fresh steamed vegetables.

Today Hubs told me that some of his family have read my blog (hey guys, if you're reading you should leave a comment!) - must admit that feels a bit weird..they're probably all now getting confirmation that I really am crackers (as if you needed it anyway..lol)

Smash n Sweat

Another "smasher" of an RPM class this morning, even though my legs, after teaching two classes yesterday, felt like they didn't want to leave my mattress when I woke up this morning. I admit to being utterly in love with the endorphin rush I get from teaching.

Today I have had some time to read a few blogs and I came across some interesting perspectives on "intuitive eating" from Rae and Steph D. Steph mentioned that if she surrendered to intuitive eating, she'd be "lured into a sugar coma". My opinion on that is that many of us confuse the concept of intuitive eating with the idea of eating many foods that are not very high in nutritive value. All intuitive eating simply means is listening to your body's wisdom - you eat when you are hungry and you stop when you are satisfied. It's all pretty simple really - however, learning about your hunger and fullness cues is what makes most of us stumble. Have you ever felt like you've "overshot" a meal - that is eaten to a point where you think you are satisfied, but realize that you've overshot the mark a little and you're now uncomfortably full. Mastering hunger and fullness cues and realizing that all foods are morally neutral is one of the cornerstones to success in this way of eating.

Research is showing that certain foods and processes can interrupt our body's natural wisdom in determining fullness. In nature there are very few foods as calorie dense as some of the processed stuff that's on our shelves today, so it makes sense that the body can't always intuit hunger/fullness cues well with this sort of stuff. Imagine having a day of fatty fried foods and sugars - you would be craving fresh fruits, vegetables and lean protein very fast. And in doing so you'd become more aware that whole foods and fewer "processes"(ie ditch the stuff with a barcode!) seems to help you work in sync with your body - so much so that you learn to say to yourself - "I could eat KFC, but I choose to eat this chicken and salad wrap instead". Looking at your children is another way of seeing the value of being more "intuitive" - for example, my girls often have morning tea at the food court if I take them to RPM. My eldest in particular will choose a protein/salad sandwich or fresh sushi over anything too processed ("I like veggies and they fill me up, Mum")

Steph's example in her blog is a perfect example of learning to be more intuitive about her eating - she knows that if she eats a lot of sugary foods in one sitting, she does not feel good physically (sugar coma) - it's like accidentally touching a hot object - you might try it once, but in the end you know to avoid it so you don't get burnt.

I think learning to be intuitive as an athlete is of utmost importance. I have a natural (intuitive) preference for fresh whole foods and I trust myself enough to know that this is what I want to eat. But yesterday with little time for digestion between 2 classes I chose to drink Biotest Surge - knew I needed recovery fuel that was quick to digest... common sense really.

You might also know that your intuition tells you that you work best when you have a plan. This is also good thinking in my book. If you are training for an athletic event where nutrition makes a big impact, it makes sense to have a plan. Your intuition may have taught you that certain foods trigger unwanted reactions in your body (which is why I don't eat buckets of bread, doesn't seem to agree with me).

None of this is relevant to dieting where you put artificial limits on things, foods become taboo, you exercise like a rat on a treadmill to burn off that fat and you become a raving lunatic.

There is a huge difference between living a healthy lifestyle and being on a diet - the key is to be vigilant to ensure that lifestyle is not "mutilated into a diet" as Dave Greenwalt says so well.

Girl's Got Grunt!

Yeah, this girl's got grunt after teaching two RPM classes in a row today. Best feeling was that I felt so strong on the bike and so powerful - that is an unstoppable feeling and one that I'm sure every RPM instructor craves. By the end of my second ride, my quads were screaming and I just wanted to stop - but some voice inside told me not to be a pussy so I kept going!

Just chilling now with a cuppa and closing my eyes and connecting with the tiredness in my legs - should be a nice early night for this black duck!

Joy of Movement

I've been a busy little beaver here in my corner of the world. After Body Attack on Monday, I felt like I had rediscovered the joys of cardio and did a 30 minute session on the elliptical before training with Shelley yesterday - shoulder is cranky and my "lump" has swollen up again with a vengeance, so it looks like any strength training I do over the next few weeks will all be rehabby pilates style stuff which I don't mind at all. After the huge shoulder injury last year, I've grown to love the patience, progression and reward of steady rehab (I did most of my own shoulder rehab last year in conjunction with Lou's spectacular joint mobs). I had a session of real time ultrasound ( click here for a more science based paper on the subject ) to check to see where my pelvic stability was as well - I'm about to head off for more pilates and possibly a practitioner course in the New Year. I was thrilled to see an almost perfect set of abdominals (in terms of function) on the ultrasound screen and an awesomely functioning pelvic floor. The only weak spot is my lack of multifidus (a stabilizing muscle that runs between the facet joints of the spine) activation - so that is my next mini challenge. The last time I had real time ultrasound, I was told my pelvic instability was one of the worst cases that they'd ever seen and that I'd never run again, let alone teach Step. Just to show that long term rehab is worth it - seven years and counting!

I also had a bit of a shopping spree at Lorna Jane at Indro - I just had to have the inspirational singlets that say "Cardio Addict" and "No Pain No Gain" (I got this for a bit of a laugh), and a red T Shirt that says 'dance, laugh and sing" . I also received an order from Team Estrogen
who are a women's cycling/triathlon shop in the USA - new gorgeous cycling shorts, a yoga inspired tank top and socks that scream "Bad Kitty"! What fun! I'll enjoy trying out all my new duds over the next week or so.

Today I taught RPM and Bodystep. Another great RPM class this morning that left me feeling full of energy and ready to take on the world - I love nothing more than just being so immersed in the moment that you forget everything else for 45 minutes. Came back to Earth with a thud (needed breakfast) before saddling up for Bodystep. This class doesn't feel like hard work to me any more but rather an adrenalin charged dance party! Left the gym today appreciating the joy of movement - so the shoulder's a bit cranky - I just love having a party with my feet instead.

On a more serious note, does anyone ever question their parenting ability. I received the gift of having two girls and the challenges that come with raising them. One of them is now ten and is going into a phase of her life where all of her classmates are forming cliques and there's a lot of "I'll play with you, but not you" type of pre teen bitchiness going on. For my little pup, a lot of it has gone over her head because that's just not who she is. Today she looked upset on coming home from school and then after a fair bit of coaxing, she cried and told me how some girls had "left her out of things" and called her names. I held her, worried that I wouldn't know what to say to give her any perspective on the fact that girls can be very bitchy and told her about similar experiences I had growing up (I was never part of the popular crowd). I was so pleased when she opened up some more and she told me that she had gone to sit next to the other girl in her class that was being teased "because she could see that she was upset".

I told her that I was so proud of her for not being a sheep and following the "in crowd" that she had stood up and done the right thing in treating the other girl with kindness and compassion. "Showing kindness is the greatest thing you can do to make the world a better place." I said and gave her a hug.

Then she talked some more. I felt really relieved as I want to be the sort of mother their kids can talk to me no matter what event happens. I hate the thought of "losing" my girls to others because I didn't listen or relate well enough - scares me senseless really. Anyone relate?

A Thorough Pasting!

Drumroll! This morning, after a six and a half (the half a year is very important) hiatus I participated in a Bodyattack class. I really enjoyed the change and pushing it hard enough so that my heart was up between my ears at the end of some of the tracks, it was hammering so hard.

The thrill of the class was being able to nail the tuck jumps. I've always sucked at any sort of jumping and what do you know, one-two-three - JUMP! I banged those suckers out like a beauty! I thought of Shar as I was doing these, thought she would be proud that I ventured out of my comfort zone. I then did a twenty minute run afterwards on the treadmill, alternating speeds every five minutes - this, after Attack, was really tough but I went home drenched in sweat and feeling rather triumphant! I have to add that I even did three sets of leg presses - that was about all the weights I felt like at this stage.

I've just had a fantastic breakfast of Naturoo Kangaroo Sausages (da bomb!), grilled tomatoes and a slice of this heavily seeded bread I found in a corner of the supermarket. I packed in some veggies this morning so I can have "lazy girl oats for lunch". Chop up some nectarines and peaches and throw in some natural yoghurt and I'm good to go for the day. I hate having to buy lunch - BYO is more my scene, even if it, gulp, means packing it in Tupperware!

PS - love this image today - I laugh every time I read it :)

Liberation

Today's Exercise (won't call it training) - was more of a restorative activity - I had two half hour walks today - one as the sun came up and one as the sun went down - kind of zen like really, although I didn't entirely plan it that way.

I love how walking soothes the soul, especially after a long day at work. So much better than trolling for crap in the pantry I say~

Carving it Up!

Training today : taught RPM Hi Performance. Rode it like there was no tomorrow! I have made the decision to switch to sleeveless jerseys of next week - I literally wrung out today's sleeved number.

I went back to 2006 and re read my entire blog - was quite entertaining really but also amazing in how it's changed from 'training log into life log' - my current mood is dictating that as well as having a love affair with exercise, it's time to look at new avenues to enrich my life. Who knew that being completely fit and well wasn't just due to physical training?

Here's are some of the potentials I could look at for 2010:

Starting an Arts Degree and trying out subjects like Literature and Creative Writing.... I like the idea of furthering my education without career pressure.

Doing a course in Web Design and a Mac course...because I'm fascinated by Web Design and want to learn all the ins and outs of making pages look sensational.

Doing some type of Retreat or Self Awareness program.

I'm keen on getting some one on one coaching in Road Cycling.

I want to get in the pool.

I want to learn more about cooking.

I would love to do dance - jazz, tap, hip hop - what ever is close and on offer.

I'm considering doing a Pilates Course - I need it for my dysfunctional pelvis, so why not make it a Tax Deduction?

I like the idea of photography.

Wow, there's so much out there to experience. I can't wait to sink my teeth into whatever pops up. After having a few trips away this year, I've come to the conclusion that a few days of complete "time out" every year is essential to my sanity. So, I'm also going to plan to get away as well.

Is Big Brother Killing Your Internet Community?

Today Shelley and I went to a course in Creative Journalling which was fascinating and reminded me of the times before I used the internet so freely, where every year I'd get really excited about creating a journal for the coming year and what I was going to create with my life. My blog has taken over much of this role and in writing, have literally (pardon the pun!) opened myself up to public scrutiny. Not only that, but by writing my blog, starting off with my Figure aspirations and going through surgery, career changes etc, I've established a wonderful network of friends who I now see much of the time "in real life". The friendships I have made through my blogging are amazing. Today Shelley and I had lunch with Lyndsay (who isn't blogging any more - a tiny bundle of gorgeousness will do it to you :) and we were all reflecting on the same things.

When I started my weight loss journey, I was a member of a huuuge forum called "The Firm Ya Yas" - most of my compatriots there are North American and introduced me to the delights (and butt kicking potential) of Cathe Friedrich. There would be at least 5000 members in this forum and we all log on with our own user names to preserve anonymity. I started writing in the Personal Journals section of the forum and have met some smart, witty not to mention athletic women who kick it up to fantastic levels of fitness. I didn't know anyone when I started my first journal, but by the end of my weight loss journey to my first comp, I had "met" a loyal band of supporters who I still stay in touch with. Even though blogging and journalling in forums may seem personal, it's really, really encouraging to get support from your visitors (and your lurkers that come out of the closet during the really good or the really bad times ).

Which is why I was surprised when I made a rare visit to an Aussie fitness/figure forum the other day. There is a section there for "Accountability Partners" - where a couple of likeminded people team up and share the journey. From my memory it was able to be accessed by other forum members and commented upon which in my opinion would amp up the support factor. However, there was a message posted telling forum members that only the two partners and anyone else they deemed suitable (had to be screened first) could post to their particular thread. Not only that, but if you post on this forum in general, your privacy is compromised by the publication of your full name (probably a much worse scenario to have if you were hacked than having support threads with usernames, rather than full names). Then I wondered what the point of having an accountability thread was if nobody could support you on your journey - why not just cut the middle man (who's now got full control of your information/posts and prints out a disclaimer saying that they "own" everything written on the forum) out all together?

I think fine, if a forum is deliberately private (for example David has a forum within Leanness Lifestyle that is for members only) and you agree to it, yes, use your name by all means, but for a forum and site that I assume is trying to attract new members, it makes little sense.

It's a scenario unfolding in this neck of the woods that's an eerie blend of "Animal Farm" and "Big Brother". Who's the animal at the top who's controlling everything, under the guise of an 'even playing field'? Very concerning indeed.

MY QUESTION IS THAT DOES THIS SORT OF THING CONCERN YOU, PARTICULARLY IF YOUR PERSONAL DETAILS ARE BEING STORED?


One of the ideas of the journalling course was to collect your passions and write about them:
This took a bit of thinking, but my passions for this moment are:

a) The rights to Freedom of Speech and Expression in the Digital Media
b) The Art of French Cooking (though you'll never ever see me cook Sole Meniuere, it just sounds delightful)
c) Piranhas (Teeth, Grip, Razor Sharp, Bites Hi Power, Tears You Apart!) - much more on that at a later date
d) Learning another language, oui?
e) Finding out how by killing Nathan, Sylar returns (this is a complex one and never likely to be answered on this blog
f) Finding the correct balance of tracks that will completely saturate my Shimanos by Track 10 on Saturday ....weeehaaaaaaaa!
g) Tulips (I love tulips, which is why winter sun rocks for some, sorry Kek)

Eat your vegetables

Eat your veggies and look as good on the inside as you look outside!

Don't go on too many Asian food benders...otherwise your large intestines shall resemble ginger.

A "leaky" stomach valve or oesophagus can be real, not imagined.

And you'll always find the magic capsicum in a heartbeat!

The End.

Turn it Up

Back after a short blogging absence. I think the combination of work, hormones, my shoulder,extreme fatigue and my Dad's 70th birthday party sent me over the edge into lunatic heaven yesterday because I embraced the day hoping that I could just hide under a rock and speak to nobody. Howeve, unfortunatley that didn't happen, I saddled up and went out Christmas shopping for the girls. Whilst I didn't get everything, I did about 75% of the job which is going to save buckets of time over Christmas. I was in bed by 8.30pm and out like a light shortly after and woke up to Uncle TOM.

It's always such a relief to know that you're truly not psychotic after all.

I was up with the birds this morning for a quick cuppa and then it was off to teach RPM. I was chuffed to see at least 25 people this morning for class - this time about 18 months ago, I begged John to let me have it (it used to get 2 participants) and it's been ever so slowly picking up ever since. I still have my days where the numbers aren't all that high, but the past few weeks have had much fuller classes - I would say due to summer being around the corner and it being so light, so early - it's conducive to getting up and having a good whack on the bike.

Had breakfast of oats and protein powder, making a mental note to bring less next week. Katie has written an excellent post today about how you really need to have a "figure competitor" determination to master eating on a more intuitive level. I need to work on this aspect more in my own eating - often I'm eating on the run or distracted, so my meals go in before I've had a chance to really register the taste (bad Liz!). I weighed out my oat and protein portion but obviously what my body needed today was less than what I thought I needed. I stayed pretty much comfortably full until lunchtime. So give it a go - even if you're weighing/measuring your food , really sit down, chew thoroughly and rate your hunger before and after - it's pretty enlightening.

Taught Bodystep at 9.20am and then it has been home to do the housework. I'm still wearing my Bugg - it's a wonderful reminder to stop being a slug - in fact I now set myself little step challenges (complete x number of steps and I get a bit more TV time, sad I know but I'm really enjoying Celebrity Masterchef, followed by Heroes - so I figure if I move a bit more, then I've earned the right to sit down lol)

Finally, I want to mention that from little things, big things grow. It is from our seemingly small actions that wonderful things can happen. As a mother, I'm dismayed at what our kids are bombarded with every day, told that they're not good enough, they're not beautiful enough, they don't measure up. Shelley has taken up the challenge of reaching out and making a difference. I want to stand next to her and make the world a more positive place via the Inspire Foundation

What you can do to help:
1) Visit Shelley's blog and leave a comment. (tell her you love her blog too BTW)
2) Leave a comment on my blog (tell me you love me too BTW lol!) and I will donate $1.00 from every comment I receive as well and give the money to Shelley on Friday
3) Consider standing next to us and make a difference if you regularly blog. Remember from small things, big things grow!

Where do you want to go?

Yeah, got you all - you thought this was going to be some enlightenment on the virtues of mapping out the future but it's not true.

Do you ever think that there's a message for you in the relatively humdrum events of the day? My day consisted of many many people asking me for directions. I didn't do anything out of the ordinary, just my usual Thursday visit to Indro and the CBD for RPM, but at least four people stopped me in the street to ask me where to go. I can only conclude that I am the keeper of the keys. For today anyway (giggles).

My more serious post is in relation to my shoulder - yes, I've got a definite lump/cyst /who knows on my acromioclavicular process. Possibilities - calcification, degeneration (gosh getting older is a joy!) or something more serious. Actions to be taken - my awesome physio, Miss Lou has referred me onto my sports doc up here, Nifty Nev (well that's what Shelley and I call him). No lifting super heavy shit until it settles but rehab work and lighter stuff OK.

Now it's off to kick back with a magazine and slop around like the champion that I am on the lounge. If there was an award for ingrained slugdom tendencies, it would be a toss up between me and the nearest greyhound.

The Beauty of it All

Pied Beauty
Gerald Manley Hopkins

Glory be to God for dappled things—
For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;
For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches' wings;
Landscape plotted and pieced—fold, fallow, and plough;
And áll trades, their gear and tackle and trim.

All things counter, original, spáre, strange;
Whatever is fickle, frecklèd (who knows how?)
With swíft, slów; sweet, sóur; adázzle, dím;
He fathers-forth whose beauty is pást change:

Práise hím.

One of my favourite poems relating to beauty - ever woken up with the sky an intoxicating blue, a gentle breeze blowing and the soft morning light dancing across your bedcovers (only today to become stinking hot later on, but that is for another post!)

On Wednesdays I teach two classes, an early early RPM and Bodystep in the mid morning. My RPM class is a small but very loyal bunch who I love to teach every morning - a few come to High Performance, but Wednesday has a very different vibe to it. It's as if I come to a small family celebration. I deliberately chose pretty complex choreo to learn for Step this week in my quest to be a banging step instructor and was delighted to teach my whole class with only a few minor mistakes.

I then met hubs (today's task was purchase of new dining table (Recycled Aussie Hardwood - blissfully beautiful) and an outdoor setting (lightweight and easy to clean..woot) and commented that the reason I love teaching so much is what I get in return for making the effort. I get friendship, I get smiles, I have a laugh, I am challenged and I feel so good about myself. I swear I need to bottle this feeling to see me through the downtimes..".Eau de StinkyBike Shorts Liz perfume", perhaps?

The only downside of my day is that perhaps I got too vigorous with the mattress testing yesterday - I have a very odd painful lump on the border of my clavicle/acromion (near shoulder). Ah well, a sniff of "Eau de Stinky" and I'm thinking "I'm sure this problem can be solved!"

Time for dinner - leftovers! It's about all I can afford after our few days of Economic Stimulus..

Horizontal Workouts with My Husband

Before you start getting all hot under the collar, I'd like to advise that this is a strictly G rated post. Kitty, if you're reading this, I can't put the "adults only" disclaimer on my blog just yet - but who knows, one day that may come (pardon the pun).

No, today, it was decided with the move into our new home imminent, that it was time to buy ourselves a new bed and look at outdoor furniture for the new deck. I got up early and squeaked out a good run and stretch at FF Jinders as well as some pulling/posture exercises and foam rolling. We dropped the car off for its scheduled service and then headed off to Fortitude Valley to check out the homemaker precinct.

We had coffee at the awesome smelling Merlo (well I had tea, love the smell of coffee but not so keen on the taste) and then ended up at Forty Winks and ended up spending about two hours trying out mattresses and choosing a bedroom suite (we ended up with the one in the link). I have always found the concept of testing out mattresses hilarious and I commented to the salesperson with a bit of mirth that it must be an odd job selling mattresses. He replied with something along the lines of "we take our customer's sleep needs very seriously". OK, Liz, back in your box and try not to laugh, OK?

Then after all of the ups and downs of lying down on what seemed like a gazillion mattresses, we went to Meccabah for lunch. I had to use the powers of mindful eating and not clean my plate of the three cups of delicious rice that were adorning my plate! I would have certainly felt really uncomfortable if I'd eaten the whole shebang (which further solidifies the need to focus on the intuitive side of things even if you choose to log your calorie intake - there will be events/meals where you can't log them so you need to be able to learn to listen to the wisdom of your body's satiety signals and learn appropriate hunger and fullness cues when such things occur). And in long term maintenance, as opposed to short term action where a food diary can be very useful, it's more important to focus on lifelong changes to lifestyle and personal growth.

Time to go and eat a chook, lovingly made by hubs, prepared in the Stephanie Alexander tradition (I have a budding Masterchef on my hands!) No, seriously that show scares the living daylights out of me - I love to watch it, but I'd hate to be in the kitchen under pressure doing those Challenges. Yikes!

Chuggering

Not much to report in my world today.

Had a good sweaty cardio session this morning (mixed up elliptical/stairclimber and treadmill) for 70 minutes of heart pumping action and then did lots of foam roller and trigger point release for the old hip flexors and glute activation drills - my poor old hips and quads are as "tight as" - probably from the five RPM a week that I teach. Needless to say, my glutes were rudely awoken from their slumber and my hips are a little bit looser.

The above pic is the house about 4 weeks ago - we've now got render, plaster and a garage door and we're tracking for a January move. I'm really looking forward to it all.

Better go and prep my lunch for work. Sometimes I wish that I could just buy my lunch but nothing in the centre is never as nice (or as cheap) as home made so I'm going to make the effort.

Amy Bento Specials

I'm clearing out my Amy Bento DVDs - they're 2007 stock and all brand new in shrink wrap. Originally 24.95 to 29.95 , I have a few copies of each left at 14.95 (plus postage). You can visit my site to check out the workout descriptions and contact me via the site to purchase. My personal favourites are the kickboxing and the Hi Lo (yes, I'm a cardio gal, through and through!)

Australian/NZ customers only.

I also have one tub of Ladybird Crunch and a couple of 500g Figure Tone (vanilla )to sell at cost price - get in touch with me to purchase.