Tool time

Kitchen tools, that is. Since I've been getting ready to move, I've offloaded a whole plethora of pans and pots that have seen better days and I'm cashed up with David Jones' Gift Vouchers to invest in some more pots and pans. I'm after a saute pan like the one above, a skillet and a non stick Dutch Oven. I've been looking into all sorts of brands and had been leaning towards Scanpan (after hearing such good things about it ) and Caphalon, but I was at the doc this morning, taking Miss G as she has an ear infection and was doing a bit of trashy magazine catch up reading when I saw a Choice magazine article on pots and pans. Their recommendation was the hard anodized Circulon brand and Jamie Oliver cookware.

I was surprised as the Circulon and Jamie Oliver Ranges are way less expensive. The top recommendation was Swiss Diamond Cookware, which I've never heard of. Think I'd better check it out. I've already got a few recipes in mind!

Lately I've also been rediscovering the joys of legumes. I put an entire cup of lentils in our spaghetti bolognaise for dinner last night and it was most popular and I've had cannellini beans in my salad today and included them in some tuna patties that I've prepped for the rest of the week.

Andj has also inspired me this week with her 12 Week Challenge Goals. My goals for the week include getting two swims in and walking on the mornings I don't go and teach class. I find a morning walk incredibly therapeutic.

Hate-a-licious!

In honour of Valentine's Day and feeling the love, what are some of the things in the world you just can't stand, your pet peeves?

Here's my list:

WORKING OUT:

1) Going to the gym on your way to work, having a shower, only to realize you've forgotten your undies.
2) Going to the gym after work and finding that you've only packed one of your shoes.
3) Socks that slide back under your heels when you run.
4) Planning on having a long workout and finding that you've either left your IPOD at home (there's a theme here) or that your battery is dead (damn you IPOD!)
5) People who leave hair balls in the change rooms or the shower. Enough said.
6) People that don't wipe their equipment down after using...eewwwww.
7) Personal space hoggers in the Group Fitness Room - just give me space to breathe or better still not cop a side kick where it hurts in Combat...
8) Wearing short shorts and forgetting that it's deadlift day.
9) Ads for fat burners in fitness magazines, especially the ones with the "eight page special reports" - especially when they're sandwiched between articles about the dangers of caffeine and maintaining your delicate hormonal balance.


EATING OUT:

1) Service Attendants who roll their eyes if you ask for "dressing on the side".
2) Waitresses that come up to you and ask you how things are going, just as you're about to accept a marriage proposal.
3) When you go out to dinner in a group and everyone's dishes arrive bar one person. Your dish goes cold whilst the poor person with the missing dish goes hungry.
4) People at buffets that eat directly off them, rather than putting the food onto their plate.
5) Menus and recipe terms that are so complex that they require an interpreter.

GOING OUT:

1) People that drive at 60 km/hr on the freeway
2) 4WD drivers who drive their vehicles like Sherman Tanks - crush and destroy!
3) Dress Codes - what exactly is "smart casual" wear?
4) People that talk in movies - hey I didn't spend $16 bucks to hear about Uncle Tom, 'K?
5) Desperately needing fuel for the car, only to drive into the servo and be told all the pumps are out of order - and that's the only servo around for the next 50km.

STAYING IN:

1) Cleaning the oven.
2) Cleaning the bathroom
3) Cleaning in general - enough said.
4) People that don't flush - I don't care about "yellow being mellow", just flush dammit (see #2, cleaning the bathroom) And if you leave poo, well I don't like you.
5) Service people who tell you they'll be at your place between 8am and 4pm. Gee, that's helpful!
6) Bert Newton - what's going on with that poor man's eye brows?
7) Ad breaks on TV - have just done a project with Miss S and we counted in a half hour program something in the vicinity of 28 advertisements..
8) Informercials for ab training gizmos, thigh trimmers and the like.

and finally, people who don't appreciate Dr Seuss.

That's about it for today.. Happy Valentine's Day and feel the lurrve!

Criticism and Caring

Can't believe it's Saturday again and what a week it has been in this particular neck of the woods. The wonderful thing about blogging is that it can really generate lots of feeling and discussion on all sorts of topics.

The issue of "criticism" came up a number of times and I thought it worthwhile to blog more about the subject. Here's an excerpt from www.cracked.com about two forms of criticism.

Constructive Feedback

So you're working on your novel and you want people to tell you how great it is, and give you ideas to make it even greater. You might pass some copies to your friends or post it somewhere on the internet, and ask for feedback.

A lot of the time people misunderstand and tell you what's wrong with your work and give you suggestions to improve it. Seriously, how is that supposed to help? I guess people are just jerks sometimes.

Seriously, though, you will get all kinds of responses, from helpful people who have good suggestions to well-meaning people with bad suggestions to assholes who put you down but do not have any suggestions. Since you can't seal yourself like a hermit and avoid all criticism, you are just going to have to learn to sift and filter all this and smile politely at everyone, since you did ask for it.

3. Personal Criticism

Sometimes people will criticize you for very personal things, like the fact you are 400 pounds, or that your mother sleeps around with many men. This is actually worse on the internet than face-to-face, which is puzzling because while internet anonymity means people feel freer to say these things, internet anonymity also means that those on the receiving end must know their accuser is pulling this all out of their ass since all they can see is a username and some words.

Nevertheless, people get very angry about being told that they are fat, or smelly, or have sex with animals, by an accuser who can't see or smell them and had no way of seeing what happened with that goat behind closed doors. (They were just talking.) If these things constantly upset you, it might be worth exploring why.

The author at Cracked.com makes an excellent point that you need to learn to sift and filter all of this. Some of us may be frightened of getting run over by a bus or savaged by sharks, but many of us are even bigger wusses when it comes to handling criticism. I believe that if you choose to make your presence public on the Internet whether by blogging or Facebooking or Twittering, then you need to be aware that criticism is a possibility. We need to accept we're all "fair game".

I don't know anyone who enjoys being criticized. It's a wonderful feeling to get positive affirmations for what you do and how you live. However, when someone drops a big "C" bomb on you (btw, that's criticism, not something else!), you can feel hurt, confused and rather aggrieved. In reality though, it's a gift that enables you to self evaluate, filter and integrate if need be. I equate criticism with caring - some of the most defining moments in my life have come as a result of being criticized - yes, it has hurt but knowing that somebody cared enough to give you that gift can propel you forward. Criticism can strip us back to our soul, and encourage humility which in turn leads to personal growth.

In the realms of Group Fitness, any coach wanting to improve undergoes a filming and assessment process. Everything gets broken down and critical feedback given where required. As a GFI, you want constructive feedback, but at the same time it's a little scary. However, the process I've gone through for RPM has taught me to be less fearful of criticism and hence I feel that I've become more open in terms of my own personal growth. I've also learned how hard it can be for the assessor to be critical. I've had a few discussions with my mentor about how some people can't handle the truth. It's difficult for him as well, having put the time in to assess and give the feedback in the first place.

The other interesting thing I saw this week was a post with a defence of eating organically - maybe prompted by this post and perhaps the fun I poked at those who wipe their butts with organic toilet paper. Disclaimer - the toilet paper was all in good fun.... My opinion of the whole organic debate that it would be fantastic if animal husbandry and general farming practice could swing towards more organic production. I completely understand why many people choose to eat organic food and adopt a healthy lifestyle. No criticism there from me (though I do think organic toilet paper may be taking things too far lol!) If I can afford it, I eat organic produce too, purchased at our local markets. However, being able to eat exclusively organic foods is out of the reach of most Australian families. From what I've read, some farming practices that produce organic foods are way more labour intensive than other ways. I don't know whether this is the case for all organic produce but it all comes down to economic viability for many producers at the end of the day.

If we are to be passionate about giving Australians more choice in the foods that they buy by being able to reduce the cost of production of organic products, we need to start at the grassroots level. I don't claim to have any expertise in this area, but small and sustainable changes to practice may just be the way to go.

In the meanwhile, there are simple ways to remove pesticide residue from produce (washing before using is an excellent start) and to avoid preservatives (more fruit and veg, less processed stuff). Heck, there's even a good argument for the responsible use of animal protein which is well illustrated by our Indigenous people and American Indians - if an animal was killed, the entire carcass would find a use - no leftovers.. which meant animal protein was consumed sparingly. Of course there are different theories on this - I found my lone sociology subject to be very interesting!

Hope, Religion and Nutrition

I've just discovered that our moving date has been pushed back another week and as I've been so popular lately (lol!), I thought I'd keep blogging for another week before I set off into the sunset. Plus, I despise moving, so a small opportunity to procrastinate is one that I'll take.

This morning I taught RPM and picked tracks with the theme of "love" - for example, I played "I Could Have Loved You More", "Young Hearts Run Free" and "Heaven", which was great fun. I'm thinking of adding in the remix of a song called "True Faith" tomorrow morning for the Hi-Performance crew.

The concept of "true faith" is something that has been resonating with me over the course of the last few days, faith in my ability to live a fulfilled life, which for me spills over into the area of health and fitness. I believe that there is a strong correlation between religion and the pursuit of health and fitness.

My definition of religion in the broadest sense is how you choose to live your life. For me, Jesus' greatest commandment, "love one another as I have loved you", is the direction in which I try to travel. For me, I find comfort in my faith - that no matter what you do or what happens, that God's love and forgiveness is unconditional ie it's never to late to start becoming what you might have been.... You can substitute the word God with "Universe", "Buddha", "Allah", "Spirit" but the general concept is the same. As we all know, with the practice of religion, there's a huge scope - from the more traditional Religions that we all know to newer branches of religion with different and sometimes extreme ideals - the more radical versions are also known as "cults" - which to me is a pretty extreme word.

I believe it to be the same way with transforming your relationship with health and fitness. So many of us want to cling to a shred of hope when it comes to changing your physique. We can then latch onto anything that sounds good or anything that sounds like we will finally have "the answer". We can look for anything that promises us the hope and care we are after. Often with nutrition and health practices, devotion can escalate to cultish levels, where extreme results are often promoted - remember that woman that claimed to live on air a few years back? More often than not, long term success is based on the less exciting cornerstone of "moderation in all things".

Marketing types have recognized these characteristics for years and have used the notion of giving hope and a fast result to many a hapless subject. Like religious zealots, supplement marketers will use evocative language to promote their own products/ideals. The woman living on air - from memory, was either promoting a book or health camp where people spent thousands of dollars to learn the "secret".

The latest trend from what I can see is terming foods "living" or "dead" - the language is again evocative - what are you going to do if you pick up something that is "dead" or you don't have time to eat "living" food? Surprise, surprise, the answer is in a supplement that (surprise, surprise) the person who coined the phrased is associated with. I must say that from what I've read "living" food seems to reflect healthy, whole food choices whereas "dead" food reflects highly processed "junk" foods that have little or if any nutritional value. It's actually quite a fun way of differentiating between food that is likely to help vs food that is likely to harm - the concept is pretty clever - however the emotions that it possibly invokes if you happen to eat something that is "dead" makes me wonder if this is the continuum:

Eat something dead-> feel guilty for eating dead food --> look for an answer/antidote to stop feeling bad ---> Supplement offered claiming to "fill in the gaps" or whatever ---->consumer buys supplement ---> company profits from consumer's lack of self confidence/belief.

Bottom line is that the power of the dollar rules!

And as for the "Secret", well the truth is that its contents aren't particularly mind blowing - you eat well (and if you're not sure of this, sourcing your info from credible sources), you make training as something natural as brushing your teeth and the hardest component - you learnto equate your choices with honouring yourself and your beliefs as much as you can (this is the lifelong process in learning to live lean and love life - the other two pieces are the easier parts).
My belief is that if I'm buying eggs, I'm for the chooks!

Au revoir for today.

Episode 2 - The Hater Strikes Back!

Before I start on my packing, I decided to check my Reader before I got stuck into things (yeah, I procrastinate). Imagine my delight to see another post from my "hater" mate in my comments this morning. Again, whoever my new best mate is, I thought I'd copy and paste because there's a little more stuff in there that should be addressed and worthwhile reading if you're aspiring to the Figure stage.

Hi Liz ! Liberator again here!
Wow that reply to sparte was some major back peddling wasn't it!
I was over at the lowest common denominators site today & i see a least she's got some titles for all that showboat training, what do you have? Big fat ZERO! you must be so proud! How do you know about her training videos anyway? Maybe it's like the other ladies Facebook you just can"t help you self can you??
Maybe I should call the LCM the Guru next time as she has something to show for it! All you have is a big fat jealous chip on you shoulder that you can't shake off!!!! ps i see your moving, Overseas i hope :)

Hi Anonymous,

I'm really concerned about you. You're over at your LCD's site and you notice she's won some Figure Titles, awesome stuff. However by calling me a big fat ZERO because I haven't won any titles is disturbing, especially for any person that wants to give competing in Figure a go, because most would be competitors want to improve their self confidence , see how far they can push themselves and set themselves a goal. If you and anyone who is reading who is not familiar with the judging of Figure Comps, the judging criteria involve that of symmetry (balance in the body, between muscle groups, upper and lower body conditioning etc) and muscularity (also bringing low body fat into consideration here). There is a lot of debate that rages about what makes an excellent Figure Competitor - how much muscularity there should be etc etc and the requirements seem to vary between all the federations. The person you compare me with has outstanding symmetry which has a strongly genetic component to it. In fairness to her, I will also say that of course she has put a lot of hard work into it as well. This is her career. My career is as an exercise physiologist and a pharmacist. I don't have to have fantastic symmetry to dispense your next lot of medication or teach you about cycling efficiency - for that I need to be suitably qualified - and that is what I have in abundance.

To call me a big FAT zero for not being able to add that string to my bow tells me that your expectations are unreasonably high. I have gleaned from your comments that perhaps you have yet to compete and don't realize the level ofwork that you put into preparing for a show to be at your personal best. I have no qualms in saying I came dead last in my last comp outing, but felt that for me, I presented my best physique ever. You don't know what is going to happen until the day. If I based my self worth on what some bloke thought of my body on the day, it would be an extremely sad outcome. I really hope that you base your self worth on something other than looks or what somebody else thinks of you.

My blog is my story and my journey. If you're basing someone's fitness expertise on their looks, then go for it. It's a common mistake and easy to make.

In the end, Anonymous, I still think you need to get real. You may think I'm back pedalling (this is how you spell the word BTW), but many people find manaical self stroking of the ego (read THE BEHAVIOUR, not the PERSON) irritating...and after awhile, yes this does lead you to become very fatigued with it and hence start to begin to have a lower opinion of that person.

The same goes for me posting about Juice Plus and Helen Frost's website. This is nothing to do with personality or jealousy or what ever you wish to call it . It's an issue of credibility for me - no formal qualifications in the field and the heavy push towards pyramid marketing. It's a shame because there's a lot of good stuff written there - which I thought was great - she got on the right train but off at the wrong station. As for Juice Plus - I'd be wary of taking it if you're on any prescription medication, especially if you have high blood pressure or take anticoagulants. I did check out the site but the ingredients aren't listed and the 'studies' that have been done have been funded by the manufacturer which may implicate bias. I'd also be wary of it if has extremely high doses of Vitamin C which can interact with several medications as well.

I'm sure, Anonymous, you've read some of Craig Harper's work. Sometimes I don't agree with the way Craig says things, but he's a qualified exercise physiologist and life coach and for that he earns my respect.

I know you wish that I was moving overseas, I am sorry to have disappointed you.

Cheers
Liz N

PS - gotta go now, boxes to pack, cheerio!
PPS -" your" should actually be written "you're" as in "you are moving" - my next career is as a grammar Nazi...

Getting the Green Light

Good news on the house front, we're getting the green light to move into our new house any day soon. My life over the next week or so is going to involve packing boxes and removalists and then my workouts are going to consist of the unpacking boogie, the oven clean n grind etc.

I'm going to put blogging on hold for a month or so whilst I get organized, so it's not goodbye, but rather a "see you all later" for a bit.

Who are you really looking for - Part One

Since I've come out of the closest to quash the perception that I'm a "Guru Trainer", I thought it might now be a good idea to get on with the job of sharing some information for those who are looking but maybe not finding exactly what or who they are after.

What am I talking about? You - that's right, you. You want to get fitter, you want to look amazing, you want to run a marathon, cycle in the Pyrenees, compete in a bodybuilding competition or you just want to lose five kilos so you can keep up with your kids at the park. You read blogs, you watch TV and read magazines and you wonder what the heck is the right thing for you. You might (like me) be on a tight budget, you might have an injury or a medical condition, you may want sanity or you may want to achieve a big dream.

However, you're feeling dazed and confused. Low carb? High carb? Long slow distance or intervals, body fat calipers or scales? Counting calories, points or not - what gets you there? Do you use an online trainer or see a PT at the gym? What about dietitians - good advice or bad?

In this mini series I'm going to summarize various options that you have when it comes to planning a fitness and health regime. I'm going to share the things you need to look out for in choosing a coach or trainer and the characteristics you need to avoid.

Firstly though, let's have a look at a very common situation amongst many of us, the case study of "Jane". Jane wants to lose 5kg she put on during her pregnancy (baby is 2 years old now), and being on a reduced salary, is on an extremely tight budget. Jane cannot afford to go to the gym, let alone buy organic meals, supplements or afford a personal trainer. Jane would like to have more energy as running around after a toddler and balancing her part time job and despairs she will ever be able to reach the image of the fitter, more energetic Jane she sees in her mind. Jane has no injuries.

Options that would work for Jane:

For nutrition ideas and recipes:

Australian Healthy Food Guide - website (www.healthyfoodguide.com.au) I have mentioned this neat little magazine several times in my blog - it's a handy sized magazine with all sorts of quick, family friendly and practical recipes that don't need too much preparation - in fact there is even a "five pm panic" column designed for fast healthy recipes when you're in a rush. Also has a rough guide to estimate your caloric requirements, meals and snacks.

Michelle Bridge's Crunch Time Cookbook: RRP $35.00 I've only just picked this one up but the recipes I've tried are easy, yummy and good for you. Visit Michelle's website for more details.

For great recipes online check out Kerryn's Good Food Blog and an excellent American site called Ask Georgie And for a bit of fun, there's always Pimp My Protein Shake. Even if you don't use protein powder, it's worth a visit for the name alone.

Jane could also invest in some fruit and vegetable wash to remove pesticides/residues from her produce.

For workout ideas and plans:

Jane can have a look on E-bay for books such as "Body For Life" that have training programs in them.

Jane can go walking with her toddler in the pram (depending on the temperament of the toddler of course).

Michelle Bridge's "Crunch Time" Book contains workouts you can do at home and more recipes you can try. I've seen this book for about $25.00, a relatively inexpensive purchase if you want a good few months worth of training.

If you're an aspiring runner, check out Hal Higdon's site for running plans from 5k to marathon.

I'm yet to come up with a fantastic site about strength training for beginners but I will continue to keep digging.

For equipment:

I recommend not skimping on a pair of good quality athletic shoes. Get fitted properly for them if you can by a store such as Athlete's Foot.

You can substitute resistance bands for dumbbells and these can be found at www.sportstek.net.au These are relatively cheap and come in varying resistances so you can continue to challenge yourself through your training program.

Exercise DVDs are also another great option for Jane - she could go for something such as Amy Bento's Kickboxing DVD which requires no equipment at all, only a penchant for punching. This workout which has different "premixes" to create different workouts will set her back $25.00

Not counting the shoes, Jane can get going with her workout and nutrition plan for an outlay of less than $100.00.

Easy peasy Japanesy!

Got my first hater!

Today's blog reminds me of the unknown wait that occurs when you begin to date someone that you really fancy - when that beautiful first kiss is going to happen. Today, after long years of waiting (I'm now blogging into my fifth year), I got my first "hater" comment today.

Because it's so complimentary, I've decided I'm going to share it with you and my thoughts on the subject. And, to think that I was resigned to "being boring" today now that my PMS has left the building....

Here is a copy of my wall plaque worthy first ever Hater Comment:

Liz you obviously are not far behind this person if you have taken the time to sit down & write this rubbish, who do you think you are to judge people on what they put on face book, aren't you supposed to be some guru trainer that supports people, the only thing you have is this blog, which gets more & more looking like it's author needs more help herself, how about you get off your butt & get outside & live your lean life instead of sitting front of your computer screen & watching face book to see if someone posts something you don't like :)

Here's my reply:

"Hi Anonymous,
Welcome to my blog (finally!) and thank you for your compliments. I never knew that in the whole time that I've been blogging and coaching others that I am regarded as a "guru trainer". I've always considered myself someone who has used their extensive University background to help make fitness and health accessible to anyone who wants to better their health and better themselves.

You're absolutely correct in saying that a nice coach will support people - a good coach will provide a dose of tough love. The clients that grow and achieve are the ones that take what they didn't want to hear, consider the information and go from there and do more than they ever imagined! There is tough love in my post and in real life I know this person I called out to be top notch. If anyone ever sees me Facebook between teaching tracks in RPM, I'd like you, especially to blog about it. I may be taking an unpopular line, but if you want to improve, you need to get off the phone and back on task. The status updates I mentioned all occurred within a thirty minute period - that's annoying in most people's eyes. Then to film it all (which I refrained from mentioning) is a little over the top, don't you think?

Anonymous, thank you so much for picking up that life has been a struggle over the past few months. Now that you know that I'm not a guru, and just an normal human being like everyone else, you'll understand that I have my ups and downs and ins and outs. And that the last year has been a bit of a downer for me.

Now Anonymous, I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that you just may be part of my former subject's BFF brigade and probably have no idea about why I'm not a fan of her said BFF or why I'm tiring of self promoting Facebook posts, videos and the like. I was also friends with the BFF once. I supported the BFF as her star rose and she became the Editor for a well known fitness publication. I was really pleased for her, however these warm and fuzzy feelings quickly evaporated when I saw the first edition under her direction. Imagine my horror when I saw one of my "sorting fact from fiction" posts on her forum (written, like you said, to help and encourage others), plagiarized and presented as "Letters to the Editor - Ask the Expert". To say that I was gutted and felt betrayed by my supposed friend was the understatement of the century. Then there was the promise of including my photos in an article that I had written for the mag's sister publication. The photos that were being included are in this link.

Not only was the article published in the Sister Publication in my ex-friend's name, I was told by the publisher of the magazine that I "really wasn't looking my best that day". Gotta admit that it hurts a bit, when you think you look pretty darn good.

I did seek legal advice and got the right resolution out of this and a piss weak apology from the Publisher in his last Editorial about how I had "worked alongside" Ex Friend (the more accurate description being wrote and submitted pics for the entire article).

Yes, Anonymous, I have to admit the whole shebang has left a rather sour taste in my mouth and had me feeling down and out for awhile. I have had the internal debate raging within me for months about whether I should post my story and bits and pieces have slipped out over the months rather like an octopus falling out of a string bag.

To sum up Anonymous, I want to thank you for setting me free. I know it was your intention to give me a serve and put me back into my box, but that isn't ever going to happen. I've set the truth free now and I've released the monkey off my back and I can now go forward and keep doing what I do well - post user friendly and real fitness and health info for real people. And creep in some of my RPM exploits in there as well.

Thanks a million mate, you've made my day!
Cheers
Liz N


PS

It should be noted that any post you make on a forum remains yours under Copyright Protection and protection of your moral rights, no matter what the forum disclaimer says. And it's always good form to seek permission from the author if you wish to republish material. My unfortunate situation could have been avoided with the offending party simply asking permission to publish the works with credit going to the author. You know the story, credit where credit is due and nothing else....


PPS - beauty fades, dumb is forever...

Just Not Into You.. PMS free

I'm wondering if the notion of locking yourself into a padded cell when you're in the throes of PMS is a good thing sometimes, because at that time of the month, I'm really dangerous. I start to mouth off and finally say it how it is. The most intoxicating part is that I can rationalize my behaviour by writing it off to PMS, all the while feeling rather gleeful about my new found boldness. The downside of PMS fuelled activities is that when TOM arrives you can feel like you've spent an evening drunk texting, Facebooking or whatever and woken up the next day without any recollection of what you've actually said and that's when it can get a bit hairy.

I immediately get on the phone and have a chat with my mother, who has been a model citizen her whole life, except for the times she had PMS. Between the two of us, we've shared some shocker moments, which for her safety I won't divulge, except to say - "you said what?!???" By the end of these conversations we've both decided what fun it has been to let our inner lunatic out for a day or so... and then we carry on being good girls for the next month...

The first post that I deleted was titled "she's just not into you" and refers to the minefield of Social Networking Etiquette. I have had a "friend" who has been inadvertently stroking my lunatic muscle for months now. Every time she would update, I'd just about want to hurl spears into the screen. She was the Facebook type that would post every last bit of minutiae about her life experience.

Once she posted about her workout with her fabulous BFF
- "about to go and train my shoulders and calves with x" (this is mildly annoying because what idiot goes to the gym just to train their calves?).
Two minutes later, "I'm just about to start my first set of ........." (okkkkaaaayyyyy)
Then - "I'm resting in between sets" (now I am saying in my head, get off your f**** iPhone)
Fifteen minutes later....
"Oooh that was such a hard workout" (for your fingers maybe?)
And then, the piece de resistance...
"Now I'm having my recovery shake" (to recover from what?)

I didn't know what to do, so I tried her theory, "if you haven't got anything nice to say, then don't say it at all". OK, so I'm going to let it go and quietly marvel at that massive ego and try and change my Facebook settings so I can't see as many updates....no luck there.

Instead I prayed for an easy way out. Redemption came in the way of (yep you guessed it) a status update. It was (wait for it) an announcement! It was an announcement that there was to be a massive "friend cull". I crossed my fingers and kept praying.

Yesterday my prayers were answered - I made the cut!!!!!
I've just had a source of digital stress removed from my life, that of the crashing bore.

Many of you may guess who the crashing bore that I'm talking about is. I expect half of you to delete me from your blogroll for having the smarts to say it like it is. That's OK. I'd rather stand up now and be a little more truthful, even if it turns me into a social pariah.

Oh, and I just wish PMS would hit me a little more often.

Life Imitating Art

Buzz: Right now, poised at the edge of the galaxy, Emperor Zurg has been secretly building a weapon with the destructive capacity to annihilate an entire planet! I alone have information that reveals this
weapon’s only weakness. And you, my friend, are responsible for delaying my rendezvous with Star Command!
Woody: [pauses and looks incredulous] YOU! ARE! A! TOYYYYY! You’re not the real Buzz Lightyear! You’re - you are an action figure!
[holds hand up to eyes indicating something small]
Woody: You are a child’s play-thing!
Buzz: You are a sad, strange little man, and you have my pity. Farewell.
[starts to walk away]
Woody: Oh, yeah? Well, good riddance, ya loony!





I must confess to feeling some affinity these days with Woody, the cowboy character from "Toy Story" - these last few days as I've had the misfortune to navigate towards some really disturbing purported "health and fitness" sites . Poor old Woody finally loses the plot after trying to point out to Buzz Lightyear that he's a toy, not a real "Space Ranger" - and trust me, there are a few "health" conscious" Space Rangers out there who truly are off the planet in my opinion.

Take Pauline Nordin's FighterDiet Blog for example - the last two posts are a classic. In the latest one she extolls the evils of fruit, dairy and red meat; all of which can be consumed in moderation as part of a healthy intake. It's frustrating as a someone with university qualifications see somebody who blatantly lacks any credentials in the field of nutrition glorifying a lifestyle of disordered eating. In the second last post she complains that it's hard but that achieving this goal of leanness is of the highest importance to her. It's like the Pro-Ana movement with muscle - if Pauline is eating what she says she is and not paying attention to her nutrient timing at her supposed level of leanness, what's making her retain her muscle, my dear readers....any guesses?

Then I stumbled across a site called Helen Frost , who claims to be "Australia's Leading Nutrition Educator."
"Wow," I thought, "this sounds awesome." In being curious to find out what makes Helen so special, I clicked on the "about us" tab, keen to know more. I was to be sorely disappointed. "Australia's Leading Nutrition Educator" has no formal qualifications in nutrition - I would have expected a Science Degree at the minimum - and surprise, surprise, owns a supplement company that promotes "Juice Plus", a product that sounds good in theory but unfortunately is under the microscope right now for making spurious claims about its efficacy and benefits - here's the link .

Now I'm sure I'm not going to be too popular with the Pauline or Helen fans of the world, but just as my mission is to make fitness for everyone, I want to make it my other mission in life to help others make sense of credible nutrition data. I'm thinking of compiling a database of recommended sources for all things health and fitness so if you're a practitioner with a qualification who wants referrals, let me know and if you're keen on the idea of a one stop place to get more unbiased information then please leave a comment.

Esprit de Corps

A wee little French for my gorgeous friend Shelley - "Esprit de Corps" is roughly translated as "the spirit of the group".

The "spirit of the group" is embodied in a concept that sports psychologists call "group cohesion". When I was at University last (lol!) I studied sports psychology as part of my Exercise Science degree. It's easy to see in many events the power of group cohesion. Think of rugby and cricket matches where the power of the group pulling together creates the winning try, wicket or whatever. Stories of group power and cohesion have become legendary in many a sporting biography.

My question is - why don't many of us fitness enthusiasts tap into this potential more often? The need for group cohesion is so strong in us that we create "Our Team -eg our trainer, our nutritionist, our massage therapist etc etc" and we create forums and blogs, hoping that we'll meet "like minded" people. We complain that our world is "small", yet at the same time I read about many fitness enthusiasts discourage others from communicating with them in the gym - you put your headphones in to drown out the questions, you show disdain towards a hapless newbie and you (inadvertently) give the impression you're a complete narcissist, when you're trying to give the impression that you're truly dedicated to your training.

I love to train as hard as the next person - but where's the fun if you can't share the love around occasionally? As somebody who works in a gym teaching Group Fitness, my mission is to involve as many of our members as possible in our classes, in our gym, and possibly socializing a bit after class - many a fitness enthusiast has started off being scared stiff in the back row of a class and has gone on to become a lifelong member. Often that "newbie" gets even more confident and ventures out into the weights room - keen as mustard for more - so by being welcoming, who knows, you may get a training partner, client, or good friend out of it - another member to add to "the tribe" so to speak.

Yesterday I had a new and very nervous lady in my Step class, who didn't give the impression she was into fitness . She did a great job, especially as it was her first visit to the gym. On my way out, I saw her sitting by herself and I took the opportunity to sit down and have a chat.
We talked about the class, how she'd come to join the gym and before I knew it, the words, with a tear in her eye were tumbling out - "I'm too fat to be in here, I don't belong. I want to do this for my sanity but I just feel so intimidated".

My response was to give her hand a squeeze and tell her how much I enjoyed that she had taken the time out of her day to come, that I loved meeting new people and that having kids myself that I understood exactly where she was coming from sanity wise. Then I told her that once we got round to introducing her to the other girls, she would see that no one could give a fig about what she looked like, only that she was enjoying the journey." I'm genuinely hoping to catch up with her next week in class. This example is not to big note myself but rather to say that having everyone "buy in" to the fitness experience together is so powerful. Magic happens - I've seen divorced couples reunite, strong friendships form and a new level of trust in my group fitness coaching. I was that girl once, who was fat and awkward and look what happened - little bit of love, trust and pixie dust!

So promise me that next time you're in the gym with your headphones on and a fitness newbie speaks to you, TAKE THEM OUT, shake their hand and say "welcome". It only takes 30 seconds to point someone in the right direction and perhaps sow the seeds of a beautiful friendship.

Cinderella's Transformation Myth

I made a promise to myself in January that I would work on living with less rather than more - and what I chose to keep in my life would be things that inspire and move me rather than pull me down and depress me. One of these choices was that any media I choose to watch, read or listen to should support the goals of being my authentic self. It didn't start off as a resolution, but a gradual shift in my thinking that certain types of media really drive the narcissistic "I'm a star (regardless of moral fibre)" type persona as being that of being desirable or the D Grade social commentary of "I'm making an important announcement now about how I'm going to wipe my bum with organic toilet paper because I'm a star and my butt deserves nothing but the best"... a bit extreme, but you know the drill. These are concepts that I want to avoid.

I was waiting for the kids today, so I popped into the local newsagency and picked up a fitness rag. In it were some bodybuilding types with nice low body fat and bulging muscles, aided no doubt by a visit or two to the local vet or pharmacy (depending whether they were in Mexico or north of the border) , further perpetuating the myth that "Cinderella Narrative" ** of " if your body if perfect, then life will be happy".

I flip to the Publisher's letter which states "we're so proud of you, our readers.... Don't ever feel like a failure, just push through and re-affirm your goals. Now is the time. " nothing too dreadful or offensive about that but since when is keeping fit and feeling good associated with failure?

He goes on to say, "you may not look like the ladies in our workouts, but you are part of a movement among women who are not afraid to go for it!". I was gobsmacked when I read this - blatant admission that what his publication is peddling is a crock of shit, totally unrealistic and an insult to any fit minded woman who has been blessed with a brain cell or two.

I flip further to a page devoted to "Happy Hormones", which states that " you shouldn't have to starve yourself or be jacked up on stimulants, high caffeine products or thermogenics in order to get the body you want" - yet sandwiched next to this blurb is an ad for a supplement store, and just five pages ahead an article for a fat loss supplement. Resisting the urge to vomit, I instead thought "dumb ......." and moved on.....

Needless to say I was thrilled to sit down with the good old Courier today and see an article from one of my favourite columnists, Karen Brooks.** The article pertains to the rise and rise of plastic surgery procedures that are commonly performed these days for no good reason. There are of course situations where plastic surgery can be helpful (and as many know, I have had some surgery myself) but the best part of the article relates to the whole myth of "transformation". The long term success stories are the ones who transformed into (as Karen says) " working on being themselves".

After my foray into the fitness magazines, I watched "The Biggest Loser". Yes, another source of media portraying the need for transformation in the reality TV setting. I've never seen this show and there were parts of it that made my stomach turn. But in this, a breath of fresh air named Hayley Lewis, who was outstanding in her support and gentle encouragement for the contestants. What would keep me watching it would be seeing the genuine empathy she has for those who are struggling with their weight and the behaviours that got them to that point, where they felt their choices become so limited. I sincerely hope that through the journey, the contestants slowly but surely learn the tools they need to learn to honour themselves and truly live lean and love life.

Cracking myself up

Quick blog tonight - had a wonderful catch up with Carolyn today - folks, I'm telling you that those triceps could crush small animals and scare away children - yeah baby, the girl has packed on some muscle since I saw her last and become a pretty deft hand at the old RPM too. It worked out well as I had the opportunity to fill my old Monday morning class at Toowong - Carolyn and I got a good workout and it got pretty rowdy in there this morning (a lot busier than usual).

Unfortunately I had to cut and run to the physio. As well as my shoulder, my lower back and hip flexors are giving me grief now and I'm glad I went. I have to admit now to being pretty frustrated about the whole injury situation - off to the sports doc tomorrow to see if I need another cortisone shot or if it's off to an orthopod for assessment.

In other medical news, it looks as if UQ wouldn't accept me with my degree being completed more than ten years ago - I could go to Griffith, but I think the strain on the family with two hours travel each day and a full time study load too much to cope with. However, it was good thinking about it. Who knows what the future holds?

So all of this led to a bit of crankiness on my part on Facebook with me updating my status as "Liz wants to put the F word into a helium balloon and then let it loose all over Brisbane....FFAAAAARRRRK!!!!!"

The thought of this concept totally cracks me up and had me smiling by the time I logged out. And I have yet to look forward to the joys of "Desperate Housewives" tonight.

Sheesh, life can't be all that bad.....

Pizza Night

Thanks to everyone for their supportive comments, re studying Medicine. I want to let you all know how much they are appreciated. There are a few hurdles to get across as I mentioned in the last post, it's not a certainty, but I'm checking with the University to see whether I can get special consideration re the amount of time between degrees. If this all goes to plan, I'm going to give it a crack. If not, well, not meant to be and I'll be happy either way. I shall update when I know more of course. I know from seeing many friends study Medicine that it is not an easy road and the idea of being a doc is one that has to be taken with a lot of seriousness. Aside from the hopeful ability to be able to get through a challenging degree, I think that my love of connecting with others would be a major asset. Will have to see how it pans out....

Today I taught RPM at Toowong which is always a consistently good class to teach but for some reason I was feeling flat and lacking in energy this morning. I had to fight for every bit of load that I applied this morning and had to tough it out to the end! I'm using the same mix for High Performance in the morning, so if I get evil looks from people, I'll know it's not just me that is suffering!

I have mentioned on Facebook that I was sussing out a George Foreman Grill. I got several comments about the plates being a bit difficult to clean and I ended up with a Cuisinart "Griddler" from David Jones (with a handy 15% off too!) - the grill plates detach and it will be awesome for grilling the next poor chook I can find amongst other delights! I also bought a sushi maker from Robins with a Christmas Voucher and two big activity books for the girls with an ABC store voucher. I've done really well with buying no books or magazines in 2010 - I figure that I have easily saved enough for my Griddler purchase so I am happy (isn't it funny how women justify purchases?)

Tonight is "Pizza Night" at home - the girls are making pizzas for dinner and we have some DVDs rented from the video store (that they chose) so it should make for a nice family evening.

Struggle Street

Yes, that's me suffering from a good dose of BMW syndrome over my crook AC joint - bitch, moan and whine...

It's been a compelling reason to keep any goals I have quiet for now - I've had a flare up over the last couple of weeks (that came oddly after I spoke about my RPM goal, surprise surprise). The ol pelvis has chipped in to join the pity party and with this going on, I haven't felt much like blogging.

All of my injury complaints have been doing my head in - out of left field. Yesterday I receive a phone call from my mother - "you need to stop working at the gym and do your GAMSAT - you know you'd be a fantastic doctor". Then, I spoke to hubs, telling him the "crazy thing" my mother had told me to do. Expecting him to say, "that's just crazy," he instead told me that my mother was actually right and that I should go for it because I would be awesome.

GAMSAT is the Graduate Admissions Medical Test here - it's a 6 hour exam and to actually get through it would be a marvellous achievement in itself so I have thoughts of giving it a crack just for the heck of it. The problem is that if I went to UQ, although I fulfil Grade Point Av requirements, it's been more than 10 years since I did my last degree (oh dear, that sounds like I collect them) which may put me out of the running. The last time I fronted up for GAMSAT, I found I was preggers with Miss S, so I had to cancel the exam as I couldn't picture studying medicine with a young baby.

Incidentally applications close next week - have been trying to feel if this is where the universe is trying to direct me......could I, should I, this would be a huge decision and have to be done for the right reasons....

On other fronts, our house is nearing completion - floorboards are being polished next week, pool fence to be certified, pool to be filled and carpets and flyscreens to be organized after the handover - very excited about new house and my new office :)

Ten Things I Love

Thanks to Steph for inspiring this one...

Ten things I love, I don't know where to start.....

Teaching RPM has surely grabbed my heart.

Then there is watching the sunrise, with a hearty mug of tea.

And my gorgeous hubby who loves to be with me.

What about the sound of the waves on the sand?

And holding onto both daughters tiny little hands?

There's also the joy of laughing with my friends ,

and saying, "no more heavy shit, I've really reached the end."

Learning new things every day and being a fantastic coach

Helping all my clients with an individual approach.

A shiny new pedicure, a massage of my head...

And when is all said and done, there's reading in my bed.

Ye Olde Blogge Ramble

I've been quiet on the blog front of late, because I've been thinking. Plus I have discovered that when I take on several things I do them, but not very well! In fact, I barely keep my head above water! I've been quietly discarding the superfluous from my life, mostly physical stuff as we prepare to move and realizing that at the end of the day, we don't need much to be truly happy.

To do something really well, one needs to prioritize. This is why Olympic athletes live their whole lives around their training - it's impossible to achieve that standard with everything else humming away in the background. It's what makes Figure Competitions so appealing to many - it's what got me competing in the first place - 20 weeks to focus on me, me, me!

I've been searching for that priority in my fitness life lately. I make a start, and feel like I get waylaid by injuries, class fills, and other minutiae I'd rather do without. Last Friday I blogged about my RPM Assessment with Maka which was an incredible learning experience - was a bit overwhelmed with the feedback but was able to take some of it into my class today and it really rocked - felt so strong, so powerful on the bike and alive! I really put the intensity on and toughed it out, even though there were some points where I just wanted to fade badly.

Inspired by this, I've signed up for an Advanced Instructor Module for RPM with Les Mills in February, exactly one month away. My goal and my intention is to really nail this module both with fitness and my presentation. Soooooo, I'm putting my first goal out there for the year. The module is locked in and I'd be doing myself a great disservice by turning up as less than the best version of myself. A month isn't too long to focus, the kids are going back to school and I'm not doing any pharmacy work. Me, me, me and RPM sounds rather nice! The aim of this being to have another crack at LMA auditions in May. I feel funny writing about this - I've had thoughts of "what if I don't succeed and I've got to blog about it again?" It's the same feeling I had when I came dead last in Figure Intermediate all those years ago - but I look back on that comp with pride - I did the best I could and arrived in the best condition I've achieved. So, if I don't make it, I'm going to look at it as a wonderful learning experience and I can only become a better coach and teacher for making the effort.

The plan involves doing what I can in the gym - mostly at this stage, very specific strength work and Pilates, indoor and outdoor cycling.

Nutrition wise, I do best on a good balance of foods - deprivation is not a term that I care to have in my vocabulary. Self care by honouring myself with the best nutrition that works for me is what I do best.

Katie has written a couple of thought provoking posts in the last few days. The one I've linked to, I could have written word for word. When I moved to the middle of nowhere and knew nobody, I felt exactly the same. Even though I'm a tried and true introvert, the importance of connection cannot be underestimated. That is how I got into blogging and found "my tribe" - all the other girls around competing in Figure in 2006.

The last six months or so has seen an evolution of the tribe I want to hang out with in the blogosphere. I've retained some excellent internet and real life friendships and others in my tribe have moved away from my circle as our lives and interests have diverged. This has puzzled me and saddened me at times, but I think there is an element of "nature" in it. I have evolved as well and cannot expect that the same people who thought I was cool back then to may be think I'm crash hot now I've had four years or so blogging about my neuroses. Though I must also say, I've met some pretty cool bloggers in the past few months whose blogs I love to read and comment on (waving!).

I too, feel happiest when I have a deep sense of connection with people too - Katie is an example of someone who I started with in a completely different context to where we are now. Same with many of my others like Shelley, Shan, Kerryn , Nicole and Kirst (if I've left anyone out, it's because I'll run out of room mentioning how fantastic you all are). True friendships grow - and embrace changes.

Meanwhile, I have still got one foot strongly leveraged in the Figure camp with girls who are prepping for various shows during the year. We're even going Fitness for the All Females in July - different training focus - just love the challenge of bringing in a smashing hot body that is going to spin some fantastic moves as well as look sensational - can't wait. All the other girls are doing really well, training hard and not turning into carb depleted lunatics. I'm so proud of 'em!

Dance!

Saturday Night in Brisvegas!

It's Saturday night in Brisvegas and true to form, I'm relaxing in front of the computer having a giggle at some lol-cats. I think today's installment is hilarious. I had written on Facebook that I'm craving a feline in the house - I think it's Rae's Bengal kitties that are having that effect on me, they are just gorgeous. I did own a kitty cat - a Burmese - who went by the name of Secret because she was a "secret surprise" for my 21st birthday and she was amazing and quite trainable (being a coach of all things, I want to train everybody!). The biggest downside is that hubs hates cats. So I'm hoping that this feeling of wanting cats will go away soon - I've even taking to dream about them a few times in the last week or so...subconscious is a strange thing..what gives?

I finally found the chance to throw around a few weights after teaching Step this morning - I don't usually teach Step on Saturdays but the usual instructor was away so John taught my RPM and I filled Step instead - I wasn't as shattered as I usually am post RPM so I did lots of shoulder drills and can feel how weak the muscles on my bad side are - but this will improve. One and a half weeks until school starts again and I can focus more on myself.

Results Not Typical

Chelle tagged me a few days back about what a day in my life looked like. To be honest I was trying to string together a set of days that was similar but no can do, every day is completely different for me.

I thought I would just share what's happened in my life today - "results not typical".

7am: Rise after unexpected sleep in - no classes to teach this morning.
7.15am: Make cup of tea (today it was Perth Breakfast from T2) and sit down to bowl of oats, protein powder and dash of milk - oats are back on the menu after a hiatus. Chat to hubs over breakfast (girls are still asleep). I tell him that last night I dreamt that we had a lot of kittehs in the house that we trying to get out, despite my best efforts in keeping them inside the house - I think the "Bendable Learnings" term for this phenomena is ...... "it was like herding cats".

7.30am -8.30am: Dress and get ready to teach RPM. Revise choreo notes and additional notes I have made about the mix that I'm teaching this morning. Am being filmed for assessment by Maka, our Senior RPM mentor at Fitness First so I've spent the better part of the week going through the education sessions, the choreography etc. Girls meanwhile get up and get dressed and I organize breakfast for them

8.45am - drop girls at my parent's home to have a play with their cousin whilst I teach RPM.
9.00am- get to RPM feeling rather nauseous at the thought of being filmed and assessed, could I possibly have a quick hurl in the ladies beforehand and would I feel any better for it? Decide against it - I remember one of my PT clients who used to tell me no matter how hard I pushed her that "she didn't do vomiting". I decided to follow suit.
9.15am - class participants start rolling in and I meet Maka, who sets up the videocamera and gives me a few tips and tells me how he does the assessment. Maka is a top bloke who would do anything to put your mind at ease - which made the whole assessment procedure a much better experience - he is encouraging and insightful and even though I'm feeling nervous, I'm so glad that he's there.
9.30am - Start the class and try to stay focused on the "Five Key Elements" that we use when we are teaching classes. I have a pretty busy class, they're a really great bunch of participants, which helps as well.
10.15am or so - class ends and I bid all the participants farewell and Maka stays back with me and gives me a brief assessment of the class and a few pointers (he's going to do a more thorough analysis and put my class onto DVD for me to watch and learn from). We were going to have lunch or morning tea but we both had children duties so we'll meet up again in a few weeks.
11am - have a bite of morning tea -after killing myself in RPM, a few good carbs are on the menu and I "digest"what Maka had to say. As you get better and better, there is much more expectation about what you should deliver and I got some really good ideas out of the feedback.
11.30am - do one of my biweekly fruit and veggie shops, try to decide what we're having for dinner( didn't get round to my menu this week) and head to parent's place.
12.30 - share lunch with my Mum - big salad, some lean ham and 2 nectarines to finish up - have a good chat.
3pm - take girls home answer emails and get ready to go to the pool.
4pm - take girls swimming (perfect opportunity to have a Diet Coke and kick back with Alan Aragon's Research Review.
6pm - prepare dinner (steak, steamed veggies, with yoghurt as a bedtime snack)
7pm - have dinner with the family and usually watch a DVD with them or play some games
8pm - computer time
9pm - watch movie or TV show with hubby next week - Aussie Open!
10pm - lights out!