Talk to the hand!

Another day.....

Hey hey, theres a first for a long time. Another post.

Had a horrible start to morning. Stayed up and watched the finale of Biggest Loser (wishing Tiffany to win) and don't they just drag it all out so long. Anyways, finally I get to bed at 10.30pm (late for me - 8.00opm is my usual time), toss and turn all night with hot flushes and then getting cold (coldest night so far this year), only to turn off the alarm and keep trying to sleep. Finally I get up and manage to leave the house at 6.00pm. A whole hour later than normal, so I missed doing cardio. Did some rehab work that the coach has set for me and then did some proper weights workout. Starting to feel much better now. Weights just always puts me in a very good mood. a bit disappointed about no cardio.

So then get to work and was cruising along nicely, arranging to go back to gym to do boxing and even maybe a spin class afterwards, and accounts clerk goes home complaining of a headache. Now normally I don't really worry or care so much but today there were several factors that annoyed me.
1. We are one girl down as she is in Turkey on hols atm.
2. young receptionist had an appointment at hospital (mum has bowel cancer and she needs to have check ups every 6 months or so) so she left at 11.00am. So I was left there by myself. Again no problem but Tuesday is my usual half day and I had to stay back.................I don't get paid for it! Damn, now that is off my chest...............moving on.

I thought to myself, its okay, get on your bike at home but its broke. Need to look at iton weekend and get it fixed. With winter coming on, it will be harder to walk outside as there are no street lights or footpaths out where I live. Too dangerous.

I am starting to yawn.....................

Decided to take an extra long weekend this weekend. I am have Friday off as well. Wahoo. Gotta love that. Extra time at gym, maybe a sauna afterwards, shower then off to lunch with a bunch of top chicks to talk the afternoon away. Then time to take 'the son' out to dinner for his 20th birthday with the new girlfriend Amelia. My gosh, my son is 20 years old, I remember taking him home from hospital, a little yellow jaundiced baby who was 3 weeks premi. Just trying to work out where we might go. I thought maybe a trip into the city for dinner. We usual frequent the local hangouts and never really get to 'dine out'. Hmmm some more to think about.

Well it is now 8.30pm and I really need to go to bed as I have some serious cardio to do in the morning and then its Budget time at work. The forward financial and then they want a forcasted 5 year plan projecting a 5% growth each year. BUT we have to also produce a 5% saving in cost, especially indirect costs.

Oh well not to bore you anymore, I will sign off.

Ciao!

Fantasy!

Finally ......A post!

Well, all I can say……………………..I’ve got nothing! Been busy busy busy. Life is too short and so are the days!

Where do I start……..hmmmm…………okay lets go with injuries and recovery. Well I have been seeing a Sports Physiotherapist (Louise) and now seeing a (gorgeous hunk, shame he is married - Mike) sports massage therapist. I have some pretty tight muscles and they are creating joint pain for me. But hey I am up for a good hard massage that can take your breathe away at times. Mike was working on me the other day and making note how incredibly tight I am in my pecs. Then after about 20mins of pure pain (ahhhh but it felt so good) my range of movement increased immensely and considerably noticeable. So now I have to spend a bit of money to keep it up for a little while till I am a loose goose. Then it is just an upkeep and making sure I don’t get back into that tightness again. More stretching. Every doorway, I stop and do a pec stretch, every now and then I do a drop the shoulders, pull the scapula back stretch. Release, release, release………….ha, how funny is that, now I am thinking Elvis and the song “Release Me, Let me go!” Even my old knee injury is a result of tight muscles and here I was thinking that I tore a tendon or ligament. I just love my knowledge of muscles and muscle control, it makes my life so much easier when talking to therapists and coaches, also makes you more aware of correct technique and good form.


So work has been crazy mad (what friggin recession). We have been tendering like crazy and winning jobs – awesome! Not worried about loss of job at all anymore. But I may have it even easier in the office soon with the older accounts payable lady deciding to go part time. This will make life so much easier and also a lot more peaceful in the office for everyone. Unfortunately, she rubs almost everyone up the wrong way. But with that, it may also mean more work for me. I don’t mind, as I really have it quite easy.

Further on that, how good is it to have a coach! Last Friday, I had the pleasure of spending some time with my coach and we did some good preparatory work for my scapula and tight pecs. Discovered that when I do a back workout, that it is beneficial for me to do some pec stretches on the fit ball in between sets. My range of movement improved dramatically with each set. So all things are leading back to good lifting. Back to ‘how good is it to have a coach’. – someone who is there to nurture you towards your goals, but able to help with the hiccups along the way. I do a lot of training by myself, except 1 morning where I hang with some girls, and it is pretty darn good to be able to talk to someone and bounce ideas and issues with. A lot of people have coaches for many reasons, mine is to adjust and tweak my training and eating regimes that I do on my own.

What does a great coach do?

1: Powerful Listening

2: Higher Expectations

3: Raised Awareness

Where coaching conversations often differ from those between good friends is that although both can include supportive listening and constructive feedback, the coach will invariably be drawn more & more to see the client for what they are truly capable of achieving; though, as far as is humanly possible, always in non-judgmental and inspiring ways. Everything the coach does while working with a client should be with the intention of helping the client to raise his/her own awareness. An example of raising awareness might involve subtly alerting the client as to their use of disempowering language such as: "I can't", "I'll try" etc.

The bottom line of "raising awareness" is to help a client see 'further' than they did before - and if the coach's role can be compared to that of shining a torch on aspects of the client's current life that appear limiting, then an important goal of coaching is for the client to ultimately realize that by turning on their own 'room light', it is going to shine at least as brightly as any coach's torch. In other words, as much as the coach may see the client's potential and help to 'hold the dream', it is always the client's response-ability in the end as to the actual results achieved.

Creating Awareness - Ability to integrate and accurately evaluate multiple sources of information, and to make interpretations that help the client to gain awareness and thereby achieve agreed-upon results.


Did a crazy cooking session yesterday and made 6 breakfasts – protein pancakes cooked as a slice in oven (I took a picture on my phone but I don’t know how to convert it) oats, quinoa, almond meal, cranberries, egg whites all blended together and baked.

6 lunches – Lean lamb rumps roasted with greek herbs, snow peas, cucumber, lettuce, cauliflower salad.

6 snacks – egg whites, herbs and green beans baked like a pie (ditto on the picture, sori).

So I have 6 days of consistent eating and absolutely no thinking needed until dinnertime.

So all good atm. Will get back sooner than later

Ciao!

I wish, I will, I do................I wonder!

Its that old cyclic "whoa is me!" syndrome. A vicious cycle of 'I wish I was thin', "I will do what I can to get my wish" = I do what is necessary to get my wish = I wonder if I am doing the right thing at the right time. So the cycle seems to go around and around. I wish, I will, I do and I wonder!!!!!
Interesting journey we take to get to our goals and our trials and tribulation. A hellish type of journey when things go very slowly in that total journey to get to your BEHAG. In saying that it certainly can be an eye opener and you tend to learn things about yourself, if you have the right guidance from someone who has a lot of knowledge.

I have discovered I have an intolerance to grain products, but in saying that I am certain I have an addiction to those products too. Everytime I eat bread, I get a massive spike of almost 2kg. Everyday, I have a loaf of fresh bread sitting on my cupboard for the boys for their lunches and everyday I fight the urge to grab a piece of bread, spread it with peanut butter and eat it. What a struggle it is sometimes, like right now. I am sitting here thinking I am hungry, when all the while I have eaten my planned dinner, and everytime I got to the fridge to get a drink of water, the bread and nutty butter is calling................"Dori, we're here! Dori, why won't you come out to play" Argghhhh patoooie! So my latest goal is to get through a whole week with no refined grain products such as bread, crackers and the like. So far 2 days down and only 5 to go.

Then there is the training schedule. Am I not doing enough, am I doing too much? So what is the right mix. And is because my job is sedentary that I have to work a little harder. They say you need to expend more than you eat, if that being so, what is the right ratio. Is doing a minimum 30-60 mins cardio six days a week and four 45min weight sessions a week enough? There is that wonder again. Yes text book theory says that is more than adequate for the result required. But how do you know and how do they know???? I guess it just comes back to experimenting till you get that right mix. Back to I will and I do.

Now many years ago I did this 12 week challenge and I lost 20 odd kilos and it was a great feeling but at what cost. I was on a shake diet for breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea, with a normal meal for dinner and a piece of fruit for dinner. But the reality of it all, I was starving myself under the guidance of a nutristionist! ha, what a joke. Now trying to get to my BEHAG the absolute correct way, it is a very slow process and the temptation often crosses my mind to do it the same way again, only a little harder now, as I am so much more appreciative of the right foods. Filling up on "green carbs" instead of starchy ones is definately a challenge. Oh don't get me wrong, this post may seem like a whinge, when in fact it really is not. It is more of a pondering as why some things work quickly and some things work slowly. These are the just the thoughts that are going through my mind atm. As I am sure that many people have their own versions going through theirs.

Something has to give and give soon. I am not sick of trying yet!

Okay okay, moving away from that weird collective ponderings and back to reality. Had my first sports therapy massage today and I think I am a little weird. I really enjoyed the pain that Mike applied to me. Don't get me wrong, I am very sore to touch and will be so much more tomorrow. But I did have an instant improvement from a trigger point release on my pecs and scapula - got more range of movement. You have no idea how happy I am that I do not have any impingement injuries and all my aches and pains are results of very very tight muscles, and the beauty of that, I get to have these wonderful massages. One other thing I learnt is that I have developed rhomboids, something that is a little hard for girls to achieve without trying. I have muscle...........................................NOW LET ME SEE THAT MUSCLE!

Ciao!

Brain Fart!

Don't you hate it when you are travelling nicely, eating clean and training well and you have a simple brain fart!

Now a brain fart: a lapse in a thought process; inability to remember something clearly; A spontaneous stupid (Stupid the noun, not stupid the adjective) usually accompanied by loss of train of thought .

Well my brain fart was in the shape of my nemisis: hot chips. I was running late home tonight and I got the boys to organise dinner. Well they thought takeaway was on the cards. They did well and got me grilled barramundi (the local shop cooks it on baking paper on his grill) but they got a double serve of hot chips. So without even blinking an eyelid, I put some on my plate and ate them..................................What the!!!!! Now my tummy feels pretty yucky and my head is feeling pretty stupid! I have had such a strict last couple of days and I go and blow it on crap. Oh I logged it on CK and duly spoke to myself. Now the plan is to move on and make sure that I try not to have a brainfart again.

Moving on...............

Injuries are slowly mending themselves and as we work on them more and more, the discovery is that I am very tight, my muscles that is. Even though it is joints that I am feeling the pain, it is actually the muscles around the joints that are the problem. They are tight and therefore pulling, resulting in limited and painful movements...................so recovery of the said issues is trigger point releases by physiotherapist (did I tell you how wonderful Louise is) and sports massage, I mean the real deep painful massages to release the tightness.

Very tired atm, work has been super busy. My company has won the job of doing some major work on Moreton Island cleaning up the oil spill and it has been huge from the word go. But exciting, nice to be involved in something that helps the environment.

Cardio training has been great, a great break from weight training. Now all I need to do is get into running again, but I think that will come naturally later on. When my feet stop hurting of course after running.

Well I guess I should go now, as I am now just jibbering on about nothing really. Heres hoping this weekend is as great as last weekend.

Ciao!

Feel Good Rush!

Feel the rush
We may not realize what caused it, but most of us have felt it. Whether we’re engaged in a leisurely swim or an adrenaline-charged rock climb, there is that moment when suddenly pain or discomfort drops away and we are filled with a sense of euphoria.
We have endorphins to thank for these moments of bliss.

Endorphins are chemicals produced in the brain, which bind to neuro-receptors to give relief from pain. Discovered in 1975, endorphins are believed to: relieve pain; enhance the immune system; reduce stress; and delay the aging process. Exercise stimulates the release of endorphins, sending these chemicals throughout the body. Endorphin release varies from person to person; some people will feel an endorphin rush, or second wind, after jogging for 10 minutes. Others will jog for half an hour before their second wind kicks in. You don't have to exercise vigorously to stimulate endorphin release: meditation, acupuncture, massage therapy, even eating spicy food or breathing deeply - these all cause your body to produce endorphins naturally.

There is nothing more satisfy than a fantastic rush after a good hard cardio session. That was what was on the cards this morning. A spinning session with the coach! WhooYah! And to top it off, it was a power session...................resistance, resistance, resistance. My quads were burning after the first power track, let alone after the rest. But man, I came away feeling pretty fantastic. Of late, I have been doing bootcamps on a Saturday morning and they are pretty hard. I usually bomb out about mid afternoon from lack of energy and my feet hurt from all the running. Certainly a awesome change doing an Hi Performance spin class and still boasting heaps of energy for the entire day.

Now the fun just didn't there. Meeting up with Coach of course, Lindy, Lia, Tara, Daniel, Shelley, Katie and Shannon. Now finally meeting Lia was fantastic, and not to mention her gorgeous man, Daniel. You have a catch there Lia. And not afraid to sit with a bunch of girls for several hours at a time. Meeting the lovely Katie and Shannon was an added bonus for me. and not to mention catching up with the angel Lindy and awesome Tara and stunning Shelley(man you are looking hot!). We were talking and catching up and enjoying vietnamese food for quite some time. It was like a family get-together. Talk about awe inspiring and reminding me of what I want.

There is nothing like meeting up with like minded people. It certainly gave me that extra boost in self motivation once again. So now I have a little more renewed vigor, it is time to rock and roll again with a little more ooommph! Look out gym, I'm hitting you hard next week.

Elbow pretty good today so it was a good decision to give upper body a bit of a rest. Now I just have to try and re-train myself not to sleep on my arms.

Okay, thats a first for a while, blogging one day after. Juices must be on tap again.

Have a great weekend!

Ciao!

Whoosh! There it goes again..............time!

Looks like it will be a continual weekly update atm. It seems that is all I have time for these days. So what has happened in the last week to me……………………..My armpit injury is all but recovered, still having a little work done on it by Louise and some self work with my trusty tennis ball. BUT I have developed a nasty case of tennis elbow, so bad, it hurts to brush my hair. I can not lift the coffee pot………………….Arrghh! No coffee! Ice ice baby! That is my prescription and this week I have done absolutely no upper body workouts with weights. Cardio, cardio, legs, cardio, cardio……………you getting the picture. I have been doing some leg workouts on Strive machines, using machines where I do not need to use my upper body to lift weights on etc. Pin loaded all the way. But in saying that I have a severe case of the DOMS today from my workout yesterday morning…..something along the lines of this.

Leg Curl – Levels 1, 2 & 3 – 10 reps at 50kg, supasetting each set with long walking lunges – no stopping, continual walking. About 40 steps.
Leg Extensions – Levels 1, 2 & 3 – 10 reps at 60kg, supasetting each set with split squats or one legged squats, whatever you want to call them. 10 reps each leg, deep, back knee touching ground while on bench.
Leg Press – seated – Levels 1, 2 & 3 – 10 reps at 100kg, supasetting each set with plie squats, feet flared out parallel, 10 reps.

Those who know me, knows that it is absolutely killing me to just walk into the gym and bypass the gym floor. But in saying that, I have been doing some awesome cardio sessions with intervals and spin classes. But with pins and needles and tingling sensations running down my forearm, I think the best thing to do is really give the upper body a bit of a rest. Everyone hates the torture of cardio. Whether it is pedaling on a bike or running up stairs, cardio is the most grueling and annoying part of one’s workout.
Variety, or the lack of, is responsible for the most cardio routines killed, along with many others things in life. Doing the exact same thing over and over is a quick way to turn you away from your cardio. Humans have attention spans, some short and some long, nevertheless everyone has a breaking point. I have decided to not do the same type of cardio everyday. Even if I do 3-4 spin classes a week at my gym, I am so lucky to have so many different instructors there, each one with their own style. Speaking of spin class, I get to catch with Coach, dishing out some punishment on Lindy and Lia and Lisa.


Well you would think I have more things to say after not blogging for a week, but I am on a bit of a drought atm. Eat, Sleep, Train, Work……that is all I seem to be doing these days. And for what reason …………..Results???????????? Huh, now that is a funny word, results.

re·sult

intr.v. re·sult·ed, re·sult·ing, re·sults

1. To come about as a consequence.
2. To end in a particular way: Their profligate lifestyle resulted in bankruptcy.
n.
1.
a. The consequence of a particular action, operation, or course; an outcome.
b. A favorable or concrete outcome or effect. Often used in the plural: started studying and got immediate results.
2. Mathematics The quantity or expression obtained by calculation.

Nuh! I don’t like that word so I am going to say that I am doing what I do for the wantof Satisfaction!

sat·is·fac·tion
n.
1.
a. The fulfillment or gratification of a desire, need, or appetite.
b. Pleasure or contentment derived from such gratification.
c. A source or means of gratification.
2.
a. Compensation for injury or loss; reparation.
b. The opportunity to avenge a wrong; vindication.
3. Assurance beyond doubt or question; complete conviction.


For me it is satisfaction even if I don’t get the results I want to see every week, but know that I have tried my best that day to get to where I want to go. The satisfaction that I am working hard for my desires of that elusive BEHAG.

There is the all time old saying……….”Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going”
Let this be a simple reminder to make the right choice.
Your own mind is your greatest ally. You can have all the information, know exactly what to eat and how to train but without motivation and a firm committment to changing your bad habits you will not achieve your fat loss goals.
To develop the body you want and to achieve health and wellness takes determination in breaking old habits.

" Today's Action Becomes Tomorrows Habit"

Have a great weekend everyone.

Ciao