Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Beautiful Blogger Awards

The lovely Steph has nominated me to continue on this award. Btw, I am so glad you commented on my jacket that day in the gym, blogging has made such an impact on my life, in more ways than one. Thank you =)

Part 1 is to share 7 random facts about myself:

1. I have 5 piercings- ears, the middle part of ear attached to head, beauty spot and belly ring which are both now closed.
2. I DO NOT wear necklaces...they make me claustrophobic.
3. I am always 99.9% of the time running late...don't know why, i always have plenty of time but for some reason i always end up in a rush!
4. I am a serial texter whilst driving. Its a terrible and illegal habit but i still do it! ( I used to take phone orders whilst driving, but gave that one up! I do have blue tooth in my car so at least my phone isnt against my ear!)
5. I wear Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel.
6. I got to grade 7 in piano, but i found classical music too boring and opted to run round and round an athletic track instead.
7. I wear turquoise contact lenses when i go out. People always comment on my 'beautiful eyes'... I'm such a good actor!

So my turn to nominate 7 beautiful bloggers:
Lia
Katie
Liz
Krissa
Mel
Jeh
Ali... Maybe you'd better call yours the Handsome Blogger Awards!

I hope everyone has a wicked New Years, see you all in 2010!!!!!

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Princess Weights Time!

Well they say the beauty of training for years is a little something called Muscle Memory. Now i have trained my entire life and dont ever remember being sedentary for more than a week. So this Muscle Memory thing is something i have never experienced before so mine better have a photographic memory! I'm really not sure what to expect, but i am hoping they just harden up really fast, and the increase in metabolism i'll get from from weight training will allow the last few kgs of body fat to melt off quick smart (in conjunction with my PN/alkaline nutrition plan)!...Not too much to ask for!

Today was the day that i got to awaken my little guns from a 55 day long induced coma lol. And fuck it felt good! I was so excited to be pumping some iron again...3kg Princess Dumbells and a 10kg Ezycurl Bar were my weapons of choice this morning and boy did i get a pump! That feeling you get as your muscles contract, and the blood is surging in, and the veins are glowing- yep the burn felt awesome! I was really careful not to go heavy cos tearing scar tissue is not an option for me. However i did a pretty big session- Shoulders, Bi's and Tri's supersetted into 4 tri-sets with 3 sets in each. 12-15 rep range. And 12 hours later, the doms are kicing in! ... Hopefully i wont be too stiff in the morning cos its leg day!

Feeling like my old self again...back in the game.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Reflections of the Year that was...

Well its that time of the year again when we all seem to reflect on the year that was.

This past week i decided to hit the streets strolling ( i'm definitely not into power walking!) as one more minute on an exercise bike, cycling absolutely nowhere would have driven me insane! The late afternoons in the cool breeze allowed me to zone out, de-clogg my cluttered mind and wonder about where life will take me in the new year.

I have had a bit of a tough time mentally of late, not being able to train has proven really difficult. ( I have not picked up a dumbell in 41 days arghhhhhhhh!!!) . I was getting frustrated and upset and as you know, bad habits were creeping back in =(. Many tears were shed as i opened up my heart to a friend, digging up old memories from the past. It was quite painful at the time, but it was a necessary step in helping me move forward in my journey. Enough said.

2009 has been a year of many highs and lows, but in the spirit of christmas i intend to keep the rest of this post full of positivity =). For any newbies to my blog, welcome... There are 2 jam packed months of entertainment for you to read!

I am not a religious person, but i'm definitely a spiritual one to some degree. I do believe in karma- what comes around goes around. I do my best to be the shining star on all those that cross my path, and in return i have been blessed with a lot of good fortune this year.

So here are the highlights:

- i competed in my 3rd Figure comp in september, in the best shape of my life
- i recieved a huge pay rise
- i completed my Cert 3 & 4 in Fitness
- i am now apart of an amazing sales team at work
- i bought myself a HOT pair of assets =) ..... my number 1 highlight of the year!!!!
- work just bought me a new set of wheels- a smokin hot red Hyundai i30 sport wagon

So all in all i just have to keep reminding myself to look at the big picture cos the Highs certainly outweigh the Lows. Sometimes i think that the forces of nature bring Hemorrhoids and hardships into our lives to remind us not to be so complacent or to get too cocky. They are there to challenge us, to strengthen our character and to make us wiser.

However, the most important thing that has happened to me over the year has been my emotional transformation. I can truly say that i am really starting to discover just who i am as a person and what i am capable of achieving. I am stronger both physically and mentally than i have ever been in my life, i'm more grounded and definitely a lot more emotionally stable. And through this blogging experience, i have started letting go of the past thus allowing positivity to filter into my life. THANK YOU all for following my journey, offering your support and just being there when i thought i was doing it all on my own. I am ending this year happier then ever, and starting to find some peace within my soul. I am excited for what 2010 will bring... i've got a really good feeling about it. 

I have been conjuring up and action plan to tackle the new year. There are quite a few goals that i want to achieve so all will be revealed in the weeks to come.

I wish you all a beautiful christmas, filled with all the love, laughter and happiness the world has to offer.

SMILE =)

P.S. I just found this pic from comp... one of the best butts' in the business if i do say so myself! lol


Tuesday, December 15, 2009

SHIRATAKI NOODLES...Where are you hiding!!!????

Hey bloggers!

Has anyone in brisbane bought Shirataki Noodles before?? These are the ones that Pauline Nordin has been raving about- made from konjac root which are high in fibre (from glucomannon), zero carbs, low in calories, helps to regulate blood sugar and keep you full. I have tried a couple asian supermarkets but am yet to find them yet!

Saturday, December 12, 2009

BINGE-AHOLIC... Is this you?

When i first started blogging back in October, I never envisioned that it would lead to me mentoring so many girls with their nutrition. I am overwhelmed by how many people have connected with my story and yet for so many years i believed i was the only one with issues!

Binge/emotional eating and Hemorrhoids seem to have a common place in many peoples' lives. And the hot question of the month for me has been how did I overcome binge eating? Well i cant admit yet that i have overcome it, but i do feel like i am on the home straight. I believe by this time next year i will be FREE. Emotional eating for me now is becoming less and less frequent......BUT:

I did have a mini incident ( yes i am accountable to ya all) on thursday that disrupted my 5-6 week winning streak. It'd been a big week, stinking hot, very tired, and i was frustrated by only being able to cycle on that damn exercise bike...fuckin boring it you ask me. (love-hate relationship here =)) I am dying to pick up some dumbells, you have no idea. And well, i had some quite a lot of icecream and some gluten free bickies. I was ready to throw in the towel and say fuck it what can a little more hurt BUT NO i didnt.. I decided to do somthing that i had never done before.... Be accountable to a couple friends, Steph and Sidey.

Steph told me that, " Most people who struggle with binges are in denial and justify their overeating to themselves so of course keep doing it. So this shows its very out of the ordinary behaviour for you now. The best thing you can do is to stay positive and never keep eating just cos you've started and 'ruined' your good run".

And Sidey reminded me that, "It is ok. We after all are only human and that it is ok to enjoy a treat once in a while and not to be too hard on yourself".

So i immediatiely realised that ok, its happened, but the past is the past so i just let go and moved on and had my tofu and green beans for dinner.

Anywho, i really wanted to summarise and share my thoughts on emotional eating/binging and strategies to help overcome it. Now my writing may not be quite clinically correct, but this is an accumulation of knowlege that i have pooled together from dicussions with my therapists (mainly my GA and chiro) over the years. The latter is predominantly a reflection on myself but i'm sure most of you'll be able to relate.

Bingeaholism is an issue/problem/disorder resulting from continuous consumption of food beyond the point of a satisfied tummy or beyond the recommended portion size. And from what i hear, it is becoming more and more common. It generally arises as a physical response to emotional issues such as stress and depression. Its a way to take the edge off what is actually going on. The food temporary numbs the pain and allows a release of serotonin, the feel good hormones from the brain. Its typically the high sugar/fatty foods that are eaten at this time, and they give us that warm fuzzy feeling and we just want more and more and cant stop. If only we would turn to brocolli and celery, i'm sure after a few cups you would definitely stop! Now i am by no means condoning 'junk' food. No one is 100% perfect, so a little bit here and then is a ok but when its eaten regulary and/or outside scheduled cheat meals it is not a good thing.

1. Not good for the waist line... though i do have a thai friend that binges on ridiculous amounts of food and is still underweight! but thats another story and she is an exception to the norm!
2. All the refined sugars and saturated fats are totally bad for your blood profile too.
3. For all of you out there with excess padding, i want you to realise that it is 99% likely due to your diet and not to your exercise program. You cant out train a poor diet!.. I have tried and sorry to say it does not work! So suck it up and get your nutrition on track!... TOUGH LOVE =)
The fact of the matter is that we are trying to supress emotions instead of deal with them. Emotional issues need to be dealt with at an emotional level and not a physcial one. At the end of the day, food is never gonna satisfy the physical pain and will not make you happy. Just ask yourself what would you like more:

1. a sexy beach body?
2. icecream and chocolate?

I believe that the first step in overcoming binge eating is to love and accept who you are as a person. Only then can we let go and move on. We then need to understand that we don't need ANYONE elses approval except our own. Trying to impress or be accepted by the Hemorrhoids in our lives will never make us happy. There are always gonna be negative people who will do their best to knock your confidence, and drain the positivity out of your soul. But you know what??  YOU are stronger than them. They are doing so to make themselves feel better. YOU can overcome any challenge that arises. They are never gonna change their ways, so you just need to LET GO. You need to stop getting emotional about these situations, because its our minds that will then play tricks on us. You then overthink stuff, and in turn you get so worked up that you take your frustrations out on food....Sound familiar?? But we are in control of our own mind. Its just a matter of thinking in the positive and telling yourself that NOW is the time to move forward, cos tomorrow will never come.

Only half an hour ago, Hemorrhoid had the nerve to tell me, " Geez your stomach is protruding!" What sort of fuckin random comment is that???? ....Protruding my arse, i think her brain is protruding outta her fuckin head! ....Anyway i nearly got angry, but i decided best not to say a word, and made myself get over it right away...without food =)

So with the emotional stuff in check you need to work on the physical. Eating 5-6 healthy meals a day with lean protiens and tonnes of vegies is also gonna help balance your blood sugar. When that is in check, you are less likely to overeat on junk. Skipping meals and convincing yourself that you are saving calories will backfire in the end. This will cause your metabolism to slow down allowing yourself to store more fat!  We are surrounded by food pusherers: Family, friends, work colleagues and partners will be there tempting you with all sorts of crap, but you just gotta learn to say NO. That's right. Don't feel guilty either. Its your health and not theirs. They just have to get over it.

Well i think i have rambled enough, but i do just wanna say that it is the most satifying feeling knowing that through my writing i am able to inspire people and change their lives for the better. Nutrition is my passion and i will be helping people for the rest of my life.

Until next time,

SMILE =)

Friday, December 4, 2009

And she's back in the game...

Well 3 weeks of being sendentary was starting to do my head in. I was finding that doing absolutely jack shit was mentally tougher than damn comp prep! I had a bit of a teary last saturday cos my poor legs were beginning to feel ultra soft and i hated it, it kinda knocked my confidence just a little. And yes i know that good old muscle memory will allow my body to bounce back fast as soon as i get back into training but in the mean time, it was just as hard watching months of hard work disappear before my own eyes. I'm still in fantastic shape but thats not the point! I am my own worst critic!

So what did i do???....Well after some lengthy tex messages to a friend and a long drive to the sunshine coast, i zoned out to the soothing tunes of tiesto, to take my mind on a journey. I dug deep into my soul and brought my positiveness back out...How???.....Well, I asked myself what is the one thing that always puts a smile on my face on my face? The gym. Now before you jump to any conclusion, the answer is NO. I promise you that i wont be lifting a weight till Monday 4th January, that's just under 8 weeks off, which is a little more than they recommend ( 6 weeks is the minimum). So YES, i am doing the right thing...And yes, i got myself all excited about training again.

So as of Monday I bounced back into CBJ, (literally haha). It was so good to be back into the pumping atmosphere of my supergym, with lots of smiling faces around.  I did however make 1 mistake. And that was using the treadmill.... I had our resident 80 year old whom is used to seeing me train like an animal, come up to me and ask why i was walking slower than an old woman!!! Cheeky shit... So i whispered in his ear about my procedure hoping that he wouldnt have a coronary at the same time lol.

After that little incident, i thought perhaps it would be wiser to use the bike instead. I have a love-hate relationship with the bike, i'm not really a fan BUT its the results that matter. I'm switching between the recumberant bike (where your legs are horizontal) and the normal stationary bike for about 40mins. I'm doing intervals, 1 min at a high resistance followed by 1 min at a low resistance. Speed is not really a priority at the moment. Its now friday, and my little quads are starting to harden up already =)

Give it a few more weeks and you got it, my sexy little beach body will welcoming in the New Year.

BRING IT!