Abs and Bills

I had another killer PT ab sess with James this morning. Today it was all swiss ball, med ball and floor stuff, no machines and boy did it burn! I was swearing like a trooper lol. None of this princess style 'rep of 15" then rest workout.... Try reps of 30 supersetted with 3 exercises at a time....and then just when you think its all over he comes up with a new word...HOLD...WTF!?... Now just hold that weighted crunch for 30sec, you're doing great!... Great my arse LOL, i was in agony....but it was SOOOO good, and NO i didn't give in, not once. Sometime last year he made me hold a plank for 5 mins, now that was torture but i did it..only just....So i firmly believe that getting through my ab sess is all to do with mental toughness. How bad do you want it? ....'Pain is weakness leaving the body', that is my mantra for the entire 30 mins. He counts the reps and i repeat that line 1000 times!

Then i introduced my sis Bec to the torture joys of spin class. Poor thing nearly died LOL, but she stuck it out the entire class like a good little student (and didnt vomit either...added bonus). She even trained upper body for the first time before the class so come tomorrow i think the DOMS will have attacked her entire body. LOL. Welcome to my glorious world. On the way home i gave her nutrition lesson 101. We covered breakfast and postworkout meals. She made me laugh, "Oats? Ew, they are so bland!" LOL...Suck it up girl... So I am easing her into breakfast (She's one of those people who usually skips breakfast, has a coffee at 9/10am and then eats meal 1 at 11ish)... So we have negotiated oats with a teaspoon of honey and sultanas for now. I thought it'd be wise not to go cold turkey and completely cut out ALL SUGAR. The withdrawels would be too nasty, so baby steps it is. She did love her banana and vanilla protein super shake that i made for her PWO meal/Morning Tea.

What else? ..... Well I think i will have to make a trip to an Optus store next week. OMG my internet bill was $133.42!!!!...I'm currently on a 1G $25/month plan and its just not cutting it now. (Work used to pay for our internet bills BUT they have bought us all wireless laptops- for work use only (basically email)..no FB, Blogworld or Banking. So i now have 2 laptops in my matchbox size room)... I'd usually only just go over my limit thus spending $40 max/month BUT now i'm totally hooked on Miss Kelly O's Vlogs, so my download limit is going through the roof! Girl, you rock too much! =). ARRRGGGHHH so it's time to upgrade my plan!

Anywho its girls night out tonight, Jade Budda here i come!....Hopefully there will be some eye candy out and about =)

Change only happens when the mind is ready...

Ok, so i am a little bit excited today..... My little sis has just joined my gym!!! Woot!... I've secretly been wishing that this would happen and wednesday was the day. And what shocked the life out of me ( true story, my heart actually stopped LOL), was that for the first time in her entire life she asked me for nutrition advice! OMG.

Now just so you know, Bec and i are completely different in every possible way. E.g. my hobby as you know is bodybuilding....her hobby is...now wait for it...BAKING CUPCAKES WITH ALL THE TRIMMINGS! ... Yes, nearly every friday night for the duration of my comp prep i had to put up with the smell of cupcakes wafting through the house as they came to life in the oven....no consideration at all for poor little me. ( Bec i promise this will be the one and only post that i pay you out!....=) ). Now these are no ordinary cupcakes, they are made from scratch, with a LOT of butter (there is usually at least 4 tubs of butter in our fridge at any one time), white sugar, white flour, white/milk/dark chocolate, icing sugar, and whatever 'food' that comes in multicolours and sparkles, stuff i would never dream of putting in my mouth!

So as you can see, nutrition has never been a priority in her world until now. I mean she has had a nutrition encyclopedia living less than 3 metres away from her for the last 7 years ( well actually 3 1/2yrs, as i was living on the other side of town but you get my point), and couldn't have given a hoot about my knowlege of the subject. BUT as i have learnt, you can't force someone to change. Change only happens when they are mentally ready to do so, and only then can you offer help.

So i have asked her to write a 3 day food diary and then on sunday we will put together a nutrition plan. Nothing too strict...as yet... but definitely a LOT cleaner than her current foods of choice... (not sure if i would consider all of what she eats actual food LOL).

She had her assessment done today and is really excited about getting into shape. Lose fat, gain muscle and improve her cardiovascular fitness are her basic goals which equates to about 6kg and 10% body fat to lose. 4 months tops i reckon...if she remains committed! We have a similar figure, but i'm a couple cm's taller and have more of a muscular athletic look. Bec's gotta finer bone structure, but we both have the same hot long legs and chiselled calves...thanks dad!

I'm also hoping that this 'fitness thing' will bring us closer together too. We've really had nothing to do with each others lives since the dawn of time. I believe its probably to do with age difference (she's 4 yrs younger), and differences inpersonality, interests etc..as i said before we are total opposites. Who knows, we may even end up training partners one day!

Now for a bit of a ramble....

Is it just me or is anyone else finding the new Golden Egg Farm plastic packaging very user un-friendly? Sorry Jeh, i know you are sponsored by these guys...i love the product but hate the packaging! I mean for
1. Isn't cardboard more environmentally friendly than plastic?
2. They are not as easy to store in the freezer.
3. They are damn hard to pour!.. Maybe i'm just unco but for the second time in two weeks, the plastic packet has slipped outta my hand and onto myself and the floor whilst i was prepping my egg white and vegie scramble! Do you know what a mission it is to clean up half a litre of egg whites off the floor?? OMG its a nightmare! Then i had to have another shower...And cos of all this mucking around, my salmon steak that i had cooked first was semi cold. And i didnt dare re-heat it the microwave cos that would overcook it....Which means that it would taste like the canned stuff....Totally grose. I overdid canned salmon during my first comp prep, so since october 08 just the thought of looking at a can is enough to make me VOMIT!

...What else? Cathy, i heart your blog. It is keeping me so entertained and inspired everyday. Since sunday i have read from Oct 08 to July 09...you have no idea how many hours of reading that has taken LOL...but its just so funny, i can't get enough!

Anyways i hope you all have a kickarse weekend!

I have a massive one planned:
Saturday: Pt with James, spin class ( Bec is joining me... hope she doesnt throw up LOL), massage, drinks at Jade Budda ( lime and soda for me though) with my friend Alli. Its her last night out before she competes in May.
Sunday: Brunch with my highschool friends and then will be wooting it up TIESTO!

Un-educated comments that drive me INSANE!

Happy Australia Day everyone! I hope you had a good one.

I spent my morning wrecking my legs at the gym. It was great to see SO many people training and putting their health first today.Whilst i was on the leg press, there were these two male bodybuilders training next to me. One said, "Geez we must be crazy training here whilst everyone else is sun-baking at the beach!" And i chimed in, "Well at least we probably look better than most of the people sun-baking at the beach!" And he said, "Now thats the right attitude to have!". Anywho it was nice to be around very motivated people this morning.

Now to the title of my post. So over the past couple weeks i've been in brief conversations with people about food and training that i have been dying to blog about. As you will read, the following comments drove me INSANE!

I bumped into a really lovely but overweight lady from my gym at Woolies the other day. I had my basket filled with the usual greens, some apples/bananas, chicken. tuna and PB and after a few sentences into the conversation she says, "Wow, your basket looks a lot healthier than mine!" As i peered into her trolley all i could see was white bread, chips, dessert, biscuits etc...basically JUNK! And before i had a chance to say anything, she says, "Well you know its back to school next week so i need food for the kids!" And before i could say anything she says, "gotta fly i'll see ya at gym!" Now what i wanted to say was, "that's not food, that's poison!"  Well honestly it was. Roll-ups, tiny teddies and poppers are the last thing you want to be giving your kids at school. Its a wonder why Australia is now the fattest nation in the world. Thats right, we have knocked the US right off their platform. Eating in this matter is teaching kids bad habits from day dot. If this lady doesn't change her tune, in 10 years time her kids will be in her fat shoes too!

I was speaking to another overweight lady and we got onto the topic of cereals. And this is what she told me, "So i think its important that i make sure the kids have more fibre in their diet." And i said, "yes, that is very important." And she says, "Well its good to see that Cocopops have added more fibre per serving. So i'm not worried about the sugar content any more, at least their bowels will be moving!" I just about died in horror! And before i could get a word in, her mobile started ringing so i had to say goodbye. You'd get more fibre from eating a stick of celery than a 30g serving of Cocopops! And who btw would eat only 30g???

There is so much mis-information in the world right now! AAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHH!

And then to top things off:

So i went for my afternoon walk the other day and stopped to have a chat with one of my neighbours. Now picture this, a big guy, 6ft 2, possibly 120kg, early 60s, with a ciggi and a 4X in his hand. Nice fella though, i've known him for most of my life. We got into a conversation about training and he says, "Now love, don't you go lifting really heavy weights cos you know what will happen when you stop?" And i said, "no, tell me." (cheeky cheeky!). He says, "Your muscles will TURN to fat and you'll end up big like me!" I was going to give him back some constructive criticism but realised it really wasn't worth my breath so i just said, "Oh really, i'll keep that in mind!".  And went home.

Seriously people, muscle and fat are two different types of tissue. Muscle can grow and it can shrink, same with fat. They can't turn into each other. You grow your muscles whilst lifting weights, if you stop for a period of time, they will shrink. Just like mine did. If you sit on your arse for 3 months and all you eat is chocolate and coke i can just about garantee that your body fat will grow...a lot! ( Though Bec, you are my one exception in the whole entire universe. You are the only person i know to have done that and lossed 40kg!). Think of cooking a steak and then half way through you decide you dont feel like steak and want fish instead. You can't just go sprinkle on some fairy dust and poof have a juicy salmon appear, muscles just don't change like that!

I think the education system needs to start implementing compulsary nutrition classes into the school curriculum from grade 1 (perhaps even prep or kindy!) onwards. There is way too much confusion about food, nutrition, exercise and health in general. Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity are two of the most prevalent diseases in our world today, yet they can be prevented by diet and exercise. Its that simple!

Week 4 OSB...and Sharts....WTF are they?!

What a cracker of a day! I have been running on adrenalin since the get go. I had a killer shoulder/arm and interval running session today and it was a sweatfest (Kelly O, I am borrowing your word!). I hit 12.3kph on the treadie and 172bpm, Chelle is on fire WOOT!

Now as you all know, the scales are not on my 'friends list' atm, but you know what? IT DOESN"T MATTER because my skin folds are kicking arse! If you've read this post from friday, you'll know that i've dropped 4.1% body fat in the last 3 weeks and 20.5ml. But just for your info, my weight this morning is 67kg!!!!!!!! WTF!.... Yes i believe my muscle memory is in complete overdrive, as my shoulders are beginning to 'pop' again, which i guess isn't a bad thing. So my bullshit blinkers are back on....Scale weight? Whats that!? You get my drift!? =)

Now i have to tell you about my pt session with James on saturday. OMG, i got slaughtered! He smashed my abs from all different angles for an entire 30mins. I wanted to cry, but he was not gonna win over me. NO WAY! It's two days later now and my 'sexy six pack in the making' is still talking to me. Then I finished off my workout with a spin class. That was the first one in about 5 months, and boy did it burn!

After that my friend and i had brunch and checked out Lorna Jane. I'm loving the bright colours this season. Btw, what is going on with their sizes? I am now wearing and XS in their crop tops! WHAT? Yep i am squeezing my girls into an XS so i dont' bounce, but just to let ya know, i'm a size 8-10, not a 6, so i dont know how all those tiny/skinny fat girls ever find anything to wear! Now what i do wanna know is, has anyone heard about or have bought the new Shape-Up shoes by Skechers? I am very skeptical about anything 'new' on the market, but the sales chick was telling us that she's only been wearing them for a week and already her butt is tighter as well as her legs and abs. These walking shoes have some special inbuilt heel that apparently corrects your posture. You know how when you wear heels, you quads/butt always feel tigher etc? Well i think they work in a similar way. They are like $239 though, so pass on your opinions my way! I am very curious.

What else? Well i tell you what, one thing that i think is totally grose is when ladies cough up flem and blow their nose in the gym showers! That is like an 11 out of 10 on the totally grose scale! There is this one lady who always showers at the same time as me and that is what i have to put up with whilst beautifying myself for the day. Totally grose.

On the subject of totally grose, one of my herbalists' spent about 10 mins this morning telling me about his gastro and diarrhorea dramas he had last week. Totally grose! And then went on to tell me what products of ours work best for this issue and how it stopped him from shitting his pants at his gig the other night! Seriously i really don't wanna know about 'sharts' (shitty farts!). Totally grose. Are you grosed out? I am LOL!

Well its Australia Day tomorrow and i am thinking i might just have a quiet one. Theres a big party on tonight and also a lunch BBQ at Kangaroo Point tomorrow, but all I WANNA do is train and chill. Sound selfish? I dont really care, cos i'm in the zone. Right now, my 'changing' body is the most important thing happening in my life so that is what i wanna focus on. Its all about sacrifices right? In my opinion, mischief is only for the weekend, not school days/nights.

DJ Tiesto is coming to Brisvegas on sunday so i am saving ALL my energy for him!!! If you're not there YOU will be missing out...BIG TIME!

10 Things that make me Happy

So Steph has continud another tag started by April, " 10 Things that make me Happy".

1. Training! This is the bain of my existance, i love feeling fit, healthy, LEAN and strong. These qualities make me feel invincible.

2. Music. I love nothing better than to take my mind on a journey to another place. I like a variety of music excluding opera, country, death/heavy metal - i just dont understand those genres. But depending on my mood i love progressive house, latino house, trance (i have tickets to TIESTO next week woot!), chill, funky jazz, some pop/top 40, hip hop, r n b. I even bought turn tables a couple of years ago (they are currently in storage collecting dust)! These days i only head out on occasion, but i do love to 'carve up the dancefloor', and have been nicknamed energiser bunny cos i'm always the last one standing!

3. Blogosphere! Blogging has been such a godsend to me over the past 3 months. It has allowed me to release my emotions in a healthy way and connect with so many like-minded fitness chicks. I love sharing in on the journeys of others, it inspires, motivates and teaches me many things i may not learn from the outside world.

4. My BFF- Demi. This girl is my soulmate.

5. Coffee- I get to spend 2-3 fabulous moments of my day with.

6. Accupressure. GA has been treating me for 4 1/2hr years now. You don't know how good pain is until she strokes your bones blasts your pressure points. I have weekly treatments these days, it is the reason my body is super healthy, does not get sick (touch wood=) ), has minimal cellulite =),  detoxes ultra fast - you have NO IDEA! I could go on forever on how this has changed my life.

7. Haircuts and Waxing. I always feel a million dollars after getting my hair done, usually every 8 weeks. Probably too cos i am not gifted with a blowdryer...so i dont use one. Yep thats right, i towel dry it and thats it. Liz my hairdressor does such a brilliant cut that all i have to do is brush and go! I always have mine dyed blue-black- i love that colour, it makes me look a little mysterious, especially when i wear my turquoise lenses! I also HATE ALL OTHER HAIR... Hair in my books only belongs on your head, eyebrows and lashes....NOWHERE ELSE! Thats right! You name it, everywhere else gets waxed off!... And that goes for you boys too, i really like it when guys shave their legs...hot!

8. My friends- You know who you are. I'm a bit of a social butterfly, i love having D+Ms, gossiping and laughing myself silly with my crew.

9. 'Me time'- i love to spend my mornings in absolute silence ( i cant stand it when people wanna talk to me first thing in the morning when i am eating breakfast... go away! lol)... Whilst i'm eating breakfast i like to write down and visualise my goals. This is how i get pumped for my day. I also love walking outside in the cool afternoon breeze, this gives me a chance to let my mind roam free!

10. 85% Lindt Chocolate, Crunchy Peanut Butter and Baskin and Robbins Hazelnut Swirl Icecream.... I had to mentioned a food group! Now i'l let a few pieces of lindt choc and a few spoonfuls of PB visit my mouth each week, BUT as i am trying not to consume any dairy, i actually havent had any B+R since november i think. (I did have some poorer quality icecream lol around christmas time though, but nothings beats B+R, yummo!)

SO there you have it. I tag ALL of ya!

ULTRA COOL NEWS!!

I woke up this morning thinking TGIF but now I am on cloud 9! WHY? Well as you all know i'm in week 3 of OSB and the results (according to my digital scales) have been somewhat slow. WELL thats not quite the case!

James my P.T did my skins at gym this morning as well as my girth measurements too. We did them over 7 sites to get the most accurate result. He did them exactly 3 weeks ago so below you can see the comparison. ( Steph(s), i think i told you both it was 4 weeks ago, but it was actually 3, just found the assessment sheet, so WOOT to me!)

2/1/10
Body Fat: 24.5% ( you will NEVER EVER see that figure AGAIN!)
Skinfolds: 135.9ml

22/1/10
Body Fat: 20.4%
Skinfolds: 115.4ml

Difference: - 4.1%, 20.5ml

Now thats what i'm talking about! My body has changed heaps in the past 3 weeks (i promise to post up some progress pics soon) and my definition is coming back pretty fast so i was actually a little worried why the numbers werent telling me so. The biggest change was from my gut and thighs, surprise surprise!

I understand that they are pretty dramatic results due to shock therapy coming out of a 2 months hibernation combined with the beauty of muscle memory, so i'm sure they will slow down a bit in the weeks to follow. James is gonna do my measurements every fortnight on a friday morning. So from now on, fridays will be the day i report in on body fat and skins, however i will continue to log my weight on mondays. Reason being, i get to weigh in first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and no clothes (well nearly lol). My gym weigh-in is after breakfast with at least half a litre of fluid in my system plus gym clothes, so yeah you won't be getting that one!

Anywho i am pumped to the max!!!! The hard work is paying off baby, so watch this space..................

James is gonna slaughter my core tomorrow morning then i'm gonna do a spin class. I haven't done one of those in MONTHS,  i think torture will be coming my way! Then i'm having Breakfast (number 2), with a girl friend, followed by pain therapy a massage with my GA.

YOU ONLY GET OUT WHAT YOU PUT IN SO......BRING IT!

WRECKED!

So it's only thursday and i am W.R.E.C.K.E.D!!! I've been busting my butt (literally) at the gym all week- yes the sweatfest is on! My strength has doubled in the last 4 weeks WOOT which means i can say goodbye to the princess weights. And i've been killing this interval training on the tready. I did 20mins after my back sess today - 1:1min run/walk, got up to 11.7kph and it felt swell (thank god i wore 2 crop tops, my girls were strapped in tight lol) Heart rate maxed at 159bpm....i forgot how much i loved to run. I'm planning on doing the same after chest tomorrow, but we'll see how my legs pull up. I go through phases where i cant run 2 days in a row, the old 24yr old body just doesnt recover like it did back in high school lol.

Back to being WRECKED. I think that is more so to do with not sleeping properly for the last couple of weeks, and being a little party animal on sat night ( well 2am is late enough for me these days!). I haven't been able to fall asleep until at least 11.30pm most nights (i'm usually lying in bed by 10pm), which means only 6 1/2 hours sleep for poor little me. I am not stressed or worrying about stuff, in fact life is gold star good at the moment =). ... Compared to this time last year when the boys in blue were at my house cos my alcoholic roomie was naked and falling through the walls and windows...yes literally falling through them! I never thought it'd be possible to drink 2 bottles of vodka a day for three weeks and still be alive.

Lia - I ran outta Rescue Sleep a few weeks back, so i'm putting it down to that. I've gotta take a trip to the warehouse tomorrow, so will get another precious bottle! This sleeplessness could also have to do with my semi- burnt out adrenals which i am being treated for atm as i've been waking up at 3am on the dot. Only for a few minutes then i'll dose off again, but still, broken sleep is NOT GOOD! Fact: insomnia is everything to do with adrenal fatigue. Your body requires a lot of energy to sleep! I'll have a chat to my GA about that when i see her for an hour of hell  my massage on saturday.

Well i think i might hit the streets for some zen time. Btw, i just wanna mention- now i HOPE i don't jinx myself, cos i know i'm good at that! But its been 5 weeks, yes 5 weeks since i have had an incident with the Hemorrhoid! Who's in control baby!? ME. Mind you, we've barely spoken a word, but atm that is better than fighting with each other. She's had her moments on the warpath, but i havent let anything get to me, not once. I've just let it go instantly, go me! So as i mentioned before, life is gold star good right now.

Training = intense
Nutrition = balanced and Calorie King appropriate
Job = exciting, busy and rewarding
Love = hmmmmm  ???? what will 2010 bring me?!...Someone with nice eyes and a sexy smile (yes and all the other good qualities too)!

CALORIE KING...The Real Deal!

So this is my second day that i have done some interval running on the tready, at the end of a big weight sess and boy i am SO unfit lol! AND it was only for 15min, BUT it felt SO good =) I refused to let the clock beat me, would rather throw up then whimp out!... Give me a couple weeks and i'm gonna be blitzing this cardio baby! Tell ya what though, my skin feels that little bit tighter (arms and shoulders always lean up first for me), it may be all in the mind but who cares? I am telling myself that i have blasted a few grams of fat away! Yes i am, fat loss is definitely a mind game.

I also decided to purchase Calorie King this arvo too. And its on special- half price ($22.48) WOOT, half my luck! It is awesome, even though it took me like 2 hours to log everything in (you can save meal plans, food etc, so that is a one off!), but it breaks down everything: Calories, Protein, Carbs, Sugars, Fat, Sat. Fats, Sodium, Calcium, Fibre. And also records exercise too. What a brilliant tool.

I guestamated that i was eating about 1800cals on a typical (weight) training day. You wanna know how much i am?

Calories:   1797. How close is that?!

And the rest of the breakdown is this:

Protein:        147g
Carbs:          143g
   Sugars:     68.3g
Fats:            65.7g
  Sat Fat:       7.8g
Fibre:           49.8g
Sodium:       1342mg

Macro ratio is roughly 33.3%/33.3%/33.3%

N.B This meal plan included 1.5 pieces fruit. Tuna in olive oil for my lunch protein (the sprinwater shit is disgusting!), Salmon steak for my dinner protein, and maltodextrine/WPI in my workout drink. The rest is made up of egg white, eggs, shit loads of vegies, almonds, PB ( havent had any since thursday but included it anyway!), coffee, WPC, rice milk, lite mayo. I've also over-estimated portions slightly just to make sure i'm covering all my bases. Better than under-estimating and being in food portion denial!

I now know my dinner protein portion have been a little on the large size (eg. 160g salmon steak wowza), so gonna cut that down a bit. Meals 1, 2 and 4 are staples in my diet. Only lunch and dinner changes- more so the type of protein and the dressing rather than the vegies used.... Yes i am a pretty un-creative chef lol, but simple works for me. Meals 1-4 are portioned out 95% of the time, unless i eat out for lunch, perhaps once a week. Dinner however is where i need to be more cautious/aware of the portion size. Until today i had never weighed my salmon- just slapped it on the pan! Sometimes i eat Hemmorhoids' meals for dinner (healthy and TASTEY malaysian cuisine), but again usually i just dish it out.

So again i am asking for some feedback from my blogger family ( pretty please!). What do you think of my Calorie and Macro Breakdown? Are there areas i can improve on? Your comments are much appreciated =)

The numbers game...Week 3 OSB!

So today is monday and that means dooms day WEIGH IN DAY! Yes it is Week 3 of Operation Sexy Bitch, so here are the reuslts:

18/4                                  11/1               4/1
Weight:      66.8kg          (66.6kg)         (66.9kg)
Body Fat:   23.6%          (23.6%)          (23.6%)
Body Fat:   15.7kg          (15.7kg)         (15.7kg)

My initial reaction was WTF! An increase in 200g! But as you can see at least my body fat has stayed the same (thank god!), which means i have regained 200g of muscle baby. Even my GA told me on saturday that my back was responding very fast to training, good old muscle memory. But still i need to remain calm and remember all my words of wisdom from my previous few blogs about not letting the scales do my head in! ARGH!

So yeah, not the results i was expecting... i'm on a mission to shed fat, but i know putting on a little bit of muscle can only be a good thing. Muscle burns fat yeah?

So i now ask myself why no deficit???

Nutrition last week was pretty good, but it looks like i may need to tighten up my portion sizes. Steph just suggested to me about using Calorie King. Sometimes when you see the macro breakdown on paper you will realise what areas you need to improve on. It is too easy to sneak in extra calories from dressings, oils, nuts into your meals if you are not aware of the numbers....Just a bit more cant hurt?! Yeah right!

On that note I did have 3 scheduled 'treat/off plan meals' last week. I was on catering duties for our montly sales meeting last friday, but i did the right thing (by me!) and got healthy food from this amazing Organic Cafe + Health Food shop called Planet Matterz in Morningside. For any of you living here in stinking hot Brisvegas (seriously this humidity is getting a little disgusting lol), go check it out sometime. They have the most delicious foods. I bought us a Beetroot Salad, Roast pumkin/date/pinenut/feta salad, Brocolli + Almond Salad, Curried Egg Salad, Gluten Free Bacon+ Spinach Fritata, Sliced chicken and smoked salmon. There was enough left over for my dinner and lunch the next day hence the 'treat' meals. Oh and i know i did let crunchy PB (1 tbsp) sneak in after dinner on 4 occasions too... but no junk entered my mouth and no binging either =).

Off the topic, I had a wicked time saturday night- totally in control too. My ex-roomie Loz, had her engagement party down the coast - i ate fish and green beans in the car whilst en route- and didnt touch any tappas or alcohol. I stayed till 9pm and raced back up to the Valley as i had my friends Mel's 25th- no alcohol passed my lips either. We went to the Press Club, Cloudland and Zuri Bar. They were playing Latino house and the bongo player was brilliant- rocked the dancefloor once again!

So back to creating a deficit- i'm thinking its time to shock my body in regards to my training. As you all know its been like 3months (maybe more) since i've done any real cardio. Yeah i do quite a bit of walking, but sometimes i think that is just good for keep the cardiovascular system healthy. I'm no power walker- i reckon i hit the streets at an equivalent of 5.5 kph for 45mins most days- so definitely not ultra fast. I am also aware that the body adapts very fast to cardio. I.e  you do the same aerobic activity day in day out at the same intensity, and  before you know it your body adapts to it meaning that you burn a lot less calories hence your results begin to slow down. What got me thinking was this brilliant post from Miss Kelly O ( i love this girls' blog) this morning- perfect timing babe! It was this sentence caught my attention:

 "Getting into optimal shape is a tonne of hard work, for everyone, regardless of age, celebrity, money or metabolism".

Yes i do train hard in regards to weight training. I superset, i dont chat, my rest intervals are pretty much walking time to the next machine, i do a shit load of volume, and i do train heavy ( well not atm lol). I like to train like an ANIMAL. But cardio is definitely a different story for me. For the most part of last year i just walked. Walk, walk, walk, walk. This year i do wanna be fit as too. I am thinking intervals are the way to go- e.g 2:1 min run/walk on the tready for 15-20mins after weights and/or perhaps some tready sprints between sets. So i welcome all sorts of feedback of what works for you, so comment as you please!

I love to run, i love to box, i love doing those damn stairs at KP, i love that feeling when my heart is about to explode, the burn of lactic acid in my legs and i love being in the zone too. You know that feeling when you take your mind to another place and nothing else in the world matters? Thats where i wanna be. I am not competing this year, but i do wanna be in wicked shape so that i look like i could be! I wanna enjoy my training, enjoy my nutrition plan (within the realms of a healthy calorie restriction!) and most importantly enjoy what that combination is doing to my body...sexing it up! Thats right... i wanna look smokin hot!.. I do feel sexy, i just wanna look the part too... just like my fitness idol Miss JNL! Yeow!

RESPECT

So this post is for all you girls out there who still see the 'UGLY' in the mirror. For those of you who see a picturesque beauty in your reflection, maybe this post has represented some point in your past...

Us girls can be our own worst enemy when it comes to body image. The constant mind chatter and tunnel vision that bombards us from time to time is enough to send you off the rails. One minute you're feeling positive, beautiful, seeing definition that you've never seen before and next minute KABOOM your very world is falling to pieces. All you see is bloat, flab, cellulite, bumps and lumps that are like SO in the wrong places. Sound familiar?

Well its time to open your eyes and see the big picture.

Fat loss is a tedious task at the best of times. But the media, supplement companies and tv shows like the biggest loser make it look so easy to lose a SHIT LOAD of weight and fast. So what happens? We expect to do so too. Its these high expectation that we put on ourselves that can make the journey unbareable. You question yourself. "I've been dieting and training for months, so why is it coming off so slowly!?" Maybe i'm not meant to be lean?
What you have to remember is that your body doesnt look like its reflection overnight. That is the result of days, weeks, months and even years of emotional eating that you have to resolve. And change takes time...sometimes a fuckin long time!!!!  As hard as it sounds, we need to learn to love the body that we see now and start treating it with respect. You would never tell someone else that their body looks disgusting (....though someone i know beginning with H would do so. You know who im talking about!), so why would you say mean things to yourself? Starving yourself and over-training is not considered RESPECT, that is PUNISHMENT. So ask yourself, why would my body want to change if i was punishing it???

Now we all know that calorie in < calories out = weight loss right?  In the past i was always one to combine massive deficits in calories with massive hours in the gym. Of course that works initially and you lose quite a bit of weight fast (probably muscle too!), but what people dont realise is that with a massive calorie deficit- especially below your BMR, you trigger metabolic slow-down. Your body starts to think you are starving so it tries to hold onto fat as a surival technique. So what do you do? You see your results slowing down, so you cut more calories and increase your exercise! NOT GOOD! You are dis-respecting your body by punishing the fat off. In turn your body will become even more acidic, your adrenals begin to burn out, you become exhausted, you become miserable.... and the emotional eating wheel starts all over again!

So it all comes down to balance. Less is more. Tom Venuto recommends only a 20-25% deficit from maintainance calories for weight loss and John Berardi believes that 5 hours a week is the magic number for exercise. So yes we are talking about 0.5kg and 0.5% BF loss a week, not big numbers but realistic numbers. Slow and steady wins the race and slow and steady allows you to develop habits that will last you a life-time.

Another thing i have discovered which is just a fantastic tool is the Progress Chart. I had been in such scale denial for years that my progress charts would only ever last a few weeks. There would be moments of binge eating, so i would stop tracking results telling myself i would start over again later....i could justify anything, cos i wanted my progress charts to look perfect! But the journey is not meant to be perfect, thats why recording the good and the bad can allow us to note any triggering factors of WHY we went off the rails. Mistakes happen so we can learn from them.

So when the times get tough and you see the "UGLY" in the mirror, you can go back to that chart and remind yourself of just how far you have come. Its a reminder of the hard work and dedication you are putting into your body. Us girls all have fat days, like it or not- our water fluctuates and we go from sharp to smooth, but seeing those numbers decreasing on paper will bring you back to your senses. That everytime you shovel healthy food into your mouth and everytime you throw around a dumbell at the gym that YOU are a WINNER.

Results come from a consistant effort, so stay focused, write down your goals, visualise your success, love yourself, RESPECT your body and before you know it your dreams WILL become your REALITY.

A day in the life...

I was just reading Tara's blog and came up with the idea for another Tag that i think would be fun. "A day in the life"... I always find it interesting reading about what goes on in the day and lives of all you gym junkies out there in blogland. And plus, we're all kind of a serrogate family to each other too...well i think so anyway!

So this is what i get up to in a typical week day:

6am: Rise and shine, breakie, then coffee whilst checking my emails, FB and i will usually read an article from Tom Venuto's, Craig Ballantyne's or John Berardi's site.

730am: off to the GYM!!!!!

9am: I'm on the road for work. I have Meal 2 in the car, its my post-work out Super Shake. The next 7 hours is filled with fun and chaos as i race around Brisbane visiting the health food shops and pharmacies. ( I rep for a natural medicine company here in Brisvegas).  I gossip ( my boss will be reading this lol!) talk business with the naturopaths/vitamin consultants/managers/owners to dicsuss promotions, cut deals, take orders, pick up credits, merchandise shelves, introduce new products and sort out any issues with them. My main role is to develop repore and trust with all my clients, and in turn watch our sales sky rocket!

Depending on my day, lunch is eaten in a variety of places. In the car (whilst en route), in a carpark, or some of my fav destinations when i am not rushed are Mt Cootha, Kangaroo Point, Wynnum Esplanade, Mt Gravatt Outlook and Forest Lakes's Lake for some fresh air.

4pm: Home time WOOT! Meal 4 is eaten, along with any faxes, emails or reports that need to be done. By now my brain is completely fried (so try not to call me between 4-5pm as you'll get a lot of one worded answers!), then i chill out with a coffee, tunes and stalk people on FB lol, read and write blogs.

5/530pm: Most arvos after work i love to hit the streets for a 45min walk. Its my zen time. I use this to de-clutter my mind, focus on my goals for the week and its usually here where i get inspiration for my writing.

630/7pm: Shower, food prep and dinner

730pm: And I'm on the laptop again...i'm a bit of a junkie lol. FB, Blogs, and i spend a LOT of time researching nutrition articles. As of Jan 1st this year, i made a pact to myself that the computer is OFF at 9pm. So then its time to zone out to the idiot box.

10/1030pm Lights out!

So that just about sums up my day! I'm one of those people who don't like venturing out on school nights either. I am more than likely to decline an invite unless i think it is really important! ( eg. coffee with my friend Steph last night =) ).Even when it comes to friday i'd much rather hang with myself. Although my job is not labour intensive, it can be quite mentally draining by the end of the week. I talk ALL DAY, so i'm constantly taking in everybody's energy- positive or negative. They love to un-load their life on me lol. Plus driving all day can be quite taxing too, especially in this damn heat! So it does take me a few hours on friday arvo to unwind before i can prepare myself for a fun-filled weekend.

So play the game if you wish, i tag:

Lauren
Lia
Steph
Lizzi
Liz

Results are in...Week 2 OSB!

So its been exactly 1 week since Operation Sexy Bitch kicked off, and the results are in:

11/1                                4/1
Weight: 66.6kg          ( 66.9kg )
Body Fat: 23.6%        (24.1%)
Body Fat: 15.7kg       (16.1kg )

So, as you can see as expected (thinking positively) we have a drop, yay! I actually did the maths for all the analytical followers out there like moi. On the scales there is a 300g deficit, HOWEVER, there is actually a 400g drop in body fat, meaning that i have regained 100g of old muscle. Good ol muscle memory, she's coming back!

My friend reminded me yesterday during our power-walk along brisvegas riverside to not let scale weight do my head in, as it is the measurements/body fat that really matter. Muscle weighs more than fat and takes up half the space. Thus losing half a percent of body fat/week is realistic meaning i am right on track =). This challenge for me is about following a 'clean lifestyle nutrition plan', and not a 'comp/restricted diet'. Its all about balance and not extremes or an all or nothing attitude. The habits towards nutrition that i am learning to incorporate into my life over the upcoming weeks will be something i can continue once my goals have been achieved. I am creating my ultimate body- my body for life. I am looking at the big picture and not just a short term goal. Of course it is important to have a time-frame but also to know that it is OK if it takes longer. Slow and steady wins the race. I know exactly how i want my physique to look and i tell you now it'll take more than 12 weeks to perfect it. The body is just a work in progress, so i am focusing on one day, one meal, one training session at a time.

So for the reasons above i am stoked with the results, i have trained really hard this week and my nutrition has been pretty much spot on. It wasnt without temptation though!

On monday night, my work had a corporate box at the tennis (Andy Roddick eat your heart out!) with unlimited alcohol, dinner and dessert. I refrained from the alcohol, dessert, cheeses..only vice was a few pieces of fruit. GO ME! And on saturday, i had a BBQ up at noosa to celebrate my friends wedding. And did i have any bread rolls, fatty steaks, sausages or alcohol?.... Nope, i stuck with the chicken, salads and fruit. I also made myself a yummy Protein bar from my PN manual which was a delicious 'treat' meal for the week. Notice the word treat instead of cheat? I've noticed that 'treat' has been mentioned a lot lately: cheat is extremely negative and can bring about connotations of guilt whilst eating. When you're not allowed something, of course you want more, and for me that can lead to binging. Therefore treat, being a positive word is something i will have once or twice a week if i deserve it. Simple.

What else... I just had my 9 week check up at with the boob doc Dr Topchian, and he is very happy with the results and my speedy recovery. I am forever grateful to him =). I'll be seeing him in 2 months to do the after photos!

Oh and i have decided to hire a PT at my gym too! Starting saturday week, James is gonna smash my core for 30mins once a week. I'm ultra lazy when it comes to ab training, so no chickening out now. My 6 pack will be revealed in a few months time...I wanna be one of those girls who trains in a crop top at the gym!...but that aint happening till i have a washboard stomach. So with these goals in sight bring on the next weigh in!

Peace out x

What starts with L and ends with E???????

LINGERIE!!!!!

Now before i get to that, i will fill you in on my week so far. It is day 4 of Operation Sexy Bitch and i am so in the ZONE. Nutrition is on track and i'm training like a woman possessed! I'm still cautious of the poundages i am lifting, so i'm making sure my technique is spot on but i have to say, the experts are RIGHT, muscle memory does exist =). My little guns have a brilliant memory, their strength is increasing by the day and they are starting to harden the F*@* up! WOOT!

One thing i do hate, is when people blame their physiques entirely on genetics. Of course they do play a role in height, bone structure etc, but definitely not on masses of fat! Blame that on laziness! (not just physicaly laziness but mental laziness too). You just have to read some of the amazing transformations from blogland to realise that anything can be achieved with a goal and the right nutrition and training program... Anywho, one thing i do believe is that genetics does play a role in body fat distribution. Thats why you see apple, pear- shaped people, endo, meso and ecto-morphs etc.

My back, chest, shoulders and arms seem to keep reasonably lean throughout the year, however my abs and thighs are another story. Yes i am lucky - no i'm not, i've been an athlete my entire life and have probably run thousands perhaps millions of kilometres over the past 20 years, so i am fortunate, that my legs keep good shape. Having said that, they have a tendancy to get very solid when i put on weight, (I dont get flabby fat or get cellulite) hence the reason i rarely wear jeans. I'm definitely a shorts girl. So one thing i have decided, is that when i reach my goal weight and maintain it for a month ( no point getting there and letting all the hard work disappear!), i will buy myself a hot pair of Sass & Bide or Tsubi jeans.

Another thing that got confirmed today is an intolerance to soy, dammit! I added tofu back to my diet about 5weeks ago, and i've been noticing a slight bloating in my gut. Not as bad as if i had eaten gluten, but enough to notice that something was not quite right. So i got my chiro/kinesiologist to muscle test it this arvo- and booyah, it threw me right outta whack =(. So off the menu it goes. He reckons my gut will be back to normal in a day or two. He also gave me some Ester C and Manganese for my adrenals. First week back at work has hit me for six!

So back to the title of this blog.... (sorry i am jumping from one topic to the next, heaps of random thoughts today!)

I got to do the exciting task of lingerie shopping this week, and boy was it exciting! When i went for my consult back in august last year, i told the doc i wanted a full D cup with sexy cleavage, and my wish was granted..... Now what i didnt know was that silicon beauties fit differently to the el naturale ones. The fitter at DJ's had a giggle when i grabbed a 10D, and told me not a chance!.... Try a 10E!!!!  WTF! To me, an E cup sounds massive, but they're not. 10E is my true size but bloody hard to find, so i bought a 10DD, they only just cover my nipples, but i feel secure enough lol

I threw out all my old lingerie a few weeks ago, except this pink number that i got for my 17th birthday. I'm pretty sure its a 10A/B ( i'm a tag- cutterer). So below are the comparisons!

Operation Sexy Bitch!...Week 1

Like all of you here in blogland, today is day 1 of Operation Sexy Bitch. I will be approaching this as a 12 week challenge. It may take 1.5 or 2 challenges, as i will not be training or dieting to the extreme but either way my goals are set!

Being accountable is something that i have never done before, and most probably the reason why i have always fallen off the wagon in the past. So for that reason, Steph and i have teamed up as mentor buddies to keep each other on track and progressing forward each week. This girl has developed such strength over the past couple year and i know she will blitz her challenge in no time!

Ok confrontation time:
4/1/10: 
Weight: 66.9kg  ( what a lovely number to wake up to monday morning...NOT =P)
Body Fat: 24.1%   
EEEKKK!... thats what 55days off gym, 1200mins+ of dvds (ALIAS) these holidays and too much of the good stuff has done to me!...No excuses though, i take full responsibility for my actions!
That equates to 16.1kg of Body Fat.

Just a reminder, back in october i was
Weight: 65.8kg
Body Fat: 19%
That equates to 12.5kg Body Fat

So as you can see the scales can be deceiving. Technically i weigh 66.1kg, so really thats only an increase in .5kg. BUT as you can my Body Fat has increased by 3.6kg and my muscle mass has dropped quite a bit. And do my clothes fit the same?....HELL NO! My tiny gym shorts will not be making an appearance for a good 4 weeks i would think!...

So there you have it, results are out in the open for all to see! No turning back now, SEXY BITCH here i come!

Goals...NOT Resolutions!

I'm not a fan of the word Resolution. To me, it is a 10 letter word that stands for a mindless thought. Goals are something that get you outta bed in the morning. They require an action plan and a time line, put that to paper and kaboom, you are in mission mode!

I have made the decision to hang up my stripper heels for this season of comps. Reason being, i need this year to foucs on quality training without the pressure that comp prep brings. Most importantly i need to achieve my goal weight and maintain it long term. In the past my comp prep has consisted of under-eating, over-training and dropping shit loads of weight in short periods of time. I practically suicided myself in order to strutt my stuff on stage. For that reason i hadn't developed the right mentallity about food and training and suffered the rebound effects post comp. Thus spending each new year having to lose a substantial amount of weight all over again....that is called Yo Yo dieting...Not good. So i have made a promise to myself that this will be the last time i will have to lose those same kilos all over again. I understand that a 1-2kg fluctuation in goal weight is acceptable and realistic, but 6kg again is ridiculous grrrrr! And yeah i know i had 2 months off training but no excuses...you can control anything with diet =)

I have spent hundreds of hours in 2009 researching articles on nutrition and training and am now well aware that my previous approaches to achieve my ulitmate body were not desirable. So now, nutrition to me is about getting that metabolism cranking, eating whole real foods and eating shit loads of vegies. My nutrition has improved 100% in the last few months, add the weights training back in, take away the binging and walah the beautiful body is revealed. Simple...not always easy.

One thing i will be doing for this new years challenge of mine is keeping a countdown calender as well as the WEIGHING IN! In the past i used to just rely on the mirror to notice changes, i was in Scale Denial. So for christmas i bought myself a digital scale that also measures body fat and hydration. Now its not one of those expensive Tanita scales, and i know they aren't entirely accurate either, but for the purpose of monitoring results and tracking progress it will give me consistant information. So every monday from now on will be dooms weigh-in day.

So back to goals. I want to hit a maintenance weight of 60kg...Technically i'll weigh 59.13kg as there seems to be 870g of silicon lodged into my chest lol. This is a number that has eluded me for a LONG time, yes i have hit it for a week or two but have never stayed there long term....bad habits.

Other things that i do want to achieve this year:
Professional Photos
Buy a unit
Body Balance once a week ( will start in about 4 weeks time).. My flexibility is at an all time low atm, for the first time in my life i cant even touch the floor!
Conquer binging!
And be in control of my mind and not the other way around!

I believe that you can achieve anything that you put your mind to... if you want it bad enough.

Luck is good preparation met with the right opportunity. Train hard, eat well, love lots and reap the rewards. 2010 will be an amazing year if thats what you want it to be.

SMILE =)

And here is the new Chelle...

NYE 2009: God & Goddess' Party. I went as Venus: Roman Goddess of Love