Finishing 2011 on a HIGH

Well I have just passed out come home from my last killer boxing session of the year and I am wrecked! This week I have trained like a woman being chased by a madman on a mission. Intensity baby!! And I tell you what, it feels soooooo gooood to finish the year on a mega HIGH. I am looking forward to bringing all of this positive energy with me into 2012.

I have had my fair share of challenges this year (juggling a Psychology degree with a crazy work-travel schedule and dealing with my best friend going back to Greece again) but I am happy to say that I have come out on top ... sometimes i wonder how the hell i did it lol. Most importantly, I have realised that I am strong and that I can handle anything that life throws at me. This year has prepared me for an even bigger and more exciting 2012 so I am ready to kick some arse. BRING IT ON!

So have you made your 2012 GOALS yet? I say 'goals' as to me a New Years Resolution is a cock of shit. Seriously, what is the point of making up a dumb-arse resolution that you will forget after you wake up with a hangover tomorrow morning next week? If you really want to achieve anything, you need to WRITE down some WEEKLY, MONTHLY AND LONG-TERM GOALS. They also need to be achievable too. E.g. Losing 10kg by the end of January is highly unlikely ... unless you remove a large body part.

So here are a few of my Long-Term Goals for 2012:

1. Compete at the Asia Pacs Fitness Model Division in June;
2. Finish my second year of Psyche with at least a GPA of 6 (Distinction)... I'm currently on a 6.5 ;-)
3. Run 10 sets of the KP Stairs in 25 mins by the end of February.

I'm sure I will come up with a few more in the next couple weeks but for now it is time to get my smooth on get waxed, then followed by an afternoon siesta before partying it up tonight!

Hope you all have a fabulous New Years Eve, see you on the other side!

Stairs and Shopping Sprees

Well this morning I decided it was time for a high intensity cardio session. Since the gym was closed I decided to head out for some fresh air and CONQUER the STAIRS! To my surprise there were quite a lot of people at Kangaroo Point this morning ... burning off those Christmas calories. I got down there a bit after 7.30am and remembered to bring my stop watch this time. I smashed out 10 sets in 33:30 minutes. I felt fitter and stronger this time around unlike 3 weeks ago when i thought i was going to hurl lol.

There was an ultra fit chick running them too, I swear she's a figure girl. I am sure i've seen her on stage before, next time i'll have to ask her name. Anyway we got chatting (KP is a great place for meeting fellow fitness enthusiests!), teamed up and she pushed me to breaking point! It was an awesome session, I was absolutely fucked spent by the time I had finished. She did 20 sets in about 45mins - INSANE!

So i've decided that my goal for the stairs (10 sets) will be 25minutes. I reckon i should be able to achieve it in the next 6 to 8 weeks. Just got to keep cutting down on those rest periods!

On a side note, I've just come back from a successful mini shopping spree. Had some Lorna Jane and Rockwear gift vouchers to cash in. I scored 4 x gym tops, 2 crops and a pair of shorts and only had to part with $140 = WIN WIN! ... a girl can never have too much lycra!

Anywho gotta fly, I'm half way through watching Jackass 3, SOOOOOOOOOO FUNNY!!!!

Creating the BODY

Hey ya'll, hope you've had a fabulous Christmas!

Well now that all the food festivities are OVER, I can focus on my transformation (don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed having a a nibble of everything ... and a few too many Lindt Balls ;-), but all my body wants now is lots of the 'natural' stuff. I.e. foods without an ingredient list). I spent a bit of time this morning checking out the photo gallery of this years' Asia Pac competitors to get an idea of the 'look' the ANB federation are going for.

Lean and tight with sexy curves and a wee bit of super suave attitude ... you've got to catch the judges attention. Even the most amazing body won't be noticed if you don't have the personality on stage to show it off!

And also, none of this greyhound business either - i.e. girls that look like skinny bean poles ... SO NOT SEXY.

I've got a reasonably well-balanced physique thanks to 9 years of consistent weight training and before that, (I joined the gym at 17, the week after Schoolies!) 12 years of being a sports mad athlete. However, the areas i need to work on are as follows:

Shoulders - a bit more width will give the illusion of a smaller waist.

Abs (Sexy Sixpack!) - my trouble spot and always drop dead LAST to come into condition. They are currently in hiding ... i may have to send a search party lol ... so an appearance by the end of February is what the Doctor has ordered!

Arse - having been a runner since as far as i can remember, has helped me to develop a pretty good set of pins and a nicely shaped bootay if i do say so myself! ;-) ... so now it all comes down to 'perkiness' - tighter and rounder glutes. I have no doubt i will be squatting and dead-lifting my way until the cows come home!

SO i'm thinking as of next Monday i shall post up some progress pics and stats. I've got the post christmas bloat going on at the moment: Sugar + Dairy + Wheat (for me) = FLUID RETENTION!!! It should reside in the next day or two which means NO CAMERAS STAT! That reminds me, i should really drink some green tea to cleanse this lil body of mine.

So until then, this is the 'look' i am going for:

JNL's an inch taller than me (I'm 5'7"), but we're quite similar in body structure. I'd say I'm about 4-5kg away from her level of leaness, so now all i have to do is

WORK THE PLAN!

HOLIDAYS!

Well as of 12.01PM yesterday, I officially went on HOLIDAYS! You have no idea how good it felt to put on the call someone who cares message holiday voicemail and email. Bliss...pure bliss ;-). It has been a massive year for me, so apart from the Christmas celebrations this weekend, I plan on doing a whole lot of NOTHING over the next 11 days. Apart from training and catching up with a few friends I really don't want to go anywhere. With all my work trips and daily driving I think i have clocked up well over 50000km this year. So it's now time to recharge my energizer batteries (they're a bit on the flat side atm!) and prepare myself for an even bigger and more exciting 2012!

Since i revealed my plans for 2012 on Sunday, I have discovered a whole new level of FOCUS. My motivation levels have stepped up a notch; my desire to race to the shops and buy a block of Lindt Chocolate has diminished; and my training intensity has been through the roof! John aka Mr Punching Bag, my boxing partner got SMASHED on wednesday night. On most occasions, our intensity levels are on par (he rides motorcross so he is pretty damn fit!), but there have been times that he's had to yell at me coax me through a session ... ("Come on Chelle, you can do it ... just throw up after the session has finished".) I don't know what has come over me, but i keep finding that second wind, and damn it feels good.

I am really looking forward to Christmas this year. Why? Because i know that i am in CONTROL of the food and not the other way around. I'm sure many of you have been there before, where Christmas (and the days before and after!) is a free ticket to binge on copious amounts of food (and/or alcohol) until you feel the need for a stomach removal. Not this year, I am going to enjoy SMALL amounts of everything this weekend and come Boxing Day I am back to my 'normal' nutrition plan ... and since the gym is closed, weather permitting (the rain isn't looking good) I will hit the KP Stairs for a HIIT workout!

So my Christmas plans this weekend are:

Christmas Eve: Dinner at mum and dads.
As i am half Malaysian we don't do the whole turkey/ham/roast potato thing. I'm not really into big chunks of animal meat so that doesn't bother me at all. On our menu will be a Malaysian Beef Curry, Roast Duck, BBQ Pork, Salad, Vegies, Rice and I'm not sure what the dessert will be yet!

Christmas Breakfast:

Our tradition is to meet all the other relatives down the coast at Conrad Jupiters Casino - Food Fantasy Restaurant for a Buffet Breakfast/Brunch. It opens at 6.30am (My crazy dad will be there at 6am without fail to line up for a table ... first in first served, if you arrive after 8 you may miss out on a table!). I'm aiming to arrive around 7.30/8ish. I don't usually have breakfast until about 9.30am so I'm quite happy to sleep in until a normal waking hour lol. The great thing about going out for breakfast is 1. The food is AMAZING. They have a huge assortment of hot and cold foods, chefs making omelettes, danish pastries, waffles etc. 2. No one has to spend hours in the kitchen cooking or washing up. 3. Everyone is full, so no need for a massive lunch or dinner.

Christmas Dinner:

My good friend Kim aka GA, is hosting Christmas Dinner this year. Not sure what she is cooking yet but her culinary skills are amazing... all i know is that there will be a triple choc mousse cake for dessert ;-)...

But as i mentioned before, I will enjoy small bites of everything so i don't feel like a bloated whale by 10pm Sunday night.

LOL!

What's your Christmas tradition?!

Dusting off the STRIPPER HEELS...

Well it has taken me every ounce of courage to put my fingers to the keyboard tonight. I had been putting off this post alllllllll weekend due to a little bit of self doubt that had wiggled its way back into my mind. Fear of commitment you could call it. Truth is, what I am about to reveal is big. Big on many levels. This decision of mine is not just about the final result but more importantly, the journey to get me there.

This journey means:
1. No more masking any emotional issues i have with food; and
2. Learning to deal with any shit that gets thrown my way in a productive manner.

I had the option of holding out on this announcement till February next year, however, in my mind that would just allow me another 10 or so weeks of making excuses (if i needed to). So for that reason, I feel that there is nothing like a little bit of external accountability to help get me off the ground!

... Now that was a weight off my shoulders!

So without any further ado (seriously who says that anymore lol? Lets cut the bullshit!) drumroll please!

...

I am dusting off my stripper heels and competing in:

Asia Pacs - Fitness Model Under 30yr Division!!

on June 11th, 2012 which is exactly 25 weeks or 175 days from TOMORROW eeeeeek!

Here's an excerpt about the catergory from the Asia Pacs Website:

What separates a Fitness Model from a Sports Model?

The Female Fitness Model is expected to be leaner than the Sports Model category however not totally defined in all areas as would be expected in the Figure Category. Fitness Model competitors must have a very toned and taut body and leaner in the abdominal area than the Sports Model, however still requires to have a womanly figure. Less detail and definition is required to that of a figure competitor and the delineation between the fitness model and figure competitor is the level of definition and muscle separation in the torso and limbs (both arms and legs). If a competitor has very defined arms, legs and back they would be better suited to the Figure Category. 

Judging RoundsThere will be three rounds in the fitness model category and this will comprise of a:

• Bikini RoundContestants will be asked to walk in a bikini and high heels across the stage. It is important to mention that two-piece swimsuits are required. G-Strings are not acceptable.
   
• Sports Wear RoundContestants will be asked to walk on stage cat walk style displaying active/sports wear theme that will be of the athlete’s choice. The chosen attire must be tasteful and complementary to your body type.
    
• Evening/Club Wear RoundContestants will be asked to walk onstage wearing their choice of evening/nightclub wear. Ensure your outfit is stylish and sexy yet not skanky lewd in presentation.

So there you have it, my 2012 plans have been revealed! I am super excited and a little bit nervous but I do believe i can kick some serious arse. I know this new journey of mine is going to take a lot of mental strength to pull off, but it is time and I am ready to CONQUER!

Boobs and Birds

TGIF!

I have had the craziest week and being the festive season there has been so much to do and so many people to see. I love this time of the year! This week has also been quite interesting to say the least:

On the work front, the question of the week went a little something like this:

Customer: Now Chelle, please don't laugh (she's trying not to crack up) but do you have any herbal supplements for BREAST ENLARGEMENT?
Me: Are you serious!? (starting to giggle)
Customer: I have a client here who wants a natural alternative to surgery.
Me: Yeah good luck with that! Trust me, if there was i'd be 12 grand better off!... But i can recommend some products to delay the sagging process (hehehe ... now that is 12 grand well spent ;-)

Apparently there was a product on the market a few years back for "Breast Enhancement". But it wasn't long before the TGA took it off for 'making false claims'. Go figure.

Boobs aside, we move onto birds:

So last night i met up with a girlfriend for her farewell party. Now FYI i rarely drink, but being the festive season i decided to have a vodka, lime and soda (only ended up drinking half). We ordered some tapas too. Now my diet has been pretty clean the past couple week so by the time i got home last night I was feeling a little off in the stomach. Not because i ate a lot, but i think just from the combination of all the different foods and booze in my stomach was making it churn. So anyway i went to bed and when i woke up this morning I was still feeling slightly off. But i reminded myself that i had a huge power session to do at gym so SUCK IT UP PRINCESS!

Coffee down the hatch, music pumping, -Chelle: 1, Sick Stomach: 0.

Pscyhed and ready to GO! Grab my bags, opened the front door ... and nearly HURLED all over the floor.

On my front door step was a DEAD PIGEON with the contents of its entire stomach exposed for the whole world to see. OMFG, that stupid cat! So i've jumped over it, didn't even bother to lock my front door and bolted to the car.

Chelle: 1, Sick Stomach: 100000000000000000000000000000000000000

So i'm sitting in the car trying not to dry reach and write a little note for my dear old neighbour which went a little something like this:

Hi Steve,

Could you please do me a favour and take away the present - a dead pigeon - that your cat has kindly left on my doorstep.

Thanks, Chelle :)

I then stuck it to his front door.The cat has left little presents for me before but only in the form of geckos and other small lizards, never anything with FEATHERS! Pigeons are a lot bigger than i had thought.

Birds aside, we move onto the gym.

Killer session. I am loving the strength training, what a buzz. I've been on a super high all day. The one thing i do need to work on is my flexibility. I am one of those bad(ass) athletes that only do a quick 5 minute stretch at the end of a session ... only because i am ALWAYS running late! So guess what? I have the tighest lower back in the history of the world. I'm sure driving around in a car all day doesn't help either. It's at the point now where sometimes it feels like i'm about to blow a disc its going to seize up. So stretching is just something that i have no choice but to start doing properly. Otherwise i am not going to be able to increase my weights much because my back wooses waaaaay before my legs during squats and dead-lifts. Sacrificing form for poundage is not an option.

On that note, i have to fly and get ready for BodyGroove tonight ... Time to dance off some lactic acid that i didn't stretch out this morning!

Dear Ms DOMS Fairy, please leave me alone. Love Chelle.

Oh and P.S. 2012 plans will be revealed TOMORROW!

The Power Session

Hey ya'll, hope you're having a fabulous weekend! The sun is FINALLY out here in Brisvegas ... no more of this rainy/ cold bullshit lol. Seriously, jackets are not meant to be for SUMMER ... neither are sleeves of any kind ... singlets are how i roll baby!

Weather issues aside, I have to tell you about my awesome, empowering PT session on friday! ... My whole body is officially in a coma state of DOMS. Not the seized up kind that my calves were in, but the kind where you know you have recruited every muscle fiber in your body because you have kicked some fine arse! ... For that reason, I didn't do the Kangaroo Point Stairs this morning (I didn't want to be one of those SLOW CODGERS who you yell "move out of the fuckin way to!'' "incoming" to. Instead I (listened to my body) went for a nice long walk around the riverside in the SUNSHINE.

So on Friday, i met up with Miss Liz for the monster of all PT sessions. As you probably know, i have been training like a Zuzana Princess for the last twelve months or so. Her style is more crossfit than traditional bodybuilding or power lifting, so my mindset is always in fitness/endurance mode. So when Liz told me we were doing a POWER SESSION, my heart stopped  skipped a beat. Olympic Bar Squats (arse to the floor style), Olympic Bar DeadLifts (skin your shins with the bar style), Olympic Bar Overhead Shoulder Press (ummmm Slow Style?) and Pull Ups (that i just laughed at lol). To be honest i was a little nervous but pretty pumped about the new challenge.

Liz reminded me the most important thing about this session wasn't how much I could lift, but rather how good my technique was, and that way i'd be using the correct muscles. Our power session focussed more on slower and lower reps which burned like hell and felt like a cardio workout in itself. I was sweating like a pig (do pigs really sweat?) and panting like a dog. Hot - totally ;-). But i tell you what, focusing on technique and strength was empowering. With each rep my mind became stronger and suddenly i felt like i could conquer anything ... There was also no way i would let Liz conquer me hehehe. By the time I had squatted, dead lifted and shoulder pressed i was absolutely fucked smashed ... We still had Pull-Ups to go, noooooo!

Liz then brought out the bands. Its been a few years since i have trained with bands but i will definitely be buying a few pairs of my own. Bands differ in resistance and help a pull-up beginner like moi to do them on my own without the aid of a spotter. I haven't done chins or pull-ups in ages so i honestly didn't think i'd be able to do any. On the contrary, I smashed out quite a few and again, being a power exercise, I was overcome with this instant feeling of achievement once I had finished.

What a killer session, i was on a high for the rest of the day. This style of training is definitely going to be incorporated into my new exercise regime.

New training program? Personal Trainer? You may just be wondering what is going on?

Stay tuned, all will be revealed in the next couple of days!

DOMS.

So my grand plans of running on tuesday quickly dissipated the moment i fell rolled out of bed on monday morning. Ms I'm a bitch Lactic Acid Fairy had zapped me with a servere case of DOMS (Delayed-onset-muscle-soreness) in my calves ... as punishment for torturing them up and down the Kangaroo Point Stairs on sunday ... and not stretching afterwards, oops. Seriously, my pins were on fire, you have no idea. I've spent the last few days walking like an elderly crippled pushing an imaginary walker. Awesome.

So yesterday rolled around and i was determined to attempt my boxing class. (After repping in the fuckin RAIN all day, there was no way i was going to sit on my arse at home for the rest of the evening!). Usually wednesday night slam is a combination of boxing and weights, circuit style, so i thought i'd be sweet- no leg cardio. But to my disgust delight, the substitute instructor decided we'd do boxing combos with interval SPRINTS. Nooooooooo!

FYI, I am the faster girl runner (thanks to my track days!) by a long shot, and a close second to Tall Dave. If his hips weren't up to my head, maybe we would tie... ok he's not quite that tall but you get my drift. So the first round of sprints come up and OMFG, ouch was an understatement. My poor calves were soooo tight i thought they were either going to cramp or snap. So i had to resort to a faster version of the 'pushing an imaginary walker' movement. Not cool. Especially when the snail paced athletes were LAPPING ME! Ugh. So i decided that bodyweight squats were my best alternative.

And just as i thought i had figured a pain free way of getting through the class, Short Steve (Tall Dave's boxing partner - sometimes Short Steve has to stand on the stage when his vertically challenged status is an issue lol) thought it'd be funny to grab my calf. My automatic reaction was to kick him in the gonads ... BUT i quickly realised that my standing leg would probably cramp up and i would fall on my arse, so i resorted to a punch in the arm ... I am usually not a violent person, but insane soreness calls for extreme measures ;-)

What a session lol. But i was smart and spent some time stretching out my calves afterwards. Followed by applying a shit load of Arnica cream and Tiger Balm. The result - this morning: right calf is back to normal, left calf is still a little tight ... i blame Short Steve for that ;-)

Conquering the Stairs

Hey ya'll, hope you're having a fabulous weekend!

In my quest to get my fitness back up to super human levels i have been putting in some killer workouts since coming back from Sydney. Friday was the return of Zuzana madness, I did her Hot Mess Workout, and in the evening i got my funk on and did the Body Groove class. Body Groove is a Les Mills fusion of hip hop, latin, funk and soooo much fun. Being friday, everyone is in such a great mood which gives the class an electric atmosphere. Saturday i got my boxing on and this morning i decided that it was time to conquer the Kangaroo Point Stairs.

The cliff itself is about 20m high and consists of 107 stairs and its gets steeper the closer you get to the top. I don't remember the last time i did them, maybe 12 to 18 months ago. And after number 3 i thought i was going to DIE. My legs were turning to jelly but i was determined to polish of 10. Plus the fact that i ran into Bossman (literally!), there was no way i could chicken out! I forgot to bring my watch but i think it took me about 50 mins ... there were a shitload of gasping for air breaks rest breaks but i conquered the cliff and felt pretty damn dead good ;-)

Well time to vaccuum and mop shower and get myself ready for my old mans 70th BBQ bash! Dad is such an inspiration, he still teaches Jujitsu, works out every morning and he has also just informed me that he has got back into running this week ... the main reason, so he'll be fitter than his much younger students. Go dad, you rock!

Highs and Lows

Gosh time flies when you're having fun you have a lot of uni deadlines lol. In a nutshell, the following sums up the last four months of my blogland disappearance:

Work:
1 x Gladstone/Rockhampton trip
1 x Townsville/Mackay trip
1 x Cairns/ Atherton Tablelands trip
Killed my quarterly budget :)

Uni:
2 x High Distinctions
2 x Distinctions
1 x Letter from the Assoc. Professor of the Uni - I'm ranked no. 2 out of 434 students WOOT WOOT!!
GPA = 6.5

HOLIDAYS:
Just got back from a weeks' holiday in SYDNEY! It was sooooo much fun!
I stayed with my aunty, caught up with four girlfriends, bought a pair of HOT sunnies, discovered a hot new clothing label - HENLEY, drank way too many cappacinos, had a drink at The Ivy - super swank club

Did the Bondi Beach to Coogee coastal walk and back (18km including walking to and from the train station - omg my legs were SHATTERED but i am sporting a very nice tan!)

Did The Spit Bridge to Manly harbourside walk (11km through the bush - it was suppose to be 9km, but we took a few wrong turns lol)

Can i also say the food in Sydney is amazing and sooo much cheaper then Brissie - you also don't need to dine in a fancy restaurant, it's all about local talent. I ate out at a Thai restaurant, Korean BBQ restaurant (that was cool, you have a BBQ grill built into your table), The Carrington pub which do delicious mexican tapas and of course at my auntys' place - she's an amazing cook too. Also had yum cha and i did try a cupcake from this gourmet cupcake parlour - sorry guys, i don't see what all the fuss is about, for $5 all i tasted was waaaay too much sugar ... give me the Lindt cafe anytime ;-)

On that note, with all the highs comes the lows ... another name for an ego check ;-)

As you know i had my BFF Demi over from Greece mid year. She went back home in August and it hit me really hard. To be honest, i was pretty messed up for a couple months. I guess i was sad, pretty depressed and i had let my emotions get the better of me. I lost motivation in just about everything, especially my diet and my training.... another reason why my blog fizzled. I resorted back into cycles of bingeing, which in turn made me feel worse and because i was eating waaaay to much chocolate shit, i just had no energy to train properly. I stopped running and my Zuzana workouts became very inconsistent too. Combine all of that with work trips and uni assessment and i was starting to lose myself down a black hole...again...

My holiday (off work until next Monday) has been such a great mental refresher so far. I have realised that you cant go without any personal (fitness) goals for too long without losing your way and your sanity. Only a few months back i was running 48min 10kms, this morning i went for my second 7km run since September i think! and the grand time was 36:55min and boy i felt like i was piggybacking my overweight Husky (she lives with my parents, and in the five years i have lived out of home, she has mysteriously gained 10 fuckin kilos! OMG i had a go at them yesterday! that's a whole other story!) - running at 7:30am on the first day of summer didnt help either - i looked like i had showered outside lol. But it still felt awesome to pound the grass, work up a sweat and kick some arse!

Anywho, i am ready to BRING IT! I have some SUPER EXCITING GOALS that will come out of the woodworks in the next week or so. So stay tuned!!