and she's back in the game!

Hey ya'll, I thought i'd better check in just to let you know that I am still in the land of the living... just.

All I can say is that the past couple weeks have been a borderline NIGHTMARE.  I had promised myself at the start of the year to NOT leave assignments to the last fuckin minute .... yeah forgot about that promise lol ... So there I was again in a world of pain stress, racing the clock to get my 2000 word assignment on 'what motivates sleep and sleep deprivation' done. (Ummmm DEADLINES?!) There were a lot of tears and during my mini meltdown I was so so close to calling up the uni and pulling out of my degree. FYI, they still own my $1270 for this semester ... and I am happy about that decision :). Due to my poor as time study management skills, I ended up missing a few workouts and numbed some of my stress with chocolate (after I had easily gone chocolate free for 19 days!) but I got the assignment submitted right on 12am friday night, phew. Bit of a rush job, but I have a learnt a big lesson and moved on.

So yesterday I decided that I needed some time away from the world. Instead of going to boxing class, I trained outside. The only time I spoke a word was mentioning my name at the polling booth.  Having that me time was worth its weight in gold. You can only figure out what you want in life when your mind is clear because stress distorts EVERYTHING.

Success in life is all about choices and priorities and the only thing stopping you achieving goals is YOU. I realise that my plate is nearly overflowing this year with work, travelling for work, training, psychology degree and comp prep BUT i know that if i really want to succeed in everything it all boils down to managing my time more effectively.

SO basically, i have to time box my entire day - yeah its a bit fanatical - but hey you gotta do what ya gotta do to get the job done!

So after solving all the problems of my crazy little world I psyched myself up and kicked some serious arse at the KP Stairs this morning. I took 1.33mins off last weeks time, so my new PB is 17.18mins!! Still feeling pumped, i did an extra 5 bonus sets for a total of 15 sets.

Anyway I must fly (literally), gotta finish packing before I jetset off to Townsville and Mackay for work this week.

Ashley Horner - smokin hot

Think positive and kick arse!

Fitness Model Shoot, iPad 2, Abstract Art Painting, KP Stairs PB ... Life is Fuckin Awesome

Did you miss me? I do apologise for being a bad......*ass* blogger! The past couple weeks have been insanely busy, so here's the low down in a nutshell:

Wednesday to Friday of the week before I flew down to Sydney for a sales course for work. It was a little on the BORING side but I did have a fabulous time catching up with our sales team. We dined out at Jamie Olivers' restaurant, Jamie's Italian on the first night. OMG, the food was AMAZING. If you are looking for an orgasm in your mouth, it is definitely worth the 45min wait for a table!

Dessert: Ultimate Chocolate Brownie..yummmmmmm!

I had to be a little creative with my training seeing that the hotel gym opened too late. Seriously, what gym opens at 6.30am!? So up I was at 4.15am Brisbane time (damn you daylight saving) to squeeze in a 500 rep Zuzana hotel room sweatfest workout before I met the team for breakfast. That afternoon it was pissing down with rain but we were desperate for some fresh air so off we went for a walk around Sydney Harbour and Hyde Park. By the time we got back to our hotel we looked like drowned rats. Hot not!



Sydney Harbour: Stunning

When dining out with 14 naturopaths at least you know you'll be eating somewhere hippy healthy. It's the ordering that can become quite amusing. It went a little something like this, "Gluten free; dairy free; vegetarian; decaf soy latte; green tea; alkalizing smoothie; What? Its not organic! What type of cafe doesn't serve free-ranged eggs? LOL. I think the waiters HATED us.

The day after I got back (Saturday), I had my friend Shazia's 40th birthday party at Jade Buddha. Awesome night, carved up the dancefloor as per usual ... Then came Sunday. OMG dead tired. KP Stairs? Nope. Sleep in? Yes.

On Tuesday I weighed in at 62.9kg (138.8lbs). 200g loss from the week before. Nothing massive (I'll be honest, I was a little shitty at first) but it was a good reminder that it was still a loss considering I had dined out 3 days in a row and missed a few training sessions. #no need to kill yourself at the gym or eat BORING food!

On Wednesday I had my first ever fitness model shoot! I team up with Sting Sports to film some exercise clips for their website and facebook page. It was soooo much fun, I had a blast. I'll let you know once the clips are up!

On Thursday I received a surprise from work ... an iPad 2!



Slimline baby!

On Friday I bought a hot piece of abstract art from my friend Julie for my office aka "The Inspiration Room'.

Bright and Feminine

And this morning I took another 7 seconds off my KP Stairs PB - new time is 18:54mins! I actually surprised myself as I hadn't run in 2 weeks. Plus i ran another 5 sets for extra bad*ass*ness. Orginally the goal was to get to 20 sets however I have decided that I am going to stick with 15 sets for now. The reason being is that the stairs are not only physically challenging but mentally draining too. As I am about to start my third week of uni tomorrow, I require total brain-cell function on weekends for STUDYING!

So on that note I have an assignment to write!







15 Weeks till Comp Time!

Well I'm sitting on my exercise ball in quite a comatosed (not sure if that is a word?) state. My legs are SHATTERED! BUT I did have a killer workout at KP Stairs this morning! The rain had bucketed down all day yesterday so thank god the sun was shining this morning. Having said that, the stairs were very wet, lots of puddles and very sandy - total OH&S risk. But hey, that didn't stop me. Neither did my Vibrams which were soaking wet. So gross. So not cool. FYI, they went straight into the washing machine as soon as I got home!

Anywho I have a new PB! 19:01mins - shaved 33 seconds off last weeks' time woohoo!! Plus I did an extra 6 sets, so I am now up to 16! BRING ON 20! ... I pushed myself pretty hard during those first 10. Sets 12 to 16 totally sucked - quads on fire!!

The training week in review:

Monday - 50min easy walk outside. (I decided to have a day off weights (and rest my muscles) as I was waiting on my new POWER PROGRAM to be written)

Tuesday - 8km run - 41:49mins on treadmill. Felt alright, calves were still a little sore from KP Stairs.

Wednesday - Bodyslam - Boxing, kickboxing and sprints. We had a fill-in trainer that night and her session was mental! Talk about intense! I trained so hard that I ended up pinching a nerve in my lower back. I know, silly me, that's the competitive side of me coming out. The sprints were at the end of the session and we had to race our partner. There was no way I would let John beat me, so I smashed him and myself. Not good. It was the worst pain ever. A lot of stretching, half a tube of Traumeel cream and a lot of Mag Phos later and my back was feeling so-so.

Thursday - Rest day and massage day. Thank god for that! Kim sorted out my lower back quick smart. She balanced all my energies and pressure points and I left feeling a million bucks :)

Friday - New Power Program. Killer: Front Squats supereset with Pull Up/Chin Up combos. Baby got back, baby got ass. Oh and of course I did BodyGroove class too!

Saturday - BodySlam: boxing combos non-stop. killer.

And last of all, I FINALLY have begun doing a weigh-in day. Actually two. Tuesday and Fridays. By doing them twice a week I can monitior any fluctuations a little better.

16 weeks out:

Tuesday 21/2: 63.4kg (139.5lbs)
Friday 24/2: 63.1kg (138.8lbs)

LOSS: 300g (0.7lbs)

So there you have it. I'm right on track. Back definition is coming up nicely and finally starting to see some separation in my quads. I'll post some progress pics soon.

Well time to prep some lunch, then its a date with my couch and Episode 9 of Spooks! Uni starts tomorrow so I am going relax and enjoy my last day of FREEDOM!!

Bikini Workshop, PT session and Kangaroo Point PBs!

Well I am still buzzing away on an endorphin high from running the Kangaroo Point Stairs this morning. I have officially been inducted into the Sub 20 min club woohoo!! I was feeling pretty pumped this morning and ended up smashing 49 seconds off last weeks time. New PB: 19:34 mins baby. Then of course I had to add an extra set onto last weeks' tally, so I did 15 sets all up. Total BAD@$$ today.

The past week has been a bit of a whirlwind, I barely can even remember what happened earlier this week (obviously nothing important!) so i'll skip to FULL-ON FRIDAY. I started the day off with a 40 min walk outside. It wasn't the smartest idea seeing that I had PT with coach Liz later that day. We did another hard-core power sesson. The workout looked something like this:

Front Squats (with Olympic Bar + weight) 5 reps
superset with Chin-Ups from Hell:
a Pull Up/ Chin Up combo: 4 Pull Ups + 4 Chin Ups + 2 Pull Ups + 2 Chin Ups

x 3 sets

... my arms were so fucked sore I wanted to cry.

Dead Lifts (arse to grass style) 3 reps
superset with
Olympic Bar (plus weight) Push Press 7 reps (maybe 10? I was too smashed, can't remember)

x 3 sets

Then we did some Pilates floor work. I had to activate the very deep core muscles (very technical i know. I should have paid more attention in Human Anatomy class) ... a lot harder than I thought. I will be incorporating more core work into my new training program so bring on that sexy 6-pack baby!

After PT I crashed and burned for a few hours whilst I tried to coax my body out of a coma with 2 strong cups of coffee ... as I had to get my dance on at BodyGroove that night. Even though I was pretty tired the class seemed to flush a lot of the lactic acid out of my legs, plus its always a whole lot of FUN. Note to self: 3 lots of exercise in one day is overkill.

Saturday morning was a killer BodySlam class - boxing and running, my favourite combo. I kept up with the speedy gonzales boys for most of the running but towards the end my legs got their way. I told them to SPRINT. They told me to FUCK OFF. lol

Then it was a race to the coast for the Be Bootyful Bikini Model Workshop. It was fantastic. They went through judging criteria, format for each round (bikini, sports wear, club wear), attire (they had a huge range of bikinis on display ... and I think I am changing my colour), posing, portfolios, sponsorship etc and we also got to practice out T-Walk ... in our 5.5 inch STRIPPER HEELS.

Lets just say it's time to start wearing them whilst cooking and washing the dishes! 

Smashing the Stairs and Snake Skin Shoes!

Happy Sunday!

Sorry for the delay between posts but I have had a FULL-ON week with work, training and life in general ... no brain cells left over to type a blog post lol.

Since my mini melt down last Sunday, I have had a pretty awesome week on the training front:

Monday - Power training
Tuesday - 1 and a bit hour City walk
Wednesday - 7km outdoor run on the grass - 36:53mins AM and Bodyslam PM (I usually don't do two big sessions in one day but because I SLEPT IN on tuesday morning I wasn't going to attempt to run outside at 8am ... umm heat stroke anyone?
Thursday - Rest Day aka MASSAGE DAY!
Friday - Power training and BodyGroove. Instructor Jos has put together the most wicked set of tracks, the dancing is an 11/10 on the scale of sexy, kick-arse moves!
Saturday - BodySlam - weights circuit with a 4km run/walk.

and that brings us to SUNDAY ...

On a side note, I have been experimenting with the meal timing of my dinner the past few days and have made a little discovery. The further away from bedtime I eat my last meal I:

1. Have a deeper sleep;
2. Wake up energized and completely refreshed i.e i don't press SNOOZE ten zillion times;
3. Look even leaner in the mirror, less bloat; and
3. Train like a BOSS!

So back to my story. I had eaten dinner quite early yesterday, 5ish, and woke up this morning feeling lean and PUMPED! I got down to the cliffs just after 7am this morning. Perfect training temperature. NOT TOO HOT! I warmed up and then SMASHED 45 seconds off last weeks PB - 20:23mins baby!

I'm fit enough now to not rest between any of the first 10 sets. Every now and then I got held up a bit by WALKERS who don't know the fuckin stair rules - LET THE RUNNER PASS! After my 10th set I had a breather for about 3 or 4 minutes, then was a total bada$$ and did an extra 4 bonus sets. Set 11 and 12 were ok, but I was feeling the lactic in set 13 and 14. My quads were on fire! By the time I finished I was absolutely fucked seeing stars lol but feeling pretty on top of the world.

So after my mammoth effort this morning I caught up with my highschool friends for brunch at Mud Dessert Bar in Bulimba ... and before you ask, I didn't have dessert for breakfast. They do the most amazing food, a little pricier than most cafes but definitely worth the extra coin. I had soft poached eggs on gluten-free bread with pesto, sauteed field mushrooms and grilled tomato. So good!

Training aside, I invested in bought a hot pair of Snake Skin Wedges from Nine West:

I live in wedges for work, they give you the height to make your calves pop without killing your feet like a pair of heels.

Rocking them out.

Well enjoy the rest of your weekend, I'm gonna go crash for a bit. Shattered much!

PERSEVERANCE

In any fitness challenge there are bound to be days where you just feel like GIVING UP. This morning was one of them.

Roll back the clock...

I kicked off my Saturday with a killer BodySlam class - an intense circuit of weights and plyos. SHATTERED and SORE.

My gym sesh was followed by brunch at Perks at Garden City with my gorgeous fitness bunnies. I had the usual - Soft poached eggs on gluten-free bread (no butter) with sauteed spinach, mushrooms and grilled tomato. Yummo! .... The girls were having a 'naughty' breakfast, so I indulged in a few mouthfuls of toasted Banana Bread and Banana Pancakes. DELICIOUS.

After brunch was a mad rush to whip up my famous Mexican Dip:

Bottom layer: Fat free re-fried beans mixed with salsa (hot), taco seasoning, fresh tomato, capsican and spanish onion.
Middle layer: sliced avocado
Top layer: EXTRA lite sour cream (I've been told that lite greek yoghurt works well too... and saves extra calories) sprinkled with finely chopped tomato, capsican and spanish onion.

Served with wholegrain rice crackers (gluten-free) and/or corn chips.

The reason being I had my girlfriend Berties' 42nd Birthday BBQ to go to. And what a fabulous arvo, evening... and night we had! Great company, great conversations and a lot of laughter. I really didn't want to leave but by the time 11pm rolled on I was thinking to myself get your arse home, you have to run KP Stairs in the morning!

Food wise I had eaten:
Some good stuff - Greek salad, lamb and prawns
Some ok stuff - Mexican dip with rice crackers
Some not so good stuff - a snag and a half

By the time I had got home my stomach was feeling a little off. FYI, i don't digest dairy and gluten very well, I get bloated, get a runny nose, retain a shit load of fluid and have like ZERO energy. So for that reason I stay away from those foods 90% of the time.

I got to bed after 12am. Alarm went off at 5.45am and I felt like i'd been hit by a truck. Decided to snooze for another hour. I woke up feeling sooooo lethargic, looked in the mirror and all i saw was bloat and that dreaded fluid retention. I looked smooth, felt heavy and honestly, I felt like SHIT.
I even considered NOT doing the stairs because I didn't want anyone to see me looking like this (in hindsight, no one would probably noticed a difference lol) and thought about just going for a walk instead. It was like in one split second - a moment of self doubt, my whole world had came crashing down. There was a little voice inside my head whispering that I had fucked up all this hard work so why not just take a day off training and buy something 'naughty' to eat just to make me feel better.

So after moping in my own self pity for half an hour, I made myself a coffee and told myself to GET A GRIP. This was just a test of my own mental strength and determination. I reminded myself that the bloat will pass so just GET OVER IT AND GET ON WITH IT.

And with that i hopped in the car and drove over to Kangaroo Point ... Then I kicked some serious arse. I took 27 secs of my PB - 21.08min!! and then did 3 bonus sets! So i'm up to 13 sets now. FUCK YEAH!

I'm still feeling bloated and my legs are DEAD but mentally I am back in the land of POSITIVITY.
Now time to kick back, relax and watch another epidsode of Spooks. I seriously addicted to that show.

Have you persevered lately when the going got tough?

Stacked it!

Happy Hump Day peeps!

How's your week going so far? Mine has been crazy busy, it's flying by!

Well i've had a little hiccup on the training front. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

On Sunday morning, I went outside to feed my neighbour Steves' cat as he has been away on holidays. There's a few metres of uncovered courtyard between my front door and the carport and as it was raining I had to hustle ... fast ... in my thongs (FYI, i do not mean a g-string for all my US readers. Slippers? Jandles? Whatever you call them, they are worn on your FEET!)... next thing i knew i was arse up in the air with cat food in my hand ... slam ... FUCKKKKKKK! ... Stacked it BIG TIME. Grazed my left knee and jarred my left wrist. It bruised and bled up nicely. Not. Three rounds of ice and a lot of Traumeel cream later and the swelling began to subside. Traumeel is seriously amazing stuff. If you have any bruising, swelling, sore muscles. injuries, soft tissue damage etc I definitely recommend it. It halves your recovery time. I swear by it.

Anyway I decided it might be a smart idea to take a few days off normal training and use them as active recovery days. I've been training pretty hardcore for the past 10 weeks, so 3 days (sunday, monday, tuesday) of 5km walking would probably do my body a world of good. I was considering going for a jog yesterday morning, but my poor little knee was still a little bit stiff - still can't pull my left leg back into a full quad stretch yet - so decided against that. Running when injured can cause you to overcompensate on your good leg which can lead to a whole lot of other problems. The last thing I need is a pulled muscle!

So today the knee is feeling about 90%. I am feeling refreshed and ready to kick John's arse (my boxing partner) in BodySlam tonight.

Over and out!

DJ Henry Saiz Boat Party

Well it's another miserable rainy day here in the Sunshine State BUT that hasn't stopped me from having a fucking awesome weekend!

I kicked off (literally) my Saturday with a killer BodySlam class, 1 hour of pure kickboxing. Any exercise to do with leg training is a winner in my books! Then it was off to buy ... a poncho.

Because ...

I had a free ticket to the DJ Henry Saiz Boat Party!!

My friend Greg had asked me to come along because he knows just what a cool person I am how much i love my dance music. Silly boy nearly didn't even make it onto the boat because he had parked at the wrong ferry terminal. 30 minutes late when he had told me he was 20 minutes away, 60 mins before, I could have killed him! And they say women aren't good with directions!

The moment we boarded the boat I knew it was going to be an amazing afternoon cruising down the Brisbane River, even though it was pouring rain! Thank god the whole boat was undercover. The atmosphere was electric with a very cool crowd too. There were only 130 groovers allowed on board which means they were all there for the music unlike all these big festivals these days where people (under 21s! (no offense) ... that makes me feel old now lol) just go to 'be cool' ... and ruin it for everyone else.

The beats were a mix of electronic and progressive house and it wasn't belong before I spotted the other dancers in the boat house. We became friends and spent the next 5 solid hours carving up the dancefloor. Yes that is probably a 1700 calorie plus workout.

  

DJ Henry Saiz

 Me - Running DANCING WILD!

The boat docked about 5.30pm, then it was a mad dash - in my bright red poncho - in the pouring rain to my car. Home, shower, dinner (I was STARVING), couch, CRASH. What a day - my body was absolutely wrecked (but feeling shredded!) - worth it? HELL YEAH!

So no KP Stairs for me today, it's too dangerous in the rain, i'd hate to slip off the cliff face lol. I might go for a light stroll at the gym later today but I want to be fresh for my power session tomorrow so I'll see how the day pans out.

Peace out!

The Year of the Dragon

OMG isn't this weather the pits!? Rain, rain, rain, rain, rain. Queensland is suppose to be the SUNSHINE STATE - beautiful one day, perfect the next! Its more like miserable one day, depressing the next. Rain FUCK OFF!!! Okay, rain rant over.

Well Happy Chinese New Year everybody! I celebrated the year of the dragon in style - a 10 course banquet at The China Sea Restaurant in Milton. Amazing food, and before you ask, it wasn't a gorge fest - i.e. no need to undo all the buttons the top button of your pants because you've spent 3 hours stuffing your face. We had salt and pepper squid, peking duck, san chow bao, serchuan fish, fried rice, scallops with ginger and shallots, green vegies, crispy skin pork and chicken and deep fried icecream. The servings were bite-sized, the perfect amount to taste the food and let the tummy settle before the next course arrived. Satisfied with no belly ache: win for Chelle.

********

Onto training:

I had another awesome power session Monday morning, still can't quite do 2 full chin ups from a dead hang though... inching closer every session. I also ended up going back to the gym that night. Why? Beacuse I made the mistake of havng a LATE coffee and was still a bundle of energy from a crazy day at work. With the pouring rain outside there was NO WAY I was venturing into it so I decided to go for a 5km stroll on the treadie at gym to wind dowm from my day. I have to say the atmosphere in the gym is electric at night - it was packed, the music was pumping ... and there was a lot of eye candy ... the Serb boys are hot with even hotter bodies ;-)

Yesterday morning was Running Tuesday... on the treadmill AGAIN! I smashed 23 secs off last weeks time - 40.52min. It felt awesome. I'm starting to get my leg speed up again, so should be back to sub 5min/kms in the next couple of weeks!

Well I'd better fly, got my annual performance review this morning!

Have a fab day!!

Blitzing the Stairs and Comp Bikinis

Happy Sunday!

5.10 am I woke up ... no alarm clock ... the joys of a full bladder. But hey, i had a nice deep sleep so it must be a sign that I have enough energy in my day to do my favourite chore in the whole wide world ... vacuuming ... NOT.

Well I'm just sipping my banana smoothie (breakfast - 9.30am: i'm never hungry first thing in the morning so there's no point eating anything then!) after coming home from a killer KP Stairs session. I was full of energy this morning and took 3:18mins off last weeks' time! New PB is 21:35mins Woot Woot!! This time I only had one quick drink break after the fifth set and no rest at the top or bottom. AND then after i had finished the 10th set i had a five minute breather, stretched a bit and then decided to do 2 more sets for extra bad*ass*ness ;-) ... I definitely felt the lactic start to build up after those, my legs are now shot!

**************

The week in review:

I've had another great week in the gym. Power sessions are going strong. On Monday one of the power lifters gave me a few pointers on my dead-lifting technique - I wasn't holding the bar wide enough before and therefore I wasn't sitting into the movement properly thus using my arms and lower back too much. I also dropped a little poundage off the bar to ensure I was getting my 'arse to the grass'. It's a waste of time doing 3/4 reps .... (boys who stack on the weight and move their legs an inch *cough cough*). What a difference that little tweak made. Feeling very confident with my form now and know that I am activating the correct muscles!

And i can officially do 1 and 3/4 Pull Ups on my own woohoo. I tried for 2 full ones on friday but just couldn't quite get my chin up above the bar, sooooo close!

On tuesday I had to run on the treadie ... damn that rain ... not a fan of getting wet ... yes I can be a girly girl at times. But I did smash out 8km in 41.15mins. It's been ages since i've done long distance run on the treadmill and boy did I feel it! Trying to get my leg speed up (and keep it up) was bloody hard work, not to mention my feet were killing me - got some blisters to prove it too. I find my feet seem to overheat from the friction of the treadie (after the 4km mark) which caused the blisters (I run in Vibram which means 3mm of tread between my feet and the ground i.e. no cushioning), so back to outdoor running for me, weather permitting. I also prefer the smell of fresh air to that of male B.O. Seriously guys, it is an offense to NOT wear DEODORANT. I have on a few occasions changed treadmills mid run.

BodySlam classes have been INTENSE baby! 50:50 mix of weights to cardio this week with minimal rest. Joss the Boss has been pushing our limits but hey, what an endorphin rush!

I've also noticed my body starting to lean down nicely this week. Some weeks you feel like you're a beefcake you're going nowhere and then suddenly, BAM, the fat melts off! It's exciting to wake up in the morning and notice those little changes. The definition in my back, shoulders and arms is dialing in quite fast, and my waist has decided to play ball too which is A for AWESOME ... usually Ms Sexy Six-pack likes to take a loooooooong holiday. So I'm about 2 weeks away from doing up the top button of my size 6 Cue pin-striped work shorts which is always a good sign. When I am rocking them I know I am getting pretty LEAN!!!!

What else? Well yesterday I thought it was time to peruse the Style on Stage website and check out some comp bikinis. I won't be spending any outrageous $$ on a Swarovski Crystal bikini so for me it's all about selecting the perfect colour. My last two bikinis were Aqua and Turquoise so I want something a little different this year. Bright too!

These three colours have caught my attention:

Plain Lycra - Orchid

Plain Lycra - Fluro Orange

Foiled Circle Lycra with Foil Overprint - Orange (though this one would mean no sequines at all)

What are your thoughts?

Playing Tag

I am joining in on the Blogland Tag Games and revealing some random shit about myself. It is always fun to discover that other bloggers are just as looney cool as you.

Here are the rules:1. post these rules.
2. you must post 11 random things yourself.
3. answer the ques­tions the tag­ger set for you in their post.
4. cre­ate 11 new ques­tions for the peo­ple you tag to answer.
5. go to their blog and tell them that you’ve tagged them.
6. no stuff in the tag­ging
7. don’t talk about the fightclub

11 Random things about moi:

1. I used to have my beauty spot pierced (RHS above top lip) ... but I let it close a few years ago due to ... professional reasons. (I got the impression that pharmacists and other health professionals, especially old male ones, don't take young reps seriously when they have facial piercings!).

2. I had pet mice when i was a kid. 5 from the pet shop and 1 wild one that became a pet. Dad made me a very cool cage for them (the adventure playground) that was 1.5m long.

3. I had my heart set on becoming a physiotherapist all throughout highschool (I even did work experience!), but after listening to a lecture by a Sports Dietician at UQ, I changed my mind and did a Bachelor of Health Science: Nutrition instead.

4. My first car was a Holden Barina 1995, my work mates named it the Purple People-Eater... don't ask why.

5. At 14, I captained the Australian Indoor Soccer (Futsal) Team in 2000, on a tour of Europe.

6. I have lived in 4 share-houses and thank god I bit the bullet and bought my own pad nearly 2 years ago. And no I DO NOT have any room-mates!

7. I wear silver or white gold and diamonds. No yellow gold for me.

8. I hyperventilate when people wear shoes in my house... okay maybe not that extreme but you get my drift. TAKE YOUR SHOES OFF!

9. I'm a dog person. Growing up I had two male German Shepards - Ninja and Benji, and a female Siberian Husky - Makita.

10. Perfume, I wear Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel.

11. I've kissed a girl. ... Yes that is a random fact.


.............................


Here are Liz's questions and my answers:

1) Morning or evening person: MORNING. I'm usually up by 6am.

2) How long does it take you to get ready in the mornings? 20 minutes unless I have to wash and style my hair ... Pony tails are my best friend.

3) What’s your weekly grocery bill? ~ $70

4) How much of your grocery bill is whole foods? Most of it (85%) unless I am buying things like toilet paper.

5) Your opinion of daylight savings? Bring it on!

6) Mac or PC? Both. My personal laptop is a PC and I have an iPad for work. They both have their pros and cons.

7) Grab your IPOD and hit “shuffle” – what’s the first song that comes up? Is it a favourite or so so? Kimbra - Cameo Lover. Yes a fav from a few months ago.

8) Your favourite blog of the moment? My girl Kelly O

9) Favourite pizza topping? I don't remember the last time I ate pizza! As a kid it was ham and pineapple but these days I'd go for a gourmet vegetarian topping.

10) Proudest moment lately? I did 1 and 3/4 pull ups my myself on Monday! Baby got back ;-)

11) Your favourite physical activity? Running, boxing, weights ... and carving up the dancefloor!

..................................................


Ok now for my 11 Questions:

Use Liz's. I can't be bothered thinking up any of my own.

And I tag anyone who wants to play!

Shin Bruises and PBs

Happy Sunday!

I'm loving this cool change the weekend has brought, it makes training sooooo much more enjoyable. Can't say I'm a fan of the drowned rat look lol.

Well training has been going intensely since i checked in last and I am loving every moment of it! As I have now graduated to the big boy weights for dead lifts (45 pounders - my gym uses old school weights) I have experienced the downside ...

Shin bruises ... how attractive.

So arnica cream has become my best friend. I might have to invest in some compression calf sleeves as football socks aint' going to cut it because i wear:

Vibrams

I am a total convert now and there is noooo way I am going back .... to the dark side.

Bruises aside I ran the KP Stairs this morning and guess what? I smashed out a new PB:

24:53mins!

I felt really fit and strong this morning. I cut my rest time (at the top and bottom) again and had a drink break after every 3rd set instead of every 2nd. The elusive 20min mark is not too far away now!

....

I had a lady at the gym ask me the other day, does training ever get any easier? 

In my opinion, easier is probably not the best term to use. As your body becomes fitter and stronger you won't feel like you are about to have a heart attack when you train lol. However, you are able to push yourself a lot harder and experience those exercise induced endorphins like the 'runners high'. (That is why exercise is my drug of choice). I also find when i am fit, I recover a lot faster, enjoy my sessions more and my life resides on cloud 9... so technical I am today.

Adios!





22 Weeks Out ... Progress Pics!

Happy hump day!

Hope all you Brisvegas peeps are surviving this heat wave. 37 Degrees (98 F) and 10000000% humidity is not my idea of fun. Don't get me wrong, I love the heat over the cold anyday but when your make-up drips off your face the moment you walk outside, it is not cool. Duh.

Humidity aside, my week has been full of excitement ... though with some types of excitement, I swear more than usual.

Monday:

Power Session: Awesome. New PB for deadlifts is 90lbs/40.9kg (plus Olympic Bar) for 5 reps. I started with 50lbs/22.7kg 4 weeks ago so I'm very happy with my progress so far. I'm still having issues with a very tight lower back so I'm really focusing on proper technique!

That afternoon I received my Booklist for Uni, Semester One. Grand total $523.60. OMFG. And that's only for ONE subject! Thank god I get to re-use a textbook from last year for my other subject ... This is an example of swearing excitement.

That evening as i was chilling out on the lounge watching some TV, I had another moment of swearing excitement. There was this massive crash and I thought Steve, my neighbour, had fallen through the ceiling. WTF! The wires on my wall mirror had snapped causing it to come crashing down to the floor.

Thank god I now have a hot black shaggy rug below it otherwise there would have been glass everywhere! ... On a positive note, I finally get to replace the mirror glass with 'skinny mirror glass'. FYI (and only a girl would understand!), I bought the mirror because I love the frame. The mirror itself is one where you avoid looking at because it makes you look like you have put on 5kg... of pudginess muscle.

Tuesday:

I did an 8km run/walk. Note: There wasn't suppose to be walking of any sort during this session, so I won't even bother posting my time. Silly me slept in (till 6am) and didn't make it out the front door until 7am - 28 degrees (82 F). And then i had some dumb bright idea of taking the mountain hilly route. I lasted about 5km before contemplating whether or not I should jump in the creek. FYI, I didn't. I do have standards. It was soooooo hot, and i was totally overheating so I ended up dragging myself walking the last 3km home. Not fun at all.

Today:

Had another killer BodySlam class - a lot of boxing, abs, squats and walking lunges.

I was on such a high after the class that I decided to take some Progress Pics - 22 weeks out from Comp. 

Shoulders are beginning to pop, 'sexy six-pack' will be the LAST to show

Pull Ups are improving my V taper and I've been squatting my way to a 'perkier arse'!

Umm the 'show some leg' pose?  I really have no fuckin clue what I was doing lol

Blitzing the Stairs!

Hey guys and gals, hope you're having a fab weekend so far! Mine has been A for AWESOME.

Saturday started off with another kick-butt Body Slam class - boxing and sprints, my fav. Total sweatfest. I was so energized after the class that i found myself in a cleaning mission - vacuuming and mopping. The joys of the world ... not. Actually, what motivated me to sanitize the pad was this ginormous lizard that snuck inside as I was opening the door. OMG. I don't do well with reptiles or spiders. It decided to take refuge underneath my lounge. Superb. Anywho after racking my brain how I would get the little fella out, I decided to scare it with the vacuum cleaner. Winner.

Later that afternoon I got a nice suprise. 2 FREE TICKETS to the tennis! The Women's Final of the Brisbane International: Hantuchova vs Kanepi.

So I called my girlfriend Tarsha, and off we went. Great atmosphere, great company, fabulous night.

And that brings us to my Sunday Session. KP Stairs. You may recall that one of my goals this year is to run 10 sets in 25min. Well I shocked myself this morning and took 7:20mins off last weeks' time! 26:10mins is my new PB!

How you may ask? I halved my gasping for air time rest time and doubled the torture fun. Simple. Plus there was a really fit chick bounding up the stairs like it was no big deal, so I couldn't let her get too many sets ahead of me lol.

So it looks like i may just achieve that goal in the next couple of weeks, not 6 to 8 like I had anticipated. Therefore lets make the time to beat 20 mins by end of February. I'm assuming that will mean NO rest period!

Well time to put my feet up, enjoy your Sunday!

Back to the Grind and Kicking some Arse

Hey ya'll, are you back to the grind yet!? It's my first week back at work after 11 blissful days off and I feel like I have been hit by a semi-trailer. Sooooooo tired ... I don't think missing a nights' sleep on NYE helped either lol. Tiredness aside, I have soldiered on and smashed out 3 killer workouts so far.

Tuesday morning was my Power Session. Power sessions are empowering. I've just finished the third week of my strength program and that is exactly how my body is feeling - STRONG BABY! Got the boulder shoulder thing going on too, they are starting to pop woohoo.

Usually I don't like to do two big sessions in one day but due to the gym being closed on Monday, I CHOSE to get my game face on. So I did a 7km run outside in the arvo. 38.13min. I put up a status on Facebook that night saying how I really enjoy running in the arvo in preference to the morning however, I always run faster in the morning. Why? The general consensus was a) lighter on an empty stomach b) cooler running temperature in the morning. What are your thoughts?

Last nights' training session was BodySlam. Instructor Joss made us very aware that 2012 is the year for getting our arses kicked getting extremely fit. Boxing meets Crossfit. One word - INTENSE. I may have tasted vomit in my throat at multiple stages one stage. So gross.

So today is my rest day. I need it BIG TIME too. Got to rest these little muscles of mine before kicking arse in the gym tomorrow! Anyway I'm off for a massage soon. If you hear some obscenities in the distance that will be me swearing as my quads are being prodded.

Oh and btw, I have a new girl crush...

 

... on fitness model Ashley Horner. Bad ass and smoking hot.

Happy New Year with some Party Pics!

Hope you had a fabulous night and aren't suffering from a seedy hangover this morning ... i'm not! I consumed the grand total of half an expresso martini last night, then onto lime and soda water it was for me. Such a hardcore drinker I am ... though I did take some NeuroBlast, a pre-workout supplement, to power me through the night. Product review to come.

As in typical NYE style, my friends and I carved up the dancefloor pool deck. We went all out with sparklers and glow sticks. And after 5 hours of non-stop dancing, including a 1.6km walk to the Oxford 152 pub in my high heels (I don't recommend that and had to transition into my Havaianas half way through the night), my energizer batteries wore out so I called it a morning night and headed home. Got to bed at 5am and woke up at 9am, can't sleep when the sun is shining! So now my body is feeling like it has been hit by a truck lol. But I can't complain. It was a fabulous night with fabulous friends and wicked music. Perfect way to welcome in the New Year!

Strike a Pose

Cheryl and I - the Energizer Bunnies

My girl Bertie

Mark and I