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.

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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!

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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.


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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!

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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