The Journey Continues

NEW BLOG

2007-10-10T20:42:00.000+10:00

Check out my new blog at the address below!

http://fabfigures.blogspot.com/

1 sleep to go!

2007-10-05T06:48:00.000+10:00

It almost feels like the day before Christmas! The day before comp day is sooo exciting : ) I can't wait for tomorrow, it will an action packed day for sure.

I caught up with Penny and Tara Wednesday night, two very tired little muscle chicks they were! Seeing and hearing everyone's voices in the last week brings back sooo many memories : ) The last week of comp prep can be sooo draining, I know I virtually live on air and anticipation! Gerard was so excited to be eating carbs yesterday!

Cheryl called all excited Wednesday night as well. She was asked to go along and promote the show on Brisbane radio station Nova! They are broadcasting from a park in Brisbane, so I ordered her to go and buy herself a nice new tiny little outfit! Hehehehe, like a buff figure girl needs that excuse! She rang all excited this morning. I'm sure she dazzled them with her abs : )

I am having my hair done this morning, I had a tan last night and am about to pack our bags. We are heading down to Vegas today to register and will be staying at Cheryls tonight so we are nice and close to the venue in the morning.

I am so motivated at the moment. I'm sure it has something to do with being surrounded by buff competitors! I got home from college last night at 9.50pm, changed into my running gear and hit the streets for a cardio session.

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYBODY STEPPING ON STAGE TOMORROW! See you at the Show!

Back in Cyber Space!

2007-09-30T20:48:00.000+10:00

What a treat! I am finally back on line. Yippee : ) I have been so flat out, it is great. Only 1 week left until the INBA Qld Titles. I am sooo excited about that! I have had a big weekend of posing and routine practice. I have 3 female clients and 1 male (my hubby : )) competing next Saturday. I am all excited about competing again myself! I have decided I will be having a heuwg competition year next year. The Nationals are in Queensland - yay! So I will be hitting the stage in April and October of 2008. I am back in training with a vengence. Smashing my shoulders and back in particular. I have been on a bit of a mission of late and am feeling really good about how I am looking for my "off season". It took me a while to get my training mojo back - but with the encouragement of my friend Liz Nelson at www.thefitnesssolution.com I was motivated and up and running in no time! Thanks Liz : )

On the business front I have also been a busy girl. My business cards are currently being designed by a graphic artist. I have gone with the colours Red & White for Fabulous Figures. There will be a few hot bodies strutting around on Saturday in Red Singlets!

So who is going out of the Qld peeps out there? I hope I get the opportunity to catch up with as many of you as possible. Let me know who is coming so I can keep an eye out for you beautiful gals!

Busy Bee

2007-09-19T17:04:00.000+10:00

Hello! Can you believe I still don't have internet at home! Totally unbelievable in this day and age.......but anyway, the matter should be finalised by the end of this week.

I have been a very busy little bee. I celebrated my 1st wedding anniversary last week! Time flies by so damn quickly I tell you. We had a lovely day. We made a deal that each year one of us would plan the day and G surprised me by hiring a boat and we went up the Noosa river for a picnic. After our picnic we drove around the canals of Noosa and dreamed about our property portfolio - no harm in dreaming : ) We went to our restaurant Sails in the evening for dinner and treated ourselves to a Mossimo icecream for dessert.......yuuuummmmmy : )

It has been an incredible year. Every day seems so busy, but when we reflected on everything we have achieved in one year it is rather amazing really. My life has become so full of achievement and happiness since I met G.

I have been going well with training and nutrition. It helps that G is only weeks out from his comp, so the household is a very focussed environment! He is looking rather sensational if I do say so. I've also been busy with college and all of the ideas and actions that I have to progress on the business front.

I'm feeling a bit tired today as I have had a couple of late nights and early mornings. It's starting to catch up on me. So I'll have to hit the sack early tonight.

Will post again soon!

Lots to be excited about!

2007-08-31T17:49:00.001+10:00

Hello! It's been so long since I've posted. We still don't have internet at home and I'm at Tara's - apparently quickly checking email, but doing a blog update too!

I am rather excited today. I registered my business names! Yippee! My fitness business is called "Fabulous Figures" and my tanning business is called "Tan-To-Go" Next step will be designing our business cards and website. I started studying again this week. It is so exhilarated studying something that is interesting, rather different to my boring work stuff. I go to college Tuesday and Thursday nights as well as all day Sunday, so I will have a very full schedule.

We have had crazy rainfall recently. The last week has been nice and sunny though. I couldn't even get to work last Friday as all routes to the office were flooded. Water was lapping at the doors at home! Arnie was even treated to a night sleeping inside.

Well only a matter of weeks before the October comps are here. I'm getting excited for the girls. We have booked our holiday and paid in full today. Yippee, off to Thailand. I'm looking forward to that. Settlement on our land is on Monday and we will officially be back in the mortgage market.

So much happening and so much to be happy and thankful for! I am loving life : )

My Graduation

2007-08-09T19:25:00.000+10:00

I forgot to mention my graduation in my catch up post. Whilst I was MIA I had a graduation ceremony for a qualification I completed through work. We had to dress up in gowns and it was rather exciting! We went out and celebrated after the ceremony and I was very very sick the following day. I don't handle alcohol very well.

I didn't end up accepting that job either. Thank you to everybody who sent me good luck wishes about that. They wanted to negotiate the money and I said no. Since then I have actually been really enthusiastic about my job. Funny how things happen.

Gerards surgery went well today. Thank you to everybody for sending well wishes. Hopefully this will be the last of the skin cancers. Especially now that we have the spray tanning business. I must say he has developed tanarexia. Every 5 days at the maximum I have to tan him! Beats soaking in the sun though.

We picked up the keys for our rental property today. It is a brand new house so it is lovely and clean. The area is great for bike riding. No gigantic hills that put you off riding! The kids will love it. Although I will miss being able to walk past the ocean every morning. But it's not forever, we'll be back soon I hope. Lots of work to do over the next few days so I'll probably catch up with you all next week!

Gone are the days.....

2007-08-08T22:16:00.000+10:00

of me being the aerobic bunny at the front of the class jumping the highest and putting everybody elses moves to shame! I did a Body Step Class tonight....I am so damn unco these days! I used to LOVE step classes....we'll see if the love returns in time.....

I have had a great week thus far. I have been to the gym 3 days in a row. Yippee. I have eaten clean 3 days in a row as well and I have also slept like a baby the last 2 nights. I have the next 4 days off work. Tomorrow is to take G to his surgery. He has to go back and have more cells cut out of his head as the doctor didn't go deep enough. So that is a bummer, but I'm sure it will all be fine. Then we start moving on Friday. We will move a bunch of boxes on Friday morning and I will get them all unpacked before we move the big items over on Saturday. EVERYTHING will be unpacked by the time I go to bed on Sunday night. Then I will have to get some mirrors organised for my posing classes as I already have appointments booked for the following weekend. I seriously love teaching posing and routine instruction. I love working hands on with people and seeing them improve and gain confidence in themselves. It is such a satisfying feeling.

Well on that note, time to chill out and wind down.

Long Time No Post

2007-08-05T21:22:00.001+10:00

Well well well, it has been a long time between posts! My trip to Melbourne seems so long ago now. I had a great time. I got to spend lots of time with the beautiful Hilde, meet Shar, have some enjoyable conversations with Sam, Lia and Katie, catch up with lots of people including Cheryl, Jodie, Sue and Ali and the absolute pinnacle of the weekend was seeing 2 incredible women that I have been privileged to share their comp journey with win their category!!!! The above picture is of me with these amazing women - Dee and Christy. Sam summed up my feelings when she said to me at the end of the night "You must be feeling very proud right now!" Proud indeed!

So you will see by the other photo above that we have sold our shack. We went to auction on the last week of July and sold at the auction. Talk about an adrenalin rush! That was fun. We have already reinvested in a block of land. Can you believe we have bought a block right across the road?! We are moving to the "good side" of the street - haha....well the views are better on this side anyway.

I have been in the process of packing up the house as we move next week. I really don't like this task....it positively sucks. I have been a big fat slacker as far as my training goes. I am so unfit and feeling very gross. I have been talking with a friend of mine about this over the last week and she is helping me take control of my training and state of mind in order to get back on track. Time to start getting motivated and setting goals.

LAST MINUTE DECISION!

2007-07-11T08:12:00.000+10:00

I've made a last minute decision to go to Melbourne this weekend for the All Female comp! Yay, I am very excited now. I'll be helping out Christie and Dee back stage and staying with gorgeous Hilde. I am really looking forward to catching up with so many people - yippee :)

I haven't been around much. I've actually been feeling a little "black" so prefer to just crawl into my hole and not put it out there to the world. There has been a few contributing factors to feeling like this, but I have had to dig deep and pull myself up. My comp cardio buddy called me over the weekend and we have started running together again in the morning. So I have been out of bed in the dark pounding the pavement in the wee hours the last 2 mornings. The ball is rolling.....

I have also had a job opportunity come my way in private enterprise, which was totally unexpected. I went for a job interview yesterday. I felt that it went really really well. I should find out by the end of the week. If I am successful and am offered the position I will be stepping out of my government comfort zone. It will be worth it though. I named a figure and said I wouldn't be willing to work for less than that and they were very receptive. So I will stay tuned for that outcome.

Tonight is a posing session with Tara and Fiona. We get together every Wednesday night for posing. I am really enjoying working with these 2 girls, they are lovely ladies and have progressed in leaps and bounds with their posing. I am looking forward to seeing them shine on stage.

Well I'd better get moving. It is a magic day here today. Have a great day everyone.

Star Struck!

2007-07-02T22:18:00.001+10:00

OMG, I'm totally star struck! I have just been emailing with Ms Figure Olympia herself Jenny Lynn. I totally feel like a groupie : )

HO HUM

2007-07-02T14:24:00.000+10:00

It is such a beautiful day today and I am at stinking ole work! You get that.

I am procrastinating like there is no tomorrow with my comp prep. Finding it very hard to get completely focussed again – which is why I had a year between my last comps. I worked out my train program today and printed out a copy to stick on my fridge. It is so much easier to get out of bed in the morning when it is summer. This comp prep in winter is down right dodgy! I don’t think I’d cope if I was in a southern state. It would be easier if I lived closer to my gym, but I’m a 30 minute drive away so morning cardio can be completed by the time I drive there and back.

I had a great weekend. We had an open house which went well and we spent some time on Saturday and Sunday looking at land for our next house. It is quite funny because after looking we have decided we really like the block across the road, so our agent is looking into that for us. If all goes to plan we will put a contract on that shortly, but we will have to wait a while before we build again.

We went down to the surf club yesterday afternoon and caught up with Penny, Tara and their families. That was great. I was really slack with my exercise over the weekend. We took Arnie down the beach on Saturday but Sunday I was a lazy bones and did no exercise. So I was up early this morning for a stair repeat session. I am seriously unfit at the moment, but by the end of my first month schedule I should be feeling a bit more vibrant. Off to the gym for shoulders and abs tonight. I love this workout!

I was really disappointed to find out my course has been postponed AGAIN. It will not start until 28th August – which is good from a comp prep point of view, but I am just chomping at the bit to get into it and get my business planning underway. We have a training day for our tanning business next weekend. So I have a few people lined up for tanning practise. I am really looking forward to next weekend. It is also Harry’s birthday on Saturday and Gerards birthday on Monday so we will be having a very full weekend. Then there really can be no excuses for not focussing 100% on my comp prep as Gerard is competing as well.

Well that’s all for now – over and out.

103 days out

2007-06-25T15:36:00.000+10:00

Boy I feel fat when I look at myself in this picture - this was 3 weeks out from my April show. I had a lot of trouble focussing on my nutrition last week. I always struggle with getting back into my comp prep routine. Today has been really good and I am feeling hungry now. I will have to cook up some chicken shortly and have a meal before I head off to the gym. I'm thinking of doing a combat class tonight. I've never done one of those. I start studying again next week so will have to be super organised to fit in all my workouts and cardio sessions. I may have to get up ultra early and do some 5.30am classes - RPM of course! At least I will be super busy, I do find it easier to stick to my nutrition when I am busy and don't have time to troll around for food.

The weather has been so cold and dreary here. Great doona weather.....if only I didn't have to work! G had his stitches out from the second skin cancer he had cut out. He has a very big scar on the side of his head, it's about the size of an ear and looks like a big Z slashed into the side of his head. The nurse was calling him Zorro! I chipped my tooth on Friday - I was not impressed! So I have to see the dentist on Wednesday to get that fixed.

We went to visit my best friend on the weekend to see the new bubba. OMG - 4 kids with 2 under 1 year old. Holy crap - my worse nightmare! I think I could handle one, but that would be my limit! I think I'm far too selfish to have any more than that. Hmmmmnnnnn. Ok, enough dribbling on......time to eat and head off to train shoulders and abs.

POSTER GIRL!

2007-06-16T09:42:00.001+10:00

Lots Happening

2007-06-14T17:22:00.000+10:00

Well I am so lucky - note I said lucky not clucky : ) We have the local show holiday tomorrow so I get 2 long weekends in a row. What a treat! Today is Chelsea's 9th birthday so we are celebrating tomorrow. We are going to see Shrek 3 - oh goody : ) I love the movies and any excuse I am there. I am picking up a big chocolate and cream cake on my way home from work tonight too. Yummy - I'll be having a piece of that! Instead of the normal happy birthday message I have arranged them to write "Princess is 9"! We bought her a "big person" mountain bike today. So she will be excited about that as it is her favourite colour - purple. I have also redecorated her room. Got rid of all the "little girl" fairy stuff. She loves frangipani's so I have decorated it in frangipani them. She will be stoked. We love cooking together so I also bought her her very first cook book...I am positive we will be cooking dinner from it tomorrow night.

We have been researching a new business venture. Hopefully that will be coming to fruition in the near future. With G getting his skin cancers cut out and becoming sun conscious we are looking into purchasing a spray tan business. We have met with one company and will be meeting with another next week some time. So hopefully all goes to plan there.

I was told something last night that has motivated me to also compete at the state titles in October. So I will be competing at the States and Nationals. So I have put my thinking cap on in order to come up with a routine as great as my last one and I think I have it nailed! I have received my music cut back from my music man. It will be very cheeky : ) I will start dieting Monday which is 16 weeks out. I am looking forward to stepping on stage finally with my lower body at it's peak. There will be no stopping me, I am so motivated now. Bring It On!

Welcome To The World

2007-06-10T21:02:00.000+10:00

My little nephew Cooper. What a gorgeous little bundle he is. And who would have thought I'd get all clucky. Such precious innocent little things. It certainly made me contemplate my priorities in life. Last Friday my best friend Ghislayne gave birth to her 4th child, a little girl named Emma. I am surrounded by bubbas. I wonder.......

Well it's been a while since I've posted. I arrived in Sydney the day Genevieve gave birth. Also over that weekend I went to help Christy get ready for her first show. She looked gorgeous, very feminine and at ease on stage. She came 2nd in the Novice Figure line up. While at the show I also had the please of meeting Hillary, Nicc and Nicole. I had a great time that day. Castle Hill RSL is the best RSL I have ever been to. Unlike Christy, I pigged out at lunch time.......oh, and dinner. I even had tirimisu for dessert : ) Piggsy

I have had better weeks than the last couple of weeks. A couple of stressful incidents with work. I will have a case going to the commission in the future. I will be meeting with the lawyers next week.......one of many things. Plus I managed to come down with some germs after we returned from Sydney. Knocked me out for a few days. I tried to go for a walk last weekend, poor Arnie hadn't been walked for a whole week. I didn't fare too well, we were home within 20 minutes.

Yesterday I went back to the gym. I did a leg workout and I am so freakin sore it is unbelievable. I don't usually get affected by DOMS when I am training regularly, but I obviously pushed it a little too hard for my first workout back. My hamstrings scream at me everytime I try to walk.

I have made a decision to compete at the Nationals this year. I qualified in April, so I have decided I'll step up to the challenge again. I have just finished putting my diet together and my training schedule. It feels good to have a focus again. I have been rather lost over the last week, have felt like I have so much spare time, I'm not used to that. But that is about to change. I start my new training schedule tomorrow - straight into it. I'm really excited now that I have established some goals. So I will get back into the swing of training and I then start studying again in July. I will lose 2 nights per week going to college. So then I will feel like I have no spare time : ) I bought a note book today, I've decided to create my own motivation journal. I'm going to carry it with me everywhere!

We decided to put the house back on the market. We met with the agent on Saturday afternoon. I am excited about the prospect of selling now. We really weren't committed to the process last time. But Ive broken my emotional attachment to this house and I'm already planning my new kitchen! I'm going to have a pull out pantry this time, not a walk in. I love planning kitchens!

FOR SHAR

2007-06-07T23:52:00.000+10:00

Top 2 Diet Tips or Advice:
1)If you aren't lean as a whippet don't carb up - but judging by your pics Shar you will be carbing up till the cows come home : )
2)Have an electrolyte drink to consume after you come off stage to help with rehydration.

Top 2 Training Tips or Advice:
1)Try to be as consistent as possible so you can take it relatively easy in the last couple of weeks prior to your comp. Nothing worse than having to cardio 2 x day in the final week!
2)Plyometrics : )

Top 2 Beauty / Make up / Hair Tips or Advice:
1)Make your hair look pretty - nothing looks worse than a figure girl with scraggy hair : )
2)SMILE - if you don't smile it actually does look worse than the scraggy hair - and if you have scraggy hair and no smile......say no more!

Top 2 Tips on mentally coping!!!!
1)Don't be late, then you won't have to rush and you won't stress.
2)Don't worry about anybody else, it is your day, you've done all the hard work and now it is your opportunity to really enjoy the experience.

Your Best Bit of Advice:
- Take lots of pics back stage - they are the fun ones.
- Listen to your trainer - you are in good hands.

Off To Sydney

2007-05-23T22:34:00.000+10:00

To watch Christy our IBO comp client compete in the ANB Sydney Titles - Novice Figure Division. I will also be meeting Hillary at the show! So it will be an action packed day. This pic is of Christy and I out at Montezuma's after my comp : ) She was such a good girl - ordered a salad and added her own chicken portion to it while I ate my burrito and hoovered up the leftovers off a couple of other plates : ) She flew all the way up from Sydney to meet Sue and I and watch the comp!

My sister is also due to have a baby while we are in Sydney, so it will be a very diverse trip - LOL. She is overdue by a week and is getting induced tomorrow if the little screamer hasn't pushed it's own way out.......ow. I am one of those women who don't dream about motherhood. I'm sure I'll get all gooey when I see the little bubba though.

I got a new do today. I was going to have my hair all cut off but I just couldn't part with the locks. So got lots of layers and shaping around the face. Also got my big vegemite stripe fixed. I love it when I have my hair done, it feels soooo nice and fresh. Went out for lunch with G today. It was one of those magic winter days without a cloud in the sky. Took puppy for 2 walks today as seen as he will miss out on his walks for 4 days in a row : (

Well it's getting late, so I think I'll hit the sack.

On A Roll

2007-05-16T08:46:00.000+10:00

Today's pic is of the love of my life - my husband Gerard. Snapped this pic while down the Gold Coast. I love my hubby so much - he is the centre of my life. He helped me turn my life around when I met him. I am a completely different person than I was and I just love my life with him. I had the lowest self esteem and I remember him saying to me very early in our relationship "I want you to be able to walk down the street with your head held high realising how beautiful you are!" Now he shakes his head at me and says "Oh my god, I've created a monster!" Love you baby.

Enough mush and onto a completely different topic. You may want to leave this post now because I'm going to be really frank and gross : ) You know what I love the most about having finished my comp prep? Going to the toilet and doing an number 2! The little joys of life : ) I get really clogged up when I am dieting strictly and it is an ongoing joke with a friend (I WONT MENTION HER NAME!) She taunted me several times during the last stage of my prep when she'd just been to the toilet.........yes I have horrible cruel friends! Now if you've ever been seriously constipated you'll be able to relate the this - everyone else will be thinking I'm a freak I know, oh well that's life!

My bloating and weight is starting to subside already. It is such a good feeling to see all that yukkiness reduce. Off to the gym again tonight for chest and arms. I just love my gym. The people who work there are so friendly. There is now an RPM class on a Saturday morning! Yippee! Going to RPM tomorrow night and I can't wait!

Have an awesome day everyone. Train hard and eat well - you'll feel fabulous for it!

Back into the swing of things

2007-05-15T08:08:00.000+10:00

Well as you can tell from my recent pictures, I have been doing a very good job of eating lots of crappy food choices! I have had 2 full weeks off the gym ..... and any type of sensible eating plan and I am officially a fat bloated whale : ) To be honest, I have completely enjoyed the freedom of the last 2 weeks. I have totally enjoyed every food choice I have made after be so disciplined for so long. But, it has all started to catch up on me now and it is time to pull the reins in and refocus on my goals for my health, fitness and physique.

So first day back at the gym I smashed my shoulders! Shoulders, abs and glutes will be the particular body parts that I will be putting a whole lot of energy into between now and my next comp.......still tossing up ideas about when that will be. I am heading down to Sydney in 2 weeks to cheer on Christy in her first comp and when I return from there I will be doing an 8 week challenge and rewarding myself with some professional photos.

Although I have "let myself go" over the last two weeks I'm actually quite proud of myself for being able to refocus at this point. I have struggled with refocussing after all of my comps and I think I've done really well to put things into action now.

I just finished my breakfast which is my favourite meal of the day. I had 1/3 cup oats cooked on water, after cooking I add 1/4 cup of all bran, 10 almonds, 15 frozen rasperries and pour over 1 serve of Chocolate MRM Meta Whey which I have buzzed up in my little rocket blender with ice cubes. Yummmmooooo : )

I could eat that for every meal......if only I wasn't watching my carb intake for the next 2 weeks! I went to the fish market last night and bought a kg of Pearl Perch. So delish, and I even had my chicken,bean and vegemite combo yesterday for lunch and couldn't believe how good it tasted! One of the ladies at work even commented on how great it smelt!

I'm not enjoying the later sunrises now that winter is almost on us. My gym is a 30min drive a way so it's a bit ridiculous driving that far twice a day. Just have to rug up and get moving in the dark. Arnie certainly doesn't mind walking in the dark.

Time to get ready for work now. Have a sensational day!

Drinky Drinky

2007-05-13T22:11:00.000+10:00

Bring on da cocktails : )

Feasting Fotos!

2007-05-12T11:45:00.000+10:00

The first photo is the 'before the feast' the second is 'after the feast'! My final feed at the Goldy was at the pancake manor. I out ate G! I managed 4.5 pancakes with butter and maple syrup - he only managed 4! This little machine can eat : )

Will update more later on how I'm going.

Some More Comp Day Pics

2007-05-08T22:26:00.000+10:00

Rachel and I watching the show earlier in the day.

Me being announced in 2nd place being awarded my trophy by Mrs Heintze!

My beachboys Ken & G in full boogy mode! I was smiling so huge as the crowd was cheering so loud!

I'll write some more in the next couple of days. Tomorrow is my 35th birthday and it is my final day of feasting : ) Then I start a diet to recover from all the damage I have inflicted on myself from eating so much since my comp!

P.S.

2007-04-30T18:29:00.000+10:00

I WOULD LIKE TO SEND A BIG GIGANTIC THANKYOU TO EVERYONE WHO SENT ME GOOD LUCK MESSAGES AND COMMENTS IN THE LEAD UP TO THE SHOW!

I'm seriously hopeless at responding to messages. Thankyou for your call Liz, sorry I missed you! Thankyou to everyone who wished me luck at the comp and cheered for me on the day. I appreciate every single one of you!

Love Di

XXXXXX

WHAT A DAY!

2007-04-30T18:03:00.000+10:00

Exhausting and exhilarating all in one! I am unbelievably wrapped to have placed 2nd in Open Figure at the INBA Brisbane Titles. All the girls in the line up were unbelievable and we were on stage for so long - turning, turning and turning some more. It was the toughest class of the day and everybody should be so proud of themselves. When I looked at the photos I named our class "The Battle of the Blondes!" 5 blonde girls! The lady who placed 1st was a stand out winner and she was so lovely. You could crack nuts on her butt it was so hard! And she didn't have shoulders, she had boulders : ) I think she got ripped for overall but that's just my opinion.

I actually couldn't believe I placed so high. I got all psyched out out the back. I was pretty much shitting myself! I was never doing another comp : ) All the fears subsided when I walked through the curtains and up onto the stage. I just love being on stage, it is the biggest buzz. Who'd want to be a drug addict when you can be a bodybuilder and get a high standing up there under those lights turning it on for the crowd?! I seriously love competing - that moment when you walk onto stage and hear your friends and family cheering for you is just indescribable. To hear your number called as a place getter is to me exhilaration. I love it and I'll do it again......I'm just not sure when : ) I honestly don't love all of the preparation process though. I'm not going to bullshit about that - a lot of that sucks for me, but it's worth it for the end result.

I had a very long day. I was awake from 2:00am, up at 3.30am for a 4.00am hair appointment. My hairdresser is a doll! The things she does for me. I had my hair styled very similar to my wedding hairstyle, I just loved it and was stoked with my presentation, which was a very different look from my last comp. It was all part of my surfy girl look which went was themed with my routine. I had 2 beach boys as my props carry me in on my surfboard. The routine was a huge hit with the crowd and I won the best posing award for the day. I was pretty wrapped with that - it all went as planned. When the guys started their dance moves the crowd absolutely ROARED! That was SO EXHILARATING! I really wanted to do something different - particularly as I have moved into helping others with posing and routine choreography.

A big group of us went out to Montezuma's for dinner. Yummy - then we had Baskin Robbins icecream for dessert. It was a truely top day and I shared it with so many of my loved ones. I will post more pics over the next few days. G and I are off to the Gold Coast tomorrow for 3 days of R & R. I'm having a week off training, working out a new training plan and then I'll start working on improving my condition for my next comp. I weighed in at 49.7kgs comp morning, which was exactly the same weight as a year previous - but with a substantially different body composition. Still lots of room to improve - and so "The Journey Continues"!

GOOD LUCK ALI!

2007-04-27T08:27:00.000+10:00

GOOD LUCK TO ALI FOR YOUR SHOW ON THE WEEKEND! I HOPE YOU HAVE A SENSATIONAL TIME AND ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE.

WE WILL BE THINKING OF YOU FROM QLD : )

XXXXXX

4 more sleeps to go

2007-04-25T07:40:00.000+10:00

Only 4 more sleeps to go till comp. I am laying in bed with my crippled husband tapping away on wireless internet. How great is technology?! G had to have procedure on his face yesterday to have a nasty cancer cut out. The reality of sun sense has seriously hit home. It is quite scary. He has 15 stiches that I can see and had to have a whole section of his lip removed. I'm so glad we caught it when we did otherwise it would have been a disaster.

I had the pleasure of meeting Deb, Alicia and Tracey in person on Sunday at the WNBF comp. It will be great to be joining them in the buzz and excitement of being on stage this weekend coming. All the girls looked so vibrant and beautiful! I was cheering for them all - not sure if you heard me girls : ) The look on Debs face when her win was announced was priceless - hope you managed to get a picture of that Deb! Alicia is just beautiful, and her stage confidence was outstanding. She really shone. Tracey absolutely sparkled on stage as well. I think she had one of the most beautiful costumes of the show. You should all be so proud of yourselves and what you have achieved girls!

Well I'm just biding time at the moment. I'm feeling ok about my condition. In my past preps I would still be getting up and going for a run at this stage! But I am just having a short walk for my cardios this week. I definitely still haven't reached my peak - so there's a reason to keep competing after this show : ) My butt is really loose, so I will be doing some serious lower body training in my next phase of training. Which will start AFTER a well earned break with my man on the Gold Coast. I am definitely leaner though and have improved my condition from my last comp so my goal has been achieved. I feel like I am so skinny though, it surprises me when I look at myself in the mirror.

Mr and Mrs Heintze have been staying with us since last Thursday. We have hardly seen each other! They are such a wonderful couple and I can't believe it will soon be 2 years since we were all together in the Barossa Valley enjoying their beautiful wedding in another 5 sleeps. How time flies. Life just passes so quickly.

I had a some fandangly body composition analysis done at the gym yesterday. Their is a naturopath who visits and does electronic analysis as well as iridology. So I thought I'd book in to see what condition the old bod was in. They go through a whole heap of things like lean muscle mass, fat mass, how efficiently your body is absorbing nutritients, hydration levels, biological v actual age. Well I was STOKED to learn what my age is. I turn 35 in less than 2 weeks but my body in only 29! Gotta love that! My body is running at 97% efficiency in regards to nutritient absorbsion which is excellent, I am underweight - well that's blood obvious! I misunderstood the fat reading percentage as it only applies to the internal fat surrounding your organs not the subcutaneous fat that body builders get obsessed with - and my healthy fat is way too low for optimal health which is why I am always cold. I am sensitive to dairy - which is why my flaky scalp won't clear and he recommended I do a dairy detox to help clear my lymphatic congestion. What that means is my body is absorbing the nutrients but when it comes the clearing out the toxins my body is all congested and is not eliminating them effectively because I have a backlog of buildup from my body spitting the dummy over dairy - those damn cappacinnos : )

So all in all it was very interesting. Today is the first day I don't have a zillion errands to run. I have this week off work thank goodness. I am going to organise my comp bag today so I don't have to do that at the last minute and I feel in control. It's just a matter of eating on time, drinking lots and waiting for the day to arrive!

GOOD LUCK GIRLS!

2007-04-21T07:31:00.000+10:00

GOOD LUCK TO ALICIA, DEB AND TRACEY FOR TOMORROWS COMP!

I'll be there cheering for you all. I hope you all have a wonderful experience and are pleased with your journey. All the hard work has paid off and it's finally the big 1st day : )

Yay!

COVERED IN CHOCOLATE KISSES!

2007-04-17T15:04:00.000+10:00

Well my thighs will be in another 12 days! THANKYOU MICHELLE! I received the parcel. My treats are stashed at the back of the fridge awaiting their fate : )
Yummmmmmy!

I have just had to go and get a long black to try and wake myself up. I could seriously do with a nanna nap right now. I don’t think that would go down to well considering I’m sitting at my desk in the middle of the office. So coffee it is.

I felt quite energetic this morning so thought I’d squeeze out my last hard core cardio session. My cardio buddy picked me up before dawn and we headed down to the stairs. Walked down to the boardwalk and back for our warm up and then achieved a new PB on the stair repeats. 14 sets all running. The sun rose out of the ocean as we huffed and puffed, it was just beautiful……..the sun that is, not us huffing and puffing. Today is the most magic day. Fingers crossed the weather stays this perfect for Mr & Mrs H.

I got the majority of my routine finalised on the weekend. Yes you are reading correctly. I have only just started my routine! I’m not stressed about that at all. Easy peasy.

I had my nails done this morning. They look absolutely gorgeous. I love having my nails done, it makes me feel so lady like. I’m having my colour redone on Thursday and my brazilian redone on Friday. I have my tan. So all I have to do re maintenance is have a shave the day before the comp. The week prior should be pretty easy now, not much running around. Just eat, walk, train, rest. Sounds like a plan!

SHRINKAGE

2007-04-15T16:41:00.000+10:00

In all the wrong areas : ( My beautiful shoulders are shrinking away...... why does my body not know to take it from my butt and knees NOT my bloody shoulders!

I have decided no more running. Power walking on the hills only. I cant afford to sacrifice any more muscle in an effort to get leaner. At the rate I'm going I'll end up looking like a freaking stick insect - with saddle bags : ) What a weird looking insect that would be.....

1 more week to go till the WNBF show. I had a moment of insanity yesterday and even considered competing - but I changed my mind. I can't go through a full depletion twice, well I could but I won't! Enough pain has been endured already : )

I am really looking forward to the show coming and being over with. G and I are going down the Gold Coast for a few days to get away and have some R & R. All I can think about is the buffet breakfasts that I am going to feast on, and the satisfying sleep that comes with a full belly and a good *BEEP*!. Yes, sad but true. I have been fighting a constant battle for the last week now and just want this prep to be over so I can be normal. I miss all the normal things - like going to the movies and having diet coke; like cooking my man a beautiful dinner that we sit down and enjoy together; capaccinos; A LIBIDO!!;

Anyway, enough bitching, only 2 weeks to go........

WARNING - View at own risk - PRETTY GROSS!

2007-04-13T08:00:00.000+10:00

I did warn you! This gross picture is my battered ole feet. Can you guess what I will be rewarding myself with as soon as my comp is over? Yes.......bring on the pedicure!

I am feeling pretty good this morning.....so I think that is an indication I need to go harder : ) 15 days to go now so as I am not exactly where I hoped to be I will be changing to my hard core diet for my final week prior to depletion. I so wish I didn't have to work next week, but I do so no point whingeing about it.

I had an extremely stressful day on Wednesday. I had a workplace mediation that went pair shaped. The employer completely freaked out at me. I stayed cool but as soon as I left and drove down the road I lost it.....I had a big cry and wished I could eat some carbs : ) On reflection, I realised how far I had come as this type of incident would have been an excuse to go on a full on binge - but not this time. So although comp prep remains a tough task the more experienced I become, I certainly feel that I am developing with how I cope with the prep.

Ok, that's all for now, must go and cook my chicken and hang out my gym clothes.

Done and Dusted

2007-04-09T18:11:00.000+10:00

Today's pic is of my gorgeous husband at the top of Mt Coolum! We ran up it in 10mins and 20 seconds. I must take a pic of the mountain so you can see the size of it.

Well I am referring to my 8 cardio sessions not the actual dusting : ) Who has time to dust with that cardio schedule! I so nearly piked out on my 8th session. Then I read Hilary's blog and thought I'd better get off my ass and keep my word on my cardio plans! So it all timed very well as my friend Penny text me and we went for a power hill walk together for an hour. The time goes so much quicker when you are exercising with somebody.

I have had the most focussed easter ever. I so wish I didn't have to work when I am in comp prep mode. It would make the prep a whole lot easier. And I really enjoyed being able to take my little nanna nap everday after lunch. Today G and I went for a wander down the front (that's what we call down town). Usually we sit at Raw Energy and have coffee but today I had a pot of peppermint tea. It was quite refreshing.

I was so disappointed to see Damo get sent home of the Biggest Loser last night. I really wanted Damo to win. So I wonder who will get eliminated tonight! I hope it's the big girl Courtney, he can be such a bitch : )

I can't believe the WNBF show doesn't start until 3pm next Sunday. Who the hell wants to be watching a bodybuilding show at 9pm on a Sunday night. It will be midnight before we get home. I'm pretty peeved about that. What an exhausting day for the competitors. I went for some retail therapy on Saturday and bought myself a new outfit to wear to the show. How great is it picking the smallest size off the rack and having it fit perfectly?! I was pretty stoked. Except I no longer have any boobs.........plenty of ass still to lose though! So on that note, I shall soldier on. Bye!

6 down 2 to go

2007-04-08T21:51:00.000+10:00

Cardio sessions that is. My goal was 8 for the long weekend. This mornings session was a run up Mt Coolum with G. I also jogged home once we got down to the bottom. Took some pics whilst we were up the mountain. Here I am 21 days out and in going hard mode. I'm not happy with where I'm at yet, still lots of work to do. So on with it.............

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

2007-04-08T00:23:00.000+10:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BEAUTIFUL FRIEND SUE! I HOPE YOU HAVE A SENSATIONAL DAY! THANKYOU FOR BEING SUCH A SPECIAL FRIEND : )

CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU AGAIN SOON.

Happy Easter Everyone

2007-04-05T22:16:00.000+10:00

Happy Easter to you all. I hope you all have a wonderful and safe Easter break. There will not be a drop of chocolate in this household. I am planning on 8 cardio sessions, a shoulder workout and a tan! I will be able to have a nanna nap every day....yippee....now THAT is what I call a great reward for a weekend jam packed with calorie burning : )

Pretty In Pink!

2007-04-03T21:59:00.000+10:00

My costume arrived today! Can you guess what colour it is??!!! I was so excited to receive it in the mail today from Jo Rogers. My goodness the bottom looks so little, I must keep working very hard for the next 3.5 weeks to try and reduce my butt.

Speaking of, I have been working very very hard. My poor old feet are covered in blisters and my hips are aching with every step I take! I achieved a new PB on my stair repeats today. 12 sets with minimal recovery between each set. My calves are already sore. I am totally in love with RPM and still addicted to my vegemite!

Just a very quick post as I really must hit the sack. Nite!

A New Addiction

2007-03-27T16:22:00.000+10:00

No it's not RPM.......although I am doing another class tonight. I'm even workout out late so that I can do the class which doesn't start till 6.30pm. I usually like to be finished at the gym by then. Anyway, back to my addiction! Well I was trying to find something decent to flavour my chicken and beans with - looking through the fridge and pantry....peanut butter - no, jam - no, marmalade - no, sauce - no, vegemite.....oh I'll try a little bit of that........Yummo!

Now I can't wait to eat my chicken and beans so I can get my vegemite fix! I know Michelle will be gagging by now : ) I'm even drinking straight black coffee and enjoying it! Holy crap, something is wrong with me. Sue joked that I must be pregnant with my crazy new combo!

So it's just under 5 weeks till comp now and my ass is still fat : ( I'm annoyed at myself for pigging out on rice cakes on the weekend. Stupid, stupid...... I have reviewed my diet and dropped my carbs a little more now. I'm in the mode of just doing what has to be done now. I was drooling at all the cakes in the patisserie at lunch time. It's the last thing I'll want to eat when I can have them but boy do they look good when I can't have them! I'm already thinking about competing at the end of the year! Yeah I'm losing my mind....

Training is going well. I'm so motivated to train these days. I've moved to a new gym in order to do the RPM and it is state of the art and full of young people. Lots of nice fit bodies there - wink wink : )

Life has been very busy. Still doing the disgusting day job and then spending lots of time in the job I LOVE at Ideal Bodies Online. So between work and training I don't have time to scratch myself. On that note, catch you later..........

RPM ROCKS!

2007-03-22T21:19:00.000+10:00

Sweat, Pain and Loud Music - this class is awesome! I loved workout to loud music with an awesome beat. I might have to become a trend setter like Jodie and Alicia and listen to an ipod with modern tunes whilst I workout : )

I was soaked to the bone after tonights class. If this doesn't help melt the lard off my thighs and ass nothing will. Not much else to report. I'm hungry and soldiering on. Only 5.5 weeks to go till I step on stage. Suppose I'd better start putting my routine together to! In reality I probably won't get around to that till 2-3 weeks out. I won't be stressing about that though. That's the easiest part of comp prep.

You won't be seeing a lot of me. Will try to pop in once or twice a week. Just super busy.

Anyway, I have no personality at the moment so you're not missing much : )

BEEP BEEP!

2007-03-14T20:44:00.000+10:00

Well I blitzed by PB on the beep test this morning! I flogged one of G's workmates but unfortunately his boss beat me - bugger!

Well my PB was level 9-6 and today I managed level 11-8! I was pretty stoked with that effort. The other guy got 12...............next time...............not that I'm competitive or anything : )

Can't wait to get my chicken or chocolate shirt from Lia. I've got a work conference next week and I'm going to wear it. That should ruffle a few feathers from my alcohol swigging work mates. Not that I'm a shit stirrer or anything : )

Well I have lots of work to do tonight so just a quick post tonight. I'm looking leaner these days and wearing my very skinny shorts tonight : ))) Still plenty of lard to lose though, so no time to get complacent.

Oh Give Me Sunshine!

2007-03-13T21:40:00.000+10:00

Some sunny Thailand pictures just for Michelle : )

Bring On A Breeze - Please

2007-03-11T18:41:00.000+10:00

Oh what a view. This was the view from the pool at our honeymoon resort The Racha, in Thailand. I spent some time on the net researching our next holiday. We would like to take the kids to Thailand next year. I think we'll go to Phuket this time.

It is so freakin' hot today. Gerard has just had a cold shower and thinks we need to get air con. Yeah right! That will not be happening, it fades my tan : ) Bad enough that I have to sit in it at the office.

In an effort to ward off getting sick during my comp prep I had a flu shot on Friday. I felt a bit blah yesterday, which is a normal reaction to the flu shot. So I rested up. Even enjoyed a 2 hour nana nap during the day and slept a solid 8 hours last night as well. Today I hit the cardio. Did a 30min walk with Arnie this morning, followed by a 1 hour jog. Then this after noon did a 1hr 5min hill walk/jog. I was soaked in sweat after my pm cardio.

I am off to a RPM class in the morning for my cardio! Can't wait for that one.........I'm a bit scared actually : ) I remember the pain I felt after my last class over a year ago! But it's got to be good for these legs.

Did lots of jobs around the house today. Sorted out the pantry, cleaned the fridge, cooked and portioned my chicken, made G's lunches for the next couple of days, folded clothes, caught up on washing and did a couple of Ideal Bodies tasks.

Well that's all for me. Catch you later in the week.

Only 7.5 weeks to go

2007-03-07T18:50:00.000+10:00

Ok, it's obvious who today's picture is of : ) I just love the bushland out the back of our place. We are considering taking the house off the market. I just don't think we'll be content without our house. We have put so much effort into it, particularly the yards, and they are just beautiful. We'll see what happens......

Well it's TTOM, and I am trolling for food again. It's rather frustrating. Fortunately there is nothing to eat at home! I open the fridge and look at chicken breasts and think, no thanks! I have added psyllium husk to my oats in the morning and my shake for morning tea. I alway clog up when I start my comp prep and it is the yukkiest feeling. So although I am adding a few extra carbs to my diet I think it is worth it.

Revised my training schedule today. It's full speed ahead for training. No days off for the next 14 days straight. Time to Go Hard!

Super Busy

2007-03-06T07:23:00.000+10:00

Gee I’ve been missing for a while! I’ve been a busy busy girl.

Yes Deb – I survived! Not that it was pleasant, but it was far more bearable than the massacre I received last time I got one……that was traumatic indeed.

I have had the most fantastic week with Mrs Heintze. I picked her up last Tuesday from Jo Rogers place. Whilst I was there I selected and ordered my bikini! How exciting! Can’t wait to get it, I believe it will be a bit different to most. I’ve tried to incorporate something to make it a bit different, but you’ll just have to wait to see it : )

So that day was absolutely huge. I had 2 client appointments whilst I was in Brisbane, I hit the wall very early in the evening when we go home. I have made some changes to my diet, dropped the carbs a bit. Have seen some nice progress also over the last week. My thigh is only 6mm off last years thigh measurement and I still have 8 weeks to go! Have to be happy about that. I feel like I’m shrinking. Have worn all of my skinny clothes over the last week…..yippee!

I introduced Sue to my cardio hill route – she wasn’t impressed with it! I think the changes I have introduced to my training must be paying off. I’m also going to check out another gym for some spin classes over the next 6 weeks. Give my lower body some spin pain! I walked on the beach more in the last week than I have in the last year!

We had a great day on Saturday. Although it was absolutely stinking hot, the day was rather magic. It was great having a big girlie get together. I love playing hostess. Poor Gerard was so sick. He was meant to be our BBQ boy but ended up flat his back laying under the fan all day. I was so spun out about how ill he was I rang him Mum at 1.30am for help!

Rachel stayed the night with her little man and we walked down town Sunday morning and had breakfast at Raw Energy.

So much more has happened since I posted but I really don’t have anymore time to write all the details! Between my day job my Ideal Bodies work and my comp prep I am flat out!

Reminiscing

2007-02-21T21:21:00.000+10:00

Todays pic is of my Mummy and I prior to becoming Mrs B! I received some of the additional pics we ordered from the photographer a few days ago. I must scan them and post some.

Had my skinfolds taken yesterday. My thigh has dropped 5mm, still a minimum of 10mm to go off that zone. I'll be getting skinfolds taken every fortnight now.

Reviewed my diet with Cheryl last night and I have dropped my evening carbs now. I had a really nice dinner tonight. I bought some fresh red emperor from the fish market and left it at work - doh, so had an egg white omlette and then dry fried up a big bowl of red onion, capsicum, mushrooms and asparagus and tipped that on top of the omlette. It was really yummy. So will have the fish tomorrow night.

Trained abs tonight and then did a 20 minute interval session on the bike. I will be doing this cardio session following every workout for the next two weeks, see how much of a dent I can put in that thigh skinfold! I took Maree through a posing session last night. She did fantastically and was strutting her stuff by the end!

I'm uptodate with all my IBO work so I'm having an easy night tonight. Cooked up some portions, have prepared tomorrows food and am about to make a cuppa and kick back and watch Medium. I am really enjoying Twinings Spearmint and Camomile tea.

Tomorrow morning is plyo, tomorrow evening is back, biceps and an interval session. Comp prep grooming is in full swing. I am working up a decent tan now and I have booked in for my first brazilian on Saturday. Yikes, not looking forward to that one, but just gotta do some things : ) Organising my bikini next week so don't want to look like I come from a lost tribe : )) On that note, I'm out of here!

Cool Dog!

2007-02-19T20:14:00.000+10:00

Well I have just been roaring with laughter for the last 5 minutes! I came down stairs to find my screen saver changed on my computer to the top picture of Arnie! G had the day off work today and as you can see the boys have been having lots of fun together! What a classic.

I'll keep this one short and sweet. Have a program to write and Desperate Housewives is on soon so must hurry along! I had a great weekend nutrition wise and training wise. Did 3 great cardio sessions over the weekend. I have my stair repeat session up to 10 sets of stairs. Also extended my long slow run to a full hour.

Cheryl is coming up to train with G tomorrow and we will review my nutrition. Time to cut back the carbs a bit I think and try to get ahead. Don't want to leave my run too late and have to do the extreme diet thing. I was pretty hungry today so drank a diet coke in the afternoon to tie me over between meals. Trained legs tonight, did a hill power walk session this morning. Have a moderate paced 45 minute jog in the morning with my cardio partner Dom. Shoulders, abs and tanning tomorrow avo, then a posing lesson in the evening.

I was feeling pretty grumpy today at the gym. It really pisses me off when people don't put their weights back. Anyway, that's my bitch for the day and I'm going now : )

P.S. Thank you for all the lovely positive comments so many people have left me! It's funny how different our own perceptions are of ourselves......all I see is soft gooey legs : ) Well I see the soft gooey bum too but wouldn't dare share that with you! Train Hard.

Wet Wet Wet

2007-02-15T08:16:00.000+10:00

No I'm not referring to the 80's band, I'm referring to me after this mornings cardio! It absolutely poured during my morning cardio for the second day in a row. Now I have 2 pair of wet shoes : ( Bugger.

Hope you all had a wonderful Valentines Day! I got suprised with a delivery of long stemmed roses at the office yesterday. There were 2 chocolate love hearts attached to the bouquet and I wondered whether it was a test of my willpower from my lovely hubby : ) I didn't eat them! I saved them for dinner and I had one for my dessert and put the other one on top of G's big bowl of dessert!

G worked last night but he came home for a lovely dinner. I had a couple of extra things with dinner - 5 oysters and 5 prawns, so it wasn't too bad at all. I'm getting better and better at dieting every comp. It's taken a while!

I couldn't get in for a tan last night so will do that tonight. Also going to head to the organic vege shop for my veges today. Plain greens are not my favourite so thought I'd try some organic greens to see if they are a bit more flavoursome and palatable.

73 days to go till comp. I'd best be giddying up a bit, still lots of lard on those legs........

Friends

2007-02-13T16:52:00.000+10:00

Here is a pic of Cheryl and I on stage together after out pose down for the overalls last April. We initially met when be both first competed together in 2005 and then both just happened to rock up to the first Australian Phat Camp. We hit it off tremendously. I love this picture of us.

Well I got over my hormonal dramas : ) Thank goodness! I was tempted to go back on the pill!

I had a super busy weekend. It was great to have G come home on Friday afternoon. We went on a date to the movies on Friday night. He wanted to go to dinner but I said I wasn’t allowed. “I’m dieting honey, no going out to dinner!” I cooked up a feed for him, which he ate on the way and I took mine into the movies. It was absolutely packed, I can’t remember the last time we went on a Friday night. We saw The Last King of Scotland. It was a fantastic movie. A bit gross at times but I would recommend it.

I’ve been keeping myself really busy. Between work, training and helping Sue out at Ideal Bodies Online the schedule has been rather packed! We also had the children on the weekend. My weight finally had a little drop, still a long way to go, but I’ll just keep “nudging away” as Liz would say!

I have spent all day today trolling (another Liz word!) the social club fridge. I looked at the chocolates and packets of chips several times, but didn’t give in. Every day is a challenge for me sticking to my nutrition plan. I kept telling myself, “you don’t need it and you’ll feel much better by the end of the day when you haven’t given in.” So it is now 4.45pm and the next stop is the gym. I did allow myself to have a Coke Zero and now I have a belly ache! I went for a walk to the health food shop mid afternoon to buy some flax seed oil and get some fresh air.

My training has been going really well. I’m really really enjoying training this comp prep. It felt like a bit of a chore last comp prep, but it is seriously getting easier and enjoyable every time. Ohhh, just had a big stretch and felt my abs from last nights training session. Back is on the agenda tonight.

All pretty boring stuff really when I re read what I’ve written! So on that note I think I’ll finish up and head to the gym then race home to watch The Biggest Loser. I love that show. I can’t believe how hard they push the contestants. Jillian kicks ass : ) I love her attitude……and Michelle’s shoulders. I think I have a shoulder fetish! So on that note I am outta here!

Woh Is Me

2007-02-08T07:51:00.000+10:00

Well I'm all sooky today. I want my man to come back home! He's been away all week and I'm really missing him now. On top of that it is TTOM, oh joy joy. I never really experienced that when I was on the pill. So it is so interesting to see how different my body is without the pill. Then to top it all off I did plyo's with sprints this morning....OMG. Fortunately I have a plyo partner because I seriously didn't want to get out of bed and head down the park at 5.30am this morning. We both whinged and bitched about how stupid and painful this is after we finished each set! But it felt very good once it was over.

Last night I had a posing lesson with my beautiful friend Cheryl's sister Maree. She is competing in April for the first time. She did very well for her first session and has the symmetry poses down pat. We have picked her music and will get that cut this week so we can get onto her routine. She is looking awesome! Cheryl is preparing her for the comp and I was so impressed with Maree's progress I have enlisted Cheryl to look after my comp prep. I like to be accountable to someone so it will be great working with her. She is so passionate about comp prep, I am really excited!

Today's pic is of Cheryl and I at my hens night. She was in charge of games. It was very fun : )

Weekend Highlights

2007-02-06T18:17:00.000+10:00

It was Arnie's 3rd birthday on the weekend and as usual we celebrated the special occasion! Here are some family pics before the present and cake then afterwards : ) He is so cute, he even opens his own present!

A new pic especially for Jodie : )

2007-02-05T19:58:00.000+10:00

The Fitness Girls!

2007-02-05T07:49:00.000+10:00

This was the call when we had this pic taken "All the fitness girls picture time". And they all RAN to the front and didn't hesitate striking a pose : ) You bunch of posers!

Just a very quick post. I had a really relaxed weekend with the kids. Relaxed with very little exercise and a few more carbs than usual. 12 weeks starts today. So I am all revved up and ready to turn up the heat.

I'll post details of my schedule later. Have a great day!

What have I been up to?

2007-01-31T16:21:00.000+10:00

Today's pic is of me...surprise! Posing around on stage...hey whats new : )

Well what have I been up to since I posted last..... We got a call from the real estate on Monday and they had somebody to show through, so we did a quick tidy and took the boy out for a walk whilst the people looked through the house. Apparently they liked it but they haven't offered us lots of money yet : )

After that we had a nice chicken and salad lunch on the back deck and then lazed around the pool for an hour. Then we had a nanna nap before we headed off to the gym. G trained me, we did back. Through clenched teeth hee threatened to go sit in the car : ) I shut up and just obeyed......well for the next 45 minutes anyway.....

I did a jog/hill walk combo for my cardio Tuesday morning. Back to work yesterday where I spent the whole day at the desk catching up on paperwork. Thank goodness....finally. I hate outstanding paper work. Went to the gym last night and trained bis and tris. I am really happy with the way my upper body is shaping up.....just not happy with those big ole thighs : ) They'll go though. I feel so good about where I am coming into 12 weeks out from my comp as opposed to where I have started from with all my other comps. I feel really in control this time. It has taken me a long time to learn to change behaviours, but with consistency I have really turned my lifestyle and habits around. I don't like to bullshit (oh you didn't notice did you!) and have always been very honest about the struggles that I have dealt with through my comp prep. The positive changes I have made and the control I am able to keep with my nutrition is personally very empowering for me. I know I will have slip ups through this prep too, but I'm confident I will pick myself up and move on after a slip and not let a mistake turn into an avalanche. Anyway enough babble!

Today I did a 40 minute jog/walk with Arnie. He was completely buggered. I took it easy on the cardio this morning as I am going to an aerobics class this evening : ) I have a bright pink headband and leg warmers and a shiny black lycra g-string to wear on the outside of my leotard.....ha ha no I don't, aerobics just makes me think of really bad 80's lycra! I'm doing an abs, butt and thighs class, woohoo! Let's see if I make it back : )

Tomorrow morning is the return of plyo! I am meeting a friend down the park to do plyo's together. I have also arranged to meet up with a work colleague of G's to do the beep test in a couple of weeks. So I will have to make sure I train nice and hard to I can break some male ego's with my fitness levels : )

On that note, catch you later!

Monday

2007-01-29T09:31:00.000+10:00

Today's pic is of G with his lil girl. Like Mrs Heintze said he does love to get his picture taken with the girls! I had a really great weekend with the little princess. We did lots of things together. On Saturday we spent about 4 hours on the computer trying to crack this game! It is the Spirit game - you know that animated horse movie. It was so addictive! But we can't figure out how to get the coal out of the carriage to give to the man!

Saturday afternoon after G got home from work I went on a run. I was still very sore from my plyo workout but was determined to do a run, and I wanted to go for 1 hour. So I headed off at a very easy pace. It took 21mins 48seconds for the discomfort to eas in my legs! Yes exactly that time : ) So I continued trotting until 30 mins out at my turnaround point. I set myself a goal to get back home in less than the 30 mins out and this also included go up the mother of a hill to my house that I had the luxury of walking down when I set off! I thought 29min 30secs would be good. On the way back I did 3 minute working sets i.e. fun hard 3 mins, easy 3 mins etc. I got to the hill and power walked my heart off! I made it back home at 58mins 45 seconds. I was very pleased and suitably stuffed, kicked off my shoes threw my hat and fell into the pool!

Sunday I was in PAIN! I was so freaking sore! And as much as I like a bit of muscle soreness I don't like it that much Jodie : ))

I had a rest day from exercise on Sunday. Chelsea and I went down town and looked around the shops. Saw a gorgeous little brown labrador puppy, he was sooo cute. His name was Milo. Cooked up my chicken and rice portions whilst Chels cooked some cookies. And went to the movies with my man to see Pursuit of Happyness. It was a great movie but left me feeling very sombre afterwards.

Up early this morning took Arnie for a walk then went for a run on the hilly route which takes me past the beach. Got home woke G up and we went down the beach for a swim. I rang my boss and asked for the day off : ) So I am hanging out with the man today. He is training me this afternoon. We will do back.

So that's a rundown of my weekend. There is a beautiful breeze as I sit out on the back deck listening to the cycadas in the bush singing away. Aaah the serenity! Catch ya later.

Sore Sore Sore

2007-01-27T08:44:00.000+10:00

Todays pic is of one of our figure clients Penny Anderson with G. Penny won 3rd place in Novice Figure ANB Qld Titles last year. She came 3rd out of 16 girls and was very pleased. She was also my partner in crime on new years eve when we got incredibly intoxicated together : )

Well this morning I am feeling soooo sore! I did a plyometric workout yesterday afternoon and was completely stuffed afterwards. I woke up this morning with the super sore hamstrings. Thought I'd have a lay in but couldn't relax once I was awake so got up and took Arnie on a big power walk. I will go for a jog this afternoon after G gets home from work. The soreness in my legs is quickly spreading to my glutes which is just sensational! Great to know I worked the areas that need it the most : ) I am going to keep those plyo workouts up. In fact I'm on a "cane my lower body mission". You will see a seriously improved lower body from me in April!

Chelsea rang yesterday and asked if she could come and stay with us this weekend. It is so nice having a child in the house. Makes me wonder if we should have just one....... We will go down the front and look at shops later and have a coffee together. I introduced her to baby capaccinos last year and she loves going for coffee! Our special little thing.

I am about to clean out my linen cupboard. I cleaned the pantry last night. Ever since Jodie posted pics of hers I have been meaning to do that task and last night it happened. Can't believe I had 4 hand bags in the pantry!

It is a lot cooler today, with a nice breeze. Wouldn't want to be at the beach, I think they'll get blown out today. Have a great day everyone!

Proud Aussie

2007-01-26T09:35:00.000+10:00

Good Morning and HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY! Hope everyone has a sensational day. I'm firing on all cylinders today : ) Today was my crunch time to start my hard core training regime. I am all gee'd up and ready to fire.

Went out for a run this morning. Had a little embarrassing incident whilst I was doing a good deed! There was a dog running around looking lost. A man said he ran out of the bush and he had seen the owner running down the pathway I was headed. I asked what she looked like and off I bolted a called out to her "your dog is way down here" - she was looking around for it. She was quite a way off and the dog had run down the road so I took off to rescue the dog : ) Spotted the dog with a man who had 2 similar dogs on a lead and I was calling the dog "Puppy come, come", doing the come hand signals and all. I got closer to the man and the woman was running down the road towards us. I said to the man "It's this ladies dog" And he said "Yeah I know it's my wife". How embarrassment : ) As she approached I had a laugh and said "I think your husband thought I was trying to steal your dog!".

Got home from my run had a big drink of H2O and my Meal 1 then off I set with my boy for his exercise. It is so hot today so I gave him a bath when we got back. He was huffing and puffing. He just sat on the grass enjoying being hosed and washed. Thats my dog too not my husband by the way :) I'm doing a cook up of chicken and rice at the moment. Other plans for today include sunning myself for an hour whilst I read the latest Oxygen mag. Then I have a few tasks to complete including writing up my training schedule and list of things that have to be completed as part of comp prep - like tanning, waxing, organising bikini, finding music, choreographing my routine and 2 client routines, and the list goes on!

Speaking of the latest Oxygen mag - have you seen the unreal Ideal Bodies Online advert! A whole page full of transformed honeys! Including me : ) ha ha, no I'm not really that on myself! But the ad is awesome, if you don't buy the mag have a sticky beak next time your passing a newsagents.

My stair repeat room!

2007-01-25T09:55:00.000+10:00

Todays pic is of the cove where I do my stair repeats. So this is what I get to look as I recover!

Boy it was hot and humid this morning. Set my alarm with the intention of doing a stair session this morning. Thought of Jodie as my case of “can’t bee” crossed my mind. Dragged myself out of bed dressed and took Arnie for a blockie first. Then off I set! Jogged down to the stairs then completed an extra set from last week. Felt sooo hot and decided to reward my efforts with a dip in the ocean to cool down. So I pulled my shoes off and jumped in in my exercise gear! It was so nice I didn’t want to get out. Walked home dripping wet : ) So off to a good start today……

Ho Hum

2007-01-24T17:26:00.000+10:00

Today's pic is of Rachel and I backstage at the October 2005 show. I will be catching up with Rach and Bub very soon I hope!

I'm feeling rather ho hum today, hence the title. I'm meant to be going and doing an aerobics class but I really couldn't be bothered. So I think I'll take a rest day instead. Training shoulders with G on Monday night. I really really enjoyed that session. I popped some capillaries in my delt! It was rather bizarre. I tell you what, if these delts aren't pushing my competition off the stage in April something will be wrong!

I trained chest and biceps yesterday. My Thursday morning client just cancelled her appointment so tommorrow will be a stair repeat workout. Oh yay. My diet has been less that perfect but I'm really not worried about that. I still haven't managed to break my skinny cappacinno addiction. Yes I know I am terrible, so unfocussed compared to lots of others but oh well. Care.

You can probably tell I'm a little bit blah so best be signing out now rather than spreading my negative vibes across the internet! Tuss tuss..... Bye : )

Trying to post pic in profile!

2007-01-19T08:33:00.000+10:00

The Rollercoaster

2007-01-18T13:51:00.000+10:00

Todays pic is Mwah and the Lovely Mrs Heintze backstage at the INBA All Womens Show in July 2006. Check out my double chin : )

Well what have I been up to since I posted last? Lots of stuff! As with comp prep the roller coaster of ups and downs has started! G had the weekend off which was great as we had lots of time together. On Saturday we headed to the gym for a back workout. Well this was my first drop. I actually didn’t like him very much and wondered why the hell I’d agreed to let him train me. By the time we finished our first exercise (wide grip pull ups) I was nearly crying! I wanted to throw the towel in – how dare he push me out of my comfort zone. I can do close grip pull-ups unassisted why do I have to do wide grip?!!! Of course I was sooking but he “made” me do it and I was feeling fatigued after 4 sets. Then we trot over the lat pull down and he ups me for my form and drops my weights back to a “woosy” weight. Girls wanna look like hero’s too you know! So I copped a flogging and sulked through this and cable rows, finished with back extensions. How dare he make me double the weight plate that I hold when I do this exercise! I threw it on my last rep : ) What a rebel. I glared at him and thought how mean he was and then fell into the car exhausted. Thanks Honey, I Love You. XX Ok, the roller coaster is climbing out of the drop now : )

Sunday was a great day. I jumped out of bed early and got my cardio out of the way, we sat on the deck eating our breakfast “Ah the Serenity”, and then we lolled around the pool. I finished my Fattitude book and did a couple of chores around the house and we went for a date to the movies. I just loooove the cinema. I also love walking in and taking a big breath of that popcorn aroma. I don’t eat it anymore but boy it smells good : ) We saw the movie The Holiday with Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Jack Black.

Weeeelllll – I never thought I’d want to do this, but I want to get my locks cut off! Camerons hair looked great. So after this comp I am going to get the chop chop. How easy will it be to do my hair?! It gets so damn hot drying and straightening my hair.

Monday back to work. I had the pleasure of meeting up with Liz in Mooloolaba. We chatted for ages and I was disgusted to have to return to work. We are getting together Friday afternoon for a leg workout. She’s going to ensure I have a plyo workout that kicks this lard from here to kingdom come! Then more work blah blah so boring. Wednesday morning I did a run with stair repeats. Here comes the next low – I was completely F’d afterwards. I even had to WALK home, couldn’t muster a jog. My blood sugar obviously crashed and I was shaky and dizzy, oh dear. So I think I will eat a small carb portion prior to this workout in future as it is extremely taxing. I came home and had to sit in the shower, once I’d eaten I was fine, jumping around as usual.

I am having a lot of trouble weening myself off my skinny cappuccino’s. Dooms day is coming, I am going to have to go cold turkey. God help me. I’ll have to make a pot of green tea as soon as I get to work. I’ve also decided that as of 12 weeks there will be NO FREE MEALS. So it will be all out. I’ve been very busy training, cooking working the day job and my Ideal Bodies Online work. I am scheduled to start college again on 30th January so will lose 2 nights a week again.

So that’s my update, check ya later!

Buk Buk Bugark

2007-01-12T16:37:00.000+10:00

Well that's a sound of a chicken : ) I am just doing my shopping list and worked out I need to buy 6.5 kgs of chicken for Gerard and I for 1 week!

Holy cow.......or should I say Holy Chicken!

COMP UPDATE

2007-01-12T11:46:00.000+10:00

Today's pic is of me in the lineup from my last comp - you know who I am : )

Well for all the Qld Girls preparing for the April shows you might be interested to know that the new promoter for the WNBF in Qld is no longer the promoter! So if you were planning on doing the show on the 22nd April with WNBF you might want to contact the head office to find out what is happening.

Personally, I'm going to just stick with the INBA. I wouldn't be surprised if the other show doesn't come to fruition.

I have had a pretty good week. Apart from one very sleepless night, which I have pretty much caught up on all is well. I'll be making some adjustments to my diet today for the next week and be working out my training schedule for the next week. I am "trying out" a few different strategies for this comp which include:

Going off the contraceptive pill
Doing ONLY plyometric training for my lower body training
Including 2 high intensity sprint/stair sessions per week in my cardio
Dieting from 16 weeks

So if all goes to plan I will be onstage looking very lean and mean : ) I won't really look mean, just goes with the saying!

I am off to the gym tonight to do legs - wha wha, plyo training is so painful and tomorrow I will be training with G doing Back and Biceps. Raaaaaa (that's a big roar) Yes for those who know me I am in one of my mad moods : ) For those who don't know me I'm not really a freak : )))

I forgot to tell you I went to see the new James Bond movie last Sunday night. OMG - it is the first time I've ever seen a JB movie. It was GREAT! He looked so good tied up to that chair naked! Yummo. Oh yes, and the movie was very action packed, I'm going to watch the oldies I think.

I am going down to the insurance office at lunch time as I backed into a car in the shopping centre car park a couple of days before christmas. I need to get that finalised. My man has the weekend off so we will get some time together. No doubt we will do lots of lazing around the pool. It's been so hot here, summer has finally arrived. Better late than never. On that note, I'm out of here.

Have a great weekend!

My Favourite People

2007-01-11T20:06:00.000+10:00

Hi, I can't be bothered writing so just posted a pic of my 3 most favourite people!

2005 Comp Pics

2007-01-10T14:17:00.000+10:00

More pics from 2005 competition.

That old feeling is back

2007-01-10T11:15:00.000+10:00

Me onstage during my first figure comp. I placed 3rd in Novice Figure. The start of the competition addiction!

Well I was chasing up Alicia so I thought I'd better post too : ) Enjoying reading your posts Alicia!

Well Sunday was 16 weeks to the day till comp. And soon I will be saying 15 weeks. The weeks go so quickly there is no time to be complacent. I'm doing lots of things differently this comp. Firstly I'm starting my prep at 16 weeks, and I didn't allow myself to go on an all out eating binge over christmas in the lead up to dieting. My intention was to commence prep at a decent condition so I didn't have to cardio myself stupid and I could have a more "sensible" diet along the way.

I had my skinfolds taken on Monday. I was very pleased with the results. As I hold my fat in my lower body, there is only 1 measurement that I am really watching and that is my thigh. I didn't keep measurements of my last show, but for my October 2005 show, my thigh is only 5mm bigger than it was 2 weeks out from that show! So that is a great personal achievement for me. I will be diligent maintaining my stats this prep, they are a great tool to measure progress.

I started training with my new trainer last night. OMG I am so sore. I trained shoulders for a full hour. My first set of shoulder press was with my PB weight! After my 3rd set of machine shoulder press I realised I was pressing an extra 10kgs! I astounded myself with the weights I pushed. I feel very confident I am going to look smashing at this comp : ) Lots of people taking notice now that it seems to be public knowledge I am preparing for another show. All this is great motivation in itself.

I have to get my music sorted out so I can start choreographing my routine. It will be very different from the usual routine! I have an idea that I think will be pretty cool. I booked my hairdresser to do my hair the morning of the show. I must speak to the lovely Rach about doing my makeup again. She does such a good job. Have been thinking about a colour for my costume too which will all match my "look" for this show. I want to look different and theme everything to match my routine. So if you are wondering what it is you'll have to come along and watch the show : ) Only a couple of special people privvy to all the details!

So as it does, life becomes all consumed with comp stuff when preparing. I'll probably be posting a little less frequently but will ensure I make at least once a week to give you an update if you are interested in following my journey. Will be taking some training pictures at the gym soon and may even post some progress pics along the way.

Train Hard and Live Healthy
Cheers
Di

MY BOY

2007-01-08T08:45:00.000+10:00

Today's pic is of my beautiful boy Arnie. He accompanied me on cardio this morning. I took him for a long jog/walk as he only got 2 short blockies over the weekend as my runs were more important! He was so full of energy. He gets a bit psycho when he hasn't had enough exercise - as we all do!

There are a few moving objects he particularly dislikes - bikes, skateboards and noisy trucks. Today very early in our jog the garbage truck drove by. As he does when he is full of energy he jumped at the truck. He was on his lead and actually went airborne! It is rather embarrassing!

A-Z of Dianna

2007-01-08T07:23:00.000+10:00

A-Z OF Dianna
A. Available or single? Available as a personal trainer : )
B. Best Friend? G
C. Cake or Pie? Pie
D. Drink of Choice? Wodka, lime and lemonade
E. Essential Item? Visa card : )
F. Favorite Color? Blue
G. Gummi Bears or Worms? Neither
H. Hometown? Coolum Beach
I. Indulgence? Pedicures
J. January or February? January
K. Kids and names? Chelsea 8, Harrison 7, Arnie 3
L. Life is incomplete without? My Husband
M. Marriage Date? 11 September 2006
N. Number of Siblings? Two older brothers from my adoptive family; One younger brother and one younger sister from my biological family
O. Oranges or apples? Pink Lady Apples
P. Phobias/Fears? Being poor
Q. Favorite Quote? Just Do It
R. Reason to Smile? Life
S. Season? Spring
T. Tag three people! Sue, Jodie, Michelle
U. Unknown fact about Me! I’m adopted if you haven’t figured it out yet
V. Vegetable you hate? Old brocolli – you know when it’s yucky sitting on the supermarket shelf?!
W. Worst habit? Over spending
X. X-rays you've had? Radius/Ulna
Y. Your favorite food? My homecooked chicken curry
Z. Zodiac? Taurus

What a Week

2007-01-07T09:23:00.000+10:00

Here is a picture of me as the bridesmaid this time! Finally got a couple of pics. These are the ones the hairdresser took. I have misplaced my battery charger so couldn't use my camera.

I have had a very busy week. Started back to work after the christmas break. Can't say I was delighted about that! It is good to get into a routine again.

Didn't get enough sleep during the week as I was getting up early to do my cardio, then late to bed. So I had a big sleep catch up this morning. Slept for 9 hours last night. I slept like a log and probably would have managed a bit more if G didn't have to go to work this morning.

I had the best run yesterday afternoon. I ran along the coast track. Just love looking out at the ocean - almost makes cardio enjoyable! I spent some time reading my Fattitude book yesterday. It is such a great book. I also laid out by the pool for a little while after my clients left. I only managed 45 minutes as it was quite hot.

Today I plan to do a few chores around the house and then do a big cook up so our food is organised for the week. I find food preparation to be one of the most time consuming tasks everyday. As I have started my comp prep, it has to be my highest priority as well. So if I cook my portions for the week it will help me manage my time better.

I have given lots of thought to my plans for this comp prep. My number one priority is my nutrition. My goal is to come in significantly leaner this time around - and this will be achieved by being 100% with my nutrition. So if I need to skip a training session - so be it. I have been atrocious at sticking to my diet 100% in the past and this is the area that will see me improve what I need to.

I am also looking forward to my cleaner getting back from holidays! I am going to have to clean my bathroom today - I HATE THIS JOB!

16 weeks today till comp, it will here before I know it!

MY GORGEOUS HUSBAND!

2007-01-01T19:32:00.000+10:00

I thought I'd post a pic of G. He was approached by a photographer who wanted a model with big biceps! He was a natural in front of the camera, it was the easiest money he has ever earned! We are going to get some couples body shots taken closer to my comp - that should be fun.

Up Up And Away!

2007-01-01T18:53:00.000+10:00

Christmas cuddles from my Lil Boy!

Me in my Christmas frock! Gerard calls it my Desperate Housewives dress. I call it my 70's Housewife dress.

Christmas brunch. See the little angels I made for table decs!

I hope everybody had a fantastic Christmas and New Year! I was lurking around but didn't really feel like posting over this time. I enjoyed reading Lia's blog in particular.

We had a fairly easy going Christmas. Christmas brunch at our place with Gerard's Mum and brothers. We picked the children up on Christmas night and woke up to have our own Christmas day with them on Boxing Day. Unfortunately we never get the kids for Christmas day as their Mum insists she has them, so it is just an accepted fact now and we make Boxing Day special for them. So they really have 2 Santa visits!

Personally I find Christmas a bit of an over rated, over commercialised event. If I had my way we'd have a big giant celebration and spoiling with loads of gifts for birthdays only and Christmas would just be getting together for lunch with no presents.

Gerard had New Years Eve off, he usually has to work, and since we hadn't been out and partied for a while we did so last night. We had a couple of friends over for drinks and BBQ in the avo and headed down to the Surf Club around 9:00pm. We had a HUGE night to say the least. Today has been spent doing a lot of recovery!

On reflection of 2006 it was a pretty sensational year with lots of achievements. Some of my highlights:

Number 1 - marrying my beautiful husband Gerard. This was by far the stand out day of my life this far. I am so happy and intend for this relationship to be my number 1 priority in life.

I won 1st place in the Open Figure Short Division - INBA Qld It's a Girl Thing Show
I obtained sponsorship from "Self Image Fitness Studio". Sarah has provided me with a sensational deal and I am very pleased to be representing her at my next comp.
I completed my Cert III and IV in Fitness. Obtaining my personal training quals and establishing my own business.
I was awarded a Business Scholarship by the Australian Institute of Fitness, which I will commence studying in January.
I commenced working for my wonderful friend Sue Heintze with her outstanding business Ideal Bodies Online.

So all in all 2006 was a great year. I have set myself several goals for 2007 which relate to my competition and business achievements. 2007 is going to be HEUWG!

Well the title of this post reflects the commencement of my next comp prep! I have just finalised planning my nutrition for the next 2 week period. My first comp for 2007 will be the INBA Qld Show. The date is yet to be finalised, but it will be late April/early May.

So that's all for now. Here are a couple of pics for you!

I'm going on a Date!

2006-12-21T10:21:00.000+10:00

I love this picture of us on the beach. It sums up us and our lifestyle! The beach was deserted due to the weather, just a couple of surfers and Noosa National Park in the background. The professional pics on the beach are sensational.

Well today is my last day as a "Single Parent". That's why it is all so different Michelle! At home Gerard and I take turn looking after the kids so we still get in our gym sessions and it is easy to pop down the shops. Only afew hours to go and I will be freeeeee.

My lovely Husband is picking me up and we are going on a Date! Yay, I havent seen him since Sunday. That is the longest time we've had apart since we got married. Oh yes, we are still sickening newlyweds. So I'm going to get beautified before he arrives. I think I'll wear my new dress as we are going into the city.

Now even though my "adventure" with the kids is coming to an end I have certainly learnt a lot. The first couple of days were a pain and I realised I needed to embrace the experience. So once I did that I actually began to enjoy it. The circuit down the park went very well yesterday. There were other kids there playing cricket so the boys joined in with that whilst I worked out. I am a even slightly saw in my legs and glutes from the walking lunges and step ups.

This morning we have been for a bike ride. The kids rode and I jogged along with them. I actually managed a reasonably moderate cardio session which was good. A few sprints chasing the kids as they enjoyed the momentum of the hills!

I can't wait to see my boy Arnie. He will be very very excited to see his Mummy!

KIDS

2006-12-20T12:17:00.000+10:00

This pic is of my friend Cheryl and I at my hens night. By this stage I am getting seriously sloshed.....as you can see!

I have a new appreciation for Cheryl (and other women like her!) who has 2 kids, a husband, 2 jobs and competes! How she juggles all that I do not know.

Well I am experiencing a lifestyle which is VERY VERY different to my own at the moment…………..and I haven’t really warmed to it!

My bridesmaid was married on the weekend and I am looking after the children whilst they are away. I never realised how “inconvenient” kids make your life. I can no longer just up and go to the gym or down to the shops to do my Christmas shopping.

I have done a very good job of wearing them out so they hit the sack at a reasonable time. This morning was the first morning I didn’t have to wake them up! I know they’ll be sleeping in tomorrow though. We went for a big bush walk this morning and I’ll take them down the park this afternoon.

I feel like I’ve been slack so I am going to set up a circuit in the park this avo and do a workout while they play. I bought a couple of sets of dumbbells down and a medicine ball. There is a fit ball here, so I am not going to allow me to make any more excuses! I’m getting excited just thinking about it. The kids will no doubt join in for a few exercises so that will help wear them out completely : )

The wedding on the weekend was great. It felt nice looking on to see my best friend of more than ½ of our lifetime marry a wonderful guy. Aaaah, just love weddings!

I am on leave until January 2, cant wait to get home and be on leave. I’m planning a big New Years Eve out. G has New Years Eve off this year so I am feeling like going out partying. I will be starting my comp prep in the first week of January. Straight into it. I have set my sights high on my goals this year.

Some Pics

2006-12-19T15:19:00.000+10:00

Feed me!! The date is wrong on the picture.

The wedding cake.

Patting a bear at the tiger park!

Will Have Muscles......

2006-12-13T13:44:00.000+10:00

If entering a muscle competition!! I always thought my arms were butch as a teenager and never ever trained upper body only legs and abs. Now I realise they are a blessing!

My planning process has started for my 2007 comp preparation. Trying to decide on comp suit style. I'd like to try a triangle top but this style of top is very complementary to my bust : )
Have picked my hair style already. The things female competitors have to consider!

It was sooo hot this morning. I had a late night and didn't get up until 6.15am this morning. So as time was limited I did a stair interval session after taking Arnie out for a blockie. I'll have to take a picture of my recovery view at the stairs. The view is just magic. So I was soaking wet with sweat after this mornings session.

Tomorrow morning I have client training and have decided to head down the park for an outdoor session. We live in paradise so why not enjoy our beautiful environment.

Reminiscing..........

2006-12-11T13:07:00.000+10:00

Reminiscing about competing that is. Can't wait to step on stage again in my best condition yet! It will be a great opportunity to market my ability as a personal training/comp prep and posing coach as well. What better marketing tool is there than seeing somebody demonstrate that they can practice what they preach!!

G and I spent a few hours with one of our comp clients on Saturday. We covered nutrition, posing and routine practice. Then G went off to the gym and trained her. She is very dedicated, drives 3 hours each way to see us and didnt want a rest from her nutrition plan over christmas! I was very impressed indeed.

Saturday night we had Chelseas dance concert....which was incredibly boring. Of course apart from the dances our little princess was in! I couldn't believe the concert went for 5 hours. I was sitting there thinking how much more interesting i find sitting and watching a bodybuilding comp! Too many drama queens in this concert for my liking.

Sunday was quite relaxing. I slept for 10 hours straight Saturday night. I couldn't believe it when I saw the time Sunday morning. We ate brekky and by the time it settled I headed out for a run and it was midday. It was quite hot running at that time of the day. There was lots of action in town with the golf comp on at the Hyatt. We wandered down town for a coffee and a read of the paper in the afternoon. Well I had coffee and G had a big creamy iced chocolate, which he downed before I'd even eaten the froth off my cappacino! What a pigsy. I took Arnie out for a walk in the afternoon, he was less than impressed he didn't get to go on my run with me, but it was just too hot for him at that time of the day.

Snake season is definitely here, I saw 2 snakes over the weekend. A big python across the road on Saturday night and a yellow belly black snake along the running path this morning. That was scary - if I hadn't been paying attention to the running path I would have stepped on it as it was laying right across the path. Lucky I didn't take Arnie that way as he would have gone ballistic.

Well I have lots of work to get done before I go on leave at the end of this week, so I'd better get into it!

The Final Indulgence

2006-12-06T14:41:00.000+10:00

We couldn't resist indulging at this place! We were on our last few hours of our honeymoon before we left Bangkok. This place was awesome. I have never gotten around to it but intended to do a net search when I got home on this place which is obviously a franchise from somewhere. It was called "Swenson's Ice Cream". It was a great big cafe style icecream shop and the menu was unreal. It took us a long time to choose our indulgences. Yummy!!

I had a lot of trouble waking up this morning. I'm not sure why I feel like I need to sleep more these days. I dragged my butt out of bed 30mins after the alarm went off and took 2 thermos to give me a kick start. Took Arnie out for a quick blockie (run around the block!) then much to his disgust I dumped him off and ran like I haven't ran in ages. I did my hill route and ran up all the hills. Mind you I forced myself to run along the main road route so that I wouldn't look like a slacker if I was walking : ) One of my crazy motivational strategies. I got to the area where I normally turn off and i was feeling so great about the run that I took the long way home.

Off to the gym tonight to train legs. Then I will be playing with the computer trying to install some updated software. Fingers crossed it will be easy!

Princess and I

2006-12-04T10:22:00.000+10:00

This is a pic of my little princess Chelsea and I on the wedding day. It is wonderful to be a step mum : )

I had a sensational weekend. It was very busy. I rose at 6am and took Arnie for a walk then went for my own run. We had an open house on Saturday so the morning was spent tidying the house whilst Gerard pumped up his muscles at the gym. He then took the children to a 1st year old birthday party. I wasn't able to party on as I had to take Arnie for another walk whilst the open house was on. After that we headed down to Brisbane for bridesmaids duties. We only had 3 hours left of open time so we raced around the city. Got most things completed, just one task left.

We picked up some steaks on the way home and sparked up the BBQ to feed the clans! The men had been left with all the kids. I indulged in a couple of drinks as well. I don't drink much and as a result of drinking 3 cruisers I fell asleep on the lounge at 8pm! I have been finding I am needing at least 8 hours sleep a night lately.

So Sunday morning the kids were supposed to go to nippers. I couldn't be bothered going so we bribed them with a McDonalds breakfast. How disgusting is that! They were all excited because we have only allowed them to eat McDonalds twice since we saw the supersize me movie. Gerard and I ate our brekky before we went and I walked over to the coffee club and got us a coffee whilst the kids ate their muffins. Then we set off to the park so they could burn the McDonalds off!

Gerard took them home around midday as Chelsea had a dance rehearsal in the afternoon. I spent that time catching up on some IBO work, which I am really excited about.

Gerard is off to a training course for 3 weeks. We will only see each other on the weekends. So I spent the afternoon pampering him : ) I gave him a facial which included, exfoliation, masque, hand scrub and massage * wink wink*!! Afterwards we went on a date to the movies. We saw The Guardian with Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher. It was an awesome movie, thoroughly recommended.

No Excuses Allowed

2006-12-01T13:17:00.000+10:00

This is LIVING! Me sucking on one of many pina coladas consumed on the honeymoon : )

I have now taken an all or nothing approach to training. There are no exceptions to missing my sessions. I usually sacrafice training commitments to make sure I am home to cook and pamper hubby and puppy. Well this will have to fit around my own goals now. Gerard is happy for me to have this attitude to my training.

Last night I had a work meeting until 6.30pm. I would usually decide it was too late to go to the gym at this time and go straight home. But not last night. I headed to the gym and did a smashing shoulder workout. I didn't get home until 8pm. It felt great not to make an excuse!

IDEAL BODIES ONLINE

2006-11-29T12:06:00.000+10:00

I am very pleased to have joined the Ideal Bodies Online Team! I'm looking forward to helping motivate and encourage lots of people to achieve their goals with IBO.

For those of you who know Sue, you already know what a sensational lady she is. And I'm not just saying that to suck up to the boss ; )

This morning I joined in with the local Beach Blitz group. A local PT studio runs sessions 3 times a week down the beach at 6am in the morning. It was certainly different doing my morning session as part of a group. When I got home I took the boy out for his walk. Poor baby was beside himself when I left without him this morning.

Our fridge and freezer are almost bare. I have been trying use up all the stores before Gerard goes away so I can live on my bare essentials only! The only items in the freezer are a piece of fish and the wedding cake! Can you believe I never even got to taste a piece of our wedding cake. We shall defrost that one our 1st anniversary and pig out : )

Rising Temperatures

2006-11-28T15:00:00.000+10:00

Not only did I pat tigers but we also rode elephants! This was just fabulous. I was so looking forward to seeing the tigers and they turned out to be a huge disappointment. I only got to spend 5 minutes patting them and then we were moved on. Well I wanted to sit and cuddle them like I do to the "Coolum Lion" AKA my dog : ) I had absolutely no expectations about the elephants and they turned out to be unbelievable. Such beautiful creatures. Gerard bathed with them in the river. He sat on it's head and it went under the water and came up and did a big spurt of water! Me being the princess I am didn't want to have wet shorts ; ) How uncomfortable.... and you should see the size of their poos! They are HEUWG!

It is really heating up in sunny Queensland. I will have to ensure I take Arnie out very early for his trot/sniff/walks. We went out about 7.15am today and he was huffing and puffing poor little bugger. I took him on a shady route but it was still too hot. After I dropped him off and went for my own jog I went the same shady route!

Last night was chest and triceps at the gym. My least favourite workout. Tonight is legs and I have that feeling of dreaded anticipation. I know it's going to hurt but I know it will be a pleasurable pain. Sick hey?! I'm sure all the gym junkies know what I mean. DOMS is starting to set in from last night.

Life is Short

2006-11-27T12:58:00.000+10:00

This tiger was a bit fiesty! It scared me....wouldn't you be with those fangs?!!!

The photo on the left was the view across the pool and ocean as we sunbaked!!!

The top photo is the newly weds on one of our many nights out to dinner. This night we had been at the resort for about 4 days and had overconsumed so much food we only at protein at this meal. I felt so much better for it the next day.

Well I got a big shock last week when my brother had a stroke. He is only 39 years of age. So young. I spun out and automatically thought the worse after Gerards brother lost a battle with a brain tumor 2 years ago. So I spent lots of time reflecting on life over the weekend.

We set up our new home office on the weekend. It was good fun fumbling through that together with Gerard. Neither of us a very IT savvy. So we spent lots of time surfing the net over the weekend. I did a cardio stair session down the beach Saturday. The family (gerard, arnie and I!) walked down to the beach and the boys played on the sand while I ran up and down 103 stairs. My calves are sooooo sore. Yesterday I went for a hill run in the afternoon followed by a walk with Arnie.

I also bought my bridesmaid dress over the weekend. The wedding is cocktail style so the dress is definitely rewareable, which is great. We washed the cars together yesterday. I cooked a nice dinner on Saturday night. We had oysters for an entree and for main couscous with sundried tomatoe and prawns topped with pork cutlet. I found the most delicious dessert. Weis have a macadamia, mango and cream combo which is UNBELIEVABLE. Luckily they only come in 1 litre tubs ; )

So back to work today and it seriously sucks. Oh, something else, I received a call last week to advise I had been selected for a business scholarship! Yippee, can't wait to start studying that.

FOR MICHELLE : )

2006-11-22T12:01:00.000+10:00

Finally! I have managed to get a picture posted of me with the tigers in Thailand : ) Just for you Michelle! So I shall continue to entertain you with pics from the honeymoon - which now feels like soooo long ago. Speaking of - I am seriously enjoying being a Mrs. I have most I my cards reissued in my married name now, discovering a few things still to be changed as I receive mail.

I had a funny incident this morning whilst I was out running. I was trotting along and a cute car drove past. I was googling at this sporty little convertible and tripped over somebodies stupid sprinkler system. So there I was ass up in the air, face flat, covered in dirt. I was a bit embarrassed and just turned over and sat on my bum and pretended I was waiting for something! What a loser.

My lats are sore sore sore today. DOMS setting in from Monday. I am having a rest night from the gym tonight. Officeworx called this morning and advised my equipment will be in tomorrow. Yippee! I'll be all technologied and not know how to use it : )

Busy Life

2006-11-21T16:42:00.000+10:00

I really am poor at keeping my blogging up to date. It will be much easier once I have my new laptop at home : ) Speaking of, i am getting screwed around with the wait for that, plus my new office equipment. Bought a combo fax, scanner, copier so I will be messing around playing with that by the weekend - I hope!

I did some "market research" today. I went for a PT session at a studio. I really enjoyed it. I haven't done leg press for years and I pressed 200kgs much to my surprise. It even crossed my mind to keep seeing this trainer, I really enjoyed her. I am in the process of looking at studios to check out their setup and size etc for my own plans. I also have another idea to incorporate with the studio but will wait till things come to fruition before I babble about them!

I was thinking of the Olympia competitors on the weekend. I would have loved to have been there. No updates on the website yesterday but need to check after this to see. Am keen to see how everybody went! I have made a definite decision to compete in the WFF Southern Hemisphere comp on May 27 2007 at the Gold Coast. I have had such a fantastic week with my nutrition. The weekend was all on plan. I did a long moderate paced run both mornings plus walked my boy. Went to the gym on Saturday for shoulder workout. Monday night gym for back and biceps, plus todays session. I did boxing for the first time today. That was interesting. The instructor is a boxer and will be having her first fight in the new year. She is such a pretty young thing too, I hope she doesn't get her nose flattened!

The house hasn't sold yet : ( Would love for it to go by christmas! What a great present that would be. Gerard has changed gyms. He has joined Beach House Fitness at Maroochydore. He is really enjoying the change. Beach House's are popping up all over the place up here.

I had a state conference last week from Tuesday - Thursday. These events are huge pi## ups for everybody but I took the bolt both nights and went and visited Shalayne. I slept there the second night too as my room mate was a snorer! She had warned me and I took a pair of ear plugs which I had to put in at 2am, but I couldn't get used to having them in my ears.

Not much else happening for now, I have a headache so need to take some panadol.

All To Plan

2006-11-09T09:53:00.000+10:00

This is the only pic of I have my boy at work, he's about a year old here, must get some new ones.

Well I had a poiyfect nutrition day yesterday. How empowering does it feel when you stick to a plan perfectly?! It is for me, particularly when my nutrition is always the most challenging aspect for me. Training – well that’s just easy because I love being fit and active!

I was up nice and early this morning. Took Arnie for a 25minute jog/sniff, dropped him off and off I went on my own for a hill interval session. I can jog for ages at a moderate pace and look forward to doing so but those interval sessions fill me with a bit of dread! But, I went hard, sweated and puffed and it was all over in 17 minutes. Now that’s the part I really enjoy : ) Short and intense.

Tonight after work I am gyming. I just got off the phone with hubby and he was lecturing me. He had been looking at pics of the figure Olympia girls and is preaching shoulders, shoulders, shoulder, lean, lean, lean at me. Yes dear, yes dear, I hear you. Mind you I had to add I think there is possibly a slight chemical advantage for those girls but I get your point!

I managed to get to the Transport Department yesterday and changed my name on my license! We had a call from the real estate who wanted to show through a client so I had to go home early to get puppy off the back deck. He is likely to scare the buggery out of any potential purchaser. I took him up to the lookout so we had some shelter as a storm was approaching. Well it was a cracker! We sat there together and he experienced his first hail storm! He was spinning out at the sound of the hail on the tin roof and when the ground started getting drenched we both climbed up and sat on top of the picnic table. I was imaging the shelter getting hit by lightening and the 2 of us being frazzled with nobody around to rescue us!

The Power of Being Organised

2006-11-08T10:27:00.000+10:00

I had a very productive evening last night. Although it was such an effort I felt so in control after I had finished! I cooked and portioned lots of food to ensure I’m all organised for the start of my “challenge”. My freezer is now chocka block with portions of rice, chicken, beef, veges and hubby’s lunches for the next week!
Hubby was on a boys night out. They went to the U2 concert. I am so not into crowds so I was rather relieved he wanted to go with the boys.

We have been eating some new concoctions for our breakfast for the last couple of weeks. I seriously love mine! Can’t say the same about G’s though.

He is having: 1 large cup scoop of oats, 1 scoop of WPI, 4 egg whites, drizzle of honey, splash of milk and a handful of ice all blended up. The thought of eating raw egg whites makes me shudder.

I am having: ½ cup oats (traditional oats raw), a handful of almonds (roughly smashed in my mortar then thrown in with the oats), 1 serve of WPI mixed with ice cold water then poured over my “cereal”. It is so yummy. I don’t know why I haven’t eaten my oats raw sooner.

I was up at 5.30am this morning. Took Arnie for a very short 15 minute walk and sniff, then headed out for a 45 minute jog on my own. It was quite warm this morning, even at that time.

I have finally received another copy of our marriage certificate with my name spelt correctly. Yippee! So today I will be spending some time trekking about to places to update my name : ) Other tasks on my to do list include getting my nails done, going to office works to pick up some supplies and off to college tonight from 6-9. Oh and I guess I’d better do some actual work in amongst all that too!

Go You Good Thing!

2006-11-07T12:26:00.000+10:00

Firstly, I tried to download the tiger pics for you Michelle but they wouldn’t work!

It seems like aaaggggees since I have been here. What have I been up to?!

I’ve met Zachary William Pyle! I met him when he was only 1 day old! Such a little innocent being. Rachel was unbelievably relaxed in her motherhood role. She is a natural. It is just meant to be for some people I believe. As for me………I’ve extended my decision until 40 – was originally 35 but that is only months away and I am definitely not ready or willing at the moment!

Speaking of babies – my bestfriend (who was my bridesmaid) is pregnant again! She only gave birth 3 weeks before our wedding. She is a breeding machine. So the date of her wedding has been bought forward to mid December now. I’m going to be a bridesmaid again : )

My hubby and I trekked down to Melbourne to watch the Nationals. We had the pleasure of spending the day sitting with the lovely Sue Heintze and Ali. I had met Ali briefly previously but it was great to get to know her. We all had a great time and I consumed A LOT of coffee that day! Also had a chance to see Liz, Katie, Lia, Sam and meet Kristy and J-L.

The quality of the competitors was just outstanding. My favourite of the day was Sally Milne. OMG, she has an awesome body. If I had competed I would have been in her class! Quite a major wake up call if I do say so. It was really interesting to see the differences in physiques of the competitors who I also saw at the July show. Some had deteriorated significantly, whilst there were several people who were markedly improved. It is amazing how long term dieting affects people differently. I felt very comfortable with my decision not to compete following the wedding. Watching the comp certainly relit my desire to compete again. I am very pleased that it will be a little over a year from my last comp by the time I step on stage again. After competing in April O5, October 05 x 2 and April 06, I was feeling a little burnt out.

So my comp plans at this stage are to do a Qld show in May and possibly the All Womens Show in July. There has been a bit a shake up in the federations in Qld. It is my understanding the president of INBA is no longer, so Im not sure what will be happening with Qld INBA shows. I am considering another federation, perhaps WFF which run in conjunction with the NABBA shows. I must do some research and make a decision. Otherwise, July in Melbourne it will be!

So given all that, I have been training like a maniac! Absolutely caning my abs. I was only 4 plates off cable crunching the entire stack of weights last week! I was excited by that, grunting and groaning away in my own little world : ) Today I have chest and triceps. My workouts have been longer. I am now training for a full hour – with no talking : ) I am quite antisocial at the gym. Although not good for business it is good for working out : ) I am also back into my running. I so enjoy running, it makes me feel great.

So that is training and comp world. Now to the rest of my life – we had an open house on the weekend. We are having another one this weekend. We have had lots of positive feedback about the house and presentation but these people don’t count because they don’t have enough money!

I have been doing lots of research for my business set-up. I’m dreaming of not working for the government any longer. I actually don’t enjoy coming to work anymore. I used to really enjoy my job but it officially sucks now. I feel down when I come in to this environment so it is seriously not good.

I have started working with a lady who I met at the QLD ANB show. She wants to compete in physique category. She has some unbelievable muscle on her. When she leans down she is going to look awesome. So we are tackling her prep in 2 stages with Stage 1 leading up to Christmas before Stage 2 kicks in.

I was just looking at a website www.fitnessexpo.com.au I think I’ll go down to the Brisbane expo for a looksy.

I am starting a 12 week challenge from tomorrow. I always wait until a Monday to start my dieting but I am doing lots of things different now! One of my strategies to help me overcome my challenges. So I will be posting info about my progression with this from here on.

Well it’s Melbourne Cup day today (can’t believe only Victoria gets the holiday!). The social club is putting on a lunch and I am the judge for the hat competition. So it will be interesting to see some of the hats. The rule was that the hat had to be made out of items from the office! So the stores cupboard has been suitably raided!

So till next time – Go You Good Thing!

Anticipation

2006-10-27T11:23:00.000+10:00

We'll I am waiting in anticipation to find out when Rachel and Aarons little one enters the world! Can't wait for all the gory details and of course to give the little bundle a big cuddle :) Love your last post Rach!

I have been quite busy over the last few days. Of course always the dreaded W word is compulsory and I am so discontent at the moment with my work environment. Last night G and I went to a seminar run by Kerry and Rowena McEvoy who are the owners of the Australian Institute of Fitness. They are an extremely motivating couple. We both left feeling rather "high". We hung around and had a good chat to both of them. So we left there with lots of discussion about our working future and fears associated with leaving the security of our government jobs.

Wednesday night I had a very energetic session in the park followed by a boxing lesson. I did my first beep test, which is something I have wanted to do for ages. I reached level 9-6. Wanted to be the last female in our group but made second last.......next time : ) So I am planning on doing the beep test in 4 weeks time to check my fitness progress. G's brother did the beep test recently and reached level 15. Neither of us comprehended how impressive that was at the time!

We have had a photo session of the house and it will be in a feature in next weeks paper. We have also found a new development we are interested in buying land in. I am so excited about the prospect of building again. We have to do some research on "Zen" style architecture as we both really like the style and feel. So at this stage this is the plan for the house design.

Only 5 hours to go and we will be flying off to Melbourne to watch the Nationals! I am looking forward to this. I have a picture of the open short figure winners from last years Nationals on my computer. Rather impressive physiques. It will be great to catch up with Sue and everybody else.

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYBODY COMPETING! I'll be there cheering you on. I hope you all enjoy the experience.

Personally I hated the Nationals last year. The "feel" of the backstage environment was very daunting and unfriendly. So many people with their heads stuck so far up their asses : ) I honestly don't understand that attitude but there are lots of egos in this sport. I'm quite happy to be the friendly person who acknowledges people!

It will be great to have a long weekend. G's Mum has lots planned for us, including a big do on Sunday with lots of relies we haven't seen in a while. So it should be fun. I might even indulge in a couple of Wodka's!

Shack Pics

2006-10-23T14:02:00.000+10:00

Beach Shack For Sale

2006-10-23T10:52:00.000+10:00

Well it is now official, the shack is on the market. We signed on the dotted line yesterday, so we will see what happens. We spent most of the weekend doing jobs around the house. Finally cleaned up outside the laundry and put a garden in. Shovelled loads of mulch into a bin and carried it down the back yard to the garden. We are on a steep block and this is a major mission. I did all the shovelling to burn extra calories : ) Gerard killed a black snake in the garden! It was sleeping under the pavers we moved, it was only small thank goodness. We also did a load to the tip. I just love gardening. I find it so therapeutic. Yesterday we spent lots of time inside the house. Scrubbed the bathroom till it was shiny and then the kitchen.

We are heading down to Melbourne to watch the Nationals this weekend. I'm really looking forward to catching up with SUE and getting all motivated by watching the show. While we are there the agent will be taking people through the house. So Arnie will have to go to prison this weekend. No doubt he would scare the people looking through.

We were meant to go on a "date" to the movies last night. But we ended up running late after the agent visited so I made a nice dinner and we watched a DVD instead. We watched the Anthony Hopkins movie - The Last Indian. It was great. I had seen previews at the movies and thought it looked a bit lame, but it was really good.

I trained legs on Thursday afternoon. It has been a while since I did a decent leg session. I finished 2 sets of squats and went to rack up for the third and my legs screamed at me! I thought OMG I am going to be sore tomorrow. They weren't even that heavy, only 50kgs. It's amazing how you can feel it after having time off. So I soldiered on - did walking lunges, leg ext, leg curls and followed with a really good stretch. So I was hobbling around for the following couple of days. I was really tired on Friday so I went home and rested after work instead of the gym.
So I'm rocking and ready to hit my shoulders and abs! Time to start doing some weighted ab work. I don't feel anything when I do unweighted and can go on and on and on without fatiguing. I need to get my shoulders and abs popping for the April comp. My nutrition has been great. The only downfall has been that we are having a skinny capaccino every day! The novelty has not yet worn off from the new gadget. The children thoroughly enjoyed baby chinnos on the weekend.

I felt great on my run this morning. Arnie and I headed out and did a full 40 minutes this morning. He had so much energy. So I've finally broken out of the slug mode and am fired up and motivated!

Loving DOMS

2006-10-19T12:54:00.000+10:00

I am sore sore sore,not as sore as Sue sounds but maybe I'll have a sore butt after tonight too as it is leg night for me. I had a great chest and tricep workout last Tuesday night. One of the guys at the gym was at the show on Saturday night and is keen to compete next year. He will be a grand masters!

We did stretching at college last night and it felt soooooo good. I seriously neglect my stretching - do you? I am going to make a conscious decision to stretch more consistently. Several years ago I had a stretching program prescribed to me as I was assessed as having overtight hammies and calves and over developed quads. This trainer was as blunt as a hammer and told me I'd never lose my big butt until I "rebalanced" myself. He's lucky I'm not a softy as I'm sure so many people would have cringed and ran with his bluntness. I gave him feedback about how rude he was : ) Most of the assisted stretches we were doing last night were progressions of the program I was given - and failed to be consistent with. So I'll test his theory and stretch consistently and see whether I can lose that final bit of butt fat I have always held onto when competing.

I am having mixed feelings about Gerard training me for the April comp. I am excited about being pushed and achieving my PB's but I am also scared at how hard he will be pushing me! I know I am going to cop a caning. You know that scared exhilaration feeling?!! I'm already getting nervous.

I had this morning as my cardio free morning. I had a later night to bed last night. Had to watch Survivor after we got home from college. I really need to get my VCR set up to tape. So in order to get a decent amount of sleep I stayed in bed until 6.45am. I could have slept for an extra 2 hours! I am feeling so tired lately. It has made me consider how exhausted people with chronic fatigue must feel.

We bought a coffee machine yesterday with some of the gift vouchers we received for our wedding gifts. Then we went to "House" shop to look at what we could get with our vouchers from there. I couldn't find anything, so thought I'd wait until a need arose rather than buying something for the sake of it.

I am going to do some mulching and gardening this weekend and ring the real estate to organise the paper work to get the house on the market. I've started planning and researching for our next holiday too! We are going to take the children for their first overseas holiday to Fiji. We are going to go straight after the October comps next year. Gerard has decided to compete again in 2007, so it will be great to head straight off after that. We will leave looking all buff and probably come back bloated from all the pina coladas! What's life if you can't live a little!

I am so illiterate

2006-10-17T15:09:00.000+10:00

When it comes to computers I am pretty much retarded! I've just set up a new blog as I had obviously arrived at my "Journey to Mrs B". So this blog will document my journey beyond that! I must bring in some pics from our honeymoon as I have some great shots to post. Life has been very full since I last posted. Some of the significant events are:

Honeymoon that was great - had to remention it!

Comps; Watching Penny and Maraina make their competition debut at the Qld INBA Titles - how awesome it was to be on the supporters side of the fence! Sitting in the front rows cheering out to them. They both did such a wonderful job. It was great to see Liz again as well. I might add that her stage presence and confidence has increased out of sight! So wonderful to see. I recall chatting to Liz just before her first comp and she said - I won't compete again! Another addict : )

Penny also followed up the following week with the ANB Qld Titles. We changed her final week diet around and sharpened some of her posing. Her class had 16 competitors and she achieved an outstanding 3rd place. The novice line ups are incredibly competitive. When I watched both of these comps it made me think I'd better get pretty damn serious about my own prep for my next comp.

I was approached by 3 people at the ANB comp and will hopefully pick them up as new clients. So it was a great networking opportunity!

My training I have finally reassessed my own goals and have recommenced training with a vengence! I am sore today. I trained back and biceps yesterday. Off to do Chest and tris this evening. I haven't been for a run for quite a while, so this morning I took my dog for a quick blockie and then hit the pavement. What a slug! I had to stop and walk for about 50metres during a 30minute jog! It won't take long to get back into the swing of that though. I will be doing a beep test for the first time next week so need to kick back into gear before then.

I have made a definite decision to compete in April. I have broken my prep down into 2 phases. Phase 1 will see me reach my 52kg goal for christmas. Then I will have a good rest over christmas (my office closes for 10 days) and then crank up the training for the final prep phase. I must find out the date of the comp, but I think that will give me approx 14 weeks of "official" prep time. Gerard will be training me during this time. I have only ever trained on my own, but I want to be pushed to my limits. I have set myself personal goals to achieve.

This next comp all seems so much more serious now that I have my own clients who will be watching me go through the processes of preparing and performing. I have a sensational idea for my routine as well. Something very different from "the norm". Gerard thought it was a great idea. So you will have to stay posted to see the final product!

Business Setup I have been looking at lots of information about setting up our business venture. We have lots of goals and dreams for the future so it's time to start putting these into action.

We will move one step closer to putting our house on the market this weekend. We have a couple of little jobs we need to do this weekend and then it will go on the market. I never thought I'd want to sell it, but it just shows how our focus in our lives changes. I thought it was my dream house! Reality is it's too big for the two of us. The first resort we stayed at in Thailand was just gorgeous and we would like to model our next house on that resort. The style is called "Zen". So if anybody wants a beach shack weekender there is one for sale on the Sunshine Coast!

I returned to work last week. But that is just plain dull so I won't dwell on that! Stay tuned for some great pics real soon!