Early Morning Cardio

As you know, I am in the first week of my new program with my new trainer Evan Godbee :) 

Part of my program consists of 2 x interval cardio sessions per week. I like to do these fasted (on an empty stomach) before work. 

I drove down from Brisbane to Coolangatta yesterday before work to do my intervals, actually looking forward to the session. Left Brisbane in sunshine. Got to Coolangatta and arrived to rain :( I was pretty shirted off!! Had I just been going back home or something, I would have done it anyway - I like running in the rain. However, having to go straight to work after running in the rain is not really a good look :P 

So I told myself I would try again today! Before leaving home, I checked the "Rain?" app - nothing even remotely close - excellent. I breifly considered stopping in at the gym (I drive straight past it to get to the freeway) to do the workout, but the lure of the fresh air was too great. 

Arrived to perfect sunshine & smashed out my intervals. What an AWESOME start to my day!! Being outside running by the beach, in the fresh air - totally beats being on the treadmill in the gym! :)

I use "Easy Intervals" when interval training. It's a great little app, you can make your own workouts. So you put in your warm-up time, your cool-down time, how many intervals you want to do, what the 'work' time & the 'rest' time of each interval is, and Bob's your uncle. Good to go! 

Maybe you could incorporate some interval training into your routine to help assist weight loss. It doesn't have to be running. It can be cycling, swimming, rowing, or a whole bunch of tabata training style workouts if you like!! Just as long as your heart beat is going up & down, that's the main thing! 

Stay fabulous! xo

Hiatus... and 2013

Hi internet. 

Sorry for the hiatus. Since blogging, I competed in my first INBA competition, had a photoshoot with the super amazing Emily Skye, moved from ACT to QLD, and put back on a whooooole chunk of weight that I slavvvvved to get rid of last year :( 

I thought I'd share some of the pics from my competition & my shoot in an effort to remind myself what I am capable of. 

I feel so ashamed & angry with myself for gaining back the weight. I made some wrong choices over the past few months, and I am determined to compete again in the QLD titles in May 2013, and I WILL KEEP THE WEIGHT OFF. I bring in a leaner, more muscley physique this year, and I will learn from my mistakes, and make the right choices after the competition is over & maintain my healthy lifestyle :) 

Ok so the pics - I am in the green bikini :)

Here's a glorious before & after shot
For anyone wanting to make a change to your life (your goal doesn't need to be to compete!) check out Amanda's Lifestyle Program. This program gets results!! She doesn't tell you anything magical about losing weight, she won't sell you diet pills, she just tells you how to shift the weight the old fashioned way - eat right & excersise! The program outlines proper nutrition, portion control, includes recipes and lifetime access to the forums - Check it out! 
www.dailydosefitness.com.au

For anyone wanting to make a change to your life (your goal doesn't need to be to compete!) check out Amanda's Lifestyle Program. This program gets results!! She doesn't tell you anything magical about losing weight, she won't sell you diet pills, she just tells you how to shift the weight the old fashioned way - eat right & excersise! The program outlines proper nutrition, portion control, includes recipes and lifetime access to the forums - Check it out! 
www.dailydosefitness.com.au

And here's some pics from my shoot with Emily

So what's happening in 2013 you ask?? 

My wonderful trainer & mentor from last year Amanda (check out her brand new website www.dailydosefitness.com.au) is competing herself this year so I couldn't work with her again. I have chosen Evan from Evan Godbee's Muscle Academy to be my coach this year. I am just about to start a pre-season with him for 1 month, then will be into another 12 week prep ready for stepping on stage on Sunday 26 May :) 

I am interested to see how this prep will be similar/different from last year's. I am hoping to follow more of a IIFYM (if it fits your macros) approach, meaning that my diet won't consist of chicken, broccoli & brown rice haha :P so that I can incorporate my eating with hubby's a bit more, as we lead very separate lives last time which I didn't love. 

Also, have some exciting news on the horizon regarding possible sponsorship?? So will see how that goes!! 

I will try to post more of my workouts, recipes, hints & tips this year, so you can follow my journey & even try out some of the things I do :) 

So let's embrace 2013 and all it has to offer!!! 

HIIT Cardio - It's a love hate relationship

One of the things my trainer has incorporated into my training is HIIT Cardio (High Intensity Interval Training) 

I'm not gonna lie - it would probably be my most despised activity of the week... BUT it does produce the best trade-off in terms of time spent working out versus results!! 

HIIT involves short bursts of intense anaerobic activity, followed by a rest/recovery period. 

Most HIIT sessions last for between 9-20 minutes - given the high intensity, the sessions can't last for too long, which makes it a quick workout choice to fit into your program. 

Wikipedia tells me that the benefits of HIIT are improved athletic capacity & condition, improved glucose metabolism and improved fat burning. Another benefit of HIIT is that it can be done inside or outside, on a treadmill, elliptical, rower, bicycle etc (which is great news for people with running injuries!) Unlike steady state cardio (ie walking for an hour) your body continues to burn fat after your HIIT session, which is yet another bonus! 

Here is a typical shot of what I look like after my HIIT sessions - not pretty but getting rid of the fat is priority number uno! Mmmm sweaty :P 

Anyway, if you give it a go, let me know how you find it! 

Stay fabulous xx

Motivation Monday

Hi internet :) 

Just a little Monday Motivation 

Source

So let's get sweaty!! 

I had my weekly weigh-in this morning. Down another 800g. Can't believe my body is responding so well to this training & clean eating!! Just a massive credit to my amazingly incredible Coach!!! :D And for the record, let's be honest, I'm not just sitting on my butt - I am working haaaard! :P

Might post some pics later. Might not.. 

Stay fabulous! xx

Progress so far

Just thought I'd throw up a comparison of my body - before starting my clean eating journey, and now (just over 6 weeks til comp!) 

Just gotta keep training & eating clean and IT WILL HAPPEN!!! :D

Also, weighed in yesterday, with a 600g loss this week. Coach was happy so I was happy! Got a new weights program (its a doozey!) and have varied cardio slightly for the week, so looking forward to some big results this week!!! 40 days to go! 

Aaaand I get a re-feed meal this week as well! Pasta here I come!! Promise to post pics 

Stay Fabulous xx

Snackity Snack

Confession: I just love my snacks!!! Here's today's mid-morning snackerdoodle:

 Yummmmm! 

What is your favourite snack, internet? 

Update :: 12 Week Challenge

Hi Internet, sorry I have been a bit sporadic in my posting!! 

You remember 4 weeks ago that I promised to give my all in the 12 Week Challenge - well it is officially 1/3 way through, and I have left behind 2.6kg and 21cm!!!! Super duper stoked with my results so far! 

Evidence Exhibit A: 

And it's not only the scales & the measurements that are putting a smile on my face, [cue Coldplay] I actually feel better, from the inside out! I said to my trainer, I just feel like a brand new person, that I was trapped inside a stranger's body, and now I have broken free & feel back to my fit, bubbly, vibrant, outgoing & motivated self :D

Here's a sample of the delish food I have been eating - I have been experimenting with ways to cook my chicken, this is some that I baked in the oven with great success: 

And if you need more motivation, check out this super fit chick, who had a massively amazing transformation! Kelsey speaks of her journey on Bodybuilding.com with detailed diet & training advice. 

[Source] and [Source]

Hope you all have a super fabulous day! xx

Week 1 :: Completed!

I successfully completed Week 1 of my 12 week program [cheers] Hooray for me! 

Surprisingly, I found that I didn't struggle as much as I thought I would with the new diet & training regime, but it did help that I was verrrry prepared. As in, here is what my kitchen looks like every 3 or so days: 

These consist of poached chicken, sweet potato, broccoli & carrot - Don't screw your face up at the poached chicken - I urge you to try it, it's actually really yummy, especially cooked with some mixed herbs! 

It's definitely a good idea to make all your lunches & dinners for the following few days if you can. After a long day at work, then a gym sesh, I can just come home & heat up my dinner & get it in my belly!! :) And that makes me and my belly happy! 

Soooooo after a week's training & eating clean, I managed to lose 1.0kg and over 10cm from my body [can I get a hell yeah!!!] I am super excited by my first week's result, but need to remember that the weight lost will be partially due to getting rid of excess fluid that has been unwelcome-ly sitting in my body! 

So we are straight into Week 2 Full Steam Ahead! I did an RPM class this morning and heading back to the gym for a weights sesh tonight! I have bought a new pair of workout shoes, which I will post a pic of later in the week - they are super awesome! 

In other news, my amazing husband and I shared our 2 year wedding anniversary yesterday, and today marks our 11th year together - It's been an awesome 11 years and I can't wait to see what the future holds for us! 

This is how I feel about our marriage <3

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Aaaaand finally, here's a pair of Lorna Jane pants that were launched yesterday that I am in love with! Need to get a pair of these babies STAT! 

source

Stay Fabulous! xx

Tomorrow

Just a quickie - I start my 12 week program tomorrow, and I feel a mixture of excitement & anticipation for taking the first steps towards my new body & lifestyle, as well as a bit of nervousness at how I will go when I am faced with temptation, and knowing that there are gonna be days where it will hurt! 

I AM READY!!!!!!!!!

Pic from here

It's on like Donkey Kong!

In my first post, I mentioned that something exciting was in the pipelines - well it's all coming to fruition - I am going to be embarking on a 12-week program, and on my team of support is none other than Amanda from Me vs the Bulge!!! 

I am not super comfortable with sharing this with everyone, but sharing is caring. During my 20's I was able to maintain a comfortable weight of 67kgs, with what I remember as very miminal effort. I ran around 4kms a few times per week, didn't do any weights, and situps, pushups, lunges and squats were nowhere to be seen!! I was also able to eat relatively whatever I wanted! Oh to be young and carefree again!!

Then the years rolled by, and I became closer to the big 3-0 and my metabolism decided that it would start slowing down, after all the hard work it had done for me over the years. I joined a gym in an effort to turn back the clock, and to move the kilo or 2 that I'd put on, but wasn't very serious with my training. Then I decided to become a Full-On-Geek, playing an online game World of Warcraft (cringe!!!) and with that new addiction came even less physical activity, and more late night snacking on Twisties... Not a very good combination!!

I have tried so many times to start one new diet after another, with words like "tomorrow I'm gonna start again" and "I'll just enjoy this weekend then start next week". Well enough is enough!!! I am tired of feeling bloated, sluggish, tired, jiggly, unattractive, and I'm tired of starting over and over again!!!

So, I am announcing to the interwebz that I am doing this 12 week challenge, with a goal of 67kg as my final weigh-in. In addition to the number on the scales, I want to feel fit, strong, healthy, and to have more energy for all my other loves in my life!

I am not in delusional-land, as I know this won't be easy. Not even a little bit. But if I want it bad enough (which I do), then I can & will do this. I know Amanda and the rest of Team Bree's Support will be there cheering me from the sidelines, and when times get tough, I just need to remember this motivation I feel right now, and focus on the goal at the end of the tunnel. 

I will keep you updated along the way, with my trials and tribulations, so stay tuned.

And because a bloggity post is always better with another picture, check out Amanda's transformation:

taken from here and find more from Amanda here

Stay fabulous x