Tuesday 27 August 2013

What??? Where???

Even I can see the irony of my blog title...'It's time...' When in fact that is the one thing that I am lacking at the moment..... I have had an intention for a whole now to explain the title but not sure that now is the right time when it's the one thing I'm lacking (ok, we'll maybe not the one, but the one that is having the most impact on me right now!)

I have blogged many times about how busy I am and how that impacted on my 12wbt journey at times. It meant that I had to get super organised with my food, shopping and cooking and whilst I still feel like I am on top of that, it seems to be everything else that is consuming me...

Right now, even as I write this I am thinking of all the other things that I should be doing. I know all the advice that I will get about taking time out for me and all of that and I do that but at the end of the day there will always be deadlines that I have to meet and if I don't there will be consequences that I am not prepared to accept, so what I need is more time, and given that that's not going to happen I can  only have a little vent on my blog about there needing to be more time and then set my alarm for a ridiculously early time for the morning and prepare myself as much as I can for tomorrow for it is a whole other day...

And of course countdown the days til holidays.... (19 school days) and do the best that I can....

Ahhh Tuesday.... Where would I be without Essentially Jess and the #IBOT team...

Tuesday 20 August 2013

to discuss my fellow gym goers....

I have had a gym membership at various gyms across Qld on and off for the last 15 or so years and it has come to my attention that there are certain categories of people that attend gyms...

Now don't get my wrong, I mean this all with love and am not deliberately intending to cause any distress or angst to anyone and I give a big high 5 to any and everyone out there doing something good for their health, fitness and general well being, but here goes....

The 6 P's of gym goers....

1. The Poser
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You know the ones....they have the muscles and they like to look at them! Whilst most of us avoid the floor to ceiling mirrors in the gym, the poser tends to deliberately find any excuse to walk past the mirror and check themselves out...The may claim to be "checking their form" but we all know that's not the only thing they are checking....


2. The Prancer
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this refers mostly to some of the running styles often seen on the treadmill....Generally speaking The Prancer is female dressed head to toe in gorgeous Lorna Jane clothing (hey, no judgement, am pretty sure I own partial shares as well!) prancing away high kneed on the treadmill while everyone else is left wondering how they can possibly run like that and being completely jealous that they manage to make running look so pretty and easy and barely cracking a sweat.....


3. The Plodder
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 Again the plodder is used to describe someone on a treadmill... The flat footed, pounding the treadmill with every step they take that send vibrations around the gym... They resemble what I imagine would be an elephant running through the jungle....and I can say that because I feel that I am indeed a plodder!


4. The Princess
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The princess is the full version of the prancer. This is the girl who just looks gorgeous not matter what exercise she is doing. Dressed in complete co-ordinated outfit, she often has her hair done perfectly and a full face of makeup (which I will never really understand). Often when you see the princess, through the sweat dripping over your eyeballs, you secretly wish that you were her but then think that if you were you wouldn't be at the gym! Lol.... (The green-eyed monster may or may not be rearing its head whilst typing this part of the post!)


5. The Picker
 
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another thing I will never understand is g-strings at the gym..... hmmmmm, if anyone out there can explain that to me I am more than happy to listen! I have from time to time worn the incorrect undergarments to various events (there was the deb ball sucky innys that needed to be removed mid ball but that's a different story) but to the gym I am sure to wear the comfy ones, not quite Bridget Jones granny undies but pretty close. The other day I was at the gym and the girl (aka The Prancer) on the treadmill smack bang in front of me quite obviously had a g-string on and proceeded to pick and pick and pick it out while she ran. At one point she even put her whole hand down....anyway, you get the picture!


6. The Panter
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More commonly known as The Grunter, but that doesn't start with P! These are the peeps who like everyone in the gym to know that they are lifting heavy, hard core weights by grunting and panting enough to put a pregnant woman entering her 10th hour of labour to shame.

What do you think? Have you seen any of these at your gym? Or perhaps you have others?


Linking up with Essentially Jess for #IBOT!

Thursday 8 August 2013

for Thankful Thursday!



It's been a while since I linked up for a Thankful Thursday post but today I have something I want to share.....

In 12wbt world, as many of you know Wednesday is Weigh in day and while I am no longer officially part of the program I intend on keeping to this tradition....I was away from home and staying at a friends place Tuesday night so could not weigh in Wednesday so did it this morning and.........
BOOM!!!! Goal Weight! So excited!!!

So what am I thankful for....
  • the amazing friends who have supported me through this journey
  • the 12wbt support crew and Michelle Bridges
  • the fact that I have the ability to be able to pay for a program such as this and buy the food to make the difference
  • the ability to fit exercise and the gym into my life but the knowledge to know it's not the be all and end all

I am sure there is so much more to be thankful for but my brain is fried after a big day at work...... and as I said in my final update on Tuesday this is not the end but I am so happy to have reached this milestone!

Linking up with Francesca Writes Here for Thankful Thursday

Francesca Writes Here

Wednesday 7 August 2013

for some happy snaps....

Last weekend I called in to see my sister and her kidlets on my way to visit my parents... My nephews and I love to take some crazy selfies!

                                Smiles.......             Scared faces.......       Poking tongues.......


                                Cranky face.......        Cheesy grin.....         Scarey big eyes........

Love em to bits!


Joining up with other Wordless Wednesday blogs!

   Twinkle In The Eye  My Little Drummer Boys

Tuesday 6 August 2013

for a 12wbt wrap up!

Sunday I officially finished my second round of Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation! Even got the certificate to prove it!


If you want to read about my progress then check out here..... and here..... and here....or just check out my archives for all the updates!

To be honest I've been completely customising my meal plans for the past few weeks now and in a sense 'going it alone' so I decided not to sign on for another round. It became easier for me to be organised in advance by freezing meals and just grabbing what I felt like at the time rather than following the meal plan to a T.

That was one of the biggest light bulb moments for me.....being organised is definitely the key, especially the way my work and general lifestyle is at the moment. I have always lead a relatively healthy lifestyle but this was just that extra bit of education and motivation I needed to get it right. Another big learning curve for me has been portion size. I always cooked and ate more than I needed to but I think I have that sorted now!

The thing I found with the 12wbt was that while it was all good and well to think that you HAD to follow the nutrition and meal plans exactly as prescribed then I think you would be doomed for failure and disappointment. I continued to live my life and didn't deprive myself of the things I loved and the events I wanted to go to. You have to be realistic and give yourself a break if things go a little astray from time to time.

Anyway, here goes for my stats..... Apologies in advance for the photos you are about to see! Lol.....


Pre Season Round 1 - Jan 2013                  End Round 2 - August 2013
Weight = 68.3kg                                        Weight = 60.4kg
Arms = 30.2cm (r)   29.7cm (l)                 Arms = 27.6 (r)   27.3 (l)
Chest = 82cm                                            Chest = 76cm                      (noooooo! lol)
Waist = 82.8cm                                         Waist = 76.5cm
Hips = 110.8cm                                         Hips = 101.5cm
Thigh = 60.3cm (r)   60.2 (l)                     Thighs = 51.5cm (r)   51.0 (l)

Quite happy with that! Obviously this is not the end of my journey and I am sure I don't have to point out my target areas! Lol....Must get on to a few more of those squat challenges I think!

During my first round my 1 month goal was to run 5km without stopping, if you have been following with this journey you'll know that almost all of my running has been done on a treadmill, my 12 month goal has always been to run a half marathon... So I reached my milestone in March running 5km on the treadmill with a time of 42:45mins. Since then I have improved that time and 2 weeks ago again ran 5km on the treadmill but this time in a time of 35:27mins! So stoked!

Have been working on a few plans that will change my lifestyle and how I can go about my training and once the weather warms up a bit more I am looking forward to testing my running speed outside.. Stay tuned for that one!

This is by no means the end of my health and fitness journey, in fact I feel like it's only really just the beginning. Doing the 12wbt wasn't just for a short term, reach my goals, fix, it was a lifestyle change that I intend on honouring for the rest of my life. Have there been times where I've slipped ...absolutely... have I reached for the chocolate/wine/pizza/cake/lollies/hot chips from time to time....absolutely, but I didn't beat myself up about it, I saw it for what it was and moved on.

One of the downfalls of this process though has been how much it has cost. While you can't put a real price on your health I'm not going to lie, it has cost me. Losing weight is a wonderful feeling and Friday I learnt the value of a plaited belt! lol....
 
This GAP belt that cost me a small fortune used to fit me!
I have so many beautiful clothes that no longer fit me and while I'm not really complaining I know that I kind of am, about the money it is costing me in replacing them...

If you have been considering joining the 12wbt journey...JFDI!!!

Linking up this Tuesday with Essentially Jess for IBOT

Monday 5 August 2013

to confess.... I'm in love!

Am linking up off topic with I must confess this week.... To be honest I don't do DIY so therefore can't claim any DIY disasters.... this week I want to confess my love to someone near and dear to me in the way of an open letter...

Dear Charlie,

I have been given the gift of being asked to play an important role in your life, at least that's what the card says that I received when I became your Godmother 12 months ago! Yesterday marked the anniversary of me officially becoming your Godmother but I knew I loved you and wanted to be a big part of your life long before that...

If the truth be told I knew about you very early in the piece (shhhh don't tell your dad though). Your Mum wanted you for such a long time and it took a little while for you to arrive but when you did we were all so so happy! I remember when your Mum phoned me and we were just chatting away as we usually do and I asked about the holiday they had been planning and she told me that they weren't going anymore and when I asked why she said that they had to save their money, and knowing that they were trying to have a baby I got suspicious, and I was right! For a few weeks I had to pretend I didn't know which was hard because I was so excited for your Mummy and Daddy!

I also remember the day that you were born, I was on holidays and had just arrived at the Gold Coast and I got a phone call from your Dad, he hardly ever calls me so I know that when he does it must be something important. I was ridiculously happy to hear of your birth and now with you being a little boy to go with your big sister, Katie, you were the perfect pair.
This is one of my all time favourite pics of us!


I was proud as punch when your Mum asked me to be your Godmother. Sometimes it feels a bit funny to say that though as I am not really sure how I feel about all this God business. On my card I was given by Father Michael on your Baptism Day it says that my job is to help your Mum and Dad help you to understand the meaning of living the message of Christ in your life. Now to be honest I am not sure how I'm going to go with that and if you do ever need guidance when if comes to the church or to God then perhaps you best ask Mum or even Nanna Charm. But if you ever need advice on school, girls, how to handle that big sister of yours, jobs or even which football team to follow (not the Cowboys or the Bulldogs! Go the Dragons) then I am here!
You and I on your Christening Day
With all your Godparents, you were well and truly over it and cracking it at this point!

 You're not quite 2 years old yet and I don't get to see you as much as I would like and in your early days you were always quite hesitant of me. You have always been a bit of a Mummy's boy and always want Mum to pick you up and carry you or snuggle with you and when I tried to nurse you, you would crack it! I used to complain to your Mum that you didn't love me! These last lot of holidays I came out for a few days and you had grown and changed so much. You are talking so much more and turning into a real little boy. You even let me pick you up and talk to me!
When I went to leave you sat on top of my bag, I like to think it was because you didn't want me to leave but think it was more because you thought you could ride it like a horse! Lol...

A few weeks ago your Mum sent me a message to tell me that you had started saying my name! That made me feel super special and then a few days later your Dad caught it on video and sent it to me and it totally made my day! Sometimes when I am feeling a little sad and sitting at home alone I watch the video and it brings a big big smile to my face! It makes me think that you must think about me from time to time!.

So Charlie Boy, here's to many many more years of friendship with your Mummy and Daddy and watching you grow into a handsome young man and me being the best Godmum I can be. Know that you are always loved and if there is EVER anything that I can do for you, you just ask!

Lots of love and big big hugs
Aunty Zita xox


Linking up with Have a laugh on me this week while Kirsty takes a break!
Have a laugh on me