Fitness Ambition

Moving House

2009-12-02T07:45:00.001+11:00

I have decided to move house in order to combine my two blogs and to create a more special place to talk about life and family life alongside my fitness goals.

I hope you can come and join me in The Shed!

Down in the Shed

Layne Beachley on Success

2009-11-30T20:06:00.000+11:00

There is a show on the Business Channel on Foxtel called Switzer which I don't really watch all that often - however, the other day I happened upon a really interesting interview with Layne Beachley on this program and it inspired me.

Essentially Layne was discussing her pathway to success in surfing and business.

I'd love to share a few of her quotes from the transcript with all of you:

Layne on Focus and Determination -

“When I turned 25 I was considered a veteran. But I didn’t win my first world title until I was 26. You know, as women, we do tend to get better with age.”
What took her so long?

“I wasn’t ready,” says Beachley. “I wasn’t ready to win. I was still very distracted. I didn’t give it 110 per cent. Once I started to really focus in on it and take all the other distractions out of my life and make that my number one priority then I won and I stayed there for as long as I did.”

This is something that I have found to be so important - when you want to achieve something you have to focus on it and it alone 100%. You can't be attempting to acieve 6 major goals at one time because you simply don't have the enery to give them all the attention they need. The other important point here is that you really really have to want to achieve the goal you are aiming for - you have to want it with all your heart - only then can you truly focus on you goals.

A friend was relaying a story to me last night about a guy he went on a work trip with who was a marathoner - he routinely declined invites out for post work drinks and that kind of thing because he valued his training so much that it was more important to him - he wanted to get up and go for his 20km in the morning and he wanted to be fresh when he did it. It was more important to him.
That is the mindset you need to achieve your goals.

More from Layne:

Beachley says her support networks have been crucial to her success.

“Even though I’ve been perceived as being an individualist, I’ve always had a team of people around me that have allowed me to maintain my focus and have pushed me in a different direction if it looked like I was falling off the rails; have been honest with me, have been trustworthy; people I’ve respected and also have experienced things that I never have so I could learn from them.”

This is another thing I have learnt along the way - it is absolutley crucial to have a team of people in your life who support you and your goals. They have to validate and believe in your approach as much as you do and not be the one who is derailing you. Does your partner constantly try to get you to eat junk with them or go drinking with them? It's not that they want you to fail - they just dont see how much you value your goals -it is so much easier to ahieve a goal when your support crew is behind you 100%.

She looked to those around her – including four times world champion Wendy Botha and Australian surfing legend and fellow world champion Pam Burridge – for advice.

“I basically became a sponge,” says Beachley. “Anyone I could see that had achieved what I really wanted, I asked for their guidance.

Another really great point - find someone you admire, someone who has achieved what you want to achieve and find out as much as you can about how they did it - then do it better!

Layne continues “If you want to stay ahead of your competition, you have to find ways to reinvent yourself; you have to be willing to improve and you have to be willing to learn and acknowledge that you don’t know it all. There’s always another way to do something.”

So, what is Beachley’s advice to women? What are the words they need?

“I’m worthy. I can, I am. It’s about, firstly, having a really positive attitude, having a goal that you can work towards. It’s really important that you have a goal. Write it down. I stuck it on my mirrors in my bedroom and just looked at that through the toughest times in my life. You’ve got a purpose to get yourself up in the morning, that will give you the motivation to overcome any obstacle you can ever encounter.”

Excerpts taken from Layne Beachley interview on Switzer.http://www.switzer.com.au/small-business/women-in-business/feature/behind-every-great-woman/

Full interview can be seen here.

What is a true treat?

2009-11-29T20:17:00.001+11:00

Interestingly through the process of finding myself again in the haze of new motherhood I am discovereing interesting things about what I truly treasure.

I have found that time and how I use it has become increasingly important to me.

This is mainly because when I do get those precious few moments to myself each day I have to choose wisely how I spend it.

I find myself getting annoyed if Harris falls asleep while we are out because that means the quiet alone time that I get to spend doing things for me are stolen by being out driving or at the shops.

Sometimes I choose to spend the whole of the first hour that he sleeps in the day doing house work - because I know that means I will get the second sleep of the day all to myself and I can spend it looking at things on the internet, reading, sewing, studying or just watching TV.

If I do manage to get out of the house without Harris, I am usually in a rush to get back again (mother guilt!)

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to go out and do something completely indulgent with no agenda - that was to go and just sit at a coffee shop and have a coffee and read a magazine. To not be anxious that he might wake up at any second and spoil my relaxation time - or to simply not be in a rush to finish my coffee because he is squirming in the pram or yelling - was a true treat.

I was amazed that something so simple could fill me up to the brim of relaxation so easily. It made me realise that my prior thinking - of going out for a walk each day and "treating" myself to a coffee and a cake at a coffee shop- wasn't in reality a treat at all. It was more like something I was telling myself I deserved - but I wasn't really able to enjoy it.

I guess what I am trying to say is that I have learnt to savour those things that are truly treats and to give them the level of importance they deserve.

Recarging your batteries is so important when you have a baby - and ideally you would have a lovely husband who gives you the love and supoort you need to be able to achieve this. Luckily I do and I really don't know what I would do with out him!

I am learning every day!

Rumbling along...

2009-11-26T10:13:00.000+11:00

It's funny you know....Shelly posted this post a few days ago and for all the world she could have been talking about me. for that is exactly how I feel. It doesn't really bother me though and that is half the problem. I seem to be happy just ambling along and doing what I can when I can. Although I haven't quite regained the lows of body fat percentage I had before I had Harris, my weight HAS even out back to approximately where it was before Harris and that makes it hard to be motivated. I really should get up and put my work skirt and pants on every day to remind myself that in 6 short weeks I have to wear these clothes again.
But then something stressful happens and its back to the old habits we go again.
I'm sure we will figure it out eventually.

I have been thinking a lot about whether I want to continue to blog because I find it quite a drain on my prescious time alone.

However just this week I have been coming across things here and there and I think to myself - I would like to write a blog about that! and so I think I will try to start blogging again more frequently.

So hopefully you will see me around again a little more often!

Just this past week I commenced a Certificate IV in Breastfeeding Education - the course that you need to complete to become qualified as a breastfeeding counsellor.
At the moment I am really motivated and happy to be learning again. Not studying something seems to leave a bit of a void in my life. I have an incessant need to learn. I am putting the wheels in motion to make a career change in the next few years and I am really excited about it. Unfortunately it will be a slow process, but it does involve lots of study and I am a bit excited about the process as much as I am about the end result. Hopefully - this path will take me to where I have wanted to be all along.

I'll be back soon with more!!!

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Two Weeks to get my act together

2009-11-08T10:25:00.000+11:00

So for the next two weeks I am going to be focussed and pulled together and get into some good habits - all with the purpose of t rying to regain the mental state that I had prior to having a baby.

I was SOOOO into health and fitness back then - it took up all of my mind space. It's time to find that again - simly because I love being in that healthful place!

Why the next two weeks?

for two reasons:
1. Because I need something to focus on
2. Because Mark is going to whyalla in SA for two weeks with work and it will just be me and the little one at home.

What does that mean? It means that I don't have to worry about feeding Mark and I just have to look after myself.

I have made a deal with Mark that when he gets back I get three times per week where he looks after Harris and I get to go running. The key is thatthose are the times when I get to do my me activity - something purely indulgent and just for me.

That is the activity I choose to have for me.

So for the next 12 months I am going to choose events to focus my running towards and get back to the super state of fitness I had pre little one.

First event? 6km Womens and Girls Jogalong at Weston Park on the 6th of December.

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Few and Far Between

2009-11-01T19:12:00.000+11:00

It seems really few and far between posts for me at the moment - but the reality is the computer isn't really a big priority for me anymore and because Harris is into EVERYTHING it is difficult to get on here when he is awake.

I ran into someone from work the other day and she reminded me that it is only 10 weeks or so until I have to return to work. Then I remembered that I was meant to be doing daily exercise in order to improve my endurance for work....hmmmnnn that one got forgotten.

It can be a bit hard to find the balance between everything, going to the gym, keeping the house clean and doing things that enrich my life (not that the gym doesn't enrich my life) and then when we have a week where Harris isn't sleeping well or we go away somewhere (which invariably means Harris doesn't sleep well for the week following) then all of the other stuff tends to get a bit forgotten.

A few weeks back I managed to get the house really tidy and I felt like I was on top of everything but now it feels like it has slipped somewhat.

My goals for this week are:

* To get back on top of the home organisation and tidying.
* To drink 3 Lt of water daily.
* To do the tasks I set for myself each day

oh and I have 10 weeks till I go back to work and presently only one of my work pants fit me and none of my skirts - I need to get my butt into get and lose a few kilos!

I was helping mummy in the garden and....

2009-10-21T17:15:00.001+11:00

well I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...

Day 2 Very Tired

2009-10-20T19:59:00.000+11:00

Broccoli from my Garden.

I am very tired today from my big baby weights training program walk (Read 8.5kg baby in a back carrier up a mountain with a dog) and a weights session at the gym.

I am already feeling the DOMS and I'm thinking I won't be able to lift Harris tomorrow.

We are having evaporative cooling installed tomorrow so no gym for me - but I am planning on doing some gardening and a session on the spin bike!

That's all I can write for now because I am soooo tired (and I have to tidy up before the contactors want to come into my house!)

Fitness Monday

2009-10-19T14:20:00.000+11:00

The Michelle Bridges program is split into Fitness and Toning - alternating each day. Today was Fitness and me being my usual self couldn't help but add to it. I guess I am probably a little fitter than many who would do a program froma book (but probably not much!)

Today's fitness session was a circut of two rounds, consisting of the following - each being 20 reps.

* Fast low step running Rt Leg
* Fast low step running Lt Leg
* Push Ups on Knees
* Freestanding body weight squat (and I just realised I forgot to do this entirely!)
* Standing shoulder Press with light weights
* Static Lunge with support
* Standing biceps curl with light weight

Abs
* Crunches
* Crunch with Right twist
* Crunch with Left twist

I also did 25 minute on the treadmill - 20 mins at 6% incline walking at 6.5min/km and 5 mins or 1 km running.

The great thing about this program is that it is designed to be able to be done either at home or at the gym. So if for whatever reason I am unable to make it to the gym (and with limited Childcare hours that is often the case)I can still get it done at home.

I found out this morning that due to increased membership they are limiting the childcare to 20 places per session - with 2 sessions tunning each morning AND you have to book them in on the morning of the day you want to go. It does make it that little bit harder and if you ask me I think they should just extend the childcare to 2pm. The gym offers a reduced fee membership for "Off Peak" times which allows you to go between 9am and 2pm each weekday. Considering that Childcare is only available between 9am and 12pm it really limits when you are able to go.
Next year I am going to have to change to the more expensive membership so I can go in the morning before work or in the evening (not that that will probably happen because Harris is always mr Grumpy pants in the evening). I might change gyms though - I'll have to wait and see next year.

I got thinking while I was at the gym that perhaps I needed some new gym clothes - my two pairs of leggings were a little threadbare and prone to falling down. I also decided that I needed a new pair of running shoes. When parts of the shoe are falling off it is probably time! So after I was finished at the gym thats what I did!

Now I just have to make sure I keep using it!

And So...

2009-10-18T20:40:00.000+11:00

I come to the sombre realisation that in Two and a half short months I have to return to work...BooHoo...

I am 100% positive that this is going to hit me like a steam roller even though I know it is coming.

So I am begrudgingly going to attempt to be all grown up like and start being super organised and doing things properly and such so that it doesn't come as SUCH a massive shock to me and I lose the plot entirely.

Last week we were confirmed a place at the child care centre which is located on the hospital campus. I cannot tell you what a relief and weight off my shoulders that was! I was secretly stressing about it I am sure. Having Harris at this childcare centre will make it so much easier for both of us.

Once I get back into the swing of it all and Harris is a teensy bit bigger I am hoping to ride my bike to work at least twice per week. We only live 5km from the hospital and I'm hoping to pack us both up and ride up there each day - that may be wishful thinking but I will at least give it a go. Mark can collect harris at 4pm on those days because he finishes work an hour or so earlier than I do.

I am going back to work 3 days per week and I think I will stick to working that until we have finished having kids and they are at school. I think it is a nice balance.

What I want to do before we get to that point though is try and increase my stamina again and start going back to the gym properly. I am going to start scheduling it into my diary and making it part of our day and working the other things that need doing in around that and the general household organisational things. As boring as it may seem, I think it is important that I stop living in the little fairyland of coffee mornings and shopping and start living to somwhat of a schedule again. After all it will be enforced once I head back to work.

Its probably going to be hard and I'm probably not going to like it - but hey thats what life if like sometimes!

A while back I bought the Michelle Bridges book - "Crunch Time" - I'm going to try and follow the training plan in there for the time between now and going back to work - just to increase my fitness and help me to not be so tired at the end of the day.

Having a baby is fun and I love playing with him all day but I think it is time to get down to business again.
My leg is still a little twingy but I'm hoping that some stretching each day will help it along.

So I'll hopefully be updating here a bit more in the coming weeks!

Hints and tips

2009-10-14T13:05:00.003+11:00

Not much of anything except babycare going on in my world at the moment. As it creeps closer to the time I am planning on returning to work I find myself wanting to spend more time with Harris. I have had a sore leg for the past few weeks which has hampered my desire to get back to running

I thought I would do a post on the things I could and couldn't live without when I first had Harris. I didn't really overbuy but there were things I barely used.

Must have's
-sling/baby carrier - I have a baby bjorn and a baba sling but I could easily have bought a hug-a-bub and used it just as much. (And I just bought and Ergo baby carrier - but they are better for when the baby is bigger)
-Stretchy escape proof wraps- the baby may be small but they are certainly a good escape artist
-reusable cloth breast pads - these were much more comfortable than the disposable ones
-a baby bag that is comfortable, not too heavy when packed and that you love-I have two; a fancy Oroton one that I hardly use and a smaller lighter one that I love!(mine is from H is for Handbag)
- cloth flat nappies for wiping up after baby (Didn't think I would actually use these and they have been invaluable)
- a car seat/capsule
- my walking pram

What I didn't use all that much

- baby oils, powders, shampoos and washes. Babies don't really get dirty and usually have very dry skin, the only products have really used is Weleda nappy rash cream and moogoo moisturizer
- port a cot - we were given one and I haven't used it yet
- snuggle bed

other things
- I did't use our highchair until Harris was 6 months old and am glad I did' t buy one before hten. Hairchairs are possibly the most annoying creation on the planet. They get filthy, snap your fingers off when you are trying to clip them up and are brilliant food hiders - if you can borrow one to figure out what you need in a high chair then do that!)
- I didn't buy Harris a play mat with dangly toys until he was 2 months old and then by the time he was 6 months, he was destroying it so much that I had to pack it away. I would buy second hand You can pick up some great bargains on ebay!).
- cloth nappies would have been difficult for me to manage when Harris was a newborn but now I love using them. Green kids pocket nappies are great as are baby bee hinds.
- don't buy too many newborn nappies in bulk -we had three boxes of 108 and he was out of them before we could use them up.
- don't buy an expensive baby bath - ours from ikea was perfect for 14.95!

That all I can think of for now!

Thinking about running

2009-09-26T20:54:00.000+10:00

I've been doing a lot of thinking the past few weeks - about running and fitness and exactly what I want to do with that aspect of my life - now that it is not my priority.

I think that I do want to continue to have running as part of my life and that I need to work on making it part of my routine again.

I realise that I am going to have to make a concerted effort to get back to the mindset of regular training.

I need some points in the future to work towards and measure progress against.

Every month here in Canberra there is an organised run called the Women's and girls Jogalong. It is 6km and run through a big park kind of near my place. I was thinking of making this run a little goal to complete each month - to measure my progress against.

I do need a bigger goal at some point in the future but I also think that to get to where I want to be - I need to take small steps.

It is very appealing - now I just need to do something about it!

Harris on the box

2009-09-17T19:38:00.002+10:00

Funny!

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Centered and Grounded

2009-09-14T20:13:00.000+10:00

Hello ! I'm back - for how long - who know's! But anyway...

Yesterday I did the Canberra Times Fun Run, which is a 10km course down one of the main roads through Canberra, past parliament house and finishing up in the park that runs alongside Lake Burleigh Griffin.

For the first time ever I really wasn't in it to race myself or anyone else or the clock. I probably walked at least a 1/3 rd of the course. But - I hadn't trained and I knew I wasn't fit enough to run 10km.

However - Yesterday was 7months to the day that Harris wass born.

I spent a good portion of the run congratulating myself for even entering and for being able to run the parts that I did run. Afterall - it has been about 18 months since I have run much more than 5km.

I think yesterday was good for me because it was a bit of a turning point for me - doing the fun run yesterday made me realise that I have done what I didn't think I would be able to do. I had a baby and came out the otherside unscathed. I can still do the things I did before I had the baby. Sure - Harris makes my wants come second because he is my priority - but slowly but surely I have learnt to fit in what I want to do around him.

My whole focus on life has changed and the things that used to take up so much of my mental energy are not so important to me anymore.

He has made me centered and grounded - having hime has shown me what is truly important in life - having him has taught me to have much more respect for what my body is capable of - and to have more respect for how I look. In all honesty - I simply cannot believe that I ever criticised my body before.

I realised doing the run yesterday that before now I really wasn't ready to get back into running - to begin to do something that is purley for me. I did enjoy running yesterday and I remembered that I do enjoy running as an activity. It is empowering and makes you feel free.

so - here's to getting back into running aver the next year or so. I can't wait to be running fit again and to actually enjoy being out there!

Blog Fatigue

2009-08-28T16:52:00.002+10:00

I think I have blog fatigue....I'm sure it's a diagnosable condition by now.

Symptoms as follows:

- Lack of desire to blog
- Lack of desire to read other blogs
- Blogging leaves you feeling drained

I'm sure it will pass.

Until then..,... I'm having a Break.

(ahhhhaahah...it DOES exist see link)

A bit downhill

2009-08-13T19:18:00.003+10:00

After my big gung ho start to the week, Harris decided that this week he was going to turn into a crying all night baby again - so the early part of this week really suffered.

Sleep deprivation certainly does make like more difficult. Looking at the baby in the picture above - you wouldn't know it. He looks like an angel!

It is his 6 month "half-birthday" today! Can you believe he is six months old already?

So last night was the first night this week that was back to normal (Normal is to only get woken up twice in the night -as compared to 5 times).

I missed my walk on Tuesday - mainly because I was tired I suppose - both from lack of sleep and from the gym session I did on Monday.

But I walked to mothers group yesterday and then went for an 8km walk today with a couple of the girls who also have heavy duty walking prams.

This week when it has been tough, I have had to remind myself that I didn't set out on this challenge to completely regain my fitness to the point where I was running half marathons again by the end - but simply to refocus my mind towards living an active lifestyle again and choosing the active approach rather than being a lazy bones.

It is important to remind yourself on a weekly (or even more frequently) basis about the WHY - What is your original purpose?
What made you set on this path in the first place?
Review of our goals is an important part of staying committed - so too is measuring how you are travelling along your path and ensuring that you are aligned with your original purpose.
Drifting too far in either direction (Where you are either not meeting your original goal pathway OR you are exceeding what you set out to do and in turn pushing yourself too hard and risking burnout) - is a surefire way to the beginnings of self doubt and possible failure!

Monday Monday

2009-08-10T14:25:00.002+10:00

I have started off the week on a good foot with a really nice session at the gym this morning.

I was only going to warm up on the treadmill and then go and do some back strength work, but there was some good music on the ipod so I pumped up the incline on the treadmill and walked for 30 mins and then I did 10 mins on the elliptical.

Then I did some back strength work.

I have decided that I really love feeling the pump from a good workout. The past few weeks have been really good for me in terms of the way I approach exercise mentally.

I used to be quite all or nothing - if I wasn't going to give it 100% with nutrition and 100% with the gym then I wasn't interested in going at all. I had it in my head that it wasn't worth making the effort at all if I wasn't going to give it my all.

Doing this 100 day challenge - and probably more so - setting myself the challenge of completing 500km over the course of the next 80 something days - has been great for helping me to break this thinking pattern. I realised that I was exercising for the purpose of regaining my fitness and feeling generally good - rather than for the purpose of losing weight. Any weight lost is a bonus!

This was the way I approached the half marathon training last year as well and it worked for me that time as well. I think that this is probably the best way for me to approach something like this because I don't value weight loss enough for it to be my primary goal. I think I valuethe challenge of something that is within reach but has an element of difficulty attached to it - so that I feel like I am accomplishing something of value in the process.

I think the trick to achieving a goal (and having the motivation to keep hacking away at it) is to find something that is important to you and that YOU value - rather than what you think you value. Sure I like being smaller than I am right now - but it is not something that I can conrol or that is tangible to me - so it's not very motivating.

It's simple really - find what works for you and make it something that will continue motivating you through the times when you feel like it's not worth it and 'what's the point anyway'.

There is my wisdom for the day!

Once Harris wakes up - I have adog to walk so I can make up my missing 2.5km for this week.

Phew! What a weekend!

2009-08-09T17:18:00.002+10:00

It just seems to have flown by at warp speed!

Just got back from a 4km walk with harris in the pram and this morning I took my niece to an ice skating birthday party and had a bit of a skate myself.

For those who don't know, I did figure skating when I was younger and it is nice to have a skate every now and again to prove to yourself that you haven't forgotten how.

All I could think was that I must have had very strong legs when I was younger because it is hard work!

So I think that counts for at least 1km!

I am really looking forward to getting to the gym in the morning and doing a bit of a weights session! I think that this week I am going to try and do weights before cardio just to change things around a bit.

As for the 100 day challenge - I am still 100% on board and so far I have managed to not relinquish any of my bones. I do need to keep reminding myself of my original goal though of simply being active each day - and not trying to push myself too hard. I need to be able to be active and do something each day without getting too overly tired and grumpy.

Having said that - I am going to try and focus on the diet a bit this week - mainly because we have had a weekend of indulgence and I feel the need to have that nice feeling you get from having a few days of clean eating.

The scales are still annoying me because they are refusing to budge - but on a positive note I am looking to other guides - like what I see in the mirror and how my clothes are fitting me. That and the BF% on my scales is moving downwards - so that makes me happy enough.

I'm looking forward to a week of feeling pumped about weights!

The value of a training partner

2009-08-08T11:17:00.002+10:00

This morning I was meant to go to RPM with Amanda - but we got there and the Canberra powerlifting titles were on at Elite Physique and the groups fitness classes were cancelled. So we did a weights session instead.

Having never really had a training partner as such, it was really nice to be able to have a chat as you were working out and I can really see how it could be very motivating to have someone to train with on a regular basis.

As tehre was no cardio involved - a dog walk is on the cards this afternoon in order to get in the 5km. I will count the weight session towards the couple of Km I need to make up for this week.

Busy Bee

2009-08-07T09:21:00.002+10:00

I've got so much on today that this is just going to be a quick post.

Walk - done! I walked my running route with the GPS tracker to see how far it was - 5.4 km.

The whole drinking 3 Lt of water thing is quite difficult - I didn't manage it yesterday.

Right best be off - we have a craft fair to go to, then some house tidying to do, then cousins coming over, then friends coming over for dinner.

Phew!

Recipe Twist

2009-08-06T13:27:00.004+10:00

A few nights ago I gave Kek's Warm Pumpkin and Green bean salad a go - and I must say - it was pretty nice! (All picture credits to Kek!)

I had some leftover in the fridge and when I went to make my lunch today - it was the easiest quickest thing that stood out to me. I was steaming some zucchini for baby food purposes so I thought I would add that in as well.
Now for some protein and a can of tuna seemed to magically jump into my hand.

I have to say it was a mighty tasty lunch!

So:

1 Serve of Warm Pumpkin and Green Bean salad
1 small tin of tuna in springwater (or some honey soy marinated chicken...)
As much Zucchini as you like (Broccoli would also work well I think)
a dash of Tobasco sauce

Mix all together and serve warm!

There you have one figure friendly lunch!

Now I'm sure you don't want to hear about the blended peaches and rice cereal I made for Harris - but that was tasty too.

Now I must go and attend to drinking 3 lt of water.....

Awake so early

2009-08-06T06:58:00.003+10:00

The little one woke us up quite early today and now he has gone back to bed so I have scoffed down some Oats and sultanas for breakfast and now am doing a blog post so I can get on with getting this house clean later in the day.

Planning a walk today - 5km Bridge to Bridge around Lake Burleigh Griffin. I also want to go to have a look at the National Portrait Gallery for a bit of a look see. ( I didn't manage the walk - it was too cold near the lake and i didn't pack warm enough clothes for Harris)

Later this afternoon I am going to take the dog for a run because I have to get a run in on a Thursday. (Tick!)

I can't go to the gym today because the little one is a bit snuffly and I don't want him to pass it on to any of the other kids at the gym childcare.

I got the new Oxygen magazine yesterday and while I do love Oxygen and think it is probably the best fitness magazine on the market - I also have problems with the fact that the editorial team make absolutely no effort to de-americanize the articles (sorry for any american readers).

I realize that some of the articles used in the Australian version of Oxygen are from the US magazine and understand the rationale behind this - but would it be so difficult to correct the references from Pounds into Kilos - I can convert pound to kilos in my head - but not everyone can do this and I just feel like it marginalises the Australian audience to some degree and comes across as a little lazy.

Just my thoughts...

Have a great day!

2009-08-05T19:19:00.002+10:00

Well today has just been a tough slog mentally from beginning to end. Harris had a rough night and Wednesday is Mothers group day so I can't go to the gym.

Whether I have a good, motivated day or not really seems to be dependant on whether or not I can get some exercise in fairly early on in the day or not.

I had planned on walking to mothers group but it was freezing and after almost getting frostbite in my fingers yesterday, I didn't feel like doing that again today.

I made the fatal error of going to the shops and giving in to a craving for a bought breakfast.

I am glad that my goals for this 100 day challenge aren't about food - but perhaps they should be!

So a good start to the day in the way of food as well as exercise is the key to me having a good day on a whole. I also didn't have much water today. I can really feel the difference. Good thing the Phase 2 mini challenge starts tomorrow!

Exercise for today was an hour on the spin bike - but it was quite interrupted - I was off the bike for probably 2 minutes out of every 10 - so I am only giving myself 3.5km today.

John Brack Tickets Giveaway

2009-08-05T14:44:00.003+10:00

24 April – 9 August 2009
Open daily 10am–5pm and until 9pm every Thursday
The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia
Galleries 17 – 20, Level 3
Admission fees apply

I have 2 tickets to the John Brack exhibition at the Ian Potter Centre - National Gallery of Victoria to giveaway, so if you are in Melbourne this weekend and looking for something to do this might be for you!

The exhibition closes on Sunday (This coming Sunday!) soI need to finalise this before tomorrow so I can get them in the post - so I will choose a winner at random if you leave a comment on this post by midnight tonight.

Good Luck!

Good Morning!

2009-08-04T08:02:00.004+10:00

Well Good Morning!

I just feel like today is going to be one of those lovely days. Harris gave me 6 hours uninterupted sleep last night and it is amazing the difference that it makes to how you feel.

I tried to do a 'weigh in' today but it is difficult because my scales are really erratic - they can range over 2kg when you stand on the three times in a row so I don't take them too seriously. But this mornings number was looking promising - so I will take it more seriously if I get a repeated number over the course of the week.

As today is the second last day of Phase 1 I was thinking yesterday about my measly water intake. I have been trying to carry a water bottle with me at all times but I'm stll not extremely good at remembering to drink the water.
So for Phase 2 I am going to set myself a mini goal of drinking 3 litres of water a day. Not for the entire 100 days - just for the 10 days of phase two. Hopefully that will geet me in enough of a habit to remember to drink at least 2 lt after that.

The plan for today is to go to the gym for 40 mins cardio and some chest and biceps strength work. That should cover my 5km for today.

OK - I have to go and rescue the baby from the floor play mat because he keeps tippit over on top of himself.

ifitness for iphone

2009-08-03T14:34:00.006+10:00

I went searching the itues application store the other day for something I could use to track the weights etc that I do in the gym that might be an alternative to carrying around a notebook and pen. Happily - I found just the thing in the ifitness .

This is a neat little application that not only allows you to easily enter the amount of weight and reps for each exercise, BUT it allows you to create a customisable daily workout schedule, giving you a demonstration of the intended exercise as well as a comprehensive database of exercises to choose to add to your personal workout regimen.

There is also a nifty little countdown feature so you can countdown 60seconds until your next set is due.

It also has the ability to track statistics on a week to week basis.

I think the ifitness application for iphone is great and it was so much easier than toting around a pen and paper - it was all right there as part of the device I use to listen to music at the gym anyway.

92...

2009-08-03T14:29:00.002+10:00

So after me saying that it was way too cold outside today to go walking - it has turned into a stunning day here in Canberra and I WANT to go walking!

Though I have been to the gym today - did 30 mins on the treadmill. Mixed it up with some intervals, some hill walking and some steady state running - did about 3.5km all up and followed it up with some legs.

I think that I have managed to overcome my guilt of leaving Harris in the childcare at the gym. He really likes it there so I needen't be worried.

I think that I will go for a walk with mark and the dog this afternoon to get my weekly total up to 35km.

Right now I have to tear myself away from the blog and go and do some housework while the baby is asleep! *Trudges off to do housework...*

2009-08-03T08:37:00.000+10:00

Testing the new Signature.

No...I haven't fallen off the face of the earth

2009-08-03T07:51:00.004+10:00

But I guess when you are online so often and then you aren't for a few days it can certainly seem like that.

We went away to our house at the south coast for the weekend and I thought I would have coverage on my mobile - but apparently Vodafone's 3G network isn't all that great.

Never fear - I stuck to the 100 day challenge brief and we went for a big walk on both days.

On saturday we walked around the coast and along the rocks. At one point we passed an older lady who stopped and said to us:
" Do you guys know anything about seals?"

Of course we sad no.

Then she says: " Well there is a seal just around that corner up ahead"

We were like - Okay...didn't really think that seals ventured into Bateman's Bay too frequently.

So we walked around that corner, and the next one, and the next one....there was no seal. I think she might have found some nice mushrooms or something...but no seals.

On Sunday we ventured out for a bush walk - because Mark's mum told us that she had found a Sea eagle's next at one point and that she wanted her ashes scattered there near the nest. Problem was that none of us actually knew where the sea eagles next was. So we ventured out to find it. Happly - we did find what we think is a Sea Eagle nest - so that is one job done. Now we just have to make a time to go down and do the ashes thing.

On the goals front - I really don't understand my body at the moment and I think that it has everything to do with breastfeeding. I haven't lost any weight at all - even though I have gone from doing no activity whatsoever to exercise of some description daily. I think that perhaps I will have to ignore that fact and just keep on doing what I'm doing and hope for the best.

The plan for today is to go to the gym for some Cardio and legs. It's way too cold outside today for walking.

Ahh Friday.....

2009-07-31T08:16:00.003+10:00

Although you would think that most days feel like a Friday to me. Not the case - the simple fact that I have Mark around on the weekends makes such a big difference!

Today I am going to head to the gym for a circut class - normally I would do this class on a Saturday but we are heading to the Coast this weekend for a little dose of warmth.

I honestly don't think this winter has been all that bad so far - it is the next couple of months that really get me down because I don't like wind and August and September are bitterly windy here in Canberra.

I realised after my run yesterday that there is great value in doing exercise that is slightly higher in intensity a few days per week rather than just walking. It was almost as if I could feel the afterburn from going for a run yesterday. That is what revs me up and keeps me motivated - that little afterburn. Today - instead of dreading doing something - I am actually looking forward to it. Not to mention the fact that I am more inclined to eat better when I feel that little afterburn effect.

I measured yesterdays run on google Earth and it turns out it was close to 5km - which I found surprisingly easy. I was umming and ahhing about actually doing the Canberra times fun run - but I am going to go and put my entry in today - that way there is no umming and ahhing anymore.

I am biting the bullet and getting it done.

Didn't want to but I did

2009-07-30T18:08:00.004+10:00

I find that if I dont exercise in the morning that I generally don't feel all that much like exercising at all.

That is what happened today - mainly because it was a disgusting day here in Canberra today and it was just too cold and awful to go outside.

I wanted to take Harris to story time at the Library but I also wanted to go the gym but they kind of clash with each other - so I thought (with excellent intentions) that I would just get on the spin bike when I got home. But I ended up having coffee with a friend and then Harris was asleep and I didn't want to wake him by putting him in the car so I stayed out a lot longer than I expected to.

So by the time I got home I had pretty much talked myself into having the day off - even though I know that is not the pont of the 100 day challenge exercise. Believe me - I was having a big internal fight with myself.

So I offered to walk the dog - knowing that I had really wanted to get a run in at some point today.

I ended up run/walking about 5km which was great.

It so much easier without a pram!

After I was done I felt great and I was glad I had done it. (Which as we all know to be true 99.9% of the time)

98...

2009-07-29T07:53:00.002+10:00

Well I stayed up too late last night fiddling with my blog and now I am all tired and paying for it.

Thus the reason I am blogging in the morning today - I'm getting it out of the way in case I feel the need to have an early night tonight.

We are having a quiet day today. Going to mothers group and then coming home again.

It's at a girls house who lives in the next suburb so I am planning on walking. I'll map it on my phone so I know how far it is - probably about 3km I think.

I'll probably do half an hour on the spin bike today as well while Harris is asleep.

So that equates to 5.5km for the whole day.

Have a nice day all!

If I could walk 500 miles.....

2009-07-28T22:57:00.003+10:00

I have decided to add on to my goals for this 100 day challenge - still keeping it simple - I thought that I did need to make it a little more challenging.

The goal is to "Travel" 500 Kilometers by the end of the 100 days.

That equates to 35 kilometers per week and 5 km per day.

As I don't always walk/run I figured that I need to allocate an arbitrary number to the days that I do cardio that does not translate to a distance or I am unable to measure the distance.

So:

1 Hour of Cardio activity = 5km distance travelled

so for example - a cardio class at the gym is equal to 5km OR 30 mins on the bike or elliptical is equal to 2.5km.

I realised that some days I might physically do more than 5km - especially if I am walking - so I am not limited to only 35 km per week, I am able to bank kilometers - as long as the tally at the end is equal to 500 - thats is all that matters!

I thought of this today while I was out walking - last year when I was training for the half marathon I used to tally the number of kilometers I had run and rode each week and it was like a little game to see if I could better it each week. I thought it might be nice to add a little fun challenge into the mix.

99 bottles of...

2009-07-28T19:44:00.003+10:00

water....days to go... definitely not bottles of beer.

Not that I'm really counting down because I don't necessarily want the 99 days to be over.

Today we walked again. We parked at the AIS rowing shed at the Yarralumla stretch of the lake and walked towards the zoo. My ipod died around the halfway point - I had been out for just over 30 mins so I decided to turn around at that point. I think it was about 6km. I have a GPS tracker on my phone but the phone is the ipod is the phone so they were all dead.

It felt like we were in and out of the car all day tday and it made it a very long day.

Tuesday is swimming day for me and Harris - so right now I am very tired. I take Harris to Aquatots and so far I think it is really great - I can see us going to swimming there for a long time. Its really about water awareness than swimming at this stage. Harris is in the 'Periwinkles' group and they do little songs and activities each week. It is very cute.
Poor little boy - I think he likes swimming but half an hour is a long time for a 5 month old baby in the pool.

So there was a few things I wanted to do on the net tonight but they will have to wait I think because I need an early night! Planning on a more quiet couple of days coming up - I think I am turing into a real homebody - never thought that would happen!

100 day challenge - I'm in

2009-07-27T06:50:00.003+10:00

So that means that it's day 100 right?

I plan to approach this using the K.I.S.S. approach!

I was already committed to 10 weeks - and I still plan to work towards that goal of 0.5kg per week for the next ten weeks.

My goal for the 100 day challenge is simple - be active everyday and blog about it.

So that means go to the gym, do a crcut at home, get on the spin bike, walk the dog, go for a walk to the shops rather than driving etc etc.

I have become lazy by being a stay at home mum and often I find it easier just to sit at home rather than get off my butt and do something.

My focus for the next 100 days is about being active and mindful about my health.

That translates to what I'm eating and drinking as well (.e I need to drink more water each day). But I will stick to the main goal of increased activity for this purpose.

It seems simple I know - but simple is what I need right now.

So what is on the cards for today? I need to go into the Canberra centre to get a few things. I'm going to park at the Museum and walk in rather than park in the city and pay. It's 2.7km each way - so that is a decent walk!

I don't know why that is such a rubbish picture - but you get the idea!

So While Harris has been asleep for the past 45 minutes I have been doing some internet chores, paying bills, ebay purchases etc now he is waking up! Better go!

and now I'm paying

2009-07-26T09:01:00.001+10:00

for the torture I submitted myself to yesterday. I swear that every muscle in my body is hurting right now.

It hurts to pick Harris up!

I think this is one of the reasons I was scared to get back to the gym.

BUT it has to be done if I want to achieve this goal!

I feel so unfit!

2009-07-25T12:09:00.002+10:00

I went to the gym this morning for the first time in ages! I was trying really hard to focus on my self talk being positive - which was a good thing because had I not I may well have walked out!
I did a circut class by oh my goodness did t make me feel unfit! Simple things that before I could do so easily are now really quite difficult!
It made me realise that rebuilding my fitness is something that I really need to do.

Cardio wise I'm not too bad - it's the strength department where I am really lacking.

I should have guessed this because the past few weeks the scale number has been consistently dropping but the % Body Fat figure is not dropping very much at all - which essentially means I am losing muscle to some degree.

So yesterday I dug my spin bike out of the back room so that it now confronts me in my study daily.

I have set myself a goal to attempt to lose just 0.5kg each week for the next ten weeks. I am hoping that I can come a cross a charity ball or some event such as this towards the end of this time so that I have a nice event to look forward to looking great at! The reason I chose 10 weeks is because Harris's swimming term goes for ten weeks - so by the end of that time I hope to be feeling a little leaner in my swimmers than I do now!

I feel like 0.5kg is a really achieveable goal point for me, it's something that I feel like I can tangibly grasp and doesn't feel too difficult in my mind.

As a secondary advantage to this - it means that by the end of the ten weeks I will have lost 5 kg - which will put me around the 69kg point - only 1 kg off my pre pregnancy weight and 1kg off the point I wanted to be at before I went back to work.

I have been reading a lot of motivational blogging over the past week - so keep it up !

Destruc-a-baby strikes...

2009-07-23T16:46:00.003+10:00

Today...my new Real Living magazine arrived in the mail...

Just now I walked back into the lounge to find this:

and what do those innocent eyes say? "What...isn't that why you left it out for me?"

and he can't even crawl yet...eek!

Struggling with selfishness

2009-07-21T13:29:00.003+10:00

I admit it - I am having a hard time getting back into training - but not for the reasons I thought I would (i.e. lack of motivation) - it is because I feel selfish for dumping Harris in the childcare at the gym and not spending time with him.

Initially I was trying to get him back into a solid routine and I didn't want to go out when I knew it would mess his routine up for sleeping - now I know that I can work around that - especially if I walk to the gym with the pram.

But I just feel so selfish for leaving him there. I don't know where this has come from really because before I got sick last month I had no problem leaving him at the gym creche.

What got me thinking about it really was listening the the wonderful Lia interview both Rae and Michelle Nazaroff for Lindy Olsen at the All Female competition. ( you did a great job Lia).
Listening to Michell Nazaroff talk about managing her baby as well as training got me thinking about it all.

I need to feel OK about giving time to get myself back to where I was before. It is OK to leave him with a carer for a few hours so I can be the best I can be. It is OK for me to want to be the best I can be.

I guess I haven't really done a lot of navel gazing lately - but perhaps I should start again.

Lately I have had a very much "this is good enough" attitude. There has been lots of excuse making going on. Lots of "it doesn't really matter because I actually look OK. I haven't really been feeling bad about the way my body looks but perhaps I have a bit of a hazy view - perhaps I'm not really looking hard and being critical of myself anymore - perhaps that is a good thing?

On a side note I was reading in a parenting magazine about a woman who organises runners to participate in half marathons; fundraising for premature babies and equipment for hospitals etc. I think that this might be something that I would like to participate in. Since having Harris my heart goes out to anyone with a sick baby or child and the doctors who work the miracles to save them. I can't even watch stories about sick cchildren on RPA and shows like that anymore without tearing up. It is something that I have come to feel very strongly about. I need to do some more research though - so watch this space!

the power of banana!

2009-07-13T20:26:00.002+10:00

We recently started giving Harris one meal a day of real food in addition to what he gets from Breast milk.

It has been a funny experience and frustrating at times but at the same time it is fascinating to watch my small boy figure out what he does and doesn't like and introduce him to the world of food.

It's also very interesting to watch his reactions to different food.

Now it is all very bland and simple at the moment - he just has single foods - like mashed pumpkin, or sweet potato, rice cereal, mashed pear, mashed apple, banana and avocado.

I guess it is like the opposite of an elimination diet because you can tell when something has affected him differently.

He's not too picky but he definitely doesn't think too highly of apple!

He likes all the veges though - and loves the rice cereal.

I made an interesting observation about the energy inducing effects of banana - we don't actually give him banana at night any more because it gives him a huge energy zing - whereas on the nights he has the nice low GI carb sources - placid happy baby!

It's fun and I am enjoying it!

Now I just have to start setting him a better example with the food choices I make!

September 13th Here I come

2009-07-12T19:43:00.004+10:00

Fittingly September 13th is Harris's 7month birthday - an appropriate date to recommence my running passion I think.

Mark and Harris will be cheering me on from the sidelines - my simple goal is to complete this even and do it in under 1 hour.

The sub goal is to find that bug that I was talking about in my last post again!

I'm sure it won't be too hard once I get started.

So the plan for this week is simply to run three times!

3km twice
and 5 km once - probably on Sunday.

It sound so small and measly compared to what I was doing before but hey - things aren't the same as they were before and I have to change my thinking to reflect that change.

I also have decided to work on getting the cale weight down to 71kg as well.

There is a bg list of things that I really want to achieve before I go back to work and as each day ticks by the date when I am going back to work gets closer and closer. One of those things was to lose all of the weight I put on while I was pregnant. It is coming off slowly without me trying too hard but I think I may be losing muscle because my body fat percentage isn't really getting any lower.

So while my end goal weight is around 67 kg, for now I am going to focus on 71 and if I want to have a little break once I get to 71 I will. I really need to be back at aroun 25% BF as well but I'm not too worried about that - it will come in time.

It could be the few glass of red wine I have had speaking but I'm excited!

The Bug

2009-07-09T21:00:00.002+10:00

I was out walking today with Harris asleep in the pram and the music from the ipod blaring in my ears - I am positive that is when I accomplish my best thinking.

I was thinking about how motivated I was to train when I was training for the half marathon and what the factors were that contributed to that motivation and I decided that it's "The Bug" that contributes a lot for me.

So what exactly is "the bug" - it's that unexplanable drive and motivation you get when you immerse yourself into a project and you just can't get enough of it - when you are realy looking forward to the outcome or the upcoming event. One of my favourite things in the world is looking forward to an upcoming event and having the excitement build.

In the terms of an athletic event part of that involves the build up events and actions that remind you of the nervous tension and excitement and the reason why you are there doing it in the first place. Those little events that keep the fire alive in side the bug (Perhaps we should call it the firefly).

So I've lost my bug! I realised that this was what I was missing - all those little things that keep me immersed. The gym alone isn't enough.

But when I go out for walks and get these tidbits of inspiation I feel like the bug is there floating around the edges of me.

So I have my event and it's time to try and reignite the bug.

I know I know

2009-07-07T17:26:00.003+10:00

... it has been a long time without blogging for me but to be honest I just haven't really felt like it in the past few weeks.

In the haze of sleep deprivation that has been the highlight of the past month I see to have started to lose my mojo for many things - exercise adn blogging being two of them.

I literally have felt like we have been living in a haze. It doesn't help that we have been sick on and off for the most of the past month.

We seem to all be on the mend now though - I just have to find that motivation again.

I promised one of our extended family members that I would do the Canberra times 10km fun run on the 13th of September.

So what am I doing about it.... just thinking about what I need to do rather than doing it.

I have the hesitation of fear of hard work surrounding me at the moment.

I think I may just need to jump in the deep end.

What you can, When you can

2009-06-04T14:12:00.002+10:00

This week started out well enough but a really bad night with Harris on tuesday night left me in a pudlle of tears by Wednesday morning.

It was probably the worst night we have had since we came home from Hospital and I think he either has another little bug or he is just growing.

So I gave up for the day yesterday and did what I needed to do to preserve sanity. Part of the problem was that I had let a whole lot of things build up and every time I looked around the house I felt like the walls were encroaching in on me.

Harris won't let me put him down long enough to get anything done all in one hit so I end up doing things by halves and then they end up worse than they were to begin with.

mark's sister came over yesterday afternoon and we had a mini cleaning bee and got most of what I wanted to get done, done so I am in a much better head space now.

Now I just need to stay on top of it!

I feel a bit sick today - the gym session this morning was much more difficult than normal and I have a sore throat. Hopefully it doesn't progress into anything bigger.

Sunday, Lazy Sunday

2009-06-01T04:19:00.002+10:00

So the weekend rolls around and it's so nice not having to look after Harris all by myself and to have an extra set of hands to do things around the house.

The problem is I start to feel really relaxed and happy and I don't really feel like eating to a schedule.

I want that to be relaxed as well....

Well relaxation is a state of mind and has nothing to do with what you eat - so I reminded myself today AFTER I had nicely set myself up for disasterous eating.

It all started off well enough, I got up and made a nice egg white omlette and ate the last pear in the fruit bowl.

Then we go to doing stuff, we went to the farmers markets and got the vege for the week.

Once we got home I pottered around for a bit.

THen I started to feel really low and almost sad...I got really grumpy that there was nothing on TV and felt sick of siting around the house all the time. I walked into the kitchen and instead of making myself some nice youghurt and mixing in some protein powder.... I just ate all the carby things I could find in the kitchen - not in binge amounts just a little bit of everything. Vegemite toast, a glass of milo, a handful of dried cranberries, a piece of chocolate, some home made bikkies....

About half an hour afterwards I felt great again...amazing in fact....my head didn't hurt for thinking anymore and I relaxed

What just happened? Easy - I didn't eat when I should have, I restricted carbs in the morning when I shouldn't have and I basically set myself up for a carb up session.

Lesson learn't? Yes

2009-05-30T15:22:00.001+10:00

So tired...

2009-05-29T20:28:00.003+10:00

A combination of Harris's poor sleeping habits and all the exercise has left me drained and exhausted this friday. So drained in fact that it is difficult to string a sentence toghether. I really should be in bed.

Due to a very broken night last night I toned it down a bit today and did a 5km walk in just on an hour. I definitely feel much fitter than I did a few weeks back as the walk was a breeze and I was struggling to get my heart rate up.

Kristy asked me about whether I was still logging my food on Calorie King.

The answer is yes!

Even though I have a pretty good idea of what I need to eat to keep the nutrient balance approximately right for me ( I aim for 40 % Carbs, 40% protein and 20% fat - or there abouts)
- it is surprisingly easy to over do the calories without trying to hard at all. I tend to log my planned food the night before and that achieves two things.
a) it helps me to visualise what I am going to eat the next day - and thus helps me to stick to the planned food.
b) it means I know what calories I am planning to be on for the next day and whether or not I can squeeze in a coffee as a treat or an extra slice of bread here and there to make the day more balanced.

Because I am breastfeeding, my calorie intake is a little higher than it used to be when I was training for the half marathon - I find that if I dont keep it around 1500cal a day that I am verging on the pint of getting too hungry - and I know that overhungryness combined with tiredness is a big risk factor for me wanting to eat poorly. I know that if I have a big calorie dense meal I will feel great energy wise - but that's not so good for the waist line. So I kind of have to keep it in check - and cal king helps with that.

In the mean time... if you happen to see the drool monster (example a in the above pics), I would take cover.....he likes milk..and not the cow kind!

Edit at 4 am....

I had a revelation sometime in the past 6 hours, perhaps while I was struggling to keep my eyes open while feeding Harris.
Even if I have 1 meal that is slightly off plan or a worse choice than it possibly could have been, it will still mean I have had a better day that I would have had I done this:

Gotten up...put off eating breakfast until I knew the local cafes were open.....drive to the cafe/bakery..... eat something along the lines of a chocolate crossoiant, egg and bacon roll or a muffin and wash it down with a coffee..... eat nothing else until 12:30ish and then be starving..... be out in the car running errands with Harris and think "it'll be too hard to make something when I get home because Harris won't let me put him down without crying..... get KFC or Macca's through the drive through...... again not eat anything until dinner.......feel tired and lethargic and not want to cook dinner.....suggest to Mark that we get Turkish Pizza for dinner

OR the alternative

Wake up tired from getting up to Harris all night but know I will feel much better after eating.....make an egg white omlette which takes about 5 minutes and is very tasty...... drive to the lake and go for a 5km walk outdoors...it's cold but the fresh air is lovely......get back to the car and eat an apple and a protein bar...head to fresh food markets to pick up some vege and free range eggs for weekend breakfasts.... head home and eat pre prepped turkey mince and vege with pasta sauce from freezer......chill on the lounge with Harris all afternoon....feel tired and exhausted - not like cooking dinner...suggest we go to a local cafe where I knew I could get something relatively healthy for dinner....find out that it is closed for 3 months for reno's and am a little dissapointed....go to the local vietnamese instead......make a relaively poor choice in the Chicken laksa because feel the need to eat quickly before Harris gets grumpy...go home feeling the need to trawl the cupboards for sweet things due to feeling tired and flat...make a pot of chai tea with a drizzle of honey, have a small handful of dried cranberries and a couple of bikkies that Mark cooked.....go to bed feeling guity about the indulgence and know that there is going to be a spike on the scales in the morning...have the realisation above and start feeling a whole lot better about my day!

I had a good title

2009-05-27T19:28:00.002+10:00

I had a good title earlier on and now it has left my head!

I was reading something last night about goals and it was talking about internal vs external motivation. It asked the question whether you get excited about how great you will feel once you reach your goal point.

It got me thinking - that is so true! AND I realised that I have been so focussed on how hard it will be and how long it will take and how much I need to sacrifice that I had completely forgotten about the whole refocusing thing. Snce I have started thinking about how great I will feel once I get to the other end I have started getting excited about it all again - which is great!

I'm glad I was reminded of that.

The past couple of days have been good. I am getting back into the habit of prioritising the gym and my training and organising the rest of the things around that - or simply turning up slightly late to things like mothers group.

Tonight I got Mark to look after Harris for an hour so I could dye my hair - I realised that I need to do these things for myself occasionally or I start to feel a bit bad and get a bit of low self esteem.

So far so good, I am finding the food plan easy - but I think it is because I am well organised - I just need to keep it that way.

Monday Monday

2009-05-25T20:07:00.001+10:00

Well today went brilliantly food wise - I stuck to the plan and although tired - right now I am feeling pretty good.

The other things on the to do list weren't so great though.

I didn't get through 3 lt of water and I didn't make the few phone calls that I needed to.

I did go to the gym - I did a bodypump class because I couldn't make my braing think about what I needed to do.

Right now I need to focus on getting organised for tomorrow - but first I need to go and eat. I'm hungry!

Embarking...

2009-05-24T20:08:00.003+10:00

Well tomorrow I embark on the operation lose 10kg project.

I'm a bit pissed off that due to extenuating circumstances with Harris and me just not getting the support I needed this weekend in terms of child free time I now still have a messy cluttered house and hence a messy cluttered headspace.

Harris has been impossible today he wouldn't play on his mat, he wouldn't let us put him down and he did a lot of distressed crying - which makes me stressed. Possibly he is growing or maybe even getting a tooth. It is impossible to know but there is nothing I can do about it except sooth him where I can.

I have drawn up a daily to-do list on my white board to try and help me be organised enough to make this easier. I have planned out dinners for a month in advance - I will still have to think about healthing them up a little bit for me each day but perhaps that is something I can look forward to. It annoys me that this was like second nature to me early last year - I didn't have to think hard about it at all -I just knew what I needed to do and did it. I am sure that I will get back to this point but until I do the head part of it all is hard work.

I did have a good dinner tonight of lamb steaks marinated with a north african spice blend and salad...followed by an apple...Its a good beginning.

Edit....The next morning

The scales are not my friends... How is it possible to stand on a set of scales three times in the space of 5 minutes and for each time the number on the scales to increase so that by the lsat time the scale weight is 1.7kg more than the first time. humpf!

What?

2009-05-23T06:41:00.003+10:00

This is one of my favourite pics of Harris and I just had to post it on here!

I am feeling slightly better now both physically in terms of being recovered from the cold I had and emotionally regarding how I feel about getting down to business with getting rid of this extra 10kg.

Yes - the 'before pics' were a bit of a wake up call but I just have to tap away at it slowly and with consistency and I will see results. I know that.

I do have to be more conscious in my thought processes about what I need to do to help myself get there though and that involves me deliberately sitting down each night once Harris is asleep and reflecting on the day, writing in calorie king, perhaps writing in here, and looking over what I need to do the next day. I may also need to think about menu planning a little more - not so much for dinners but more for day time meals. especially lunch.

I find it interesting that on the days I step on the scales and see a number that I like - I am further encouraged to eat well, exercse and stay on track- and on the days when I don't like the number I tend to mope and not want to exercise and eat poorly.

My priority for the weekend though it to get the house al tidy and decluttered so I have have a clear mind to focus over this coming week.

Wake up Call..

2009-05-20T20:32:00.002+10:00

I had to take some 'before' pics this afternoon and woah was it a bit of a wake up call. Sometimes whe I look in the mirror I delude myself somewhat about what is really going on.

I have been putting off this whole whittling the weight back down business because I know that it is going to involve hard work and dedication for quite some time.It is most likely also going to involve me rearranging my thinking again - something that took me 3 years to accomplish last time.

Quite honestly I scared about my ability to do it with the added stresses of looking after a small demanding child.
I need to go away and think about all of the things I did last time to get myself in the right head space and to help to make it easier for me to achieve..

Sick me

2009-05-17T19:47:00.002+10:00

Well I am very glad that I decided to give it another week before starting back at training with intent because I am sick with some chesty cough thing and I think the boy has it too. Poor baby - hopefully he gets better quicker than me. I am constantly amazed at how quickly these little babies heal up from cuts and scratches.

I don't actually feel all that bad but it is bad enough that I know I probably shouldn't be hitting it too hard in the gym. I may go and do some weights tomorrow morning though.

This morning we went to take the dog for a walk and I was pleasantly surprised to see all the runners out doing the Canberra half marathon. It did make me want to be out there running along too - there is a certain excitelent that goes along with these events.

I have seen a few pics of the girls who competed today on facebook and they all looked great - Well done girls!

Contemplating marathons

2009-05-15T09:27:00.001+10:00

It seems that whenever I sit down to post lately Harris inevitably starts to crack it and I have to abandon it to another time!

LAst week when I was running on the treadmill at the gym I was thinking about the fact that the entries to the Melbourne half marathon open on June 1st and I need to make my mind up pretty soon whether or not I am going to attempt this - hey - it has to be easier and less painful than childbirth right! But the logistics of the amount of time I need to dedicate to training are messing with my head presently. I much prefer running outdoors to running indoors on the treadmill, but during the week I would need to do at least two runs - preferably three and I know that these would need to be on the treadmill at the moment and that concept doesn't fill me with joy.

I could get out for a l ong run on the weekend fairly easily I think because I can leave Harris with Mark for up to an hour safely (without him needing to be fed).

I think I will keep contemplating the logistics for another week or so.

I tried for another run on the treadmill yesterday at the gym but I had already been on the bike for 30 minutes and trained legs and when I started to run my legs felt like jelly and it just wasn't happening. So I stuck with walking.

I am trying to shift my focus more towards being in training mode and this week I am going to try and amp it up a little and get to the gym more than once. I do go walking on the days I don't make it to the gym but it's just not the same.

Good luck to those who are competing tomorrow!

Finally made it to the gym!

2009-05-08T11:37:00.003+10:00

Woohoo!

I finally made it back to the gym.

I took it a bit easy this morning because I dont cope very well with night feeds and sore legs - getting in and out of bed is hard enough without sore legs added into the equation.

I bit the bullet today and decided to have another go at running to see if my pelvis has improved at all. It seems that it has and I had a great session on the treadmill for 25 mins of 2mins running followed by 2 mins walking.

In even more exciting news - I jumped back on the spin bike for the first time in over a year this morning - expecting it to hurt - I was pleasantly surprised that it didn't hurt too much at all.

The theory was that if I can get on the spin bike for any period of time at all (but hopefully at least 20 mins) when Harris has his morning nap - then if for some reason we don't make it to the gym then at least I have done something!.

Also trained legs this morning.

all in all a good session.

The time gets away

2009-05-04T19:11:00.001+10:00

Every day I look at this blog and think - I really ought to write something. And then I dont.

We have been really busy the past two weeks and to be honest - the gym hasn't been high on the priority list.

I thought that today would be the day that I manage to get back in there but it was not to be.

As we were leaving the house this morning I has Harris strapped into the pram, I turned around to pull the door closed and the pram managed to get away from me and rolled down the two front stairs, flipping over onto it's front and landing with Harris facing the concrete.

My poor baby - I thought I had really hurt him and it was all a bit scary. He was screaming - as you can imagine. Initially it looked as though he just had some scratches on his nose and cheek - but I just couldn't be sure if he had hit his head or not so we headed up to the hospital for him to get checked out just in case.

they seem to think he didn't hit his head and sent us home with instructions to watch him closely over the next couple of days.

It was very scary but I know that it is probably the first of many accidents he will have in his life - it is so difficult to watch your baby hurting and know there is nothing you can do about it.

So we will try again for the gym tomorrow.

I am never letting go of the pram handle ever again!

Where's Harris?

2009-04-23T08:23:00.002+10:00

I decided that this blog wasn't really the place to talk about Harris and our family life.

This blog was really always about fitness pursuits and thats really how i want it to stay!

I have been writing about other things at my other blog www.primroseandavery.blogspot.com for a while now, so that is where i willl talk about Harris and our family life as well as post any pictures of him.

As for the fitness stuff - not much of that hapenning this week!

End of the week

2009-04-17T20:47:00.003+10:00

It's Friday and I am exhausted!

This is what it always feels like when I first get back into training - until my body settles into it and the energy returns.

Having trained all body parts this week I am now sore and achy all over and tomorrow I am having a rest day - although I will probably go for a walk.

This morning I sept until 9:00am after going to sleep last night at 9pm (although that was an interupted 12 hours) - I have realised that this is what I can't do when I am normally working - sleep when I need to sleep.

Despite the extra sleep, tonight I have been on a tiny sugar trawl through the house - I think mainly because I missed a meal today.

Now it is Saturday - how sad that it takes me two days to write a blog post!

The sugar trawl was evident on the scales - but I feel much much better today! Still sore but no longer tired.

Ouchy!

2009-04-16T07:52:00.002+10:00

Thing are going great guns this week and I am very pleased.

I did end up with leg DOMS from Tuesday but it wasn't as bad as I anticipated.

I didn' do any training yesterday as Wednesday is a busy day and Harrs had his first vaccinations. He screamed the poor little mite and the proceeded to cry for another 6 hours until he finally fell asleep.

On the cards today is the gym, where I will do shoulders and back as well as 25 min on the Elliptical trainer. I also walk there and back with a 10 min incline wall (read HILL) on the way home.

Planned food:
1 - Oats, protein powder, raspberries
2 - Up and Go Vive post workout
3 - salad of some description
4 - cottage cheese and rice crackers
5 - haven't thought about dinner yet
6 - cottage cheese, yoghurt, raspberries

Weight today: 78.8

Rest

2009-04-14T08:24:00.004+10:00

Having a baby reminds me often of how important it is to value rest.

I woke up tired this morning - despite the fact that our night wasn't too bad last night. I also woke up ravenously hungry this morning - despite the fact that I has a yoghurt snack at about 3am this morning.

This afternoon I will try to have a little nap I think. It all depends on Harris.

It is raining here in Canberra today which means no walk for me. Boo Hoo! But I am planning on going to the gym - and I am decidedly nervous about it.
Mainly about how Harris will go in the child care I think.

I did manage to get a walk to the gym after all - the rain has stopped - for now -it is looking very black out over the mountains right now. I needen't have been nervous - the little angel slept the entire time I was in the gym! I really hope that is a trend he keep up!

Food (planned) today:
1 - oats, raspberries, protein powder
post gym session - Up and Go vive (Have you tried these - they are great!)
2 - cottage cheese and rice crackers
3 - spinach and feta frittatas and salad
4 - yoghurt and protein powder
5 - mustard coated chicken and salad
6 - cottage cheese, raspberries, yoghurt

Exercise today:
Legs
Hamstring Curls 3 x 10 x 10kg
Leg press 3 x 12 x 30kg
Squats 1 x 12 x 30kg 2 x 12 x bar only
Stiff legged dead lift 3 x 12 x 12kg
A few other bits and pieces like some wall squats with the fit ball and some lunges. Lunges really hurt my pelvis so I am going to lay off them for a bt I think - until I get more strength.

25 min HIIT on Elliptical
30 min walk inc Hill

Weight today: 79.7

Day 1 nearly done

2009-04-13T16:34:00.003+10:00

Day 1 is closing in towards a close and I am happy to report that it has been a good day.

All systems go on great food choices today - especially thanks to Amanda, who decided she didn't want to indulge in a piece of chocolate cake, and so therefore neither did I.

We have had a very lazy, stay at home Easter weekend.

On Friday we went to the Folk Festival here in Canberra, it was Harris's first big day out and we really paid for the change to his routine later that night. He was a very tired grumpy baby.

Saturday and Sunday were spent recovering and getting his routine back on track.

Today, Amanda came over for lunch and a chat, before that we went for a walk around the lake.

Food today:
1 - Oats, raspberries, protein powder
2- cottage cheese, rice crackers
3 - Spinach and feta frittata and salad
4 - french vanilla yoghurt and protein powder
5 - mustard coated chicken and salad
6 - cottage cheese, yoghurt, raspberries

Exercise today:
5km walk

Weight today: 80.2

Fairly relaxing in all.

Today has been fairly easy in making good food decisions, I had a clear head and nothing was stressing me out. I was at home and not tempted by any food out and about.

Tomorrow morning I am going to see about joining the gym - I'm excited!

Tis Time

2009-04-11T19:33:00.003+10:00

I think that in my heart I have been waiting until after Easter to get back into the groove and really get on top of the fitness regime again.

As I mentioned, last week Iwent and checked out a local gym and I think that I wll most likely join. Their classes are a bit rubbish (no RPM) but I really only want an elliptical machine and some decent weights equipment.

So I have decided that I will spend this weekend getting my act into gear and putting all of the things in place to make sure I am organised enough to help make things easy.

I have found that I have been slipping back into old eating habits fairly easily when it comes to dinner and breakfast, but it is the middle of the day that is fairly calorie packed. Mainly because I usually find myself out and about over lunch time. I think that id I start going to the gym 3 days per week this will change because This will be about the time I get home from the gym so any oher errands will have to be in the afternoon, after lunch.

So the things that I need to keep at the top of my mind are:

- That it is not 'too hard' to prepare something quick and healthy at home
- That momentum begets more momentum - if I get in and do it, taking things one day at a time, and not stressing about it all too much. the momentum will take off and keep me going.
- That when I don't feel like exercising for whatever reason, I need too just get out and do it - because you can guarentee that in 10 mins time I will be loving it.
- That I need to take one day at a time and not stress about getting to the final outcome but know that by taking the steps on the journey, the final destination will be achieved.

So in sayingg that, my goal for this week is to get into the 70's again, with my scale weight being 79.x by this time next week.

Lack

2009-04-07T08:13:00.002+10:00

Lack in general. Of posting , of walking, of eating well. But thats OK because I have been nurturing my mind.

I had my 6 week follow up at the doctor and he basically said that it probably wasn't the best idea to start running again just yet. I should probably give it another 2 months.

he did say I could start back on the bike if I wanted to though - and anything else that is non-impact. Which means I can do weights and strength work if I want to.

So I went to the local gym last week to see if they babysit for babies as small as Harris. Well he charmed them with his cuteness and they said yes - but that if they had lots of kids in there and he was starting to get grizzly that they would have to come and get me in the gym. Thats fine!

I really feel the need to work my muscles and get my herat rate up to a decent level. Hellooo Elliptical trainer! and hill walking on the tready!

I have also been procrastinating about prepping food and the "Work' factor of getting back to all those good habits I had before. It is hard work, constant preparation and organisation and staying on top of things to shift weight. I always thought that if I didn't have to go to work that it would be so much easier. It is easier to find excuses to do things that are more fun that exercise thats for sure!

I am still unsure of the gym and the babysitting. There are alot of what ifs going through my head. - Mostly about Harris acting up and me not being able to get anything done and it being a waste of money.
The babysitting in the gym is only from 9am - 12pm daily so I have a very small window of opportunity on weekdays. Weekends would be OK because I could get Mark to look after Harris for and hour. The other what if I have is the fact that I would have to be super efficient in the gym and not dawdle like I used to. Perhaps I am thinking too hard about it all and I just need to do it and work it all out along the way.

I had a thought yesterday that I really should be making the most of the extra weightloss aid that is breastfeeding. At the moment I am not doing anything extra but I could be seriously making the most of this extra help. Who knows how long I will be able to breastfeed for?

The other interesting thing. I had forgotten just how good Oats, mixed with rasberries and protein shake is.... Mmmnnn tasty!

Lazy Week

2009-03-29T19:23:00.003+11:00

One of the great things of living in a house with a western facing balcony are the georgous sunsets that we get occasionally - tonight was very pretty

This afternoon I had the pleasure of catching up with Amanda for a quiet birthday drink for me
(eek I turn 30 on Tuesday!) the rest of marks family were there too but you don't want to see pics of them.

I had a lazy week this past week because I was distracted by other things and thinking too hard about the exercise/food thing and putting too much pressure on myself. Everything I did the previous week had left me feeling tired and sore and I didn't feel like I could face feeling like that for another week as well as look after Harris the best I could. I need to find the right balance of activity otherwise it just won't work.

I also need to make sure I am more organised on the whole. I get distracted far too easily by things that are more fun - like sewing projects etc.

I will try and get my head back in the right space this week because the sooner I do that the sooner I will feel better on the whole.

Smiles for everyone

2009-03-27T13:01:00.002+11:00

Weekend slacker

2009-03-22T19:59:00.002+11:00

I - Like a few other people I know - have trouble staying focussed on the weekends. Weekends are relaxing and fun and are much more fun when they revolve around lazy late breakfasts of bacon and farm fresh poached eggs right?

So I got a bit lax this weekend as compared to my efforts during the week BUT I did stick to the exercise plan and had 2 leisurely walks up the nearest mountain.

Last night there were fireworks in Canberra and we walked up Mt oakey to see what the view was like. As the centre of Canberra isn't more than 5km as the crow flies - and there is nothing in the way of the view from the top of the mountain - it was pretty good. I carried Harris in the Baby Bjorn so a little bit of resistance training for me while we were at it.

I think that I have room for one off plan meal on the weekends - especially considering that the scales stayed the same this morning - I'm not sure they will tomorrow morning though. Two days of off plan nutrition cannot possibly be that good to me.

So back to it 100% tomorrrow.

The other thing is that I have been incredibly thirsty and no amount of water seems to quench it. It has been hot here this weekend so considering it is meant to stay these temperatures for the rest of the week I will have to try and drink even more water.

On a Date

2009-03-20T15:24:00.001+11:00

Harris and I have a date on a Friday morning and last night when I realised that today was Friday - that made me happy. Normally I would go to Tilley's - because I like to people watch - but I had to get a few things in town so I went to one of the newish cafes in the Canberra centre called Raw sugar.

They do a beautiful job of presenting Tea - just the presentation of the pot of tea they serve makes you want to have one and I was sold when I walked past the other day - so I thought I would give it a go. I only had tea so I can't comment on the food - but the tea was good. They have this brand of tea called Tea Drop and it comes in these beautiful little silk tea bags. Half the fun is in the pretty factor I think. I had Lavender Grey flavour.

I think that I will be back at Tilley's next week though. I like the people watching.

So this morning was run/walk day and I managed about 6 km in an hour with 1:30/3:30 intervals.
Started to get a bit sore/lethargic on the runs after about 40 mins but it was a good session. I think I will stick to these intervals until I feel like I can run further - 1:30 was the most I could run at the moment (with the pram). On Sunday I am going to have a short run by myself to see how I go without the pram. Note to self - breastfeed harris before going out running - got a bit painful towards the end.

On another not - scales read 80.4kg this morning which is very nicely on track!

Understatement

2009-03-19T11:14:00.004+11:00

Well I guess that I was expecting it but sore legs was an understatement. It has been such a long time between DOMS that I think I had forgotten just how bad they can be. Combine that with a tiny baby who demands lots of hugs and attention (willingly given of course!) when standing up and sitting down is painful - lets just say OUCH and be done with it!

So I had a great 7 km walk on those sore legs yesterday. I also had a sopt on day with food consumption and the scales did reward me today. I am going to have to be tight with the food side of things if I want to get where I want to be by April 2nd.

I have been having a protein shake for breakfast the past few days (Oats, protein powder, 100ml milk, 100ml water, ice - blend) - mainly because it was quick and easy to eat while I was feeding Harris. I did a bit of research first to make sure that it was OK to have protein powders while breastfeeding - and everything I read said yes. However - I'm not sure it agrees with the little one - we went through 5 nappies in an hour yesterday afternoon - eeewww! However - the day before it didn't seem to bother him too much. I am have 2 protein powder free days to see if it makes a difference.

So now I have to come up with a few snack options that don't involve protein powder. Breakast is OK - I can live without it - even though it is very convenient. There is always omlettes and oats. A protein shake and an apple was always a good snack option for me though. I had almonds with my apple this morning.

I also had a very tasty lunch today Salad with a small drizzle of mayo and a smattering of capers with a tin of tuna and a tortilla wrap.

So today I have to sort out some arms, shoulders, back and abs strength work to add to the program. I am liking the way my week is shaping up so far.

Monday - 1 hour walk + Shoulders/Back
Tuesday - Legs + 1 hour walk (inc hill)
Wednesday - 7km lap of Lake Gininderra (will be walk/run eventually)
Thursday - 40 mins walking + Arms/Abs
Friday - Walk/Run intervals 1 hour @ Lake Burley Griffin
saturday - Rest/Leisurely walk to shops
Sunday - Leisurely walk up Mt Oakey with Dog + 20 min run without baby and pram (building up to Long run)

HaHa - I also did something that I have never done this morning. I bought something off an infomercial on the television. It was just makeup and I thought hey - why not I'll give it a go.
It can be a birthday present for myself!

more progress

2009-03-17T15:10:00.002+11:00

I actually managed to feel like I accomplised something that resembled training this morning - and I have a strong feeling that I am going to have sore legs tomorrow!

Went out for a 40 min walk, followed by some body weighted leg strength work at the park play equipment, and finshed up with at 10 - 15 min hill walk home.

I was really quite surprised at just how much the leg strength work dug deep into the old muscles. It made me feel good and gave me reassurance that I didn't need a gym membership at this point in time. I swear - with body weight alone I was really feeling it by the end of each set - and that just goes to show what having 10 months off all exercise will do to you. Here I was thinking that I would need at least my 5kg dumbells to gain something from leg work but no!

The set inluded:
3 x 12 x deep squats
3 x 10 x Calf raises (Lt and Rt)
3 x 12 x Step ups (30cm step)
3 x 10 x Lunges (stationary basic - nothing too dynamic just yet!)

So that was a good start to re-introducing strength training to my legs I think.

I want to add in or mix it up some weeks with squats aganst the wall using the fit ball - but mine isn't pumped up at the moment and I need to find the pump valve. I also want to add some hamstring work in there too but I need to use the dumbells for that one so I may make it on another day.

Food today has been pretty good - I have set myself a challenge to stick to the food plan for 1 entire week. Had a little slip up today because I had lunch with Mark while he was on his break from work - and lunch was a steak sandwhich - but everything else today has been spot on. I think the most important thing for me to get beck in the habit of is eating every three hours and being organised with what I am going to eat - that way it is right there and I have no excuses.

My mini goal is to get under 80kg by my 6 week follow up appointment (April 2nd) at the doctors. On track at the moment - today I weighed in at 81.4kg.

What a difference a year makes..

2009-03-16T20:48:00.002+11:00

I was just reading back over my posts from this time last year. Trying to find the inner 'why' for getting back on track and getting rid of these extra kilos.

Unfortunately the inner saboteur voice is very loud at present for me.

There are things like:

"You will never get back to where you were before while you are breastfeeding because you can't eat low enough calories"

"12 kg is alot of weight to shift when you can't exercise at the high intensities you were used to"

" How do you expect to see any results when all you can do for exercise right now is walking - walking barely elevates your heart rate at all"

"The scales aren't moving, you're clothes aren't getting looser"

etc etc

This is what I am trying to overcome.

I think if I was seeing even a slight downward shift on the scales I would be content but they kind of stay the same.

I have been trying to coach myself with positive self talk such as:

" You need to compare on a week to week basis and only use the daily numbers as a guide"

"the long term outcome is what is most important and every day that you take the steps in the right direction you are moving closer to achieving the goal"

This last one is the one I need to be loud.

The Why - especially on the food front - just isn't there. I have such little time to myself that I am lucky to be able to eat at all - let alone prepare food. I find I am often trying to grab a snack on the run or with baby in hands and I end up just wanting portable things - like biscuits.

It will come back to me eventually I know.

isleep

2009-03-16T11:16:00.003+11:00

Anyone would think all I did was sleep......

but I do wake up sometimes...... and when i do I'm starting to be pretty cute!

Baby Steps

2009-03-15T19:39:00.003+11:00

When I was out at the cafe doing my weekly contemplative session on Friday I realised that I need to have small goals to work towards that allow me to track my progress and allow me to feel like I am accomplishing things.

So I go to thinking about what I could do in the upcoming months to keep my progress on track for regaining the level of fitness I had prior to being pregnant.

I thought that it might be good to do a few smaller running events to build up to half marathon again - so once I have the blessing of my doctor (On April 2nd) - I have decided to enter in the Canberra Marathon eve 5km event on the 18th of April.

It is a relatively flat 5km on a Saturday afternoon and I will be doing it simply to regain confidence with participating in an event and to have a guage for my fitness at that point in time.

I may not even run the entire way - although I am hoping that I can! So no times to beat or anything like that - purely finishing is the goal - preferably running the whole event.

I feel that if I continue the run//walk sessions 3 times per week, that I should be up to 5km by then.

My other little accomplishment point will be when my wedding rings fit me again - because alas they are still quite a bit too tight! When they do, I would like to go to Sydney to the jeweller to get them all polished up and looking pretty again.

The other thing I want to do - tonight if I get the chance (miraculously Harris is in his cot right now asleep) - is write down the visualisaion I have to keep me motivated towards regaining the physical condition I was in previously. I'm not going to write it down here because I would rather keep it in my own world but right now whenever I think about it I get motivated.

A day in the Country

2009-03-14T20:13:00.002+11:00

Today we went to visit our friends who live 'in the country" about an hour outside of Canberra past a VERY small town called Captains Flat.

We went for lunch and our lovely host cooked a beautiful roast chicken and vegies followed by Chocolate Self saucing pudding - yum!

I think that deep inside of me there is a desire to live a simpler life, away from the sress and hustle bustle of the city, however the other part of me knows that i couldn't really cope with being so far away from town. I like to be able toduck to the shops when I need to!

They have a georgous piece of land and live in a cottage style house which is just beautiful and quaint in a 1970's kind of way. Our friends are into collecting old things and their style fits the house perfectly.

So we whiled away the afternoon eating, chatting and going for a lovely walk around the property after lunch.

It was a nice relaxing day and so nice to get out of the house.

Now if only I could remember to take a camera along with me when we go on these outings!!

running between the signs

2009-03-13T14:04:00.002+11:00

After my little tantruma bout exercising earlier in the week I sucked it up and decided that I need to make exercise the highlight of my day - rather than thinking drearily "but what am I going to do after I get home from my walk" or the alternative "I would rather go to the shops".

After all - I don't have to go to the shops - they will still be there tomorrow - hey they will still be ther in the afternoon!

Some more of the lovely self talk was telling me "But walking around the suburb is so boring!" - So I didn't walk around the suburb - I went to the lake. I realised that I could - that I wasn't limited to just walking around my suburb. I could just pack Harris up in the car with the pram and go to all sorts of places to go walking.

So today we went and parked at the Black mountain peninsula and walked along the lake towards the city. We stopped near the boat hire place and came back again - it was around 5km I think. But I thought I would see how I felt running with the pram. It felt good - but only in short spurts - so I alternated 1 minute running with 4 minutes walking for the majority of the walk.

After that we went to Tilleys for a nice pot of tea and some reflection time and somepeople watching.

I think that this little outing might become a friday regular. I really liked sitting at Tilley's (Cafe for non- Canberrans) and people watching, writing a few things down in my journal.

Harris is 1 month old today!

I am slack

2009-03-12T15:20:00.002+11:00

I said I was going to post everyday and walk everyday and drink lots of water everyday...but I just haven't!

After my walk on Tuesday after my walk I got to about 1:30 and I just crashed completely. I was sooo tired that I was falling asleep - and anyone with children will know that you can't just nod off to sleep whenever you want to.

The last couple of days I have had what I think may be DOMS right through my pelvis - hardly surprising but I just didn't expect it.

That reaction (the exhausion, DOMS and severe hunger - even though I was eating heaps) took me by surprise and threw me for a six. Evidently I need to eat more - especially in the early part of the day - the hunger would have definitely contributed to the exhaustion.

I need to get back to the mindset of just getting up and going out for a walk and not thinking too hard about it all. as soon as I start thinking about wher I will go etc etc my brain is flooded with self talk messages telling me how much nicer it is here at home.

As for the water I really have no excuse!

I have no excuses really - but I do need to get a bit more on top of food preparation in advance, AND overcome my dislike of eating lunch at home. I think I like to go out in the middle of the day because Harris will go to sleep easily for the whole time I am out usually and I don't need to worry about getting him off to sleep. I seem to be on top of his afternoon nap at home - this is the time I have taken to using for tidying and doing internet things.

He is 1 month old tomorrow - how time flies - although I do feel like the past month has been a bit of a haze!!

A good walk

2009-03-10T09:30:00.003+11:00

I just got back from a really good 50 minute walk with Harris in the pram. Last night when I was driving Harris to sleep around the neighbourhood I discovered a 1km long hill a few streets over from my house and I thought now that would make a great addition to my walking route. So I gave it a go today and it was very good.

I downloaded a few new songs on my ipod too and I am now feeling energetic and much more motivated about the day ahead.

Last week I was being a bit slack and sleeping in the mornings when Harris would go back to sleep after his morning feed - so I wasn't getting up until about 9:30am. As you can imagine this was leaving me feeling hungry and lethargic and because I was so late getting up.

I remembered how skipping breakfast and allowing myself to get that hungry is a recipie for very poor eating habits so I made a point to focus on eating breakfast this week - even if that means I have to prepare it the night before.

The other thing I really need to do is find the right headspace to recognise that at this stage, walking does count as training for me. After 9 months off I can't expect anything else. I tend to associate walking with leisure activity and in my head it is not enough to achieve what I want to achieve. In my mind I need to be exercising at much higher intensities to get back towhere I was before. BUT right now, walking is the only option I have.

Long time no post

2009-03-09T11:02:00.002+11:00

I just haven't had much of a chance to sit down at the computer this week.

Harris is quite the cuddly child and tends to scream if he is in his rocker and awake. He just wants to be picked up. Picking him up means that I have no free hands to do anything else so no computer for me! The rest of the time this week has been a bit tough because Harris seemed to have a bit of an upset tummy and was very grumpy. That seems to have settled down now and I am being much more careful about what I eat.

I did however buy a sling to carry him around in while I am at home because that leaves me a little more hands free - which makes me feel a bit better as well because I still get to do things that make me feel productive. I think that feeling productive during the day is key to retaining my sanity during this stay at home mum phase of my life.

Although I have noticed that it takes twice as long to do some things.

I am coming to terms with the stay at thome thing a bit more now and I have a list of things that I need to do this coming week.

I think I may have managed to re-ignite the flame for wanting exercise over this weekend - Mark and I have been going for walks in the morning and the little twinge of what I love about exercise has been flicked over in my mind. There is still abit of work to do there but at least thie small flame has been ignited.

There is just something about the combination of being slightly out of breath, a light sweat and a cool crisp morning that makes you feel really good.

So in saying that - my goals for this week are:

- To blog accomplishments each day
- To drink 2 - 3 Lt of Water each day
- To go for a walk after breakfast each day
- To get a fortnightly menu sorted out again.
- To do one enjoyable thing each day (such as go to the coffee shop for a cup of tea, go shopping etc)

No Groove New Car

2009-03-03T12:18:00.003+11:00

Mark bought us a 'family car' this week - a secondhand Subaru Forrester Turbo with leather seats and all that. Its quite a nice car to drive but I am going to miss my little zippy fiesta. It was my pre-children city girl car!

I am very tired today - I had a really severe headache last night and it made it really difficult to feed Harris. I could only feed him for 10 minutes at a time - and when he doesn't have 20- 30 mins he wakes up ever 1.5 - 2 hours for a top up. Hence - I get very tired!

We went to the baby clinic to get him weighted this morning and he now weighs 4.2kg - which is great!

I am feeling a little dulled to life at the moment - kind of like I did before I got into training full on for the half marathon last year. I feel as though I am moving through life with no pupose and because I dont have anything major to do each day (except look after Harris) that I am just plodding along. All I need to do is get into the right headspace - but getting motivated to do even that is hard.

Right now though - I think I need a nap!

A new week

2009-03-02T09:58:00.003+11:00

Hi All

While my physio appointment was a little uneventful on Friday - she did inform me that the separation in my abs has improved somewhat and is now only around 1cm.
She also said I should be OK to start doing body weighted strength work so I am working on putting something together.

I sat down to write this post about an hour ago but then Harris started carrying on and I had to abandon it for a while - now I can't remember what I was going to write about.

I hadn't had coffee at all since I had Harris and yesterday I thought i would give it a go and see if it affected him at all - Well - We had a lot of crying and evidently upset tummy last night - so no coffee for me! I can live without it.

I just booked flights to come up to Brisbane in June - Mark can't take time off work so it will be just me and Harris. I am sure that will be a big adventure!

I really wish I could remember what Iwas going to write!

Where I am At!

2009-02-27T09:33:00.003+11:00

It is now two weeks since the birth of Harris and I am feeling surprisingly grand!

Sure there are stretch marks galore but in the whole scheme of things I think I have come out of the whole experience pretty good.

On the night I went into labour I weighed 95 kgs. This morning I weighed 83.7kg and falling - it seems to fall by 200 - 300 gms each day. I am sure that it will even out shortly but it all honesty it is exactly where I anticipated I would be.

My body shape looks pretty much exactly like it did before - except with an extra 13kg on it - so a bit more flabby than I am used to. But I can see how when it comes off I should look just like I did before.

My biggest frustration is that it seems as though the majority of the weight gain is in my hips, thighs and waist hence pants are an issue as they are all tight. Even the maternity clothes are a little tight.

Walking is my training of choice right now and I am aiming for 30 mins each day of walking the hilly streets around my suburb. I need to get my head around the concept that walking does actually count as training for me in this instance. I'm going to talk to the physio today but hopefully in two weeks time I can add in some body weighted strength work 3 times per week. Thant gives me two weeks to devise a program for myself. Oh and of course I will have core strengthening exercises to do that the physio will go through with me today.

Harris has a fairly predictable nature at the moment - although I find the only time I can sit down to check internet things or plan things is when he is asleep in his cot. Right now he only sleeps in his cot for 2 hours a day but I am trying to ease him into a little more.

He is there right now!

Time to get going!

Birth Story

2009-02-26T14:23:00.003+11:00

It's time to get the story of Harris's Birth down on paper/not paper before it takes on a not so clear image in my mind - not that I think that is actually possible - but you never know!

I would say that as far as Birth stories go - mine is a pretty good one - it all pretty much went by the book!

Earlier in the week I had been to the Ob/Gyn for my scheduled weekly check up. My blood pressure was up at this appointment and he sent me off for blood tests in a big hurry. He also arranged for me to have a CTG scan the next morning - and to bring my bags for the hospital just in case. It was all a little scary!

I pretty much stayed on the couch for the rest of that day - my blodd pressure was still up compared to normal and I thought it was better to be safe than sorry. On Wednesday I stayed on the couch again because I was feeling pretty ordinary, my bloood pressure was still going up so I called the birth suite at around 3:30 to let them know and they had me come in for another CTG. The scan showed that I was having very mild contractions every 5 or so minutes. The doctor came in and said that he was concerned about the rising blood pressure and that he wanted to do another scan on Friday morning but regardless of what that showed - he was going to have me come in and be induced on Sunday the 15th feb anyway.

That night Mark and I went out to dinner at the local Thai - I was still having what I thought were mild contractions but they were totally bearable. That night the intensity of these increased alot. By 10pm I was having what I thought were strongish contractions every 5 - 7 minutes. I called the birth suite at 2:00am thinking I was in Labour. I was coping quite well at this point so I took a couple of panadeine to take the edge off - and within half an hour it had all stopped. I felt relaxed and a little bewildered - I had been going through that for the last 5 hours for nothing! It probably did do something but I was just grateful to be able to sleep!

I spent the whole of Thursday on the couch dozing and resting - I was still getting mild contractions but they were every 15 - 20 minutes now. Not getting any faster. At around 8 that night Mark, the cat and I were on the couch and I asked Mark to squeeze my toes during a contraction to see if the distraction helped the pain at all. During the next contraction he did this and made me laugh, then the cat dug her claws into my leg and I laughed hard - but it hurt because of the contraction - next thing I felt a pop and my waters broke. After that I felt a bit excited and nervous at the same time because I knew that it was time and my baby would be here sometime in the next day. The contractions sped up to around 6 - 9 minutes apart but they were much stronger. I couldn't sit or lie down during them - I had to kneel or stand - so I was a little nervous about getting in the car to go to the hospital. I went to get in the shower for some relief but we had run out of hot water. I decided to call the hospital at this point because I felt like I needed the support of people who knew what to expect.

We arrived and were shown into a room with a very lovely midwife called Tammy. I kept going in there where I was in and out of the shower for pain relief. The worst thing was the shower head was broken and I couldn't direct it without holding it in my hand - this was ok for a while but once the contractions were more intense it pretty much made the shower useless. the midwife did and internal at 3am and I was 5 -6 cm dilated - I thought great - we are doing well and i am coping! We went on like this until 6am when the doctor came in to see how i was going. He did another internal and I was still only 5 - 6cm - this news at this time left me feeling devastated. I was starving, my lower back and feet were killing me and I was almost out of energy. The doctor suggested that I have some pethedine to give me a rest and also to put a syntocynin drip and some saline with glucose infusion up to speed things along and give me some energy. This was the best thing I could have done at that point. The pethedine slowed the contractions enough to give me a small nap in between them - even though the syntocynin has made the contractions much stronger.

Another midwife (Liz) took over from Tammy at 7am and suggested that I try the gas to take the edge off - this was great once I got the hang of breathing it in properly. To be honest - after this point I don't really remember very much - except that the intensity of the contractions was extreme ! It felt like it took forever to get to the pushing part - I remember I kept asking the nurse if it was time to push yet. When it was time to push it was so different to the contractions. I felt much more able to cope with the pushing part. It was very hard work though - Mark was awesome - he was surviving on no sleep for 30 hours and yet he was still encouraging me and doing everything he could. The pushing stage lasted for 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Towards the end the doctor came in to do an internal (I do recall that being extremely uncomfortable!) and he said to me that he didn't think the baby was turning properly and wasn't likely to come out on his own - and that we would need to prep for going to theatre, that I would need a spinal block and he would have to do a forceps delivery - possibly a c-section. He walked out to get that organised and then on the next ontraction I felt the baby move down further and the midwife said She thought this baby had other ideas. By the time the doctor had come back, the baby was well on it's way - and the doctors was very surprised -
i was very relieved! About half an hour later I had my healthy little man on my tummy and I was in awe and in love with the tiny being Mark and i had created.

I'm not in a hurry to race back and do it all again in a hurry - but Harris was worth every ounce of pain - we love him!

2009-02-24T14:01:00.003+11:00

Mark has become a pillow for the whole family it seems!

I am taking this opportunity to quickly post because Harris is asleep in his own bed, in his room and it is very rare. He likes to sleep nearly to us most of the time but today he is obviously content in his cot. I don't mind!

Today I had a physio appointment to do some postnatal work - I have a 2ish cm diastasis in my abs and I want it to get better ASAP! So off to the physio for me. To be honest it is my abs where I feel the weakest! Anyway - the physio cancelled on me - but I only found this out AFTER I had gotten dressed, straightened my hair and put makeup on - I was feeling ready to take on the world and looking forward to our little outing - only to be a little dissapointed that the appointment had been cancelled. It doesn't matter because at least I have felt great all day because I look nice!

I have been walking every day - I can manage about 25 mins now and I am going to stick to this for now. At least until I am feeling a little stronger.

I look SO much better than I did last week - fluid is still coming off at an alarming rate. I almost look like 'Normal" just a little fatter! Once my clothes start fitting a little better I think I will feel awesome!

I really want to post about the birth but maybe tomorrow!

time to breath

2009-02-21T08:40:00.002+11:00

Harris is the biggest sleepy head! I know that is what new babies do but I seriously can't wait until he is a little more interactive!

Our first few days at home haven't really been to eventful. We are just trying to learn about him and his needs. We are figuring it out slowly. I am actually getting some pretty good sleep as well so far which I am surprised at.

He is such a great feeder and I am having no troubles at all (touch wood!) breastfeeding him at this stage.

We had our first trip out of the house yesterday - to the shops to get him some more clothes- and we managed it without a hitch. I know it will be different when I have to do it on my own but it is good to build up confidence at this stage.

I am feeling better now and can walk a little further each day. We are going to go for a short walk today out in the pram - so it will be interesting to see how that goes.

I am surprised at how my thinking has changed when it comes to what I am eating. I am conscious of everything I put in my mouth and how it will affect him. It is really good for me to think like this. In saying that though - finding the time to actually eat is a bit of a challenge! Mark has been making me porridge for breakfast everyday and I am hoping that he will keep doing this for me even after he goes back to work on Monday.

On the body front - I am actually surprised at how I have ended up looking. It was 1 week post birth yesterday and I still have a bit a fluid there. I have put on a lot of weight but I am hoping that the breasfeeding theory works for me. I am not worried about losing it but I am worried about finding the motivation - especially when it comes to food preparation!

One day at a time I say!

I am still working my way around the blogs to say thanks to everyone individually.

This motherhood thing is amazing - like nothing I ever expected - I didn't know it was possible to love someone so much!

Home!

2009-02-18T16:23:00.003+11:00

We have just arrived home from hospital and it is such an exciting time. It feels like we are embarking on a whole new part of our lives. This is quite possibly the best thing we have ever done. We are overwhelmed with love for this tiny baby who has come into our lives.
Thankyou to all for your well wishes and comments. I will respond individually when I get the chance.

Harris is sleeping right now - so I get a window of opportunity to catch up a little on my internet addiction!

I'll tell the full story of the past few days over the coming week but lets just say at them moment the furtherest I can walk is around 200 mts. I don't recommend that anyone has stitches in that part of their body unless they absolutely have to!!

Here are some pics

My Littlle Man

2009-02-16T15:45:00.002+11:00

Hi All,

Just a quick update - I only have a few minutes internet access.

My little man - Harris Pedro was born 0n Friday 13th February at 11.36am at Calvary Private Hospital in Canberra.

He is perfect in every way.

It was a good labour - just done with a small amount of pethidine and some gas.

I have a 2nd degree tear which hurts!

More and pics when I get back from hospital - possibly tomorroow.

Andjxx

Still on the couch

2009-02-12T16:27:00.001+11:00

I haven't moved much from the couch in the past few days.

My blood pressure is still higher than the doctors would like it to be and I had more blood tests today and have another scan tomorrow.

Had a very bad night last night and was up most of the night - a little taste of what I have to look forward to.

Not much mroe to tell right now apart from all that.

I have decided that I'm not looking forward to the Labour part.

Resting is boring

2009-02-10T18:40:00.002+11:00

So after my standard weekly trip to the doctor yesterday he decided to send us into a bit of a mini panic by sending me racing off to a blood test and booking me into have what is called a non-stress test first thing this morning.

This test basically just monitors the baby's heart rate and movement patterns - as well as any contractions that I may have had (Which I didn't).

This was all because I had higher blood pressure than what was normal for me yesterday at the doctors appointment.

If things didn't look good this morning they were going to induce me early. Needless to say I was a bit nervous.

Anyway - the scan was in the normal range andthe blood results didn't show anything so everything was fine - except that my blood pressure seems to go up beyond normal (but still not super high) if I do anything that involves being upright at all.

So I have been lying on the couch all day, alternating between watching TV and reading glossy magazines. I'm thinking that I'm going to need to find a book to keep me intereested tomorrow because this is a very tedious way to spend the time. Although I must say that I don't feel that great when I'm up and about so I am content to stay on the couch.

So- back to the couch for me.....now if the baby would just get out - we wouldn't be having these problems!

Introducing....

2009-02-09T14:22:00.002+11:00

Frankencatbear!

Well - that's what Mark christened him. Because he said that it looks like I have attached the head from one toy to another. I made him last week and I think he is pretty cute.

Another day

2009-02-09T07:42:00.004+11:00

It feels so strange to be ticking off the days to an event that may or may not happen on that particular day!

It's not like you can look forward to it happening on that day because you just don't know when it will actually happen!

I think I much prefer a defined event.

It's so difficult to not wake up each day and think - Well is today going to be the day? You can drive yourself insane analysing every little twinge and pain - thinking, is this it? is it starting now?

On the other hand it is difficult to imagine what life is going to be like after this event. there will be a whole new barrage of things to learn, emotions and feelings. That and there will be a tiny baby who needs us 100%. I am excited about meeting him now - and also impatient.

I have a doctors appointment today but not until nearly 5pm so I have to find things to do until then. It is 10 degrees cooler today than it was yesterday which means that it is possible to actually get things done.

First things first though - time to go and get dressed!

Getting dressed is another aspect of this whole thing which has been something that has involved adaptation along the way. Never in my imagination had I thought that the tent like clothes I bought early on would end up not actually fitting me at all. I remember putting some things on only to take them off again because it was too big and made me look fat. Now those same clothes dont completely cover the belly. It's a little disconcerting.

The stretch mark situation is not good. It just looks as though my skin was never meant to stretch that much. Once bubs is out I will start on that with the bio oil - I do regret not doing it the whole way along. It was psychologically difficult earlier on because there were no stretch marks and no signs of any - they have really only come on in the past few weeks.

Yesterday it seemed as though some of the fluid in my legs was starting to ease off and the slender ankles were returning. That is a nice feeling.

On another note, I'm loving these things at the moment:

Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch - this was one of my pre baby lst minute splurges - not sure if I'll have time to actually put it on but it does make my foundation look great!

Shiseido Perfect Rouge Lipstick - I LOVE this lipstick at the moment. Its so creamy and moisturising yet it stays on and has great pigmentation. Here's hoping I love it all winter. I bought the colour 'Gilded Wine'

The Body Shop Moroccan rose Perfume - I love this perfume and am saving this one up for my 'fun purchase' for next fortnight. At only $31.95 I can actually afford it.

I'm Still here

2009-02-08T10:06:00.001+11:00

and surviving the heat - just!

Yesterday we just tried to move from one airconditioned place to the next. Went to the shops, went to the movies - that took us up to around 2pm. Just when it is getting the hottest here in Canberra.

Came home and had a cold shower - which is an excellent remedy!

The pool is useless because it is in full sun for the majority of the day and so is actually like getting into a hot bath!

Went to Mark's Aunt and Uncle's house last night to have some Chinese and some aircon - that was a good solution. I think that if it becomes unbearable this afternoon we should go there again!

Our house didn't get under 30 degrees last night until the early hours of the morning. We have set up camp in the loungeroom on the air mattress because the evaporative cooler seems to be more effective that way than when we are both on the bed. I actually found the air mattress quite comfortable, it seems to support the weight of my belly better when I am on my side. I think that tonight will be more of the same as the prediction for today is the same as yesterday.
BUT then tomorrow we get a lovely cool change - only meant to be 29 rtomorrow apparently!

This next week is going to be much more comfortabe I think!

Lipstick and hairdye

2009-02-05T13:42:00.002+11:00

Today I woke up rather late (8:30am eek!) but hey I figure that I might as well make the most of it.

I didn't really have any plans for today and yesterday I was driven insane by sitting around on the couch for the majority of the day.

so I decided to go to the local westfield and see how long I could manage walking around. I thought that I would have a look at all of the new season clothes coming into the stores and decide on the things that I might want in my winter wardrobe. Country road is totally inspiring me right now - I loved everything in there!

I also thought i would have a play with any new bits and bobs in the david jones make up counters - just for the fun of it. Dangerous - very dangerous. I found a really georgous Shishedo wintery plummy listick that i am very very tempted to go and buy. BUT I did the right thing and walked away thinking that I would have a look on strawberry net first. I need new mascara too you see so if I can get a bargain it is better than not!

So after a play in the make up department and wandering around for a bit I went to get myself a coffee and read a magazine for a little bit.

Before I knew it 3 hours had gone by and as I didn't want to pay too much for car parking I decided it was time to come home.

While I was at the shops I also decided to get a home hair dye. I hate paying so much at the hairdresser for colour that is only really a slightly darker version of my own hair colour only to have it wash out 3 weeks later. It has been a while since I did it at home so we will see how it turns out.

So right now I am sitting here with my hair dye in, hair all sectioned, red lippy - and 39 weeks pregnant - tres chic and glamorous let me tell you!

66 Posts

2009-02-04T10:12:00.002+11:00

I just trawled through 66 Blog posts on my google reader and now I am tired!

I really have lost the ability to sit down, read, take it all in and then generate interesting active thought in my own brain. Perhaps this is what they call baby brain. People call me for a chat and I just don't have the energy to construct a conversation. Is this what my life is going to be like fore the next little while? Hmmn...

So I am sorry for not too many comments but I will try harder in the next week - and unless I go into Labour - I won't be letting my google reader get to 66 posts again!

I had a weird feeling night last night and I seriously thought that something was on the cards but alas not as yet.

My plan for today is to not do too much. I was awake probably every two hours last night and I am feeling it today. I need to go to the shops and get a few things and I will do that in a minute. then I am going to make friends with the lounge chair and watch a DVD from the pile that needs to go back on Friday.

I have been trying not to nap during the day but there may need to be a nap this afternoon I think.

Onto the single digit countdown tomorrow. I am starting to get a little bit nervous about everything now. Starting to get a bit excited too but I know that there is going to be some challenging moments over the next few weeks.

Get out baby so we can get on with it!

things 2 do

2009-02-02T19:35:00.001+11:00

I am a little short on finding things to do at the moment.

I know that I am supposed to be 'resting' - but you know what - resting is boring!.

Even the internet is boring after a little while.

I have been saving up blog posts to read through and comment on, on google reader for Wednesday morning because I haven't got anything planned for Wednesday as yet! It's a bit sad I know!

I did buy a book this morning that has the potential to keep me interested for a little while.

I don't want to think too hard about how different life is going to be after baby turns up.
I think that it is all part of my one day at a time strategy.

I AM glad though that the ratings season has started back on TV because at least I have programs that I look forward to watching in the evenings now - whereas before the TV was part of the boredom.

Until Wednesday!

More Photographs

2009-02-01T10:23:00.002+11:00

Sometimes I wish I put more pics up on my blog.

i dont mainly because I think that I am pretty crap at taking a nice photo and I like them to be all artistic and lovely and mine are pretty much just not!

Perhaps I do have a bit of baby brain because I have notices lately that my attention span for these types of things is very limited, I'm not that interested in reading and lately my spelling (or is that typing) has been very poorly - and I am usually quite pedantic about that type of thing.

Hmmn..

Feeling: Generally tired and can't be bothered. I had my hair cut on Friday and I can't even be bothered to straighten it to see how it looks properly. I think that is mainly because I know I will just get in the pool later and ruin the straight effect anyway!

I think that actually it is the heat sucking whatever energy I have right out of me.

Over it

2009-01-30T07:55:00.002+11:00

The heat that is! I am fine until aroung 12 - 1pm at home, then I go to the shops and have coffee or something along those lines - but you can really only stay there for so long!

Then I come home and get in the pool - yesterday afternoon I was in there for like 2 hours!

Thats when the problem starts.

Our house retains heat like you wouldn't believe - so when it is actually cooling down outside - our house doesn't. At midnight last night it was still 30 degrees and the ambient heat in the room is just unbearable for me because it seeps into the lounge and the bed and there is just no way to get cool AND be comfortable.

I only managed one thing on my list yesterday and that was the cooking. the freezer is so full of food now. But I am not cooking another thing until this heat wave has run it's course.

Now I want the baby to come so that I can go and be in the aircon at the hospital!

I am going out today to buy an evaporative airconditioner. That way at least I can be in the room that is cooler!

To Do List Thursday and Friday

2009-01-28T19:14:00.003+11:00

Oh the joys of not having fluid filled legs (well they are still fluid fill but not retaining it at the moment - if you know what I mean). I tend towards getting fluid retention in my legs in the afternoons and to look down at your feet and see nothing but puffy feet and ankles is nothing but gross. Once its there it doesn't really go away until the next morning and sometimes not even then. But right now - it's not there and I have splendidly slinky ankles and lower legs. I am most defnitely looking forward to having less of a fluid retention problem in the coming weeks!

37 here in Canberra today - not as hot as some places but hot all the same! find me some airconditioning!

THURSDAY

Cook up Chicken base dish for freezer in morning
Cut out pattern pieces for toy cat
Go to Library (for aircon) in afternoon and write letter re: Mat Leave
Call my friend Kellie to arrange a catch up
Drink 3 Lt Water
Swim

FRIDAY

Finish sewing shorts
Vacuum and mop floors in am
Tidy make up and bathrooms
Visit Kirsty and Auntie Margaret
Swim
Drink 3 lt water

Building a Resourceful Mindset

2009-01-27T19:21:00.004+11:00

I have started to think of these weeks that I have to myself as 'holidays'. The last time I had holidays or annual leave from work, I smashed my elbow and really couldn't do all that much.

I know that after the little noisy one has arrived there will most likely never be holidays - in the sense of being able to spend quality time at home pottering without too many distractions - ever again.

In all honesty, prior to breaking my arm back in May and then finding out I was pregnant in early June, I was at the best place I had ever been at mentally in terms of my health and fitness. There had been lots of ups and downs along the way, and many many occasions where I 'fell off the horse' (or deliberately got off the horse' and got back on again. It took me that long to work out the motivation side of things and ind the inner drive to achieve a goal. It took me that long to work out that when the books on goal setting say that you have to really really want it - they are right - you do have to really really want it AND you have to be willing to make the sacrifices necessary to get to the point you want to be at. Over time and as you learn about yourself, you tend to develop a more resourceful mindset towards achieving goals. Things get easier and you can really visualise the goal point you have set getting closer and closer to being achieved. As you get closer and closer, things get easier and more enjoyable to do.

HOWEVER!

In the past 9 months I have had one big holiday from my nice strong positive self talk surrounding health and fitness, I have had a holiday from making good nutritional choices and from most forms of exercise - bar the occasional run early in piece. In short - I gave myself permission (or maybe made an excuse) for myself to have a break from it all.

I don't necessarily think that is such a bad thing. BUT

Now I need to start the process again and begin making the thinking patterns in my brain go back to the way they were before. I need to relearn the benefits of being super organised with food preparation and the goals that I want to achieve each day - be they fitness related or not.
I need to relear to look at the number on the scales and see it as feedback and not freak out when it's not doing what I want it to. I need to redevelop that resourceful mindset.

The way I see it - there are a few things I need to do to set myself back on this course:

1. Get out some of my motivational books and start reading - and taking notes if necessary.
2. Not allow myself to become lazy in a sembalance of a daily routine. I realise that baby may not always make this routine easy for me, but, getting up, getting dressed and eating breakfast is not too much to ask.
3. Keep in mind the things I have to do each day - and see them as achievements.
4. Being organised and writing myself lists.
5. Take a step back if I feel as though I am putting too much pressure on myself (which I have a tendancy towards).
6. Practice positive scripts
7. Spend some time each day reflecting on what I have achieved.

There are probably more but they haven't come to me yet.

Today I went to see "The curious tale of Benjamin Button' - interesting but at around the 1 hour20min point when I had to go to the toilet I was seriously contemplating whether or not to go back in. I just wasn't really that into it. I think the promise of another 1 20mins of airconditioning without having to walk around the shops did it for me.

I am annoyed at the fact you have to pay for parking EVERYWHERE here in Canberra - even at the local westfield shops. Sure you get 2 hours for free but when it is 36 degrees outside and you are 8 weeks pregnant - you want more than 2 hours!! Tomorrow I am going to go the the Library but I will wait until the house gets so hot that it is unbearable to stay here any longer. Then I have a letter to write so that should see me through a few hours!

Large

2009-01-27T14:25:00.003+11:00

is how I am feeling.... and stretched. It is a little uncomfortable - you would think that I would have learnt by now not to eat a big meal but the thing is - i haven't really eaten all that much today.

Today has flown by - mainly because I didn't get out of bed until 9:30am after a poor nights sleep. I just cannot get the pillow angle right and I have been getting a sore back. That combined with being limited as to which way I can sleep (pretty much only on Left side which I find v. uncomfortable) has meant that sleep has been pretty poor quality the past few nights. I'm thinking that it's not going to get much better.

I went and checked out the DFO here in Canberra this morning - it's not too bad as far as outlets go. I actually managed to pick up a bit of a bargain. Three long sleeve henley style PJ shirts (for winter) that have front opening buttons for 2.99 each.

Right - I am off to try and take some pictures of this baby's room!

Sunday Sunday

2009-01-25T10:45:00.003+11:00

Not that the fact it is a Sunday really matters all that much to me anymore - because everyday is going to be like a Sunday!

I have a feeling the the rib pain may have been being exacerbated by me sitting at a computer at work all day. It is no coincidence that it was terrible on Thursday and Friday and on both of those days I spent the day at the computer. It also seems to be fine in the mornings but then as the day wears on and I start feeling heavier and heavier, the pain increases into the afternoon and evening.

Yesterday afternoon I went for a swim and it was pure bliss - I should have done that the day before. It is the most amazing relief from all baby related discomfort. Next time I am pregnant I am definitely going to try swimming more regularly and possibly do some aqua aerobics or something like that. It is that good! Yesterday I had the pool noodle wrapped around me and I was doing water running around in circles in the deeper end of the pool. It is actually quite difficult!

This morning I went to check out the local farmers market and I was very impressed. They are real farmers markets - not just the ones where you get the people who go to the wholesaler and then come and sell it at the markets. The majority of the produce was certified organic and there was a good range. The prices are very comparible to shopping at the supermarket as well (if not cheaper - I got a massive bag of fruit for 5 dollars.

So as I have been trying to avoid physically going into a grocery store of late - I think that I will make the farmers markets a regular Sunday morning outing for fruit and vege. They also had alot of free range eggs and home baked breads. Perhaps another week we can try some of those.
We already buy our meat from a wholesale butcher - I'm not a fan of the meat in coles and woolies.

Not much else planned for today really. I find that I need two rests now - one sit down in the morning after doing whatever I've been doing and another one - possibly including a nap - in the afternoons.
I'm going to try and stay in a kind of routine while I'm not working, with regard to getting up and eating times and that kind of thing. I find when I don't do this I can get very lazy. I know that once the baby is here any routines will revlove around him but I am flexible. I just need to have little things to tick off each day - If I dont do that then I feel like I have accomplised nothing and then I start to get mopey.

Never fear - at the moment there is still plenty of small projects for me to do piece by piece.

Have a great Australia day whatever you may be doing!

Update : We put chlorine in the pool this morning and I think we may have put too much in because we tested it and it was a tad high - so alas no swim for me this afternoon. so dissapointing....

A letter to the baby delivery cranes....

2009-01-23T19:06:00.002+11:00

Dear sweet lovely cranes,

Please let me deliver my baby very soon. It's not only because I am excited to meet him but I really cannot cope with this chronic rib pain for very much longer. I cant eat because it make the pain worse, I can't sleep because it's there all the time and nothing seems to make it go away at all.
It is incredibly uncomfortable and I dont really think I can last through three (possibly 5) more weeks of constant ache.
I promise I wont even complain one bit about how much breastfeeding sucks (pun intended) or how tired I am from being up and down all through the night with a newborn.
I just want my ribs back to feeling like ribs should and not like they are constantly on fire.

Kind regards,

Andjxxx

Fitness Ambition

Moving House

Layne Beachley on Success

What is a true treat?

Rumbling along...

Two Weeks to get my act together

Few and Far Between

I was helping mummy in the garden and....

Day 2 Very Tired

Fitness Monday

And So...

Hints and tips

Thinking about running

Harris on the box

Centered and Grounded

Blog Fatigue

A bit downhill

Monday Monday

Phew! What a weekend!

The value of a training partner

Busy Bee

Recipe Twist

Awake so early

John Brack Tickets Giveaway

24 April – 9 August 2009 Open daily 10am–5pm and until 9pm every Thursday The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia Galleries 17 – 20, Level 3Admission fees apply

Good Morning!

ifitness for iphone

92...

No...I haven't fallen off the face of the earth

Ahh Friday.....

Didn't want to but I did

98...

If I could walk 500 miles.....

99 bottles of...

100 day challenge - I'm in

and now I'm paying

I feel so unfit!

Destruc-a-baby strikes...

Struggling with selfishness

the power of banana!

September 13th Here I come

The Bug

I know I know

What you can, When you can

Sunday, Lazy Sunday

So tired...

I had a good title

Monday Monday

Embarking...

What?

Wake up Call..

Sick me

Contemplating marathons

Finally made it to the gym!

The time gets away

Where's Harris?

End of the week

Ouchy!

Rest

Day 1 nearly done

Tis Time

Lack

Lazy Week

Smiles for everyone

Weekend slacker

On a Date

Understatement

more progress

What a difference a year makes..

isleep

Baby Steps

A day in the Country

running between the signs

I am slack

A good walk

Long time no post

No Groove New Car

A new week

Where I am At!

Birth Story

24 April – 9 August 2009
Open daily 10am–5pm and until 9pm every Thursday
The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia
Galleries 17 – 20, Level 3
Admission fees apply