Measurements

My current measurements are:

Weight - 64.5kg
Chest - 88cm
Waist - 65cm
Hip - 92cm
Arm - 25cm
Legs - 51cm

I was a bit loathe to take them since I suspected they would be a little higher.

As it is my weight has gone up by a kilo or two, my chest has gone up a bit (though I don't mind that), my waist has gone up a bit & everything else is relatively the same. It's quite an interesting distribution---- I'm the most worried about the waist measurement going up since it could indicate I'm storing more fat... I've always really liked how skinny my waist is too >_< At least it hasn't gone up to pre-12wbt levels.

My Commitment

My commitment is to continue eating healthy and exercising regularly. My commitment is to not let my old habits slip back in and to continue my path to being the person I want to be---- a strong, independent woman who never backs down.

Exams Over

Well my exams are over & it's really time for me to get moving with my training! I'm absolutely psyched to go all in for this round and I won't have university or work to distract me till March. I've printed out week 1 & I'll be heading to the gym first thing tomorrow morning. My main goal is strength/fitness gains but I'm also planning to make as many new, healthy & delicious recipes as possible over the break. I can't wait to try the Korean style recipes from round 3 & the Brazilian ones from round 4.

The challenges for weeks 1 & 2 are to create an inspiration board & to complete 300 push ups within a week. I've started my push ups today--- 50 down so far! I intend to create a brand new inspiration board during the week. I think I have a much better idea of what to put on it this round than I had in my very first round.

New Food & 12wbt

I notice that some of the new 12wbt members get a bit 'yuck' when they see menu plans with ingredients/meals in them that's they're not familiar with.

It's alright to not like something but give a go before you start bagging it please... I never ate any of these foods before I started the program & I would have turned down most of them if someone tried to offer them to me. However I have since tried cooking each & every one of them and quite frankly I've only come across a grand total of two recipes I don't like!

When I see something new now (it's my fifth round) I get soooo excited about the prospect of cooking it & trying new flavours! It bums me out a bit when people just say 'eww' without giving something a go.

Pre-season Task 1 - Get Real

Hi everyone! I haven't written here for awhile but I've been quite stressed out lately. University work has been pretty taxing along with the various happenings among my family and friends, and at times it's felt like I've been drowning this semester. Still I've managed to keep myself going and there's now only 3 weeks of university to go, plus final exams. As long as I study consistently I should be able to get through alright.

In terms of my lifestyle it's been pretty up and down for several weeks. While I've been maintaining my standards of healthy cooking I have allowed myself quite a bit of wiggle room in terms of diet. Some days I've eaten cleanly while on others I've found myself drinking thick shakes as an afternoon snack. I've also been very up and down in my training regime, some weeks training intensely nearly every day and other weeks not training at all. The results of my up and down regime are very mixed as while I seem to be stronger I also weigh in a couple of kilos heavier. Overall I look pretty much the same so it could very well be muscle growth but I'd still say my regime needs to be more stable.

For this reason I've rejoined 12wbt for round 4 2013. This round runs from 8th Nov on to February (my university holidays) so I think it will be perfect to get me back on track. I've just completed my first pre-season tack, which I will share with you all now;

Internal Excuses - I've done enough, I'm too tired, Skipping one session won't hurt, I deserve a rest, The session's going to be too hard, I'm already very fit.

External Excuses (In control) - I'm too busy, I need to study, It's too hot/cold, I might not be on time for other things, I have my period.

External Excuses (Out of control) - I'm very sick, Family/Work crisis

Solutions - Just get out of bed & do it, don't think. I know that skipping one session often leads to many and that my strength depletes when I don't exercise. I can do a more leisurely session when I have my period. I can reschedule appointments or exercise earlier. I can use exercise to de-stress after a crisis.

I've also started a food & exercise journal to record my progress throughout the round and have begun work on my warm up challenges. My one small change is once again to deplete my caffeine intake (it keeps creeping back in) and I've done day 1 of crack a sweat (which is a challenge to exercise 5 days of the week). I'm also working on halving my non-water intake and I'm pretty much covering most of the other challenges with my journal. The one challenge I haven't started is the 10-30km challenge, but I intend to give that a go either next week or the week after (or both).

Achievements

It's one of those days when I look at myself in the mirror & think 'you know what? I'm actually pretty awesome'. I'm about to complete a double degree with five majors (yes I am a crazy person) and pretty soon I'll actually be qualified to operate in most major areas of finance & economics. I've lost roughly 10kg of fat in the last year & a bit and I'm damn happy with how I look. I've become a great cook and I've made huge steps to overcome my previously crippling shyness. I've even worked in retail, something I would have never been able to do in my previous state of mind. When I think of how far I've come I can't help but feel proud.

It's so important to look back & focus on & be proud of your wins rather than constantly look for a new problem or fault in yourself. I often make the mistake of shrugging off my past successes & dwelling too much on the tiny little things wrong with my life. While it may be considered 'modesty' to do so it's in fact not a great way to think. Never be afraid to be proud of yourself, you've put in the effort & you deserve the rewards of your hard work. You can always strive towards a new goal but don't forget what you've already achieved.

Back from Holiday!

Andddd I'm back! Had an absolutely amazing time in Europe, experienced a lot of new things & got in some great bonding time with my partner. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) the food on the trip was mouth-wateringly good so I overindulged a little on the trip. However my overindulgence was accompanied by kilometre upon kilometre of walking through beautiful European cities so my end weight gain has only amounted to 1.4kg (pretty damn good for a three week holiday!). I've been back at the gym for two days so far & my upper body muscle strength appears to have depleted but my legs are stronger than ever. I've now started with the round 2 exercise plan (I was still going on round 1 previously) & I'm planning to hit it hard & get back my strength. I'm currently watching my way through Mish's videos again as well to give my motivation a bit of a boost & I'm saving everything on the site in preparation for going at it on my own for the first time in four rounds. I think I'm 100% ready for it now.

I was really surprised to find that Mish sent me a $300 voucher in the mail for a photo shoot out in Northbridge to capture my new & improved self (I think I may have won it in a competition but I can't remember if I've entered one recently?). I really appreciate it & I'm looking forward to booking in once I've gotten off the holiday weight :)