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 :)

Lifting for Women

Found this great satirical piece just now--- and it's so true. I particularly like number 7.

Exams

So far I've completed three of my four exams with only Econometrics to go on Tuesday. The three I've done seem to have gone smoothly so I can only hope that it'll be the same with the last. I've been keeping up regular gym sessions though I have skipped a couple of days to get some more study hours in. My plan is to get in at least 8 more before I head to Europe on July 1st. We'll be away for 3 weeks so I really need to make sure I watch my food intake while we're there. On the up side we'll be getting plenty of exercise walking around.

To maintain strength while I'm away I'll have to figure out a routine of bodyweight exercises to do each morning of the holiday.

Up-to-Date Progress Picture

I've finally gotten around to taking another mirror progress shot--- for the first time in 21 weeks. I'm really happy with the way I'm looking at the moment, I can see some good definition & I think I look leaner than my previous shots. It really does help to take pictures regularly, especially if you're no longer using the scales to mark your progress.

Catching up on Cooking 2

 Baby Spinach, Pear, Walnut & Chickpea Salad

 Mushroom & Basil Risotto with Baby Spinach

 Minestrone with Lentils & Zucchini

 Pumpkin & Goat's Cheese Risotto

 Beef Moussaka

Chickpea & Pear Vegetable Tagine

Catching up on Cooking 1

 Chicken with Herbed Yoghurt & Salad

 Mediterranean Chicken

 Sweet Potato, Pear & Macadamia Salad

 Braised Chickenballs with Lentils & Spinach

 Herbed Tuna & Lentil Rice Salad

Minute Steak with Lemon Rocket Salad

Guns

Just showing off a bit of my arm definition :)

In the background you can see my partner's gym set---- I've been utilizing the knowledge I've gained through my sport science unit by creating exercise plans for him. He's too shy to put up any pictures but I'm proud to say he's making some fantastic progress! I've been mixing up his program by adding in some strength sessions & circuits, it seems to be working well so I may try mixing some of the techniques into my own plan.