Pre-Season Tasks & A Terrible Weekend (Nutritionally that is)

So over the weekend I kind of splurged, food wise that is. It was my Brother’s birthday and well I didn’t really have a plan set in place for the weekend nutrition wise. Needless to say I stepped on the scales out of curiosity (and also for another 12 week challenge that I’m participating in) and saw that I had gained some serious weight. damn. I can only blame myself though, you know how the saying goes “Fail to plan, Plan to fail” well that was me!
Right now I’m a bit upset with myself but I know seeing that gain will only make me want to get rid of that number and push me to really hit my nutrition today and for the rest of the week and onward!

Talking Pre-season tasks, 3, 4 & 5 has been released with only 6 & 7 to come before we really get into the 12 weeks!
Pre-season task 3 is all about “Gearing Up”
Mish gives us a little run down of what she expects from us training wise. She outlines what we should be doing weekly with our workout plans. Basically the low down is 3 days of fitness/cardio, 2 days of toning/weights and 1 day of flexibility work, so I could opt to do a yoga DVD or just find a good stretch guide and follow it.
She also sets out the option of where to train.
You can choose to workout in the comfort of your living room, in the great outdoors or in a gym.
In this task she also recommends a few pieces of equipment that you might need for your workouts like a good pair of shoes and maybe even an Ipod for some motivation!

Pre-season Task 4 is about “Saying it out loud!”
It’s all about making your commitment heard. Tell family, friends or your partner what you set out to achieve.
Let them know that you’ve joined the 12WBT and tell them your commitment to joining.
My commitment is to:
– Train at the minimum, 3 days a week. If it’s more than that’s great but I’m aiming for 3 good workouts!
– I commit to following my nutrition plan as close to 100% as possible. I know that there are going to be slip ups along the way and that makes me human.
– I promise to be kinder to my body and not so negative about my image.
– I promise to be really gut wrenchingly honest with myself and with others as well.

Pre-season Task 5 is all about the “Kitchen Makeover“!
Mish stresses the fact that diet/nutrition is more important than your exercise. In a way nutrition really is more important because you can’t out train a bad diet!
You could train like a demon but if you go home and stuff your face with crap then you’re not going to see results. Where as if you follow your nutrition plan you can still lose weight without doing exercise. It’s amazing how the body works!
In this task Mish asks you to ditch all the crap in your house or cupboard. Either throw it in the bin or give to a family member or a friend. Out of sigh out of mind!
Once you’ve ditched the crap foods it’s time to go out and replace those foods with fresh produce, think fruit and veg and also grab some staples like stock, tomato paste and spices and healthy snacks like sugar-free yoghurt, dried fruit and tins of tuna.
I need to go through this task again and get rid of the crap, operation “Bin Filler” should be pretty fun!

Hows the rest of my 12WBT family going with these tasks? I know that they are real eye openers but they are really great tasks to do! Be true to yourself and be a man or lady of your word!

Amydeville xoxo

Lazy Weekends & cm’s Gone

So this round of the 12WBT has been a hard one for me. I haven’t been true to my goals and have had a few slip ups through the last few weeks that have slightly derailed me.
Christmas was definitely a hard time to get through along with new years. You could say I had too much fun and I’m still trying to get back on track, which is proving to be easier said then done at the moment. I have plateaued and it sucks! 
Last week was our week 8 measurements and fitness test which I had to drag myself out of bed for, I know what the hell has happened to me?! I’ve resorted to dragging myself?!
I completed the fitness test and beat my 1km time trial by another 4 seconds. Yes I know I beat my previous time but it could have been a hell of a lot better if I hadn’t been slacking off the last 2 weeks! I’ve lost my workout mojo and I can’t seem to find it. Woe is me!
Although I havent really achieved much in the way of weight loss this round I was surprised to see my measurements have gone down *phew*.
I’ve shed another 12cm off my body which is great to know. All up I have shed 43cm’s off of my body since September last year (2012). That’s a pretty damn good achievement but I’m still bummed about the scales not moving where I want them to!
My plan of attack is to get back into my working out of course. I’ve been going into it slowly lately mainly because my knee has been giving me grief but light exercise seems to be helping which is a plus! I also plan on buying a bike this year, one of my goals for the year!
Me on a deadly treadly? Watch out!!

So this weekend was a lazy one, I honestly didn’t do anything except for meet up with some friends for dinner on Saturday night. I’m literally turning into a granny I know!
I did however sit down with my nutrition journal and have a flick through at what I’ve been putting into my body lately. I think it’s good to look over the week and see where you went wrong so you are able to make better choices the following week and also to see the good things you’ve put into your body as fuel! We can’t forget about the wins!
I was also able to catch up on some blogs I like to follow and have a look through how everyone has been doing and also search for some new recipes to try out!
So yes my weekend was pretty damn lazy!!

How has everyone else been going?
Are you finding it tough after the Holiday break like myself? Or are you the opposite and going hard to see amazing results?!

Amydeville xoxo
P.S sorry for the short post! I promise I will get myself together and you give you a great post this week!

Your body is Perfect!

Last night I watched our (12WBT’ers) Sunday video and was surprised by what Mish had to say to us.
“Your body is Perfect”
That’s right, that’s what she had to say to us. Of course she said more but that was the main high light for me to hear. Our bodies are perfect. Your body, my body, Mish’s body even the guy next to you on the train. Our bodies are ALL perfect!
But how?!
Well, Mish goes on to justify her remark in saying that essentially our bodies are perfect machines, they do it all! They naturally detox, they digest the food we eat, they breathe without us even thinking about it! It’s all an automatic procedure for our bodies and that’s why we are all perfect.
Now some of you I can sense are going “Pft whatever! If my body is perfect then why am I overweight?!”
WELL Mish goes on to say, sure some of us need to work on ourselves a bit more and make healthier choices but essentially everyone is the same on the inside, our bodies going through the same processes each day.
Someone who doesn’t make healthier choices is eating more calories and not doing anything active to prevent the weight gain BUT the body is doing as it does and is storing those calories as energy in the body for use when needed as opposed to someone who is on a calorie controlled plan and who does exercise a few times a week the body can’t afford to store those calories as they are needed to get you through the day and to survive.
This absolutely makes sense to me and the more I thought about it the more it rang true to me. Our bodies really are designed perfectly, if they weren’t then we wouldn’t be here. Some of us just need to cut out the crap and get moving and everything will fall into place. Our bodies want to be at a healthy weight for us and they crave to be healthy but it’s the choices we make that determine whether we will be overweight or a healthy weight.
So stop blaming genes or the fact your “destined” to be a bit more pudgy and get to it!! That body of yours is waiting for your signal!

I had a great weekend, a lot of chilling out, just what I needed after going back to work last week!
Chris and I had a little date night on Saturday and decided to hit La Premiere at Hoyts to see the Hobbit, it was amazing!!
Then yesterday, Sunday, we went to a pub called the Narrogin Inne for a family friends birthday. The food was great and really affordable which is important too! Chris and I both ordered surf ‘n’ turf which was very yummy. The prawns were delicious and the steak was pretty good too, I was full after eating just ¼ of it though!
We spent the night nerding it up playing Far Cry and watching movies, very needed after what seemed like a long week!

80 Questions continued
Question 18
Are you losing weight the healthy way or the unhealthy way?
I’d like to think I’m following a healthy weight loss plan. The 12WBT isn’t a quick fix it’s a habit changing plan for life. I’m still eating delicious healthy food although I am calorie controlling it and adding exercise into the mix only helps the process a long helping me to create more muscle which in turn burns more calories! It’s a win, win!
Some people out there will say that 1200 calories is just too low. A lot of these people, who aren’t professionals I may add, are naturally “skinny”, people who had never had to go through a body transition from being overweight to a healthy weight.
From what I can gather 1200 calories is smack bang in the middle of the scale. Anything lower and your body can go into starvation mode anything more, and I’m not talking 100 or so over but maybe quite a few 100 over and you go into over indulging territory and inevitable weight gain.
Essentially if you want to lose weight you have to consume less calories then what your body naturally burns throughout the day. You can find this number by adding a few things together, i.e. weight & age, and you can find your BMR – Basal Metabolic Rate
I’ve found this link through Google where you can find your BMR http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
For instance a female who is 90 kilos and is 22 years old and 160cms tall would have a BMR of – 1703.6 for this person to lose weight they would need to consume less calories, maybe consider starting with 1500 calories a day and see how they go. When it comes down to it it’s really all about maths! Very interesting though.

Question 19
Who is your biggest weight loss inspiration and why?
I’ll make this a 12WBT inspiration and it couldn’t be anyone else but Sarah McGee!
You can find her Tumblr account here http://sarah12wbt.tumblr.com/
She is an amazing lady that’s for sure! She has shed 63kg in 10 months and is looking absolutely stunning! She’s active and makes sure to post constantly on her Instagram (sarahmcgee) account as well which in turn inspires and motivates everyone else. She is a true inspiration as she has and is still going through her own transformation and showing the world that it’s possible to change your habits and your body!

Did I forget to mention she’s a stunner?

Amydeville xoxo

Recommitting To My Goals!

I woke up yesterday pretty damn determined but today even more so! I’ve had another light bulb moment and thank god for that because I really needed one!
I’ve been pretty slack the past 2 weeks and because of that I gained a kilo. I want to kill off that kilo and make sure it stays the hell away from me for as long as possible!
I remembered why I’m doing this for myself. I’m doing it because of all the positives that have come from it already. The praise that others have given me and the growing love that I have for myself. I’m doing it because I hope to inspire others and let them know that it is possible to change habits and your body for good!
So I hereby reinstate my goals and mission to become healthier, fitter and the best version of me possible!! I’m ready to kick my 2013 goals butt and literally work mine off!

I wanted to take the time here to say just how proud I am of my friend Raymond! (The picture above was courtesy of him posting it on his FB page)
He has completed his Cert III in Fitness and is currently in the provisional stage of his Cert IV to becoming a fully fledged PT in February!
Ray is proof that hard work pays off and he inspires me every time I see him!! I know that if he can change his body then so too can I!
What I’m proud of right now is the fact he now has his own business name in the fitness industry so please if you have the time add him on Facebook and get to know him because he is a very inspiring, influential guy!
his Facebook page & business R.U.N.2 Fitness (Are you into fitness) Personal & Group Training can be found here: www.facebook.com/run2fitness

Ok so now that I have reinstated my goals and am actually back on the bandwagon I decided it would be a great idea to start-up a new 2013 calorie counting book so that I can watch everything that goes into my mouth and what the energy is!

So it’s nothing fancy but it’s everything I need to make sure I get a 100% accurate picture of what I’m feeding my body! Yes I’ll even write in it after I’ve indulged in a piece of chocolate, that I can promise! It’s best to be 100% honest with yourself about these things as people tend to blame anything/one but themselves!

So onto my 80 questions, gosh it sounds like a lot doesn’t it!
Question 15
Have you lost any weight in the past week? If not, what are your plans for the week coming?
Since last weigh in I have managed to lose 200 grams so I guess that’s good BUT I did gain a kilo over the christmas break so I’m still in need of getting back to the weight I was before the break!
My plans for the upcoming week are to get back down to the weight I was before the break and to get back into my healthy nutrition and fitness!
My Nike+ transmitter took a swim in the washing machine last week so I haven’t been able to record any of my runs/walks but I have ordered another one and can expect it early next week *phew*
Note to self: “Remove transmitter from pants BEFORE they go into the wash!”

Question 16
Which part of your body do you wish to change the most and why?
There’s no one specific part of my body that I want to change as I want ALL of it to change but I guess if I had to choose it would be my legs.
I want shapely legs not tree trunks! I’ve never really “loved” my legs. I mean I love them in the sense they are functional and I can walk, they are a blessing of course! But I’d love them to look feminine, strong and shapely!

Question 17
Do you have a special event/date you want to lose weight for?
Yes and no. I’d love to be down to 70kgs for my 23rd Birthday on March 8th. I think it’s a realistic goal so long as I stay committed to my nutritional and fitness program. My main focus being on the nutrition side of things though!
I’m giving myself until June 29th though to reach my first real goal of 65kgs. That’s 6 months and realistic for me! I know how to get there I just need to commit myself and live, breath and eat a healthy lifestyle!

Do you have a special date/event that you want to reach a specific goal for this year?

This isn’t 12WBT related but man am I a book-worm!
I love books, but more to the point fantasy fiction books and when I find a series I love boy do I love it!
This pretty much sums me up right now!

I’m so attached to my “Black Dagger Brotherhood” characters! But I unfortunately have to wait until March for the next book to be released *que crying*
So if any of you lovely blogosphere people out there know of any good fantasy fiction let me know!!

Amydeville xoxo

2013 Will Be A Good Year!

 Good morning fellow 12WBT’ers and Blogosphere!
Well what a year 2012 was! There were plenty of ups and downs theres no denying that but all in all I think it was a great year! I learnt a lot of new things about myself and others too but isn’t that what a new year is for? I met some great new people and became closer to some  amazing people I already knew and really got to know them better!
I decided to take action in regards to my health and actually do something about the weight that was slowly creeping up on the scales, to take charge of my body and do something positive instead of destructive!
Last year I lost a total of 12.5kg! That was from September so I know I will be able to make that double for this year!
I needed something to prove to myself that I could keep going because over the last 2 weeks, weeks that I have been away from work, a lot of consistency has flown out the window!
So this photo below with my and my lovely lady Veronica shows just how far we have both come!

I’ve said it before but Veronica is not only an amazing friend but an inspiration as well!
She hasn’t been on any program to help her along the way of her own health journey she has gone it “alone” and her results are amazing! She’s always been there for me when all I wanted to do was eat a bucket load of chocolate, always the voice of reason! Boy do I love this girl!!

So as I was saying earlier my consistency and routine flew out the window! And if I’m super duper honest with myself and everyone I’ve been a real lazy bones the past 2 weeks!
The silly season alright!!
I’ve eaten some pretty naughty things over the past 2 weeks and I have done very minimal amounts of exercise as well, I know shame on me!!
BUT today I am back at work and that means consistency.
My routine is back and I feel like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders! *Phew*
In saying that I had weigh in today and have managed to gain 1 kilo. It’s terrible I know but at least it was just 1 and not 10!! A 1kg gain I can handle pretty easy, anything more and I may have stayed home today crying like a failure! Ok a bit melodramatic but I would have been bummed.

SO what do I plan to do to get back on track and get things flowing again?
Well for one thing I’m going to be cleaning up my nutrition again! I started today off with a big bowl of fresh fruit! Mango, nectarine, grapes and cherries, Yum!

I’ve also slacked in the hydration department too! So back to drinking a tonne of water! I even bought an awesome new drinking cup for work and it has a straw so water can be chugged more efficiently!!

As for the exercise department I will be getting back into it slowly. My knee has been a bit of an issue lately so I won’t be going too hard on the cardio, I will enjoy swimming though and taking some nice strolls of a night time! Of course I love weight training so I will be getting right back in to those bad boys, got to work on the guns! I’ve also been told by my lovely PT Ray that he will be organising some good outdoors group sessions so this will definitley get my butt into gear! yay!! Crisis everted!

So what did I learn last year?
1. I learnt that losing weight isn’t just about the number on the scale it’s so much more! It’s about great nutrition and pushing your limits. It’s about exercising and testing how far your body will go but it’s also about taking care of yourself and resting when you need to!
2. I learnt to let go more and actually allow myself to enjoy me, my body and the changes that I have put myself through. I’ve learnt to love myself a little bit more every day even if I didn’t have the best day there is always something positive that I can take away and put into practice later.
3. I learnt that just because I don’t allow myself to have “naughty foods” as often that I’m not actully missing out on anything! Healthy foods can taste just as good and cure all of my cravings!!
4. I’ve learnt not to rely on motivation but more inspiration! Inspiration from myself and how far I have come and inspiration from others who want and strive for the best! They are the ones who want the BEST for me, for me to succeed and reach my goals and be genuinely pleased for me!
5. I’ve learnt that I actually enjoy exercise! Go figure!! I love sweating it out and feeling like jelly after a workout! I’ve learnt though that I don’t have to have a wicked workout each time, it’s ok to just turn up and do it, as long as I’m doing something and being active it doesn’t matter if I don’t burn the calories I should have! I’m still lapping everyone sitting on the couch!

What did you learn last year? Was it something about yourself? Or something completely unrelated?

Now I really need to continue with my 80 questions!
Boy have I been slack these past few weeks, back into it now though! No excuses.

Question 12
What is your least favourite type of cardio?
I don’t really have a “type” that is my least favourite but more an exericse. I HATE burpees! But then who doesn’t? I know hate is a strong word but man do I really dislike them!
Out of nearly every exericse I have done these are by far the worst! In saying that they are the most effective but ouch!!

Question 13
What is your favourite type of strength exercise?
My favourite would have to be anything using a weighted bar. Dead lifts or shoulder press, for some reason I just really enjoy these strength exercises.

Question 14
What is your least favourite type of strength exercise?
I struggle with medicine balls and kettle bells! Now it’s not that I “dislike” the exercises but more I’m incredibly uncoordinated and therefore feel uncomfortable using these pieces of equipment! I will endeavour to master them though! That I can assure you of.

So heres to 2013! The year we will all rock it and come out on top! The year that will test my abilities and strength and open my mind to new and exciting challenges!

Amydeville xoxo

Yonana Goodness & UGW’s!

Good morning blogosphere!!
Tomorrow is “Weigh in Wednesday” for us Round 4 12WBT’ers so today I’m being super good and eating cleaner like a champ! How do I think I’ll go with weigh in? Well, to be honest I’m not too sure. I didn’t have a terrible weekend but I did indulge in a hot dog and a toasted cheese (one of my weaknesses, delicious cheese!). I felt bloated as soon as the bread touched my stomach but thankfully the discomfort only stayed for a short while and then went away, phew!
I am now into Week 4 of this round and you know what that means!? That’s right it’s fitness test & measurement week! I will keep you updated with how I go with my test & also how my measurements have been going too since week 1 of this round.

On the weekend just gone I did a bit of shopping, it’s inevitable really, of course I’ll be shopping up a storm in the next few weeks as it comes closer & closer to Christmas! But I finally bit the bullet and bought an amazing little machine called the “Yonanas”. Weird name hey?! Well that’s what I thought! When I first heard about the machine I thought it would just be like every other ice cream maker and take hours for the mixture to actually turn into some form of the treat but boy was I wrong! This contraption is amazing & cost me only $69 from my local Target store (I think it was on sale too!).
The Yonanas machine is actually backed by the banana name “Dole” which you can get at any supermarket, and yes there bananas are very yummy!

The best thing about this machine is that there is no fuss. It’s so easy to use and makes delicious HEALTHY “ice cream”.
All you do is peel (if you’re using bananas) the fruit, freeze for a minimum of 24 hours and then pop it through the Yonana machine and voila delicious ice cream in seconds! Of course that’s the short version but if you wanted more info they have a website www.yonanas.com.au and plenty of delicious sounding recipes!
So last night I was able to use it for the first time and I was thoroughly impressed! Not only is it easy to use and clean but the “ice cream” is delicious and it really does come out like a soft serve would!
I made banana & mango Yonana last night and the whole family loved it!

So onto the 80 questions challenge!

Question 3
What is your UGW? (Ultimate Goal Weight)
To be honest I haven’t really thought about it. I mean yeah I have some goal weights that I would like to hit but I haven’t really thought of the “ultimate” weight that I would love to be at.
Now that I’m thinking about it a bit more though the goal I want to reach with the 12WBT is 65kg. I’ve been doing a bit of research on a good weight for someone my height and it’s much more lower then that number so if I wanted to be kind to myself and make it more a UGR (Ultimate goal range) I would say between 55kg – 60kg.
There are always going to be fluctuations no matter who you are or what you eat so I think it’s good to make it more a range rather then a definite number.

Question 4
Are you a Vegetraian/Vegan?
If not would you consider incorporating it into your nutrition plan for 1 day a week?
The short answer is no I’m not a vegetarian or vegan.
The longer answer is the fact that I LOVE eating meat. I know I’m a terrible person to some but it really is just too delicious to give up! I have complete praise for vegetarians because I adore animals, doesn’t matter what they are, but at the same time I couldn’t give up my meats!
With that said there are heaps of amazing vegetarian/vegan recipes out there! For someone like me who would consider doing 1 day a week without meat, this is great news!
In the past I have attempted to forgo meat but always came back to it as though my body craved it but having these recipes and resources available has changed that and I feel I would be able to happily give it up for 1 day a week or even more!

Let me know if you’ve got a Ultimate Goal Weight or if you have tried a vegetarian day! How did you go if you did?!

Amydeville xoxo

Back to reality! Time to get even MORE serious!

It’s back to reality!
Well actually it was back to reality on Tuesday but I’ve been so damn busy with trying to cram in Christmas shopping I haven’t had a chance to fill you all in on how amazing my trip to Bali was! And yes to answer that it was pretty bloody amazing!
We only had a week away so there was A LOT of cramming! Some friends came with us who had never been before so we had to really cram alot of activities into the 1 week! WOW-EE! So glad I don’t go back to work until Monday!

So how did my holiday pledge go?
I think pretty damn great!
Everyday I did plenty of walking around the streets and plenty of swimming, one of the perks about Bali weather, it’s never cold!
Now the best news is while away on holiday I LOST 200 grams! That’s right, I lost 200 grams! Who would have thought you could lose weight while on holiday!?
Now I didn’t make some of the best choices but I did try to eat conciously and make sure I mixed it up, plenty of fruit and eggs in the morning for breakfast and then something light for lunch followed by something yummy at dinner like fish!
You can just tell how much my big bro loved the food! hehe

The food in Bali is great!
I thought I would have come back the size of a house but I’m so glad that didn’t happen! Now I didn’t eat what is on my brothers plate above but I did treat myself, hell I was on holiday! Yes I had 2 cocktails throughout the whole 1 week away but that is a whole lot less then what  I “could” have had!

The weather while we were away was AMAZING!
It was a shock to the system when we fitst landed in Denpesar but once we got to our hotel we were used to the heat and ready to venture out!
Our little day trips were what kept me in “shape” throughout the little getaway. We were constantly on the go and walking around or doing activities!
I would come back to the hotel at the end of the day and my muscles felt as though they had been put through rigerous training! Now that’s what I call free training!

So you ask me what was the highlight?
Well! Snorkelling in the beautiful ocean & feeding fish is up there but also visiting turtle Island! If there is one thing I love it’s nature. Being surrounded by it and around beautiful animals is always a winner for me!
It feels so rejuvinating and although we were constantly on the move as soon as I was in the ocean or near animals I just felt really relaxed and that’s what really made it a great holiday!

So it’s back into it and straight back on the healthy bandwagon!
Back into the swing of things involving the 12WBT & my lovely girls!

How do you keep motivated to follow a healthy regime when on holiday?
Where did you last travel to for a holiday?!

Amydeville xoxo

Holiday Pledge

That’s right its “Over Seas Holiday Time” for me!
I thought I would share the pledge that I made to my little 12WBT family the JFDI Dames.

I pledge that while I am away on Holidays in Bali for 1 week that I will do full body workouts in the morning before me and the rest of crew I’m going with head out for the day!
I promise to do body weight workouts in the morning, i.e. body weight squats, lunges, push-ups, crunches etc
I will also be taking my HRM (Heart Rate Monitor) with me so that I can track what I’m burning in the morning and I will make a HUGE effort to choose the healthy options of food where ever & whenever I can!
If I’m being honest I might have a cocktail or an alcoholic drink while I’m away but  I will not be abusing my body!

So sayonara for now lovely people!
I’ll be leaving tomorrow afternoon at 1pm and will be back next Tuesday the 4th December and fill you all in on how I went over in Bali! Prepare for LOTS of pictures!!

Love & Hugs
Amydeville xoxo

Final Fitness Test, Measurements & Weigh In For Round 3 12WBT 2012!

I can’t believe it was my last weigh in today for Round 3 of the 12WBT for 2012.
Round 3, being my first round ever has been amazing! I have learnt A LOT over the past 12 weeks and look forward to continuing my journey into the next round, Round 4 2012 which rolls over a few “red flag” days like Christmas, Boxing Day & of course New Years! I can confidently say I WILL be fine over those days. I now have the tools to control myself when it comes to food, my biggest down fall!
So what have I learnt from joining the 12WBT? Well let’s see shall we! 

1. I have learnt that it’s ok to fail.
   So what if I’m not the best or the fastest or the slimmest! As long as I give it my best shot I know deep down I haven’t failed. I might not have gotten to the finish line before anyone else but I’m working every day towards my goal and to me that makes me a winner!
2. I have learnt that exercise actually makes me feel better!
   I feel “weird” if I don’t fit exercise in Monday to Saturday. Even on my rest day which is Sunday I still feel like I should be doing something physical as soon as I wake! Last night Michelle did a live chat with members and the question that was on my mind was actually answered. “Is a rest day really that important?” Mish’s answer was “YES!” We need this rest day to just recharge the batteries and look after our bodies. Plus Sunday’s are a great day to cook up a lot of meals and get it all ready for the following week ahead. So yes, rest days are important but don’t let it turn into a “Rest Week”!
3. I have learnt to GROW UP!
   That’s right, I’m an adult now, although I don’t act like it a whole lot of the time! Mish talks a lot about ditching the excuses we make for ourselves in regards to what we eat and the exercise we do. I’m an adult now and I’m responsible for everything else in my life but why wasn’t I responsible for what was going into my mouth and why wasn’t I responsible for making my body healthy and strong with exercise? I no longer have excuses for my health because I am my number 1 priority! I have learnt to just grow up and take responsibility for myself when it comes to my health, I only get to live once and I’d like it to be quite a long time!
4. I have learnt to JFDI!!
   Even if I don’t feel like it I just get on with it! There has been HEAPS of mornings when my alarm has gone off at 4:45am and I’ve found myself starting to make an excuse not to get up and just re-set my alarm for 6am but as soon as that excuse starts to creep in all I can see in my mind is Michelle screaming at me to just JFDI, I can tell you she is scary in the vision too hehe, it’s enough to get me out of bed and into my workout gear! I always think “What would Michelle say or think?” I know exactly what she would be saying!
5. I have learnt that good nutrition doesn’t mean food has to be boring!
   That’s right! There are SO many delicious, healthy, wholesome recipes out there that are low calorie and taste amazing! The 12WBT proves this with the amazing variety of recipes members can flick through, save or print out to keep for future! I have a HUGE file dedicated to my round 3 recipes and also weekly exercise plans, it’s chock-a-block so I think I’ll need a new one for Round 4! I have eaten foods I didn’t think I would like and turned out loving them so it’s also changed a lot about the way I perceive food.

So as you can see there was a lot to learn! I have grown up A LOT in the past 12 weeks, maybe not physically but emotionally towards how I feel about exercise and nutrition. This plan has taught me a lot about myself and I couldn’t thank Mish & her team enough for everything she has done for me and so many others!

 

ALRIGHT! Onto my results for Round 3 2012! Scary business, I know!
Now my goal for this round, weight loss wise, was to lose between 10kg – 12kg. Unfortunately I didn’t quite meet my goal, I was off by 300 grams from losing 10kg! I know a measly 300 grams got in the way of my goal but you know what? IT’S OK! If I’m being honest, yeah I’m a bit sad I didn’t hit that 10kg mark but I’ve gained SO much more! I have gained a slimmer body by 9.7kg! I have gained more confidence and I have gained more years of my life to enjoy as I grow older! So you know what, I’m ok with my 9.7kg loss!
Now as for my other goals if you remember from my previous post they were:

* To lose 10kg
*To be able to run for 5 minutes straight without stopping
*To follow a healthy eating plan
*To exercise 6 days a week

Ok so I didn’t reach my 10kg loss BUT what I did achieve the other day was miraculous!
Seeing as it is our last week of the round us 12WBT’ers had to re-do our fitness test and would you believe it or not!!? I RAN for a WHOLE 10 MINUTES!! That’s right 10 WHOLE minutes without stopping once! I was out to complete just 5 minutes as a goal but I went above and beyond and I can tell you it felt amazing! Afterwards I was dying but during it my mindset was rock solid, I knew exactly what I had to do and I achieved it!

When I first started the program I could run for maybe 30 seconds and had to stop because I was out of breath or in pain but now I can do a whole 10 minutes! WOW! My fitness level has literally sky rocketed!

I spoke about my two other goals in one of my last posts and yes I’m still completing my 6 days a week of training and following a good healthy 1200 calorie nutrition plan! I can’t believe that I have actually followed a plan, it amazes me still that I am now capable of committing to something like this for my health! Are you proud of yourself you ask? Damn right I’m proud of myself!

So what’s next you say? Well I also had a goal for 6 months into a healthy lifestyle plan and that was to lose 15kg. Considering I lost 9.7kg in this round I know I will be able to complete my 6 month goal! I have my head screwed on and I’m ready to commit 100% to Round 4!
Below you can see my weigh in card and also my improvements through my fitness test and measurements. I have lost an incredible 31cm off of my body! wow! I can’t believe I have been carrying all of this excess with me for so long so I just had to share my results!

There it is! My 12 weeks of hard work in two graphs!!
Now it’s onto my next 12 weeks with Mish & her team and also the lovely ladies I have met through joining the 12WBT! You know who you are and you’ve made this even more worthwhile! I couldn’t thank those girls enough.

 So this morning I woke up at 4.30am to do a good old circuit sesh with my favourite PT Ray! This time my lovely lady Veronica joined in with us and we had a great time sweating it out while being put through our paces!
Below are a few pictures of the circuit and also the beautiful sunrise! Before the 12WBT you would have never caught me out of bed doing ANYTHING for that matter at 4.30am but these days things have changed my friend!

I still can’t believe this round is nearly finished but all good things must come to an end – and then move onto even more amazing things like Round 4!
To all of those lovely 12WBT’ers who are off to the finale workout and after party I hope you have an absolutely amazing time in Sydney! I wish I could come because I know just how amazing it will be! Please have a “Mishy cocktail” for me and have an absolute ball, I’ll be thinking of you all!!

Amydeville xoxo

Outdoor Training With My Favourite PT!

Today was the first day EVER that I did my morning training session in the great outdoors!
I have to say it was fantastic! Aside from breathing in VERY cold air it was very fun & challenging, just how we like it!
So today I trained with my favourite PT friend Mr. Raymond Simmons (Qualified Cert III PT and currently completing Cert IV) & of course the lovely Chelsea A.K.A runninggirl for those 12WBT’ers out there! You should definitely check out her blog here: http://runninggurl.wordpress.com/ she’s fantastic!!

So I was up at 4.30am this morning and then straight out the door to meet Ray and head to our local football field to set up the circuit.
The circuit went like this:

Kettlebell Swings – using 6kg bell
Pushups
Lunges with a weight bar – using 6kg of weight
Agility Ladder Runs
Medicine Ball Slams (ouch!)
Resistance Band Rows
Kettlebell Squats – using 16kg bell (another ouch!)
Shuttle Runs – between two markers 20 steps away from each other

Ray had bought his IPad with him so we could listen to music and also use the timer on there for our circuit.
We did each station for 45 seconds straight followed by 15 seconds of rest – moving onto the next station.

That lovely pink kettebell was a world of pain! Squats with that bad boy were very unpleasant but highly rewarding!

For a warm up before we really got into the first round we did a jog  over to some soccer goal poles and back again lifting our knees closer to our chests and then also kicking our feet to the back, making sure to get those legs warmed up, after all they are our largest muscle group and need a lot of attention!
Our cool down was taking a walk to a light post about 50m away from where we were training. Walking there I brought my knee’s up to my chest and swung my arms out making sure I was nice and limber after a pretty intense workout!
On walking back to our equipment I made sure to stretch out my biceps and triceps making sure the lactic acid doesn’t settle in and start to make it impossible to do up my hair for the day!
When we reached our equipment we then stretched out our hamstrings and quads making sure everything had a good stretch before packing up and heading home to get ready for the day ahead!

On the way home my stomach was getting pretty violent and screaming at me for delicious sustenance! I was a bit time poor this morning so I decided on an easy 1 egg & 2 whites scramble with a small tin of baked beans – Yes, breakfast of champions right there!!
Easy and oh so filling!

So how did we all fit in a workout today? Or I should say DID you fit a workout in today?
Did you try something new like I did? Did you enjoy it?

Amydeville xoxo