What an awesome two weeks......

I am amazed of what I have achieved in the last two weeks. I have run a 5km and a 4km fun run without stopping. I have gone from running a pace just faster than walking to my 1km pace all the way through the 4km.

It is such an awesome feeling when you finish a fun run. Knowing that you have done it, and given it your all is such a wonderful feeling.

The best thing about the Margaret River fun run was having Lance and the Perth Crew watching me finish my 4km race last weekend, as they had just finished their 10km. They cheered me on for the last minutes before I finished. I really don't know where I get my energy from after running for so long, but for the last 500m as soon as I see the finish line, I go nuts and run like I am being chased!

So I weighed in today and I am down to 64.1. This is an awesome weight for me to be at - I weighed 71.3 at the start of the 12 week body transformation, 71.5 2 weeks before then, and I weighed around 75./76 just after Sophie was born.

I am focused on reaching 63kg within the next two weeks - I want to be at the weight I was before I had Kieran, 9 years ago. To do this I am going to try eating more nutritious snacks and be mindful about not snacking all day, even though I have the calories available. I will continue to push myself when training and will continue to work out 6 days a week.

If someone is out there wondering if they can do this program, and want to have the same results I am having, I urge you to try out this program - it will work!

Til next time,

Julia

Week 4 Blogging Challenge - Reflection

1. Describe in 25 words or less (why is it always 25 words) the you that you were before 12wbt


Someone who sat down everyday at home using the computer, playing with the kids, studying....no exercise at all!

2. Now - who are you now??


I am someone who gets up and trains 6 days per week - a lot of times doing double sessions at the gym.

3. What has the hardest been the hardest thing to make habit THIS ROUND?


To go to the gym and put that before my social life :) 

4. What has been easier to make habit than you thought it would be?


To not have chocolate every single day!

5. How has your body changed THIS ROUND?


I have lost weight in my face and around my waist the most. I can see abdominal muscles getting more defined - once I lose the baby flab!

6. How has your mindset changed this round?


This is my first round - but I am enjoying eating healthy and training - and I love it :)

7. Finish this sentence "I now know I am strong because ..."


My mind is strong, when I put my mind to something I do it.

8. Finish this sentence "I am proudest of ...."


My ability to put my mind to something and do it. When I did the 5kms running non stop - I told myself to go to the 2.5km mark without stopping, then told myself to go to the end as I didn't have that far to go! 

9. Finish this sentence "In 8 more weeks you will see me ...."


A skinny minny :) 

10. What word applies to you now - that you never would have used before 12wbt?



Fit

Week 3 Blogging Challenge

This is very late, but have been doing my assignments - anyway - will get to the question at hand!

Its funny....you ask...what brings me joy beside food?

Before I started this challenge, I loved food.....I loved sitting down at the end of the day and having a coffee and eating a bag of smarties - the taste of them was so yummy. I used to love roasts and eating crackling. However these foods always made me feel yucky in my stomach - and I used to get pain all the time.

However you know what my new joy is? Going to a gym class!

I love the feeling I get when I go through the gym, the friendly team and instructors and creche team when I go to the gym and have an adult talk! Then I get to have 2 hours of "me" time and it makes me feel great.

What happens when I don't get this?

I missed my pump class the other day that I had been looking forward to - and I was in a shitty mood all morning and couldn't cope as well as I usually do with the 4 kids - and I took them out to Kings Park and couldn't stop stressing! 

Anyway my husband ended up getting home from work early - and I asked him if I could go for a run - so there I went and did my second lot of running in 2 days! It was awesome - I sang and ran and just enjoyed being me!

I then finished off with a weight session in our home gym at the end of the day and I went to bed feeling awesome!

So there you go - thats my new joy :) 

I also get joy out of -

My lovely children - just a special smile, or a laugh or a hug or when my kids tell me they love me.

My husband - doing this exercise together - we have something else to talk about at night

Eating healthy - It is so good to enjoy nice, tasty food now and then just have a small treat every now and then

My family - Especially spending time with my sister and niece - its lovely to have something more in common now. I also like spending time with my mum and dad too. 

Til next time,

Julia

Week 2 blogging challenge for Shrinking Kath

Shrinking Kath from the 12 week body transformation has asked what my picture of health is?

I would like to start with a picture that I don't think is health.....it was me...

4 weeks ago - I spent a lot of time doing not much really.....I would sit on the couch and feed my new daughter - or hold my new daughter - which I loved, but I was too tired after doing all that, that I let my daughters play around me. I would sleep all night and hated getting up in the morning to them and felt like a grumpy bum....

So I am getting slightly better and slightly healthier.....so my picture of health is......

Energy! A healthy person has energy - and has thrives on life - wants to do a lot and get out and about and enjoy. They don't spend all day sitting down playing on the computer - which I used to do when feeding my daughter. 

I now get up earlier, or when my youngest daughter, Sophie wakes, and then I have my breakfast (which I never used to have - a healthy person with an active lifestyle needs breakfast!) then I get us all ready and drop my eldest boy at school before making my way to the gym - no time to make excuses and I get there and I love the way I feel after I exercise - therefore I am getting fitter and healthier.

A healthy person is a happy person. I felt I was getting a bit depressed with my pregnancy, with my pelvis problems I could not be as active as I hoped to be. Now that I am exercising and getting healthy - I am a happier person!

So I think I have summed up what I think a picture of health looks like in a person - and I can't wait until I get more healthy and have more energy!

Training works!

A week before I started the 12 week body transformation I did my first pump class - I was 6 weeks post having baby Sophie. I still had pain in my back and pelvis when I lied down flat. I could not do the shoulder track, chest track or tricep track properly - as I could not lie on my back - so I had to use the plates and do alternative exercises. I also could not do most of the abdominal track - as I could not lift up to do crunches.

Fast forward to yesterday - I did pump - in three weeks not only have I upped my weights a bit - but I can finally do everything that everyone else can do!

I can finally do crunches (bar the weight) now so I can finally work my abdominal muscles a bit more to get rid of this flabby tummy.

I can also now lie on my back and do the tricep, chest and shoulder tracks properly - all the way through!

I also noticed one more change - I can do a proper knee push up - nearly all the way to the floor now - so I can tell my chest muscles are getting stronger!

Anyway scale day tomorrow - any loss will be fantastic for me - especially at least a 300g loss so I can reach my first 5kg lost!

Blogging Challenge - Week 2

Week 2 blog challenge: Use a picture, video or write a paragraph to answer the questions. 

1) What motivated you today?

The thought of boxing! I love boxing - so went out and did it and smashed it!

2) What did you learn this week? That I still get tempted by some food when eating out!

3) Who is your biggest cheer person or persons and why? My husband - he is also doing a weight loss program, so we share our weight loss stories each week, eat the same food and whinge about how sore we are each night!

4) What is one thing that you think you cannot do but really want to do? I would love to be able to do the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb when I go over to Sydney - but my fear of heights will not allow me to do it :( I bet I would get a few steps up and would want to come back down again!

Blogging challenge for 12wbt - Week 1

1. Describe yourself in 25 words or less. You can get straight to the point - or bring your creativity into play. 

Determined.......once I put my mind to something, I commit 100% and do everything I need to do to get there.

2. What brings you to 12wbt? Getting fitter? Losing weight? (Gaining weight??) Are you first timer, a repeat offender?? 

To become healthier, skinnier and basically start loving myself!

3. Why do you blog?? 

This is my first blog - always have loved other people's blogs! Love to hear what is happening in other people's worlds!

4. Who is your biggest inspiration in life and why (doesn’t have to be weight loss)

My son and my husband. If they can run, then I can too! Watching them do the 12km city to surf has made me realise that needs to be my goal as well so we can run as a family!

5. What things in life bring you the most joy?

My children - love all four of them to pieces!

6.What do you think your greatest challenge is going to be this round?

Fitting in workouts around kids and study - doing a great job at it at present though.

7. What are you most excited about 12wbt? 

Seeing what can happen to a persons body - I want to be that person!

8. And what scares the pants off you?

Nothing really - its a challenge and I love challenges!

9. Tell me - right now - today - how do you feel about exercise in no more than 10 words

I am loving it. Love pump, attack and combat at present!

10. Complete this sentence - in 12 weeks time - on the last day of 12wbt I am going to be feeling

Completely awesome! I am going to be feeling fit and healthy and feeling good about myself - inside and out!