Round 1 2013 Melbourne Finale

Michelle Bridges 12WBT Finale Melbourne Crown Casino 4th May 2013
This is me, I enjoyed celebrating getting through round 1 2013.

Albeit not a very successful round again, I gained 2 kgs through the 12 weeks and managed to remove the 2 kgs by the end of the 12 weeks. So I started and ended at the same weight. Easter had a bit of an impact and although i tried to be good, somehow the chocolate kept appearing and just had to be eaten. My bad.

I have however, been pursuing a better level of exercise in my life, I had a trial for 21 days at the local Fernwood Gym. I enjoyed trying out the Body Balance classes and learning how to do pushups and use my inner core again. Which is a nice feeling.

During my birthday week of holidays, i also had 3 person training sessions, after the initial shock and wanting to punch the trainer , cause my thighs hurt a lot, I can now work out harder and the impact on my muscles subsides quicker, doesnt take a week to be able to move again.

I am continuing on my path with the personal trainer once a week. It is so nice to feel my muscles being used. My legs are way stronger than they were 3 weeks ago, I can do squats, 20 squats is nothing now, compared to a couple of weeks ago, where i would struggle to do them without the wall or ball behind me.
I enjoyed joining in the Michelle Bridges finale workout, after volunteering at the finale last year in Sydney I  decided that it looked almost like fun, and people worked at their own pace. Mine being a beginner stage and low impact. So I gave it a go, Melbourne turned on the weather, cold wind and sprinkling of rain, nothing unusual in that. The sun finally came out near the end of the workout.
My goal for myself in the next 12 weeks, is to keep meeting with the personal trainer and not giving up, when it is too cold to get out of bed in the morning but JFDI.
To try to cut out chocolate at least for a week and then see how i go after that, reducing my sugar intake to try to make my body move again.
I am not joining in the round 2 of 12WBT but am going to try to move my body on my own.

My next goal is to be able to fit into a smaller dress size at the end of these 12 weeks, or to have lost 2-5 kgs. But to do this i will need to stay focused and continue on with my exercise quest.  If I really work hard who knows I might be able to go to the finale as a +1 if I can find a ticket, but to do that I will need to lose weight and reach my goals by the end of July.

Keep moving forward.
Am I focused? I dont know!!!
Cheers

2013 so far...

Welcome back to my blog.
Today I have entered the next year in my lifes journey - so I thought I'd write down my thoughts.

I have been struggling to continue with the Michelle Bridges 12WBT.  Some weeks it comes together and some weeks it doesn't. I am about to finish my fourth round in 3 weeks time.

The weeks where following my change of employment in December from Part time to full time had quite an impact on my progress. And last week after Easter and an abundance of chocolate eggs, I realised I had got out of control.

This week I have been able to take a step back , while i have had a weeks holiday at home with my kids.
I booked myself in to see a Personal Trainer and oh my, am i hurting all over. First session found some thigh muscles that hadn't been used properly for quite a while and my second session found the calf muscles and a few more upper arm muscles that I hadn't fully utilised in quite a while. And with another session to occur this week, I'm not sure how I will go next when i can only fit in one session during the week.

I have been going to the gym when i get there sometimes once or twice a week, walking around my neighbourhood, but with not so healthy eating choices I have not made a move forward in my exercise and weight loss.

This week I have also attended a Body Balance class. Some things I struggled with but I gave it ago and got to the end of it and was happy that I made it through.

A walk up the local telecom tower in the middle of town, saw me climb successfully to the top, and down again. While I watched the kids run up and see them throw popcorn to see how far it would fall from the top.

Sometimes I feel I'm not getting anywhere, but tonight I decided to have an overall look at where i have come. I have kept off 7 kgs from the time before I started the program to today. I have lost and kept off 39cm off my entire body. 1-2 kgs still keep bouncing like a rubber ball, but just don't seem to get going on the downward spiral permanently.
These are small figures but they are my figures and the start, and continuation of my journey.

I have learnt to get back into the kitchen, my hubby loves it that there are now fruit and veges in the fridge when he goes looking for something to eat. He has enjoyed the new meals that i have been learning to create. I still haven't quite convinced the kids that what I make is all that they will get, I still make them something that I know they will eat, rather than wasting food on them.

I'm concentrating on more exercise this week to try to get my body moving again.
How will I go once I am sitting at my desk all day at work next week? I honestly dont know, but knowing now how a PT session works, I am determined to fit at least one of these in a week to push myself that extra bit.

I watch some of my friends and family preparing for the Tough Mudder and SpartanWarrior races and can't understand the pleasure they get from them, i suppose it is their personal challenges in their fitness.
I can't see myself attempting these events but can see myself as improving my fitness for my own health and wellbeing, continuing on as a life style change.

My kids notice the changes, when we go bike riding or walking, they are not having to wait for me anymore and I can keep up with them. Making family outings much more pleasant.

My goal for this month is to attend the finale workout and participate fully in the workout and make it to the end. (In Sydney I volunteered and enjoyed it thoroughly but realised that everyone participates at their own pace and level). To get to this goal I am going to fit in one PT session a week and get to the gym as often as I can fit it in. Playing a game of tennis on a Thursday evening with my child.
I'm looking forward to the end of this round and being part of the Finale Cocktail party, and looking forward to getting dressed up for a change and having a weekend away.

I'm not disappointed in my progress although it goes slowly sometimes, but every little bit forward eventually adds up to the big picture.

I'm fitter and healthier for it.

Until next time.
Cheers



 
 


  

Round 4 12WBT Challenge

Welcome to my update as I start my next journey through my challenge to lose weight and get fit. With the guidance, encouragement and support of the 12WBT, Round 4.

I have started off super motivated on my return from the Round 3 finale in Sydney, what a weekend I had, I enjoyed my participation as a volunteer at the finale. It gave me the opportunity to see what the finale work out was all about but also feel part of a team, by helping set up and handing out water to the participants.  I got to meet lots of fantastic people and very inspirational people and their stories, about there journeys along the way. To end the day with a lovely cocktail party in Sydney. It was all fantastic.

Other highlights of my weekend were meeting relatives and friends who I havent seen for a long time.

I came home motivated, even got up and went for a morning walk. (Well that lasted all of one day), but the intention was there.

I struggle through the menu plans with the lovely menus and recipes supplied, but there are just some things I am not able to eat, so time is necessary to sit and reorganise my menu for the week. It is time consuming but necessary to have a smooth running week, from this comes a grocery list, which then enables me to have a variety of healthy food in the fridge and cupboard. Opposed to the box of chocolates that came with my flowers last week and had EAT ME !! all over them. I did eat them but not all at once, and not all in one day, they were consumed over a week in rations. But I had so much enjoyment from them, and reminded me of the person who had given them to me throughout the week.

I get there in the end.

Now I face a new challenge, a new job, and with that the new location of work, new routines, new hours at work, I will have to become very organised during the weekend to make sure my next week runs smoothly. I will have to change the times i exercise around my work etc. This all takes time to get used to again until the routines settle down.

I Will not give up.

But without 12WBT I probably wouldn't have had the confidence to get in there and apply for the new job that I am about to start, new challenges to tackle and JFDI attitude will keep me going and see out the end of the year of 2012. SO I thank Mish and her 12WBT for the support and encouragement from the program to move forward and prepare me for further challenges and not to give up.
Next
Ready for the xmas challenge.


 

My bumpy journey through my fitness challenge

As I near the end of my 2nd round of participation in the 12WBT, I try to focus on what I have achieved over the last 12 weeks, and I then need to look back and accept that the last 12 weeks didnt go along quite as planned.
When i reflect on my last 6 months to know I have lost 9kgs, and put only one back on over the last 12 weeks, due to a few bumps in my routines and health along the way.  I have lost a total of 34 cms off my body.I have dropped a dress size. I am the lightest I have been since 2004.  I am happy that I have made this change to my life, so far.

My fitness has improved slightly in the right direction and i have worked out this week that my aching and sore hip is from trying to run on the road. So I have resolved that walking is better in the long run and that any exercise I get out to do is for the benefit of myself and my mood and body.I can still walk and talk, and my chest doesnt burn anymore. I struggle to attend the gym but when i get there I feel a lot better for it.

I managed to get one big work out in for the 12 weeks, a free PT workout near our local lake, and sponsored by 24 FIT gym . I made it,  slowly and couldn't move my legs for the next 3 days, but felt an achievement, in that i had actually got out of bed and made it to a class.

As I get ready to have a fun weekend in Sydney to celebrate with the other participants in the Round 3 of 12WBT, I will be also thinking about what my new goals will be for the next 12 weeks and what I am hoping to achieve. I am hoping from the enthusiasm from the 12WBT workout and challenges I will become more motivated to get it together and bring home some of the motivation with me, so that I can start moving forward again in my challenge to get fit.

During this current round, I didnt join in the weekly challenges, I struggled to keep up with the planned menus, I struggled to just get everything together.

Goals for the next 12 weeks, include getting some motivation back, to increase my exercise routine and get to gym at least twice a week. With a couple of walks in between. To learn how to do the exercise routines as suggested in the program.
To try to get back on track with my meals and to reduce the chocolate and sweets that keep creeping back when things don't go right or I feel depressed or frustrated.
To get through the silly season of the year with an increase in fitness and a reduction in size and weight will be an achievement within itself.
To enjoy some more active time with my kids and husband with bike rides and outings together.
TO SMILE WHEN THINGS ARE NOT GOING WELL and JFDI.

design one exercise algorithm

Week 7

Going into Week 7 is hard work, going backwards a bit, but trying to keep going forwards.
Tomorrow will tell me how far behind i fell this week.  I have upped the exercise more than last week from nothing to some the last 2 days so far for this week.
This weeks challenge is to create a tshirt logo, I will share with you my 2 designs that i have submitted.
I have had fun putting these together.

A month has nearly gone by

The time flies so quickly, a few weeks have gone by since i last made notes on this page. Since then my total weight loss has come down to 6kgs, I am so happy that it is going in the right direction. I am naughty and have not been as dilligent as i would like to be, but I am a mum and also only human and when I see chocolate in front of me , well that habit hasn't yet gone, but is being curbed a bit.
I am enjoying my occasional visits to the gym and my walks around the neighbourhood with my kids. I do realise that it is going to get harder soon, and that I will have to up the exercise to get things moving.

I had a lovely day at Falls Creek, in the Victorian mountain ranges, playing in the snow with my kids, we had a beautiful sunny day to toboggan down the toboggan run.   I have achieved one of my goals this year and that was to take my kids to the snow, I handled walking up with the toboggan a lot better now than i would have a few months ago.

I love the meals that are in the meal plans, and my husband enjoyed having real meals again, he has started to loose weight as well.

Here's to another week and hoping it isnt going to be as hard as the last week I just go through.

Until next time
cheers

Falls Creek July 2012

My experiences so far on the 12WBT as I head into the end of week 3. I have started out slowly following the meal plans supplied, the suggested meals are fantastic. I have been adventurous and I have been introduced to two new meals that I would not normally indulge in, using red curry paste. I have been enjoying being in the kitchen and preparing meals. Unlike a few weeks ago where it was a big effort not to get something frozen out of the freezer and quickly microwave it. I have been preparing really nice meals from scratch, so even if I don't reduce my size hugely over 12 weeks, I will at least know I am able to cook tasty meals for myself.

My exercising is taking off slowly, having a few walks around my neighbourhood, a new membership to a gym, which I have been using and setting myself realistic goals that I know I can start out and maintain. Looking forward to spending time this week and starting a new gym program to keep myself motivated. My start with some exercise DVD's did quite keep going as I had hoped I might, but at least I know they are there when the crunch comes to get things moving, if I cant get outside or to the gym.

It is actually nice to see stretch marks, and feel a bulge less around the stomach as the last 3 weeks have progressed. Will be interesting next week when the 4 weekly measure up takes place.

The weekly inspirational videos have been a really great boost in the middle of the week, for motivation and to keep on track. I love that I dont have to make an appointment to see anyone to help me set up this program  and that I am in control of how much or little I put into my efforts.

I am very happy that I took the step to change my lifestyle for myself, no packaged products, no merchandising endoursements that have to be purchased to take part in the program, the menus can be adapted to meet any budget (with a little bit of time and preparation).

Overall I have been feeling really well for the last couple of weeks and my chocolate addiction is slowly changing to a mini chocolate addiction.

Cheers until next time.

Yummy healthy food - Penang Chicken , so delicious and something i have never tried before. SO trying new things out in the kitchen this week.

I will be changing the tune of this blog a bit for the next few weeks. I am currently working, but not in the Graphic Design field, so I feel it is time to move on and change this blogspot.

I have commenced a new journey with the help of Michelle Bridges 12 WBT I am setting myself goals to become fitter and healthier during 2012.

This blog is going to be about my journey over the coming weeks. So far, I have started to feel healthier by eating the wonderful meals set out in the menu plans, remembering how to use the kitchen again and eating the lovely salads and fresh vegetables that are available and trying new tastes.

I have joined a gym, and have actually used it over the last couple of weeks in my pursuit for fitness, along with DVD's and the kids WII machine and PS3, I am aiming to vary my activities along with the usual walk around the neighbourhood and family bike rides together and social tennis games with my family.

This journey is for me, and myself alone. If anyone wishes to join me they are most welcome. My husband has been enjoying the new dishes being served to him as well.

I have participated in the goals that have been set by Michelle Bridges and have found them to be very helpful, the weekly inspirational videos are very motivational.

I have guidelines and goals and support and together with this I will succeed.

Cheers

Genevieve

 
 

Santas I made for xmas 2011

White Lego at Brisbane art gallery

White lego display at Brisbane Art Gallery in March 2011. We had a lovely time playing with the lego and in the air conditioned gallery.

Bombaderie boxes in heart shape display

The boxes on display at the wedding in a heart shape.

Closer pic of the sticker, the design matched the wedding invites as well.

I created this tag and sticker to go on my friends bombadierie boxes for her wedding.

Had them printed by moo.com. Fantastic company and fabulous quality.

Highland cows at Churchill Island.

My favourite highland cows at Churchill Island.

April 2011 Churchill Island

April saw a new temporary job for myself, for the next 7 months. So back to being busy as usual and not much creating goes on.

A quick visit to Phillip Island for a night, and a visit to the old settlement on Churchill Island, was a very pleasant way to spent a day. This peacock was very much at home, walking amongst the tables and dinners on the balcony of the cafe.

March 2011 ,where did the year go again.

March saw myself and children venture to Brisbane for a long weekend, to celebrate my grandmothers 100 th birthday. We also had 2 nights stopover at Seaworld Resort on the Gold Coast. The kids enjoyed getting up close to the dolphins and having direct access to the park from the accomodation. It was also a time to catch up with my cousins and other family members who live across Australia and overseas.

To celebrate grandma's birthday I produced a photobook of photos of her life and had it printed with snapfish.com.au. It will be a treasured book of photos for my siblings and cousins.