Spewing my thoughts....

Photo from The Cell www.thecellfitness.com.au.

An all or nothing attitude. To what degree? Previously, I would do what it takes, to the detriment of my prinicpals. I have changed.

I am not defined as a Figure Competitor, sure, that attitude may not make me the best, but in who's eyes? It may not get me first place, it may not make me the best onstage, but it will sure as hell make me the best I can be.

What am I talking about? Well, in past years getting ready for a comp ment that it was placed first above everything else in my life. I eat and train to have a healthy lifestyle, my plan is to slip into a competition without jeapodising my principals. A clear cut example of this was when I was purchasing my free range eggs and the thought crossed my mind just to get whites (as I am consuming a little more than normal at the moment) as it would probably be cheaper (as I am throwing away the yoke or giving it to the dog). But where are my principals? I eat free range because the health of the chicken is important, I beleive, it is integral to the quality of the egg. Why did my thinking revert? I will not negotiate my principals for this comp.

Yes, as I get closer to my comp there will be certain things that may be questionable. But there are some things I will just not do this time around! This may not make me the best on stage, but it will make me the best I can be without compromising on my principals.

I am in this world for the long haul, I am a figure competitor for 10minutes onstage. The rest of the time I am just doing my best to be fit and healthy.

I will train different, I will think different.

Cardio Culled!

Long time no post! Busy of course. Been contemplating lots of things. Seeings no bloggers could help me with my last post, I have been doing some hard thinking.

I have been watching some videos on Chastity Slone, if you don't know her here she is.

Seriously impressed right? It got me thinking about what makes a Pro a Pro. I supose my exposure is limited to the Amature ranks. Yes I have done Phat Camp with Jen H and read numerous articles by the pros. The resounding common denominator I have found is that the pros are in awesome nick all year round. Oh and I am mainly hearing the whole '6 week' diet thrown around (as does Chastity Slone in a video I watched of her preping comp food for her 6week diet). Is that what makes a pro? Their ability to stay lean and diet 6 weeks out?.... part of it of course!

So this brings me to something I have been blogging about for a while. Commonly I have been exposed to 12weeks or 16weeks, this leaves the thought of a shorter time frame quiet scarey! But for no other reason then the thought of not knowing if I could make it. Drawing from all this and my experience, I don't need 12weeks for this coming comp. It is time to delete this number from my head. It is time to have faith. The hard work I do and the commitment to a steardy diet for LIFE has ensured I have remained pretty tight.

The decision I have made is to attack this comp from 10weeks. Yes right now I have moved my 80% clean guideline up to about 90%, but I have also inserted a cardio ban! This is a ban on runs, I am only allowed to teach my 1 attack class a week. I will re-introduce my distance work when and if needed in the 10week comp prep. As I have mentioned before, I prefer to know I am in control without cardio, for me in normal life it is a tool, not a reliance! I can control my physique through weight training, diet and minor cardio once or twice a week.

In saying all this I have AIM training this Saturday for Body Attack (its an advanced instructor module) 9.30am to 7pm. Hard yakka, so looking forward to it though.

On another note, Chastity is a Crossfitter, so got some good info there too.

Unfinished Business

My little big boy is turning 2 soon.

My last comp ..... 2006!

in. I feel my last comp I wasn't as good as I could be. I trained for years with an injury, and by the end my heart wasn't in it.

But how do you guage if you can be better than your last time? All I can say is that I am so much stronger, in all measures I am lifting more than ever. I have trained hard for last 2 years - yep my son turns 2 next month! Getting big isn't he? but doI have more muscle? I believe so, but only getting in comp shape will give me this answer.

In the end, you only compete against yourself becuase you can't control who will be next to you on the day, or what the judges are looking for. We are not measured on physical ability. You can't consider it a sport, but neither is golf really!

Strength of the mind is underated. Most people put to much liability on the physical and neglect the possibility that what is stopping you from achieving what you want is your mind. I love training, I will train forever, but dieting is damn hard! Sometimes I think it would be bloody easy to just join the biggest looser house for 3 months, the hardest part of dieting is living a normal life at the same time, those people in the biggest looser don't have societal pressure or their husband eating Thai in front of them :) Yep Damo likes to think that he just makes me stronger!

I need to do a call out though... some help maybe. Has anyone trained Crossfit throughout their comp prep? Really interested to know as I am enjoying it and want to keep going as long as possible. As I have posted before this is where I am training www.thecellfitness.com.au and Jason is kindly sending me some info to have a look at. I am a big believer in TRAINING FOR LIFE so enjoying the Crossfit concept.

I just killed a fly with my hand..... awsome Mr Miyagi would be proud! haha

My Last post was Very Timely!

A day or two after it Jethro got the flu.... so after 3 sleepless nights I had to prioritise my training, I chose weights over cardio... if your asking! Anyway thats over a week ago now, and last week I was back to normal.

So much to talk about, not enough time. Perhaps the weekend will bring on some discussion.

Sam D-M

What is Best?

I am a mum and I run a business. My plans don't always come to fruition. I have to balance sometimes.

So what do I choose to do if I have just 4 hours to train a week? I do 2 weight sessions and 2 cardio. You don't need to do a lot of cardio to loose or maintain your weight. You would be suprised how controlling your diet and weight training is as much a powerful tool.

After I had Jethro I was only able to exercise 3 to 4 times a week. Through diet, and the 3 to 4 sessions (made up 2weight 2 cardio), oh and lets not forget the calories I expended breastfeeding, I was able to get back to where I wanted to be.

Let me just add that you can expend up to 500 calories a day breastfeeding, thats like going for a run without running! Lets be realistic here, I was eating a clean diet, so I was expending more calories than eating (the simple math we all know right??) just pointing out that breastfeeding is not a miracle weight loss tool, it is simply extra calories that your body requires to produce the milk and support a life, I wasn't eating crap and loosing weight, I was eating well and loosing weight.

I suppose I am trying to say that if you are time limited, make smart exercise choices. One to two intense cardio sessions and 1 to 2 low rep heavy weight sessions, a healthy diet and you will be back on track in no time!

This weeks training and I got inked again!

Anyone want to guess what it means? I think I might have given it away in a previous post. It is nautical flags (as is the one on my wrist) but the letters of this one are ....... JETHRO. I decided not to get them coloured at this stage, I am not sure I want them coloured, I like the colour on my wrist, but not sure here.

When Jethro was shown he looked over his own shoulder puts his hands out and says "gone"..... hehe I am sure this is an argument we will have when he is in his teens. I tell everyone that you shouldnt get tatoos until you are 30. I think that if I had of gone through with the ones I wanted when I was 20 I would be full of regret! I actually cringe at the thought of them. Life has given me some experiences which I wanted to permanently mark my body with, they have meaning, not just some picture that I liked.

Anyway, so thought I would blog what my training has been for the past few weeks, actually make that months with a few little changes the last few weeks!

Sunday: AM Back and rear delts

Monday: AM Yoga PM Teach Body Attack

Tuesday: AM 6km run in 30mins good day to 32mins PM Crossfit

Wednesday: AM Stretching PM Chest & Shoulders

Thursday: AM 6km run in 30 to 32mins PM Crossfit

Friday: AM Yoga

Saturday: AM 10km run 50mins on good day 52.50 on bad (ie with DOMS)

As you can see I have let go of a couple of weight sessions, not training legs at the moment cause they seem to get a hammering at Crossfit and not doing bis and tris, the other obvious choice to drop because they are small muscle groups.

Gees it is getting dark! All my AM training during the week is done at 5.30am as Jethro is in bed and this means I can train, shower and eat breakfast before he wakes. Dreading the return of winter hope I can try keep those 2 6km runs in.

When you find the right 'spot'

Mid December I had hurt myself so bad that I could hardly walk. Standing was ok, sitting was terrible. For two days I worked on my knees at my desk even. I hobbled around the block and did pissy little upper body weights. Of course, although feeling the pain in my left lower back it was the result of tightness in a series of muscle groups, one causing another ones problems etc. Oh AND I do know why, in fact I knew what I was doing was wrong. I always carry Jethro on my right side and kick my hip up, just the more I do it one side, the harder it is to change it, as much as I try, I will never give up!

Anyway, had a massage a few weeks back (not because I was in particular need of one, just because I felt like it) didn't really have pain to speak of. But the masseuse went into great detail of some imbalances I had. In all this he showed me the above stretch (nothing out of the ordinary right!) but then tweaked it a little by moving the back leg.

So I try this at home on my good side, no problems. I switch legs and OH MY GOD I thought I was going to vomit, their is the spot!!! Anyway, weeks on I STILL feel like vomiting when I stretch my left side.

Although I am not in any pain at the moment, I now know just how bad this area is and how much of a ticking time bomb it is. It has been a continual focus for me for weeks, not only after a run, I also stretch it in the mornings. It still makes me feel sick, but eventually I will win it over :)