Smash it up week. PT number 4.

PT #4.

When I planned Smash it up week I had no idea if I would make it this far or I'd still be having fun.It's amazing how you can suprise yourself sometimes ...

Yesterday my legs were smashed. I was luck to spend an hour in a friend's very warm pool and stretch and stretch. That and my skins are what saved me I think.

Last night I went to step. My legs were cramping from inactivity - so I hoped that step would help get the aches out. Not sure if it was that effective.I was still pretty sore. It was fun though.

PT rolled around this morning and I was still excited to go! That in itself was a miracle.

I am thankful for a PT who gets me. And who knows where my body is at. Today no leg smashings, no box jumps, no treadmill. After over 500 box jumps this week my quads wouldn't take it.

Today we had fun.

Warm up

2 x 5kg weight plates. Run them down the stairs. Leave at the bottom. Run back up the stairs.

Repeat 5 times in total.

Then bring them back up.

Bag drags

Take the big taller than me boxing bag in the gym. Tie a rope to it. Drag it the length of the aerobic floor.

Run it back.

Then repeat. With PT sitting on the bag.
I'm proud to say my technique is getting better. As he says - we need to get my bum down.

Repeat stair climbs

yep with those weights again

Repeat bag drags

Am I glad I brought my gloves!

Then my own personal hell began

He calls these faceplant stair climbs or some such nonsense.

I don't think I can describe them. They involved me, upside down on the stairs. Sort of in plank position. And then climbing the stairs. Two flights. With a corner. I think it's best you just have a look and see Youtube

I'm going to tell you the truth. I hate these. A lot. This was the first time I think I've seriously wanted to tell him no.

But I did them. Kind of. In my own way.

Repeat bag drag

First with PT plus some random child on it.

Then faster on it's own.

Repeat personal hell - faceplant stair climbs

Ugh. Oh and video it! Of course we videod at the end when I was exhausted!

Repeat weights up and down stairs.

One last time

Then stretch oh how I needed that stretch

So 4 PT sessions in 4 days. Totally doable.

My body feels good. I feel strong. So glad I did.

Tonight I'm on night shift so tomorrow I rest. And sleep and stretch.

And scheme. I need plans for the weekend

This is going to hurt tomorrow

source pinterest.com

When my Pt offered me extra sessions this week to make up for cancelled sessions over the Christmas/New Year week I jumped at it.

It gave me an idea ... and a plan was formed.

This week (and next) have been declared "Smash it up week"

Two weeks till finale.

Two weeks till I see my 12wbt family again.

And oh so close to a healthy weight range.

I've been mucking with those last two kg for too long.

This is it.
My chance to knock them off for good. Come hell or high water I am not going into 2012 overweight.
No way.

Smash it up week started Monday with PT number one. A little of which is recorded here. Monday my trainer told me - if I wasn't sore he was going to quit. I'm kinda glad he changed his mind on that deal.

Tuesday (last night) was PT number two.

Toe taps on a step.

A lot of runs around the block.

Pushups off some random benches

Box jumps off some local walls.

My favourite moment was when we hit a higher wall and he asked if I wanted him to hold my hand for balance. Deep breath. Focus. And I just did the jump. The look on his face was priceless. (and he said the look on mine was too. Sheer Hell no! This is mine!)

Soldier stair jumps on hands and toes

Stair jumps (3 at a time - these are getting much easier - new plan - practise till I can do 4 and suprise him!)

Squats.

Bosu ball sit ups

Cross trainer intervals
Rowing machine

An awesome session

source pinterest.com

Which leads to today...

0430 wakeup call.

0500 group pt

It was simple really

10min treadmill run to warm up

then

Part one

25 pushups.(I did them on knees as a concession to pain - but focussed on depth and form

Run down stairs and round block

Repeat till 4 sets

Part 2

Split box jumps. Same again. 25 reps, 4 sets with a run in between each set.

I got to try something new. The first 3 sets I did a split box jump landing on one foot on the step. So much harder but fun! The last set I was over them so nailed out my 25 with two feet landings as hard and fast as I could

Part 3

Long slow situps. Two minutes. Then run block. 4 sets.

Final blast

10 sprints. Sprint up street, jog back.

Recovery

Stretching never felt sooo good.

Imagine

Imagine anything is possible.

I love this new inspiration singlet from Lorna Jane. Besides the fact it sparkes. Cause that's exactly where I am at. Imagining anything IS possible ... and dreaming up new goals.



Today this is me.
Pre pt. Just as I am.
I have lots of thing I see and want to improve on still.
But I also see so much that makes me smile.

I still have some weight to lose (not too much I promise!)
And those legs can still get a lot more toned.

But I see a healthy confident woman.
I see skin that is clear.
Arms that I don't feel I have to hide.
Shoulder definition!
Collar bones!

But knowing what I know about tonight's pt ... I see a woman who can

A woman who leg pressed 200kg tonight - and focussed on good form and full range .. and then smiled when a grown man took MY weight off the machine so he could use it ;)

A woman who knocked out toe pushups - full depth
A woman who got outside the I can't in her head when the box jumps seemed too high.

A woman who pressed out one more bench press.

A woman who held onto 60kg in a cable row for the eccentric movement - even though it was HARD!

A woman who held a 3 minute plank.

A woman doing situps with 5kg dumbells for that little bit more.

A woman who says yes. And is strong.

I like what I see.

Arms and legs are now shattered. As they should be.

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There are no tricks or magic potions

It's funny thing it is.
Lose a bit of weight and people notice.

Lose a lot and they want to know what you did.

The reactions to my answer are very very similar though.
ME: I ate well, counted calories, learnt to run, stopped making excuses and worked my behind off in the gym (literally)
THEM: But what ELSE did you do?
Followed up by a question about shakes,diet pills, surgery - or lately that Dukan diet that seems to be the craze right now

So here it is.
I did not do a single shake.
I did not take a single pill to aid weight loss
I certainly did not have surgery
I did not cut out any food group
I did not go all protein or skip carbs

I DID cut out alcohol - but that was my choice (I'd rather eat than drink!)

I DO go to a gym and pay a PT but I lost my first 7kg with no gym and pretty much lost most of my weight without a pt. The PT is to challenge me and keep me motivated. And fun. You do not need to pay a PT to make this journey.

And I sometimes let other things slip. My house is no where near perfect. But as a couple we have chosen the payoff of my health over a perfect home.

Yep.

I got all the tools I needed to lose weight through Michelle Bridges and 12wbt.com

But it was hard work that did it.

There are no secrets. No shortcuts

But you know the awesome part of that?

It means that YOU can do it to! The secret to weight loss is there ARE no secrets. And it's accessible to all.

You just actually have to follow through.

(all images - pinterest.com)

Giving thanks

In the spirit of my northern hemisphere friends Thanksgiving tradition, today I am skipping the turkey and the pumpkin pie (EWWWWWWWWWWWWW!) and just giving thanks!

12wbt.com, Michelle Bridges and my new lifestyle have given me a bazillion things to be thankful for ... let's see how I go!

• I am thankful for my husband. His support is amazing. He knows $$ spent now are big $$ saved on chronic health care costs later. He watches miss e so I can train. He cooks dinner almost every night. He listens to me rant on endlessly about how awesome I am. And he has never critisized my weight - even at my heaviest. He just waited for me to be ready to change



• I am thankful for Miss E. I am thankful living fit is now all she knows. I am thankful I have had the opportunity to become a mummy she can be proud of!



• I am thankful for Mish! She had a vision - and it changed my life. It wasn't just diet and exercise. It was support. It was mindset lessons. It was creating a family.



• I am thankful for my mum and dad. They rock. They love me - they support me - they cheer me on!



• I am thankful for my blog readers! You guys are so cool! Even now an awesome comment makes my day!



• I am thankful for my twitter family. Twitter means I am surrounded by people with the same goal who will love, support, encourage me and kick my butt. Love it



• I am thankful for my gym. These guys get me.



• I am thankful I can breathe. I really couldn't before



• I am thankful my clothes fit. And I can sit without having to negotiate my belly.



• I am thankful I can run. I can run just cause



• I am thankful I can lift heavy things. I am thankful my bones are getting strong along with my muscles, my heart and my mind.



• I am thankful for a pt who gets me. He knows I need to be challenged. That sessions have to be fun. He knows I need to feel like I can conquer the world. That he needed to show I could trust him so I could do crazy things



• I am thankful for my Qld crew - fun events - awesome people! Releasing our inner awesome!



• I am thankful that I can just say YES! Run? Sure! Bootcamp? I'm in! Crazy 0500hr pt? Yep!



• I'm thankful my core is getting stronger. It has always been my week point. It is getting there



• I am thankful for CoachRell and #rellsrunners. People who will support me - and know that any run is a good run as long as you are running



• I am thankful for the big huge massive 12wbt events. Last time I got quite teary. 800 odd people training in the sun together ... and I am part of it.



• I am thankful for lower blood pressure, better blood sugars ... better health



• I am thankful for energy. I may train more but I am no where near as tired



• I am thankful I am happy now



• I am thankful for this newfound passion!



• I am just thankful for my life. This is how I am meant to be.



• I am thankful for joy!

Just for the record ...

source - pinterest.com

I ROCKED PT tonight.

Totally
Yep I did.

It kind of went down like this. Well sort of. I don't know what half this stuff is called!

Warm up

30 bosu ball situps.

stair run

30 split box jumps (maybe 6 risers? I should have counted)

stair run

35 bosu ball sit ups

stair run

35 split box jumps

stair run

.... you get the picture

then 40, 45, and 50.

Warm up done. From 40 I ony had two risers on the step.
The last few rounds were so easy when I worked out I could skip the little second jump I'd been taking and just smash them out.

Well maybe not easier, but faster. And that helped.

Part two

Now here is where I have no clue what to call this stuff. So you need to do some imagining. If you can figure out what they are called let me know. If not i'm going to have to video.

Picture two steps - parallel. Maybe 9 or 10 risers underneath. Me in the middle - one hand on each step supporting my weight.

Swing legs back - pushup.

Lift feet swing legs forward.

Tricep dip

Lift feet swing legs back

Pushup

Repeat 10 times. My arms were burning from supporting my weight but I was shining! I couldnt believe I could do it!

Set two

Same deal.

Pushup - legs forward - tricep dip

Legs middle - lift weight off ground with arms - running motion for 10 counts while body is off ground

Repeat.

I really hope you can picture this cause the burn was awesome!

Set three

Run down stairs - run half a block.

Box jumps on convenient handy cement stairs

Finish block

Go to stupid gym stairs.

Feet at bottom of stairs, hands about 4 stairs up

We do these things he calls "soldier hops" or something like that.

Using hands and feet together "jump" up stairs landing hands and feet at same time

Finish flight of stairs

Swear a little

Run down stairs

Run block

Repeat

And repeat

One solid hour. It was awesome. I honestly loved it.

I felt so focussed. And strong.

Stretching was good though.

Today is a good good day!

I hate summer. Lots.
I just can't stand the heat.
It will be interesting to see if I feel the same this year or if I cope better.

But today - today was perfect.
Wet, overcast, cool .. just beautiful

Today I went running at 2:00 without dying of heat exhaustion!



Who cares if it was raining.
I ran 5k, it felt awesome and I loved it!

THAT is what matters!

As my @12wbt friend Kym says
Running in the rain is fun. Running in hail hurts.
This was fun
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PT madness

My favourite time of the week is PT time.
If I had the money I would go more often! It gives me such a rush

I think my PT likes it too.
I refuse to give in.
One day I was lunging with a boxing bag on my shoulder and I was getting pain. Due to my work I am very cautious of shoulder injury and I told him I couldnt hold the bag that way anymore.

He told me to give him the bag.
I said I can't. That would mean giving in, and I'm not going there. I just had to find another way to hold that stupid bag.

Pt makes me strong.
Pt empowers me.

Pt is crazy.
Recent escapes have included

Dragging TWO boxing bags up and down the gym stairs. Repetitively
Boxing!
Box jumps
More box jumps
Higher box jumps
Playing in the park
Kettle bell work (including kettlebell THROWS)
Sprints
Lunging (with said boxing bag as weight)
Chin ups off the monkey bars
Stairs.
Lots of stairs
Burpees that involved throwing myself into the bosu ball
Bruises
And more pushups than I can imagine

I love pt.

Can't wait for Thursday night!

Before and after - face comparisons

The Qld crew have been comparing before and after of the changes to our faces from 12wbt!
I put these side by side and the changes blew me away.
No wonder I struggled to breathe!

Christmas treats!

How cool are these? Not quite set and plated up but I had to share! Strawberry Santa hats for a school party!


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From my mum xxx To all of you.

My mum made me cry today.

I was fruit and vege shopping at a roadside stall on our way home from Brisbane and I randomly checked facebook (as I do)

She had posted this message. And she asked me to share it with my supporters.

I cried.

I love my mum. She has never ever critisized me. At my heaviest she has sewn and made sure I looked as good as I could. She is always always in my corner. Her and my dad rock.

So to all my supporters
To Mish
To the support crew (especially Gabi!)
To Ange and Lisa and Rell and Leander and Kym and my home town crew and Maz and Donna and Anita and Emmy and Heidi and Ruth and Liz (who comments on so many fitness blogs and inspires so many!), and Bec and the whole Qld Crew
To my twitter family
To everyone who comments on my blog
Heck - even Lorna Jane herself not only inspires me with her gorgeous creations, but uses twitter to support, encourage and inspire me xxx
To my gym! Especially that crazy PT I have
To my mum, my dad
And my man, and my girl - who amaze me with how much they support me ...

This is for you from my mum xxx

Big THANK YOU to all Kathy's supporters from her Mum and Dad. We've watched Kathy battle her weight and the side effect of depression,etc for years, but we've never been able to fix it. We've always know there was another "Kathy" hidden away and it so wonderful to see her emerge and become the self assured, happy and BEAUTIFUL person she is today. Thank to you everyone who has helped and special thank you to Paul and Miss E who have given Kathy the time and inspiration to be who she is today.

Round 3 2011 Week 10 video

It was a rush job this round - but I had to make it. I love how these videos remind me of where I am and where I came from

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

Dear Lorna Jane

Yes it is

Anything IS possible!

Watch me!



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Spring means frock shopping!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

A little bit of an addiction!

A rainbow of Lorna Jane!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Emotional Insurance

Tomorrow is going to be a hard day.

It's been an emotional week at my work - and tomorrow will not be easy.

I think I might have learned something this year.

Training makes me strong.

It makes me physically strong - yes.

But beyond that it makes me mentally and emotionally strong.

Tomorrow we say goodbye to a coworker taken too soon.

Today I took out emotional insurance to help me be strong.

I was offered an extra PT session and jumped at it.

My muscles are sore. I am tired.

But I am ready to say goodbye.

Yep it's official.

I want to be strong enough to do this.

Source : pinterest.com

What scares you?

Source : pinterest.com

What scares you in training?

What is the one thing you always hesitate before?

For me - it is box jumps.

Something about two feet in the air both at once maybe.

Something about it being a completely unnatural motion to me.

Something about the thought of me totally missing the jump and the chaos that will ensue!

When I go to jump a new jump - you can SEE my brain getting in the way.

You can literaly see the negative thoughts when I hesitate.

And then - it happens. I overcome the thoughts and I jump.

And you know - I make it too.

After that the jump is easy. I can do it over and over until I tire.

Until something distracts me and I lose that focus.

Then it becomes scarey again.

The can'ts come into my head.

And I need to convince myself all over again.

It's a lot like this 12wbt journey isn't it.

Before you start it is so overwhelming.

Your head will tell you a thousand times why you will fail.

And then you begin.

And you just do what you have to do.

And keep doing it.

Until you lose focus ...

Then it becomes overwhelming again.

Until you make that first leap in faith, knowing you will make it.

I keep falling off the proverbial wagon...

but getting back on is getting easier and easier each time.

Just like that jump onto that park bench is getting easier with practise.

You just need to ignore the negative thoughts in your brain

Training as healing

Sometimes bad stuff happens. Stuff you just can't fix - no matter how much you would like to do things differently.

This week was one of those weeks -and in a small country town - it can be hard to find the joy when a tragedy strikes.

Thursday at work was hard. It was the longest, slowest 8 hours I've ever worked.

Turning up to PT was as much of a necessity as a want on Thursday.

I had so much sorrow and anger and sadness inside me. As I said on twitter it was a matter of cry, eat or train. And training it was.

I *heart* my pt. He took one look at me, knew the story of the day and said "You SO don't need to be in a gym - come on - we are having an adventure!"

So - with a run lit only by streetlights we hit the park - and it was healing.

A run in the semi dark, along normally busy streets that are silent at that time of night.

Laughing as he tried to bust his clients ordering junk food at the movies :)

Chin up attempts on monkey bars.

Box jumps on park benches

Spiderman pushups in the damp grass.

Sprints along the main street.

I came with a heavy heart. I ended the session - with the sadness still there - but so much stronger, and with a smile and a laugh appearing again.

Training can heal! What a gift I've been given!

Rethinking goals ..

(source pinterest.com)

Round three of 12wbt for 2011 saw me commencing the Lean and strong program.

I was excited.

It was just what I needed.

I needed to feel strong.

I needed to feel worth it.

I needed to feel that it was not about the numbers.

And that's exactly what it did.

I amazed myself. On almost every lift I could lift more than the recomended weight. My body was responding.

With four weeks to go of lean and strong - I should be on a high.

I am ready to nail this.

But my heart, my mind has been telling me another story.

I now know - what I was not in a place to know 8 weeks ago that I need to get back to the business of weight loss.

I don't have a figure in my mind. But I do know I want to lose a little bit more.

It will make my goals so much easier to achieve if I am lighter.

It will get me into that healthy weight range.

It will allow me the joy of running.

And quite frankly- there is still some fat that is not part of who I am hanging about. I want it gone.

Now - I could stick to lean and strong - see it out then lose the weight.

But that wouldn't be true to me.

I've come a long way over this journey - and I trust what I know in my heart.

I am ready to sweat, for cardio again.

I will still do weights and I will still do them strong.

I will still focus on strength with my pt.

That is part of who I am now.

But to be the best version of me - I need to take care of this weight, and I need to focus and get it gone.

So there you go. Lean and strong dropout???

Maybe.

But I don't think so! I AM so much stronger.

And I need to get leaner so the strength will show.

This is all part of the overall plan.

A new challenge is coming for me and I'm excited!

Stay tuned! I may blog it tonight!

Kath xxx

Do you ever have that moment ..

When you realise your heart isn't in it because your goals have changed??

I might be there right now.

Don't get me wrong - fit - strong - healthy - ... that is still so where I want to be and the heart of all my goals.

It might just be time for a goal review.

I think I've been resting on my laurels and I'm not happy there.

Big things ahead.

Maybe a countdown to Chrissy challenge.

Stopping. Breathing today.
Working out what matter most right now so I can focus narrow and nail that goal!

Halloween zumba night

I so don't do dress ups.

Better late than never

Last Thursday's Bootcamp
Honestly was tired to start.
And it took a good 15min for me to get in the zone.
I finished feeling all sorts of awesome tho!

This week - no theme - just smash me.

Run round the block
Box jumps
Run the blockKettle bell squats
Run the block.
Spiderman pushups (hello!!)
Round the block again
Kettlebell overhead rise + tricep extension
The block
Kettlebell squats
Block.
Toetaps
Stairs.
Bosu ball situps

Lat pull downs - drop sets
Cable single arm straight thingy (who knows what to call it!)
Rower 1min HARD then 1 off for 2 km
Xtrainer 1 min sprint on auto

150 challenge
50Squat jumps,
50 pushups
50 Star jumps

No more than 10 at a time. With stairs in between
Was meant to do it in five - took just over 6 minutes.

Then STRETCH!

It was fun but hard! I was tired after! And two pt sessions in a week, two step classes and bootcamp - my quads felt it