Merry christmas!!

It's 7am, Santa has been, and I've had my Christmas morning run.

It's the most beautiful day to run here ... The sun is out .. The breeze is cool.

I am so grateful for this gift. A little bit of time for me in a very busy day. Some calm in the chaos.

Running is MY time




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Christmas eve run

5 k done

I knew it would be slow but it was really slow!!

Thanks for the humidity Brisbane!

The walk in the rain after was nice tho xxx

Happy Christmas eve

May you find peace in the chaos xxx

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Resting. . By order of my body.

I still have to tell you about yesterday's smash up training session ... the result of me egging on my trainer to kill me.

It was hard. I didn't vomit. There were no tears. But it was close.

He is learning how hard to push me. It's killing me (in a fun making me awesome kind of way!)

But now is not the time for that.

Right now - in amidst the 7 million things to do - my body is screaming for rest.

And despite the fact I would like to go hard, get my life organised and had planned two more training sessions before Christmas - I am listening to it.

My body is serving me well. It is strong. It is healthy. It is coping with early mornings, late nights, and night shifts.

It is letting me run. Jump. Lift.

But now it is plum worn out.

In the past I would have gotten stressed, fought my way through and ended up a right royal mess.

Not this time.

My body is screaming for rest.
I'm going to listen.

Rehydrate. Good food. Sleep. Stretching.

Just what my body ordered.

Today ...

Today i finally took time to pamper myself. To thank my body for every step, every rep, every lift ... All the sweat it has gone through to get me here.

Today i stopped in the midst of the christmas rush for me!

I must admit I felt pretty good even before the day began.

I fit into my skinniest pants ... And I felt kinda cute!

First up coffee with a friend ...

Then shellac manicure ...

And a pedicure too! Nothing says Christmas like red toenails!!

Then finally, the highlight for me! A body scrub and massage, using a voucher given to me by two dear 12wbt friends.

It was perfect.

Training, work, life, and night shift has me tired at the moment.

This forced me to stop.

And just as the massage began , the rain pelted down outside.

I swear i fell asleep ... More than once.

It was just what iI needed. Calming, restorative, relaxing, and gave me time out in the world.

I think this might be my new Christmas tradition. Pampering to thank my body for all it does for me ... While the rest of the world drowns in Christmas madness outside
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It's on!

Tomorrow is my last pt session of 2011.

I would say the challenge has been set.

Bring on the thrashing!

Blown away ... and so - so honoured

I had a little secret on finale night. One that was killing me to hide from my friends who I spent the weekend with.
Days before finale I had learned I would be honoured on stage as one of the top 20 transformation finalists.

My losses - although life changing - have been spread across rounds. And they aren't as huge as so many others. So I knew I could not be up for a physical transformation.

I also really did not think I would win an award. I was excited enough to be able to be on stage - and maybe just once thank Mish again for all she has done.




But I was suprised beyond my wildest dreams! Not only did I win a prize, I won a prize as blogger award for round 3.

When I started blogging it was just for me. And maybe a few friends to give me a kick in the pants occasionally.

It was my story - just the life of a country town chick trying to get her head sorted and her body right.

It wasn't anything special. I fail a lot. I struggle. I have laughs. And I love my training. But I am far from perfect.

My blog is my heart on a plate. I share my ups, my downs ... (and my successes rather proudly too!)

I tell my story - and I really hope I can pay it forward. I hope that some other mum reads it and realises she can change not only her life - but her children's lives too.

I write so that shift workers can realise that yes shift work bites. But we can still be fit, strong and healthy.

I write so that other women getting rather too close to 40 can see that we can be strong. We can lift. We can run. We can do extraordinary things. And we do. Every single day.

My blog is my heart on a plate. To have it recognised made me feel very very special.

And I got to see Mish. And thank her. Again.



And share the stage with ROCKSTARS. You keep your popstars, sportstars and celebrities. These are the people I want to know. These people talk their talk. They ARE men and women of their word. And they are changing the world.


And I got to hug Mish. I owe her so much. And I will promise, as long as people will read I will try to pay it forward. This woman is changing the world. Her program is not just about the obesity crisis. It is about empowerment. Confidence. Being strong. Athletes for life.

Definately rockstar material

(oh - and finally - to those of you who came to me on the night and said you joined 12wbt because of my blog - I was so overwhelmed. I am so sorry I didn't get time to hear your stories in full. I want to. Please let me know on the blog or facebook. I really really could not believe that my blog actually meant enough that you would trust me and make that step.
From the bottom of my heart. Thank you.

Much much love xxx )

Party prep ... I feel pretty!!

Finally it was time for finale party!

After my 0230 am wakeup, I managed to grab a nap in my huuuge hotel bed, and a little bit of a pre party snack ( a snack I would be very glad for later!)

Past parties have included a LOT of stress over my outfit,

My first party I never actually bought an outfit, and just as I was getting changed I discovered it was tooo big!

The second party I bought a dress last minute ... And again it was far too big!! Whoops! I seem to lose weight in those last few weeks.

This time - shopping was FUN! Getting ready was FUN! I felt pretty! Cute! Maybe a little bit glamourous!

I adore my shoes. I still can't believe I could walk in them!

Almost ready to go ... as good as it gets!

We dont have a full length mirror at home ... I *may* just have spent at least half an hour checking out my legs! That calf work is showing!

I was ready to celebrate! Feeling awesome! Loving life! Ready for the night of my life!

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Miss Gabs

Do you know what makes 12wbt special to me?

The supporters. Our cheerleaders. Our safety net when things fall apart.

Michelle has set us up with our ready made support crew. Dietitians, trainer, people who walk their talk. Ask a question on 12wbt and an expert is there to answer it for you.

In my first round, I noticed Miss Gabi. Gabi is a PT in Sydney, and one of Mish's best friends. Her posts come across with a real JOY for life ... and she knows lots!

I really came to respect Gabi in my first two rounds. Ask a question about spin bike setup, or why the chest track in pump was killing my shoulder and she would respond.

And she responded in depth. Her knowledge was amazing, but she had a way to communicate in print that somehow I could understand just like she was there showing me. She had a real passion for making sure we had the best information and was set up to succeed.

I am someone who loves to learn and wants to know EVERYTHING so I loved her detailed posts.

And CHEERLEADER! Boy could this girl make you feel like a ROCKSTAR!

It was something special.

Then my third round came round.
Gabi cheered me on to my first 10k at Gold Coast.

She exuded passion and celebrated with me.

And then my world started to crash and burn.

Tragedy hit close and I had a big emotional involvment in it.

I had to be physically, emotionally and mentally strong.

And it was horrific.

Gabi was the first person to give me permission to be weak. I reached out to her, and in an email that exuded love, she firmly reminded me about EXTERNAL excuses and that some things were too too tough. And that even Mish gave us permission not to be perfect when these things happened.

It's funny - by giving me that permission, I was able to forgive myself, and get back into the program stronger than ever.

Round 2 finale in Brisbane was so special to me.

I finally got to hug Gabi and thank her.

And then, during the awards, I stood near her, and her passion for 12wbt shone!

Every announcement she would get so passionate and excited!

"You should see this photo! See that belly! That was visceral fat. It was killing her! And LOOK AT HER!"

Every award winner made her so excited.

This is Gabi's passion. She lives and breathes health and fitness, and in her words -she has the best job in the world.

This round Gabi has again supported me when things fell apart.

Her knowledge had me (and my backside!) well prepared for the Spinathon!

And she celebrated Miss 6 participating too!!

Hugging Miss Gabi at finale is one of my favourite moments.

I can honestly say she is an enormous support to me.
Gabi - you DO makea difference!

Big Big love to you my friend. THANK YOU for showing me that health and fitness was something to be passionate about!

You are a rockstar indeed!

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Finale Weekend - Part two - the workout

Nothing like a Saturday morning workout with you and 1000 or so of your closest friends to blow the cobwebs off a weekend? Hey!

The finale workout is one of my favourite parts of doing 12wbt. It is just so amazing to be with hundreds of people, all working to one goal ... improved health and fitness. Every workout I try to take a moment to stop and take in the whole scene. Just breathe it in. It really is a special moment.

People at all stages of their journey are there ... and I am so proud of them all! Especially those who are doing it tough ... but no excuses THEY ARE THERE!! I saw a few of you this weekend and I just wanted to run up and give you a hug and tell you I am proud of you. Maybe I should have. I AM SO PROUD OF ALL OF YOU! The 12wbt family is a family of fighters!

Pre workout I got to hug Mish! So excited! Due to the numbers I really didn't expect to catch up with her this round ... and I was ok with that. It's time to share the love.
But Mish recognised me. Hugged me. Told me how great I was looking ...
And for a moment I got to say thanks again.

And then we trained.

The training was different this round. Instead of splitting up into groups based on our fitness level, we trained as one big group.

One very big group.
In some ways I loved that. You were part of something huge.
But I must admit I missed working out with the "advanced crew"
And I really really missed seeing the excitement of the people who trained advanced for the very first time. It was like a badge of honour.

Training with my friends was amazing
My friends are from all over Australia (and the world!) and to sweat with them in the flesh is something special.

Especially my amazing twitter family.


Every time I train I learn new things about me.
This training session brought me a really big revelation.

Basically - to cope with the numbers - it was a really really big body attack class.

What I learned - although it was great and burned calories ... I really don't like body attack.

What I learned was what I love in training is to feel strong.
I run - not because I am fast - but to finish a race I need to be mentally strong, and allow my body to be strong.
I lift - because I feel the strong.
I love pt - because being strong is the only option. Not only physically - but mindset. If my mind is not strong I don't get through it.

Body attack did not make me feel strong.
And that's ok.
The more I learn about what makes me train hard - the better I can be.

At one stage a few of us had had enough of the jumping jacks and running in circles.
So we stopped and did pushups ! That was fun!

And a big thanks to coach rell - who when we were told a minute of pushups - looked at me and said "On your toes. Do not let them drop"
My form wasn't great (I STILL need to get deeper!) But I DID IT!
And without her there I wouldn't have made it!

LOVE my support crew!




And for the record - check out the QLD CREW! We came on masse and rocked Sydney.
Just like our shirts said .. We were "Unleashing our inner awesome!"

Go Qld CREW!

Finale weekend ... Rells Runners Rock!

There is something about a 12wbt weekend that makes it almost impossible to blog.
So many amazing moments. So much fun. So much self reflection. One weekend is just too small to contain it all.

And getting those emotions into a blog ... impossible.

My weekend began early. A 0500hr flight. Which meant a 0230 wakeup because I COULDN'T SLEEP.

A rush from the airport to the train to the hotel to Centennial Park. All because I wanted to meet these girls. And run.

These girls represent "Rells Runners"
A group of runners, new runners, and experienced runners from around Australia.
A group who have all been given incredible Twitter support from "CoachRell" to run, to be our best, and to get out there and just have fun with it.

Many of us have never run before 12wbt.
Some of us still struggle.
We all have different goals.

There are marathoner's amongst us.
10k-ers.
Half marathoners
5 k-ers
Those who just run.

It doesn't matter if we run short or long, fast or slow. As long as we run.







Do you know Saturday was the first time I've run with a group?
I've run in fun runs before - part of a crowd.
But Saturday ... I was part of a team.
It was fun!
I have no idea how fast we ran. We just ran.
We talked. We laughed. We waved.
We were a team






Brought together by our Coach Rell.
She is paying it forward.

Creating the RellsRunners family.

It was the highlight of my weekend! Truly. Running together is FUN!
(Oh and it was kinda cool to be part of the crazy group that did an easy 5k just to warm up!)

(Big hugs to Rell, Jess, Nikki, Keren, Em, Jacqui, Leander, Kym, Trace, Lizzie and KEVIN BACON! I miss you! Can we run again soon???!!)


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Dear shops

Hurry up and open!

I want to buy cute non fat clothes!!

(this could get expensive)
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So many memories .,,

So many friends ... Such a celebration



Big blogs coming ...

Thank you for your patience ...


I feel like Cinderella got to go to her ball

Xxx

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Um yeah ...

So I totally wasn't checking out the muscle definition on my calves in the mirror in my room tonight ...

Right??

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Must be a sign

What we saw within 2 min of arriving in Sydney! It's going to be a great weekend!

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Stupid o clock

Today's workout is brought to you by caffeine, adrenaline and sheer willpower.

What part of a 0500hr flight made sense??! Here's hoping for a power nap today!

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There is no offseason

Round 3 of 12wbt officially ended Saturday.

But life doesn't stop and nothing changes. I still train. I will always train. I still eat well. I will always eat well.

I wanted to prove to myself this week that it is not about the challenge. It is not about following what is written for me. It is about being the best version of me ALL the time - because this is who I am.

So I set out to prove to myself how far I have come. To make this my biggest week ever. I wanted to challenge my body beyond where I had taken it before, and see how it responded.

This week ...

• I have met a longheld goal that I never thought I would. Healthy weight range. The number always seemed impossible. This week I got there.


• I have eaten clean - really clean and listened to my body


• I have pushed hard. I have done 3 pt sessions and one group pt. I am finishing off the week with a run with the twitter #rellsrunners and coach rell, and of course the 12wbt workout


• I have not said no. Things I thought impossible I did. I pushed harder. My box jumps were higher. My lifts were stronger. And I had fun.


• I listened to my body. Training hard is fine, but to do so you need to rest, recover and fuel your body well. I got through this week cause I paid attention.


• I made no excuses. To fit a 0500 group pt session in I got up at 0430 and then worked an 8hr shift that started at 0630. I made it work.


• I shocked a few people ;) Always the fun part. Nothing coming down the gym stairs to see a guy asking your pt if he needs a hand taking the two boxing bags at the bottom back up. I just got to smile, look him in the eye and say - "nope! They're for me!" Then carry them up with confidence


• Jumping the highest boxes, running the furtherest, knowing I not only can keep up, but hold my own.

This week has been so exciting for me.

I pushed my body, yes ... but it kept up.
I asked it to be strong and it was.

Tonight was the icing on the cake. I tried to warm up pre pt. I really did. But running on a treadmill was the last place I wanted to be. It was my own personal form of torture.

When my PT asked me what I wanted to do tonight I said "not go on the treadmill". His response was "wanna go for a run?"! Best answer ever!

After some crazy cold and wet December days, tonight was beautiful. As we went the sun was just setting and we came back in darkness. It was cool, crisp, lovely.

We ran to the river, box jumped up grandstands, lunged down paths, the park was our playground.
I felt free, alive, strong and capable. Just what I needed to do.

I love it when a pt just gets you.

This week has been a week I am proud of. Intense. There won't be a week like it for a while. As much as I loved it - I miss my solo time in the weights room. But I asked my body and it responded. I literally used to be embarrassed and ashamed of my body. I hated it. Now I know it is all kinds of awesome. It makes me proud.

Oooooh yeah ...!!!

Healthy weight range baby!

Goodby pretty shiny hair...

Yesterday I promised myself some pampering.

New hair do. Healthy lunch out. Time for me.

I felt pretty :)

On facebook I teased that I was going to text my pt and tell him I couldnt come because of pretty new shiny hair.

But that wouldnt help smash it up week.

Hitting the gym was fun. i got two you look awesomes, one wolf whistle and a you look so tiny! No wonder I like going there ;)

Pt liked the hair. He really liked the challenge of messing it up with sweat.

Here is how it went.

Run round block stopping for toe taps on benches

Box jump up stairs 3 stairs at a time ( big improvement on strength today!)

Run stairs ten times

Run block

Bag drags up stairs (two boxing bags) x3

Face plant stair climbs (ugh) up stairs ( i thought these were a one off!!

Run round block

2 min x trainer hard

Soldier hops on hands and knees up stairs

Two more rounds of faceplant stair climbs much to the amusement of after work gym arrivers

25 burpees on stairs. Run stairs . Repeat x 4

Bag drags again

5 min rower

2 min crosstrainer

And this is the result

No more brand new shiny hair.

Replaced by stinky sweaty workout hair.

I think this is more me.
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I will ... because I deserve to be the best I can be

I will.

I promise.

I'm printing this out so I can read it every day.

Because it's what I deserve xxx

500g

source pinterest.com

I was lucky when I started 12wbt.

I got fast results.

I lost 12 kg in my first round. Within 6mths I had lost almost 20kg!

The rest has come off very very slowly.

Part of this is that weight loss naturally slows down. Part is a plateau I hit.

Part (a big part) is that I allowed far too many "slip ups" in my nutrition.

And I do think part was my mind sabotaging me - not quite ready to "finish" this and let go of who I was.

But today I am ready to do what has to be done.

As of today I am 500g off my healthy weight range.

Not goal weight because I don't know where this will be. I'm not focussing on a number. I'm letting my body guide me.

But I do want to be within the healthy range, and with my frame that is definately reasonable.

500g.

Michelle Bridges 12wbt Round 3 my have officially ended (with our big celebration party next week) but this is NOT time to rest for me.

I have 500g to lose.

I have my biggest training week ever planned this week

I have no red flag days - no reason at all not to nail my nutrition.

I am not taking that 500g to Sydney with me.

No way.

No how.

Time to get this thing done.

Reckon I can ??

Round three major milestone

My major milestons are normally a running event.

I fully lanned to do that.

But when i woke up today, I wanted to be strong. So I hit the gym. Weights were on my mind.

Today the gym was my playground! It was the day after my gym's Christmas party (which i missed due to miss 6's dance concert) and no one was in sight! Happy day!

I pushed hard for two hours. I wanted to know i could push myself without my pt present. It went something like this.

Warm up. Cross trainer at 12. Treadmill intervals maxing at 12.5.

Chestpress pyramid set. 25, 27.5 and 30kg weights.

Latpull downs wide grip. Pyramid sets at 30, 35 and 40kg

Leg press. Pyramid set at 100, 120 and 130 kg

Dumbell chest press supersetted with barbell bent over rows

Wallsit 5 min

Shoulder press with dumbells

Lunges with dumbells supersetting with barbell bicep curls

Donkey calf raises

French press on one leg.

Cable rows pyramid sets

Single leg calf raises

Over the bench jumps

Cross trainer

It felt awesome! Alive. I love what i am doing eveery day xxx

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Truth

There are people in my life who do not get the me I am becoming.

People who see the weight loss but do not understand that this is only part of the journey for me.

People who see the hours spent in the gym as a hardship ... A chore ...

There are people who do not get me. Who discourage me even at
They see choosing not to partake in every piece of cake offered as a sacrifice ...

They don't see the sheer joy I have at smashing out a big PT session.
How amazing a really good run can make you feel.
How this is not just about weight loss or how I look -but about changing my life.

Not everyone will support you.
Treasure those who do.
Surround yourself with like minded people (don't forget the forum or twitter!)
Be true to who you are
And don't let the haters get you down.

Your dreams are worth it xxx

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