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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