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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