I have decided to have a look back through the past 18 months. It feels like so much has happened yet the daily routines have stayed strikingly similar for the whole period of time. Such huge change in work and physical locations, yet my family remains my rock and my training remains my 'norm'. Here it is;

May 2013 - competed and achieved

- WFF Conquest Classic, Geelong - 1st Masters, Overall Champ

 

- WFF Darwin - 1st Place, Tall

- Didn't like the make-up for this one - face too light, hair to severe - not my fav look by far.

 

- WFF Southern Hemisphere Championships - 3rd Place Masters - was a hard competition and the winner in this picture also just recently won the Universe title.  Was so glad to have the opportunity to compete and retrospect gave me plenty of things to work on.

 - Got to meet one of the best competitors in the world - Miss Universe 203, Johanna Mountfort. Not only did she have an amazing physique, she was just lovely too which is a bonus. Not every lady you meet backstage is gracious and friendly - some are just downright rude which is a real shame. I can't see the problem with making friends with all of those you meet. Considering this is just a hobby for most of us, being a diva is somewhat embarrassing.

- Life post-comp was all about getting back to those things that matter. Learning how to eat again and a bit of relaxation. So much easier to say than do.

- While the madness of the 2013 competition season was raging, it was also smack bang at this time that I re-joined the Police. It's a job I have been in since 1998 in both New Zealand and Queensland and now it was time to give the Northern Territory a go. Walking into that Academy classroom was like putting on an old pair of socks - I felt right at home. Thank goodness for that because my first comp was 4 weeks into my studies so it was a huge effort of training, food prep, posing practise, organising competition things and full-time study for 11 weeks at the NT Police Academy. I don't usually do things by halves....

- Graduation Day - 20 June 2013

 - Oh yeah, did I mention that in the midst of all of this madness we built a house in Katherine? Haha - just add that to the high-stress factors going on.

 - So I did a solid 3 weeks of policing on the mean streets of Katherine before someone came up with a brainwave to head out bush for 5 weeks. I got into the police plane and ended up in .... Numbulwar!!! An indigenous coastal community some 600kms from Katherine - in the middle of godamn nowhere!! Remembering I had only just finished my comps so I was still in full training mode. Below was my complete gym. Somehow I made it work and did some gruelling sessions by myself in that carpark!! At nights sometimes I would drag my gear into the sallyport and pretend I was in some fancy 24/7 fitness spa. I didn't ever really believe that I was. Perhaps it was the groups of indigenous kids that would line the fence and stare at me that brought me back to reality.

 - Rob and the kids came out one weekend and it was a massive treat to have a spotting partner. My squat rack left just a little to be desired but we made it work.

 - Found time in between copious amounts of overtime to fit in some quality fishing. Caught this big boy the day before leaving Numbulwar.

 - The plan was to spend 5 weeks at Numbulwar and then head home....didn't quite work like that!! Spent 1 night home and then headed to ... Minyerri. An indigenous community station some 300kms south east of Katherine. It was a container-village police station and my room was the end one of the containers below. All buildings were made of containers - police station, lounge, kitchen, cells... all containers!! Each had their own aircon which was a necessity. It got to 45 degrees on occasion out there. I saw an awful lot of sights at Minyerri, including walking out the compound one morning and seeing a crocodile in the front lawn of the neighbours house. My workmate Barb used to bring home stray animals and one morning I woke up with a calf running around, another morning a donkey!!

Barb and I were together for 4 months and we had some great and strange times. We took to watching horror movies on our evenings off and once, while watching a horrible movie called "Wrong Turn", we got a callout and had to travel 3.5hours to Numbulwar for an attempted suicide - thank goodness it didn't amount to anything but the horror movie theme played on my mind! 12 hours later we got to finish the movie when we got home and even gave a go at Wrong Turn 2 - epic fail.

I ended up staying 6 months at Minyerri and had Christmas out there with Rob and the kids and my colleague. It was about as strange as you get - Christmas on a remote dry community. Ended up with a callout on Christmas eve and spent New Years Eve chasing a large group of locals around the place after they made the decision to coat themselves in white paint from head to foot, get drunk and spend the night trying to fight each other. Memorable moments in Minyerri!!

January 2014 and I headed home for good via a 2 week stay in Bali with my family. So terribly tired but booked an apartment with a great gym and trained hard.

- Sometime around now Ingrid informed me that I was in an ad in the Oxygen magazine. A real thrill.

 

- I trained religiously during my time in Minyerri. Here was my setup. It was hard to stay motivated but I'm quite proud that I never missed a session. Food was much harder. Nothing fresh on offer out here so relied on getting supplies from town. I took to using protein powder much too often and believe it was about there that I got the sugar craving going. Still eating 'clean' food but too much of it and too many indulgences in 'sugar free' products. 

 

 

 

- one of the highlights of 2014 was co-training 3 beautiful ladies who all competed in May. Naomi was so dedicated and her transformation was amazing. She placed 3rd in the Darwin INBA show and I couldn't have been prouder.

 

- I also had the opportunity to be on the judging panel of this competition and enjoyed that immensely!! I learnt so much and most of all developed a critical eye for some of the finer points looked for by the panel. Here's hoping it helps me out.

 

 

 - And how could I forget helping to train my best mate who won the Conquest Classic in Geelong. Being able to go there with her and my other beautiful training buddies was the highlight of May 2014!!! And to meet up with my beautiful team of Ingrid, Renata and Ji was very special. Many tears of emotion that weekend.

 - In late May, I went on a family holiday to the Gold Coast and got to see my 3rd trainee, Sandy KIRK, who competed in the hugest competition I have been to - INBA Brisbane. Wow - what an eye opener!! There was about 400 competitors and even more spectators! Have to say I was overwhelmed and appreciated my little comps! Sandy was amazing and stunning both inside and out. I loved being part of her day.

 - I started cardio again on that holiday and it hurt like hell but I again proved that you need very little room and practically no gear, other than a chair, to do a wicked HIIT session.

 - One of the benefits of working out bush was the money. We had done it a bit tough for a few years and suddenly we had the breathing room to splash out. One of the first ways was to book a luxury holiday in Langkawi for Rob and I. His parents offered to look after the kids and subsequently we had our first holiday away from the kids - only waited 13 years for that to happen and it was very special.

 - We opted for activities that normally the kids would balk at. One was heading up to the highest point - but have to admit we got there via cable car - not walking!!!

 

- We trained hard in Langkawi

 - And we also rested up.

- So now I'm back home, working hard and training harder.

 

Part 2 coming soon ...... specifically about training... 

You Want Honest? I'll Give You Honest!!! This Week Hurt!!!

 
I'm 15 weeks into prep. I’ve lost in excess of 10kg. My food is low. My training is high. Food prep takes time, as does posing and routine. I’m feeling it for sure. I also have three children, a full-time shift-working job, a husband and the usual house demands. I live semi-remote which can work beautifully in terms of reducing the stress of a city life, but can create other issues in that the resources I need at times are not available.  I guess I’m just pointing out that this is  not my only focus in life – some days I’m pulled in many directions.

It’s about this time that I have to dig really quite deep to get through the days. I’m not going to lie about that. It’s not easy right now, it’s hard. I’m so desperately tired some days and other days I bounce back quite nicely. I tend to give my best to my workplace and save my not-best (nice way to say worst!!) for my precious family. Not intentional and not something I necessarily want to occur and I try everyday to not let this happen. Sometimes I win, sometimes .. not so much.

People say to keep my eye on the prize. They cannot begin to imagine just how much I do this. The ‘prize’ is the only reason I continue on when I want, more than anything, to just have a rest. Not for a day, not for a week – but I can imagine having a rest for a whole year!! And then another day on top!!! It’s ok – the mind-games go with the territory.  I’m not going to bullshit and fluff the whole process up to make it sound appealing. I love this sport/hobby/crazy undertaking – but it’s not for the faint-hearted.

On with the story….

So many things changing on a daily basis. I can see the days I’m leaning up and the days that I’m holding water – it’s so clear once body fat gets out of the way. I absolutely LOVE this time and HATE it all in one. It becomes strikingly obvious when body fat gets lower than is natural for my physique – I start showing all sorts of symptoms that are quite funny to be honest, but all indicators that we are getting to the pointy end of things. Here are a few I’ve noticed;

·        Vitamin C is a great little vitamin. It is good for so many things and has a link with skin elasticity. My coach has me on these little suckers all year around for good reason.

About 2 weeks ago, Vitamin C took on a life of it’s on. Suddenly I simply cannot survive without it. I think about those little, round, orange balls of sunshine and I savour each and every suck. I have studied the different shapes on the market and, for a while I was fooled into the bigger disc shaped ones. Whoa Nelly – they were not nice!! Chalky and horrible. I scooted back to the small ones and have stuck with the sugarless variety that brings me such joy. I pretend it’s an orange…. that I don’t have to peel and none of those nasty pips. I savour and slurp that thing until it disintegrates and then I keep sucking the millions of fragments.

 

Rob hates my Vitamin C infatuation. He hates the noise I make when I’m sucking them. It drives him crazy. Like nails on a chalkboard. Some days I say sorry and move away with my flaming gems. Other days I’m too tired and cranky and I suck it harder just to annoy him.

·        I currently have a greens drink in the morning as prescribed. Don’t think stinky, yucky spirulina of old-times – this stuff is the bomb!!! It’s beautiful and I look forward to it every morning. It’s Strawberry & Kiwi flavour and it tastes like a little fruity dream. Granted, it is green and that is somewhat off-putting. But who gives a shit??!! Haha – it’s prescribed, it’s yummy and it fills a little spot in my belly!!! Yet a few weeks ago – I wouldn’t have bothered with it too much.  Now I count on it first thing in the morning and would stomp on anyone who stopped me having my fruity, green smoothie!! (not really a smoothie … just a green drink that I pretend is a smoothie)

What other weird things do I do …..

·        Oh yeah – I eat sweet potato after my workouts. I dream about those little bundles of carbs while I’m working out. Unfortunately I’m way too lazy to cook them creatively, like roasting them with rock salt and rosemary (thanks for the idea Candice) – instead I literally cut the potato into chunks, skin and all, and steam it for a good 10-15m and then eat it just like that!! Tiny dash of balsamic and salt & pepper and she’s all good to go!!

 

·        Coffee. Coffee is a necessity. No further explanation needed. It just is.

·        Chewing gum. Sugarfree. It has artificial sugar and I have plans to quit my addiction closer to comp in order to avoid bloating. But for now – game on. Rob detests my habit. I very much want to care that he hates it.

·        Food infatuation. The more recipes and food shows I can fit into my limited time – the better. I virtually eat it all.

 

Speaking of food – a very trustworthy friend informed that last prep I smelt like fish. “Fish???” I retorted back … “I ate tons (at least 110g once a day!!! Lol) on comp prep – I SO did NOT smell like FISH!!!”. Nice and quietly she told me that I did. Smell like fish. Mortified!!! So I’m keen not to smell like fish this time but I didn’t notice it last time so maybe I won’t this time either. Until a trusted source tells me. If I were a brave friend, I’d pick a high carb day for this conversation.

·        There is a physical aspect to lowering your body fat and that manifests itself in fainting episodes. Totally spontaneous and very surprising to all in view of this phenomenon. I simply call it, “My Bum Faints When It Sees A Seat” syndrome. This consists of my bottom literally bee-lining itself for any article that it may faint on. So far this has included the obvious; couches, chairs, sofas, ottomans, beds, floors, concrete pads, grass, steps, benches, tiles. Not so cool has been when it strikes and I’m taken by surprise; car bonnets, benches, lunch tables.

In my bottom’s defence, this is a fairly unknown phenomenon and not easily diagnosed or treated. I perceive I have approx 12 weeks left in which I will find myself seated unexpectedly. I further perceive that the careful introduction of all yummy things will ease symptoms. I’ll keep you posted.

·        Sometimes I feel that my head is disconnected from my body. I can hold a perfectly sane conversation and I’m processing information normally. But my body is floating. Sounds mental. Probably is. But I remember it from the last two preps and it’s here again. It’s sorta cool.

·        The really funny thing is – I’m not the least bit short-tempered this time around!! Haha – I just let everything roll of my back. Nothing stresses me out and I’m not a cranky mum at all!!!

If you believe the last point – you’ll believe anything.

 

Just a mighty quick update on a few random thoughts. I actually admit that I get really random during comp prep. I think it’s down to the fact that I’m fitting in so many things into a day and so many things to think about. Means the mind won’t slow down sometimes, resulting in a barrage of weird thoughts. Here’s a few along with an update on where I’m at;

·        I have exactly 6 weeks and 1 day left until competition #1. I am seriously excited … seriously. I’m not wanting it to come any sooner than 6 weeks and 1 day though – let’s get that clear.

·        I still have in the vicinity of 5kgs to lose. That’s not negotiable as I have a scale weight to meet.

·        I am fairly darn confident I can achieve scale weight without resorting to any stupidity. Ingrid wouldn’t tolerate that approach anyway. So with that in mind, my current training includes;

o   Very intense weight training – very intense!! More mind-screwing than any I’ve done before. Why – because it’s all high reps and the rest breaks are timed. So simple yet so effective. I dread the starting whistle because it means no stopping for an hour and that hurts a lot. The music must be good, loud, uninterrupted and emotive – that’s how I get through.

o   Cardio – I would say it’s only just in there. 2 x interval training sessions for 30m a week = 1 hour per week. But, to be honest, the rest periods equal more than the work periods – the key is that the work periods must be to my ultimate limits – which they are.

o   Food is on the lower side of norm. But that’s completely norm for comp-prep. I still have 5 meals a day and every few days I get to feast on sweet potato, rice, oats and banana. On the other days, I make do with my variety of meats and eggs, array of vegies and some fats and fruits too. I thrive on the challenge.

·        On the food side of things – I have a strong thought going through my mind at the moment. What we eat does not make us superior. Choosing steamed vegetables when the person beside you has a slice of pizza does not necessarily make you a better or more intelligent person. Being strong enough to withstand temptation makes you determined and focused – it seriously doesn’t make you smarter and more successful. In fact, the feeling of superiority can be extremely short-lived if not careful. Pride goes before a fall…. I speak this to myself because sometimes the determination I feel to stay rock-solid can lead to this and I don’t like it one little bit. Got to stay true. My choice is my choice and it involves no one but me. My preference is to help and support, not to judge.

 

Everything else is A..O..K right now. I’m feeling quite lean and I’ve lost in excess of 10kg so far in comp prep. I find that a little embarrassing actually. I had no desire to see-saw quite so much and I see no benefit in making this faithful body have to cope with such change over 18 months. I will be making changes to ensure this doesn’t happen again and I’m lucky to have the best coach to help me get there.

Oh yeah – another thing that is foremost on my mind at the moment is how I’m going to improve and change next season. I am really, really super excited and it gives me a goal to hunt down after the competition dust has settled.

Lastly, I’ve chosen and ordered my competition bikini. So bloody exciting!!! The colour I’ve chosen this year is …. Oops … sorry  ….. can’t believe the time, have to get ready for work.

 

Crap!!! Only 7.5 Weeks To Go!!!

How the hell did that happen? How did I look up and find there’s only 7.5 weeks left until competition day?!!!! Isn’t prep supposed to drag by? Aren’t you supposed to wish every day would end and that the pain of depletion and denial would be over? Not this time – no bloody time at all!! I'm praying that it will all slow down a little!! I'm not READYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!

While this sound monotonously familiar, I seem to have bitten off a big chunk of protein cookie at this crucial time. I won't say I've bitten off more than I can chew because I'm chewing quite fine. It's just taking a little time to digest. But I accept that I work way better in life if I'm chocka with things To Do.

To summarise what’s going on;

-        My new training regime (as of 9 days ago) is brutal. There is no other word for it. It gets my forehead vein popping and my heart pounding out of my skin. And it’s weights training … well so she says! I don’t believe her (‘her’ being my all-time favourite pain prescriber – Ingrid). It’s pure cardio masked badly behind some dumbbells, med balls, cables and barbells. I love and it and truly, truly hate it all in one. I dread it and welcome the change it’s bringing. It is timed the whole way through so there’s no time for sneaky FB posts, email updates, text conversations or gym chats. It takes right on one hour to complete and that’s about 15mins more than I’m used to. The volume of reps is slightly sadistic and the constant beating of body parts is gruelling. I’m seriously exhausted.

-        My food is just fine. I don’t think about it to be honest. I just prep, pack it in the fridge and eat it as prescribed. It still involves fish, chicken, roo, eggs, vegies galore and a bit of fruit here and there. Do I get hungry? Yes I do. I would like a home-made cheese burger some days. Other days I’d like a scoop of protein powder straight out of the bucket – dry in my mouth. And I’d savour that creamy sweetness and spend hours licking it off my teeth. Even better if it was one part protein, one part peanut butter - then it would take all day to consume!!! But I won’t. This goal is all too real and NOTHING will stop me achieving it. I may be a lot of things but I aint no quitter!!!

-        My family are absolutely amazing. Rob has taken to joining me on the odd workout.. well, only one full session so far. He had an adverse reaction in the quadriceps department so his second session was minus-the-legs-part. He hates the current workouts too. Not sure he sees the good side of them like I do. And he’s got more guts than me – he actually tells Ingrid how much the workouts suck.

-        My children are completely used to Mum eating out of a Tupperware and I find I can keep them contented if I ensure they have lovely meals and the odd treat while I take that time to chew a little sugar-free gum and try to disengage my nasal passages. On top of that, I try to organise family outings and little holidays wherever I can. Let's be clear - because I organise them, I make darn sure they are scheduled around my workouts and line up with my Rest Days, but the kids are oblivious to this so they just enjoy it for the little family getaway it is.

-        Work is ticking along nicely. I enjoy what I do, have thrown in a uni course for fun and am preparing for a month long course in Darwin. Never a dull moment and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Oh yeah – I also get plenty of unexpected overtime just to add another factor in. Generally I have no idea that the OT is coming until about 30mins before the end of my shift – oh what a difference a triple 0 call can make to my scheduled gym sessions!! But if I have to workout at 10pm in the garage, so be it. Too close to muck around now.

-        Mmm what else – oh yeah, posing. I pose and pose and pose and pose and it just doesn’t seem to get any easier. It hurts and makes the sweat drip off me. I throw that smile on from start to finish and practise pushing my tongue against my teeth – makes the smile stay longer without hurting my cheek muscles. On top of posing I practise my routine again and again and again. I tweak and fix and change little hand movements and the way my foot points. I’m not a dancer and I really don’t have much rhythm but I’m determined that my routine will, at the very least, look like I spent the time needed to do it with a certain amount of polish. I have been practising since May so I would bloody well hope so!!

Not much else to report. Wait a minute – how’s the fat-loss going? Pretty good actually – thanks for asking. I still have a way to go and I have a weigh in tomorrow after 9 solid days on the program-from-hell. I perceive I still have a good 5-6 kgs to go and only 7.5 weeks but I’m confident as I can be.

Now it's times for a little study before work at 2pm.