A Letter To Myself.

6 weeks ago, I joined up for the June round of the Michelle Bridges’ 12 Week Body Transformation (12WBT). The past 6 weeks have been the “pre-season” and involved 2 tasks and a weekly challenge each week to mentally and physically prepare you for the program.  Yesterday was the first day of the program, in which you are provided with a weekly menu and exercise program.  Like the pre-season, each week there is a Weekly Challenge and as Michelle says “In order to know how far you’ve come, you need to know where you started”; so this week the challenge is to write a letter to yourself.  I decided to write my letter here on my blog.  That way I am putting it right out there.  Keeping myself more accountable than I could otherwise!!!  It’s also easier for me to look back on at the end.  So here goes….

Hi!

So, the 12WBT is underway!  How am I feeling?  Well, honestly, I’m scared…I’m scared of failing.  Of losing motivation and momentum and just giving up.  Of giving in to temptation…

BUT I am also excited.  Yesterday was day one and I smashed it!  I made breakfast and lunch from the recipes on the menu plan and they were delicious!  And for lunch, I was out and about so instead of making the sandwich on the menu myself, I went to a sandwich shop and ordered it there.  I could have easily made some excuse but no, I didn’t and felt super proud of myself afterwards.

I guess that’s the reason I’m scared… in the past I’ve given up… I’ve made excuses and I’ve given in to temptation.  Hence why I’m here.  In April last year I completed a 5km fun run without stopping – now, I can’t even run 1km anymore!!  I’ve put on the weight I lost and I’m not feeling healthy.  I am determined to get back to where I was.  I’ve done it before, so I can certainly do it again.

The biggest challenges I am going to face will be my willpower!  Talking myself out/around things.  I need to stop that!  I need to cut the crap and excuses and JFDI!!!!  Organisation is also going to be a challenge as I’ve never managed it for long previously.  So my diary is going to play a bigger role than ever.  And ensuring I have done the grocery shopping for at least the next day.  It’s really not hard – I need to tell myself that!

The achievement that will make me the proudest will actually be cooking some decent meals!  Getting out of my comfort zone and actually learning to love the kitchen!  And of course hitting my goal weight.  That would be a HUGE achievement for me!

For me, I need support; and the biggest support of all are the people I see regularly.  My partner, my family and his family and our friends.  The problem is – all of these people can potentially be saboteurs too.  I need them to encourage me – I thrive off being told I am doing a good job.  I am not so good with criticism.  I guess most people would be the same!  The hardest thing is when a friend or family member says “Would you like a [cake]… come on, one won’t hurt!” – they may think they aren’t doing anything wrong but it’s really difficult and not fair!

Michelle mentions that it can be hard to give yourself the advice you need and asks what words of encouragement would your best friend or loved one give you as you start this journey, so I think they would say to me, “You can do this!  You just have to believe in yourself.  Stop doubting your ability and just do it!  I have faith in you”

And that’s it.  I CAN do this!  (Look how I’m going with my Dechox challenge!!)  I just need to trust and believe.  It’s not about the destination…. it never is.  It’s about the journey – and I want to make this the best journey I can for me. 

STOP WISHING.  START DOING.

What are you waiting for? Now is the perfect time!

Whilst watching a lecture on motivation for uni, I came across this video which I really liked.  Enjoy 🙂

And on a side note, yesterday was my 2 year anniversary with WordPress.  I can’t believe it’s been two years since I decided to start blogging.  For those that have stuck with me – thank you!

Time. Dedication. Patience.

You hold out your palm.

You look at the tiny seed.

You make a small hole and place it in its own patch of dirt.

You are careful to remove any weeds in the surrounding area.

You take care to water it, nurture it, keep it free of bugs, allow it to get enough sunlight, you talk to it – offering words of encouragement as over time it sprouts out of the earth, cautiously, unsure.

It takes dedication.

It takes belief.

In time it grows into a magnificent flower.  Big, bright and beautiful.  Bringing joy to all around it.

Each of us is like a seed – we all have the potential to grow into a big, beautiful flower, full of life, love and happiness.  Bringing colour to the lives of everyone we meet.  All we need is a bit of patience.  Just like a flower – it won’t happen overnight, but give it time and it will happen.

Make sure you nurture yourself.  Keep yourself free from those “bugs” who are not going to do you any favours!  Fuel yourself with wholesome foods, talk to yourself positively, hydrate, take some time to do things you enjoy, and most importantly LOVE yourself.

Monday Motivation!

I saw this picture on Facebook and thought it was a good quote to kick-start the week 🙂

You may have fallen off the wagon a little over the weekend, or even had a great weekend but have that feeling of “Mondayitis” and need a little pick-me-up.  Hope this helps!

Happy Monday everyone! x

Thought for the week….

I’m not going to apologise for the lack of posts lately and I’m not going to make any promises as to the regularity of my posts either. Why? Because, I’ve come to realise over the past month (although – eep – I can’t believe it’s almost been a month since my last post!) that sometimes life gets in the way. Sometimes some things get pushed aside so you can concentrate on others….
This picture is an awesome example of a switch in my attitude towards my fitness. It’s funny when something inside your head changes…suddenly you find the motivation to commit and it makes things a whole lot easier and more enjoyable.
Then you have to remain committed…and that’s the next step. That’s a step I tripped over a little this week, but I’m pulling myself up and dusting myself off and I’ll try again next week.
What am I talking about you ask? Well, recently I had a real hard think about what I want to achieve and set some goals for myself. One goal was to decrease my Body Fat % and lose 12 kg (26.5 pounds for those who do not use the metric system) by my 30th birthday. I’ve lost a little ground but I know if I stick with the training and eating plan my trainer and I have rejigged I will get there!
I’ll explain more about these goals later…
Until then, take care of yourselves 🙂

Self Belief

On the 4th of September a work colleague and I decided to give “Squatember” a go.  For more info, check out my previous posts – here and here.

Today, being the 30th of September, was the final day.  250 Squats!

Looking back to the 4th of September when we had to cram 3 days worth (165)  into one day, it had been a struggle and I looked towards the last day thinking “250 squats OMG!”  But now, I can say, with a huge smile on my face “I DID IT!!!”

And this is the first time I have set myself a challenge and actually stuck to it.  Not once did I cheat!  And I can feel the benefits too!  I may not really be able to SEE them yet, but my butt certainly feels a little more firm!

So, what have I learnt from this challenge?

1. That if I really want something I CAN DO IT!!!!

2. That there was never a point where I thought I wouldn’t be able to do it…I just expected myself to do it.  I think that’s the key – if you simply just believe – you don’t doubt yourself – you just…well..do it!

3.  I’ve learnt different ways to squat and that breaking up a challenge into smaller, more manageable tasks is definitely the way forward.

4. I’ve also found having my little calendar up on the wall both at work and home where I could cross off each day was a big help and kept me motivated!!

All up I’m stoked, that I’ve proven to myself I actually can do something.  Normally I get impatient or forget and then give up…this time, I’m not quite sure what was different but I want to give myself a huge pat on the back for sticking with it!  I’ve now decided I’m going to keep doing the squats into October – probably not as many but a minimum of 50 a day!  TOO EASY!

Next month is going to be “Upper Body Rocktober” so I’m hanging out to see what exactly this involves and SMASHING my second challenge in a row 🙂