Sunday Shout Out – Week 8!

Today’s shout out is a special one, as I have a transformation to share with you all!  This weeks shout out goes to a man I have been following on instagram for the last few months.  I read his story and was very moved.  I started following him and I believe he is one of the most down to earth, real and inspirational people on instagram.  He is always supportive of others on their journeys and he has a sense of humour which is contagious.  If you have instagram I highly recommend checking out his page:  @biggieodonnell

Here is his story:

My Journey began 15 months ago… A severely obese close friend of mine (450 Lbs.) suffered a brain aneurysm. At the time I weighed 475 pounds trying to get into a bathroom big enough for a small person. His dead weight was almost impossible to stand him up. With the quick response of myself and paramedics he’s alive today. This happened on a Sunday. When I got home from the hospital I broke down in tears realizing that could of been me and no person small or big could handle such large weight and save my life. I didn’t sleep that night. At 430 am I went for a walk around the block. Winded and wanting to quit I made myself a promise not to give up. In 15 months I’ve lost 225 pounds due to healthy eating and basic heavy training with 90 minutes of daily cardio. My journey will never be done as I know my life has changed for the better and eager to help those who stand at the starting line I once stood at.

 

I love hearing about people striving to better themselves and are more than happy to help others in the process 🙂  It makes me happy!  Awesome work Biggie!  Keep it up 🙂

Sunday Shout Out Week 4!

This weeks Shout Out goes out to my good friend’s canine companion!

This little pug has recently shed a few kg and is currently in an intensive training program involving sitting, staying, dropping, shaking and high-fiving.  He  is currently in training to roll!  He has also recently discovered a love for the ocean!

Very proud of this little guy and am glad I got to spend some time with him and his owner as it has been far too long! I also got to meet her new man too. LOVE YOU ALL! xx

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 🙂

GRIT – Pump on speed!

My friend Coffee2Words and I both go to the same (awesome) gym.  When I first joined I started going to boxing/kickboxing classes with her, but then I realised it wasn’t really for me.  I really enjoy my weights training and so stuck with that – going on my own or to my PT sessions.  Recently my boyfriend has also joined and come along with me a couple of times so that’s good too.

Anyway, C2W decided she wanted to try GRIT:

I’m always up for trying something new and although the idea of it scared the crap out of me I figured it’s only 30 minutes – I could do that, right?

Well, yes, I did – but OMG!  Hardest 30 minutes of my life!  I have done Pump before, and my best way to explain GRIT is it’s like Pump on speed!  FULL ON the WHOLE 30 minutes!  But, as full on as it was, it was well worth it, as you can see from the below:

Although I did swear numerous times throughout the class and I thought I was going to die at one point it was a great class.  The best bit is it’s a full body work out – squats, lunges, push ups, curls, chest press, burpees, ab work and much more!  There was music playing, but to be completely honest I don’t think I even noticed it!  The instructor was awesome too – when we told him we were new he explained what we needed and kept us motivated the whole time.  He also mentioned that if we were to do it once a week we would definitely see results (WOO HOO!)

Next week apparently they move on to another release so it will be interesting what they do in that class.

So, yes – I’m going to pull my butt out of bed at 5:15am again next Tuesday to give GRIT another go.

I highly recommend it if you’re looking for something challenging, to kick-start your morning! LET’S GO TUESDAY!!!!!! 😉

Spring, Squats and Sugar free challenges

Dinner tonight was great – a good mix of protein, carbs and healthy fats (coconut oil):

And now, as I sit here at the kitchen table with a cup of green tea, I am glad I resisted the temptation of a creme caramel dessert in the fridge!

It’s been a while and I apologise – from this week on I have decided to schedule in a block of 1-2 hours each week entirely to blogging!  Reading other people’s latest posts in addition to writing my own.  Hopefully, in time, I can increase this back up to a couple of times a week but for now I think that’s an achievable goal.

So, what’s been happening I hear you ask?  

Morning vs Night Time Training

Before I begin with this post, I just wanted to make a point of mentioning one of the blog’s that I follow.  Although I haven’t had a lot of time lately to read many (if any) of the blogs I follow there is one in particular that almost always hits home when I do get the chance to scan the posts in my reader.  Pam Boyd’s blog is always full of useful tips and motivational sayings or just simply something that gets you thinking – and the post I read just now is no exception.  I recommend having a look if you get the chance!  Today’s post’s quote of “What You Allow, Is What Will Continue”  is so true – in all aspects of life….I feel sometimes that I don’t concentrate on fixing the little things – I’m always looking at the finishing line, wanting to be there when I still have the whole course to get through.  I try to take the short cut and end up right back where I began…

I guess that’s what we call learning?  You need to make mistakes to learn and if you keep trying the same things and you aren’t getting the results you need – well maybe it’s time to try something new?  Or for me, I think I need to remember that I must crawl before I can walk.  It’s frustrating but it’s true.