Apr 2014 to Dec 2014

Here's a quick Health and Fitness recap....

APRIL 2014

So I drag my butt to PT, struggle with my 100 skip warm up and then get told it's box jump day (heartsank). I start on the small step and bam 5 just like that so ofcourse the height gets raised and raised again and then I'm like 'let's just try the 20" box' of which I did 5 - yay me!!‪

MAY 2014

Sick again but still training when I can...heap of calf and shin pain :(

I had time to think about somethings while I was sick.....

You can't help what life throws at you, you just gotta go with it and hope you come out with lessons learnt and a new perspective once the whirlwind settles and debris is cleared!

Health and fitness is not a competition for me it is about being better than the person I was yesterday and running my own race. 

So many times we get caught up in wanting to look like another or be able to lift as heavy, run as fast but competing with others eventually brings you unstuck as when we compete against someone we set ourselves up to fail as we all have different strengths, weaknesses and goals. when it comes to training and nutrition. We all have our own goals and milestones we want to reach. It is our journey and ours alone, yes we can get support and encouragement along the way and use another as inspiration but we can't allow ourselves to feel defeated over another's accomplishments when we are yet to achieve them. because at the end of the day, the only person you need to be better than is who you were yesterday, as no one else's opinion matters if you truly love who you are! So with that said here's to us all striving for gold and celebrating success together.

JUNE 2014

Surgery to have screws removed from my knee and and a good clean out - OUCH!!

JULY 2014

Don't let not being able to do want you want to do / feel you should do, take away the joys of that which you can.

Rehabilitation after an injury/surgery can be very frustrating but there is always something that you can work on and with the right people offering guidance and support even snail pace can feel rewarding. A big thing that I am learning is to not push beyond where you currently are as it will only hinder progress in the long run, so with that said I am happily crawling along and ensuring that I retreat within my shell for rest and recouperation when needed.

After a 6 week break and 3 weeks post op from knee surgery I went back to training and was really happy with how it went and my trainer and I have set some goals in place to improve stability and hamstring/quad strength and eliminate the limp, so there is a few weeks of work ahead of me. One thing I was really happy with was being able to plank for a full minute. I also bit the bullet and got on the dreaded scales this morning to find that I had only gained 100 grams, admittedly body fat was up and muscle was down (hence why I feel blah) but that was to be expected considering a half arsed effort at keeping my nutrition clean and being sedentary for a few weeks. I so happy to be back at doing something I love and working towards smashing my goals with the amazing support and encouragement of my trainer @thecraigharvey.

AND THEN.....this happened!!

SICK AGAIN!!!!!! Daily antibiotic injections SUCK!!!

AUGUST 2014

That mentality of how we think it 'should' be is what prevents us from actually being present in the moment and living what 'it is' - chaos, smooth sailing, a roller coaster ride, it's all part of the bigger picture, the illusion called the 'normality of life'. 

My nutrition went down hill a bit recently due to boredom, lazyness, unorganisation and admittedly not being well and so I decided it was time for a boost of new deliciously healthy recipies and joined up to do the Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation Challenge.

SEPTEMBER 2014

So I'm going to head off my Fitness Journey path just for a minute as I believe this is something really important to share...

R U OK?

Whilst this photo (taken a year ago) is incredibly raw and emotional, please know that I am not depressed or in a negative head space (in a shit of a mood on the other hand is a different story - lets just say heartless selfish men shit me!). I am posting this photo to make an impact and to remind people that you cannot always judge a book by its cover. So regardless of a smile, positive outlook or strong nature be sure to take the time to ask how someone 'really' is because you may be the one that they open up to and remove the mask for.

Quite often we tend to answer with the words 'I'm fine' when really there is so much more we want to say.

OK, back to my Fitness Journey again :)

I saw this posted this morning and felt it was a strong message to share, especially after such a moving speech given at the Moorabool Relay For Life candlelight ceremony....

The only hit that keeps you knocked out is the one you don't get back up from and keep fighting - NEVER KEEP UP!! 

Despite being incredibly sore from a knee that refused to cooperate (thus throwing out my hip and back) during my midnight - early morning laps, I went off to a PT session hoping it involved more arms than legs lol.

My lap beads :)

I think this is the motto of my life....the snail is a true representation of how I felt moving around the relay track LOL.

Guess what I did?

I learnt to do and did my first ever handstand against the wall WHOO HOO!! I still have a fair bit of fear to overcome (hence the mats under my head) but I am ultra determined to get to a point that it's just second nature and not take me 3 attempts to kick my legs up there. A huge thank you to @tonilane74 at @invictusfitness for her encouragement and support (sorry for the kick in the head 😱). @thecraigharvey look what we get up to when your away 😜. OMG my heart is still pounding out of my chest *squeal*

OCTOBER 2014

Today I ticked a goal off my list....I made it across the monkey bars smile emoticon Admittedly it was one rung at a time, but its a start AND just to be sure it wasn't a fluke - I did it again WHOO HOO!

Started C25km and loving my progress (did a 2km non stop run), PT is going awesome, nutrition is clean...KICKING GOALS!!! and then.......

Monday afternoon doing something as simple as walking from one room to another I rolled my ankle - OUCH! Yesterday I was in a really horrible head space (in a bitch of a mood to be brutally honest!) and went in search of 'chocolate' but as I couldn't find any I have a bowl of Milo cereal instead, which only added to my already terrible mood (lucky I couldn't find any chocolate). Today, despite my family telling me I was stupid for going I went to training and worked around my injury. Admittedly I went to training feeling ultra frustrated and in a bad head space, but I left feeling AWESOME and in a much better mood. This afternoon however, I ended up at the doctors (yet again) and sent for xrays with what they are suspecting to be a 'stress fracture'. Now whilst yesterday this would of sent me on a downward spiral, tonight I head to bed knowing that tomorrow is a new day and that where there is a will there is a way :) Besides, I've kicked some awesome goals despite my knee being dodgy so I can totally keep working towards Fit, Forty and Fabulous (which is just around the corner) with a bung ankle! So here I am re-inspired, determined, dedicated and ready to keep on persisting. Not being able to run for a week or so is not the end of the world in the grand scheme of things - there is always somethings that I can do to work towards my goals.

NOVEMBER 2014

Life itself is pretty shit right now which means no training but I did do MISS MUDDY....

I am so proud of myself for trying 'every' one of the obstacles. There was only two that I feel beat me - the rope climbing wall (I got half way and swapped to the one with a step half way instead) and the balance beams. But, it just means I continue working on it so next time - I stick it! The highlight of my day was facing my fear of heights and sliding down the huge inflatable slide....admittedly I screamed the whole way down but it was so exhilarating!!!

DECEMBER 2014

HAPPY 40th BIRTHDAY TO ME :)

Fit, Forty & Fabulous!

And just like that, its the end of the year....GOODBYE 2014

“Tomorrow, is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one.” - Brad Paisley

As I sit here to write this I am filled with a myriad of emotion and so instead of reflecting I am simply going to say that I am thankful for the lessons, I am thankful for the challenges, I am thankful for the people who showed me true friendship, support, encouragement and love, I am thankful that I am here to see the end of another year and I am thankful that I get to continue to live each day writing the chapters that are yet to come in 2015. Sometimes there are detours along the way, sometimes life throws a punch that knocks you fair and square on your arse, sometimes you need to change your goals to fit your current circumstances, sometimes you don't want to keep fighting....BUT, YOU are a fighter! YOU have what it takes to reach your goals, YOU are worth getting back up again and moving forward. NEVER GIVE UP! 

Dedication! Persistance! Determination!