Week 2 was a tough one and I'm glad it's over! It's been a full on, emotional week which tested my ability to Just Do It! Due to an IVF procedure I wasn't able to do any exercise other than a 15-20 minute walk daily. This was doctors orders and when it comes to IVF, i definitely do whatever the doc says!
This was a bit of a blow to my overall motivation and to the momentum I had going in week 1.
[On a quick aside, I totally forget to mention that during week 1, my mum and I went did Aqua Fitness - highly recommended by my physio for my back - anyways we turned up and I saw a sea of grey hair. It was me an about 50 Over 60's... all whom were fitter than me!]
The walking is something I do daily anyway with our fabulous fur kid Louis Pierre so that was ok, but I felt wrong not doing anything after having such a great 1st week. There was no point dwelling though I just had to make sure I ate really well. [See shameless proud mother pic of Louis Pirrer attached to this post!]
What is amazing is that husband and I are doing the shopping together...and not killing each other! We use some shopping list App he found (Any List) which we can link together so that we can go in separate ways, cross items off the list as we get them and meet up at the end. GENIUS! The food has been great - especially breakfast. As I longtime breakfast skipper, I didn't realise how much variety you could have and how vital that we be to actually eating. The baked eggs was fabulous, the banana on toast - all great!
We had our treat night on Thursday night as I was working at our cafe Louis Baxters - we have a BYO and Tapas night. It's just a trial but hopefully we'll start doing it every Thursday & Friday night. My job is to be the host - find people tables, get them set up, help them to order and generally to create a good vibe. It was a great night and I felt at ease eating a small amount - it wasn't the healthiest fair, but it was delicious! It was a good test as whenever I'm at the cafe i tend to pick at things in the kitchen which can mean eating a whole lot of bad stuff!
This week has been emotionally tough also as my wonderful, talented business partner, Olympic Swimmer Eamon Sullivan faced the media with 5 of his teammates about an evening of team bonding in Manchester prior to the Olympics. Seeing him on TV, knowing what a fabulous guy he is, knowing that he is deeply sorry and saddened by the events and the ripple affect it has had - It just broke my heart. It showed me that for the past 15 years he has willingly sacrificed a 'normal' life for a sport he loves to represent a country he loves, all with the backing of the Australian public, as long as he Never Ever puts a foot wrong . Eamon is more than just a swimmer who made a mistake though - he's a talented cook, a loyal and loving friend, a great business partner and my biggest supporter during this 12WBT adventure.
Anyway, Eamon has always shown me that it is through adversity that grow stronger and can live to fight another day. So here's to week 3 - I'm back in business!
Just Do it - Best tagline for a sporting company ever! 3 words can have a huge impact.
JUST - no ifs, no buts, no excuses
DO - take action
IT - something, anything!
Seems simple enough and it is - just ask any person currently doing the Michelle Bridges 12WBT. Everyone I speak to who has done it or is currently doing it says how great it is - Michelle has done all the hard work for you - she tells you what to do, how to do it, when to do it and why do it - she's with you every step of the way!
When we did our first grocery shop we couldn't believe how much there was in our trolley - we'd never done such a big shop. But by the end of the week our fridge was almost empty and we couldn't get over the fact we'd eaten it all! We followed Mish's recipes and were never hungry - in fact I ate more than I had in a long time. By the end of the week my body was already adjusting to 3 regular meals and 2 snacks a day! I made sure I always had some snacks ready to go and I even took my lunch to my cafe so I wasn't tempted to eat something I shouldn't!
The exercise component came much easier than I expected - However if you look up uncoordinated you'll see a picture of me attempting aerobics! We'd bought a 3 pack of Michelle's DVD's, so I worked through those - thankful that she had a low impact option on every video. Each workout is broken into 5 minute segments meaning you can do as much or as little as you want and as Mish says, as least you're doing something! The more I did the easier it got and by the end of the week I was absolutely thrilled with my effort - despite my complete inability to make my arms work at the same time as the rest of my body!
It could have been so easy to give up on the exercise - recently I had a hand operation (carpel tunnel), was diagnosed with 2 bulging discs in my lower back and I have just started a 3rd round of IVF. I thought that exercising would be really difficult but it wasn't - If Mish was doing push ups, I did squats. If she was jumping, I did the low impact option. The reasons to not do something are all in my head - I just have to learn to override them!
I lost about 1.5 kilos in Week 1 and I am pretty chuffed with that!
So the Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation program begins with a fitness test. I put this off for as long as I could because I new this would be ugly!
Like many others, I used to be fit - not just fit, super fit - I was at WAIS for 4 years as the WA State Cox for the Rowing team - I had to weigh 45kilos... 45KILOS!!!!!! I had no fat on my body, I ate whatever I wanted, I exercised 2,3 times a day and I loved it.
When I finished my stint at WAIS, I was still extremely active - but then I moved to Sydney, my career started taking off and so did my partying lifestyle - it was all sex, drugs and rock & roll. Smoking, drinking, drugs and general partying kept me skinny for a while but when I left that life behind, I was faced with a new one - one where my metabalism and I were no longer friends.
Suddenly I was one of those people who simply had to look at food to gain weight. It didn't help that I predominantly worked on food and travel shows and pretty much ate my way through my career.
Somewhere along the way I forgot to importance of exercise. Exercise isn't just about losing weight - it does so much more than that. It can help you mentally, it makes you feel better even if you don't think you look better.
So that brings me to one Sunday, 2 weeks ago. I geared up. I mentally prepared for the fight ahead. First up the 1km run. I started with a gentle jog - I got about 400metres and thought that perhaps I might just die. I walked for a bit and then ran for a bit. I seriously thought my lungs would explode. I was so glad Andrew was the only person in that park because I looked like a mess - sweating, heavy breathing, uncoordination. But I did it!
After completeing that run I felt such a huge sense of relief and a determination to do better next time. I did the other tasks - my core strength is better than I thought due to years of pilates and I couldn't do pushups as I had carpel tunnel surgery on my left hand a few weeks before. But I did it and I know that to Michelle Bridges, that's all she wants from us - to do it....the rest will come. So everyday I can hear Mish in my ear saying just do it - every effort counts.
My husband Andrew and I realised that something needed to be done about our weight gain. We'd both steadily put on weight over the years. We are currently going through IVF to try and have a baby - so far we've had 2 miscarriages - this is not the bad new that it sounds like! For the first time in year, we have an answer to the question 'Can we even get pregnant' and the wonderful answer is yes! I put on some extra weight during those 2 short pregnancies and now it's time to start again with a clean slate, a better attitude and a better, healthier body.
I first met Michelle Bridges during Celebrity MasterChef - she was one of the contestants I was given [Others being my business partner Eamon Sullivan, Swans player Ryan O'Keefe Australian Cricketer Simon Katich (yep - all the sporty ones!) as well as INXS's Kirk Pengilly & Singer Alex Lloyd] Michelle is as energetic, positive and outgoing as she is on screen and she is infectious in a positive way. When I filmed with Mish, I wished I could be like her - active, healthy - she always looked great, was always happy and handled the stress of the show with ease. But I had a million and one excuses why I couldn't do it. I laughed it off. But now, some years later I have no more excuses, just a doctor saying it would be best to lose some weight and a mirror that constantly reminds me that I don't feel comfortable in my skin.
Please don't get me wrong - I have a very healthy love and acceptance of who I am. I do think I am beautiful - in and out, but i want a healthier body that I feel comfortable in.
And so, it was an easy decision to make - Andrew and I signed up together to partake in Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation.
