Figure Photo of the Day

Beltane Sabbat

Beltane Sabbat is a fire and fertility festival where we welcome summer and it's celebrated on the 31st October. It's also the day that we were handfasted (a modern pagan wedding ritual where the couple's hands are tied together by a cord). So to celebrate we're going out for dinner to a new restaurant Rockpool Melbourne in at Crown Casino owned by Neil Perry. I have no doubt the meal will be nothing short of spectacular.

Lucky me, I'm at home today enjoying some quality time with my wonderful husband. So on that note I best cut this post short.

Have a wonderful day! :o)

Happy Handfasting Anniversary Honey

Bodybuilding Photo of the Day

Photograph Courtesy
of
Dallas Olsen

Figure Posts

Just a quick post. I'm drugged up to the eyeballs with panadeine forte and will be taking a sleeping tablet very shortly and retiring early for hopefully a pain free night's sleep, fingers crossed.

I've added a new page element to my blog titled "Figure Posts". This is set up so you can easily find information from my previous posts that are either useful or important for us figure girls. If there's any posts that come to mind you think worthy of including please let me know and I'll include them too. :o)

Good Morning

Random Photo of the Day,

Photograph Courtesy
of
Dallas Olsen

Quote of the Day

"Desire is the most important factor
in the success of any athlete."

-- Willie Shoemaker

Ladies please read this and share your thoughts

Thankyou Charlotte for copying and pasting parts of this information. I hope you don't mind my copying and pasting it for everyone to share. It's a must read for all of us figure competitors. :o)

Rebound Effect

You’re a fitness enthusiast about to enter your first competition. You’ve talked to other competitors, read about contest preparation, studied the diets of the champions, and pored over lists of tips and tricks. Music has been chosen and your choreography is in the works. Water intake is up, protein is the staple of your diet and you’ve clocked so many miles at the gym you’re thinking about buying your own treadmill. Hip to the inside scoop on posing, tanning, and walking on stage, your confidence is high. Your mind is firmly focused on taking home the trophy.

But are you prepared for what happens after the contest?

There is a dirty little secret associated with fitness and bodybuilding competition that before now hasn’t been discussed — the virtually universal post-contest rebound effect. Familiar with the term “yo-yo” dieting? It’s not just your mother’s nightmare; even bodybuilding and fitness champions will gain weight after they stop the highly restrictive diets that are required to achieve the extremely low body fat levels they need to be competitive. It is a consequence that is almost never talked about, and therefore, rarely anticipated. Strict competition diets and training programs work, even for non-competitors. But the extreme results can’t — and shouldn’t — last forever. Anyone who is considering entering a competition should be prepared to deal with the physical and, more importantly, the emotional impact of returning to a more normal eating program.

The goal of pre-contest dieting is to lose as much fat as possible, and to achieve this, most competitors undergo a highly restricted eating and exercise plan that starts 12 to 16 weeks before the competition. As the macronutrient balance shifts toward high-protein, moderate carbs and low fat, the competitor’s body begins to shed both fat and water. As the intensity of the pre-contest diet increases, the competitor’s mind compiles a list of foods that she can’t wait to eat when the show is over. Most athletes want to celebrate, or simply reward months of sacrifice with a feast right after the competition. Some will take their indulgence a step further and immediately resume an off-season diet. This type of competitor may also stop taking the fat burners that helped her get through her twice-daily cardio workouts, cut back on the cardio or stop altogether, and decrease the intensity of her weight training sessions. Such an abrupt change in eating patterns and workout schedules will shock the body and cause a rebound effect. While enduring a calorie-restricted diet, a competitor’s body tends to go into a starvation-survival mode, which subsequently causes her metabolism to slow down. When she starts to eat a few more calories, her body will quickly store them as fat, stocking up for the next “famine.” Within a couple of days, her hard, lean appearance will “smooth out” primarily due to water being pulled into the muscles when glycogen (from carbs) floods the body. After even one week of less controlled eating and drastic reductions in her training intensity, she will regain body fat. This is the very same “yo-yo” effect that plagues many conventional dieters.

Although the physical effects of diet rebounding could be harmful if taken to the extreme, perhaps the more significant impact is the psychological one. To a fitness or bodybuilding competitor, this kind of rebound can be emotionally devastating. She may only rebound to half as much body fat as she started with, but to someone who has been in the single digits, that small increase may feel like an enormous failure. One day, the competitor is onstage presenting her perfectly sculpted and lean physique, subjecting herself to the judgment of a panel of strangers, and within a couple of weeks, she feels fat, bloated, and self-conscious. The form-fitting clothing that she bought to show off her hard work is snug, her six-pack is gone and she feels embarrassed by her sudden weight gain. The judges at her competition weren’t nearly as critical of her as she is of herself at this point. “It’s amazing the kind of pressure we put on ourselves,” says personal nutritionist Keith Klein, CN, former champion bodybuilder, and founder of the Institute of Eating Management of Houston, Texas. “When you start your diet at 20% body fat and get to 15%, you’re on top of the world; from 15% to 12%, you feel like wearing only your underwear all day; then when you get to 6%, you can’t believe that you’ve reached the best condition of your life. But once you begin to rebound, you feel as fat at 10% as you did at 20%.

The problem isn’t that she’s lost her willpower or control over her body; it’s that the competitor’s standards for herself are unrealistic. Rebounding is the reality. It is normal. In fact, it is a mistake to believe that one can achieve and sustain a sharp, competition look year-round. It may help to know that most of photos that fill the pages of health and fitness magazines are taken at competition time, and are not indicative of how even champion competitors look in the off-season. “Competition shape is unnatural,” says Lee Labrada, former world champion professional bodybuilder and a past winner of the IFBB Mr. Universe, and founder and President of Labrada Bodybuilding Nutrition. “Your body has a thermostat — and it seeks to maintain its body fat level around a constant amount.”

Patty Urrutia, age 30, didn’t know how to transition from pre-competition to post-competition eating after her first Miss Fitness contest in 1994. “I had worked so hard to achieve my physique, and I didn’t want to lose it,” she said. “I wanted to continue with the high-protein diet, but I also wanted to eat some of the foods that I missed. I ended up doubling the amount of calories that I needed and gained a lot of weight.” Patty competed in another Miss Fitness and two Galaxy contests after that, going through the rebound cycle each time. After her last contest in 1998, she realized that she would rather return to a more normal eating routine than to make the sacrifices necessary to keep her body fat at 7%. She now maintains a healthy, feminine physique at around 16% body fat, and allows herself to indulge in what she calls “fun foods” in moderation. “I don’t want food to be a focal point, just a part of my healthy lifestyle.”

For some, the only way to reverse a rebound and a corresponding sense of failure is to begin another competition diet. Whereas winning, placing or simply entering a contest used to be the goal, now they become the means to an unattainable goal — physical perfection.

Laryn McCandless, age 22, will have competed nine times in three years by the end of 2001— including a bodybuilding competition, four Galaxy competitions, two NPC fitness contests and an upcoming NPC Figure competition, a Women’s Tri-Fitness and the Fitness America pageant. Although she’s experienced the rebound each time, the emotional impact is still significant. “It’s hard to watch yourself gain weight, and then look at your competition pictures,” she says. “I feel guilty and unhappy.” Laryn has decided to win the rebound battle by avoiding it completely. In effect, she plans to convert her pre-contest diet into a strict lifestyle that allows for few days off.

Unfortunately, for women, there are health risks associated with having too little body fat. Some of these risks include hypothermia, vitamin toxicity, cessation of the menstrual cycle, and osteoporosis. Hal Louis, founder of Better Reflections: Fitness through Strategic Training, Inc., believes that a female athlete should carry enough body fat to maintain her menstrual cycle. “You must take your health into consideration,” he says. “You can still look great at 14-16% body fat.”
So how can a competitor avoid this emotional rollercoaster? “The solution lies mainly in adopting a more realistic, accepting view of your body,” says Klein. “You need to realize that 10% or 12% or 15% body fat is totally acceptable — especially since you felt good about yourself when you first got there on the way down to your competition shape.”

An athlete must go into a competition knowing that she is trying to achieve a temporary condition of leanness, and accept that her body fat will return to a more natural level. With this in mind, she can prepare for a smooth transition, extending the discipline she’s gained from dieting and training for competition into a healthy program that she can maintain for life.

Advice from Experts: How to Control a Rebound

Lee Labrada, President of Labrada Bodybuilding Nutrition:
When done correctly, a methodical reduction in the amount of carbohydrates can help you achieve your ideal shape. To maintain your physique after a competition, you have to follow the natural laws of metabolism: base your diet on small, frequent feedings, consume adequate protein to maintain muscle mass (the foundation of metabolism) and manipulate carbohydrate and fat calories to meet your energy needs.

Keith Klein, founder of the Institute of Eating Management:
Even if your intentions are to stay lean after a contest, when you start eating more normally, your brain is going to turn up your appetite. The body doesn’t know the difference between true starvation and the purposeful withholding of food. Have an exit strategy with a formula that will work for you. For example, when the competition is over, celebrate and eat whatever you want that night and for brunch the next day. But on Monday, resume your clean eating, except for a “cheat day” once per week.

Hal Louis, founder of Better Reflections:
If it took you 12 weeks to get into contest shape, allow at least 8 weeks to return to an eating program that you can maintain for life, slowly adding back small portions of “normal” food. Continue with your cardio and weight training, and strive to stay within 10-15 lbs. of your competition weight. Remember that you have achieved what millions fail to do every day!

Humorous Poster of the Day

Making choices

Carefully consider your choices. But don't get so consumed with making the perfect choice that you fail to make any choice at all.

Most choices will involve some degree of compromise. In the real world, the perfect option may not be available to you.

Instead of holding out for a perfect choice that never does come, make the best choice from the options available to you. It's better to move forward with a slight degree of disappointment than to be endlessly stuck on making a decision.

Carefully and wisely consider your options, then go ahead and choose one. Take what you have to work with and begin actually working with it to create real value in your world.

Remember that the fulfillment of your dreams is a journey and not a single step. It is unrealistic and counterproductive to expect that a single choice will solve all your problems or instantly bring you everything you ever hoped for.

Over time, careful, intelligent choices will get you precisely where you want to go, even though each individual choice will involve a little compromise. Keep choosing the best every chance you get, and those dreams will indeed become real.

-- Ralph Marston

Figure Photo of the Day

Mondays Ramblings

I'm excited at the prospect of competing in the INBA All Female Classic. But it isn't without it's challenges. Every competitor is faced with challenges of varying different kinds. For this competition preparation I have quite a few due to my being on the elimination diet. I don't have a great deal of flexibility like I normally would so I have to make the best of what I can in this situation. I'm also still not allowed any protein powder, l-glutamine or thermogenics so I just have to be patient. My protein has to come from food sources, my training recovery rate has doubled in time because I can't supplement with l-glutamine and for fat burning I have to rely on calorie reduction and/or increased cardio. :o)

Then on top of that is shoulder surgery, but I'm not going to use this as an excuse. Where there's a will, there's always a way. I'll also be moving my home and work at the end of the year but I'm getting used to moving during my competition preparation. LOL!! I'm a big candidate for not making excuses, so in saying that I'm still going ahead and by doing this will prove that nothing's impossible. It's been done before by others with much bigger challenges than mine so I know that I can do it! As we say in the military, I have to build a bridge and get over it. No point making excuses or even sooking about it because I've made this choice so I have to get on with it. My glass if half full and not half empty. It won't be easy but it's not impossible and that's the key. :o)

So today's training was:

5km Ride Into Work
2 x 10 Chinups
2 x 5 Deadlifts
2 x 10 One Arm Row
2 x 10 Seated Row
2 x 10 Cable Curl
2 x 20 Exercise Ball Ab Crunch
5km Ride Back Home

Now obviously due to my shoulder I reverted back to baby weights. Realistically I shouldn't even be training upper body just yet but as an athlete that's not an option. So I'll continue to train my upper body but keeping in mind not to further aggravate my injury. Speaking of my shoulder, it's stuffed! The cortisone hasn't worked this time which was really disappointing and has left me in a hell of a lot of pain and discomfort. I'm seeing my doctor tomorrow and hoping that he can drug me right up until I meet with the surgeon to discuss my options which is next Monday. I'll manage as I always do. :o)

I've also chosen to compete in Ms Figure Open (Class 3) at the All Females because that's what division I competed in last year to be able to qualify for the Natural Olympia. Technically I could step back into Intermediate Class if I wanted but for me personally that would be taking a step backwards. I made the choice to compete in open in the first place and I'm sticking with it no matter what. I work better when under pressure. LOL!!

I think that'll do for today. I've just got back from the gym, eaten and typed up my blog so I probably should get back to work. LOL!! Priorities ladies, I'm thinking of you. LOL!! Have a fabulous day! :o)

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT

I'm entering in the
2008 All Female Classic
Ms Figure Open (Class 3)
Saturday 12th July 2008

Figure Photo of the Day

Minnie Cavanagh
2008 ANB Australian Open Figure & Figure Overall Champion

Photograph Courtesy
of
Dallas Olsen

The Girls

Combatgirl, Rae & Charlotte

Well here are the three lovely ladies I had the pleasure of having lunch with today. Amello's was (if I do say so myself) quite a good selection as we all thoroughly enjoyed our meals. The best part was sitting down with other like minded people and sharing our experiences. :o)

Sorry but this is going to be short and sweet. Losing an hours sleep this morning due to daylight savings is starting to catch up with me. I'll be back to post later, I promise. ;o)

P.S. Actually no, I won't be back to post later on. I forgot, it's earlier than normal starts this week at work so I'll be heading to bed shortly. I'll think of you all snuggled up in your beds when my alarm goes off tomorrow at 0355hrs. *eeek* So posts this week might be far and few between and/or short. My priorities for this week are eating, training, working, studying and sleeping.

Have a lovely evening and a fun filled week ahead. xx

Humorous Poster of the Day,

10 ways to sleep at night

GETTING lost on your way to the land of nod? Read on and you'll soon be sleeping like a baby.

1. Establish a bedtime ritual

Take a bath, sip a cup of herbal tea or sit quietly and read a book – whatever helps you to relax.

Meditation, deep breathing, using aromatherapy or essential oils or indulging in a massage can help, too.

Once you’ve found a bedtime ritual that relaxes you, repeat it each night to help you release the day’s tensions. Children usually have bedtime routines – adults should too.

2. Find your rhythm

Try to go to bed, and wake up, at the same time each day, even at the weekend.

This helps your body get into a sleep rhythm and makes it easier to fall asleep at night and get up in the morning.

After a while, your body will wake itself up naturally at the same time each day. Eight hours’ sleep is ideal for most adults. Try not to under- or over-sleep.

3. On the nightstand

Keep your bedside table clutter-free.

A soft lamp, a book or two, perhaps a photo of your loved ones and a glass of water are all you need. Don’t allow clutter or dust to build up.

The last thing you want to do is knock it all off by accident during the night and disturb your sleep. Your bedroom should be a sanctuary conducive to rest.

4. Turn out the light

Make sure your bedroom is quiet, well-ventilated and dark. If there is even the tiniest bit of light in the room it can disrupt your circadian rhythm.

If you need to get up during the night to go to the bathroom, avoid bright lights. As soon as you turn on a bright light, you cease production of melatonin, an important sleep aid.

A bright light also gives cues to your brain that it is time to get up.

5. Hide your clock

If you need to have an alarm clock in your room, turn it so that you can’t see the time if you wake up during the night.

It will only add to your worry about not being able to get back to sleep if you’re constantly staring at it and watching the minutes tick by.

You’ll start to obsess about how much time you have left before you need to get up.

6. Count your blessings

Once you’re in bed and ready to sleep, remind yourself of three blessings you received during the day that you are grateful for.

It may sound cheesy, but this technique can help settle your mind and is a nice way to round off the day, leaving you with a positive feeling.

They don’t have to be monumental, either. You can be thankful for a sunny day, a phone call from a friend, or watching a funny movie.

7. Tune in to tune out

Listening to the radio at a low volume can help lull you to sleep. Whether you listen to talkback or a classical music station is up to you.

Alternatively, you could listen to some relaxing CDs – any background noise that helps you relax and drift off.

8. Late-night sleeplessness

If you’re still awake after trying to fall asleep for 30 minutes, don’t lie there tossing and turning.

Get up, go to another room and sit quietly for about 20 minutes before going back to bed. Do a little light reading or drink a glass of milk, but don’t switch on the TV or computer.

It will overstimulate your mind.

9. Don’t worry, be sleepy

If your restlessness is caused by worrying, keep a notepad close to your bed and jot down what’s keeping you awake.

Promise yourself you’ll deal with it in the morning, then try to get some sleep.

This may take a while to get used to, but once you get it to work, you’ll find it becomes easier for your brain to let go of troubling thoughts.

10. Morning has broken

When you wake in the morning, resist the urge to hit the snooze button; instead, get up right away.

Expose yourself to bright light or sunlight soon after wakening – this helps regulate your body’s natural biological clock.

Do some gentle stretching, have a shower, eat breakfast and greet the new day with a smile

By Nicola Conville
Link

Figure Photo of the Day

Look what I found

Simple Memory Art

"Did you know cauliflower is high in vitamin C? Do you know how many calories are in an apricot? Our new 50 Healthy Foods magnet set has the answers and much more! Each food magnet includes key nutrients, calories, fat, fiber, and protein information to make choosing a healthy meal easy and fun! Just snap the magnets apart and arrange them on your refrigerator. Match up your favorites for a tasty meal or experiment with new and different combinations!"

I'm finding out if they ship to Australia. Becuase if they do I'm buying a set of these to put up on my fridge at home. You're never to old to learn and these would be another great tool to further my knowledge. :o)

Quote of the Day,

"He who stops being better stops being good."

-- Oliver Cromwell

Packing, Studying, Exams & Lunch

This is what my house currently looks like. So as you can see for yourselves packing is in full swing here at Team Halsall. I've packed up the guest room and all that's left to do is clean it now. Slowly but surely we're getting there. Luckily though, we have a brand new house to move into on 20th December. So due to the date we've cancelled xmas this year, it's no big deal to us as it's just another day. We won't eat differently and in all honesty we'll probably end up going to the gym as we're both training right through xmas break this year. :o)


My studying's coming along in leaps and bounds. I've procrastinated long enough so I've shifted things up into fifth gear so that I can pick up my qualifications before the end of the year. I have another exam coming up, Exercise Science & Postural Screening. This has been my least favourite subject so far but none the less it serves a very important purpose. Not only do I have a laminated poster of the muscular system but I also picked up one of the skeletal system. Great tools to have and both have been used for other things than my studies, don't you just love ebay shopping. I'll also be sending of my assessment sheets for the Advanced Exercise Programming & Resistance Training (great subject) next week. Following that will be that exam. That'll be three down and two to go, so I'm getting there. :o)


Last but not least will be the ladies luncheon tomorrow. I'll be picking up Miss Rae who will fly in from the 2008 INBA Australian Titles and taking her to Amello's at St. Kilda for lunch. She had some time to kill until her sister finished work so we decided to organise a catchup which turned into a ladies luncheon. There's actually quite a few of us going, some that I know some that I don't but I have no doubt it'll be a great day. And yes I'm taking my camera with me. And yes I know I have to post photos up. LOL!! Gee the pressure of it all. LOL!!

Well that's me all caught up. Time for me to hit the books now. Enjoy the rest of your day and have a fabulous weekend! xx

Figure Photo of the Day,

Minnie Cavanagh
2008 ANB Australian Open Figure & Figure Overall Champion

Photograph Courtesy
of
Dallas Olsen

2008 INBA Australian Titles

Go Rae! Go Rae! Go Rae!
Best of luck today. :o)
xx

Motivational Poster of the Day

Feel good about life

When you can change things for the better, do it. When you're unable to make any changes in the way things are, you still can change the way you feel.

And your feelings will end up changing your world. Because your feelings have an effect on what you do from moment to moment.

The person you feel like being is the person you will become. The life you most feel like living is the life you will find yourself experiencing.

Feel good about your life, and almost immediately your life will begin to align with that feeling. In each area, on every level, you'll start creating the results that validate and fulfill the feelings.

It may at first seem ridiculous or impossible to feel good when things are not going well. Actually, though, feeling good is really quite pleasant and something you can easily do whenever you choose.

So decide to feel good about life, right here, right now, and as often as possible. Put your feelings to positive use, and they'll help you build a more positive life.

-- Ralph Marston

Random Photo of the Day