Shopping shopping and more shopping

I've been busy researching online again for my next lot of purchases. My skins are close to retiring so I'm in the market for a brand new set. This time around I'm getting both a top and bottoms. They've been an invaluable tool and when it comes to recovery, it really does make a difference. These compression garmets are more than meets the eye, if you want to know more check out their website here.


I'm also due for a new pair of Asics Gel-Kayano 14 (W) . I've been wearing these runners for some time now and I'm still extremely happy with them. Now all I need to do is shop around for a good price as they're some what expensive to buy at full retail. I seem to be on a fitness shopping spree at the moment doesn't it. LOL!! And it doesn't stop there either, there's more.


Wonder Woman (AKA Lisa) our resident power lifter has been kindly helping me out with my squatting technique. Once again, it was back to the drawing board for me again. I started off well but found myself reverting back to old habits and in turn losing my confidence. I'd obviously tried my best to remedy the situation but wasn't successful so this time round I knew I needed to tackle the beast from a different angle. So I emailed an expert and let me tell you her advice has been worth it's weight in gold. I have never in my life squatted like I'm squatting now and everything about it is totally different. My warmups are done just using the bar and my working sets are still only using baby weights. I have to walk before I can run so it's one step at a time at the moment. There's one saying that comes to mind and that is "if at first you don't succeed try try again". It's been a frustrating journey at times but I'm glad I persevered and got to where I am now. So anyway, when I was squatting this week someone had left their Manta Ray on the squat bar. I'd not seen one or even knew what one was but my hubby did. He's wanted one for some time now but just hadn't got around to getting one. I tried it out to see what it was like and I loved it. It's much more comfortable and with less strain. So I've added it to our next shopping list at Bodybuilding.com with supplements and dream tan.

Silly me, I've just realised after visiting INBA today that they've changed the venue for the INBA All Female Classic. It's now being held at Glen Eira Auditorium, Cnr. Glen Eira & Hawthorn Rds, Caulfield. So that'll be exciting, I've not competed at this venue so it'll be interesting to see what it is like. Especially the lighting conditions, that can have a huge impact on a competitors tan. It'll all work out in the end though.

Well it appears I'll be doing some travelling in the not so distant future to the Gold Coast. JD wants to see me in the lead up to my competition. In between my trips he'll also be travelling down here to Melbourne. Everything about this experience so far is so very different to what I'm used to andd let me tell you I'm excited. When I'm up there I'll hopefully be staying with the very lovely Lindy Olsen as well as seeing Jo Rogers. We'll fine tune my costume fitting as well as polish up my posing. So as you can see it'll be a very busy trip each time I travel up there but oh so worth it.

So as you can see life isn't turning out to be so quiet as I had planned. Oh well, what can you do. LOL!! I mean, who was I kidding. Me having a quiet year not very likely. LOL!! Time for me to sign off and finish my lunch. Enjoy yourselves and live each day as if it were your last. xx

"How do I change?
If I feel depressed I will sing.
If I feel sad I will laugh.
If I feel ill I will double my labour.
If I feel fear I will plunge ahead.
If I feel inferior I will wear new garments.
If I feel uncertain I will raise my voice.
If I feel poverty I will think of wealth to come.
If I feel incompetent I will think of past success.
If I feel insignificant I will remember my goals.
Today I will be the master of my emotions."

-- Og Mandino

Blogging two days in a row LOL!! ;o)

I got into work early this morning for an early start only to realise that the program has recently changed and I start later than expected, oh well lesson learned. LOL!!

I'm finally getting myself into a nice work routine again, it's taken a while with all the changes going on but I'm got there.

So here I am, blogging again two days in a row now. My Polar F6 arrived safe and sound last week and has already been put to good use. I have to use it for my five times a week cardio sessions to ensure I'm maintaining a consistent heart rate. It's a great tool to have and the many functions that it's capable of are incredible. At the end of the session I know how long I've trained, how many calories I've used and what my average and maximum heart rate were. One thing I have noticed is that my cardiovascular fitness has improved as you would expect and my recovery is even quicker. I'm feeling fitter and fitter by the day.

I trained legs today and even tried out some of our new weight equipment. You see we've been a little understocked in our gym and we finally got a leg extension machine, lying leg curl machine, incline press and a lat pulldown. So now I have a little more choice which should keep me well entertained. LOL!! This afternoon my cardio is running in preparation for my annual pft at work and my legs are going to feel less than enthusiastic so I'll just have to suck it up and get on with the job. I'm not a runner, not by any means but I do it because it's a job requirement and I want to lead by example. And of course I'll have my trusty new heart rate monitor on.


Comp prep is coming along nicely but I have had a change with my posing music. What I originally wanted to do turned out to be to difficult so it was back to the drawing board for me. Jo Rogers gave me some really great advice of which I'm following, she is after all a wealth of knowledge and I value all her help. So I came up with a new piece of music which I hope compliments the package I'm trying to portray. Only time will tell I guess. And in case you're wondering I won't be revealing what it is until the night of the competition, a girl has to keep something to herself you know. LOL!!

On a totally different note I've managed to find myself a great beauty salon in Sale. The owner and manager does all my waxing and she doesn't mind that I'm very particular about it, her customer service skills are second to none. Now that's something you don't see everyday in this day and age. They're only recently installed a new detox box and I'm going to be trying it out on a weekly basis. We're hoping that it will help with my skin condition. We spend a lot of time and energy concentrating on all things internal that we often forget about our external. So taking care of your skin is equally as important when it comes to stage presentation. It's also a time to rest and relax. I love getting pampered so it's a win win situation for me.

Well it's almost time for my afternoon snack, then I have to head out and teach another class before heading home for a run. So life for me as you can see is busy and I wouldn't have it any other way. So on that note I'm out of here. xx

"If you want your life to be more rewarding,
you have to change the way you think."

-- Oprah Winfrey

Long time no blog....

well not really but it certainly feels like it so I decided to sit down while I had a spare moment and fill you all in with what's new with me.

The long weekend has been and gone and it was a looooong weekend in every aspect of the word for me. Saturday turned out to be a longer than expected day totalling 15 1/2 hours. I started at 0700h and finished at 2230h, I was dead on my feet by the time I got home. I was in bed by midnight then up again at 0500h the following morning for work at 0700h. Life in the military can be really tough some times and some of the things I do for my job aren't typical of a woman either. Don't get me wrong I enjoy the challenge so needless to say I just got on with the job as that's what is expected. But my sleep bank was running on not very much so I remedied that last night. I went to bed at 2100h and got up at 0900h. 12 hours I know, not normal but necessary. Speaking of sleep I better hurry up and finish this blog, I have to be in bed in an hours time so I get a good night's sleep before another 0500h start to the day. No rest for the wicked here. LOL!!


As I posted earlier Jenny Lynn's coming here to Australia. I'm a big fan of hers, I have a personally autographed photo, as well as her posing manual and dvd of course. So it's no surprise I've paid to go to her Fit Camp. I've learnt over the years that you can take away so much from so many individuals in this sport and come up with something that is uniquely yours. I want to be the best that I can be and with that means I have to continually change if I want to be competitive. Meeting her in person is going to be just incredible and you know there's going to be photos. I wouldn't miss that opportunity in the world.

As for comp prep, things are progressing along very nicely. I'm seeing weekly changes in the areas that I should and my body is responding well. I've also got on top of my nutrition. Like anything new you just have to persevere with it and sooner or later everything falls into place. Thankfully it was sooner.

And speaking of food I finally got my blood tests back from pathology with the results of my 93 Food Sensitivity Panel. First of all here's the scale they use:

0 = Negative
1+ = Borderline
2+ = Positive
3+ = Strong Positive
4+ = Very Strong Positive

And here's my results:

Crab 1+(Mild Reaction)
Coffee 1+(Mild Reaction)
Goat's Milk 1+ (Mild Reaction)
Almond 2+(Positive)
Barley 2+(Positive)
Corn 2+(Positive)
Rice 2+(Positive)
Kidney Bean 2+(Positive)
Soya Bean 2+(Positive)
Cashew 3+(Strong Positive)
Egg White 3+(Strong Positive)
Cows Milk 4+(Very Strong Positive)
Cocoa Bean 4+(Very Strong Positive)

So it's kind of back to the drawing board but different this time. First up I'm going to take out the cows milk and the cocoa bean for a couple of weeks as they had the highest reading and see if that makes a difference to my skin. It'll be yet another form of trial and error but at least it won't be anywhere near as drastic as the elimination diet. The only milk that I had was in my porridge and my skinny latte's and the cocoa bean was an ingredient in my protein powder. It's back to vanilla for me, not my favourite but it may well have to be. I'll let you know how things go as they happen.

Time's getting on so I really must go. I still have much more to blog about so that'll have to wait for another day I guess. I hope you all had a great long weekend and I wish you a fabulous start to the week. xx

"Be miserable. Or motivate yourself.
Whatever has to be done, it's always your choice."

-- Wayne Dyer

Jenny Lynn's Fit Camp

Jenny Lynn’s 2008 Fit Camp Tour

Are you ready to get serious about your nutrition and training?
Want to push your body to a new fitness level?
Are you ready to embrace results and create a whole new you?
Come get all of your questions answered and let Jenny teach you how to get the body you’ve always wanted!!!

Fit Camp Includes:
· Nutrition
· Contest Preparation
· Off Season Nutrition and Training
· Posing and Stage Presence
· Motivational Tools
· Training Sessions for Upper and Lower Body
· Track Workout Tips and Techniques
· And Much, Much More!!

Sign up now to guarantee your spot in Jenny Lynn’s Fit Camp!!!!

Cost: $200 US

Melbourne
Saturday 3rd May @ Doherty's Gym from 9.00am to 5.00pm

Sydney
Saturday 4th May @ Beach Fitness Coogee from 9.00am to 5.00pm

SIGN UP NOW!!

www.liahalsall.com

My domain name is now up and running right here on blogspot. But don't worry because http://liahalsall.blogspot.com/ will automatically take you to here (my blog) but under the new domain name of www.liahalsall.com

This is the first step towards bigger and better things to come this year. But shhh, it's all top secret. ;o)

Another Weekly Blog LOL!!

I had a little spare time so I thought I'd squeeze in another blog in case I don't get another chance over the next couple of weeks.

Well I've just got back from the gym from my morning cardio and some specific words come to mind like.....sweaty.....burning.....pumped.....adrenalin. LOL!! Today's session was some what tougher than yesterday's but oh so worth it in the end. It's good to get that over and done with for the day. Now I'm not the biggest fan of cardio, I'm more of a weights girl. But JD has given me things to do that I'm really enjoying as are my dogs. They come out with me three times a week for a walk around Lake Gutheridge. It's a gorgeous wetlands that makes the walk so much more enjoyable and not like work at all. I'll take a pic this week for you so you can see how beautiful it is.

I've also been shopping again this morning online. I know I know, I can't help myself. But honestly, it was an essential purchase and I can justify it. LOL!! I bought a Polar F6 from ebay. They retail for $249.00 and I got it for $174.99 registered p+h included so not a bad saving if I do say so myself. It's always been something I've wanted to buy and only now have I finally got around to it. Better late than never I say.


Whilst I'm on the topic of training I came across something interesting yesterday when I was visiting Jenny Lynn's website and that was her new training downloads over at My Body Beats. They're professional downloads by IFBB Professionals. It's not something I've personally tried but would be interested in checking out one day. I'm a big believer of you should never knock anything unless you've personally tried it first. You just never know do you.


I've just finished my post-training meal and found it to be delicious today. Slowly but surely my taste buds are adjusting to a cleaner way of eating and it sure feels good to be fueling up with premium fuel instead of the old leaded stuff. You are what you eat so I'm a lean mean figure machine. LOL!!

Better make a move, my domestic duties await. Enjoy what's left of your Sunday. And remember, live each day as if it were your last. :o)

"When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low, and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
when he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit,
It's when things seem worst, that
You Must Not Quit."

-- C. W. Longenecker

Weekly Blog

By golly things have been busy around here. I thought I better blog today because next weekend is a working weekend and I know I won't have the time then.

So what's been happening in my neck of the woods? Well a lot actually. From the comfort of my office I did myself some online shopping over at www.apple.com/au and bought myself and hubby two new ipod shuffles. For $99 you get 1GB:240 Songs, laser engraving of your choice on the back and free postage. Not a bad deal is it. It turned up yesterday and by last night it was charged and loaded with songs, I even bought a few more from itunes to mix it up a little now that I'm training more frequently.

Waste not want not. Because I still had an existing fully functioning ipod shuffle I decided to find it a new home. Mum happily is taking it off my hands and is going to use it when she goes walking, although I think her taste in music might be a little different than mine. LOL!!


Whilst we're on the topic of shopping my Kombi Lowboy was also delivered yesterday, earlier than expected but still a pleasant surprise. Here's a pic I just took for you. Now there's ample storage space in our bedroom.


Slowly but surely I'm finding my feet with my new training, nutrition and supplementation. JD wasn't joking when he said he likes to jump in feet first with his competition preparation. I'm loving my training, both weights and cardio. I was only saying yesterday to my husband on the ride home from the gym that in only a week of my new program I'm feeling really good about it and loving all the new challenges. DOMS have become a part of my life every day where as it never used to so that's been interesting. LOL!! The approach and way we're attacking my training is different to what I've done in the past and I'm really enjoying it. As for my nutrition, it hasn't come without challenges. Unfortunately due to my elimination diet I have a few food association issues but on I'm working them the best I can. When things get challenging and I know that they will I've created myself a new desktop picture so here it is:


I've made the decision to try and not complain about things because I've chosen to do this to myself. I've also, along with my husband decided to adopt the policy of "if you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all" and only positive things are to come out of our mouths no matter what the situation or circumstance. Not as easy as it sounds as we've already found but we're both trying, like anything you have to walk before you can run.

JD's quality of athletes is exceptionally high and as you'll see in the pictures below they pretty much speak for themselves. Of course as we all know, we're genetically all very different and there are no two competitors the same. But with twenty years in the industry I'm sure I'm in good hands. LOL!! I just can't wait to see how I look on the day, it's exciting and I getbutterflies in the stomach just thinking about it.

Photographs Courtesy
of
Dallas Olsen

Oh and before I forget I can read every bodies blog from work but unfortunately I can't comment on them. It's a look but don't touch type firewall. LOL!! So I've been keeping up to date with what's going on around the traps I just haven't had the time to sit down and comment on them. My blogging and commenting is going to be very sporadic so thankfully you all understand why.

Well it's time for my dinner so I best make a move. I hope this post finds you all fit and healthy and I wish you all a fabulous weekend. xx

"Desire is the starting point of all achievement,
not a hope, not a wish,
but a keen pulsating desire
which transcends everything."

-- Napoleon Hill

I'm taking time out from blogging so regularly

Today's post is going to be a quick one so I'll get right down to it. Things are extremely busy at work, more so than usual with the recent move. As for my new training program and nutrition, everything's great! Although I'm still fine tuning my daily routine which I hope to be on top of by the end of this week. I also have my last module to complete for my Cert IV which I plan on getting stuck into this weekend.

So it's situation normal for me. LOL!! I've going to have to apply some self-discipline to myself and decided that I can only blog on weekends until I get on top of things again. Hopefully it'll only be for a short time Until then, remember whatever it takes! :o)

"" Focus on your potential instead of your limitations."

-- Alan Loy McGinnis

Don't Forget

Melbourne: Sunday 17th February
Sydney: Saturday 23rd February
Canberra: Sunday 24th February
Gold Coast: Sunday 2nd March

For registration and the special offers click here. :o)

6 Months Out Today!

Good Afternoon..........I trust you'll all having a wonderful weekend? :o) Well today I'm busy doing my domestic duties followed by food preparation. So Saturday's as you can see are a work day at home for me, my choice of course. After all, life is all about choices. Plus it's only a small price to pay all things considered wouldn't you agree. That way my weeks are organised freeing up my time to concentrate on myself and all things comp prep.

I decided this morning that today would be my last day of all things flexibility before delving into my new nutrition, supplementation and training plans tomorrow. I had originally decided that I would kick off next week but when you think about it the fuel I put into my body tomorrow will impact not only the way I feel but also how I perform in the gym. So it makes sense to start off on the right foot doesn't it. It also gives me the opportunity to see how everything impacts on my existing daily routine and make the necessary changes before work on Monday. Being organised, having good time management and prioritising tasks makes my life a whole bunch easier. As any competitor knows our days very quickly become busy with all things competition so it's a good idea to be on top of your game. So tomorrow is the first day for my 2008 Season. Actually I just looked at my counter and it's already six months out today until I step back on stage. *yay* This is where the real fun begins and I'm ready for it.

Above is a picture taken back in 2006. It was at a photo shoot organised with Dallas Olsen the day after the 2006 INBA Australian Titles. Back then I was 100% focused on achieving my goal (of which I did) and that's exactly what I have to sit down and do. Be specific and work out my 2008 Goals and what I want to achieve this year. When I do I'll post them up here.

I'm also making sure that this time around that I take better care of my body. On top of my Self-Myofascial Release (SMR) I'm going to be getting monthly sports massages to help with recovery and separation as well as something a little more relaxing like facials, manicures and/or pedicures. Now I normally do these myself at home but I need to clock of from everything and relax from time to time. This is certainly one way of achieving that and who am I to argue. LOL!!

Well I think that just about covers everything for today. Don't forget to smile, it's contagious. :o)

"To be successful, you must decide exactly
what you want to accomplish,
then resolve to pay the price to get it."

-- Bunker Hunt

It's Friday! *yipee*

What a crazy week it's been. But first of all I wanted to thank all you lovely ladies for your wonderful comments, your support as always is appreciated and it makes me realise how very lucky I am to have such a support network behind me. You certainly make every day brighter for me. It's going to be quite some time before everything's running smoothly again at work. Until then, I have to make the best of a bad situation. At least I know it won't be forever.


Now onto my news because I know some of you are anything but patient. LOL!! It's pretty big news for me, may not be for you but I felt it still worth sharing. May I have a drum roll please....................Ladies I'd like to introduce to you my new Personal Trainer Jon Davie IFBB Pro Bodybuilder Australia from Prepare 2 Win. Now as you all knew I was planning on tackling this years competition season by myself and was more than happy to do so. You see Lindy Olsen highly recommended his services to me (he's also her trainer) and mentioned that if I got in contact with him he might be interested in working with me. Now that kind of threw me because I always thought that a personal trainer would happily train you if you paid for their services. Jon Davie on the other hand only takes on a limited number of clients each year and he doesn't just take on anyone. He's very selective and by that I mean you have to fill out an application form for him to review before he makes his final decision on whether to take you on or not. Lucky me he took me on and we got straight to work. No time like the present I guess. LOL!! I took symmetry and compulsory photos and forwarded them to him so that he could see exactly what he's working with along with what I was doing for training, nutrition and supplementation. He then emailed me with my new training, nutrition and supplementation and followed it up with a very lengthy phone consultation (remember my late night earlier in the week, well this was why) to explain everything in more detail, to say he's thorough is an understatement folks. He's coming at this from an entirely different angle to what I'm used to but I'm up for the challenge. And I'll have the pleasure of meeting him face to face when he flies down to meet me next month. Things are going to get very interesting around here over the next few months and if you thought I was excited before that's nothing compared to how excited I am right now. I've already started implementing a lot of the necessary changes and by next week it'll be all changed. I know the first month is going to be the most challenging but once that's over and done with everything else will be so much easier. Once it becomes habit and I've worked out my new daily routine things will run like clock work.

So on that note, I really must make a move. For the first time in a long time I have to be up tomorrow morning to hit the gym. And you want to know what, I can't wait. ;o) So I'll bid you all a good night and wish you all a fabulous weekend. I love you all. xx

Quote of the Day

"People often say that motivation
doesn't last.
Well, neither does bathing
that's why we recommend it daily."

-- Zig Zigler

Words just can't describe....

how bad things are at work, it's incredible. So if I can't say anything nice which at this point I can't I simply won't say anything at all. Enough said.

I'm struggling to concentrate whilst I type this, unfortunately I didn't get to bed until well after midnight last night. My training suffered dramatically which is once again living proof how important a good night's sleep is. But my eyes are hanging out of my head at the moment and it 'aint pwetty. LOL!! But I have a good excuse which I'll blog about very soon, I promise. I won't keep you in suspense for to long but I have a pretty big announcement to make. Well it's pretty big for me that is and it certainly wasn't something I planned for or was even considering. But life has an uncanny way of working out sometimes so I rolled with the punches, figuratively speaking of course. LOL!!

Well my lovely bloggers, I'm going to crawl my way to bed and see if I can get myself some sleep credit. :o)

Photo of the Day

Get Ready 2008 Melbourne

Jo has just emailed me to let me know that Get Ready 2008 Melbourne is on Sunday 17th February 2008 at Athletique Health Club, Preston. I hope to see you there. :o)

2008 Get Ready Poster

How could I forget....

to tell you about last night. Silly me.

A group of us went out for dinner last night for our last gathering on holidays before heading back to work Monday. Now that I don't drink I offered to be the sober driver, kind of makes sense when you think about it. Well anyway, we'd made a booking at a local hotel for dinner and had enjoyed ourselves. Once we were done we didn't quite feel ready to go home so we headed diagonally across the road to another local hotel. It was at this point that I started to feel like joining in and having a drink. After all, what else was there to do? Well you'll be happy to know when the drink orders were taken I ordered a water, straight up. LOL!! 1. Being the sober driver I personally have a zero alcohol consumption policy and 2. I'd managed to get all the way through my holidays, xmas and new year without one single drink so why start now.

So I'm euphorically happy to report that I've stuck to my word and although it hasn't been easy feel so much better for it. I honestly believe I've got through the worst of it now so everything from here on will be that little bit easier. It just goes to show that with self-discipline and some consistency that you can achieve whatever you want. Like I've said before, anything worth having isn't going to come easy. :o)

Quote of the Day

"Motivation is what gets you started.
Habit is what keeps you going."

-- Jim Ryun

Today's my last day of holidays

All good things must come to an end I'm afraid and for me that's my holidays. Unfortunately it's been cut a week short due to relocating. We have to go into work a week early to unpack our personal effects and set everything up ready for the students to return the following week. Oh well, you win some you lose some. Like Rae mentioned in an earlier blog the positives of being back at work means a more disciplined routine so that I'm definitely looking forward too. So my car's already packed with all my personal effects, an nicely ironed uniform and my gym bag of course. I'm pretty much organised, surprise surprise.

Since moving here things have kind of fallen into place very nicely. I have once again de-clutted my house so that everything has it's place and we're not hoarding unnecessary items. After all, we're only going to have to pack and un-pack it all again at the end of this year at another location. I've scheduled more things into my smart phone so that I don't forget to do the necessary things for myself and for the house. I'm pretty forgetful so find that this helps, A LOT. LOL!! After spending the last two and a half years of putting everything except for figure competing on a I'll get to it one day priority list I just couldn't continue to live like that. I have to keep on top of all aspects of my life, so I re-evaluated and organised everything so this wouldn't happen again. Only time will tell how effective my plan is and it's nothing I can't shuffle around so that it works.

On a figure front things are pretty much on schedule. I already have my first costume of which is in the cut that I'll be wearing this year on stage and to quote Jo "it's an teeny weeny posing bikini" is an total understatement. LOL!! Trust me, I don't recommend squeezing into one during the off-season. It almost did my head in but I needed to do symmetry and compulsory photos for my starting point. Good thing is that this is the biggest I'll look so I took a little relief in that. Jo was happy with the size and cut she chose for me, especially with the top because of the addition of my new girls. As always, she nailed it so it just goes to show you don't need to be physically located near her to get the perfect fitted costume. My stage posing costume is organised and also in her capable hands. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind it'll be nothing short of spectacular. As for my music, well that's changed hands. Jo's also taking care of my music now and will for years to come. I emailed her with some guidelines of what I like and have left the rest up to her of which she has changed already. LOL!! She is the expert after all and I trust her. My music this year is again something different from what I've done in the past so I can't wait to hear how it turns out.

My jewellery's been altered by a jeweller friend of mine and will be on it's way back to me via mail next week, thanks Mum. ;o) So that's all organised and something I don't have to worry about. As for dream tan, every time we put in a supplement order at www.bodybuilding.com I buy a tub. That way by the time the competition season rolls around I'll well and truly have enough stock for the both of us this year. I'm finding that spending a little here and there less of an impact on our financial budget in comparison to what we've done in the past.

Once I'm done here I'll be heading into the kitchen to finish preparing my meals and snacks for the week ahead. I have no idea what our new work kitchen facilities are and my only hope is that it's big enough to fit all of my food. LOL!! But just to be safe I'll stock up the esky tomorrow morning so that I've all my bases covered.

Well I think that just about covers everything for today. Enjoy what's left of your weekend and have a great week ahead. How knows what surprises may be in store for us this week. :o)

Photo of the Day

The gloves are off and I mean business

2008 is going to be a huuuuuge year for me for a number of different reasons. It's already taken a surprising turn that I wasn't expecting but as I always say everything in life happens for a reason so I've welcomed it. There's also a lot going on behind the scenes at the moment with me and I'm having to apply some advice given to me by a very dear friend of mine to get me through. Thanks Chick. ;o)

I learnt a lot of lessons last year and experienced personal growth which has got me to where I am today which is a much better head space. But that journey is far from over yet and will continue into this year. I'll be travelling back once a month at this stage to continue seeing my Sports Psychologist. A good support network is so important when you're a serious athlete.

So this is year being a competition year is going to be all about me and with that will come many sacrifices. Time management and prioritising will be of the utmost importance. I have the same 24 hours in my day that everyone else has and I must use it wisely to say the least. I have to work smart this year and not hard, if you know what I mean.

You would've already noticed changes to my blog and this is just the beginning. So stick around because this year is going to get very interesting. ;o)

Quote of the Day

"Do or do not....there is no try!"

-- Yoda

Get Ready 2008