My new profile photo

Quote of the Day

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal:
it is the courage to continue that counts."

-- Sir Winston Churchill

Comp Trolley Part I

I was re-packing my comp trolley this evening when I decided I would photograph it's contents and explain what it is I have and why. Now considering I have a lot of gear (all necessary of course) I'm going to break it down into parts. So here we go.


Now first things first. At Spotlight I bought cheap black bed linen/domestic linen to use in the house during competition season so that when the dream tan rubs off not only can you not see it on the linen but it also won't ruin my good linen. A small investment for a long term gain, that's smart thinking on my behalf I say. :o)

Drop Sheet
I picked this up from a $2 Shop. It's to place on the ground under all my gear so I don't get dream tan all over the place. Bodybuilding federations are getting very particular about this due to cleaning costs at venues, I'm only to happy to do my bit.

Large Towel
This is for the end of the night when I take off all my dream tan with a bottle of baby oil. I simply pour the baby oil over my body part and wipe of with the towel. It is that simple.

Bath Matt
This gets placed down on the drop sheet to keep my feet warm when I'm applying dream tan. I don't want to get sick!

Hand Towel
I like clean hands so I use this throughout the day when they constantly get sticky from eating honey on rice cakes. LOL!! I don't even apply dream tan on them until the last application as I'm constantly eating and going to the toilet, there's no point applying it before hand if it's only going to get washed off and smudged off I say.

Stay tuned for my Comp Trolley Part II. :o)

Jenny Lynn & Lindy Olsen - Olympia 2007

Something had to give....

so I made the decision yesterday morning to not compete at the 2008 All Female Classic. There were obviously a lot of contributing factors so I sat down with my husband and we wrote up a pro's and con's list to ensure we were making the right decision. Unfortunately it was unanimous, to compete at this particular competition wasn't the right thing to do for me at this point in time so I'm bowing out gracefully.

As you all know, I was already behind in my comp prep and I accepted full responsibility for that because I had no-one to blame but myself for my self-sabotage. (Now ladies, before you start commenting that I'm being to hard on myself I'M NOT! This is my blog and I'm going to have my say, SO PLEASE let me say it without judgement and if you could simply accept and support me through this time irrespective of what you think and feel I would appreciate it, thank you.) Because of this fact I felt I was constantly under the pump with my training and dieting, I felt it's presence every second of every day all self-imposed of course. I gave it my best shot, but it wasn't going to be enough to get me in my best possible condition to be competitive. The main reason it boiled down to was my not wanting to go backwards and end up at the very beginning all over again. I've spent a year already working with my sports psychologist on creating and living a much healthier lifestyle and I'm not quite equipped enough to get through these toughest of times yet without paying a price and a hefty one at that. I also refuse to step on stage in anything less then my best possible condition and near enough isn't good enough in my world.

With Mum now living with us and requiring our care it kind of changed everything and it's a lot harder than I originally though, both physically and psychologically. Also what you didn't realise was that the week before the competition we would've been back in Melbourne for Chemotherapy. This wouldn't have been an ideal situation when I'm supposed to be focusing on getting myself ready and at that stage of the game I couldn't afford mistakes. Mum's health and well being is so much more important than that and now that I'm her full time carer I have to ensure she gets the best possible care from me, not a half hearted effort because I'm to busy training and/or dieting.

So many other things have also been pushed into the back seat which really are equally as important to me. Things like my studies, I haven't touched them for so long yet I'm so close to finishing. I haven't been writing my articles or spending anywhere near enough time online in the forum as I would liked. Again there hasn't been any pressure but they're things I want to do and I just haven't been doing them due to my bad time management.

My training, dieting, health and sleep have all been impacted and not in a good way. Like the title says, something had to give. To compete at the all female was the last thing I decided to do so it made sense that it was the first thing to go. I don't feel great about making this decision, in actual fact I'm wracked with guilt but I know it's the right thing to do for now.

So I'm bowing out gracefully ladies. I'll be reverting back to what I've done in the past of competing in the ADF Titles on the 22nd September as my first comp for the competition season. This now gives me 21 Weeks to prepare. This time I'm going to get it right!

This week I have a lot of sorting out to do, both in my mind and in my life. I have to sit down and prioritise all my commitments then work out and practice better time management. I'll keep you up to date with what's going on but until then thank you once again for listening. :o)

UPDATE: As my husband so kindly put it: "you may have lost the battle, but you haven't lost the war". If taking a step backwards is going to help me move forwards long term then so be it. I want this to be a healthy lifestyle and unfortunately I'm not quite there yet with emotional eating. It's a short term sacrafice for a long term game, that's what's important here.

UPDATE # 2: Skin Folds & Symmetry Photos are up over at LindyOlsen's Forum for what it's worth.

Good Luck Lisa

Photograph Courtesy
of
Dallas Olsen

Anzac Day 2008

2008 Sydney Natural Titles

FILEX 2008

THURSDAY
# 1 on my things to do list was to buy a new trolley before flying out to Sydney. I needed something bigger for my competition trolley that would also double for traveling overnight a whole bunch easier. Standbags was having a sale with 20% off so they won me. I got exactly what I wanted for a fraction of the price. Now all I needed to do was unpack out of my old military bag and pack into my new trolley. :o)

Upon arrival at the airport I was informed that my flight was delayed by 45 minutes. I was already getting in late that evening so this meant I would be getting in even later, oh well what can you do. It's just lucky that by the off chance that day I'd bought myself a protein bar for just in case, as it turns out I did ended up needing it. Even if as competitors we have everything organised we unfortunately can't control external factors like planes being delayed. LOL!! So unfortunately this meant I'd be getting in even later than expected which wasn't desirable for either myself or my hostess with the mostess, Miss Tank. On top of that we stayed up chatting until 0100h, girls will be girls. LOL!!

FRIDAY
It was up bright and early for both of us this morning. Miss Tank had her bootcamp class and I headed to Fitness First in Randwick for my weight training. Civilian gyms are certainly very different compared to military gyms and I know which one I most prefer. ;o)

So after I'd finished my training my brother (who lives in Sydney) kindly offered to pick me up and drive me into darling harbour so I could meet Lindy & Dallas Olsen in at FILEX 2008. It's always great to catch up with these guys as they're just the loveliest of couples, so genuine and caring. Then Lindy showed me around and introduced me to all her affiliates and sponsors of which there were many. No wonder this girl is always so busy, I honestly don't know how she does it. As it was my first filex I was pretty impressed by everything, it's definitely going to be a yearly trip. Now I've already posted about meeting my personal trainer JD. If you missed it then you can read it here. :o)

Once all the official business was done I headed into the city for a spot of shopping. I couldn't help myself. LOL!! I had a gift card left over from xmas from Angus & Robertson and I new just the book I wanted, "The Lazy Girls Guide to Losing Weight & Getting Fit" . I'd already tried back in Melbourne, but with no luck. Thankfully they had one last copy on the shelf and I was having it. I really enjoyed reading "Confessions of a Reformed Dieter" and I liked her writing style, she was candidly honest and upfront. My kind of girl. Strandbags was next to see if I could strike it lucky by finding the beauty case to match my trolley, they had sold out in Melbourne. Low and behold they had it, I was on a roll ladies. That was two items I wanted but couldn't get so I was a happy little camper.

Miss Tank picked me up once she had finished work and we headed back to Randwick. It was going to be a quiet night in but that didn't eventuate, surprise surprise. LOL!! My brother rang up and invited us out for dinner so off we headed down to Coogee Bay. Let me just say one thing, it's best to wait and hail a cab then walk from Randwick to Coogee wearing stiletto's. Oh the pain of it all, my toes are still bleeding and healing now. I know I know, self-inflicted so no sympathy. LOL!! Now getting back to my story, being a non-drinker of five months now (thank you very much) I didn't indulge but two bottles of red wine later I know two people who did. LOL!!

SATURDAY
Another early start to the day, I had hair booked in at Joh Bailey at 0900h followed by makeup booked in at MAC Cosmetics (of course) at 1000h in preparation for my photo shoot. My hair sucked but my makeup rocked so lesson learnt for next time, you live and learn. Dallas Olsen is an incredible photographer and I can't speak highly enough about him. His work speaks for itself so if you haven't seen it before you can check it out here. As for the colour selection of my top, it was spot on and worked really well. The cd with all my shots is in the mail and already on it's way down to me. I can't wait to see them, and yes I'll be posting them up here. I wouldn't dare not. LOL!!

Now it was time for the fun stuff, checking everything out and catching up with people. We started in one corner and walked the aisles so not to miss a thing, after all I wanted to get everything I possibly could out of this experience. The first person we met was Rosa-Maria Romero, such a down to earth lady. When I introduced myself she already knew who I was and had even been over and checked out my blog, I was taken back by this. I had also taken along my copy of Oxgyen Australia with her on the cover which she autographed for me.

We also bumped into Josh Dickinson & Jay Bonaretti walking around. Then much to our pleasant surprise we spotted Lee Priest IFBB Pro Bodybuilder (AUS). They were handing out free posters of him which he personally signed for us and of course you've already seen the photo. We were pretty excited to say the least. USANA had a stall which was great because I've been wanting to try out their essentials. I picked up a months supply and I'll see how it goes. Nothing ventured nothing gained. It was a very long day with a lot of walking and a lot of purchases but all worth it. Next year I'll be bringing twice the cash to spend. LOL!!

That evening was a quiet one for me, I was pretty bugged and knew I had an early flight to catch in the morning. FILEX 2008 was awesome and I can't wait to go back again.

SUNDAY
As soon as I'd finished breakfast it was of to the airport where I picked up another book I'd wanted "The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl". Yet another one to add to my ever growing collection. LOL!! I landed in Melbourne then drove three hours back home to Sale. It was a huge weekend to say the least and fund was had by all. :o)

BodyTune Workshops Are Back!

For more information click on the poster above.

DIY Comp Eye Makeup

Like the poster says....

At 0325h when my alarm rang, once again I questioned what the hell I was doing getting up in the middle of the night to go to the gym before starting work at 0700h. I either really love my sport or challenging myself or I'm simply stark raving mad. LOL!! Yesterday I flat spinned so today HAS TO be a better day, I won't accept anything less. So I dragged my sorry self out of bed and got on with my morning routine, as per usual it was just me and the three dogs up. The sad thing is that even they go back to their beds because it's even to early for them to be up. Am I clinically crazy? So off I drove in the dark of the morning so that I would be in the gym by 0500h. Today's a big session, legs and abs followed by a session on the treadmill.

I finally got to meet JD, face to face Friday in Sydney. OMG he is huuuuuge, even bigger than I had imagined. I met him at FILEX 2008 then organised to meet him back at his hotel so he could take my skin folds and talk about my competition preparation. Technically I'm still behind schedule for his standards but he believes I have what it takes to make it in the end and to hear that was a huge relief. I've posted my results as usual over at LindyOlsen.com Forum. He's made more changes to both my weights and aerobics and will be making even more this week to my nutrition plan. No two weeks are ever the same and my poor metabolism is constantly guessing what we're going to throw at it next. LOL!!

So enough of my pity party, today's a new day and with it comes many blessings. Just know that I'm doing okay and really appreciate all of your comments and emails sent, thanks ladies. What would I do without you. :o)

Poster of the Day

Today I'm feeling blue....

Since getting back from my week in Melbourne and weekend in Syndey I have been feeling so tired and overwhelmed by EVERYTHING. I can feel the tears welling up inside of me now as I type this post. Now I know that this feeling will pass but I wish for that to be sooner rather than later. It's exhausting being me at the moment and I really am struggling to manage.

Please don't think that I'm posting because I want sympathy, that's the last thing I need. I just need to get these thoughts and feelings out of my head and body so I can get on with my life the best I can given my current circumstances.

I'm trying my hardest to fit everything in and I feel that I'm failing at it at the same time, it's so damn frustrating. *arrrrrgh* I wish for this to pass and quickly so I can get on with my life.

Thanks for listening ladies and appologies for it not being normally upbeat. I know you'll understand. xx

Lee Priest & Myself @ FILEX 2008

Craig Harper Workshop

John Hopkins, Craig Harper's right hand man gave me a call during the week about promoting an up and coming workshop here on my blog. Now you all know I'm a big fan of the man and already own a well used copy of his book Fattitude. So I was more than happy to post this information up for all you ladies to check out.

What: Renovate Your Life Workshop
When: Sunday 22nd June 2008
Where: Harpers Personal Training in Melbourne.

They've already had registrations from a whole bunch of people from all over the country and it promises to be a really great day. You can read about it here.

Now of course I'll be there with my bells on as I wouldn't miss this opportunity for the world, that would be crazy. LOL!! So if you're interested in hearing what the great man has to say about making the best possible life for yourself then this is your chance. Give John a call during business hours on (03) 9553 8557 or email him @ john@craigharper.com.au Be sure to mention that you heard about it here on my blog and leave a comment if you register so I know who is going too. :o)

Rosa-Maria & Myself @ FILEX 2008

I'm baaaaack....

safe and sound and absolutely exhausted. I have sooooo much to tell you all that I'm busting at the seems but priorities first. I must take care of myself and my family before catching up on work. I've obvisouly been offline for over a week but that's a whole other story.

So your patience whilst I catch my breath will be greatly appreciated. I have missed you all terribly and I can't wait to get caught up at some stage this week.

Do whatever it takes this week and be happy with your achievements. :o)

Myself & Lindy @ FILEX 2008

Cancer & Competing

We arrived to our self-contained apartment next door to the Peter MacCallum Cancer Clinic. Peter Mac has an entire apartment block situated right next door to their clinic for their visiting patients for appointments and treatments who don’t require hospitalisation. It certainly does make life easier and a little more comfortable for their patients and/or families not to mention at a very reasonable rate and I mean reasonable.

Now I’m a creature of habit and when I have to travel whilst in the middle of my comp prep it kind of stresses me out. My husband might think that that last sentence is somewhat of an understatement. LOL!! So I might have been a little bit of a drama queen, I am after all a girl who thinks she is a princess. So getting back to the story I was a little stressed out last night because I wasn’t sure how little or much food I would need to pack. It’s a case of “the first is always the worst” and then it can only get better from there which is has. Now that I’m here I know what facilities there are and what I need to bring as well as where the nearest supermarket is. LOL!! That’s right, it was the first thing I checked out once I’d unpacked everything. I wasn’t leaving anything to chance. Then it was straight over to Lorna Jane to pick out a new outfit to wear at FILEX 2008. It’s black, white and lime green and I love it! Don’t worry, there’ll be plenty of photos from the weekend posted up next week.

Today was just the doctor’s appointment leading up to the next three days where she will have chemotherapy treatment. It’s administered intravenously for an hour and consists of two types of chemotherapy. Mum’s cancer is basically being bombarded pretty intensely in hope that the treatment can be effective in slowing it down and buying us some more time. We know it won’t cure it or even reverse it but it will hopefully buy us some month’s maybe even years and that is all we can hope for at this stage of the game.

Mum’s hair has also started to fall out pretty noticeably. She’s started wearing her bed hat at night so that she’s not covered in her own hair of a morning and starting tomorrow she’ll start wearing her scarf. It’s a very personal decision how to tackle this challenge and I just simply support her. I brush her hair every day to help the natural progression of it falling out and on the weekend I’m going to shave it off for her in the privacy of our home. I have mixed emotions about how I feel about it but at the end of the day it’s not about me it’s about Mum. UPDATE: Wednesday night I cut what was left of her hair, there wear tears shed. :o(

Facing challenges like this during a comp prep certainly makes things difficult to say the least. It is so emotionally and physically exhausting that there just aren’t words to describe it and then there’s comp prep. LOL!! Some days are definitely more difficult than others but I just do what I have to do and then collapse into bed at the end of the night. LOL!!

Well it’s time for me to wrap this post up so I can get a good night’s sleep, it’s still up bright and early in the morning for a killer gym session. I’m training in one of our military gym’s just outside the cbd so I’m excited to check out their facilities for the first time. I’m such a five year old when it comes to new things. LOL!! :o)

Quote of the Day

"I earn my chocolate,
one step at a time."

-- Lorna Jane

13 weeks out results are up @ LindyOlsen.com

They're up! They're up! *jumping up and down all excited*

I've literally just finished posting up my weekly results over @ LindyOlsen.com AND I AM HAPPY to say the least. I've been progressing along in the right direction but ideally I wasn't achieving the results that were desired by JD. The fact that he was happy with them today made me even happier if that's even remotely possible. LOL!! My weight, skin folds and symmetry photos are posted up here so feel free to drop by and check them out, all feedback is welcomed and appreciated and I sincerely meant that.

Donna Jones for those who may not be aware competed this weekend at the New York Fitness Pro placing 13th. Here's a picture hot of the press for you ladies.


Well I really must get a move on, I have to get everything organised and packed for the week ahead. I have to hit the gym nice and early tomorrow before I head off at 0630h for Melbourne. Mum and I are staying at a self-contained apartment right next door to the Peter McCallum Cancer Clinic whilst she has her second lot of chemotherapy. Then Thursday I'm flying out of Melbourne to Syndey for FILEX 2008. My trusty note book is travelling with me so it's all good. LOL!!

Enjoy what's left of your weekend and have an ever better week. By for now ladies. :o)

Poster of the Day

Me, Jenny Lynn and the treadmill

I've just got home from my cardio session which ended up being on base at the gym due to the undesirable weather we're having. It didn't turn out to bad because I had the entire place to myself so I was able to put on my Jenny Lynn "The harder I work, the luckier I get" dvd which passed the time nicely. It was certainly inspirational and really got my motivational levels pumped up to their maximum capacity. After I'd finished instead of just shooting home as quickly as possible I took the time to stretch my lower limbs so that I wasn't to tight when I wake up tomorrow morning.

Now that I have eaten my delicious dinner, showered and changed into my pyjamas I'm going to give myself a deluxe manicure. Andj only recently reminded me that it's important to ensure I take time out for myself which I haven't been so tonight I'm doing just that. So on that note, I'm out of here. Good night. :o)

13 Weeks & Counting!

13 Weeks Out Today
until the
2008 All Female Classic
Saturday 12th July 2008

Photo of the Day

Quote of the Day

"Our lives are not determined by what happens to us but by how we react to what happens,
not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life.
A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events, and outcomes.
It is a catalyst, a spark that creates extraordinary results."

-- Anon

The Amazing Adventures of Diet Girl

Shauna Reid.....is the author of "The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl" , published on 1 January 2008 by Transworld. Based on the wildly popular blog of the same name, it's the true story of how I lost half my body weight and had a whole lot of adventures along the way. Full of romance, travel, scale angst and chocolate, the spans seven years and seven jean sizes.

Inspiring and uplifting, The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl has even caused readers to blow bubbles of snot from laughter! It's also been named No. 1 on Marie Claire magazine's list of the Top Ten Diet Books.

About the Book
Is it a memoir? Is it a diet book? Is it chick lit? It's a little bit of all three. But Dietgirl is different from the usual diet book. There's nobody telling you what to do -- instead I tell you how I did it, with warts-and-all honesty and humour about the ups and downs of busting the lard and trying to find peace with all my lumpy bits. Or as the blurb-writing folks say on the cover, it is "a hilarious and heartwarming tale of a real-life superhero who battled the bulge and won."

Here's the synopsis from the back of the book:

"In January 2001 Shauna Reid was twenty-three years old and twenty-five stone. Determined to turn her life around, she created the hugely successful weblog "The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl" and, hiding behind her Lycra-clad roly-poly alter-ego, her transformation from couch potato to svelte goddess began.

Today, 8,000 miles, seven years and twelve-and-a-half stone later, the gloriously gorgeous Shauna is literally half the woman she used to be.In turn hysterically funny and heart-wrenchingly honest, "The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl" follows the twists and turns of Shauna's lard-busting adventure as she curbs the calories and learns to love the gym. There are travel tales from Red Square to Reykjavik, plus romance and intrigue as she meets the man of her dreams during a pub quiz in Edinburgh. As her UK visa rapidly runs out, will she be deported back to Australia or will love triumph?

Entertaining and action-packed, this is the uplifting true story of a young woman who defeated her demons and conquered her cravings to become a weight-loss superhero to inspire us all."

The Amazing Adventures of Diet Girl's Blog

Photo of the Day