I was just thinking, when I move back there are so many of you I want to catch up with how about we organise a regular monthly gathering. That way all us health and fintess girls can catch up over a coffee.
Who's interested?
Me
Charlotte
Kek
Shar
Sara
Combat Girl
Irene
Jewel
Katie
UPDATE: See "My Schedule" in my right sidebar for details. :o)
Monday 26th May 2008 saw me back at Olympic Park Sports Medicine Centre to see my surgeon Dr Simon Bell. Here's my original post after my first surgery six months ago. He was happy with how my AC Joint was functioning so that was good, the surgery obviously worked.
But my shoulder failed a couple of other tests that he conducted so it's back to surgery I go ladies. I'm booked in for a shoulder arthroscopic decompression on the 30th July. I picked this date so that it would allow me to have already moved and be settled in before having to deal with my shoulder recovery. What this means is that not only is he going in again to view the shoulder but he'll also be shaving away some of the bone from the acromion. (see below for picture)
It's pretty straight forward like my last surgery. This time around I'll be staying at the Mercy Private Hospital in East Melbourne. It's only overnight so I'll be in and out before I know it. Although the recovery will be different, this time it'll be six weeks before I can do any upper body weight training again. So this will obviously slow down my progression and was another major contributing factor to my not competing this year.
I have to do what's best for me and best for my body. That way, when I do move forward I'm in the best possible position to do so. What will be will be and I'm okay with that. :o)
As promised, here I am with my first of many blog posts to get you up to speed with what is going on in my life.
Well as you all already know, I have been faced with one hell of a challenge this year. I've had to face and deal with my mother's terminal illness, cancer. Mum has been living with us ever since so that we can provide her the full time care she requires. Unfortunately she is deteriorating quite rapidly and the level of care is getting greater and greater each day.
In the not so distant past I have been there in times of need and even taken care of my father through two successful kidney transplants and one kidney rejection. At the time I thought that was difficult and challenging, don't get me wrong it was but in comparison to what I'm going through now it was relatively easier to manage and cope with. There is a significant difference between being there for an ill parent to caring for an ill parent. I have had to learn this the hard way unfortunately.
We have also recently been extremely lucky to be granted service postings back into our location of choice, RAAF Williams in Melbourne. This now allows us to provide my mother better quality of life and more accessible treatment. Moving at the best of times is stressful enough but on top of our current circumstances it's going to be an even bigger stress this time around and I'm feeling it already.
So my emotional eating has gotten completely out of control. I'm betting that my cortisol levels would be through the roof and this is obviously doing my mind and body no favours for my competition preparation. My heart's just not in it this year, everything was a struggle and it just wasn't fun anymore. I always said that when it stopped being fun that I would gracefully bow out and this is what I'm doing. I won't be competing this year. I have so much going on in my life that I had to make some changes before I headed for a breakdown of which I'm already pretty close too.
I had the best of intentions. I had the inspiration and motivation. I had the drive and determination. I had the dreams and goals. It didn't matter because at the end of the day I couldn't do whatever it took. I struggled from day to day, still do. So I swallowed my pride and finally made the decision I'm sharing with all you now. It broke my heart and tears are welling up in my eyes right now as I type this but I just couldn't do it anymore. I tried my best but my best wasn't going to be good enough for stage this year.
So where to now? That's a good question, I think I'll save that for another post. It's late and I'm pretty exhausted emotionally now. My decision is exactly that my decision and I now know I've made the right decision for me and my family. Thank you for listening. xx
I have so much to tell you guys. I'm obviously not going to be able to do it all in one post so here's a run down of what to expect over the next week:
1. Comp Update
2. Shoulder Update
3. Mum Update
4. BodyTune Workshop
5. Lindy Olsen's Herald Sun Photo Shoot
6. FitGenes Seminar
7. My Genetic Profile Results
8. My Latest Online Purchases
9. Comp Trolley Part IIII
So there you go, now you can see for youself that I have way to much just for one post. But as per usual I'm super busy so no promises. Until then, have a great weekend! :o)
I'm offline from now until next weekend so until then, live each day as if it were your last. ;o)
As you all know, Lindy Olsen's in town this weekend for her BodyTune Workshop. Spot's are filling fast, so if you want to come along and meet one of the most sincere down to earth ladies there are in this industry then click on the above poster and reserve a spot. What's even better is it's free! I'll be there helping out so if I can make the effort then so can you, it's in all our best interest.
Lindy and I first met back in 2005. She was my inspiration and I had her on my computer desktop to keep me motivated leading up to my first figure competition season. Never in a million years would I have thought that I would not only be one of her dear friends but also affiliated with her on a professional business level. I have so much love and respect for this women, words can't even describe how I truly feel about her. She's like a sister to me and after the start to the year that I've had I honestly don't know where I'd be without her love and support through it.
So I hope to see you Sunday. I really look forward to it. I'll be the one trekking around with my cooler bag, you can't miss me. LOL!! :o)
"Things don't go wrong and break your heart
so you can become bitter and give up.
They happen to break you down and build you up
so you can be all that you were intended to be."
-- Charles Jones
I've just got off the phone from my career manager in Canberra. It's confirmed, we've moving in a couple of weeks back to Melbourne. *smiling like cheshire cat*
I have a job that will keep me there for 3 - 3 1/2 years and get this, it's a higher rank paid position so I'll get paid at the higher rank. *cha ching* Someone somewhere is looking after me and I'm so happy that I could literally jump out of my skin. But I won't because that could get a little bit scary. LOL!!
So anyways, very happy, very excited and just had to get on and share the news. Will be back to post more as more information becomes available. xx
Last year I wrote a post I found myself re-visiting again today. You already know that I've had shoulder problems in the past and that I'd also gone through an extensive process of elimination to try and figure out exactly what was wrong with it which then resulted in surgery.
Up until a month ago everything had been progressing along as expected but for some reason things have gone backwards and I've found myself having to dramatically change my shoulder training plans, start rehabilition again with my physio and I've even made an appointment to see my surgeon.
In the mean time I have to do everything possible to help myself and this is why I'm going back to Shoulder Savers Part I, II & III. Long live Eric Cressey. LOL!! He's the man when it comes to all things shoulders.
Only time will tell what it meant to be will be, until then I'm crossing everything. :o)
But firstly I wanted to thank those of you who voted on my poll. They came down to:
42% Yes
57% No
A drum roll if you please..........I have decided that I WILL COMPETE IN 2008. My decision wasn't made lightly and there were many pro's and con's to take into consideration. So I'm forging ahead and have committed to the INBA ADF Titles (Monday 22nd September 2008) & INBA Vic titles (Saturday 4th October 2008). So that's it in a nutshell, not much more I can add. Everything else has remained the same and I have the full support of my trusty team over on my side bar as well as my loving family and friends. For with out this I could not compete.
I aim to try my very very best given my circumstances and have made the necessary changes. Like the picture says "No Pain, No Gain". Nothing in life worth having ever came easy so why should this! ;o)
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)
I've procrastinated long enough about finishing my studies. I have one module to do (Personal Training Practices & Business Management Principles) and my practical video and then I'm done! So no more excuses, no more getting distracted. I've shut myself in my office and am spending the large majority of today studying.
Now if only I could stop blogging in between questions. LOL!!
I have nine assessments to complete, the countdown has started:
Assessment 1 - Done!
Assessment 2 - Done!
Assessment 3 - Done!
Assessment 4 - Done!
Assessment 5 - Done!
Assessment 6 - Done!
Assessment 7 - Done!
Assessment 8
Assessment 9
UPDATE: I've decided that to prevent my procrastination I'll create a page element so that everyone can see where I'm up to. That way, if nothing's getting done you all have my permission to virtually kick me in the you know what. LOL!! ;o)
So here I am, waiting for my husband to get up so he can take my skinfold measurements with our new set of calipers. I'll be posting them up over at LindyOlsen.com later today if you're interested in seeing where I'm at. I'll also weigh in at the base gym but hopefully it'll be for the last time. My scales should arrive this week so that'll mean from now on I'll have consistant results where ever I get posted to. This week I'll be posting up my results from my Genetic Profile as well as Comp Trolley Part III. For those that may have missed the first two posts, here's Comp Trolley Part I & Comp Trolley Part II. Enjoy what's left of your Sunday. And remember, prior preparation prevents piss poor performance. So get organised ladies for the week ahead. xx
Can you believe it, I went to bed at 2030h last night and got up at 0630h this morning. That's a whopping ten hours rest . Jett (see below) and I snuggled up together whilst I continued to read my book, "The Lazy Girls Guide to Losing Weight & Getting Fit". I wasn't feeling 100% so the best way to counteract this is to get extra vitamins in me and some extra rest in bed. The preventative is better than the cause I always say. 
Mum hasn't got an immune system so getting sick is not an option. You see, the chemotherapy not only kills her cancer cells but it also kills good cells she needs to fight off germs and infections. It's a bitter sweet situation but one that can't be avoided unfortunately. So that's why we can't risk getting sick. First sign off anything we have to get onto it straight away, we can't afford to ignore it otherwise we're a huge health risk for her. Put it this way, a cold could turn into pneumonia for Mum. That and she's had a really rough time with the side effects since her last treatment. We've had the palliative care nurses visiting home quite a bit to help with pain management. We fight the fight, there's nothing else we can do.
UPDATE: I've made my decision as to whether or not I'll be competing in 2008. Check back this afternoon for that. :o)
Team Halsall hit the gym early this morning and here we both are posing (surprise surprise) for photo's on the lat machine. LOL!! I'm wearing my new skins shirt which I looooove once I squeeze into it, it's a tight fit and I'm not exaggerating when I say tight. Here's an earlier post about them and all their benefits.
Also why I'm on the subject of skins, here's a flyer I picked up when I was at FILEX 2008. It's their new range for women and they look great! They had them all on display and this picture doesn't even do them justice. I know I for one can't wait for their release. But irrespective of what they look like it's the performance benefits of these garments that interest me most. In my opinion they're a worth while investment, I wouldn't train with out them. :o)
Being a figure competitor and monitoring my progression is an important part of my competition preparation. There is no right or wrong way to measure progression so it comes down to personal preference. Me I like to use a variety of different methods and here are what I have and use at home:
1. MyoTape for taking body measurements.
2. Skinfold Calipers for measruring bodyfat %
3. Tanita 8-Electrode Total InnerScan Segmental Body Composition Monitor. I purchased these yesterday and they should arrive in the mail sometime next week. They're replacing my previous old scales that were a gift from a fellow blogger. ;o)
What do you use?
P.S. These tools were also purchased keeping in mind of when I become qualified in Cert IV in Fitness. Different clients will want different things, this way I can offer them a variety of options in the privacy of their home.
because we might be moving soon. I'm lucky in the respect that there are certain avenues within defence that are available to its members due to compassionate circumstances and I obviously qualify. The paperwork was faxed off today and I will be hearing from them on Monday. Fingers crossed it's all systems go, because if it is it means we're all moving back to Melbourne. Mum needs this move, it's in her health's and well being's best interest.
On a totally different note I've finished my phone consultations with Lindy. It was a lengthy and detailed process learning what it all means and how it would effect me. I won't go into it now because I'm going to sit down and write a nice long post all about it over the weekend. On a funnier note, Lindy and myself have quite similar genetic profiles. LOL!!
It's Friday! And we all love the end of the week so enjoy your weekend ahead, I know I will. Daniel and myself are going out for an off-plan brunch tomorrow morning after gym so we're looking forward to that.
I'll also have stats and photos up this weekend at LindyOlsen.com So keep an eye out for those and feel free to leave your feedback. :o)
Must go, dinner is being prepared and best I go and lend a hand.
Lia xo
