Breakfast: Organic Rolled Oats & Blueberries
Snack: Organic Piece of Fruit
Lunch: Daniel’s Organic Chicken Curry with Green Beans & Carrots
Snack: Organic Walnuts
Dinner: Basa Fillet, Organic Lemon & Fresh Dill with an Organic Green Salad (Mixed Lettuce Leaves, Continental Cucumber & Avocado) with Olive Oil & Balsamic Dressing
My nutrition this week is organic, whole foods and things I don’t have a sensitivity too. Some times in life you have to make decisions that are in your health and well being’s best interest. That doesn’t mean sacrificing your goals and dreams because where there’s a will there’s always a way. My four biggest food sensitivities are cows milk, cocoa bean, cashews and egg whites so where possible I try to avoid them at all cost and if I do indulge not all on the same day because if I do the crime then I have to pay the time. I’m also getting away from taking protein powders because of all the artificial properties in them not to mention cocoa powder, of course chocolate had to be my favourite. LOL!! Instead I’m focusing more on my Musashi Essential Amino Acids. It’s yet another tribute to my “If I want different, I have to do different” quote.
My new nutrition and lifestyle is taken from three resources: Metagenics Detox, The Paleo Diet for Athletes & Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome. I have all three books here at home and refer to them quite frequently to ensure I’m doing what’s best for me and for my body. Of course I modify things to suit my lifestyle, health and athletic needs as we all need to do because no two people are exactly the same. I find what works for me and go with it because if it aint broke, then don’t fix it.
Time to get ready for work.
Today I’m heading back to The Ashley Centre. I’m booked in for my second Facial IPL. IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) therapy is a non-invasive light treatment for acne, reddened skin, visible signs of ageing, visible facial blood vessels, sun-damaged skin and pigmentation, and is even more effective when used in partnership with PDT (photo dynamic therapy). I don’t know about you but I refuse to age gracefully.
This is my doctor:
Dr Jennifer Wilson MBBS BMed Sc, Cosmetic Physician & Phlebologist
“Dr Wilson has a background in general practice and women’s health, having graduated in 1988. Since 2003, she has specialized in cosmetic medicine and the non-surgical treatment of varicose and spider veins.
She is experienced in all aspects of non-surgical facial rejuvenation, including the use of dermal fillers, anti-wrinkle injections, mole removal and laser treatments. She is also currently one of Victoria’s most experienced Fraxel laser operators – particularly for the management of sun damage, photo ageing and acne scarring. She is also skilled in the administration of fat-reducing injections.
What does Jennifer love about her job? Helping patients to look and feel great makes each day enormously rewarding. “It is a joy to be involved in such an exciting and constantly evolving field of medical practice”
Jen’s a lovely lady who also has an excellent bedside manner. She’s also the doctor who administered botox into my underarms and brow as well as restalyn in my top lip line and smile lines. I can’t speak highly enough of her or the clinic for that matter and have no hesitation in recommending them to future clients.
Well it’s time to get going. I have to allow for all the roadworks going on because I don’t like being late for appointments.
Have a great weekend!
Life in the slow lane is definitely agreeing with me although I’m not quite there yet, still a little more fine tuning to do. By cutting back on all commitments was the first step in the right direction, it helped to relieve some pressure and stress that I was experiencing, all self-inflicted of course. Secondly was ensuring I took time out for myself so that I didn’t burn out or run myself into the ground as I sometimes do. So what I did was mark every second weekend on my calendar as my rest and relaxation weekend. What this means is that I’m not allowed to book any appointments or make any commitments those weekends so that I have absolutely nothing to do other than get rest and relaxation. That way, no matter how busy I am on the alternate weekends I’m always ensured my rest and relaxation weekends. Two weeks will be the absolute longest time I’ll ever be super busy without some much needed down time. Perfect plan if you ask me and so far so good, it works!
Another change I’ve implemented is creating the mother of all things to do list. I’ve put everything on it and I mean absolutely everything, I have all the things I need to do as well as all the things I want to do. I’ll finish that up this weekend and then print it out and put it up in my office on the inspiration board. I’ve accepted that they’ll be many things on this list and that it’s okay to just chip away at it over time. No longer will I place any unnecessary self imposed pressure on myself to do everything yesterday, that’s way to unrealistic not to mention unhealthy. Then as I do get through my list marking items off one at a time I’ll have a great feeling of accomplishment so it’s a win win situation in my opinion.
What else has been happening now let me think, hmmm. Oh that’s right, I’ve decided that with everything that has gone on with my health this year and all the stopping and starting with my nutrition and training that there simply hasn’t been enough consistency. So next year I’m going to just focus on maintaining a steady nutrition and training plan so I can make solid gains in preparation to compete in 2011. I’m in no hurry to compete again until I’m happy and healthy as this is what’s important to me now. I have until the end of this year to achieve my goal and then next year maintain it. That’s the real challenge for me, the maintenance side of things.
Fathers Day is coming up fast and I plan on driving home to pay my respects to Dad. This will be the last first and I’m thankful for that, well thankful to have all of his firsts behind me. Unfortunately we’re still waiting for a death certificate. Work Cover finally handed over their brief to the coroner who wasn’t satisfied with what she read so she handed it over to the magistrate. There’s a likely possibility that this could go to court so if that happens it could be years before we have closure to this matter which doesn’t help with the letting go process when it’s still going on in the background and out of our control. I try not to let it bother me to much but it’s difficult, you know.
Mum’s estate is settled so thankfully that’s bought some piece of mind for me. I eventually made the trip into Peter Mac to donate personal effects for the gift shop, hospital library, volunteer department as well as the donation envelopes. Going there wasn’t as bad as I thought but letting go of all these items was difficult, it bought tears to my eyes. It was me letting go of another piece of Mum. That’s what hurts most. So now all that’s left to do is distribute some personal effects to the immediate family and get through her death anniversary which is coming up in November.
Little by little I’m getting through my own grieving process. I can’t even explain the process or the emotion involved, there just aren’t words. It’s opened my eyes to many many things and many many lessons I’ve experienced and learnt along the way. Thankfully though, I now have more good days than bad days. Contrary to belief it doesn’t get any easier with time, you just learn to bare the undesirable pain and live with it the best you can. Just recently I’ve got back into my scrapbooking and will be making a layout in memory of Mum & Dad. Once I’ve finished them I’m going to get them professionally framed and will hang them up on a wall in our home. That way I’ll have a visual reminder of them both and how I remember them in my heart and in my home forever.
Well that about does it for today’s post. I hope that you’re all happy and healthy because it’s the only way to live.
is the key to a long and happy life. Sometimes in life we have to make some tough decisions, we may not like them for whatever reasons and we may be worried about the indirect impact it my have but we have to be true to ourselves utmost and foremost first.
For me personally it was taking a good hard look at myself and my life and deciding what it was that I wanted out of my life. I did that recently and have started implementing changes that I’ll benefit from. Some were easy changes, some not so easy but all relevant to my plan to change my life and for the better. Now I know this is going to sound like I’m being tough of myself and I know what I’m entitled to grieve for how ever long it takes me but I’d got to the stage where I was sick to death of myself and my grieving for that matter. It’s exhausting, I never realised how much so and how it impacts your daily life and even those around you. Now I don’t care if it made others feel uncomfortable, that was thier problem. I had enough of my own thank you very much. But enough was enough and so I stepped out from under my dark cloud and into the sunshine. This is my life and I’ll decide how I will and won’t live it, not circumstances, but me!
So I’ve made some changes both personally and professionally towards achieving my original goal. That way, I can be the person I want to be and do the things I want to do without anymore excuses. I’m going to be slowing down to a nice and steady pace for the duration of this year and then re-evaluate where I’m at and set myself new goals for the new year.
On Friday I received the shock of my life with some health news I wasn’t expecting. It’s nothing to be concerned about, but I still had to make a decision that didn’t necessarily come easy to me. Daniel says that the right decisions are sometimes the hardest decisions to make and he’s right, so very very right. Just like last year with Mum. I had to make two very big decisions that I’ve not talked about here and nor will I that shook me to my core. They were decisions I never thought in a million years I would have to make or that I ever had the right to make. I know they were for the right reasons but that didn’t make them any easier to make at the time. So my recent decision is going to involve a simple day procedure and will slow my health and fitness goals down a little but that’s life. I’m just going to roll with the punches and make the best of my current circumstances.
Life is so tricky some times, more so than others. But that’s what makes us who we are I guess. The good, the bad, the ugly, they’re all life experiences we need to experience to break us down and build us up so that we can be all that we were intended to be. Charles Jones quoted this and it’s one of my all time favourite quotes. It’s even on my inspirational wall of which I have almost finished. Once it’s done I’ll photograph it and post it up for all to see what mine looks like.
That’s it for today. I found out during the week that I have a month to finish my Cert IV in Fitness (Personal Training). So on that note I better get going and hit the books.
So much has happened since I blogged last which feels like forever ago now. So much so that I’m not going to update you because that was then and this is now. I’ve also stopped looking back into my past instead I’m focused now on my future and all it’s infinite possibilities. That’s all I have to say about that matter so moving right along with where I’m at today.
Many things have changed about my blog and will continue to change until it’s all done, there’s no time frame that way there’s also no self-imposed pressure either. I’m staying with my thesis template, blog platform and host but there’s likely possibilities of change as far as my blog domain, blog title and appearance are concerned. Nothings locked down in concrete yet but I just wanted you all to know. Again it’s another slow and steady process due to time constraints but I’m getting there. I’ve also de-cluttered my front page and will continue to do so until I’m completely happy with it. For my blog links I now just operate out of google reader, I find that works better for me instead of the doubling up when it came to keeping blog links current and up to date. It’s nothing personal it’s just the way I’ve chosen to de-clutter and simplify my new life. I’m also going to be more sporadic when it comes to actually blogging so that it’s a more enjoyable experience for myself and for those that chose to read or follow my journey. I’m still going to continue to be upfront and honest but also reserved when it’s required, I think that’s a better balance. Also my blog is for me and it’s about me, that’s all that matters to me not what anyone else thinks or doesn’t think. Life is too short to get wrapped up in anybody else’s lives and mine it too precious to neglect it. Life has changed me and now I’ve changed with it.
As for my health and fitness, I’ve already successfully lost a significant amount of body fat since I started on my healthy mind body and spirit personal journey by adopting a slow and steady approach to all my nutrition and training. For the second half of this year though I’m going to ramp things up some what now that I have a more specific goal in mind. Now you already know that when I’m not competing I’m not usually focused on numbers, instead I’m more focused on results to be the true testament of what I’m doing. But for the next four months I’ll be applying a combination of the both to work towards achieving and maintaining this goal. My husband’s also a part of this goal so we’re both excited and ready to take ourselves to the next level with our health and fitness. It’s going to be so much fun and the end result is just the icing on the cake. Well not literally but you know what I mean. LOL!!
Other things that have changed in my life and for the better are that I now have one day a week that’s computer free. Then I also have every second weekend off from all appointments and social commitments so I can have time here at home with my wonderful husband doing nothing other than catching up on rest and relaxation. Slowing down’s very important to me now especially if I want to live a happy, healthy and long life. I’ve talked the talked so now I’m walking the walk.
Lindy & Dallas flew down on the weekend and we headed to the 2009 Country Classic Invitational. It’s the first time we’d all been to this show and we were impressed by it. Craig Lucas & Vicki Arief really know how to entertain their guests and look after their bodybuilders. It’s the best show I’ve ever been to and I’ll definitely go back next year to support it again. I had my camera with me of course so if you click on this image above it’ll take you to my online gallery of them. Enjoy!
