December 2009

Dec 2009

15

Finding your Balance in Life

12

by Lia Halsall

Work-Life Balance

I often get asked what are my plans are for the future and when am I going to compete again. It’s simple, when the time’s right for me. You’ll all know when I know, I promise. My life is about sleeping, eating, training, working, living and not necessarily in that particular order. Just because I’m not posting what I eat, or when I train, what my plans are or announcing my return to the stage doesn’t mean that it’s not happening. 2010 is all about finding and maintaining my balance of having it all and in harmony.

I obviously don’t post that I get up, I had a shower, got dressed, drove myself to work and so on an so forth. That’s because it just automatically happens and I’m not going to bore you to death with all the mindless details of my daily routine. My nutrition and training is going to become a normal part of my daily life and isn’t always going to be highlighted here on my blog. I will of course talk about my new nutrition and training when is happens but it won’t be every single day like it has been in the past. Don’t get me wrong, it’s as equally important but finding the balance for me is all about not focussing all my time and energy on one particular aspect of my life. I guess you could say that being task focused is going to be left behind in 2009. Instead it’s all about making a positive lasting change.

As for me competing, it’ll happen one day. My views and feelings about competing have changed and when I do it’ll be for very different reasons. It’s no longer about the competition, it’s much more personal than that. For me, returning to the stage will be about undoing what I’ve done to myself and my body during the death of my parents. It’ll also be about honouring both their memories. I haven’t applied the necessary self-discipline that I usually have, let alone be consistent enough with my nutrition and training due to one thing or another these past couple of years. Because of these reasons I’m taking my time with everything, so there’s no hurry. I want to present something different to what I’ve done in the past and if I want different I have to do different right. But, like I’ve previously mentioned I won’t compete until I’ve achieved a healthy mind body and spirit like I originally planned. So you see it’s all about the timing, and who knows when that’ll happen. All in good time my friends, all in good time.

2010 is going to be all about my healthy lifestyle and creating that balance. I know it can be done. Will it be easy? Hell no, life is seldom easy. LOL!! But it’ll be fun figuring it out along the way and no doubt I’ll learn many more useful lessons.

That’s what living is all about, finding the right balance and having it all because nothing’s impossible.

Dec 2009

13

You can’t handle the Truth

11

by Lia Halsall

You Can't Handle The TruthCan you, can you really handle the truth? The whole truth and nothing but the truth? I think you’ll find the answer to that question is a big fat NO!

Over my years of being an honesty is always the best policy type of person I’ve found that a large majority of the population really can’t handle the truth in any way shape or form. Understandably the information is seldom easy to listen to let alone digest, but if it hurts your feelings then generally speaking it’s because there’s some truth behind it. You automatically react that way because it hurts, it hurts your feelings. But most likely you’ll go immediately on the attack without even a consideration of what is about to come flying out your mouth. And there lies the biggest problem.

Immediately you see the glass as half empty and automatically assume that this person who’s usually a friend is deliberately attacking you for some unknown reason. I mean really, do you think you’re friend wakes up on that particular day and sets out to deliberately tell you something they know you don’t want to hear so that in return you can retaliate, and usually in a hostile manner? Again, I don’t think so.

With every action there is an equal reaction. And it’s the reaction you choose that determines how it’s going to end. You can only control yourself and all that you say and do, nobody else. So how this ends is entirely up to you.

My Mum taught me that from a very young age honesty is always the best policy, even if it hurts. It’s seldom a personal thing although it’s all to often interpreted that way and that’s the bit that hurts. Not because you’re being attacked but because you’re hearing something you don’t necessarily want to hear let alone deal with. But alas, it’s easier to blame the other person than to look within for the real answer which generally speaking you probably already know anyway.

I’ve lived and work all over this country and met many different people along the way. I’ve also taught 1000′s of students over the last five years and have come across this very scenario time and time again.

Me personally, I’m an upfront and honest person and unfortunately that doesn’t win me friends or influence people. LOL!! In actual fact it’s often controversial but I seldom get personal about it. I’m not about to lower my standards because of how someone may interpret what I’m saying to them. Life is what it is and I’m not wasting a second of my life customising it for someone else just to save their feelings. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not deliberately mean to people but I’m by no means a people pleaser. I’d rather have my small network of people in my life that I respect and trust than the world’s biggest social network. It’s quality, not quantity for me.

Be true to yourself, be true to those around you. Life isn’t meant to be easy and trying to please everyone all the time isn’t healthy for you, or for them. Don’t be afraid to be different from everybody else and have an opinion that’s uniquely yours.

You only get one chance at this life.

Dec 2009

12

My Family Heirloom Story

10

by Lia Halsall

Family HeirloomIt’s the little things that matter to me.

This story won’t be of any particular interest to anyone other than my family but it’s something I needed to write about. My Mum packed up her home in her final weeks of her battle with small cell lung cancer. It was without a doubt the most difficult thing she ever had to do. Gut wrenching comes to mind when I think of it. She’d allocated what went to whom and then the remainder of her belongings were donated to charity or thrown out.

Through out the weekend the one thing that she wanted to find was her Victorian Cranberry Pickle Castor. Mum had picked it out when her grandmother packed up her home and kept it as a keepsake. Apparently it was a wedding present and dates back to 1908. But unfortunately she didn’t find it and it upset her, as you could imagine. Why it meant so much to her I will never know now but just knowing that it was important to her was enough for me. Mum’s passions now became my passions.

Mum passed knowing that it hadn’t been found but could only assume that it was up in her storage shed that had yet to be emptied. So when we packed up the storage shed that was the only thing I was adamant in finding. I knew what it looked like having seen it all my life but knew nothing of it’s family history. We came up empty handed again, it was no where to be found in the shed and this was our last chance of finding it. This really upset me, really really upset me. I had to find it. I had to do this for Mum. I couldn’t give up and I couldn’t let it go. I was determined to find it no matter what it took.

Mum’s landlord was also a friend and I knew he didn’t have new tenants. I rang him pleading he let me go back and check just one last time in case it was missed. I knew where it was supposed to be and when we got there I headed straight for the corner kitchen cupboard. There was no electricity so it was dark, really dark. I reached into the very back of it and there it was. As I pulled it out of the cupboard my face collapsed into my hands and I burst into a flood of tears. The relief was overwhelming and the search was over.  It was broken, tarnished and dirty but I didn’t care. My Mum wanted it and I found it.

I bought it back home and enquired about getting it repaired and restored. I knew nothing about antiques and until now, had no particular interest in them. I was lucky and found a great company that sells and restores fine antiques at Antique Sales & Restorations. George picked it up from home, repaired it because the top piece had actually broken off the frame and he then restored it to it’s original condition. Here’s a photo I took of it yesterday. George was so happy with the before and after that he’s going to put photos up on his website. I was beyond ecstatic with the final outcome, it was beyond my greatest expectations. I felt such pride knowing that I’d done this for my Mum. I now have a greater appreciation for all fine antiques not to mention the sentimental value of them. This filled my heart with so much love and joy.

The Victorian era of the United Kingdom was the period of Queen Victoria’s reign from June 1837 until her death in January 1901. During this era the Victorian Cranberry Pickle Castor was created but I’m not sure exactly when. I guess that’ll be something for me to look further into in the new year.

Dec 2009

9

Link Love

0

by Lia Halsall

★ Food Cravings: here’s a great article that delves into a topic we all have experience with.

★ From Pie Hole to Poop Shoot: this title says it all but if you want to learn more about your digestive system then check out this article.

★ Military Athlete: this website is real military fitness training for real military combat personnel, it’s not for the faint hearted.

★ Craig Harper: Australia’s Leading Motivational Speaker & Educator

★ Driven Divas: Jenny Lynn & Trish Warren created this DVD as they both prepared for the 2009 IFBB Olympia

Dec 2009

8

Fail to Plan ~ Plan to Fail

12

by Lia Halsall

Motivational PosterIt’s the age old say of “if you fail to plan then you plan to fail”. I’ve been there and done that time and time again and I’ve also learnt the important lessons along the way.

Life is relatively simple, yet we, human kind complicate things by blaming anything or everything for our short comings. When it fact it’s us letting ourselves down and not having the integrity to accept the responsibility and be accountable for our actions. But it doesn’t have to be that way, it’s all about the choices we make remember.

2010 is going to be unlike any other year for me. I’m not going to pay for a coach to help me out with all things nutrition and training. Instead I’m spreading my wings and flying solo. Over the last five years I’ve learnt enough, researched enough and studied enough to know what works and what doesn’t for me and my body. I’m now confident enough to try it alone and succeed or fail it really doesn’t matter. Not to me anyway. What matters is that I try and continue moving in a forward direction. Like I always say, nothing ventured nothing gained. I have nothing to lose and everything to gain by this experience. It’s my body and I’ll do with it as I please because what I do doesn’t effect anyone else.

So I’ve sat down and worked out a training and nutrition plan for 2010. It’s the first time I’ve used periodisation in conduction with my training and nutrition and that’ll be done over three stages throughout the course of the year. Three different training programs. Three different nutrition programs. All in all it’s actually quite exciting because it’s something different to what I’ve done in the past. Something else that will also be different is that I’m not doing this alone. Team Halsall has paired up again and we’ll both be working together for the entire year towards our health and fitness goals. We’re both looking forward to the new year and the many challenges we’re both faced with, it’ll be fun and neither of us can wait to get started.

It’s December so I’ve been busily working in the background researching and preparing everything for the new year. I plan to succeed! This year I lost half the body fat I wanted to lose and then stagnated due to my lack of self-discipline and consistency. I’m not a quitter so I went back to good old faithful drawing board to work out next years health and fitness goals. From there I was able to work out a plan to finish what I’d started this year once and for all.

Little by little step by step I know I’ll achieve my goals. I’ve done it before and I can do it again. Just because it wasn’t in the original time frame doesn’t mean it’s a failure. I’ve already achieved 50% of my original goal, that’s certainly no failure. Life happens to everyone, and you can guarantee life will throw hurdles in your path to see if you can make it over them or whether you’ll kneecap yourself and simply give up. Failure’s not an option, not now, not ever. I don’t care how many times life kneecaps me it’s nothing a bandaid won’t fix for the interim. There is no excuse for not moving forward. I certainly didn’t use the loss of both my parents last year as an excuse so dig deep, make a plan and join me in achieving our goals together.

← Older Posts

Newer Posts →