Its the FINAL COUNTDOWN...

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to share a little story with you all. 12 weeks ago tomorrow I stepped on the scales & weighed in at 81.5kg.

Last Wednesday I weighed in at 71.3kg – so that’s 10.2kg in 11 weeks, 12.5% body weight. I will do my final weigh in tomorrow but I am hopefully for a sub 70 result – I want to welcome Ms 60’s to my house.
In addition to the weight loss on the scales, I have shed an AMAZING 56cms from my body, most of it from my waist & boob areas. My boobs are PERKY again!!

Over the past 12 weeks I have had my ups & downs, like we all have. I can honestly say that I have never ‘slipped off the wagon’ or left the program. I have learnt how to deal with my emotions without eating or drinking them away. I now lace my shoes & go for a run when I am frustrated.

I have completed 2 triathlons, and was registered for a 3^rd but in accordance with Dr’s orders I couldn’t compete on Sunday. My fitness test has improved dramatically, from the first week when I couldn’t run the full 1km to yesterday when I completed it in 5mins 16 seconds. I am now a fit & healthy woman.

I honestly believe that without Mish’s program I wouldn’t have had the support & help that I have needed to keep going. I wanted to thank EVERYONE who has tweeted, left comments on my blog, and supported me over the past 12 weeks. I believe I have made friendships that will last for lifetimes, and I look forward to the challenge of Round 1 2011 and maintaining this fantastic lifestyle that I have developed.

So here are my final photos – before and afters out there for the world to see…..

See you all on Saturday

Xx

Sara

The Why of the Wahs 12WBT Journey... and where I am going....

I was married on the 23^rd of January 2010. Most women say that they looked better on their wedding day than every before… I was the exception to this. On my wedding day I was bigger than ever, I actually put on weight leading up to the day, which meant that I had to wear “spanks” under my dress – not the sexy lingerie I or my husband were anticipating.

I was lucky, my dress was very forgiving, and the good old corseting made me look better than I deserved.

I was looking back over the honeymoon photos in August this year, (7 months after the wedding) I was disappointed in how I looked, even when I was dressed, I looked frumpy, and well….. fat. This was the first time that I started to think something needed to be changed.

I jumped on the scales that same day…… 85.5kg EEK! This was the biggest I had ever seen, no wonder that my size 14 jeans were VERY snug & I had nothing to wear!

I decided to do something about it….. I got up at 5.30am the next morning and ran on the treadmill, I was dreadful, I couldn’t run very far, and like most beginners went hard & fast for 30 seconds & then flopped in a heap! Hardly the fit healthy woman I honestly thought I was!

I started researching learn to run programs, and installed the C25K program on my phone, in my research I also found the Body Blitz Challenge and printed the information out for reading.  I decided to enter to give myself the extra motivation I needed to lose weight – I figured that if I had to send someone horrid fat photos of myself I might as well send them follow up photos in 12 weeks showing how far I had come!

My start date was the 20^th of September; I weighed in at 82.5kg. My Husband took photos of me in my bathers, which looking back were way too small, and I can’t believe I actually wore them on the honeymoon.

I started to use Twitter & Facebook to keep up with friends & strangers who had a similar goal to me….through this I discovered Michelle Bridges 12 week body Transformation (12WBT)

This program has shown me how to live my life in a open, honest & fulfilling way. I am noticing improvements in my relationships with Hubby & also with colleagues, my resilience & ability to cope with adversity has increased, and I am generally more happy with myself.

On Michelle’s program she provides exercise, nutrition, shopping lists & probably most importantly for me – lessons to help you identify risks to your success. The last weeks focused on releasing your inner teenager, taking control of your own destiny & not giving in to temptation –regardless of what your self talk is saying.

Michelle provides the right level of support, and encouragement to keep me motivated & going. Today I received an email from Michelle, saying how proud she was of me & my achievements. Some people on the forums have complained about how they were ‘generic’ or ‘mail merged’ and so they felt ripped off because of that…. Personally I thought it had EXACTLY the right amount of pat on the back & kick in the butt that I needed.

I sent a quick reply back to Mish, thanking her for the encouragement, and stating how excited I was about the upcoming party…. A short time later I had another email from Mish saying that she was looking forward to the party too! These little letters of encouragement make my heart warm. I get excited every time I have contact with Mish (I remember the first time she re-tweeted my results I literally squealed in excitement!!)

I, using Michelle Bridges tips, information, and program am turning my life around…. I have had a REALLY bad day today, I learnt that I lost a really big potential client, through no fault of my own, and if I am honest about it I was about to skip the gym tonight & go home… but after re-reading my post above I have decided that I will  JFDI & head off to the gym …..

Mish I know that I am making these changes myself, and that you are not doing them for me, but I want to thank you for giving me the knowledge to empower myself to achieve in weight loss, body transformation, and most importantly LIFE.

sx

S

Reflecting on Achievements

This blog has taken me a long time to write, I have had the words floating around in my head, and to be honest I wish I could just press print & they would flow easily.

I will keep it simple today though, I am working on a longer blog about why I started 12WBT in the first place but for now I am going to focus on what I have achieved over the past 8 weeks.

-          I have lost 8.1kgs which is 9.9% of my body weight, bringing me down to 73.4kg this morning.

-          My BMI has dropped from 27.6 to the current healthy 24.9.

-          My boobs have reduced in size by 10cms, my waist reduced by 17cms & my hips by 7cms.

-          I can now run 1km in 5mins 20seconds (a 1min 19sec improvement)

-          I can do 47 push ups in 1 minute (including 10 on my toes) this is up from 27 push ups in week one & none on toes.                       

-          I can now hold the dreaded wall sit for 3mins 19secs (improved from 2mins 6sec in week 1)

-          I have reduced my consumption of alcohol and now only have 1-2 glasses of wine one day per week (down from a bottle a night!)

-           I eat breakfast every day.

-          I execise 5-7 days per week.

There is no doubt about it I have done really well, I am feeling good, I now see a skinny girl looking back at me in the mirror. However now is not the time to slacken off or get complacent.

The next 3 weeks are where the challenge really begins – I have 5.4kg to reach my goal weight of 68kgs, and 21 days to get there!

I have arranged for a friend to take my final photos, but because I have to go away with work on the 4^th of December they are going to be taken earlier than I would like, so on the 2^nd of December I will be stripping down to my new blue bikini & hopefully showing the world the physical transformation I have made.

I mentioned in the first part of this post that I am working on why I started 12WBT I am hoping that when I can finish that blog people will be able to see the mental transformation that I know I have made.

I hope that everyone is having a fantastic day, take a moment to reflect on what you have achieved to this point in the game – if you are not happy with that ask yourself what you can do to be happy in 3 weeks time, and then JDFI!

Xx

S

Update on my goals…..

I set these goals WAY back in the preseason tasks & then I stretched them 4 days into the 12WBT to make them a little more challenging.  Here they are again- with an indication of how I went (in red!)

1 month goal

• Increase fitness until I can run for 20 minutes without stopping (I can currently run for 8 minutes at 8km/hr, 3-5% incline on treadmill) DONE
• To run outside at least once per week. –New goal – Once a week do a bike ride immediately followed by a run - biathlon style DONE
• Lose 4kgs (that’s 500g per week & will bring me into the 70’s) DONE
• Do 20 push ups on knees (I can only do 10 now) – Fitness test proved I can actually do 28 so new goal – 40 DONE
• NEW Goal – To bring 1km time trial result down by 39s to under 6 minutes My week 4 time trial was 6.10, but I am sure it will be better next week
• To hold a proper plank position for 1 minute – I did this at the gym on Wednesday so new goal – 2 minutes I can do 1.30 without losing form, but I am still struggling with 2 mins
• To make eating healthy a NORMAL activity, every meal. DONE

 3 month goals

• Lose an additional 8 kgs (on top of the 3 I will lose in the first month). This will bring me into the 60’s – for the first time in 3 years since I stopped training. I have lost 6.7kgs to date – so still have 6.8kgs to go to get to goal weight
• Increase fitness until I can run 5kms in 30 mins. I can now run for 30minutes (which is an achievement in itself!) now I have to work on speed
• Run the Blue Lake Fun Run on the 21st of November – 6km of hills Registered & waiting to run
• Do 50 push ups on knees, and 10 on toes I did this last week – Happy Days!
• To hold a proper plank position for 2 minutes. – moved up to 1 month goals, so new 3 month goal will be to hold a  side plank for 1 minute (each side) This is a work in progress!
• To purchase a bikini that makes me look smoken’ hot!

I haven’t changed my 3 month goals, they are a work in progress and I have 5 weeks to complete them.

Triathlon Goals

I have mentioned in my earlier blog that I have raced in 2 triathlons in the past 3 weeks – the Pinkies triathlon in Sydney on the 31^st of October, and last Sunday at the Gatti Series in Adelaide.

A new goal which I am putting out there today is that I want to reduce the time it takes me to complete the “Tin-Man” triathlons in the Gatti Series (300m swim, 16.8k ride, 3k run).

My finishing time on the weekend was 1hour 20minutes 43seconds.  I had set myself 1hour 30mins to finish the course, so I was ecstatic to come in well under that personal target – however now the challenge begins!

The goals for the next 5 races are:

5^th December – 1hr 15mins

9^th January – 1hr 10mins

26^th January – 1hr 15mins (there is a longer swim & run leg on this day)

20^th February – 1hr 5mins

27^th March – under 1 hour

Week 7 of the 12WBT

I must be the worlds worst blogger… I have to admit that when life starts to get busy I am not the best at managing & balancing my time – something always has to give… and this time the blog was abandoned for most of October!

I am extremely pleased with my progress over the past 7 weeks doing the 12WBT program, I have lost 6.7kgs, 8.1% of my body weight. My BMI has dropped from 27.55 (overweight) to 25.3 (ALMOST healthy) I am sure that next Wednesday I will see a BMI of under 25 (healthy) I still have 6.8kgs to loose before I am at my goal weight of 68kgs but it is achievable & I will get there by Christmas.

I last did measurements 3 weeks ago – I will do them again next week. For now I can report that I have lost 9cms from my waist, and 8cms from my boobs. At that stage my hips & thighs had not moved at all, but I am hopefully that they will have shrunk a little this time around.

I graphed my weight loss today (I know it is a little geeky – but I wanted to see where I have come & where I am going!)

Ange (BellaXThree) has described the 12WBT as an epidemic which is spreading like a rampant virus around the country with outbreaks in little pockets around the world Check out her blog here This is SO accurate – I know that the physical results I am seeing in myself are reflected in my husband. He has lost almost 5 kgs over the 7 weeks – and that is without exercising, and without strict conformation to Mish’s diets too.

My mother has watched a few of Mish’s videos with me, and she even attended the “Pain in the Domain” session with me a month ago when I was in Sydney. Mum is very healthy and keeps a good track of her weight & fitness, but is super impressed by the program.

If you want to lose weight, tone up, or generally improve your health & wellbeing I can not stress enough the benefits of this program (click here to pre-register for Round 4 – starting January 2011) (click here to pre-register for Round 4 – starting January 2011)

You see 12WBT is not just about losing weight, or eating healthy – 12WBT is about changing your attitude towards life. Since commencing 7 weeks ago I have entered (and completed!) 2 triathlons, I now exercise 4-6 times per week and I have just registered myself & my husband for the Blue Lake Fun Run in 2 weeks time. This fun run is 6.8km of hills – around the Mount Gambier’s Blue Lake.

This run is particularly important to me – it is the run which kicked of my weight loss journey 4 months ago…. You see I drive a long way to work each day, and radio reception around here is dodgey, so I listen to ABC radio. On the morning show on the 16^th of July they announced that the Blue Lake Fun Run would be running on the 21^st of November (I know the exact date, because I made a note in my phone on that day) I thought, 3kms around the lake – I can do that!

I started the C25K program the next week – I taught myself how to run again, at the same time I was on facebook & saw the add for Michelle Bridges 12WBT, I clicked like & started to see the wonderful results people were having from Round 2… I was hooked!

If I hadn’t heard the presenter mentioning the Mt Gambier fun run, then I wouldn’t have gone onto Facebook to look at C25K & I wouldn’t have seen the add for 12WBT & I wouldn’t have lost 6.7kgs & I wouldn’t be fit & healthy & living life to the fullest!

Pinkies Triathlon Sydney - 12WBT Mini Milestone

So those of you that are regular readers, or who follow me on twitter know that I have had a rather rough week, last week, and to tell you the truth I wrote this blog at the airport on my way home, I just FORGOT to post it until now :)

.

I went to Sydney last Saturday for my Grandmothers funeral, and then followed it with a quick day trip to Mildura for a work course, and then back to Sydney ready for my mini-milestone – the 2010 Ramsay Health Care Pinkie Triathlon.

It was to be 200m of swimming, 6km of cycling & 2km of running, all around the Sydney Olympic venue – Homebush stadium.

So on Saturday mum & I got up at the crack of dawn (literally it was like 5.30am!) and headed off… it was all VERY exciting.

Mums event was first (she was braver than I and had registered for the long course event - 300m swim, 9km ride & 3km run). I was able to watch her get in the pool & then ran around to the transition area so I could cheer her on some more.

Mum went SO well she finished the swim in 8.58mins, the bike leg in 26.14mins & the run in 18.22mins, making her official race time 53.34mins.

She finished 38^th in her age group (out of 73 finishers) & 430^th overall (out of 789 finishers)

My race was SOOOO fun… I honestly thought I was drowning in the swim leg, at one point I had other girls grabbing at my legs, and I was kicked in the ribs going around the buoys which knocked the air out of me… I left the pool feeling rather overwhelmed, not sure why I had decided to enter this stupid race, and didn’t I realise that I still had the cycle & run to go… as I ran to the transition area, I saw mum & she cheered me on… I have to admit that I ran a little faster after hearing her voice!

The transition was slow… I had to pull my bike pants on over my swimmers, and then another singlet on over my wet one, thankfully there was an event helper there to help! I then was off on the ride…. Mum had arranged for me to borrow a bike from one of her friends, it was a little older than mine, and the gears were not so good, but the bike leg was awesome… it was only 6km, and I breezed through it, I am sure I should have pushed harder, as the race splits indicted that I only rode at 17.13km/hr when I know that in my training runs I have been averaging closer to 23km/hr.

The run leg was as per usual HARD work for me… I just can’t break through the mental discomfort of running, and I have trouble with adjusting my speed, so that I end up walking. The headwind at this stage was STRONG and I was running into it…. I walked a little and then mum saw me and yelled out “why are you walking” to which I replied “you weren’t supposed to see that!” then she yelled “well I did so RUN!!”. The final 400 m were fun again, I was able to lengthen my stride and really push towards the end… which I was SO glad I did because my official race time was 39.18mins, under the 45 minute goal I had set myself!! J

I was very happy with my splits, I finished the swim in 5.56mins, the bike leg in 21.01mins & the run in 12.2mins, making my official race time 39.18mins.

I feel that I should have pushed LOTS harder in the cycle leg, and of course I should have ran the whole way in the run – but I did note that my speed in the run was 9.72km/hr despite my walking at times which I am very happy about.

My next triathlon will require a much harder effort. I have registered for the Gatti Series in the Tin-Man category. This will be a 300m swim, a 16.8km ride & a 3km run. This race is on the 31^st of October, and I am now on the hunt for a proper Tri-Suit to make the race easier, and I am ready to put in the extra training to bring my race time down.

Pom.....

The past week has been crazy, I found out that the woman who was nearly my grandma  died last week, so this threw me mentally. Physically I am fine, and I have continued with my planed program with food & exercise, Mentally well.... you might know... losing a loved one SUCKS big time. Pom is my step fathers mother, and I have known her since I was 12, she welcomed me into her family & her heart as if I was really her grandchild.

It is hard, I want to be REALLY upset, but part of me feels like I have to be strong. I am a cry’er from way back, I hate any confrontation and I cry at any given issue.... it is not a good trait, and one that I struggle to control (particularly in workplace performance conversations, or tense discussions with people).

I am not sure how I will get through the funeral, I know I will cry – but it is ok, I am allowed to grieve... what I don’t know how to deal with is missing the monthly phone calls with this lady, or the short visits for coffee when I was in Sydney. I know that at times I hated having to visit, it was boring, and I really didn’t care to hear what she said at times, but you know now looking back I value each and every interaction I had with Pom.

I have mentioned my amazing mother a few times, but it is because of her that I have such close relationships with my family. She is the one that reminded me to visit, that reminded me to call & simply say hello... all those 10 minute phone calls whilst I was driving home from work meant so much to Pom, and now also to me... I will miss making them.

Pom was an amazing woman, a state netballer in her youth, mother of 3, grandmother  to 1 (well and me!) and beloved wife of over 50 years.

I will miss her........

WWMD / JFDI Wristbands

Firstly I apoligise to everyone for not updating my blog over the past 8 days, my life has been turned a little upside down with a family drama. I can say that throughtout it my 12WBT system has been working well, my friend, the scales was good to me on Wednesday and I have only 8kg to my goal weight. I am really starting to believe that I can reach goal by the end of Round 3 & fit into a SMOKIN' HOT Bikini for christmas.

If you are a regular 12WBT forum reader you may remember I sent out a call for people who were interested in purchasing WWBT (What Would Mish Do) or JFDI wristbands about a month ago. It has taken a little while but some samples arrived today & I LOVE THEM!

Link to Forums for more information I wanted to attach the "official" order form to the blog, but it looks like blogger wont allow me to attach an excel file.
If you would like to order a WWMD /JFDI wristband, please contact me via the forum link above or via twitter (I don't want to post my email here in case someone gets nasty & spams me!)

The wristbands are available in Pink, Blue, Purple, Red & Black, and sizes will fit from 150mm wrists - 202mm wrists. You can have either WWMD or JFDI on your band.
The cost $3.50 each, plus $3 for postage (per order!)

Let me know if you are interested
xx
S

Getting into my Head!

I have been trying to blog this as a video for the past few days, I recorded the video whilst I was driving to a clients place the other afternoon. However the video is too big to transfer from my i-phone to my email without connecting to the computer, so I am sorry dear followers… but you have to read again!!

I wanted to do a piece about how we can let our heads control our bodies, or how we can over-think  pain or problems and loose control in an effort to remain in control. Our heads & brains are very sophistocated parts of machinery, they control our breathing, our limbs & allow us to do so much. But they can also work against us, limiting us, this I suppose goes back to my fear of failure that I mentioned in my previous blog entry.

This thought started when I had my mother visit over the weekend.

My Mum & I are both entered into the Pinkie Triathlon on the 16^th of October and we have been training for the event (mum more than me… I STILL can’t find a pool!)

When mum visited she mentioned that she wanted to do the Bike – Run leg like a biathlon (similar to what D & I did last week). I don’t know how many of you have tried it before, but it is seriously strange to jump off your bike & start running – your legs just don’t want to work properly!

So mum & set off on the bikes (Mum borrowed D’s because hers is in Sydney) we rode 10km and then started our run, my hip was quite sore so mum ran ahead of me before I started running. She was about 30m ahead of me when I started running & I had caught up to her at the 600m mark, (we were running out 1km and then turning back for a total of 2km).

My Mum is AWESOME she just runs, she paces along and she doesnt stop.. I don't know how she does it & I am rather embarassed to say that at 46 she is lighter than I am, she is fitter than I am and she has a better body than I do (but I am working on getting there!)

As soon as I had caught up with her I thought… can’t go on.. need to stop… so I stopped & walked… I was SOOO MAD at myself for walking, but then I looked at my HRM which was flashing out of control at 182bpm and I thought oh well done Sara… you did the right thing by walking… you are such a good person for listening to your body and walking…. (CRAP I know!) I then walked/ran the rest of the 2km… until the final 400m when I thought that I was being stupid & I just needed to continue running/shuffling/whatever it took but not walking to get to the end.

I was quite proud of myself for finishing the biathlon again, 480ish calories gone and 40 minutes of exercise, but I was disappointed that I had walked part of the 2km.. Surely I can run for 2km.. I am sure I have done it on the treadmill, but why couldn’t I do it outside?

I used my HRM as an excuse, my Head told me that I was doing the right thing by walking & reducing my heart rate down... but in reality I am a 27 year old woman, I am getting fitter by the day, and it wouldn't hurt me to push my heart rate every so often. Is my HRM doing more harm than good? Is is now the excuse that I have to stop pushing myself... what can I do to stop this happening?

This led me to my Commitment for the week…. I am going to run 2km on the treadmill at whatever pace it takes until I have ran the whole 2km…I will turn my HRM off (well put it onto the time mode, rather than the BPM mode)

I did it last night!

I am doing the C25K running program, and last night (Week6 Day3) was a 25minute run. I set off on my treadmill running at 10km/h. I told myself that I could drop down by 0.5km/h every 5mins but I couldn’t stop…. I ran & ran & ran. I did stop 3 times for only 30 seconds – left the treadmill running, I just jumped off, had a drink & jumped back on… but in total I ran for 4.6km!

I start Week 7 day 1 of C25K on Thursday – this week is 3x 25minute runs, with my first run being outside as part of the 4km fortnightly run I am doing…..

I am extending my commitment into the outside world – I will run at least 2km with out walking on Thursday, and my time for the whole 4km will be under 30minutes…

I end this blog with a quote from the esteemed Bear Grylls (from Man Vs Wild fame)

“Successful & unsuccessful people do not vary greatly in their abilities. They vary in their desires to reach their potential…..”

I DESIRE TO BE SUCCESSFUL!

Weigh in tomorrow for Week 2 of 12 WBT. The scales are now my friend.. I can’t WAIT!

Xx

S

Goals are funny things.....

Goals are funny things…. When we set them we subconsciously think to ourselves, l really want to achieve this; I will be very disappointed if I don’t hit the mark. I often wonder if in our subconscious thoughts we set goals that are too achievable, for fear of losing our motivation, for fear of failure.

The fear of failure is one of the greatest fears that people have, it leads to a fear of criticism and fear of rejection. I believe that successful people overcome their fear of failure. Fear incapacitates unsuccessful people and causes them to self-limit themselves. I believe that most people do not achieve a fraction of what they are capable of achieving because they are afraid to try because they are afraid they will fail.

12WBT is a prime example of this, Mish tackled it in the excuses preseason task, and again in the goal setting task. We were told to write down our excuses, and what we are going to do about them, and then to set what we what to achieve, our goals for the next 12 weeks.

We were told make our goals SMART – (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely) so I thought I did… but one thing they don’t tell us to do is to make them STRETCH…

I honestly believe that we need to learn to set a goal and the add say 5% to it, make it just a little bit less attainable… make it something that you have to WORK for.

I have revised my goals (AGAIN –and we are only 4 days into the 12WBT!) The original ones are below, and any change I have made to them is in purple…

I think I am seriously going mad! But I am SO keen to SMASH this extra 12 kgs (well 10kgs after last weeks weigh-in) so I am willing to work my butt off & stretch  my goals and expectations.

1 month goal

• 
  
  Increase fitness until I can run for 20 minutes without stopping (I can currently run for 8 minutes at 8km/hr, 3-5% incline on treadmill)
• 
  
  To run outside at least once per week. –New goal – Once a week do a bike ride immediately followed by a run - biathlon style
• 
  
  Lose 4kgs (that’s 500g per week & will bring me into the 70’s)
• 
  
  Do 20 push ups on knees (I can only do 10 now) – Fitness test proved I can actually do 28 so new goal – 40
• 
  
  NEW Goal – To bring 1km time trial result down by 39s to under 6 minutes
• 
  
  To hold a proper plank position for 1 minute – I did this at the gym on Wednesday so new goal – 2 minutes
• 
  
  To make eating healthy a NORMAL activity, every meal.

 3 month goals

• 
  
  Lose an additional 8 kgs (on top of the 3 I will lose in the first month). This will bring me into the 60’s – for the first time in 3 years since I stopped training.
• 
  
  Increase fitness until I can run 5kms in 30 mins.
• 
  
  Run the Blue Lake Fun Run on the 21st of November – 6km of hills
• 
  
  Do 50 push ups on knees, and 10 on toes
• 
  
  To hold a proper plank position for 2 minutes. – moved up to 1 month goals, so new 3 month goal will be to hold a  side plank for 1 minute (each side)
• 
  
  To purchase a bikini that makes me look smoken’ hot!

 On another note - I was doing a lot of reading about goals over the past few days writing the blog, so if I have inadvertantly copied someones words I am sorry!

Day 1 of 12WBT Round 3 - THE CHALLENGE BEGINS!

Well day 1 of round 3 went by with a BANG! Nutrition was perfect; I didn’t feel the need to have any snacks (apart from my 2 skinny lattes, no sugar in the morning)

I ate my lunch wrap in the car whilst I was travelling to a clients sale, and it was a good thing I did, because on the way to the sale I got BOGGED “EEK”. I was trying to cut down a back track, and before I knew it I had gone too far to turn around, and I was stuck….. what followed was slightly amusing (well for me anyway)

I tried calling the nearby farmers, however none of them were answering, so off I walked. I only put Runkeeper on after I had walked halfway – so from halfway to when I was able to flag down a bloke in a tractor I walked 1.8kms. The bloke who helped me was really good… he drove me back to the car & pulled me out, only minor damage to the car (and minor damage to my ego!)

Needless to say I was running rather late by then, so missed my clients sale! That reminds me I have to call him to apologise! (adds to my to-do list)

Last night I went for a run on the treadmill, Hubby was ultra cute, he knows that I love watching trashy TV whilst I am in pain, but he hates the E Network. He put the TV onto “Kendra” and left me to my running…. Get Running App Week 6 Day 1 done! Just over 4kms in 32mins. I was ultra happy with that, approximate cals burned was 300 (my HRM has a flat battery – another thing onto the to-do list)

I then thought I should tackle my fitness test… well this was a laugh too, hubby decided to come at do it with me, so needless to say it got a little competitive!

Exercise	Sara	D (Hubby)
Part 2 – The Push Up Test	28 (Intermediate)	40 (Advanced)
Part 3 – Abdominal Strength	Level 3 (Intermediate)	Level 3 (Intermediate)
Part 4 – Wall Sit	2.07mins (Advanced)	1.01mins (Intermediate)
Part 5 – Sit & Reach	+13 (Advanced)	+15 (Advanced

So we were even-stevens going into the …..

FINAL CHALLENGE….. the 1km Time Trial

we decided for the benefit of fairness (after all I had already ran 4km that night) that we would pause the challenge until the morning….

The sun rose at 5.30 this morning, and in the fog, drizzle & mist D (Hubby) & I set off on our 1km walk to warm up – the theory being that we would walk to the 1km point, and then turn and run back (the run being our time trial).

Which we did….. unfortunately for me sprinting is D’s strong point (put him over 4kms though and he is stuffed!) I was happy with my result, I had to walk some parts (due to running 3days in a row, and my shin splits starting to scream at me) but on the whole it was a good morning.

Exercise	Sara	D (Hubby)
Part 1 – 1km time trial	6.39min (Intermediate)	5.09mins (Advanced)

That brings to final tally to

Sara – Intermediate level, D (Hubby) – Advanced level.

Now the challenge begins – we have to work hard so we improve in 4 weeks time!

Measure Up! The COLD HARD NUMBERS:

The last Pre-Season task for Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation is by far the hardest... but I have to admit; it was the one I was most looking forward to: The MEASURE UP!

Most people have been posting on the forums that they are scared of this one, that they haven't looked at themselves in the mirror for years, let alone taken a photo. For me this was the beginning of the end. The start of the NEW WAH, and the start of something wonderful.

I am so looking forward to being the hot & sexy girl that I can be before Christmas. Hubby saw Mish's new pic on the 12WBT site (12WBT.com.au for anyone interested) and he made the comment that she was incredibly sexy!

SO I want to be like Mish

(not Mike!)

As a little extra incentive (as if I needed any more) I have sent my photos to the Woman's Health & Fitness 12 week Body Blitz.... I have entered before and not won (there are no 2nd places in this comp) but this time I am giving it 100%.... and I hope that with 12WBT on my team it might be the icing on the cake & I might have a transformation worth writing about... (just think of the FREE publicity 12WBT might get then!)

The Measure Up!

I measured up Saturday afternoon, after my big bike ride, Hubby took my photos, and he said all the right things, (which helped so much!)

Here are the COLD HARD NUMBERS:

 Age: 27
Height:174cm
Weight: 81.5kg (Goal is 68kgs)
Chest: 102cm
Waist: 103cms
Hips: 115cms
Thighs (R) 65cms (L) 64cms (33cm distance from knee)
Calve: (R) 40cms (L)41cms

This is the beginning of the NEW WAH…. just wait universe in 12 weeks time I will be a smaller, better, healthier person



xx
S

The eve of the 12WBT

Hi all, me again (who else were you expecting... the blog is ALL about the WAH!)

I thought that considering it is the eve of the start of the 12WBT I should make a few notes about the past few days & the next 90 days!

Hubby & I went to Adelaide on Thursday night for the Powderfinger concert, it was BRILLIANT! Jet did a great job as the support act, and the Powderfinger boys did a superb job!

On Friday we went for a big walk around the city Rundall Mall for shopping, caught up with a girlfriend for lunch, and then walked to buy my birthday present. I had the choice of a bike, new snorkel, fins etc, or a string of pearls.... I have to admit it was not an easy choice, the bike & pearls were hard to divide! But in the end Mish Bridges and the WWMD mentality kicked in, and I decided on a new Bike. (It will come in handy for my upcoming triathlons’ (yes there is a “s” at the end of the word Triathlon... but that is another story!))

So we went to JT Cycles in Adelaide and brought a hybrid Mountain/Road bike, it is silver, so I brought a matching white/silver helmet. We then went to the Central Market and stocked up big time on fresh fruit & veggies per the week 1 shopping list, this was followed by the 3hour drive home!

As soon as we got home, hubby had to bring some lambs into the yards to be sent to Coles first thing Sunday morning, so he was gone & I decided to test ride the new bike........ I have to admit; that it HURT, and for the first 4km I wondered what I had gotten myself into, but after the first 4km I thought well this is actually ok... so I continued for another 8. I did 12.37kms yesterday.

When I got back from my ride I saw that Hubby had his bike in the drive, he was working on it, new oil, patching a puncture etc... He then suggested that we do a Biathlon on Sunday, just the Bike & Run part of my upcoming triathlon!

So today (after a bit of home chores & coffee with a friend), we together set off on a 6km bike ride & 2km run... I had SO much fun.. I kicked Dunc’s butt on the bike leg & then shuffled to finish not far behind him in the run leg (we started together on both legs). The total exercise was about 36minutes, and this was 23mins to ride 7.82km, and then 13.23 mins to run 2km.

So friends that was the past few days for me.... new post coming .... it will be the COLD HARD NUMBERS......

xx
S

Mini Milestones.... LOCK IT IN MISH!!

I decided to attack Pre-Season Task 7 head on, so I listened to Mish, I looked at my online diary (work related mainly) and I honestly thought, well no need to write it down, which has time for an extra diary anyway, and really writing down shopping trips CRAZY!

So I didn't do anything. I didn't get it..... and I really didn't care. CRAZY CRAZY THINKING FROM THE WAH!

Then I jumped onto the forums....... and started reading about the mini-milestones, and major milestones that people were planning... I thought WHAT, what are all these people doing? I then realised that I needed to go back and listen to Mish again!

This time is sunk in! I got it! I understand where she is coming from and why.

I still haven't had a chance to actually write out a diary (but I will!) but I have started to consider my mini & major milestones.... I have offered to help a new 12WBT friend with her milestone but I wanted my own too!

On twitter this morning another new 12WBT friend @patricia250862 made mention that she was doing a triathlon leading me to think, well maybe I can do that...but every triathlon I have seen is HUGE!

So I started to do some googling (as one does in these situations!) and I found the Pinkies Triathlon in Sydney on the 16th of October, the distances are very achievable..100m swim, 6.5km bike & 1km run... SO I emailed Mum and asked if she would be keen to do it with me...

She quickly replied that she is already registered to do it - but she is doing the 300m swim, 9km bike & 3km run option......

Well that now leaves no choice I HAVE to do it for my mini milestone!

LOCK IT IN MISH!!

I think I will stick to my little Mini Triathlon to begin with (I do have 4 weeks to change my mind & upgrade though) as it will be my first triathlon and I have a minor hurdle to overcome.....

THERE IS NO POOL IN THIS TOWN!!!!

The last time I swam laps was 5 or more years ago. I am confident that I could survive 100m and have enough energy to jump on a bike & then run... but swimming EEK! (BTW I LOVE swimming, I used to be on swim squad etc when I was a kid... but seriously... a triathlon with ZERO swim training before hand!

Oh well I guess I will have to ask myself WWMB (What Would Mish Do!?!) I think Mish would just suck it up and JFDI!

So that is EXACTLY what I am going to do!

Xx

S

p.s Week 1 programs, meals & shopping lists are out tomorrow..... I am SOOOO EXCITED!

p.p.s Tomorrow is another Running day! 4km outside in the morning sunshine, this is one might be a little more challenging, as it is the first run of the Active Community Team Challenge that I am doing... but once I convince myself that everyone will NOT be looking at my wobbling tummy, or red face, or big bum I will be fine!

p.p.p.s I AM GOING TO BE A TRI-ATHLETE!!!