12WBT round 3 2011

1. Describe in 25 words or less (why is it always 25 words) the you that you were before 12wbt.

I was depressed, unhappy and living my life for other people. I was not who I was meant to be. I was not me.

2. Now - who are you now??

I am alive, happy and living my life both for others but also looking after myself. I do things that I am afraid of. I don't sit on the sidelines - I live my life!

3. What has the hardest been the hardest thing to make habit THIS ROUND?

Reaching for things other then food when I am feeling down.

4. What has been easier to make habit than you thought it would be?

Keeping up the exercise when life is hard.

5. How has your body changed THIS ROUND?

It's gotten a little fatter!! LOL! Just a couple of kilo's. I was at my peak weight just before the round started. 58.3kg! Perfect weight... Now I am around 61kg...

6. How has your mindset changed this round?

This has been THE most hugest thing and I think this round the mind stuff has been the hardest part of my journey over the last 2 years! I have realised so major things about myself. How I have used food; how I have high expectations of myself; how a few minor setbacks do not equal failure!! Huge lessons this round!

7. Finish this sentence "I now know I am strong because ..."

I CAN maintain my weight. I CAN keep living the life I need to live in order to be fit and healthy - both on the inside and outside. I know I can because I will never give up. Someone told me when I was struggling that one thing they loved about me was my persistence and resilience... I am a determined person and they love that about me.

8. Finish this sentence "I am proudest of ...."

Being able to find the courage to do things which have scared the CRAP out of me! Swimming is the perfect example although there were many!! I got swimming lessons for a while during the round and found them really tough!

9. Finish this sentence "In 8 more weeks you will see me ...."

Still eating healthy and exercising ... and doing the hard yards with my mind.

10. What word applies to you now - that you never would have used before 12wbt?

Courageous.

Maybe it's my fault, or maybe you're just making excuses.

Fitness is a journey - not a destination.

Feeling good about your body and choices can be very empowering. When we feel crap - this is disempowering and stops us from making changes.

It's all about self esteem and belief in yourself. If you think you have failed -- YOU HAVE NOT!!! Every mistake you make is a learning experience. Do not give up - it is a normal part of the process. These things need to be learnt in order to move forward. Unfortunately it takes a huge amount of emotional and physical energy -- changes in your life need to be made for this to happen. Remember its a journey - be patient, be courageous and do not give up.

Self image is the predictor of success or failure.

A few ideas:

1. Keep a journal of your daily successes. Think about the healthy choices you make along the way and how these make you feel... Think about all the little steps of improvement you can see.

2. Spend 5-10min visualising each day. Visualise only eating healthy food and doing exercise during the day. Visualise yourself jogging faster and getting more fit.

3. Do a treasure hunt on your life. Sometimes we focus on the one negative while failing to acknowledge positives. Sometimes we need perspective!

A bit of perspective for me.

- Almost a year on from when I first reached maintenance weight and I am still (mostly) there - perhaps 2 kilos off. But compared to 50kg - I am happy with that. This is despite having one of THE most horrid years ever.

- I am still a size 10

- I can run 15km in 90min (which is not as good as a few months ago -- but comparing to a year ago -- pretty good!!)

- I can wall sit a crazy amount (12min last try), do at least 40 push ups in a min and I am up to 3-4 chin ups unassisted.

- I have heaps more knowledge and skills than this time last year : I have more practical knowledge, self awareness, experience and the realisation/learning that diet and exercise need to remain a priority for maintainance to happen.

- I have developed some awesome friends in my life quest to be healthy.

- I am still moving forward slowly - even if I am knocked back a couple of paces the overall result is me further along.

- I am determined, persistent and unrelenting and am actually starting to believe that I CAN maintain this weight loss.

Given these reflections I have me some new 1 month goals!

1. Loose the 4kg I have found over the past 4 months.

2. Get back to the 4 unassisted chin ups (which are soo much harder with an extra 4kg!)

3. 17.5kg dumbell chest press: 3 lots of 8.

4. Record food and emotional stuff.

5. Complete the 30 day challenge! Eat between 1200-1500 calories for 30 days and then I can buy a rower.

How will I reach these goals!

1. Weigh once a week (only - more is discouraging!)

2. Eat between 1200-1500 cal per day for the month - recording everything

3. Run 10km and 15km twice a week (wedns and sat)

4. Weights twice a week - focusing on back and upper body. (tues and fri)

5. Join a step into life class for a bit of variety. (mon)

Reflections/Goals continued....

I have been finding that working the crazy hours I have been working and trying to fit everything else in too --  I have not had the energy or time to prioritise the exercise or eating. So, I have decided to have some extended time off from working at the gym too.... which is sad for me but its what I need to do... especially with everything else that is going on at the moment. I wanted to be a PT because I was passionate about helping other people with their weight loss and exercise goals -- I cant do that if I cant even help myself!! I need to walk the talk!! Prioritising exercise and eating healthy is on the agenda once again. "It's about attitude, thinking, beliefs, passions, self control, decisions, standards, habits, fears, expectations and desires." And I am pulling mine together and straightening them out so I can teach/show others what I have learned.

I also had a look at the things which I am having problems with... and changed some stuff so I can fix it.

I have been struggling with consistency in exercise time because of sooo many various shifts with work  etc... Because lots of my workouts have been by myself I have been struggling with intensity and variety in my workouts and have been finding them boring. I have been majorly struggling with emotional eating and then feeling crap and the cycle continues!! And then I start freaking that I am going to put on the 50kg because I don't believe I can STOP eating emotionally... LOL!!

So I decided to stop one job for a while.... which means I can start to workout with people more again... I am joining a step into life class which should give me variety and intensity... and less work means more consistent exercise times! More time, less tiredness and generally being happier with life and myself will mean less emotional eating!! Win, win situation all round!! Woo Hoo!!! :-)

There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure. Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm. – Winston Churchill

I felt like crap, so I ate crap... because that makes so much sense!

When I can stand back and think about this topic objectively... I find it fascinating just how much of a struggle this whole emotional eating thing is. It really is quite amazing! I can ignore pain and exercise until I drop -- but I struggle with not eating when I am upset. Go figure!! Mentally tough in most areas of my life - except this one!! You would think not doing something would be easier than doing something... that makes more sense.

I thought I would blog a few things I have found helpful lately. Not saying I have it all figured out yet -- but I am happy the process of learning and changing is moving along.

1. Emotions come and emotions go. They are going to do this whether you eat or not. Eating might make them go away temporarily - but it's only going to make it worse longer term. Realising this is the case is helpful because when you feel upset and want to eat to get rid of that feeling -- realise that the emotion is going to pass... acknowledge that you feel like crap and ride it out until the emotion passes.

2. You may have temporary lapses in your eating and your ability to ride it out. Whatever happens DO NOT QUIT!! If you keep persisting you will eventually get to where you want to be. Personally, I want to understand the drive to eat when I am upset; I want to be able to ride the wave and wait for the emotion to pass. So, I am going to need to keep on thinking and experiencing... stuffing up, back tracking... and putting in crap loads of hard work mentally!! The alternative is to give up -- and that is not an option.

3. Someone gave me some helpful advice recently. In regards to an earlier blog where I was saying I didn't believe I could maintain my weight under this amount of stress... They told me that just like I trained my physical body to adapt and perform to do chin ups -- I can train my mind to adapt and perform under different circumstances too. Keep on keeping on -- just keep swimming!! Do not stop.

4. I saw this photo too. It really spoke to me and is so very true! My weight and fitness will go up and down - but that is ok! It's does not mean I have dropped the ball... It is such a small part of my journey!! I am human and I need to learn -- "Failure is a perfect opportunity to start again more intelligently!"

5. Focusing on the process rather than the scales was a very helpful piece of advice. One which I need to do more of. As soon as I saw the scales go up and few hundred grams instead of down - I immediately felt like crap which in turn affected my motivation levels to eat healthy! No more scales for a while -- focus on eating right calories and type of foods!!

Emotional eating - Breakthrough to the breakdown.

"Sometimes you are not supposed to get what you want because you need to grow". - Tony Robbins.

I got on the scales the other day and it went up to 60.7kg, and as per what seems to be usual recently I felt like crap... 60kg is my cut off in terms of where I want to be, and once I go over 60kg I am supposed to jump back on the 'watching what I eat' train and make sure the weight does not get out of hand. Problem is recently that has not been happening. I have been over 60kg for the last couple of months and it's not really going down at all.

I had just come back from an amazing conference with the awesome Tony Robbins and had all sorts of information on success floating around in my head... when it suddenly occurred to me -- I am focusing on the results, when I should be focusing on the process!! The weight you are is like the fruit on the tree - instead of trying to change the fruit on the tree, you need to go underground and plant different seeds!! And THAT was the lightbulb moment of the centuary for me.

On a short term level our decisions are influenced by our state of mind.

On a long term level our decisions are influenced by our story, blueprint or internal map on life.

This past year and a half I have been continually changing my state of mind to influence myself and keep myself on track. I reckon that is what majority of people do to lose weight. Constantly keeping your mind in the right space for weight loss is exhausting and I'm amazed that I kept it up for so long without looking at my story. Very few people I think go deeper and change their story behind their weight. It really is not possable to do this on a hugely long term basis... sooner or later there will be a time that you just cannot keep altering your state of mind. Your internal beliefs will catch up with you eventually!! LOL

So I sat down and asked myself some hard questions recently. It went something like this.

"Why am I  putting on weight?? "

"Because I am finding life stressful and hard and the moment, and I am emotionally eating."

"What is the reasoning behind this? What is my underlying belief here?"

"Because I believe that eating will and does make me feel better."

"Is this really the truth?"

"Well, it does very, very momentarily... but not at all in the scheme of things - even at a short term level not really."

"So, why do you do it?"

"Because I don't believe I can NOT do it, I feel helpless. I haven't had to cope with this level of stress since I began to lose weight and I don't think I am strong enough. So, even though I have been TELLING myself I can - I haven't truly been believing it!"

Cha Ching!!! And there we have it ladies and gentlemen!! Woo! Taking action without belief that you will be successful pretty much set you up NOT to be successful!!

And once we have the problem, we can have a solution!

The problem here is that firstly, I am in a habit of eating when I feel stressed and sad... and secondly, that I don't truly believe I can NOT eat during these times.

So, given that it is not possable to change your state of mind over and over and over again on a long term basis -- I need to look at my story behind it. I need to get rid of the victim mentality and get some sustainable strategies for dealing with the problem. If I want to get different results, I need to DO something different now.

Recognising and acknowledging why I am eating before I eat is doing something different. Once I have recognised what I am doing, I can break that particular habit. So, when I realise that I want to eat because I am stressed - I acknowledge that I want to eat because I am stressed, realise I don't have to eat because I am stressed, acknowledge that it really is not going to make me feel any better in the scheme of things and then do what I need to do to break that habit at the time. Whether it is a matter of flexing the willpower muscle, employing the layby system, doing something to distract myself... whatever I need to do at the time -- DO IT! LOL!

We need success to validate our beliefs that we can be successful... Success or failure is dependant on our decisions... Decision are affected by what we focus on... We need to focus on things we can control (otherwise we end up feeling helpless and depressed). I may not be able to control how stressful life is -- but I can control my reaction to that stress. Acknowledging why I want to eat and realising I don't have to is doing something differently ALREADY!! And if I want to do something even MORE radical, I can do something even MORE differently and NOT EAT right at that moment. I can break the habit to eat when stressed. One baby step and one win at a time. They will all add up to SUCCESS!!

YAY! This will be focusing on the PROCESS rather than the RESULTS. The weight is not the problem - it is the result of the real problem.

Not giving up!

I have had a hard time the last month with various life dramas and have found myself struggling with my weight. I have tried all the various strategies that I have employed in the past to no avail -- but I will not give up!! I have put on 2.5kg in the last 2.5 months... But it WILL come off again! People laugh at me and tell me that 2.5kg is nothing and they do not understand what I am worried about. Well, what I am worried about it the bad habits BEHIND the sruggles and the weight gain. (As well as just not liking how that 2.5kg seems to have all gone to my stomach! LOL!) I know I am eating too much food and at the wrong times - but I still do it!! Serious emotional eating!! It is actually good that I am struggling with it because it means I have not given up... and it is actaully good that I am having this problem in a way because I can learn and grow and figure out what is going on in my head for it to be such a struggle!!

I will not give up - I will get there! There is no doubt and no possability of letting it got any further up the scale! I have said before that I want to do some more thinking about emotional eating and why people do it...

I know the theory behind the solutions -- ie. distraction, call a friend etc... but they really are bandaid solutions -- I would love to figure out a solution to stop it from happening.. if this is at all possable!

Any thoughts - send me a message. Meanwhile -- onwards I go! (I will no doubt blog about my findings when I figure it out!) LOL!

Celebration weekend Part 2 - City2Surf

Having done a little research into this famous run I was feeling a little intimidated. The little research I had done had uncovered the fact that the race really was just one big hill with very little downward bits!! I knew I could run up hills -- but I wasn't sure if I was up to a challenge of THAT magnitude!! However, I was not going to let it beat me -- I would give it a go!! I must confess that I was wishing I had done a little more practice on the hill runs... gone up the 1000 steps hill a few more times or something!! Haha!



Before...





After...



I had registered with the panadol rapid group but with my knee the way that it was I just decided to stay with my friends in the group behind them... I was delighted to discover a friend of a friend who sounded like she was a similar time to me!! I decided to run what I could of the race with her -- as I figured I needed someone to keep up with on the hills!! Worked out PERFECTLY -- we were very similar in pace and when I started walking on heartbreak hill she ran past me and told me I was doing well ... and of course, I couldn't let her run AHEAD of me now could I!! Haha!! Had to keep running up the mother hill... It really did get quite vomit worthy in a couple of places!! I have not felt the need to vomit during exercise for a VERY long time!! LOL! The rest of the run really was quite a good run though!!

I was happy enough with my time. 1:22:54... Not my best time -- but considering I did not taper at all and given the way I was feeling before it I was happy!! There was also the hill factor and the fact that it was wet and slippery too... LOL..

During!! LOL!

Bring on the next run!! YAY!! Funny how you look forward to something which you find such hard work -- and then at the time you wonder why on earth you do this to yourself... I figure it's a little like childbirth -- the brain forgets how bad it was so that your body wants to go back for another. Haha!

"Failure I can deal with... Regret I cannot."

Celebration weekend Part 1. A bridge to climb.

A celebration weekend. A celebration of many things - birthdays, actual weight loss and for me maintaining the weight loss!! And what better way to celebrate that to do a famous climb and a famous run!!

I am currently feeling very grown up! I have never gotten myself to and on a plane before -- and was slightly freaked out by the thought -- but I did it!! LOL! Parked my car in the long term parking, got the shuttle bus to the domestic zone, checked in and made it onto the plane BY MYSELF!! How good am I!! I even picked the RIGHT plane!! YAY! I then got off in Sydney and found the train I needed, put myself on it and managed to get off at the right station! EVEN BETTER!! Haha!! Was very thankful to have someone to meet me at the other end though -- would hate to have to find the hotel all my myself! Definitely would have gotten losted!!

I have to admit to being a little worried about the weekend given the status of my left knee. I have been realising lately how bad it has gotten. The eye opening moments were in a pump class when I looked in the mirror and saw myself doing a squat. I was leaning all the way to the right and basically doing a one legged squat and just having my left leg rest on the floor.... and the other was when I decided the way to go was to strengthen the left leg... I jumped on the leg press - stuck a 25kg plate on it and tried to lift it AND IT WOULDN'T MOVE!!! Bahahaha!!!! I had to take the weight off and do it with no weights -- and even THEN I could only get out 6 reps!! LOL!

Given that the 2 events I had on the menu for the weekend involved hills and stairs I was a little worried!! Saturday morning came around and one of the buddies who I was with marched me down to Priceline and got me to purchase a couple of knee brace things which I wore for the rest of the day - Let me just say -- Best. Things. Ever! My knees felt 100% better by sat night!! Which was good because I am not sure how comfy they would have been to run in -- and I make it a point to NEVER do anything different on race day!!

My only other problem was that I felt like I had been run over by a TRUCK!! Tafe both that week and the week before had us doing serious weights for HOURS!! OMGosh!! There was not one muscle on my body which had not been absolutely smashed over the last couple of weeks -- and I really don't think my body was recovering properly from it .... I felt like a massive semi had rolled over me a couple of times!! My particular problem on this weekend given the stairs and hills were my BUTT muscles and hamstrings... I seriously looked like the BIGGEST idiot I am sure as I spent most of Saturday and Sunday morning doing dynamic stretching and leg swings etc... If I stopped moving them they cramped up!! Haha!! At least I can now say I have a really intimate relationship with my butt muscles.  How many people can say that??

The actual climb was a really awesome experience. There was a moment at the start where I started to freak... but then I thought -- who cares if you die anyway... you wont be around for it to bother you and your only going to die once!! And then I was fine. LOL!!

Christmas in July.

I have been to the snow as an adult twice before. Once I was pregnant and was freaking out about falling over. The other I weighed 110kg and the waterproof jacket I was wearing didn't even do up and I was not fit enough to do much more than make a very sad snowman. Needless to say, this snow trip was a little different!!

A group of us were heading up to do a white Christmas -- yes, it was in July -- but who's counting the months anyway!! We still had ourselves some Christmas carols and a Christmas tree!! LOL!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBu1cJqKgVg

Somewhere in the car trip along the way we decided we would stop and check out the 7 acre rock -- given that our last 7 acre rock trip was ruined by torrential rains!! Haha!! It was a beautiful day -- awesome for hiking to the rock... Probably not so good for the poor snow -- I kept having visions of it melting away before we got there!!

We made it to the snow in time for a yummy lunch, and a kris kringle -- where the bear "Baw Baw" was born. No, he was not mine -- I just had a very brief affair with him. (Although Maz was very happy to share him around!) LOL!

Our new friend "Baw Baw", our full tummies and us all ventured outside to play in the snow soon after lunch. Tobogganing and snow angles were a couple of things on the list of things to do!! Soo much fun!! Typical of me (and also of Chloe as I discovered) -- we had to try and make it more difficult and STAND UP on the toboggans!! And we both fell on our butts!! Haha!! Awesome!! Woo!! Can't WAIT to try and snowboard!!

FUN!

Swimming Update.

Doh! Sorry it is the wrong way!! Turn your computer screens on their sides!! Haha!

Well, 3 weeks into lessons and I can not only move forwards in the water -- but I can do something which resembles freestyle!!! WOO!! How good am I!! Haha!! Well, all you swimmers out there may watch the video and have 1001 things for me to change -- but all in good time people!! I have a triathalon which I am going to aim to do in January. That gives me 5 months to fix up the freestyle.. ie. streamline my stroke, breath better (without choking), kick better and learn how to turn. Then I need to learn how to ride a bike and figure out the best way to get from one to the other in a race!! What do you think?? PIECE OF CAKE!!! (Well, that's what I am telling myself anyway!! LOL!)

So many things to remember when it comes to swimming!! OMGosh! Kick from the hips, keep the head tilted down (otherwise the bubbles go up your nose - NOT good), bend your arms and reach forward with your strokes -- your thumbs point down to go into the water and then turn when in the water, your hands need to enter the water in the same midline spot (streamline). When you lift your head to the side be careful the shoulder does not drop too much on the other side... and keep your chin down still - do not lift it forwards or water goes up your nose when you put your head back in the water... And then -- DO NOT OVERTHINK IT!!  BAHAHAHahahah!!! Oh yeah -- I am GOOD!! Oh -- And try and swim in a STRAIGHT line!! (unless dodging people who are in your way).

Happy with being able to look like I can do something which resembles freestyle after 3 weeks of lessons!! Who knows what another 3 weeks may bring!! BRING IT ON!!

PS. Chloe is the awesomist, most patient teacher ever -- even when she does threaten to smack my head with the noodle if I tilt it up!! Hahaha!! Big KISS for her!! MWAH!

"Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in day out" ~ Robert Collier

Run Melbourne Half



Yes people -- It IS still DARK!! (Before)



And after!! WOO!!



Well, a week later and I am STILL super excited!! After freaking out for the entire week before hand I was surprisingly calm on the morning of race day! Met a few friends at Flinders St Clocks at 6.15am... Yep -- AM people!! It was still DARK!! Haha!! Walked across the road to federation square and did the warm up, went to the toilet (because needing to pee while running is VERY unpleasant!), and found the start line. I did something differently this race and started at the back -- this was great because I felt like I was passing everyone; instead of everyone passing me!! LOL!



Still smiling - about half way through.



As per usual I went out too fast, the first 5 km were not too bad - but the second 5 km I KNEW I was running to fast -- I was DYING by the time 8-9km came around!! A little distressed at this given I still had another 12-13km to go!!! But I gave myself a talking to which went something like this, "It's ok Kel, just slow it down slightly -- because there is not a CHANCE you will be walking during this sucker -- even if it KILLS you, vomit or no vomit, just keep the legs turning over! You can do it!!" And I did!! WOO! Hehe..

21km in 1:59:19 ... YAY!!

Not so smiley towards the end.. LOL!

It was not until around the 16km mark that I realised that I was going to make it in around my 2 hr goal I had set for myself -- then, as I  got to 19km I realised I might actually be able to come in UNDER the 2 hr goal!! Boy did that make my little legs reach longer and turn over as fast as they could (which by then was not that fast!!) I was still able to sprint the last 100m too which I thought was alright!! LOL! Although, I have to say that last 1km went FOREVER!!!



I did manage to sprint to the
finish line though!! WOO!



Of course, being told I was not going to make it in 2 hours just topped off the day -- because I LOVE to prove people wrong!! Funny thing was, I did not even believe I was going to be able to do it! I thought 2:05 would have been good!! Haha!! Under 2 hours (even by seconds) was just awesome!! So excitement!! Had a look at the results and discovered that I am in the first half of my division -- even more excitement!! Most of the females who finished earlier started coming in around 1:45... The odd few were faster, but it seems that if I can knock 10-15min off my time I could consider myself "good" as opposed to "slightly better than average"... Perhaps I will go for this in the Melb Marathon in Oct... We will see. Not sure if I am willing to give up the weights!

SO EXCITEMENT!!!!

2 hrs worth of bumbag rubbing



2 hrs worth of heart rate monitor rubbing



Swimming efforts!

Who would have thought swimming would actually be HARD!! Haha!! Swimming looks so effortless... people just glide through the water... Kick your legs and little and wave your arms back and forwards -- what's so difficult about that!!! It's that exercise you do to rest from the "hard" exercise. The "low impact" "easy" option for when you have been doing too much high impact stuff. It's that exercise that bigger people do because they can't do the more strenuous stuff (and I can say that because I WAS the bigger person!!) LOL!

Bahahaha!!! Well, how wrong was I!! I have certainly been taught a thing or two.. I knew I was not a great swimmer -- and all I can say is -- I really had ZERO idea how bad I actually am!! Got in the water with my awesome swim teacher friend, who asks me what I CAN do. "Not much!" I reply... "Can you float?" she asks me... "YES!!! I can float!!" I say (very proud).. "Show me!" she says...

So I lay down on my back, spread my arms out and relax... and SINK!! Yep, my butt sinks down and down and drags my entire body under the water -- which I inhale (of course!) and come up very humbled and coughing and spluttering... Haha! "Well, I THOUGHT I could float" Hahaha!!

How does one learn to FLOAT?? Isn't that just some innate thing which you just can DO?? I have always been able to float!! How can one FORGET how to float!! LOL!

So, after a little while of trying to float. We move on to the kickboard... She shows me what to do... Seems pretty basic. Hold the board - kick your legs from the hips. No problem! Except that when SHE did it - she moved FORWARDS!! And when I did it - I went NOWHERE!! Bahahaha!!! Umm... Am I supposed to have some forward movement here?? Kicking the legs... check. Holding the board... check. Something is WRONG here!! LOL!

After much trial and error -- I think I figured out that because my butt sinks, my legs and kicking too wide (as in up and down wide)... because I need to kick them near the surface of the water!! Phew! Talk about difficult! So -- next time -- butt needs to stay up! Then the legs will stay up! Haha!!! Have I mentioned swimming should be EASY???!!!!!

So, I also did some running in the water which was good.. Forwards, Backwards, Sideways... otherways... Now : THAT I could do!!

Interesting experience this swimming business.. Eye opening in a good way!! Hard work and I am not sure how I will learn -- BUT I am excited about the challenge. After this, all I need to do is learn how to ride a bike and I will be ready for the TRIATHALON! YAY! LOL!

Dexa scan excitement!

DISCLAIMER: This blog is in NO WAY pointed at any one particular person!! So, if you think you may fit into the doubting category -- Before you get your knickers in a knot and decide never to talk to me again -- Be aware -- MOST people had this same opinion!! It is meant to be FUNNY people - not offensive!! LOL! So relax! Have a laugh.

Fast twitch vs slow twitch : opposite goals??

My goals for this year are to do the marathon (at least the half - undecided about the full), and get to my 10 chin ups... Soooo many people thought I was silly for choosing opposite goals!! "Don't you need your muscles to do totally opposite things for these goals??"  "You will not be able to do that because all that running is going to strip your muscle!"  "You really should focus on one or the other -- the training you do for both is very different!"

I have lots of fast twitch muscle fibres. Suited to sprints and weights. However, you can actually teach fast twitch muscle fibres to act like slow twitch. My idea (which I did mention to a few people - who laughed!) was to get the upper body fast twitch functioning more efficiently as fast twitch and the lower body fast twitch muscles to function more like a slow twitch muscle. People would look at me really weird when I told them this... I got various responses and strange looks... "Have you actually thought about that?" "Can you actually do that??" through to ... "I really don't think it works like that!"

I have never been one to do what is expected or what is considered to be normal behaviour. I have always just done things which others consider in your face, offensive or merely against the mould of what I really *should* be doing... I actually really am quite used to doing things differently to the way others think they should be done!! Bit of an odd ball I am!! LOL! It has gotten me into trouble many times -- not like that has bothered me greatly! Hahaha!! (Perhaps it should!) I still remember asking a teacher at high school why she was such a bit#$ all the time -- to which she replied she was not there to make friends... ... Fair enough!! LOL! Poor lady. Not the usual question students and teachers in high school though!! Haha!

Anyways, so after a few months I was curious to know which way it had gone!! Has my cardio stripped my muscle?? Have I been able to do distance running and still build up some muscle?? I got a dexa scan done and have actually gone UP in muscle and DOWN in fat!! And - I am up to 3 chin ups unassisted and 20km of running non-stop (in an average time too: as opposed to really slow!) and still working my way up....

This blog really is not a very humble blog at all -- because I am writing it to say -- BITE ME!!! Bahahaha!!! Seems to me like I *can* use my lower body for endurance activities and my upper body for resistance training, power and strength!! Seems to me I *can* train my lower body muscles to act as slow twitch and my upper body muscles to act more efficiently as fast twitch!! I have done a little video for all you guys who doubted!! Sooo immature of me -- I know!! -- BITE -- BITE -- BITE!!