Metabolic Circuits

One of the things I love giving to clients is some good old metabolic circuits. Circuits that are designed to rev up the metabolism with some resistance training, mixed at a high intensity in circuit style...

one of my favourites include:

100 challenge workout:

20 KB Swings
20 Pushups
20 Burpees
20 Mountain Climbers
20 Belly Blasters (Plank lifting up to inverted 'v')
Lap of cones or another area fixed.
3 rounds for time or, time each round & better it.

these are so easy to mix around so that you challenge each part of the body with a different exercise and it gets everyone working at a great intensity :-)

One down...One up..

Well, my scorpio tail hit right between the eyes. That was a good decision. And luckily, I've found a new trainer, so hopefully he will work out - so far so good!!

And...another 900g down on the scales this morning, so all good. Just about back to my 'acceptable' weight - which was where I was waaaay back when I last went to Bali. It's taken a while!!!

Weight Loss

Well, it's been another loooong time between posts...so much happening!

Firstly...business... which is growing nicely :-) although I lost my other trainer to a 'full time' position...so began the search for new trainers. One, no experience, is great. The other, 7 years experience is .... well...leaves a bit to be desired. Including being late again this morning. Grrrrrrr. My scorpio tail is flickering like a cats, just waiting to strike.

Now onto other things..like weight loss... I had become the pinup girl for maintenance. No matter what I did (good or bad) the scales didn't budge. Then I came across Matt O'Neill and I thought, what the heck, I'll give it a go.
I followed it roughly.. didn't think much of it, then just thought the other day for some strange reason I'd hop on the scales for the first time in a month.... and lo and behold 6 kilos have dropped off.
Just like that.
No stress, no pain.
:-)
Gotta be happy with that!
So, as a consequence, I've recommended it to all my clients! click here if you want to check it out. There's programs that are designed for if you have a lot to lose, or a little, or just want to maintain or even gain. It's worth a look.

Pink Triathlon

Well, on Saturday I and some clients headed out to tackle our first triathlon, as a relay team. I had originally intended it as a 'goal' to work towards for three of my clients, with each of them responsible for one leg of the relay. However, the person I had chosen for the run leg couldn't do it, so...I had to. That was when I tore my calf muscle, and all I could think was...hmmm... how do I run with a torn calf muscle?

Still, I somehow rehabbed it super quick - thanks to my trusty hubble bubble toil and trouble witchery.. I made a clay poultice.. it healed in three weeks... This tear wasn't like the last time I tore the other calf muscle (avoiding a wave on the beach lol). This one floored me... I actually thought I was going to pass out from the pain. Such a loud snapping noise too. BUT.. whatever I did (instant ice, compression, elevation & poultice) seemed to work!! Then I put some little heel lifts in my running shoes to take the pressure off and that worked too. Although one day as some mats started to fly away in the park I went to sprint after them and forgot that I was crippled, which set me back again!

But I digress... Pink Triathlon... now, as you know from my lack of running ability I am as slow as a wet Sunday when it comes to running...and it's not something I derive much joy from. I struggle mentally with it. I would love to enjoy it. But I don't.

So I did the run of 3km in just a little over 20 minutes, which is what I had anticipated - I was pretty sure I was a 7min/km runner and .. I was right. We all finished in 53.14 for a 300m swim, 9km bike ride & 3km run, which I think was pretty good for our first ever go. We also raised $780 for breast cancer research in the process.

It's definitely one that will be a regular on our training calendar :-)

Aliens have abducted our planet...

And the buggers stole my car and took it for a rally drive...the one I washed yesterday... oh my timing is impeccable!!


Anyhooo... I believe Kerryn may have forewarned me..but geez be careful what you wish for... Spring is here and so is a heap of clients... so now I'm putting on more trainers...
heeeeeeeelp LOL

The Tough Bloke Challenge

Finally, for Kirsty...here's an update on the Tough Bloke Challenge.
To start, it was very fresh but clear day - probably about 8 degrees that morning. There were over 650 competitors in the event, which was divided into various age groups. I was a 'veteran' 30-45 group.
The course itself was winding through bush - it was set up on a scout park in appin, and they have many fixed obstacles, like climbing nets, ladders with tyres that you have to drop through into water, concrete pipes with freezing water, custard like freezing mud pits with loose slung barbed wire.... piles of tyres... rope swings...This was all set on a 7.1km course. You start off by running for about 3km into the bush - now, you know I am not a runner, so it was interesting to see how quickly I ran out of puff from starting off too fast etc etc - then you have to negotiate some hurdles - over and under, then run some more and the real obstacles start.
With the course, you can choose to not negotiate an obstacle, and this will give you 10 minutes penalty. Because my shoulders are not 100% (even less now) I chose to leave out two of the obstacles which I knew would just be a bit too much for my poor shoulders. I wish I'd left out the third and not really injured it even more.

The funniest thing was going through the mud - commando style. Sarah, one of my clients took one look at it and said, 'oh, this has to be worth 10 minutes surely'... I replied, 'this is why we came'!!! so in she plunged.... gotta love that :-)
But the hardest thing was then trying to get your muscles to work & run again when you emerged with 10kg more of mud on you...and it was freezing cold. I was really proud of both my clients, David - who 6 months before could barely do a pushup, and Sarah, a young Mum of 3, who negotiated every obstacle and came in 1hr 8 minutes. We all ran the course together to provide support for each other, which was badly needed at times!!!

I did realise two things though - 1. I am not tough ;p 2. I am not a bloke ;p but I tried it anyhow and got around okay! So it was a great achievement and a lot of fun.

I will definitely do it again provided I can rehab this shoulder okay. A month later and it's still sore - I've had massage & acupuncture to date and my acupuncturist is now worried it may be more serious than we thought - it's both heads of my bicep tendons that just freeze my shoulder. Last time I only injured the long head of the bicep tendon and that rehabbed quickly...

The poor unattended blog....

*sigh* with all that's been going on, this poor blog is clearly feeling quite left out....
so..for a quick update:

- have been a self employed business woman now for nearly 3 weeks!
- it's scary, but...I feel so...happy.
- I had lunch with the girls I used to work with...and they all look so...drained..which only served to feed my happiness & energy levels - I never said I wasn't evil - and I don't mean that in a nasty way about them as they are wonderful girls, it just fed my happiness and energy levels because I realised what it had done to me and why I felt so good now.
- business is slowly growing. slowly now..but hey, it's spring in a few weeks... I LIVE FOR 1 SEPTEMBER
- I am nursing an injured bicep tendon courtesy of my entry into tough bloke challenge
- I am loving life at the moment and just off for a massage now

all is good with the world!!!

TTYL...part 4

110 pushups hurts..

I have another trainer running my bootcamps... so I joined in yesterday morning (amids the rain & light hail ..brrrrr)... anyhow...
2 punches / 2 pushups
4 punches / 4 pushups
right up until you get to 20 of each...
those last few pushups really hurt!

the things you learn.... part 3

Never be ashamed of who you were before. The before has helped to shape who you are today.
When I first started training, I was a little embarrassed about the fact I wasn't some superfit superhuman who had always been slim. But... as time goes by... the fact that I wasn't has helped me help many others now.
Doh.
You can't beat life experience. One of my clients said, the stuff I get from you isn't just about how you train me..it's all the other stuff you teach me...

So now I wear that mantle unashamedly.

the things you learn ..part 2

Aaah, so, my distance running career has been virtually non existent since my last running post...it's been pushed aside for training clients.
the other day I came across an older Ultrafit magazine and read an article about a guy who was using Cross Fit techniques to train people for half marathons - which I found quite interesting.. more particularly because..as you will see from my last run, it was dishearteningly short.

So... my group sessions do incorporate some similar aspects as Cross Fit - just Caroline's flavour added through it.

Anyhooooo I went for a run with a client... and we did 6.1km... no problemo.

I think that's the longest I've run in about ....30 or more years...
Go figure. Must be all that extra muscle. :p

the things you learn....

it doesn't matter how much you say...don't look at the scale weight, go by how your clothes fit...
and then...your clothes fit the same as when you were...wait for it...10KG lighter...
that's hard to reconcile.
I'm still struggling with that.

Life has been a whirl....and now more changes....

This poor little blog has been quite neglected...I've been busy building my other online community

Building my business (more on that later) AND.... the piece de resistance:
I resigned yesterday from my corporate role.... some said I was glowing yesterday...must have been all the weight that lifted from my shoulders in making that final decision to take the leap and go full time training.

As of 1 July... new financial year, new start for Attitude to Burn!

Too funny!

and the weight comes off

it's interesting, i've been 'pretty' good with my food intake etc over the past few months, but probably hadn't taken stock of it as well as I could have. As a result, my weight hasn't budged an inch, so i've obviously become a queen at maintenance ;-)
Well, I've been 100% conscious of only putting in what should go in, no little extra bits here and there... end result - 1.9kg loss in two days!!! wow, i should be on biggest loser ;-) clearly, a bit of excess fluid there.
I made the yummiest salmon the other night (and even took a photo which I will post over on my attitude to burn blog) - with a balsamic glaze.

One thing that I haven't done since my last 'run' post, is actually go down to the bike track for a continuous run. The last few weeks I've focussed back on weight training, then having a hill run session on Thursdays (this of course is on top of my group training sessions). We live half way up an escarpment, so the hills around our area are fairly brutal. I've got one short sharp steep incline one, and one longer more gradual climb one, and I've done three sets of each, then finish that off either with some weights and/or walking the dog.

RIP Diamante

As I walked up home from Jemima & my walk around the block, my neighbour called out to me to find out what the snake looked like that lived in our roof.

Sadly, it appears that poor old 'diamante' has come to the end of his life. Our neighbour found a diamond python dead in his garden  - looks like it would just be old age.  We have been aware of the snake in our roof for 20 years... I am presuming that would be about their lifespan.

So sad.

Yay, I am alive after all :-)

Last night, as I was getting my running gear ready for this morning, I thought I'd best check the HR monitor instructions - and low and behold, I found this extra 'bit' in the bottom of the box... aaah, so that's the logo unit thingy that is supposed to clip on to the chest strap. Doh.

So.. needless to say, it actually registered my HR today!
I got up to a max of 172, and averaged around 152.
Now, if you were to follow the Karvonen formula...my max HR is 177 (being 43). Now, I'd be inclined to agree that at present, 172 is pushing it a bit for moi - when my HR got up there I was close to nausea, so I actually stopped at that point and walked.
This morning, my intention had been unclear. I wanted to do a 20 min continuous, but.. I also wanted to increase my pace. So, I increased my pace, and in the first 10 min was pushing myself (or so my body was telling me - probably still really slow by normal person standards) and got a lot further than my usual 10 min stint BUT I had to walk 1 min, then resume. It was at the 9 min point on my return that my HR got up to 172 and I felt the old nausea brewing, so I opted to end the run and walk it out from there (only about 100 m short of my usual finish spot).
So..I am reasonably happy with this because I did increase my pace and push myself a lot harder, but I need to be clearer about my intentions of the run before I go out.
I think now I need to work on not pushing the pace so much as just continuous running for the next few weeks, and gradually increasing the distance.
So, that's the plan from here :-)

disappointing...

sheesh, there I was thinking I was going great guns with my running, then I did...mapmyrun.
All illusions of jogging grandeur have now left the building.
Let's just say, a piss weak 2.7km is my jogging distance.
Clearly, I have some work to do on my pace and my distance.
blah!
Oh well, a goal is a goal.

Another run session!

This morning I decided, since I want to hit the 20 min continuous on Thurs, that today I should go out for a two part run.
So... iPod working check
HR monitor working negative grrrrr I guess I need to read the instructions!
Warmup walk - 4 minutes
Jog - 10 minutes (good pace, got further than last week)
Walk 2 minutes
Jog - 11 minutes - that was a mind hurdle - just getting that second stage in a bit longer.
I seem to do better running continuously than in two bursts, but... at this stage I need to do two bursts I think

Kerryn, glad you're coming to FILEX!
I've booked in to a few 'action' things - Punchfit powerhouse boxing (my clients love boxing so I want to get a few other routines happening) - although it was a toss up with the Core Camp Kids as I'd like to introduce some kids fitness groups too.
Second session is Powerpacked group activities - Outdoors.
3 - Fresh Baked outdoor ideas (yes, there's a theme here!)
4 - Kettlebell power training (I love my kettlebells)
Sat
1 - Metabolic hard core training
2 Circuit training partner challenge _ although it was a toss up for all three PT sessions here..
3 Advanced resistance training for every client
4 The complete guide to body weight training or essential portable tools for PTs

sun
Bosu skills & drills
Pain Practice and Performance - the shoulder

to be honest, if they had less sessions, and repeated a few of the popular themes/ones it would be a whole lot better - it always turns out that the ones I really want are on at the same times!

Cold and dark!

Seriously, yes, dark I can sort of deal with...but cold as well? brrrrrr it was pretty chilly this morning, with a strong south westerly blowing. The sky was as clear as anything though...hence the chill I think.
So, I put on my new heart rate monitor, got my iPod on, and off I set.
Firstly... iPod battery dead. GOD! HOW WILL I COPE RUNNING WITHOUT IT?
Then, I'm either dead, or just haven't worked out the HR monitor properly.
I'm thinking it's the latter.
Anyhow, since my continuous run session last week, I had planned on a broken one this morning, lengthening the second stage run a little. So, this morning, I warmed up walking 3 mins, then jogged 11 minutes (and getting much further than usual, even with a strong head wind), walked 3 mins, then jogged another 8 mins and finished off cooling down walking 3 mins. As I turned, so did the wind (of course it did...why would it stick to a southerly and make it easy for me when it can change to a north westerly?) so I was pretty happy with my efforts this morning on several fronts.
No iPod
I just ran, no issue, no stupid inner voice telling me to stop - I think I may have slapped that one down. Yay.
My pace has gotten better
I actually enjoyed it
I increased my length of time running overall
So next week, I will aim for 20 minutes continuous.

Filex

So... just before the 'early bird' deadline finished (better to have a few extra $ in my pocket than theirs) I tried to register online.... and of course, due to my slackness, the two outdoor sessions I really wanted to attend, it appears, so did a lot of other people, who weren't quite so slack in the booking department. they were 'greyed' out non-options . tsssk.
Still, there's nothing to say I can't go along and watch anyhow... just because there's enough people participating, doesn't mean one can't watch and take note :-)
I am actually looking forward to going this year - the schedule last year left me feeling a little flat...nothing really grabbed me...but this year it all seems so much more relevant to what I'm doing in growing (slowly, oh so slowly) my business.
I have two new clients who have started in my groups, and have had a few enquiries about mid morning sessions...shame I'm at my real work then ;-) (god, but for how much longer, who knows?) but I digress....
I can't wait to refresh my ideas and get a look at all the new stuff around!
Nothing like being around lots of fit people to get one fired up.

my running...

so I have continued with my weekly run (which is supplemented with all my outdoor sessions) - last week I ran 10minutes, walked 2, then ran 6... all good.
This morning I was very proud of my effort - a whole 17 1/2 minutes running. Non-stop. My inner impatient & bored with this voice didn't hamper me at all.
I was quite proud of my efforts. Next week I will just do a 11 minute / 2 min walk / 8 minute session, then the week after I'll aim for 20 minutes... ha! will that be possible? let's hope so.
we were told today that redundancies are imminent.... 20% reduction in our team. ouch.

It's been a long while between posts...

which can only mean one thing....busy busy!

I've been focussing on marketing my business, doing 'battle' with council - which is going alright, more radio interviews - almost a regular damn segment ;-)

..and waiting to hear what this recession will mean to my 'bill paying' job... analysts are waiting to hear the outcomes of our mid year reporting on Monday... 

one of the (joys) of being in marketing in a slump.

Better get my business booming then hey! :-)

can one build a business in a recession? guess I'm about to find out.

How's everyone else fairing in the real world? 

Biggest Loser observation #2

..yes, the other one's over on my attitude to burn blog
but..
has Michelle had a facelift?

she's got a perpetually surprised look on her face...
plus...there's definite botox overload there

Running

Well, after having to 'stall' my couch to 5km program that I was so enjoying (okay, I lie) to train, I have been doing just a nice running session on Thursday mornings each week. As you know... I am a crap runner. So, I have to ensure my iPod is loaded... thank god for Faithless Renaissance - Studio remix - which has their remix of such wonderfully funky (and long) versions of I feel Love by Donna Summer etc. Yes, I am old, but it keeps me going.
I decided to resume the couch to 5km as it is a real mind struggle for me to just jog..and jog..and jog... without my brain overriding everything and saying STOP! The iPod goes a long way in helping. Anyhow, I managed to do a 8minute run non stop, then a 6 minute run to finish with a 3min walk in between. Much better than my 6 minute run, then 4 minute run of last week, so I shall repeat this again next week, then increase both times again.
Aaah, I hear all you runners scoffing... but I would seriously prefer running up stairs, in soft sand and sprinting ...honest!!

Root canal early and done...

Well, I would have liked to have gone another 2 weeks before getting it done, however, my tooth had other ideas. I'm not sure I would have lived for 2 more weeks with the pain. I was seriously ogling the pliers and scalpels that belong to my husband (the scalpels are for mockup artwork!).

I have never experienced that much pain in my entire life. I am quite good at ignoring pain, but when it feels as though every tooth in your head is going to explode from aching so much, it's very hard to ignore.

Luckily, the endodontist had a cancellation... even Panadeine forte was beginning to have little effect.

But, I digress... I had an entirely pain free experience as he drilled, filed, refilled. That has to be a world first for me. He was brilliant. and fast. He said it would take 45 minutes and it did.

I am in shock. It seriously has been the best ever dental experience of my life. (and believe me, there have been many...majority of which have been horrendous).

So... on to other things.

Biggest Loser... I know my approach wouldn't make great TV, but do they have to be so brutal to those poor people?

Busy Busy Busy....

Poor little blog hasn't had much attention lately. Been too busy updating my website, working, doing media interviews(!) and training.

I've also been in extreme pain. Just before christmas I finally got to the dentist about an aching tooth (which had become an aching jaw), to be told it was cracked and they placed a nice stainless steel ring around it to hopefully keep it together and allow the nerves time to re-settle.
Well, they resettled....for a while..then they started aching like buggery again..and still are. Which means, no such thing as a crown will suffice..no I have to do the root canal thingy.
So..I shall be living on pain killers for the next two weeks until I get to the endodontist. It appears that because I have such massive roots in my teeth, I can't just get it done by any old dentist... no, I have to go the specialist ker ching ker ching route - $1760 thank you very much. Shame my health insurance won't cover that sort of thing! Anyhow... enough about that.

On to more exciting things, like media interviews. So far, since just before new year's eve, I have had three newspaper interviews and two radio interviews!
The first newspaper interview was with the our local Illawarra 'mockery' just on new year's resolutions and fitness - so after a half hour on the phone I did get a nice little paragraph in the overall article on what I think people need to do to maintain the rage so to speak - ie set concrete measurable goals. I want to run a 5km fun run by April... that sort of thing.
Then of course, the Council issue reared it's ugly head - and continues to rear. So after another interview with the 'mockery', I then had a call from our local radio station, i98. Now it appears that Council have issued a draft policy on outdoor fitness services, and of course, I had another radio station ringing for my opinion - so another radio interview with the ABC Illawarra the other day.
This morning, another freebie local paper called for my comments on the latest proposal as well.
Sheeeeesh.
Still, nice publicity albeit over a negative thing.
I still don't feel it's ethical that a council can just tell us to submit a quote to train on a parcel of land. I mean, how long is a piece of string?? How much will be considered enough to win us the right to train there? What if we don't want to just train in one spot? After all, that is the beauty of training outside.
The saga continues.

..and my face still aches.

Blink and it's all over for another year!

Hope everyone had a lovely christmas and new year's break. Due to the economic downturn we had to take leave from 19 dec to 5 jan! Such hardship. And, the weather was even fairly kind to us - although I wouldn't mind having another week this week given how warm it is outside. Seems such a waste to be cooped up inside on such beautiful days.

I'm now doing battle with the Council over training on their land. They are intent on playing hardball at the moment, so I've now been interviewed by our local paper and also our local radio station, i98. Story is here:http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/news/local/news/general/council-fee-plan-angers-outdoor-fitness-trainers/1401053.aspx I don't mind paying a fee, but council are proposing that we tender for a certain spot to use - so god only knows how much that will cost! It would have been a lot more fair if they'd been transparent in what they were planning, and at least engaged with the fitness trainers to come to an amicable solution. Will we have to tender $10,000 to secure a spot? or will $100 be enough?

In the meantime, they say we can't legally operate our businesses - although there's been no mention of any licence on their website area for business licences at all so far - just sounds like convenient revenue raising. Why not just charge a standard licence/permit fee?