Step 1: Health

My goodness. It has been a whole year since I have posted. I knew in the back of my mind that I hadn't quite been my usual self and have been through some obstacles over what I estimated to be a year, but my last post confirms it. I left my last post with a comment about my lower back giving in. Well I have been on a rollercoaster since then. I basically had to quit exercising for months after that moment. My back was severely damaged. I went to a chiropractor about it and it came down to the fact that I did not have enough strength in my posterior chain to support my body. Your posterior chain is your lower back, glutes, hamstrings, and calf muscles. These are crucial for todays lifestyle. They support you while you sit down all day at desk jobs for horrific hours. If these muscles are tight, your spine compensates. I did not exercise again until January 2013, well I should say I tested my body a couple of times before January. It did not end well. I hurt my back running. I...

Wow! Well first of all I had no idea how long it had been since my last post. I knew it had been a little while, but I guess time has just flown in between then and now and I've been so busy I just didn't even have time for it to process. Well now it is a brand new round of 12wbt. It started Monday last week, so we're at exactly day 1, week 2. I guess I am looking for a fresh start. An opportunity to redeem myself. Last round was a shocker. Well, it wasn't as extreme as a shocker, but it wasn't eventful and I didn't gain what I would consider to be some tangible, impressive results, like I have in the past. I lost 1.5kgs in 12 weeks. And you should see my weekly weigh ins plotted on a graph. Up, down, up, down, down, up, down, up. And so on and so on. It tested my patience a fair bit, but at the end of the day, my actions, or lack thereof, produced those results.  I can't be too hard on myself though. I have gained a few things from the last round.  1. I l...

This is my third round of 12wbt. I have had 32 kgs to lose in total. I've lost almost 20. I don't think that's very impressive for (almost) 3 rounds. I have slowly lost less and less weight and been less and less focussed with each round. Round 1 - 10kgs. Round 2 - I think around 6. And now, 2kgs. It's like I'm really bored with focussing on just my weight. When work falls apart, so do I. And my partner (who is a true supporter), is always advising me, "stick to the food, if you have to drop the exercise that's ok, but stick to the food and you'll succeed". Yes, that's all well and good, but I want to exercise. That's what I find fun & I want more of it. It feels like I am bored with focussing on weight loss. I feel like I needed something extreme to jilt me into my weightloss journey, which was the case when I was severely depressed with my life and my appearance. But now that I am more confident with my appearance, a...

Things have got to change. I've had enough. I'm not getting anywhere I want to be any time soon. Work has gotten out of control and I'm in the boot of the car rather than the driver’s seat. It isn't right. I know better than this. I could handle my eating habits when I was an auditor. If I can survive that I can survive anything. It’s not that I’m eating terribly at all, it’s just that I can’t seem to stick to that magic 1200 calories number each day. And as such, I’m losing weight at a snail’s pace. I think I've un-learnt what to prioritise with and how to focus on the small steps. Instead I’m seeing this huge achievement I want to make, and feeling like it’s virtually impossible to conquer  right now. So, I need to get it back. I’ve lost almost 20 kilos, and I have just over 12 to go to get to my goal weight. I need to get out of the mindset of thinking "A kilo a week. I have to do it. All or nothing." Well, it’s not like I'm literally...

Well lately I've been struggling. I don't want to be a pity party, but I've been sick (nice and dizzy and fatigued plus a pretty stagnant cold), moving house & unpacking, and dealing with our busiest time of year at work. To say the least I've been unorganised, inactive, and haven't been making the best food choices. I had actually been relying on Iced Coffee for breakfast. YUCK! I don't know why I do it, but I do. In my head it made sense because it was quick and easy and it was stilla round 300 calories. That's the philosophy of the program isn't it? Haha. NOT! You forgot to add in the nutritional factor Lauren. Anyway, I'd been relying on it for about a week. Yesterday morning I broke the cycle - brought in a tub of low fat yoghurt to work and mixed it with the muesli I keep in my desk drawer for when I haven't had brekkie at home. This morning, however, was a different story. I brought the yoghurt, knowing I had another serve of mue...

I was on the train this morning, travelling into work, listening to Michelle’s little "snip tips" she puts up on the program website. I listened to the one about sleep. She gave us a sleep challenge. Firstly, she challenged the idea that we are born to be either morning people or night owls. More that it is a learned habit instead. She's probably right. I've got terrible sleeping habits. I always stay up late. I'm always so tired. Well, less tired since I've been looking after my health, but still - the fact that I am only getting around six hours sleep a night and I can't for the life of me get my arse out of bed to make it to work on time more mornings than not, is not a good sign. And I do all of those activities she says we waste hours doing instead of sleeping - perusing Facebook, watching mind-numbing tv, etc etc. So I'm going to take on her challenge. 14 days of getting into bed at 9:30, lights off by 10pm, and up by 6am. And an hour later...

I though for my next post I'd make it about something fun that I'm sure most people appreciate - FOOD!!!! Yum yum!! One huge thing joining the 12wbt has given me, that I am truly grateful for, is teaching me to appreciate healthy nutritious food and how much it can do for your body. And the amazing thing, is that this is returned to you ten-fold. It comes back to you in numerous benefits in a variety of forms, including energy, brain power, attention span, physical ability and emotional control, just to name a few!! I have also found a love and joy that comes from cooking. I don't know exactly how to describe it in words that can do it any justice, but it is just an incredible thing that you can express yourself through. You are making something so good for your body, that you know your body will enjoy, and you're doing that from scratch with your own hands. When I cook, I enjoy every part of it - shopping and selecting the fresh ingredients, reading through the rec...