Room for Improvement - Health and Fitness

If there ever was a year when I can honestly say that things ended up worse than they started, then 2011 is that year...

However that is all I will say about 2011, it is over and as far as I'm concerned, I need to put it behind me and look forward...that's where the rest of my life is, and I can control it. I read a great quote on Twitter today :


"Regrets and wishes will not change what has been or what will be. It is by taking action now that you will fulfill the best of your possibilities."


So I get that. No point in worrying about what I did wrong last year (be grateful for that, you would have been reading for quite a while...), and by the same token, it is time to stop *wishing*...it is time to start *doing*...and everyday, I can be responsible for what I do, what choices I make and how I react to what life throws at me...


Let's start with Health and Fitness

Personally, my weight is a good indicator when it comes to my overall health and fitness. If I'm overweight, not only does my physical health suffer, eg increased risk of so many conditions which run in my family via my mum - Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension, Risk of stroke, High cholesterol etc, but my mental health is also affected. Yes, my stress levels rise dramatically if I don't exercise regularly, and I can even say there is a risk of Depression for me when my weight is over a certain number...there is probably an element of vanity there...but that's just me.

Although I did say I wouldn't look back, I need to do so for the sake of this point...back-track to July 2010... I weighed 67kg, had a regular routine of going to the gym 5 times a week, I weighed myself daily and was on my way down to 60kg (my Goal weight)...

Those of you that follow my Blog know that July 2010, Hubby took the leap and gave up his 9-5 employment of 20 years to come and work from home with me in our business.
My routine flew out the window...we attempted to train together, but he works out better first thing in the morning, and I prefer to be home at that time to supervise the girls before school...the result was that our workouts became less and less frequent and by the end of that year I didn't renew out gym membership...
Hubby really enjoyed his new-found freedom as far as working hours and the working day in general (he still does - hey, who wouldn't be glad to give up the 3.45am mornings followed by a two hour commute at each end of the working day?)...one of the habits we picked up was to go out for a coffee every morning. During this time, we plan for the day ahead and review the business etc...nothing wrong with that, except that in the early days, Hubby began to indulge in a daily slice of banana bread, I started off having a bite of his, and then he started ordering two slices, he would have one and a half pieces, and I would have the rest...but half a slice of banana bread *every day* adds up...

So as work got busier, I emerged myself into the business, which left less time for exercise (in hindsight, this is a big cop-out) and we started to rely on prepared meals and take-out options more and more...

I used to weigh myself daily...(apologies to those who don't weigh regularly, or even at all in some cases)...and gradually I stopped weighing myself at all...by the end of 2010, I weighed in at 72kg...that was a 5kg gain in 6 months..."No problems" I told myself "I can lose these kilos easily"...however I was lacking in direction in 2011...I didn't have a *plan*, no action to take, just a lot of *wishing*...no regular weighing in, and no working out until about October 2011. You could say I was in denial. Big Time.

In September, after reading some of Michelle's posts about Mish Bridges' 12WBT, I decided to give it a go...at the same time, we sold our home of 18 years, and moved into a half-finished property on 3 acres... I weighed in at 74.4kg...

I didn't follow the plan.

I had every good intention, but after the first couple of weeks I let extra food sneak in and living in a house without a functioning kitchen for about eight weeks I had the best *excuse* for not cooking at-all.


So here we are in 2012...the worst year of my life left behind me.

I have signed up for 12WBT again...you might ask "why?"... Because it works. There are so many success stories out there, the support on the Forums is amazing (I have made some lovely friends) and I am giving it 110% this coming round.

Weight on January 1st 2012 - 77.7kg

My *heaviest* non-pregnant weight ever. Enough said. Time for Action.

I will post about my journey with 12WBT as it unfolds. Pre-season kicks off January 16th 2012. Bring it on. I have never been so ready for anything in my life.

The goal as far as weight loss is to be at 60kg by 1st July 2012 - that means 17kg in 6 months. Totally. Achievable.

Fitness-wise, I have a couple of goals...I hope to give running a go - I have C25K downloaded in my phone and ready to go. I would like to run most of the Sydney City to Surf in August. The other goal is to do the Advanced RPM class at my gym. I *love* RPM, and I suspect this particular goal may be closer than I think...stay tuned.

Like it or not, I am back to daily weighing, with recorded weigh-ins on 12WBT every Wednesday. I will share my progress and successes here also.


So that's my first installment of *Improvements* for 2012.

More to come.