Internet, I need your help!
On the eve of the final week of this round of the 12-week body transformation I’ve been doing, I am ecstatic with what I have achieved.
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| I only made her walk down… Promise! This hill can only be walked up using your HANDS at one point. Steep only just covers the word I’d use for the mother of all hills. Beautiful! |
• I am arising before 6am five days out of seven to go for a gruelling walk-jog.
• If I don’t get up, guaranteed, I get a 5:45am wake-up bark from Miss Jazz who checks her paw-time and lets me know. Uppy-uppy-uppy! NOW!!
• I jog. I am a person who jogs. I am one of those people I’ve always seen when I drive past them and think, “What possible enjoyment are you getting from running around like that?”
• I feel euphoric after I get home from burning 600-800 calories in around an hour. From jogging. Ahhh… I get it now.
• The mornings are MINE.
• My leafy community is simply stunning at about 6:15am, when the sun just spills over the furthermost mountain peak and splashes its weak rays onto the near hills and they all turn that amber colour. Just mesmerising. I almost feel cheated if I haven’t got up there to the top of the opposite hill in time to witness it.
• The public access stairs around these hills are so challenging. They are actually exciting to conquer!
• I’m pushing myself further each week. In the past two months I have improved my 1.25km running speed by a little over one minute! Ya gotta be happy with that effort!
• I go to bed at night still feeling the deep-lung buzz in my body of the morning work-out. I feel more vital. More present in my body, physically, than I can remember ever feeling.
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| You want this. Buy it! |
• Outdoor exercise: a first for me. And it’s a definite keeper. On days when it rains, I have the most phenomenal trainer tucked away on my Wii….. my God, but I am grateful to her (Maya, I think her name is?) and actually find myself grateful to this computerised “person” for getting me through a strenuous 45-minute session and 400-500 calories burned. Truly. Amazing. When you think about it. It’s a computer image. On the telly. How clever that it can make me sweat like I’m under a running shower!
• Jazz has lost weight. Yes, the dog is not so rotund any more. She is appreciating this health kick just as much as I am, I’m certain of it.
Okay, so that’s my list. Not exhaustive but just what I can think of all at once right now.
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| What 8kg of weight loss looks like over 11 weeks |
By far, I haven’t lost as much weight as others doing this fitness training. I haven’t even reached my main goal. Not by a long shot. BUT I have smashed two of my initial aims: 1) to go below a weight (and some) that has been taunting me and 2) to increase my fitness. Now that I have done this, and on the eve of truly being on my own with this without being on the program any more, it’s time to continue with more specific goals.
• I want to get to 10kg lost before Christmas. That will make a 13kg loss for 2011.
• I want to lose another 10kg by the time Steve turns the Big 4-0 (in April). We’ll see.
But please, a request of you, dear reader…..
This isn’t a weight loss journey blog by any means, but part of my overall path to wellness and completeness is how I feel about myself on the outside. It was obvious the timing to begin was perfect when I first came across that ad showing Michelle Bridges doing her Bee Gees hair-blown-by-a-fan thing (noice look!).
Now it’s time to keep going.
Does anyone have pom-poms, by any chance? Care to give me an encouraging chant along the way until my end goal in April?
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| Only 99 to go…. Straight up. This is what 50 calories looks like at 6 in the morning |
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| You wouldn’t believe it but the fires on Black Saturday were ferocious through here in 2009 |
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| Hmmmmm shall we go left or right through the bush today, Jazzy? |
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| Downward stretch towards home |
Sounds like the future is so bright you ought to invest in some shades…! Good for you! Keep going!
Woohoo!! Go K! You live in such a beautiful area and those stairs are just begging to be conquered!! Your results are amazing!
Keep it up – I'll hold you to it as long as you hold me to mine!
I have virtual pom poms for cheering you on. You're doing a great job.
The next time I see you, you'll look amazing and you're already beautiful x
Keep going!
I've been on such a bad slump this week, I'm scared to weigh myself. I'm inspired by your progress though
All those steps for only 50 calories?
Hmmm, now I see my problem, too many calories in, not enough effort out.
Congratulations on your journey though, you've done so well.
You can do it!!! (Although personally I think you have already achieved way more than I could ever hope for in 12 weeks!!) xxx
I have just written a somewhat similar post. What an amazing journey is this 12WBT! I have loved it in so many ways and am also readying myself to 'go it alone'. I shall check in regularly, and although we blog as a way of expressing our journies to completeness, surely shining bodily health has GOT to be up there in the priorities. The 12WBT has exceeded all my expectations, and really popped up some nice surprises. Weight loss is a lovely side effect to treating our bodies right!
Fantastic list.
I love "now I get it"!
It really is a magical time of day – and a brilliant way to experience it.
I definitely think you can do this on your own now.
Well, on your own with Jazz.
You've launched!
I haven't got pom poms but I can scream like there's no tomorrow!
Goooo giiiiirrrlll!!!
♫♫♫ to my ears.
xx
Well done, that is brilliant. Am now feeling very guilty about my recent recidivism – but it's winter here, and hard enough getting up at 6 in the pitch dark as it is. Are you going to keep reporting back at regular intervals to tell us how you are getting on now you have finished the on line course?
I've just enjoyed John Gray's account of pre-dawn, and here is another celebration of it. Looking at your photos, I can smell the morning. Keep up the good work.
Steve: Not sure about needing the shades just yet, but I could do with a new ear worm…. Sometimes to torture myself, I hear Miley Cyrus singing The Climb and once heard, it never everrrr leaves.
Bridgie Didge: You are ON, girlfriend! Keep going!
Becky: Virtual pom poms are my favourite. Less mess when they start to fray and disintegrate. Don't ask me how I know that. But I know. Thank you, lovely x
MummyK: Ahhhh come on, now! One bad week doesn't have to make you go the whole way backwards. Onward and upward, yeah?
River: Yyyyyep. Just 50 calories. I tell you, it has given me a whole new respect for the "power" of food – which has been the big switch in mindset for me doing this program (something I've never had before, even when I used to be fit and trim in my 20's, I was obviously just winging it on natural ability to burn cos it sure wasn't about watching calorie intake back then!).
Maxie: Oh how I love when you visit me. It's like royalty checking in my windows.
findingmymana: You too hey! Isn't it an incredible thing to do? Excellent that you had the good surprises and you are so right – the weight loss actually comes second to FEELING good inside. It's like spring cleaning for your internal organs!
Mum on the Run: Well now, with a name like that… SURELY you know (and get it). I'm glad I didn't cheat and just come ask you
Thanks so much for your support lately on this, it's been so welcome and encouragingxxx
Lucy: More blogging royalty stopping in! I really truly sometimes think "If Lucy could see me now she'd be grinning widely"… usually this is when I can't do much else but sputter for air and wipe away prickly sweat somewhere (ewww attractive). But still. You're with me when I go.
Alienne: Winter is the hardest. I am relieved I kickstarted myself in Spring. I figure that's a lot of months to get in the habit of getting up and out! BUt I am a natural born early riser anyway, so I'll have the "get up" part no worries, I'll just have to devise counter-attacks for my excuses not to do the "go out" bit! I will definitely do updates from time to time, I am counting on you all to hold me to my word and get to my next two goals! (at least)
Seriously. You are amazing. I think I need to start getting up earlier and running. Mornings and me, we're not on friendly terms.
But you're right, our leafy hills are so nice.
As for the rest, I'll keep checking and keep on nagging… promise.
i will happily and heartily cheer you on from the sidelines gorgeous because you CAN do this and MORE!!!
~X~
Naomi: Truth be told, I can't get enough of (a) that buzz and (b) those views! If I didn't have (b), I wouldn't get nearly enough of (a)…. did that sound dirty? I didn't mean for it to.
stinkb0mb: Correct! Hope your mission is going well too, burning up those cal's xxx