Nothing Profound to Say...

"Excellence is Not a Skill - it's an Attitude"

- source unknown

It's the end of October already.  My last post was at the start of October, and still I don't have alot to share with you.  It's not that there hasn't been anything happening much in my life.  Quite the contrary.  There is alot happening as per usual.  However I seemed to have lost interest in sharing my life via blogland.  I'm thinking it might be a phase I'm going through. 

I've discovered that I get alot more done in my life when I'm not blogging or continually on facebook.  I haven't been reading any blogs (my apologies if that offends you), and it's not that I'm not interested in anyone's life, it's just that I have so much going on.  And since moving into our new home, life is more labour intensive...bigger home, bigger yard, husband away alot - therefore more things to do with the same amount of time.

But you know, I'm quite enjoying it.  I'm achieving so much more.  I'm a person of action, and this allows me to 'act' rather than live precariously through other people's lives.  Not that, that is what I do.  But sometimes you can get so caught up in reading about other people's lives that you fail to live your own life.

I haven't much to say about my current fitness goals really.  Suffice to say that I'm back on track and 100% on plan for nutrition (apart from the weekend) and finally starting to see the scales move down.  Though it's been a struggle internally to make that decision.  I have about 3kgs to go still before I'm back to lean, but I'm happy right now in my life and more accepting of ups and downs.

I'm here for another week, and I'll be off for 3 weeks for the AR and I'll be back end of November.  I'm looking forward to it, though I hear that where I'm heading, there is no formal gym or PT sessions.  Just a running track.  So I will have to get creative and apart from running will have to put together some bodyweight exercises to keep me challenged.  And I should have enough free time to be able to train daily (fingers crossed).  So my goal is to come back 3kg's lighter. :)  Here's hoping.

Anyway...I thought I'd include a photo of Pauline Nordin just for the heck of it, and I like the quote.  I think it says alot.

I believe that excellence isn't something we need to necessarily shoot off at the mouth about.  It doesn't have to be glamourous or exciting.  It's something we should be living on a daily basis.

So that's a wrap up, and I'll hopefully post upon my return.  Though it's getting close to Christmas then...e-gads!  A lovely time of the year.   So many things to do upon my return, and you know the most exciting part of my life right now?  I can't wait to build my compost bays, raised vege garden and I'm hoping we may have a couple of (bantam) chickens at Christmas (for Philomena). Oh...and start the my native cottage garden design (waiting on my book to arrive).   Of course, when I get back.  Oh..and I also look forward to setting some new training goals.   So much to do...so little time! 

What Gardening and Your Health Goals Have in Common

Australian Native Cottage Garden

Would you believe that we have been in our new house for one month already! We have settled in nicely, though it will take some months to unpack everything and put things in their rightful place.  I'm really enjoying the solitude and tranquility, and today even though it's drizzling rain, it's beautiful as I sit here at the kitchen table looking out to our private rainforest.

Something I'm really enjoying is weeding.  Yes...weeding.  Try it...it's very therapeutic!

There are alot of weeds here, and before I can even begin to design my Australian Native cottage garden, I need to eradicate all the weeds.  We basically have no grass...it's mostly weeds.  So it's quite a labourious job killing off weeds and then replacing them with grass.  It's not something that happens quickly.  Not only is the lawn full of weeds, but the garden bed at the front is full of them as well. Though, I've made some headway into the weeding there. 

In the garden bed, only pulling out weeds by hand is suitable.  And you have to make sure that when you pull them out, you get the roots and all, otherwise they will just grow back.  I use a little spade to help me get in under the roots in the soil a little, and then I give a nice little tug on the weed, as close to bottom of the plant as possible.

I think I'm developing some little OCD tendencies built around keeping the house clean and...weeding!  I just can't stop once I start.  I like to see them disappear and see nice clean soil before me.

Anyway...so what does gardening and your health goals have in common?

While I was tinkering away pulling out weeds, I was thinking about how my garden would look once it was all designed, planted and growing.  I have visions of how I want my garden to look.   It's what inspires me to keep weeding.  It's the end that I have in mind, and that's what keeps me going and doing what needs to be done in the garden and around the yard.

I was wondering how anybody could let the weeds get this bad and let the yard look so unkept.  Didn't they see the garden as it could be?  Could they not imagine how spectacular a garden could be created here  and what veritable treasures await? 




My favourite deep red Geranium




Lovely lavender pansies



My Pierre De Ronsarde climbing roses never disappoint

Could they not see the potential.?  And did they not see what treasures could be revealed with a little imagination and a little effort?

So while I was contemplating upon this while weeding, I came to the realisation that our journey of health and fitness is alot like gardening.

Before you can really take that first step of creating a healthier and fitter you, you must first imagine the end result of YOU in your head. So you need to look at your journey as a landscape (being you) design project.  I think to get real and lasting results, you need to have a vision of how you want to be. 

So what potential lies before and in you?  What can you see and create?  You too are like a garden and you have many treasures to uncover.  What spectacular visions can you see of the project (you) which you are about to begin creating?

With that in mind, the first step in designing (you) once you have that vision, is write down all the steps required to achieve that vision to begin your project (you).  You should research all the information you need so that you know that you have the correct information at hand to achieve what you want and what is right for you.  That information can come from many different sources...books, internet, professionals, friends who have achieved what you aim for and can help with support and encouragement,etc.  You get the picture.

Next are all the tools required.  They could include gym membership;  maybe some home equipment; the right food, so you can make good food choices, etc, etc.

Now...once you start your little project, you might find that some things don't go exactly according to your original design plan, so you might have to do some tweaking along the way.  But once you've started and you're on your way you'll gather some momentum.  You'll see the fruits of your labour starting to blossom and the first signs of change and growth in your garden (you).  Hopefully, this will inspire you to keep moving toward achieving your project (you).

As we all know, some of the best laid plans can come unstuck.  Sometimes it's through our own neglect; sometimes it's because something happens and it's beyond your control, and all of a sudden your project has taken a back seat in the priority stakes for what ever reason.

And this is the most vulnerable and dangerous time.  This is when you need to be vigilant.  This is the time when those weeds begin to appear.  Those weeds can take the form of slipping into bad habits, making wrong food choices or not going to the gym, and many more.  Some weeds are worse than others and if you're not careful, those weeds can then begin to proliferate and take over, threatening the realisation of your project (you).

But take heart, because if you still have that vision of your design project (you) in your head and it's a strong vision, then it will haunt you.  Better still to have your design project in front of you where you can see it and you're constantly reminded of its' presence.  Because if you can do this, whatever little events or diversions which take you off-course temporarily, you will come back to your project, and do some necessary weeding and clearing of your garden (you).  You can then begin again to see with clarity, the vision of your design project (you).

So...do you need to do some weeding?  Try it...it's very therapeutic and you'll feel so much better once you've done a little.

I've been doing a little lately and I intend to get it under control very soon with a whole lot more. ,  And you know, just with a little weeding so far, I'm already feeling a whole lot better.

Maintenance - the Ultimate Panacea?

This is an excerpt from a recent email from Liz, after admitting that I'd had emotional couple of days and basically went a bit crazy with the food at my cousin's engagement party last weekend...

"Hi Kerry,

Now that you're getting closer to maintenance and adopting more skills to be able to stay at your 57kg for life, it's worth talking a bit more about emotional eating and what triggers it.

For every bout of eating that's not planned or alternatively, food that is eaten when you're not hungry, usually has its roots tied up in emotional eating. It's important to recognize that we're all emotional creatures and rather than to try to be hardcore and pretend it's not happening, it's probably better to realize that we are nearly 100% of the time, emotional before we are logical. In fact, we'll use logic to justify our emotions.

For example - "I bought the little black dress because it was on special, and who wouldn't take advantage of a special - it seems the perfect time to buy".

"I supersized my meal because heck, every little cent counts these days and I want to find value"

When we emotionally eat, there's usually always an "Activating" Event.
From this event stems a "Belief" and from your "A" and your "B", there is usually a consequence.

For example:

A - not do so well with your Wing Chun
B - feel inadequate and frustrated
C - eat to numb the frustration and take the edge off - feel shitty.

It's what happens between A and B that is the most important - learning to change our perception of the situation - it's clear from the rest of the email you're starting to do this anyway.

From here it may be learning about yourself and your own personal eating print, that frustration or feelings of inadequacy drive you towards food - so rather than letting an emotional situation hurt you twice, you need to take your frustrations out elsewhere - this is called a COUNTERING technique
- a behaviour used to replace a poor or destructive behaviour with a good healthy technique - and pivotal to your long term success. "

So basically, I'm back at MAINTENANCE stage. It's good to be here.

It's the ulimate goal and place to be, but as most of you probably know, it's also one of the most challenging places to be, because that means that you've reached this goal. Fu*k! What do I do now? I mean, now that I'm here, I can't just say..."well I'm looking good, let's go crazy and eat all the shit I want and do sweet f*#all!"

But in actual fact, that's what alot of us do. We've put in all those months of hard, consistent work, and we tell ourselves that going back to eating shit, just for a little while, is our reward. WTF? (sorry about the swearing...armying on the weekend tends to put me in a 'take-no-prisoners' kind of mood...and we swear alot).

I've been down this road before, and I've lost sight of my goals. And you know, that's okay. You're not going to be perfect all the time. But in order to make this a 'life-long' thing and to stay here, feeling awesome takes just as much work, but it takes a different mindset.

So, as you can tell, I still have my emotional struggles. That's just life. Just when you figure you've got your shit sorted, some other emotional trigger comes to the fore, and you're left scratching your head and asking yourself..."where did that just come from?"

Though I do admit that I've just got better at overcoming those little 'emotional episodes'. I still fall in that hole, but these days I'm in it for less time and the holes aren't as deep. I don't overindulge to the same extent and I can't eat the same volume of food, i.e. the degree of shit I put in my body is not as bad and I can't eat as much shit as I used to.

So anyway. I'm getting better each time I do this. That's always my goal...to be better each day. That's all I can ask of myself. I'm not perfect...I'm work in progress.

Now the pics.

Sometimes we can amaze ourselves at the progress we make. I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the shower door. The lighting is different in there and it really shows more muscular definition. It was hard though to photograph, as when you have a whitewash of light, the muscles have less definition. So I don't look as lean in these photos, but it gives a fairly good idea.

I'm very happy with my upper body. It's easier to lean out. It's my lower body that I find harder to lose body fat. That's just genetics. Though it won't stop me working toward my goals. So from here, I'll be concentrating a little more on gaining muscle and more definition in and around my glutes and quads. Of course, I still want to be fairly lean, so it's going to be challenging. But I'm relishing the challenge, and regardless of the results, I'll still feel good.

As far as my abs, well it's harder to see at the bottom of my abs, purely because I have excess skin. I have to accept that, and the only way to see more definition is to a) increase muscle size, and b) remove the excess skin.

Now the bottom two pics...

More photos of my front garden. We've had alot of rain lately and yesterday afternoon I got in some gardening time and planted some perennials and added some compost and fertliser to give the soil a much-needed lift. I find gardening very therapeutic and I'm always plotting and planning my next lot of plants to improve the look of my garden. I love cottage gardens, and I love the 'rambling' look.

Today is a rest day, and I'm just enjoying 'being' in the present and enjoying peace and quiet, as hubby is at work (the office for a change), and Phil is at school. I've been looking forward to today just to have to myself. To enjoy my garden, the lovely cool weather, and listening to the birds and watching them. And when I finish this post, it will be time to get stuck into some domestic activity, so I can relax and enjoy a nice, clean, warm and inviting home.

And tomorrow, it's back to the gym.

Spring is Here...and I won't be

What a beautiful time of the year. Not much to say. I'll be away for a couple of weeks in Bandiana, VIC for my employment training. 12 months ago I was in Kapooka.

I'm just savouring this gorgeous weather we're having. I love this time of the year, and I love my garden. If you're interested in gardens and flowers then you're welcome to go to my other blog, Recipes in Richness, and read my other blog.

Talk to you when I get back, take care and don't forget to stop and smell the roses! XXX

Mad Hatter's Garden Tea Party

"One of the secrets of life is that all that is really worth the doing is what we do for others."

- from 'Alice in Wonderland', by Lewis Carroll

Yesterday, we joined Alice and friends in the beautiful gardens of Trellaurel, in North Tamborine. We went along to two open gardens , and at Trellaurel we were treated to a pantomine of Alice in Wonderland, set amongst the three acres of gardens. It was performed by a local theatre group of children, and split into three scenes. It was just magical!

My favourite part of the pantomine was the Mad Hatters Tea Party, and you can see Philomena in the very first photo, sitting with the Hatter, the Doormouse, and the March Hare. She asked me, and then AW later, when she was going to be on stage. I've been nurturing her love of drama, and hope to keep her encouraged. I think Philomena will love acting and drama. I'm just waiting to find the right time to introduce her to formal classes.

This is Philomena having a go at Croquet. And below are some photos from the scene 'Pack of Cards'.

More photos from the garden of Trellaurel. The owner said it took her 24 years to create her beautiful garden, and she raised three boys amongst it, of which the tree house was their favourite part of the garden. She says she misses those days.

"What is the use of a book without pictures and conversations."

- 'Down the Rabbit Hole', Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll

The following pictures are the from the scene, 'Down the Rabbit Hole'. It was performed around a beautiful pond in the gardens of Trellaurel, complete with striking purple water lillies and stepping stones.

Here is Philomena sitting on a bench underneath an enormous Camphor Laurel tree, which was also home to a tree house.

The path and entrance to Trellaurel.

This was the first open garden we went to called Magnolia Brae. It's 50 years old and was the first time it was opened to the public. Below are some photos from this beautiful garden which is known for its' deciduous trees...maples, dogwood, oaks, jacarandas, etc. And of course the magnolia trees were on full display, as well as the Camelia's. I've never seen them grow to such heights, as they are on Mt Tamborine. They are trees! And the blooms were so magnificent and rich in colour and variety.

This is actually the neighbouring property, but I just loved the cottage look and the flowering camelias, so I had to take a photo or three.

This is the rear of the garden. A beautiful outlook of the surrounding properties, forest and horizon.

A lovely spot beneath a magnificent Magnolia tree, overlooking the mountains.

A nice life and spot for the chickens, don't you think?