I am having some personal issues that I need to work on and work out-so, I will not be blogging for a while...if ever again.
These are issues that I have brought on myself, nobody to blame but me-but I just need to work them out.
Cheers all!
Continues! So, I am on to a whole new program now. I have done so much research on finding healing methods for muscle tears-I am just about researched out. Something has got to work!
Here is my new regimen:
First:
I have completely altered my work out style for the time being. I am doing a circuit which includes absolutely no chest or back specific exercises. It is killing me to have to give that stuff a miss-but it’s simply making my ailments worse and worse. I’m doing lots of reps with super light weights and including some treadmill and stability ball stuff. I’m still working out the quirks as this is a totally new thing for me-and I’m trying to find the right combo to really get my heart going and get some pump in my arms without affecting that pec/shoulder ligament. I am trying to avoid anything similar to push ups, and avoid any lifting above my head, as well as any push pull type movements (ie rows) I am doing this circuit 2 times a week-and the middle day is legs.
Second:
I am doing even more cardio-which means on top of my circuit training and alternate morning walk/jogs with the dog- I’m doing cardio EVERY afternoon and I’m going to throw some TABATA into the mix as well; Need to burn those calories some how-and since I just cannot lift the heavy weights right now…it’s got to be cardio. Of course-those rigorous ginger culling sessions on the property help too!
Third:
I need to reduce my calories a bit…again-I’m just not burning as much or as efficiently without the heavy weights. And I eat allot normally-I’m a bloody pig! And it’s starting to catch up without the regular-heavier strength training.
Fourth:
Ice/heat treatment every day…I do this twice in the morning on my shoulder/pec area; then again in the evening on the sacro-iliac area. I’m also, treating each spot with ARNICA cream each evening.
Fifth:
Epsom salt baths twice a week….this is to help reduce inflammation-I just started doing these- may increase to 3 times a week as they feel really goooood!
Sixth:
I am adding a few items to my diet that are known to help with muscle tissue health; Wheat germ contains octacosanol, which increases muscle oxygenation and helps prevent strains. Wheat germ is also a good source of vitamin E, an essential vitamin for healing.
Eat chromium-rich foods such as nutritional yeast to help the body use glucose more efficiently during exercise, preventing unnecessary strains and sprains.
I have also increased my fish oil from 4 to 6 capsules per day.
So far it seems to be helping…but I need to give it another full month to be sure!
The important thing is I know it will heal...and I will be lifting heavy again...soon!
You're not the fastest or the most agile, but you have style and power. You believe in looking good and moving quickly -- without breaking the bank.
"Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.
ZUCCHINI PROTEIN BREAD
¼ cup olive oil
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1tsp vanilla
1 whole egg
3 egg whites only
2 cups whole wheat flour (or almond flour or rice flour...whatever you prefer)
½ cup vanilla protein powder
4 tsp baking powder
1tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
3 med size zucchini shredded (let sit on paper towel for a few minutes to drain)
Heat oven to 185C.
Blend wet ingredients in a large bowl.
Combine dry ingredients separately….then add to wet mix and stir until just moist
I baked it all in one loaf dish took about an hour and a ½.
You could divide it into 2 and it will cook quicker.
You could also add chopped pecans or walnuts…I forgot to add them because I’m not a big fan of nuts in my bread….but whatever you choose this is really yummy bread!
Commonly known as Chocolate Pudding Fruit this amazing fruit is low in fat and an excellent source of Vitamin C containing about 4 times as much as an orange. The fruit is delicious eaten fresh or used as a chocolate substitute in recipes and milkshakes...
SUPER YUMMY IN PROTEIN DRINKS! And our property is absolutely dripping in these. Lucky they taste so good and are so darn healthy!
The BBC believes most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here... how do your reading habits stack up?
Instructions: Copy this onto your blog. Look at the list and put an 'x' after those you have read. Tag people if you like...I am lazy like KEK...it is a sunny Saturday after all!
1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen x
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee x
6 The Bible – x (some of)
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell x
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens x
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott x
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien x
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell x
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky x
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck x
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll x
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame x
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy (this has been on my list for ages! need to read!)
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma-Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis x
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hossein x
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden x
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne x
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown x
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel x
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen x
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens x
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck x
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville x
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens x
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett x
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson x
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Inferno – Dante (I have this one in my library...another "need to read"
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens x
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White x
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl x
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo x
Well, 28...not bad! Better than the BBC predicted! How about you?
Today's recipe is by request! Turkey meatballs (a la Rae), with zucchini, mushroom pasta sauce.
This meatball recipe is my favorite and can be found HERE on Rae Cattach's site.
The sauce is quite simple.
I chopped up a bunch of my favourite herbs...oregano, thyme, sage, and chopped up some onion (shallots), and garlic...sauteed all of that in a bit of olive oil then added a chopped up zucchini, sauteed for a few minutes, added chopped up mushrooms (about 1/2 a cup), I use the swiss brown kind. After a few more minutes of sauteing, I put in about 1/2 a jar of Paul Newman's pasta sauce and about 1/2 cup of tomato puree and just let it sit for about 1/2 an hour whilst the meatballs were in the oven. Stir occasionally. I served over some pasta and as a side dish served sweet potato fries! Yum!
The pics below are of a young cassowary we were lucky enough to have visit us yesterday! We are both quite excited because this is the first one we've seen on this property. We saw them quite often at the old property...but are stoked to have them here too! 
Still going super light on the training...I think it's working though-I really feel like my pec is healing.
Have a great day!
Summer is quickly approaching (for those of us Down Under anyway!) And many folks are getting their gardens ready for summer action! Tomatoes are on my list…and after reading the following article-I’m going to plant even more!
One of the greatest things about summer is that it's fresh tomato season. In addition to being delicious and incredibly versatile players in all sorts of dishes and cuisines, tomatoes are nutritional powerhouses that give trendy imported and obscure super-foods like açaí and goji berries a run for their money—without costing you a ton of cash. Read more...
“It doesn't matter who you are, where you come from. The ability to triumph begins with you. Always.”
—Oprah Winfrey (b. 1954), television host, actress, philanthropist 
Stay strong! Have a great weekend!
Can you believe the size of that avocado?! It's huge! It's at least twice the size of a regular avocado...but was the same price. Of course, it is a bit lacking in flavour-but good for guacamole since you add lime and garlic anyway...I've just never seen an avocado that big before.
I almost forgot to mention that Phil Lehner, the head judge for the ANB QLD titles I competed in last year, called me on Monday. We had a nice little chat, and he basically confirmed what I already thought-if I compete again, I just need to tighten up the lower half so it matches my upper half. He didn't even mention my biceps....But I'll continue my work on them as well as tightening up the thighs and butt. The lower half, as most know, is always the hardest part to tighten and the last to go!
But, at least I know I'm on the right track. I'm glad I called him. Thanks SHELLY!
So today I found a way to work my bis without putting too much strain on my pec area...Before I decided to really work on healing this pec, I was doing preacher curls and incline type curls...and it just pulls too much on that area...so today I sat and did dumbbell hammer curls(alternating left, right, left, right etc)-with light weights (5K)...just really keeping my elbows in. I did 12 of those and then super-setted with the same 5K dumbbells-I stood up and did dumbbell curls with palms up-elbows still in and doing both arms at the same time-for 5 reps. I did about 5 sets of these-and I felt them in my bis pretty darn good! I should probably shoot for more reps-but honestly by the end...I was engaging my pec-you just don't realise how much you engage your pec minor until you've hurt it!
Other than that I went super duper light on back and tris...just doing reps, concentrating on form going really slow. I didn't even do pull-downs...I'm trying to put the least amount of strain on that pec as possible. Now I'm going to do the ice/hot thing-I've done that 2 days in a row so far. And I put Arnica cream on each night. All of this pampering has got to heal that damn pec! Don't you think?
Other than that it's some outdoor work today...lots of trimming and cutting to do! But again-not straining that pec.
Have a great day!
“Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you'd have preferred to talk.”
—Doug Larson; cartoonist
Good morning!
Today I'm going to share my recipe for Kangaroo Meatloaf, since I had some requests for it. This recipe can be used with any meat really-turkey, chicken or beef. It's great for the roo though because it takes the gamey (is that a word?) taste out of the roo. Now-this is a bit high in sodium-but using a full kilo or meat (2lbs) balances it out. Plus-serving with baked sweet potato and boiled or steamed broccoli or beans etc rounds it all out nicely.
1K meat
1 packet french onion soup mix
3 tbls tomato puree
1 tbls low sodium soy sauce
1 tbls Worcestershire
2 egg whites
1/2 cup wholemeal bread crumbs (I made my own from rye bread actually!)
1 small tin of mushrooms
Stir it all up in a big bowl and poor into a bread size casserole dish...cook on 180C for about 45 minutes. Done!
Too easy!
Yesterday I went for my sports massage, and we explored my pec problem further. He explained to me that my pain is from a tear that starts at the top of my PECTORAL MINOR muscle right by the ligament. Below is a pic of the pectoral minor.
He said don't go heavy for a while and avoid flys....plus I need to do a cold/hot sequence on it daily. One minute of ice and 3 minutes of warmth...about 4 or 5 times.
So, that's what I'm doing!
Going light....argh! I know it needs to be done...but you all know what I'm talking about when I say THAT SUCKS! It is so hard to not give it your all! But, a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do. And I have to say-being at home rather than a gym makes it easier because you don't feel like you look like a wimp-because there is nobody there to look at you! Not that anyone is...but you all know what I'm talking about-don't lie...LOL!
So-for the next few weeks-NO HEAVY STUFF and lots of ice & hot. Crossing fingers that it works!
Have a great day!
“Trust in what you love, continue to do it, and it will take you where you need to go.”
—Natalie Goldberg; author, motivational speaker
Today is just cardio….so I did my morning jog with the dog and will do some treadmill this afternoon before my SPORTS MASSAGE appointment number 2. I’m hoping that it will not take me so long to “recover” this week as it did last week-I felt kind of buggered all last week. I’m assuming that since it’s only been a week I won’t be as knotted up (crossing fingers anyways!). I still have the same aches-but I do think my sacro is a bit better.
Other than that, I’m hoping to get a phone call from Phil Lehner, head judge for the ANB this week. I took some advice from SHELLEY and called to try to get feedback on the comp I did last year. Normally you go up to the judges table right after the comp; but I was so over it and knackered after that comp, and honestly thought I was not going to ever be competing again- I didn’t bother. Anyway-even though it’s been almost a year, I e-mailed and talked to Mr. Lehner and sent through some comp pics, per his request-and he e-mailed me back saying he’d like to call me to discuss so I gave him my number Friday and hopefully I will hear back from some time this week. It’ll be interesting to see what he says…..I already have an idea of the changes I need to make …but would like to hear from one of the people that actually JUDGED me and of course knows allot about the comps.
Basically this is just another step I'm taking to help me in making my decision of whether or not I'm going to compete next year. What do you think I'll decide? Hmmmm?
Thank goodness! Today I feel awesome! I'm so glad that whatever came over me yesterday was short lived.
I woke up during the night drenched in sweat. But today I feel on top of the world! And guess what the first thing on my mind was-FIGURE COMP!!! OMG...it's really infesting me! I'm not only toying with doing the INBA ALL FEMALES but also maybe an ANB show that's up in here in NQ...as a warm up; it's in May...so that would mean starting comp prep in February...We'll see!!
Anyway-had an awesome chest, shoulder & bi workout; tried FLOOR PRESSES today (saw SHELLY blogging about it and thought I'd give 'em a go)-I liked them because they didn't seem to put as much strain on my neck and the area just below the collar bone/above the pec that I've been having problems with. So-all good!
Today will be a bit of house cleaning then outside to do some stuff I was going to do yesterday...thankfully it's another beautiful day!
Have a good one...I will!
I woke up feeling so good this morning; had my normal toast & coffee, went for a jog, came home and stretched...then just as I was finishing eating my normal 3 egg whites with one yolk, potato, Greek yogurt and salsa....bam-I got sooooo nauseous and actually threw up! I spent the rest of the morning lying around with no energy and no appetite to speak of. I'm feeling pretty much better now-but that was just so strange. Could it have been a bad egg? I've eaten eggs from that carton for the last 2 days...hubby ate from the yogurt-and no problem there. The salsa has only been open about a week-and the potato was only boiled about 3 days ago. It just came on so suddenly....very strange!
And what a waste of an absolutely gorgeous day! I had planned on working on some outdoor projects today...I think I will throw the rest of those eggs out....fortunately I have a batch from a totally different company in the fridge to eat from tomorrow.
Hope y'all are feeling better than me!
Cheers!
“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.”
—Helen Keller (1880-1968); author, lecturer, activist
But, damn I am sore today! I had my first real "sports massage" yesterday by this guy that my husband just started going to; he had been working for my husband's chiro-but now does his own thing-he's also recently been hired by the Cairns Taipans (a QLD basketball team for those in the states) as part of their conditioning and rehab program.
On top of the sports stuff-he did some regular-remedial massage as well-so I had relaxation in there too; and let me tell you, if you've ever had a sports massage-you know you need the other stuff in there because the sports massage is not terribly relaxing.
Here is an excerpt from an advert I found-
Sports massage therapy is the discipline of applying deep tissue massage for the benefit of targeting sports and exercise participants. Sports massage covers the management, manipulation and rehabilitation of soft tissues of the body, i.e. muscles, ligaments and tendons.
Yesterday I charted, plotted, calculated & logged in order to come up with an 8 wk program I’m really pleased with. This is the start of “operation bis & thighs”…increase bicep size, decrease and lean out thighs.
As well as increasing my workout intensity and upping the bar on my cardio (ie treadmill intervals & plyometrics), I’m cutting down (not out) my pasta intake and increasing my proteins. My veg intake is already pretty high so I’m just going to maintain that. The last few months I have been more liberal with my portion sizes-especially pasta, and have been carefree with sauces and cheeses. So, I’m tightening up on that to help tighten up my butt..LOL!
I’ve even logged back into Calorie King-just to keep everything in check. We do tend to get a bit slack and logging it can always be a helpful reminder of the amount of fats and calories we are actually consuming in a day.
Onward!
Have a great week!
What could be a better time than the first weekend of a new month for starting out a new program?! Well, seems like the perfect time for me! My mission over the last few months has been to increase the size of my biceps…now this is whether I end up competing again or not. However, since I’m reeeeeally leaning towards competing next year-I think that I would need to cut up my thighs a bit more. So, that is my mission! Bigger Bis and Cut up thighs!
After perusing a few blogs lately, I saw SHELLEY’S recent post about her leg workout…..and so-I’m going to incorporate her massive reps into my leg workout….different exercises-but same concept. We’ll see how I go!
Naturally-I’m not doing a “figure comp” diet or workout program now….a full year away. But, it’ll be interesting to see what kinds of changes I can make with the bod-while doing some very different kinds of training and making some MINOR changes in my diet.
Like….decrease (not eliminate) the carbs….meaning the pasta mainly-since I really do eat allot of pasta! That would probably be about the biggest change…..maybe re-increasing the protein…during comp prep I actually consumed protein every 2-3 hours…..right now….I haven’t been getting anything in between my 8am and 12pm feed…so might add something there.
Join me-and see if these little changes make the difference I’m looking for!
I was just looking at Stacey's blog MUSCLE & THE CITY
and had to share this vid...it is too funny! This is an actual infomercial for an product being sold as a "fitness" gadget!
Then below is Ellen Degeneres after buying one of these chairs...it's a total hoot!
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!
