Lightening Online

Well, I’m away at the moment spending time with Farmboy’s family.  We’re having the Cousin’s Birthday Party this weekend so I’ve been having fun with presents, birthday cake and party bags. 

I’ll be back in a few days with photo’s of all the fun.

In the meantime, here is an email that was forwarded to me by a friend (actually, my personal trainer LOL).  It made me laugh and I hope it does you too! 

It was titled: Good Advice From a Doctor...  Then she added in brackets “but you didn’t get it from me” lol.

Q: Doctor, I’ve heard that   cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?
A:  Your  heart is  only good for so many  beats, and  that’s it…  don’t waste  them on exercise. Everything  wears out  eventually.   Speeding up your heart will  not make you live longer; that’s  like saying you can extend   the life of your car by driving it  faster.  Want to  live longer?  Take a  nap.

Q: Should   I cut  down on meat and  eat  more fruits and   vegetables?
A: You  must grasp   logistical  efficiencies.  What does a cow eat?    Hay and  corn.   And what are these?   Vegetables.  So  a steak  is nothing more  than an  efficient mechanism  of  delivering vegetables to your   system.    Need grain?   Eat  chicken.     Beef is also a good source  of field grass    (green leafy vegetable).   And a pork chop can    give you  100% of your recommended daily allowance of    vegetable  products.

Q: Should  I reduce   my  alcohol intake?
A:  No,  not at   all.  Wine is made from  fruit.  Brandy is    distilled wine,  that means they take the water out   of  the fruity bit so you  get even more of the   goodness that  way.   Beer is also made out    of grain.  Bottoms   up!

Q: How   can I  calculate my body/fat   ratio?
A:  Well,  if you  have a body and you have  fat, your  ratio is one  to one.   If you have two bodies, your   ratio is two to  one,  etc.

Q: What  are   some of  the advantages of participating in a regular    exercise  program?
A: Can’t  think of a   single one, sorry.  My  philosophy is: No    Pain…Good!
Q:  Aren’t  fried  foods   bad for you?
A:  YOU’RE  NOT    LISTENING!!! …..  Foods are fried these days in    vegetable oil..  In fact,  they’re permeated in   it.  How could  getting more  vegetables be bad   for  you?

Q:  Will  sit-ups    help prevent me from getting a little soft  around    the middle?
A:  Definitely  not! When  you  exercise a muscle, it gets  bigger. You  should only be   doing sit-ups if you want a  bigger   stomach.

Q:  Is    chocolate bad for me?
A:  Are    you crazy? HELLO    Cocoa  beans ! Another  vegetable!!! It’s the  best feel-good   food around!

Q:  Is     swimming good for your figure?
A:  If     swimming is good for  your figure,     explain whales to  me.

Q:  Is  getting    in-shape important for my    lifestyle?
A:  Hey!  ’Round’ is   a shape!

Well,   I hope this has  cleared up any  misconceptions you may   have had about   food    and diets.

And  remember:
‘Life should  NOT  be a journey to the grave with   the intention of  arriving  safely in an attractive   and well preserved  body, but rather  to skid in   sideways - Chardonnay in one  hand - chocolate in  the   other - body thoroughly used up,  totally worn out and     screaming ‘WOO  HOO, What a    Ride’ AND…..

For   those of you who watch what you eat,  here’s the final  word  on nutrition and health. It’s a  relief to know the  truth after  all those conflicting  nutritional  studies.

1. The  Japanese eat   very little fat
and suffer  fewer heart  attacks  than  Americans.

2. The Mexicans  eat a lot  of   fat
and suffer fewer heart attacks than    Americans.

3. The Chinese  drink  very little   red wine
and  suffer fewer heart  attacks than   Americans.

4. The  Italians drink a lot  of red   wine
and suffer fewer heart attacks than    Americans.

5. The Germans  drink a lot   of beers and eat lots of  sausages and fats  and   suffer fewer heart attacks than   Americans.

CONCLUSION

Eat  and drink what you   like.Speaking  English is apparently what kills    you.

I hope you’re all having a lovely Smiley Saturday.  Catch you all next week.  

That is SO not the title I thought I’d be using for this post. Not in the middle of my training session at the gym today.

Believe me, it was a KILLER!!!!

It felt like the hardest session we’ve had so far!

And that was without doing any of those evil Burpees!!!!!

We did a 2-minute circuit, alternating cardio with strength work.

I can’t believe how LONG 2 minutes can seem!!!!

Maybe I’ve finally found a way to make time slow down!!!! LOL.

What’s interesting though is the contrast between that moment when you think you’re going to die and how good you feel once you’ve finished and recovered.

During the session I was all like “I can’t wait to get home and blog (read: whinge) about this”.

Then on the drive home I’m thinking “wow, I feel kinda good”.

Just don’t tell my trainer I said so - she might get the wrong idea and think she can torture me every week!!!! LOL.

Image by cogdogblog via Flickr

I nearly didn’t go to netball training last night. I was feeling rather fragile and thought I’d be in danger of bursting into tears if things didn’t go well. Nothing serious I don’t think. Just hormones.

Anyway, I thought the exercise might help so I decided to go and take the chance.

And despite my post title, I am glad I did.

I really enjoyed it and feel like things are slowly coming back to me.

But, the most important thing is that I had fun. And lots of laughs.

And I realised something. As much as I want to improve, I need to stop taking myself quite so seriously and focus more on the “fun” part. Because getting frustrated with my lack of ability is driving me nuts!!! And sucking the fun out of the game. Wonder if I can do both (improve AND have fun)???? I hope so.

My legs are quite sore today. And I can feel the muscles in my arms as well. I’ve pulled up worse than last week! Not sure if I pushed harder this week or why they’ve done that.

Must be the week for pain from exercise I think.

My session in the gym on Monday was pretty full on. Actually, there wasn’t a lot of pain so much as complete exhaustion. You know the kind where you know you’ve given all you’ve got and there’s nothing left? That kind!

I’ve learnt something new about exercise this week. When you do stuff where you’re down low and moving to a standing position - it is EXHAUSTING!!!! AND a really GOOD workout! I’m not sure if it’s the lifting of your own body weight or what.

I’ve also learnt that burpees are my LEAST favourite exercise EVER invented!!!!

Question is, can I make this exercise my friend or will I ALWAYS hate it????

Image via Wikipedia

I’m back to boot camp today. Okay, not really “boot camp”. But I am going back to my personal training sessions at the gym today. After I’m not sure how many weeks off. Fortunately I haven’t had all of those weeks off of actual “exercise” but it’ll still be interesting to see how I pull up after the break.

Plus of course the lovely “weigh and measure”. Ack!

Anyway, I’m been working on a few goals etc for this year (as per a plan my trainer gave me at the end of last year). Being the “non procrasinator” that I am (*cough* *cough*), I finally got around to working on them LAST NIGHT. Not that I haven’t been thinking about them. I just needed to formalise my thoughts a little.

I’m figuring the place I’m least likely to lose them is by putting them on here . Plus, you guys can help keep me accountable to my goals for the year.

MY 2009 FITNESS PLAN

What is your fitness program like now?

Today my program consists of….

Exercising most days depending on weather, energy levels and time.

It makes me feel…

OK but not great. I feel like I would like to do more.

Write a vision (in the present tense) of what you want to achieve in 2009. Make it compelling - what you will see, hear, feel when you have it.

I have lots of energy and my body craves and enjoys healthy foods. I look forward to any opportunity to engage in physical activity and exercise on a daily basis. I can feel myself getting fitter and stronger each week as I continue to challenge myself to stretch my limits.

Write down 4 BIG goals which will help you achieve this vision:

1. Be able to run 6km (long-term goal: To be able to do a 12km fun run)

2. Be able to do 20 full push-ups

3. Get back under 70kg’s and stay out of the 70’s forever! (need to lose around 5kg to get there - same 5kg’s I tried to lose last year. *sigh* One can only keep trying - right?)

4. Be able to lift that weights bar thingy (yeah, real technical terms here) with actual WEIGHTS on the end. LOL.

What will your life be like if you achieve these goals?

Fun and Energetic

Healthy

What will your life be like if you don’t achieve them?

Frustrating

What are you going to do TODAY to start moving forward to achieve your goals?

You mean I actually have to DO something????? Bummer!

Well, I think I really need some better accountability for the foods I eat (or the stuff that’s not really “food”) and for getting back into the “habit” of exercising daily.

2009 IN 3 PARTS

In my mind, 2009 is divided into the following 3 parts:

Part 1: Before the “Big Trip”

Part 2: The “Big Trip”

Part 3: After the “Big Trip”

Here are my general thoughts for each part in terms of fitness, health, weight loss etc.

Part 1: Before the “Big Trip”

• Make daily exercise a habit so that it seems strange “not” to exercise (have achieved this before and have been struggling to get back on track)
• Lose 5kg so that I’m “under 70kg”
• Work on a gradual change in my eating patterns so that my body craves nutritious food and isn’t interested in “junk” (again, I have achieved this before and I’m struggling to get it back)
• Be able to run 6km comfortably

Part 2: During the “Big Trip”

• Maintain my weight (ie don’t GAIN weight)
• Maintain my fitness levels
• Focus on being as active and healthy as possible

Part 3: After the “Big Trip”

To be decided when we get back.

And that’s kind of my year in a nutshell. I’ll try and “report in” on my progress from time to time. Keep me accountable and all that.

I noticed in the past few weeks that the word "netball" has been the most commonly used search term that has brought people to my blog.  Hmmm….. Does that mean I’ve been talking about netball a bit too much????

I do apologise to those of you who have no interest whatsoever in netball if I have.  There’s only 1 game left for this season so it’ll be all over soon (for a while).

The only game left is the GRAND FINAL!!!!  And yes, we are IN it!!!!  We WON our game yesterday.  I use the term "we" rather loosely because I’m not sure how much I actually contributed to the win.

Nonetheless, it was VERY exciting to be a part of it.  I got some very encouraging feedback from a couple of "netball stalwarts" that were watching too which was nice.

Farmboy took some photo’s and in honour of our win, I’m going to do something I never thought I’d do - publicly share photographs of me in a less than flattering netball uniform. 

Here is an action shot of me (WD) and my opponent (the green WA).  The first time I played against this particular player, she totally intimidated me.  She’s a reasonably strong and aggressive player.  While there is still plenty of room for improvement (isn’t there always?), I did feel I fared a little better against her this time.

This one shows me lining up to take a pass from outside the court (at least I think that’s what I was doing).

Here’s an action shot of sorts.  Farmboy had trouble trying to get any action shots because it was too fast.  He was hoping to get me throwing the ball here but instead you can see my team mate receiving my pass.  The lady in the white top is one of the umpires.  She’s an excellent umpire.

Thinking about the upcoming Grand Final next Saturday made me realise something about myself.

I REALLY want us to win.

I didn’t think I was all that competitive.

Turns out that I AM competitive.  I just tend to have low expectations as a sort of self preservation measure.

I don’t expect much from people and that way they don’t let me down.  I don’t expect much from myself and that way I don’t disappoint myself.

Will we win next Saturday?  I have no idea.  The team we are playing has beaten us twice this season.  And we’ve beaten them twice.

If you’d asked me a couple of weeks ago what our chances of winning against them were, I’d have said very good.  The coach has been playing a slightly stronger team during the finals.  Playing the better players more of the game and the weaker players less.  I expected it to make more of a difference than it did in our first final.

Ask me now and in reality I would say it’s anybody’s game.  Which should make for a good grand final game.  Albeit potentially a nail biting one.

In all honesty, I would rather we’d been knocked out of the finals on Saturday than to lose the Grand Final.  But as they say "you have to be in it to win it".  So, we’re "in it".  Hopefully we can "win it".

Is it still possible to have fun when playing in a Grand Final?

What do you mean “that’s your job”?????

I worked my muscles hard today and I suspect I’m going to feel it tomorrow.

It’s a funny kind of pain though. It lasts such a short time and tends to be followed by that “I did it” elation.

Okay, it’s actually usually followed by me collapsing in a heap. But the high is still there somewhere.

I might not be succeeding when it comes to weight loss (yet!) but I’m definitely noticing an improvement in my fitness and strength. And at the end of the day, I think that’s more beneficial to my health.

Not that my health wouldn’t benefit from losing a few kilo’s.

I just think it’s benefiting more from the increased fitness and strength.

I know my self esteem is really benefiting.

Image via WikipediaI went to my training session today feeling a little bit flat and tired. It’s been a fairly busy few days for me and my body is feeling it.

Of course, once I got there and got started, it was amazing how much energy I uncovered. In fact, it never ceases to amaze me how much more I manage to do in my personal training sessions when compared to what I might achieve on my own.

As usual, today, there were a number of moments where my mind was going “there’s no way I can do that” and yet, somehow I manage to do it. Sometimes it’s only just. But I constantly surprise myself by doing things I honestly think are not possible.

Which has gotten me to thinking about how much we must limit ourselves by our own thoughts at times.

I had a similar experience to this with netball on Saturday. Before we’d even left home on Saturday morning, I had a feeling I was going to play better than I had been? Why? I’ve been in a bit of a “netball funk” for a few weeks now. Feeling very negative about myself and my lack of netball skills. With some help from a friend or two, I was feeling like I’d finally come out of that “funk”.

Not only did I play better (as far as I was concerned) but I also enjoyed the game a whole lot more and came away from it feeling positive (despite the fact that we lost).

I don’t think it matters how fit or skillful we are - a LOT of our successes and failures happen in the way we view things and the way we THINK.

It kinda makes me wonder what we could possibly achieve if we dared to believe in ourselves….

A little while back I was contacted by someone asking if I was interested in trying some Powerade drinks *.

To be honest, I’ve never had a sports drink in my life. I’ve always been firmly in the “the best drink is water” camp. But I figured if they were willing to send me some to try, I’d be happy to try them.

I started with the red one because I like red (not as much as pink of course but red drinks tend to be my favourites).

It was WAY too sweet for me. I couldn’t even drink it all. I was a bit surprised actually because I find the healthier my diet, the less well I tolerate sweet things. So if these are targetted at those who are most active (and therefore hopefully consume a reasonably healthy diet), why make them so sweet?

The second bottle I tried was Powerade Recovery.

I tried this one on the day of the netball carnival. It was nowhere near as sweet and with a full day of physical activity and made a welcome change from drinking water to stay hydrated. I noticed that I didn’t have any trouble with cramp after the carnival which was a nice change.

This quote from the website might explain why it didn’t have as much trouble with cramp:

Protein is required for muscle repair and helps promote muscle recovery and rebuilding after exercise. Protein may be better utilised when combined with Carbohydrates. Including protein in the recovery period may also help in reducing muscle soreness after exercise.

So I guess you could say my experience with that one was quite successful.

The third bottle they sent me was the Powerade Isotonic. In terms of taste, this one was my favourite. I couldn’t say for sure that I noticed any difference in my performance by using it and I still had trouble with cramps that night.

To be honest, I’m still not 100% sure what I think of the “need” for Sports Drinks. The day of the netball carnival was the day I noticed the most difference from using them. Perhaps because the one I took focused the most on recovery - which is the area I seem to need the most help with (with getting cramp and delayed muscle soreness). I probably should experiment with that particular one a bit more.

What Do You Think?

So that’s my very limited experience and experiment into the usefulness of sports drinks.

I’d love to know what your thoughts are.

Do you drink them?

If so, what do you drink and why?

Are they worth the money?

Are they better than water or do they have a more limited place (in addition to water)?

* While Powerade sent me 2 bottles of each of these drinks to try, I have been under no obligation to post about them. That choice was completely up to me and no payment (other than the free drinks) has been made for this article. I’ve chosen to write about my experiences because I want to know what your thoughts are on the benefits of sports drinks. Are they worthwhile or a marketing gimmick?

Image via WikipediaI have been CHEATING on my personal trainer!!!

But you HAVE to admit, he IS rather worthy of cheating with!!!!

Of course, it’s not MY fault she went and abandoned me.

Firstly she went and left me with some STRANGER during netball training. And while my brain nearly exploded with what this stranger wanted me to do, I have to admit I wasn’t as “stuffed” as my personal trainer usually leaves me after her fitness sessions at training.

And she’s still away so no session this week.

So I decided to be “good” and drag my Billy Blanks DVD out from the bottom drawer and give it a dust off.

I don’t remember the last time I actually USED this DVD.

Having not done it for a while, it was hard going. It amazes me how much exercise you can do but when you change what you’re doing, it’s still hard. Not that my current “head spins” helped me get through it either.

I LOVE Billy Blanks. I find him so positive and encouraging in the way he presents his videos. And he often finishes with an inspirational pep-talk.

Mind you, he didn’t finish the session with a massage, so I think I’ll go back to my own personal trainer next week.

Image by Getty Images via DaylifeAs I was heading to bed last night, I caught the last minute of play in the AFL game between Port Adelaide and North Melbourne. The commentators were making some comment about a kick that was about to be made being a deciding kick for Port Adelaide’s season. If the player kicked a goal, they still had a chance for the finals. Talk about pressure on one player! He missed and my heart sank for him (which is interesting given I am NOT a fan of Port Power).

As the television flicked into darkness, I muttered “I hate sport”. And then proceeded to self analyse my own comment. I do. I hate watching sport. I also don’t really like playing card games. My problem? I feel too intensely for the losers. Don’t get me wrong, I like winning. I just can’t help but feel bad that having a winner usually means you also have to have a loser.

I’m not a very “sporty” person. I never have been. I used to think it was because I was lazy. Now I’m not so sure. I think it has more to do with my confidence. In the past I’ve ranted against school PE teachers. I found that my PE teachers strongly discriminated against anyone who wasn’t good at sport. Funnily enough, I doubt that would be tolerated in any other subject. Did my loathing of PE mean that I was simply lazy? I don’t think it did. Although I didn’t understand that at the time.

The problem I have with sport is not just the fact that you have losers. Have you ever noticed how the desire to win can cloud all other human decency? Is there a point when it’s okay that it’s all about the win? Or should it ALWAYS be all about the win?

Why can’t sport be about fun, fitness and friendship? I know that competition can help us to strive harder. And I’m not against that. In fact, I’m a big fan of competing against yourself. Probably a bit too big a fan because I know I’m too hard on myself in terms of expectations.

The last few months have been an interesting learning experience for me. Getting involved in a sporting club has been lots of fun and the sense of “belonging” is wonderful. I’ve been fortunate to be involved in a club that has really given me a lot of support and encouragement when it comes to getting involved.

But I’ve noticed a darker side to that which comes out when the desire to win overtakes the desire to be fair.

I know. Life’s not fair. I work hard to teach my children that very fact. But it doesn’t stop me bemoaning the fact that life isn’t fair. I desperately wish it were. For my children’s sake. And for mine. And for everyone else’s.

I wonder if we took all competitiveness out of the equation whether life would be more fair?

Maybe.

Maybe it would be less fun that way? I have no idea. I mean, winning IS fun. But should it be SO much the focus that for those of us who aren’t good at sport, playing is no longer fun? Or that we sit at home wishing we could play but not having the confidence to put ourselves out there?

I guess I can’t help but wonder whether Australia would have less of an obesity problem if sport was something that EVERYONE felt they could have a go at and enjoy, no matter what their level of fitness or ability?

What do you think? Would YOU have a go at sport if it truly didn’t matter what level of ability you had?