SLEEP, TRAIN, EAT

Is pretty much what I've been doing over the past few days. With the in-law's here I have a live-in Nanny and Housekeeper which has allowed me to do whatever I want during the days. There's been a lot of training, a few day-time naps, lots of yummy food, a few mags read, lots of computer time and even a clean up of my office together with a pile of filing that has been around for months. I'm over the "pufferfish syndrome" which resulted from enjoying quite a lot of xmas delicacies. Really enjoying the days and looking forward to spending the last 3 days of December 2008 exceptional in mind, body and spirit.

ONE SPOILT BITCH !!

What did I get for Christmas?

* Payless shoes voucher - from Mum

* Zen desk calendar - from Sister

* Lindor balls - from eldest Son Jason

* Motivational calendar - from Sister-in-law

* Rice Cooker & Firefighter calendar - from Liz

* Champagne - from Client

* Le Grand Cirque Aerial Dreams & After Party - from Katie

* Electric Salt Grinder & Bag Red and Green Frogs - from Mum-in-law

* Peter Alexander PJ's - from Daughter Sofie

* Sparkling Manicure - from youngest son Jayden

* Favourites Chocolates - from Santa

* Napoleon Lip Lacquers, Blingy Earphones & Funny Notepad - from Nicole

* Flat Screen 24" LCD Computer Monitor - from Husband Dave

Here's some Christmas Day pics:

Christmas Eve getting ready for Santa:

Jayden opening Santa presents:

Sofie opening Santa presents:

Some sisterly/brotherly Christmas love:

Mummy and little boy at breaky:

Silly family photo at breakfast:

Me showing off:

Dave getting a shine up playing cards:

And lastly, the day ends:

STAR PROFILE

Name: Shelley Stark

Age: 36

Birthday: 23 June

Star Sign: Cancer (crab)

Occupation: Personal Trainer, Property Investor (although this one has
taken a back seat of late), Domestic Engineer

Height: 173 cm (5’ 8”)

Weight: 64 – 67 kg’s off-season, 60 kg’s on-season

Marital Status: Very happily married to Dave

Children: Jason 15, Sofie 9, Jayden 5

Pets: Mia (cat)

Favourite Colour: Black (got any blacker?)

Favourite Body Part: Eyes and shoulders

Least Favourite Body Part: Thighs and butt

Favourite Foods: Lollies, chocolate, ice-cream

Least Favourite Food: celery (of the ones I’ve tried)

Foods Never Tried: Oysters, lambs brains

Couldn’t Live Without: Husband, Children, Family, Friends, Training

Loves: Besides above feeling confident, strong and positive and in control

Hates: Being tired, being hungry, being bored (not all together), not being able to switch off my brain at times

Future Goals: - Continue to stay balanced, mindful and loving life
- Present a bigger and better overall package in May INBA Comp
- Swim 2 km Sydney Harbour in March
- Swim 1.5 km leg Mooloolaba Triathlon in March
- Be the best bridesmaid a bride could have
- Be a fabulous PT and increase my client base

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! In our house anyway. Lights up and on, presents galore under tree, egg-nog brewing in fridge together with homebaked american cheesecake made by hubby, lounge/dining room rearranged ready for lunch, turkey getting stuffed later, candycane wrappers all over the floor, kids now sleeping in our bedroom, non-stop excitement and chatter about Santa. We love Christmas! Merry Christmas all. Have a great day.

I'M HONOURED AND EXCITED !!

To be standing next to Nicole as BRIDESMAID when she gets married next year. Yep, she got down on bended knee and asked me at 5.30 am this morning at the gym and of course I was delighted, honoured, excited to say yes. Funny thing is I was bending over to have a look at her knee and ask what was wrong.

ANOTHER GREAT DAY

3.30 am - up and at 'em after a sleepness night. Awake from 1 am to 3 am. Just doze off only to be woken by Mia (cat) scratching at our bedroom door wanting to be fed. I feed her then go back to bed. Doze off again for probably 20 minutes then wake and figure I'd get up and start the day.

4.30 am - 30 minute early morning walk/run followed by ab work.

5.30 am - train client

6.05 am - chest/biceps with Nicole then 30 minutes elliptical

7.30 am - home to find hubby had stripped all the beds and done all the washing, fed the kids, cleaned up, written a xmas food shopping list and was planning his day around mine

9 am - head back to work to train one more client

10.30 am - home, do some computer work amongst reading blogs and fitness articles

12 pm - have lunch then lie on the lounge reading the latest Oxygen magazine followed by a 1 hr snooze

1.30 pm - awoken by bladder and hunger, eat arvo tea

2.45 pm - realise I am ravenously hungry again and employ the oats and powder savour

3.15 pm - head to pool for swim training (20 laps) and afterwards feel bloody fantastic admiring my physique in my two piece speedos upon returning home

4 pm - ponder over my achievements in 2008 and think thankful thoughts for what my life is and wonder what I should blog about today

5.15 pm - hubby goes fishing in the hope he'll catch fresh fish and mudcrabs for xmas lunch and dinner, I feed the kids the slack mother dinner of party pies and sausage rolls

5.20 pm - blog

6 pm - dinner followed by a Lindor Ball before showering then retiring for the night

3 more sleeps till xmas - I can't wait!

BACK TO BUSINESS !!

Last Wednesday night hubby and I flew down to do the xmas thing with our families and also pick up our kids. Silly me originally only booked cabin baggage forgetting we had to take all the presents down so had to pay another $120 at the airport in order to have our luggage checked in - derrr!! We had a lovely couple of days with our families sharing a xmas meal and opening presents. I also got to see some of my friends which was great although time was too short. It was so nice to feel great whilst away from home and put the techniques I've learnt into practice and although I didn't do as good as I had hoped I still went really well. Even managed to get a couple of walk/runs in. Couple of pics below: I've always wanted to wear a little pair of shorts so braved it whilst away and secondly hubby and I enjoying a drink at my mum's xmas dinner.

After arriving home this morning at 6.30 am it was back to business and I couldn't be happier to be back in my little comfort zone of routine.

Training today - Glute/Hamstring workout with Nicole followed by 15 mins elliptical and 15 mins incline treadmill then a short while ago swim training (14 laps).

Busy couple of days ahead before a fabulous xmas day planned.

BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY

Yesterday something extraordinary happened. I've been travelling along quite nicely, notching up the training a fraction by including a couple of swim sessions along with my usual early morning walk/jog and strength training. I've been coping with slight hunger here and there quite well but yesterday I was really really hungry. And by that I mean ravenously starving. Around 2.30pm I was crashing big time so ate my afternoon tea early and continually drinking gallons of water. At 5 pm I could wait no longer so ate dinner. Didn't even touch the sides. I stopped and asked myself was it true hunger or rather a feeling. The answer - definately hunger. 6.30 pm dessert and total calories for the day consumed. By this stage I was ready to eat the entire contents of the pantry and fridge (think chocolates and lollies) but told myself that I don't do that anymore. I asked myself what did I need to do? I immediately knew - a big bowl of oats, powder, sultanas and honey. The time was now 7.20 pm. Again at 8 pm I needed more. I had no reason to eat for the sake of it but my body was really wanting more so again another bowl of oats, powder, sultanas and honey taking my total calories to 2500, just under maintenance. So with 120 grams of oats and the accompaniments I expected the scales to rise this morning but instead they dropped again by 0.3 kg's. Obviously my metabolism was on fire! Sometimes it's better to eat more food, giving your body what it wants rather than holding out and then going ballistic. I've learnt this through experience. I still think the scales lied at 66.1 and think I'd be more like in the 65's again. Today I'm back on an evel keel and cruising.

SCALE WEIGHT IS NOT LINEAR !!

The graph above (thanks to hubby) trends my scale readings over the past seven weeks. This has taught me not to sweat the day to day fluctuations. Control what you can control (nutrition and training) and the rest will take of itself. Practise patience and persistence and I'm sure you'll get where you want to go.

Make NOW, Not 2009, Your BEST Year!

Ph: 3843 1750
Em: admin@lifepsyche.com.au

With the festive season upon us, the promise of joyful Christmas times & a summer of fun is all around us....

In amongst this, you've probably started thinking about what 2009 will bring. Most of us will have made a promise that it will be the year we lose weight, take time out for ourselves, learn to salsa dance, etc etc etc.

Isn't it interesting that we tend to put off the changes we want to make to a time that seems 'perfect' or 'easier'? Read on to learn how to STOP putting off these changes.

The LifePsyche team is taking a short break over Christmas. We will shut Monday 21st December, and reopen Monday 12th January. From all the team, we wish you a joyful & meaningful Christmas period, & we look forward to seeing you all in the New year! See you soon, The LifePsyche Team
Make NOW, Not 2009, Your BEST Year!

With 2009 around the corner, many people will be eagerly awaiting the New Year so they can "start" their new plan to lose weight, spend more time on themselves, or achieve other goals. Unfortunately, we get off more on the fantasy of talking about our New Year resolutions, than actually doing them. In fact, the majority of people NEVER uphold their New Year resolutions. Worse still, not only do we put our goals off until the New Year, we decide we will do our odd jobs when we have more spare time during annual leave, or spend more on ourselves when the kids leave school, or meet a life partner when we lose weight, or travel when we retire....&, then what do we do? We die with our music & dreams still in us! We call this phenomenon the Great Deferral System of Life - a sneaky excuse we get addicted to so we can procrastinate our lives away. We end up living our life exactly how we DIDN'T want to live it - unhappy, overweight, fearful of change, poor, single etc etc. We seduce ourselves into thinking a certain time is going to be the perfect time to make change. However, the reality is that we are just kidding ourselves... the perfect time is always NOW. Read on to learn how to START NOW to make the rest of your life, the best life you could have!


The LifePsyche team have developed these top tips to get you on track for the rest of your life....

1. Be clear about what you want to achieve: Wishy-washy goals like "I want to be healthier" are so vague you won't really know when you have succeeded or failed. Clear goals are essential. Ask yourself, what is it I really want to achieve, & how can I put it in a specific & measurable way? For example, being healthier may involve eating 2 pieces of fruit a day, walking for 30 minutes each morning, &/or drinking 2 litres of water a day. Having specific goals means you will have specific feedback to monitor how well you are progressing.

2. Ink it, don't think it: Once you have decided what to do, you need to write it down. Remember, it's just a dream until you write it down, then it becomes a goal. Writing it down also allows you to closely track your progress. For example, you might tick off your fruit each day, track your exercise sessions, or monitor your food intake.

3. Be clear about why you want to change: It's easy to differentiate between those people who have a clear reason for making positive changes, & those who don't. We call it the gut-wrenching reason. Those who have the most success in making positive changes, no matter how big or small, are those who have a reason that really means something to them. Whether it is a genuine health scare, the need to be a good role model for your children, or a strong desire to get more out of life, if you have a clear & strong reason, you will be more committed, & achieve more. Spend some time thinking & writing about why you want to make changes. Don't stay on the surface with reasons such as, "I want to be healthier". Ask yourself, "Why is that important to me?" Continue to ask yourself this question until you feel you have really hit the core of your motivation. If you get teary, you know you're on the right track. It means you're delving down to the real motivations for change, & that's how much it has to mean.

4. Be prepared for hard work: Think about it, if it was simple & easy, you would have done it by now. Change is hard work, & takes time. Don't kid yourself that there is some easy fix or magic pill that will do the work for you. It's about taking responsibility for your actions. The day you take responsibility is the day you start on the way to making the changes. Remember, the only place Success comes before Work is in the dictionary.

5. Get support: Taking responsibility for your own motivation & commitment takes care of almost half of the likelihood that you will be successful. The next step is to get your team together. Research shows that you will do better if you have support, & whether it is friends, family, or professional support, it is a key part of your change. So, get your partner & kids to walk with you, get friends to plan healthy catch ups, & get professionals to give you advice & support on managing stress & anxiety. The most important thing is to identify your team early, & be clear with how they can help you.

6. Don't give up: The most useful models in health psychology show one inevitable fact - we all relapse. The most important thing when you take a step backwards is to get back on the horse ASAP! Eating one tim tam, missing one day of exercise, &/or working too much on one weekend is a step back, NOT a reason to give up. The trouble lies with our Mad Monkey Mind who, after a simple slip up, usually tells us it's time to give up! Your #1 priority is to not listen to your Mad Monkey Mind. Clarify what went wrong, how you will do things differently to make sure it doesn't happen in the future, & let the slip-up go. Remember, these slip-ups provide us with perfect learning opportunities!

7. Practice makes permanent: The research is unequivocal on what differentiates super successful performers from average performers. PRACTICE! Tiger Woods himself said he reached #1 through practice, not by having an amazing stroke. There are many naturally talented people who never make it in the world. If you have a passion to do something & practice the actions you need to do to get what you want, you will get there. Start practicing today.

LifePsyche is offering a special package to celebrate you Being Who You Want To Be & Creating the Best Life you Could Have Our "Life By Design"" package focuses on identifying what is important in your life, the steps you need to achieve those changes, & the strategies you need to maintain the motivation to succeed. Book in for a 7-session individual personal development course today, & pay for only 5 sessions! Medicare & Private Health rebates may apply. CALL (07) 3843 1750

Talk to Jean about booking in a LifePsyche session today!

DietPsyche 60 Hume Street NORMAN PARK Qld 4170 Australia

MY JOURNEY CONTINUES !!

Following on from last fabulous Friday. What an amazing weekend it was. After the photo shoot and organization of photos in the afternoon was a fantastic dinner at The Grove Establishment, Ashgrove with Katie and Nicole. Saturday morning Katie and I headed over to Indro Fitness First where I participated in Liz' RPM class (this time there was air con). A yummy viet rice paper rolls and chat followed then Katie and I headed home to spend the afternoon by our pool before heading for a nanna nap. We then got all glammed up and headed out with Liz, Nicole and Shannon to The Green Papaya for a beautiful vietnamese dinner ending the evening at Freestyle dessert cafe. A wonderful evening spent with great friends.

Sunday morning Katie and I headed for our first swim training session (10 x 50 mtr laps). She'll tell you the details as it was her idea. The rest of the day was again spent lazing and chatting by our pool before taking her back to the airport. Hubby and I went out for dinner and dessert again last night which ended a fabulous long weekend (our kids were put on a plane to our home town last Thursday so we've been responsibility free until this Wednesday night when we head down ourselves for xmas with our families).

Needless to say the scales are up a kilo this morning, as expected, which means jack shit anyway. I expect a downwards movement in the next couple of days.

Training today: 40 minute early morning walk/run, not long ago trained chest, biceps and posing in my garage (help - I can't feel my arms now) and when hubby arrives home this evening we're heading for my 2nd swim training session (this time 12 laps).

Feeling: The weekend was everything I wanted and more. I lived in the moment and behaved moderately and balanced. The new and improved Shelley has now been unleashed and is living the life she's always imagined. Looking forward to each and every day and the opportunities it brings.

HERE I AM !!

What a fabulous fabulous day. I'm so pleased with the photos but more importantly happy with how I feel. Just arrived home from a wonderful dinner and quickly posting some photos before heading to bed. Thanks must go to Gym Funky for supplying me with these gorgeous outfits. Photos courtesy of none other than Katie P.

LAUGHING IN THE MIRROR

Scale weight = 65.9 kg

Training = 30 minute early morning walk only today

Feeling = excited, yet nervous! Eagerly awaiting tomorrow's photo shoot but more importantly spending the next few days with my gorgeous girlfriends whom have been a helping hand in my strength over the past months. This morning when I stepped on the scales I looked in the mirror and just started laughing when the number appeared. I got my 5 afterall. And really what's 900 grams in the scheme of things. I've managed to shed a total of 7.6 kilos in the past 7 weeks. Now, if this was one of my clients I'd tell them to reach around and give themselves a big pat on the back or go to the nearest person for a huge hug. So, to myself, Congratulations Shelley - awesome achievement! Not only on the weight side of things have I improved. More importantly to me is the way in which I've gone about it, learning each and every day, practicing balance, moderation and mindfulness. Not one day in the past 7 weeks has gone by where I haven't eaten one of my favourite foods (lollies, chocolate, ice-cream). It has proved to me that I don't have to be "perfect" as my personality dictates. Sure, there's a place and time for some for strict dieting, perhaps leading into competition, but for most people who want to live lean everyday and enjoy life "balance" is what matters most! This chicky is continuing to eat "something" every day for rest of my life. Today it's red frogs, chocolate paddle pop and caramel slice (you bet ya I'm carbing up for tomorrow).

JUST THE BEGINNING !!

Scale weight = 66.4 kg (yep - got the drop I expected)

Training = 30 min early morning walk, supposed to be posterior chain training, did 4 sets of deadlifts then got a bit sidetracked. Was lost without my training partner Nicole this morning. Ended up doing lying hamstring curls supersetted with single leg deadlifts, squats and overhead presses, preacher curls and tricep pushups, woodchops, pullthroughs, ab and core work. Not in this order but a great workout all the same. Finished off with a light jog for 15 minutes then called it a day.

Feeling = really really really good. I like the way I look. Am conscious of the fact that this is not the end but rather the beginning of a happier, leaner me. When I competed I got there and threw my hands in the air thinking it was the end but this photo shoot was just a means to get where I want to go only this time I'll keep going. A little more body fat to drop then maintaining over xmas and the new year period before preparing for May.

Today is a busy busy day. Just about to head to work to train 4 clients then off to see Jeanelle before going for the full hair treatment - cut, colour, blowdry then eyebrow wax and tint then finally coming home for dinner and collapsing into bed I suspect. I've got my handy little red esky bag packed and ready to roll. Right let's get to it!

I LOVE CHRISTMAS SURPRISES !!

Weight - 67.3 kg

Training - 30 minute early morning walk/jog, cracking chest & shoulder session with Liz. I was really happy with my training today and could see I'm continuing to improve all round. My front delts are feeling very fatigued right now. Bring on those sexy shoulders!

Although the scales indicated a small increase today I can feel a drop coming on. I look leaner, I feel leaner, I am leaner!

I love Christmas and the surprises this time of year brings. I have enjoyed immensely shopping for my special friends this year and can't wait to give presents. Although I love getting presents myself I get real joy out of giving. Today, I surprised Liz with an early xmas present. I'll let her tell you what it was but let's just say I'm bringing out the rebel in her! It looks fab!

ROCKING

Scale weight = 67.1 kg

Training = cracking early morning interval treadmill run for 30 minutes, this arvo shoulders and core with Nicole then walk

Feeling = HOT right now. Looked in the mirror and liked what I saw. Of course, there's always room for improvement but nice to finally be happy with my physique again. Not concerned with what the scales are saying. Will probably get into the 66's before Friday but it's not the be all end all not reaching 65 (my goal). I've done as much as I can with be stupid all of the time so what will be will be. And besides 6.5 kg's in just over 6 weeks is a bloody good effort.

PS Am I dining alone on Saturday night? No-one's rsvp'd yet. Me the planner wants to make sure they've got room for us all - it's a pretty popular joint apparently.

AM I ME!!

Feeling fantastic and back to my normal again. A few days of higher calories and extra starchy carbs has me feeling awesome again.

I had the pleasure of having Carolyn come stay with me last night. It was wonderful to catch up with her in person again having not seen her since our comp in May. Of course we've spoken on the phone but seeing someone in person again is wonderful. She's looking smashing and I was drooling over her biceps. We got to share some secrets and stories over one my famous burgers and I introduced her to Mr Baskin. I asked her to describe in detail the flavour of her choice, one which I'm yet to try, so this week it'll be on my "to do" list.

This morning we both, together with one of my partners in crime Nicole, headed over to get smashed in Liz' rpm class, where I also got to meet the gorgeous Fern. It was an awesome class followed afterwards with scrumy vietnamese prawn rice paper rolls with Doris, Lisa and Steph.

I haven't been on the scales for a few days but will get back on again tomorrow. Training has been awesome. I'm really excited about the photo shoot this Friday and also getting to see one of my other partners in crime Katie who's arriving Thursday night.

This Saturday night the girls are having a night out. It's an open invitation and details are below. Please leave a rsvp comment so I can make sure we've got a big enough table booked.

Where: Green Papaya Vietnamese Restaurant, East Brisbane
Time: 7 pm
Dress: Essential frock and heels
BYO bottled wine only (or vodka and lime if you're me!)

WHO DO I WANT TO BE?

For the past couple of days I've been pondering on this question:

On one side of the coin there's "Athlete Shelley" wanting to be a high achiever, goal setter and getter, successful.

On the other side there's "Everyday Shelley" being balanced, mindful, moderate, living lean, loving life, having fun, enjoying the journey.

And I ask myself can I be both at the same time?

As "D" day was getting closer I got spooked and freaked by the numbers and scared of "not making it" and started doing stupid shit like increasing my training and dropping calories. Smart move Shelley - NOT! But upon reassessing my situation I realised that when the journey ceases to be enjoyable then I had taken a wrong turn. Would it matter if the number was 1 or 2 higher? Of course not. Would it matter if it took another week or 2 to reach it? Agan, of course not. Honestly, I don't really care what the number is but just know that at 65 kg I look good, feel good, can fit into my favourite jeans and other clothes, and is my "happy weight".

I looked back on what I have achieved. I've shed (notice I didn't say "LOST". What happens when you lose something? You go looking for it right) nearly 5.5 kg's in 6 weeks whilst being mindful and enjoying everything in moderation, eating Baskin Robbins icecream and other favourite foods on a daily basis. Practiced positive self talk. Have not had a 'blow out' in all that time. Inspired others to battle on with their dreams and goals. This is what my life is about.

Of course I've still been training hard but have cut back the duration. I've increased my energy intake again to a more acceptable level for me to one which I know can still drop but perhaps a little slower. I will still achieve what I set out to do however I've taken the pressure off and getting there in a much safer fashion.

SLAPPING MYSELF AROUND

Scale weight = down 0.1 to 67.4 kg (silly bitch)

Training = 6 x 30/90 elliptical intervals early morning, later chest & pushing shoulders with Liz

Feeling = To put it bluntly - F@#ked with a capital "F". I've turned into a flat, carb depleted, fuzzy headed zombie barely making it through the days. I've been crazily chasing a number. Today I ask myself "WHY"? Is feeling like this worth my quality of life. Pushing my body to its limit consuming less calories than what I'm burning through exercise let alone just breathing and doing normal daily activities just waiting for my body to shut down and collapse. Stupid, stupid girl. I was so tired yesterday afternoon after picking my daughter up from school I had to have a nap then of course I couldn't get to sleep last night. Got back up again and sitting with hubby knew I needed starchy's but wanted to get into the 66's this morning. I finally got to sleep later than usual only to be woken at 1 am and lay awake till just after 3 am. Turned my alarm off and secretly hoped I'd sleep through and wouldn't wake to go train my two early morning clients. But not so. Woke again at 4.12 am. Got ready, headed to gym and did a HIIT session forcing my body further into the ground. My head is spacey. I look like shit. Enough is enough. Wake up to yourself Shelley. You cannot continue like this. You'll end up dead! On that note I'm off to have a HUGE bowl of oats, powder, honey, banana and sultanas. Disclaimer - this is not indicative of individual persons results.

TIME POOR

Scale weight = up 0.3 to 69.5 kg (rebound)

Training = 30 min early morning hill walk/jog, back with a little bit of bi's + 12 mins elliptical, afternoon walk planned

Feeling = busy busy busy, so much to do, so little time to do it in.