Things Are Changing Around Here....

Have you ever been in a position where you thought the next 12 months of your life was planned out to perfection? Where you knew what was going to roughly happen each month and what big events were plotted in there somewhere? Well I had 2013 pegged as one for some rather big changes, but they were carefully planned and each move taken was a stepping-stone to the next, with family consultation, lots of research and a gut feeling that I was doing the ‘right thing’.

Note: I have mentioned previously that I’m just a little bit of an organisation freak haven’t I? My Microsoft Excel spread sheet for my camping menu has gotta tell you something!

However, while liking organisation (note I always avoid the word ‘control’!), my contrasting desire for excitement and change has often popped up in my life and resulted in some huge moves eg; moving from NZ to Oz, moving from the South East to Cape York (sight unseen), and then to Katherine (again, sight unseen).

So I’ve got a love of organisation coupled with a need for excitement. And that leads me to an event that occurred last week that threw my rather organised year into disarray!! But satisfied my intense need for excitement. In fact I’m so terribly excited, it just about physically aches!!! Wanna know what happened?

Well. I arrived at work last Wednesday and spent two hours with a couple of fantastic clients. In between Clients 2 & 3 I schedule a 15min break during which I attempt to gracefully stuff my mouth full of green salad & chicken. It’s not pretty but I manage to jam it all in while checking my emails. Something I try to do in private so as not to scare the children.

In that short break on Wednesday, my phone rung with a call from Ingrid. For those not up with the play, Ingrid is my new trainer. She epitomises to me everything I could want in a trainer. I could rave on but I won’t because I've done so many times lately. It's sufficient to say, those that know me know I’m fiercely loyal and I couldn’t be that way toward someone if I didn’t believe in them.

So……within that phone call, my year changed! It felt like I had won Lotto! Or maybe, more accurately, how it would feel if you tried out for the XFactor and got that special phone that told you you’d made it to the next level!!! Except they always have hair and make up sorted when the call comes. I had a piece of spinach stuck in my front tooth and managed to jemmy in some dry chicken pieces while speaking! (I'm truly gifted with food!) Ingrid spoke to me about my immediate future in bodybuilding and she invited me to her competition in Geelong on May 4. The decision was made in a split second! I’m THERE!!!! I’m not sure I’ve ever wanted a personal goal so much before in my life!!!!! And to be considered, by someone I respect so much, to be good enough to stand in the line-up is huge to me!!! I’ve never had a phone call like that before in my life and may not get another. Not prepared to give up a golden opportunity!

 

So what’s the big deal? This is my chance to take my experience and training up a notch or 20!!! Time to do some intense learning and gain experience that would be so hard to get if I didn’t have a mentor. Sure – I could toddle out to another state and give it a go – but I wouldn’t have the hands on help of a true professional (and her team!) to guide me through the; tanning, posing, stage etiquette, comp expectations and, most importantly, nutrition! It’s all just gold!!!

From Geelong, it looks like I’ll be heading to the second Darwin competition on May 12. So the big change is that I’ll no longer be entering the May 4 competition due to the clash of dates with Melbourne. Why choose Melbourne? Because it’s a different federation and it makes sense to follow one organisation’s competitions (just as I did last year with INBA Darwin, followed by INBA Melbourne). This time it's the NABBA/WFF Federation.

The only heartache I have is the fact that I won't be there on comp day with the new girls. We had a huge day planned and were going to make our first appearance as Team Katherine!! I do know that there will be a huge turnout and they'll have many friendly faces cheering them on so I can't wait to hear how that all goes.So there’s my huge news! A couple of little changes have led to a couple of even bigger aspirations!! They're rather huge and like Mt Everest right now... so I’ll let them simmer in my head for the moment and fill you in as and if they occur.

My current training? Friggin awesome!!!!! As soon as I got that phone call I drove home as fast as the law would allow (hehe!), and spilled it all to Rob. Then, with way too much adrenalin running to be legal, we turned around and drove straight back to the gym where I knocked out a legs session that rivalled any I’d done previous! Even Rob said I was a machine!

My weights have gone up in leaps and bounds over the past month and I’m feeling so strong! It’s amazing how the change of nutrition approach has made such a difference. I’ll never regret the way I prepped for the competition last year because I don’t think it could have been much harder. Means I truly appreciate the energy and vitality that I’m still carrying just 10 weeks out from the comp. And I now fully believe my initial suspicions that things could be done a whole lot better.

Food – well, I could never look you in the eye and say I was hungry. But I’m human and could seriously do with a milky latte! Or some cheese! Or even a chocolate, custard-filled donut. Hells bells – even a bowl of sticky brown rice and sweet chilli tuna would be cool!! HAHA! But I wouldn’t. No way, no how! NOTHING will make me sabotage this prep time – NOTHING! You know how people will often say, “One little thing can’t hurt?” – well yes it can! And it will! Because one thing leads to another and the psychological damage is way worse than the physical. That’s not just true for me in my position, it’s true for anyone chasing a goal! But that doesn’t stop me from watching My Kitchen Rules. Nor did it deter me from making a cake the other day, and some of the BC Cookbook meals for Rob. I then retire to my little corner where I munch on my own ‘feast’ of steamed vegies and bbq’d meat. I often read articles on the computer when I’m eating and that reminds me how robotic I’ve become. But at least I’ve got colour on my plate this time!! Woohoo! The funniest memory I have from last year is sitting at the Triple Zero ball and whipping out from under the table a Tupperware container containing chicken and vegies while all around me were chowing down on the provided food.! Might I add that the whole night was not nearly as funny from my seat as it was from most others. Lesson learnt: pick and choose events to attend when you are alcohol and fatty-food free!

So there we are. The week my immediate world changed. And I couldn’t be happier!!

So let’s end with five rather trivial points you might not know about me;

1.      I always train with music. But you wouldn’t probably guess that I often listen to rock ballads while doing my big lifts. They move me emotionally which leads to some bloody good lifts!

2.      I swear like a state trooper in my head while training. Which even amuses me in light of Point #1.

3.      Up until July 2011 (the birth of Bootcamp), I did not own even one piece of ‘label’ gym gear. I didn’t have the confidence to enter these shops let alone try clothes on. Rob forced me in the end.

4.      I have never enjoyed group fitness. Always prefer the company of a small group or just myself.

5.      I never rely on anyone to train with. I’m lucky enough to have two of the best training partners ever (Rob & Michelle), but the bottom line is; it’s my training so my responsibility.

Until next time....