I am excited about my TRI tomorrow.

I am excited about swimming, biking, running.

I am excited that my body is doing this amazing task tomorrow.

I am excited about eating pancakes and bananas for breakfast.

I am excited to show you my note that I am wearing on my shirt.

I am NERVOUS as hell.

~M

Hey there…I have lost my camera.

So I leave you with some cool stuff to watch..cause most of you are in USA..and it’s Friday..and who works on a Friday anyways?

Perhaps this will be a goal of mine..I’ll start with a 1/2 before taking the whole

Please..I beg of you..watch this..and laugh out loud

One of my favourite songs

Favourite Spiritual Song

I need to go and find my camera–seriously–where oh where are you hiding? On second thought–stay hidden, I need a new one.

What’s your favourite YouTube video?

~M

You..enter here for a great giveaway…

How do you get ready for your first tri? EAT and CELEBRATE!

Yesterday was Madi’s Birthday. Us girls went out for lunch!

This morning I woke up feeling like I wanted to get the mud flying in my life..and powered up with a bowl like this..1/3 c. rice flakes, 1 tsp chia and flax seeds and 1 TB peanuts (no banana–old pic sorry)

I had a cup of tea w/ about 1/4 c. of rice milk and 2 carrots before devouring this awesome bowl of soup. Chan Chua: rice milk w/ extra chili and vegetables!

Then I gave Madi her necklace which I bought her for her birthday..doesn’t she look great!!!!

I have had another cup of tea. I would like to state for the case, that I have been listening to my body today. Madi and I are going to go out and order pasta tonight…to carb load before the Tri on Sunday I have made a conscious effort to eat meals which I know are good for me and also knowing that tonight I am going to enjoy my pasta and not shove my face all day long.

After yesterdays very scary reoccurrence of stomach pains, to the point I thought I was going to have to go to the hospital again, I knew that cheating just isn’t in the cards. It’s not only about my weight–but it’s more about my health. It’s poison to my body and I have finally embraced that this is what I have been dealt, so I am going to make the best of it.

I am off to go for a quick swim tonight at the gym and then for a run tomorrow morning. I am really excited about tomorrow and I am even more excited about Sunday.

Have you ran a race or done something where you were really looking forward to it? How did you prepare? What do you wish that you would have known?

~M

Enjoy.The.Journey Giveaway is still going on…get on it!

Last night I called my Mom..well I called her at 6:38am her time.

there might be some resemblance

Ha ha ha. ok..I shouldn’t be so evil with my ways. She answered the phone and sounded super sick. Why? Cause she was recovering from being at his concert with my sister.

I was chatting to her last night, especially about how crap I felt yesterday and how frustrating it is to feel sick. How nervous I am to start with my new job, but how EXCITED I am with starting nursing school etc.

She sat and listened and goes ‘Michelle, you’ve been stuck in mud for the past year’.

paying homage to my country background

I have been stuck in mud..that is the phrase that has summed up a bit of my life for the past year..frankly.

So I sat there, got a bit teary and said to her ‘Well, consider me on the pavement ready to fly my mud everywhere’.
My mom goes ‘Honey, lay the pedal to the metal. You’re in the drivers seat.’

God I love my mom.

How do you get from ‘Stuck in the Mud’ to ‘Pedal to the Metal’

1. admit where you are
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step. Ali wrote this as her mantra and it hit me.
3. Be gentle with yourself
4. Acknowledge how much you have done/are doing Thanks Caitlin for her awesome post this morning on celebrating successes
5. Write out mini-goals Daily, monthly, six monthly, yearly: Simple, attainable
6. SLEEP

Here’s to mud…

Ever been ’stuck in mud’?

~M

the Enjoy.The.Journey giveaway is still going strong. Enter sillies..it’s a great present for yourself.

This is going to be a short little post…cause I am in pain right now.

My stomach and I have been on a journey as well. Since December last year I have had a bout of health issues, which required emergency stays in Japan and Australia.

Cancer, operation, Chrons, Celiacs, Intolerance to pretty much everything has been tossed around.

I am gluten, dairy and sugar intolerant. Especially dairy and gluten.

Today I had a large Long Black/Americano and since then after eating lunch I got the pains which were the beginning of my hospital stay in Japan.

I pushed through at work, almost broke down, broke out in a sweat and came home and cried.

My health is important..there’s no more cheatin’ for this girl–it’s just not worth it.

I am resting up and pounding water….but having flashbacks to the horror that I went through today…reminds me that life is fragile.

~M

on a lighter note…I am giving away an awesome charm set…check it out.

This blog is about my journey.

Part of my journey is running my FIRST TRI this WEEKEND! Since I am doing this, I am going to give away a little love to all of you!

Jill @ Lift Your Sole, is going to help me giveaway this AWESOME charm necklace to one lucky reader!

Lift Your Sole is such an awesome place to go for anyone who wants to have a charm, bracelet or ring to remind them of their journey with yoga, walking, running, Tris, 1/2 Marathons, Marathons and HEAPS more. You can also have their jewelry engraved with your own personal message. Great presents for yourself and great holiday presents for people in your life.

Keep up with all of their great stuff by linking into their Facebook group and newsletter: gettin’ the ‘hot of the press’ stuff is always the best.

How to Enter the Enjoy.The.Journey–Giveaway?
Tell me: What mantra keeps you going?

rules:

1. The charms come with a black cord and not silver chain.
2. Open to the WHOLE WORLD
3. Closed on Sunday 11pm November 8th Perth time or Sunday November 8th 10am East Coast USA time
4. Respond to the question in the comment section of this post
   

Can’t wait to read your mantras!

~M

Throughout my time in Australia…and anywhere really…I honestly do struggle at times to find friends. I am admittedly a social person, but when it comes to letting people in, it takes a long time.

Friends are what you need at all times: happy, sad, disappointed, reeling over a broken relationship, workout motivation, life consultant, party instigator, etc.

The thing is that friends change, stay the same and take on different roles in your life.

Madi has been such an amazing blessing in my life. She has done nothing but support me and the mutual friends that we have! She is truly ‘the salt of the earth’ as some would describe and is the most beautiful and gracious person that I’ve met.

Shes:

• Doing a PhD at 23
• She’s running a tri this weekend with me
• She’s on a journey to better her health for herself
• She’s learning to love and appreciate who she is
• She’s developing a six-pack
• CELEBRATING HER BIRTHDAY TODAY!

So HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADI!!!!! You’re a shinning star in my book!

I say to you…give your friends a little e-mail to say hi, a tweet to perk them up, a text to send some love…or if you can a hug to brighten both of your days.

Friends are your rock…they are your light…they are your strength!

What friend has helped you along your journey in life?

~M

Ok, so I need to get studying. That’s what I’ve said to myself for the past couple of hours..the past weekend.

Why do I do this to myself…

Anyways, I went for a fast bike ride today–9km. I was DEAD at the end of it. I went out for a run afterwards and just couldn’t get going.

I took four days off this weekend and I think that it’s affected my pysche a bit. I just felt drained today. Totally drained.

I then had 1 1/2 cups of the Potato/Leek/Carrot Soup–freezes well w/ 3/4 c. rice

I also snacked on about 1/2 c. baked beans and 2 bites of chicken.

I need to get back to this–this is going to be my life for two years.

Ok..back at it. Must.Take.Test.Tomorrow.

BUT..before then..here are some great posts you should read:

• Fitarella: Amazing posts about her life
• Diane: To marry a man like her hubby
• MizFit and Jen: Motivational Buddies–link up to kick it up a notch!

Alright, I am out. Gotta hit the books. Did you know that there are two types of Endoplasmic Reticulum in your cells?…nevermind….

What is a post/blog that you’ve read lately that you’ve loved? Please let me procrastinate more..I beg of you.

~M

My most Favourite poem ever.

I remember having to do a poetry anthology on a poet during my senior year of high school. I just fell in love with Adrienne Rich. I love this poem.

It’s how I am feeling today.

———————————–

Delta

If you have taken this rubble for my past
raking though it for fragments you could sell
know that I long ago moved on
deeper into the heart of the matter

If you think you can grasp me, think again:
my story flows in more than one direction
a delta springing from the riverbed
with its five fingers spread

Adrienne Rich (b. 1929)

Do you have a favourite poem or saying?

~M

While I was down south this weekend I took a bit of time away for myself. I was away from a mobile (cell) phone, the distractions of a man (well lusting after one), away from my blog (tear), away from work.

It was just me chilin’.

It has been a year since I joined WW after a last ditched effort to maintain a 20 lbs weight loss. I had lost over 100lbs by the time of July 09′.

I then started dating a man who said to me ‘I have a problem with your weight’.

Well, being the perfectionist, pleasing, moronic woman who I was at the time, I did WW online and lost that weight, worked out and got down to my birthday weigh-in of 168lbs.

He came back from an trip, before my big weigh-in on my birthday. I remember that day so vividly. I remember him opening the gate and being totally nervous about what he’d think of me. I just wanted him to think that I was good enough. I wanted to be thin.

He said to me ‘wow, you are actually starting to get skinny’.

validation.

I went to the WW meetings after this because I had gained about 10lbs back from by birthday weight. I didn’t want to gain any of the weight back that I had lost.

I wanted to stay skinny–for HIM.

It helped me lose the weight and I was about .2lbs away from being at ‘goal’ before I headed home in 08′ for two weeks in America for Thanksgiving. What happened was:

• beginning of binging
• beginning of obsessive thoughts on my weight–to the point that my sister pulled me aside and told me my family was worried about how much I stressed about my weight. I didn’t want to gain weight back for my BF. What would he think?
• beginning of MAJOR health problems.

Through the better half of 09′ I binged and tried to bring myself out of the depths of hell with my body image. This was sparked by the final comment of our official relationship

‘Michelle, my biggest fear is that you’ll gain all (120lbs) of the weight that you have lost’.

I did the best I could to gain it back.

Throughout this whole time I was on WW. I was ‘dieting’. Actually it was good mornings coupled with binging evenings.

I sought counselling, when to Timor, and came back saying: ‘I am never doing an f-ing diet again’.

I will say this, I AM HAPPY WITH WHERE I AM AT.

However, I want to lose this bit of weight for ME, so that I can get back into a healthy-weight range for my height.
For my HEALTH!
For my CONFIDENCE!
For all women who do it for other reasons then health, added happiness and other people.

I don’t blame WW (I did however for a long time, calling it depravity).
I have forgiven my ex.

Now it’s time to be honest with myself: I am ready to start this weight loss journey for myself. So that I can lose that little bit of weight and emotional triggers that have plagued my life for ten months.

I share this journey, because I want to be honest with you as readers. I want to be honest with myself. I am not going on any crazy diet.

What I will do is add to my life a healthy approach to food and an even healthier approach to me..FOR ME!

~M