Holy Crap!!

I  have just done a kb workout using my latest dvd from Lauren Brooks (volume #2) and the workout in total is only 30mins (including warm up) and I can tell you now that it is NOT a good idea to have breakfast beforehand!!! Such a fantastic workout!! My heart rate sits up around the 170-175 bpm for most of the workout (hence why I shouldn't have eaten breakfast first!).  I can usually get my heart rate up to the 160bpm no problems but always struggle to get it past that 160 mark. So, yep for me it's hard!! But a good hard :) 

I also went for a 45min walk this morning so am happy now that I have all of my exercise out of the way because today it is going to be a scorcher!! It's very hot outside!!

Well, it's hard to believe that another week has passed! Even though I am only working 2 days a week my weeks go so much quicker now :(  I ended up taking Eva to the Dr last Saturday because she was so out of sorts with the head cold she has been sufferering from and it turns out that she has a middle ear infection!! Poor little poppett! Bad mummy!! So since she has been on the antibotics she has been a lot better and easier to deal with :)

Ok, off to have a shower so that we can go to the shops once Eva wakes and get some xmas shopping done (grrrr).  I am lucky that I don't have a lot to buy but I still hate doing it just due to the sheer number of people at the shops - drives me nuts!!  For my husband's family (aunts, uncles etc), we usually just buy a box of chocolates but this year we have decided to do something different and have bought a number of World Vision Smile gifts.  Basically you can purchase a chicken for a community in countries such as Africa to help provide them with food etc. Such a good idea I reckon! Here is the link if you are interested: http://www.worldvision.com.au/

Have a great weekend!!

Nicole xx

Busy Week & Today's Workout

Gosh, I can't believe it's Friday already!

This week I returned to work (boo!), and I am currently working Tuesday's and Wednesday's.  My mum is looking after Eva on these days until mid Feb when she will go to daycare on Monday's, Tuesday's & eventually Thursday's.  My employer is what I'd call anti- part time workers. Yep, they suck! The only reason I am returning to work is we are going to try for baby #2 (can't believe I am saying that) and it just so happens at this stage that I don't think I will qualify for the new Government paid maternity leave, so I am trying to get another 4 months maternity pay from my employer.

ANYWAY, I start out working two days per week and over time, the number of days I work per week need to increase so that I am eventually working 5 days a week, which sucks but that's just the way it so for now.  This week went well and Eva seemed to be ok being with my mum all day Tues and Wed which was a relief. However poor Eva has been struggling with a nasty head cold for some time that she just can't seem to shake and has left us a little sleep deprived :(  She slept through last night no problems so let's hope it continues!!

Ok, today I managed to get in a quick workout whilst Eva was sleeping:

5 x R one handed swings, 5 x R handed snatches
5 x L one handed swings, 5 x L handed snatches
REST 60 seconds

5 x R one handed swings, 1 x R snatch, 1 x R clean, 5 x R racked squat
5 x L one handed swings, 1 x L snatch, 1 x L clean, 5 x L racked squat
REST 60 seconds

5 x R one handed swings, 1 x R snatch, 1 x R clean, 5 x racked R reverse lunges
5 x L one handed swings, 1 x L snatch, 1 x L clean, 5 x racked L reverse lunges
REST 60 seconds

Repeat 3-4 times

I really enjoyed this workout, although it was cut short by Eva waking up a bit too early! Got my heart rate up which was what I was after and I felt great afterwards. Obviously you can cut down on the rest time in between sets if you feel 60 seconds is too long.

My other exciting news is that today I received Lauren Brooks - The Ultimate Body Sculp & Conditioning with Kettlbells DVD - volume 2 :) I already have Volume #1 and love it, so I am planning on using volume #2 to add some more variety.  I also have a feeling Lauren is about to release another DVD which will include workouts that use a TRX. I have a TRX but have been a bit lazy in using it so this DVD sounds perfect (well, I don't know for sure that is what she is doing but I am guessing!!).  Lauren is an amazing chick with a hot bod and 2 little girls :) I would love for her to come to Australia but if not I hope to meet her one day when I do my RKC (Russian Kettlebell Certification).  Lauren's website is: http://www.ontheedgefitness.com/ Lauren has some great articles on her website and blogs regularly.

Have a great weekend!

Nicole xx

Slowly but Surely

Well, I am finally feeling better after the nasty head cold I had last week. Still have a fair bit of snot hanging around but I can breathe and I have my energy back! My little girl started crawling properly on Sunday! Very exciting for us and sooo cute to watch :)

After seeing no change in the freaking scales for weeks, despite increasing my exercise and eliminating a couple of nasty foods from my diet, I have bitten the bullet and decided to sign up to....wait for it....weight watchers online!

Now, I have ALWAYS been able to manage my weight without too much trouble but since having my daughter and a complete change of lifestyle, I have really struggled to lose the excess weight. Of course this has been very frustrating and depressing for me.  My biggest downfall which has stalled my weight loss is my snacking. Snacking when I'm bored, or stressed, or tired - the big three.

So, the reason I decided to join weight watchers was that I felt that it was going to be better in terms of making me more accountable for what I am putting in my mouth and the thought of counts a few measley points instead of calories sounded appealing as well.

WELL, I joined online and guess what? They have JUST changed the way their point system works - to the benefit of ME! From what I can gather, their previous points system was based on the calorie value of foods - so basically you could eat whatever you wanted as long as you stayed within your point range.  With the new points system they place more emphasis on foods that have healthy protein, carbs and fats.  Fruit is zero points (which means you can eat as much as you like but beware if you eat too much it could impact on your overall weight loss for the week).  I can't tell you exactly how the points system is calculated as apparently it is a secret formula! But whatever, if it works and I can eat all the foods that I love and still lose weight then I will be happy :)

Anyway, I joined I think on Saturday night and since then I have nearly lost a kilo. It's still early days yet as my offical weigh in isn't until next Monday but let's just say that now the scales are heading in the right direction it has motivated me to stay on track and do my daily exercise.  Now I never thought in a million years I would be raving about weight watchers but when you join as an online member you get access to the best tracking system I have ever come across (think calorie king but so much better). Plus, there is a library of recipes that are just fantastic!!  For the first time in a long time I am eating yummy healthy meals that aren't just meat and veg (which to me = boredom!) AND I get to eat a bit of chocolate each day - how can I complain?

Anyway, so far so good, so fingers crossed I can continue to lose weight.  My goal is 60kg by Christmas. My starting weight was 65.2kg and I am currently sitting at 64.4kg which is the first time I have 64 in a looooong time :)

Feeling motivated and excited!!

Nicole xx

A week that started well & ended shit!

Ugh! I have been so sick this week with this cold.  I have managed to exercise everyday but rested yesterday.  As long as I get a walk in this afternoon then I'm happy.  Walking isn't exactly my type of exercise but I figure something is better than totally nothing! 

I'm hoping that I'll start feeling better by tomorrow (bye, bye cold sweats!) so I can fit a kettlebell workout in :)  If I'm feeling ok, then I'm thinking that I will give one of Geoff Neupert's calorie crushing workouts a go. Hmm... it's either going to be:

Workout 1:

 

A. Get Up – moderate weight, stopping and holding each position for 3 seconds.
Perform for 10 minutes.

Perform 1 rep each side, then switch sides.

B. Hand-to-hand Swings – Light to medium kettlebell.

Perform 60 seconds of H-2-H Swings. Rest 2 minutes for “novice” and 1 minute for “advanced”. “Fast and Loose” drills during rest.

Perform for up to 21 minutes (8 / 16 rounds)

 

OR:

Workout 2:

Perform the following as a circuit -

A1. Pumps

A2. 2 Hand Swings

A3. Mountain Climbers

A4. 1 Hand Swing

A5. Squat Thrusts / Burpees*

A6. 1 Hand Swing

Perform each exercise for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds.

Perform up to 10 circuits.

I've got too much snot up my nose today to make a decision so I will leave that for tomorrow :)

Nicole xx

You Wouldn't Believe It!

After a couple of days of feeling quite fatigued, I have woken up not feeling so great this morning! Grrrr.. Sore throat, headache, sneezes and sore all over (although that could be attributed to the exercise I have been doing the last few days).

Aside from that everything is going great.  Today I will have a rest from Kettlebells but I will go for a long walk this afternoon with Miss Eva.  I can't believe it's Wednesday already - this week seems to be going so fast!!

It's going to be a beautiful day here in Brisbane today, so time for me to go do some washing and hang it out in the nice sunny weather :) Life is so exciting isn't it? LOL

Adios

Nicole xx

Off To a Good Start - Well, Sort of!!

I managed to get two lots of exercise in yesterday.  A 1hr walk in the morning with Eva to pick up my Sunday paper and late afternoon I had an urge to go for a run.  I have a little 4.5km circuit I have that I used to run before I was pregnant and haven't run it since. I thought it would end up being a bit of a stop start run but I ended up running the whole way except when I stopped at some traffic lights! We have lots of hills around here so by no means was it a flat run either! I was absolutely buggered by the time I got home (and very red in the face!) but it just felt great that I made it. 

I had a very 'off plan' weekend with in mind that I would start eating cleaner on Monday.  Well, today is Monday and so far all I have managed to get in exercise wise is my 1hr walk in the morning with Miss Eva and then I plan to do a KB workout once she is in bed :)

In terms of food - well today I had to go into work to meet a client and I ended up having lunch with a friend of mine.  She really wanted to go to Grill'd which has just opened up pretty much across the road from my work in the city! Anyway, I ended up getting a burger and had some of her chips - naughty!! BUT I was able to get the calories from their website for the burger and I have taken that into account for my daily food allowance and will just have a small dinner so that I am not totally blowing out my meal plan today.

Today I was going to start Phase 2 of Kettlebell Burn #2 but I've had a change of heart.  I just feel like doing something else so I have pulled out an E book I purchased quite a while ago which has soooooooo many workouts already done for you and it's all based around kettlebells!  They are structred more like circuits which I really enjoy.  I got the ebook from http://www.kettlebellebody.com/ . Every now and then when I am bored and am looking for inspiration I turn to this book because I don't have to rack my brain on what I am going to do!

Well, in approx. two weeks I go back to work 2 days per week - Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  My mum will be looking after Eva on these days until I can get her into daycare beginning of next year.  My employer is letting me go back part-time but will make me increase the number of days I work per week until I am back working full time.  Apparently this will happen over a 12 month period but we will just have to wait and see!

Ok, time to sign off!

Nicole xx

So Sick!!

This week has officially been deemed a REST week due to illness.  I had a massive miagraine for a few days which almost killed me (well, I almost went up to the hospital!) and in addition to that I have been feeling really dizzy and also getting sweats if I spend too long up and about.  A bit of a bugger really when I was doing so well with my training BUT I will get back into it next week when I have recovered. 

In addition to that my little girl has been sick with a nasty head cold my hubby gave her Grrrr... Poor little thing. All I want to do is sleep and she doesn't want to sleep! One night I slept on the floor in her bedroom and last night I had to resort to bringing her into bed with me as nothing I could do would settle her to sleep. Hubby had to sleep out in the lounge room poor thing! So this week has been a bit of a struggle overall but next week I plan to get stuck back into things.

First training session on the list is Kettlebell Burn 2.0 - phase 2.  Essentially it is the same exercises as in phase 1 but the reps and sets are slightly different, which I am looking forward to.

We have family photos tomorrow which will be our Christmas present to our families - nice and easy!!

Ok, that's all for now

Nicole xx

Possibly a New Blog?

If you found this blog - congratulations!! I decided to close down my other blog as I found out unwanted people/persons were visiting and reading about my personal experiences that I only felt comfortable sharing with my blogger community and friends. 

I know this is a public site and that anyone can access it, but you begin to wonder how they found it in the first place (especially when your personal details aren't listed anywhere). Anyway, I'm not 100% certain I will continue to blog for this reason but at the same time I did enjoy being able to journal my thoughts and pass on my love for kettlebells.

Thanks

Nicole xx