Still 'out with injury' but on the mend thanks to Shockwave Therapy

I mentioned in my last post that I had over-extended by Sacoriliac joint and that the muscles in the are (read - buttocks) had gone into open rebellion.  I had tried a few different treatments with only short term relief, that is until I retreated to my Chiropractor for Shockwave Therapy.  I should obviously have done this sooner, as it is making a big difference!  I got back in the pool yesterday, swimming 42 laps of the 25m pool at Virginactive gym - thoroughly enjoying it and feeling fit.  I had a hit of tennis with my 11 year old in the afternoon and have pulled up fine.  I have another treatment tomorrow, but I plan on getting back to my PT next week.

Where is your SI Joint?  Well it's here (see left)  That drawing is not of me - I am a brunette.



So what is Shockwave Therapy?  Well you can read about it  here.  But from a patients perspective it is a non-invasive non painful treatment that gives lasting relief.  I am very lucky that my Chiro with whom I have a long relationship has it, as it is not to be found in that many practices.  George used to be the Chiro for the Aussie swim team, so his knowledge of treating sports injury is very sound.  I have actually heard that it is more commonly found in the practices of Physios.  It certainly is doing the trick with my Acute Muscle Spasm, hand in hand with my Chiro working on the joints in the vicinity.

This Youtube video will give you an idea of what's involved - here

While weight lifting and intensive cardio has been out of the question I have been trying to keep the focus on my eating habits and have been watching my weight come back down from its post Summer holiday high.  I've lost over 2 kgs and only have a a little over a kg to lose to get back to my happy weight - Body Fat % is a bit of another matter :-/

Review of my Phuket holiday

I am often struck by what a pool of talented women make up the group of mothers at my children's school and one of them is Seana Smith who is an Author of many books such as Sydney for Under Fives, Beyond The Baby Blues, Superfoods Index, Australian Autism Handbook, and Sydneys Best Beaches for Kids.

She was commissioning articles recently for her Blog Sydney, Kids, Food + Travel and I volunteered to write a review of our Family Holiday to Phuket.  That review has been published today and I am well chuffed!  Please click on the Blog link to check it out.

Injuries in the Gym - Assisted Pull Up Machine - Ahhhhh

From time to time I am reminded that although I am mentally enthusiastic about weight training that I need to be a bit more cautious in order to avoid  injuries which can derail my fitness program.  My current injury occured about a week ago when I got a bit cocky about my strength on the Assisted Pull Up machine.  That is not me in the picture, and it is not even close to what I would wear to a gym :-0 but that is an example of the machine that I hurt myself on.

I did one chin up - narrow hold not wide and said to my trainer - too light!  So he made an adjustment and all of a sudden I was straining through 10 reps.  Thankfully I was sensible enough to do the next two sets at a more friendly weight - but I was to find out later that it was already too late.  When you try to lift weights that are too much for you you lose your form.  If you are on the 'hyper mobile' end of the scale you can also mess up your joints and then muscles can tighten to a frightening degree to try to support the now dodgey joint - anyway, that is what happened to me!

Here is a link to an article in the Huffington Post on how to use these machines (I might forward it to my trainer)  My Massage Therapist (magic hands Margaret) - thinks I may have let my 'traps' rise up … as well as having put to much strain on my 'lats' and now my right lower back and 'glute' are in open rebellion.

Fix Your Form - How to Use the Assisted Pull Up Machine

So far I have had one Osteo visit, two massages with another booked, a stretching and foam roller session for an hour with my trainer, and I have booked an acupuncture treatment as well.  I've had to cancel my training session for today and am hopeful that I can attend on Thursday.  Walking is still ok, so I have a 2 hour bush walk planned for later in the week too.  I am getting by with Ibuprofen and heat packs.

So it is a slow start to my fitness year.  Needing to peel back a few Summer Holiday kgs, and get back in shape may take a little longer than initially projected.  But as I am oft reminded - results are 70% about the diet - so I can do that.  It has been 1 year since I signed up with Vision and they have been great overall.  I can't see myself giving up on them anytime soon.  Whether I can justify another year of having two gym memberships in another matter.

How long are the School Holidays?

Insert exasperated sigh!  For my children's school the answer is 49 days but it feels like 149 to me!  I love my kids and they are great - not particularly challenging in their behaviours or unusually demanding and all healthy - for which I am grateful.  But I am obviously not cut out for this part of the parenting calendar.  I miss my routines.  I miss my friends.  I miss 'MY' time.  Meanwhile, my husband is back to work - long hours, travel, the whole shebang and I just get plain lonely without adult company to keep me stimulated.  When I catch up with my BFF's and their kids they are just as distracted and challenged as me and the exchange does not really provide the relief that it usually does.  I can even complain about taking my middle child to the beach for surf lessons 4 days in a row … (please don't slap me!)

My diet and exercise is shot.  I have put on 2kgs last time I looked, but maybe it is more by now.  I have lost my motivation to move.  I am trying to keep my PT appointments but dragging 3 kids to my gym is not very practical.  Trust me I tried it this week, and it all would have been just bearable till 2 other women turn up with their kids.  Vision is not the kind that has the facilities to entertain them.  Actually my other gym has facilities but my kids have ceased to be cooperative about going there since they were about 4.

I am literally thinking it would be easier to work FT!  At least I would have some kind of routine and I would have some adult company in a non-child friendly environment!  But who am I kidding!  By the time I found a suitable job that justified the disruption to all of our lives and paid for the childcare I would be kicking myself for ever having considered doing it and piling myself high with guilt and shame for not handling it better and for not realising how good I had it in my full-time SAHM life.

I feel ridicuous complaining really.  Maybe I am over-reacting, but my feelings are valid for me aren't they?  Bring on the school year.  Stay posted to hear me complain about:

• rushing to get out the door in the morning
• all of my children's extracurricular activities
• school gate politics
• the shortness of the school day
• lost pieces of uniform
• not knowing what food to pack for the kids each day
• etc.

Here comes 2014

I just about have a year of 'My Time' under my belt.  And that's great!  I am a a lot fitter and smaller - although with puting my gym membership and a lot of my regular activities on hold during these long summer school holidays, I may well have some catching up to do.  But I am actually looking forward to it!  I think that what I want to do this year is:

• be more organised, as when I am organised I am more relaxed
• do more Yoga, as when I do Yoga I feel more relaxed and my body feels more balanced
• study - not sure what yet … but due to family commitments it will still have to be quite flexible, so probably online.
• seek out freelance writing work - because I think I have something to say :-)

I feel like not only did last year represent a major turning point in my life - i.e., my youngest off to school, but with that year behind her my daughter is more independant and my boys are getting easier too!  So I kind of feel like I am over the mothering hump and I might be able to relax and enjoy my role a bit more this year

We have had a magnificent holiday in Thailand earlier this month, and when my review is published I will put a link to it on here, which really illustrated how different life is with our kids now.  I can jump in a car now with no additional supplies!  No nappies, changes of clothes, snacks, concerns about toiletting etc etc.  They are more and more like real independent beings!

Things that worked well last year that I will continue will be

• my relationship with my gym/personal trainer,
• tennis lessons, 
• my awareness of macro nutrients and the right balance between protein, fat and carbs 
• and my general 'can-do' attitude.

2014 is looking good from here!

What are your plans for 2014?

Off to the races!

Having continued my regime with my PT, plus some tennis, walking and occasionally a few laps - I am still shrinking and toning.  For the first time since 1996 I have weighed in under 60kg's.  The latest thrill I have had (besides people complimenting me generally ;-)) has been during what is ususally one of the most distressing times to be a couple of sizes too big ... Trying on dresses for special occasions: Yes that old chestnut.  In times past I would take my SPANX with me shopping, and still struggle with zippers and only select styles in black and other fabrics and designs ideal for confusing the eye.

This week however I took myself shopping for an outfit for Melbourne Cup.  My DH received a corporate invite to an 'enclosure' at Flemington where my only job is to look fabulous and charm our hosts and the other invitees (all while cunningly winning a pile of money on the ponys ;-))

I had a designer in mind - Alannah Hill, because not only do I love her feminine olde worlde designs but because I knew that she can be a one stop shop for the Shoes, hat, belt, gloves, tights, etc etc.  And I do like things to look like they were meant to be together.

But I did not make a bee line straight for her, but instead went into Review.  Not as expensive but also quite feminine designs that flatter an hour glass figure.  I tried on dress after dress without the embarrassing struggle with the side zipper.  Without the need for SPANX and with a great deal of ease and joy.  In past years I would have been happy to find one dress that I thought flattering for my figure, but on this ocassion I could have walked out with any of them.  This is not what it is ALL about, but it is close!  I felt guilty walking out of their without buying anything - even though there was one dress which I was completely in love with, but I really wanted to give Alannah a shot before committing.  Plus the dress I loved did not come conveniently with a cardigan or jacket for if the weather is cooler.  Which in Melbourne there is always a good chance that it will be.

Off to Alannah then.  Now normally I would not be on my own with such a mammoth task, but my BFF was taken away suddenly on family business, so as a compromise I was sending photos kindly snapped by my shop assistant to her and to my DH.  BFF was responding with valuable feedback while my DH was egging me on to buy them all (I don't think he was serious and luckily I am too sensible for all that).

Into the feminine pinkness that is the Allanah hill store and up to the first shop assistant who presented her self and the instruction given to Melbourne Cup me up!  Once again the outfits were flowing and I had choices.  CHOICES I say again loudly.  What lady doesn't love the ability to choose between several outfits that fit like they are supposed to!  I have never appreciated my proportions so much as I did that day.  Thinner women than me were bemoaning their shoulder breadth or their lack of bust or their bottom one size bigger than their top.  NOT ME!  Do you really hate me yet?

Honestly!  I bought my "LBD" from this same shop for NYE, in a size 12 and I had to wear my SPANX with it and was not entirely comfortable. So please allow me this moment in the sun without needing to chop the head off this Poppy just yet!  Now I am a size 10!  That is Australian sizes obviously - that is a size 6 USA.

I will never have a 6 pack, in fact the skin over my tummy will never fully recover from 3 children in rapid succession from my mid to late 30's, but I am not talking about buying a bikini, so happy I shall be and for this post especially, I shall shout it from the rooftops.  And to be on the safe side I shall still wear my Simone Perele silouhette loving pants :-) - with my hair down ...

8 Problems you want to have

1. All your clothes are now too big!

2. You have to sort through your wardrobe and consider whether to store or donate all the clothes that no longer fit you.

3. You can't buy clothes online anymore because you need to try on styles you haven't worn in years. I love Birdsnest but still can't bring myself tonhitnthe buy button since dropping a couple sizes.

4. You have to consider whether just because you CAN wear something means that you should (over the age of 40).  For example my DH bought me a couple of pairs of Nike running shorts on a recent business trip.  One pair I have re-gifted the other I will hold onto just in case.

5. You can shop for things OTHER than shoes and handbags when you need a retail pick me up.

6. Small children no longer ask you if 'you have a baby in your tummy'

7. You have to wear a belt with all of your jeans, pants and shorts.

8. You can happily look at photos of yourself without seeing all of your 'problem areas'

Where am I at after 7months working on my New Lifestyle?

After 7months I have lost 10kgs and 8% body fat!  My BMI is now 23.8 and I am feeling fantastic.  People are commenting and noticing all of the time and asking me "How did you do it!"  and the funny thing is the look on their face when I tell them that I changed my diet and I exercise a lot more.  They look mournful and disappointed - like Ohhhhh :-(  I guess they were hoping that I would tell them about some 7 day detox, or some as yet unheralded supplement ...  Na - ah

I am not as strict on my diet as I was at the beginning, but I still try to only eat white carbs at breakfast, no fruit after 2pm and plenty of meat as well as nuts and protein bars and have alcohol only on 'special occasions' and still in moderation.  For example, I went to see P!NK this week - what an unbelievable performer - and those Abs!  And I did have to have some champagne, G&T and Vodka and Soda.

Exercise-wise, at the moment I have locked in a 1.5hour tennis class on Monday, followed by swimming laps and then an hour with my PT in gym which includes 30mins weights and 30mins cardio.  Tuesday I play tennis with my boys for 30mins, Thursday I have another 1 hour session with my PT and otherwise I try to walk with friends or with my dog and generally keep active on each of the other days.

At the moment I am signed up to Steptember with three friends, where we are challenging ourselves to walk 70,000+ steps a week to raise money for Cerebral Palsy.

To assist with the step counting I have bought a new device (having washed my last Fitbit - twice), I decided for a Jawbone UP.  So far I am very impressed with its convenient wrist band desgin, and I find that its sleep tracking is very accurate and fascinating.  It does truly motivate me to get those extra steps in when I have had one of those days where I haven't had much opportunity to move.  I find myself walking to the shops instead of driving or walking the dog one additional time that day, or walking to school to collect the children.

The other side-effects of feeling fit and fabulous is that I have prepared my resume and applied for a couple of jobs, even though I don't really mind if I get them or not - I am pretty busy anyway ;-)  I am also reading Brene Brown's "Daring Greatly" which is very inspirational.  If you haven't heard of her yet you should at least check out her first TED talk here

Off Topic: Why Facebook is not the Devil and other Social Media platforms that I like

I am an avid user of Facebook!  I check it many times a day and post regularly - but hopefully not so regularly as to drive my friends mad.  I have 74 Friends, and I do an annual cull, which I believe is hard but necessary.  My pet hate is lurkers - FB friends who are happy to see what me and mine have been up to but who never post about their own goings on.

My privacy settings are very tight - everything is set to Friends Only and I also have some lists set up - like Family (so as not to bore everyone with photos of my kids) and Close Friends.  I am also a member of serveral Closed Groups, which contain small numbers.  My smallest there are four of us, who are close friends and live near to one another.  The largest is probably my graduating class from high school, and a few inbetween, that get a bit of use when organising events and get togethers etc.

I believe that Facebook is a fabulous source of social interation for me, as being a SAHM of 3 could be quite isolating otherwise and could cause me to lose touch with people I have been close to in the past but no longer move in the same physical circles as.  It is also very practical for keeping in touch with what my husband is up to when he is travelling for business.

But most of all I don't want to get left behind as society and communication change.  I certainly don't want to bury my head in the sand so that when my children are older they know way more than me about Social Media and I can't talk to them about it or help them with it.

When is Facebook bad?  When bad judgement is applied!  When your profile is public or privacy is not tight enough, and when you don't know how to walk away from it or defriend someone (I have even defriended my brother!)

For the record, I also love Instagram, Pinterest and Linkedin, and less so Twitter, and have used Flickr a lot in the past, but not lately.

On Pinterest I am here:  http://pinterest.com/simpiet/boards/

This is not me to the right, but it is my ski jacket which my charming husband brought me home from the U.S. last time he was there and I found it on Pinterest and pinned it.  Dont ask my why :-)

And on Instragram I am Simpiet.  On the right is one of my Instagram shots.

Back from two weeks skiing in New Zealand

What a great holiday, or as it could be alternatively known as:  "Boot Camp" or at least "Adventure Holiday"  Despite the Eggs Benedict in the morning and the Pinot in the evening, managed to put on just 1kg!

My PT and I had worked together to try to prepare me for this trip.  I knew I would be in better shape than the year before, but I also planned to ski more and was concerned that my legs in particular would let me down.  So we lunged, we stepped, we pushed all with challenging weight involvement and I was very happy with the results.

In fact it was my arms I had to be wary of, but once I figured out that I should not try to ski uphill but just pop my skis off and carry them I was fine (I know I know).

The year before - 10kgs heavier and out of condition, I even found it hard to walk around the cafes and Base with my ski boots on.  This year - no worries!

It was fabulous to watch my kids all improve so rapidly - especially my middle child - who ended the holiday at level 5/6 and doing black runs!

I had some moments during the holiday where concern would creep in that I had been too long away from the gym - just proving what we already know - that exercising and doing weights can be addictive.  I would get worried that my newly defined muscles might fade away during the break and then find myself relieved to get a glimpse of a chest or arm muscle in the mirror etc.


So back to the grind and the real world now ...

Reached another goal!

I embarked on my fitness journey with Vision Personal Training.  The way they organise you is in 9 week blocks.  So every 9 weeks you reset your goals.  My first goal was to lose 6kgs which I achieved and my second goal was to lose a further 3 kgs which I achieved as well.  I am feeling fantastic, and people are certainly noticing the difference.  The biggest difference is that I have lost 14cms off my waist and I have muscles.  I am ecstatic, but I need to stay focused to make sure I can maintain this fabulous new figure, and hopefully convert some fat to muscle in the process

A couple of days ago, I achieved another milestone.  I stepped out my front door and ran 5kms on my own.  Mad. I am truly shocked and surprised.  I have two events coming up.  The first one toward the end of July is a 5km Fun Run.  It is likely that the route will be quite hilly which has me concerned.  I only signed up to support a girlfriend who recently joined my gym.  A couple of kilometres into my weekend run I decided that I should forget about the girlfriend and the $18 registration and just not turn up, but then I found my rhythm.  In my goal setting session with Paul we extrapolated from my 10km time in the Nike She Runs to come up with a 5km goal, of running it in under 30mins.  And guess what?  My first time out I ran it in 33!  So the upshot is that I think it is definitely possible to shave 3mins off my time over the next few weeks.  Woo hoo!

The second event is a Colour Run in Centennial Park in August, which my PT doesn't take very seriously as he thinks the throwing of colour is quite distracting. Maybe - but I do love colour.

In fashion news, I am heading out with girlfriends for the weekend to hit the sales in Melbourne.  I have found it impossible to buy online as I am not sure of my size now and even don't trust the styles that catch my eye, as it is pretty hard for me to let go of the style rules I have been following for my 10kg heavier frame over the last 10 years (thanks Trinny and Susannah).

In family news, we are heading off on a ski trip shortly, so I have been squatting, lunging, and stepping up till it hurts, but thankfully the pressure has come off a bit as my now 5yo d
aughter fractured her shoulder on a jumping castle at our School Fair, and so we have scaled back her attendance at ski school and I am happy to step into the breach created and am looking forward to doing some low key sight seeing - just us girls.

In the kitchen I have been having an intense baking time, princess castle, flourless chocolate cake, Gluten Free Mandarin Macadamia cake, chocolate chip macaroons, banana and hazelnut cake, AND it is really really hard not to sample the goods.

Out with the old in with the new ...

One of the great things about losing weight is of course buying clothes in a smaller size - like my new pair of Lululemon pants - full length for the cooler weather.  I love buying from this store as they take up the hem for free!  If they didn't that would be another $25 on top.  It's expensive being shortish.

My old pair, besides looking like they had been in the wash a few too many times, were only staying up with the assistance of a draw string being done up quite tight!  Of course, when one is buying new clothes in smaller sizes, one runs out of space to store them along side the clothes that are now too large!

It is tempting to still wear them even though they don't fit right anymore.  It is tempting to keep them 'just-in-case' or because you can't bear to give them away, having spent good money on them.  But storage is at a premium at my house, so today - out they went!  The people at the Smith Family will be able to choose amongst Laura Ashley, Country Road, Adidas, JAG and Verge (that's the one that really hurt :  www.verge.co.nz ), and that is just from my dresser draws - I am yet to go through my wardrobe.  I threw out anything 'L' and anything higher that a 12.  I was still holding onto some stuff that I had bought right after I had my last baby 5 years ago!

In other news - Magic Hands Margaret (my Massage Therapist) figured out and sorted out a niggling lower back pain that I had not been able to shift for the past few weeks.  Turned out it was my Lats that were actually causing the grief.  I am so relieved and please to be able to push on with the training with my new Lat stretch.  I had been avoiding boxing which I love - thinking that the twisting and impact of the punches had caused the issue.  

My next fitness goal is to prepare for my skiing holiday in New Zealand in June/July.  I am only a 'beginner' skiier, but I want to be able to have lessons and enjoy myself at a level I could only previously have imagined :-)

She Runs Unleashed! She Runs 10K! She can't believe she can run!!!

Last Saturday night I gathered with 11 other women from my gym and my sister to run in my first event since I was a teenager.  Back in my teenage years, I could indeed run.  I used to  be a Cross Country runner, running 5kms in under 19 minutes to stay on the school's team.  In year 10 - when I was 15 our team won the NSW State Championships in fact.

But that was a long long long time ago!  So when I registered for the Nike She Runs The Night, Sydney!, I was only really motivated by the chance to be with friends and have a night in town :-)
http://nikesydney.com/nike-she-runs-2013/

I fully expected to run a bit and walk a bit and maybe or maybe not run some more and have a bit of a giggle.  Actually, at one point I must have thought that I would in fact train for the run, but the reality turned out to be quite different.  Prior to the event I had only run/walked 5km's max, just a couple of times, and with School Holidays and long visits from the Parent-in-law, even that kind of activity went out the window in the weeks before the event.

So you may be able to imagine my surprise and in fact euphoria that I felt at actually running the full 10kms, without walking at all!  My time was 66mins.

I sprinted the last few hundred metres and crossed the line as if I had won the whole event and would be winging my way to San Fransisco (that was the prize).  More than one week later I am still astounded.  Actually I ran 1km this morning to the Cafe for my large soy flat white with an extra shot and wondered how I had run an extra 9kms just a few days before.  This photo is me on the left, shortly after the end of the race with my BFF who ran in 9mins faster than me.

I can only explain it as the culmination of an interesting set of circumstances! Which I will list in some kind of meaningful order below:

1. Running with my sister:  16 years younger than me and I wanted to not come over like a middle aged lady in front of her :-)  I wanted us to have a great time that night - something to really remember.  I certainly did not want to be asking her to stop running and walk with me.

2. Great atmosphere:  98% women, at night, lights, music, good cheer!

3. Improved fitness:  While my cardio has not had a great deal of attention,  the combination of weight loss, diet and strenghthening through weights, can only have made my result more probable.

4. Even after all these years, I think that the running experience that I had in school, may have at least given me some good memories of running good distances - about getting my breathing right, and pushing through the tough bit and waiting for the 2nd wind to come along.

Anyway, I think that my next event will be the Colour Run which is also at Centennial Park, but this time only 5kms. http://thecolorrun.com/australia/sydney/ And that I will definitely do the Nike She Runs again next year!

Sisters Be Fit!

It is definitely harder to maintain a fitness program during school holidays with house guests [GRRRRR]

For the past two and a half weeks I have had my Parents in Law staying with me from Europe - keeping it vague :-)  I have been trying to show them a good time and present myself as a totally normal mother who cooks one meal for the whole family every night, where as the reality is that I usually feed the kids and then later I eat my high protein low fat low carb dinner.  I did try them on this for a bit, but it felt pretty mean watching them go to bed hungry.  It is enough that I don't serve afternoon tea of home made cake every day and that they have to eat their high carb breakfast on their own.

Throw into that challenge the added pressure of school holidays which is when I usually give up all hope of getting to the gym in combination with actually going away to a Resort in the Whitsundays (see my Simpiet Instagram photo below) for a week where you have to eat every meal and snack in a restaurant and yes - I am scared to get on the scales.  And I was drinking alcohol too - uh oh.

My loving husband put on 2kg's under those circumstances and I am hoping that I would not have done quite as much damage - but I am not even going to check until school has been back for a week and the PIL's have gone back home.  When I look in the mirror I look like I haven't changed much and I really did feel much more comfortable by the pool on holidays than I would have otherwise.  Anyway - stay tuned for the dreaded weigh-in, in about a week or so.

Having said all of that, I did keep quite active while away.  I went to a Yoga class, a Pilates class, kayaking, hiking, and went to they gym for cardio.  The Pilates was the stand out as it ended up being a 1:1 class, so lots of fab attention from the instructor.

Drunk on motivation

I have definitely been remiss in not blogging of late, especially with so much exciting stuff to relate.  So my 9 weeks was up last week and I kicked butt.  Losing my 6kgs and 7cms off my bust getting my waist down to 78cms and losing more than 13cms off my waist and losing 7cms off my hips and I have lost 4% body fat!  I am buying size 10 and size S. My old clothes are sitting so differently on me. In find all this very inspiring.  I continue to be amazed by my muscle development.  My strength posture and grace of movement (dare I say) are very noticeable to me.  People who haven't seen me for a few weeks are noticing. It is very gratifying.

I have reset my goals.  My PT is very flexible and non prescriptive.  He is no fan of BMI, but we have agreed on losing another 1%+ of body fat and I suggested that I could probably aim to lose a further 3-4kg, which would take me to my fighting weight when I fell pregnant with DS1 in 2002. My Macro Nutrient daily goals have been recalculated thanks to some mysterious algorithm that the Visionpt trainers have access to and the pressure has come off in relative terms, to eat so much protein.  Which is a bit of a relief, but I have also gotten lower targets for fat and carbs.

Check this out!  It lets me off a bit given that I am currently at 31% at 44yo.

What is a Healthy Body Fat Percentage?

Age-Adjusted Body Fat Charts for Men and Women

If you look around the Internet, you will see a lot of different recommendations for body fat percentages. As far as I can tell, this is the most authoritative, as it is based on World Health Organization and National Institutes of Health recommendations, and takes age into account. Please do not confuse these numbers with the BMI (Body Mass Index) scores, which are not the same thing.

Age-Adusted Body Fat Percentage Recommendations

Women

Age	Underfat	Healthy Range	Overweight	Obese
20-40 yrs	Under 21%	21-33%	33-39%	Over 39%
41-60 yrs	Under 23%	23-35%	35-40%	Over 40%
61-79 yrs	Under 24%	24-36%	36-42%	Over 42%

Men

Age	Underfat	Healthy Range	Overweight	Obese
20-40 yrs	Under 8%	8-19%	19-25%	Over 25%
41-60 yrs	Under 11%	11-22%	22-27%	Over 27%
61-79 yrs	Under 13%	13-25%	25-30%	Over 30%

Source: Gallagher et al. Am J Clin Nut 2000; 72:694-701

I can see where the term gym junkie comes from, as improving on your body in this way can be very compelling.  I am a bit like a reformed smoker - don't start me, because I have definitely been drinking the cool aid.

I feel as though I am in a rhythm now and as if I have really broken the back of my fitness challenge, so I don't feel as though the program is as restrictive as the last goal period.  I am training toward a 10km Nike Run in May but I won't kill myself to get into peak running shape, as my body still requires a bit of nursing through this process.

Combined with my Philosophy course, great friends and family, I am feeling lot calmer and happier in myself generally. I am looking forward to an upcoming holiday.  I will feel better by the pool, running around after my kids, joining into activities etc.  What a worthwhile investment.  It has made me really aware of the excuses that people use not to go ahead and do something for themselves.  But everyone needs to come to it in their own time for their own reasons and I am so lucky to have a supportive husband who is on a similar journey.

0.5kg and 1 week to go!

After plateauing a couple of kilos away from my 9 week goal of 63.8kgs, I finally shifted down to into the 64's.  My most recent weigh in was 64.3!  I am totally chuffed!

Last week I had an event to attend with my husband and I walked into David Lawrence, picked a dress off the rack (there it is on the right - though that is not me - I also looked fabulous in it) zipped it up in one without and 'miracle' pants and much to my relief.  And sadly, that is mostly what this has been about for me!  I just don't want to have to cater for 'flaws' in the dressing department!

I do notice however that my posture is definitely better than before.  I just feel strong! I have to stop myself from banging on about it to my friends - nothing worse than a convert ...

A girlfriend of mine was rubbing sunscreen on my back on the weekend and commented on my muscles.  Back muscles - something I have never thought about having before.

I've got muscles!/Raising Girls

It has come as a revelation to me to see myself actually developing visible muscles!  I should have realised that it would happen eventually I guess.  But it is one of those things that I thought only happened to other people ;-)

After 6 weeks on my program I can say that I actually have developed some muscle definition in my arms shoulders and chest, that I am totally unfamiliar with.  It helps me to understand how people get hooked on muscle building.  There is quite a thrill in doing so!

I'd love to take a photo of my right bicep and post it here, but that would not be cool (and plus it is a bit technically challenging for me ...) - so the woman to your right, is not me - and I don't quite have this level of definition yet, but I concede that it is possible I might achieve something like this :-)

In other news, I am struggling with injuries.  The right side of my lower body is in rebellion with a very tight hamstring, ITB and TFL and Glute, that no treatment has been able to address thus far, and a neck that is also resisting adjustment.  It is kind of depressing - to be so motivated yet feel like your body is not cooperating.

For a total change of discussion, I found myself worrying about how my daughter sees my new found interest in dieting and exercise.  She is nearly 5 and at school and to give you some perspective on where she is at in terms of 'phases', she wants to be a princess when she grows up.

I went with some friends (hello girls!) to see Steve Biddulph talk about 'Raising Girls' this week and he talked about how our generation is full of women who are unhappy with our bodies and who pass on that insecurity - hand-in-hand with the media, to our little girls, resulting in unhealthy self-esteem and obsessions with looks over substance.  Of course the politically correct thing would be to try to convey to DD (dear daughter) that I am dieting and exercising in order to be fit and healthy and strong - not to fulfil any goal of looking like a princess ... but actually, fit and health is great, but I can not pretend that I don't want to be thinner to have more fun shopping for clothes and to look younger etc etc.  It turns out that I am as big a victim of the media and society as my little girl may be one day.

Tired but trim

I sit here at the computer, allegedly waiting till it has been two hours since breakfast, to go exercise and burn off some fat.  Heaven forbid I would burn the carbs I had at breakfast by mistake.  I am tired but trim ... My clothes fit better but I feel like I have been hit by a bus after a chiropractic adjustment yesterday, then a massage then half an hour cardio with my PT.  I guess that until my body gets strong I just need to push through.

I lashed out on Friday, out to dinner with a girlfriend in Canberra and had a delicious Degustation Menu with matching wines.  The food itself was not outside what I am encouraged to eat - the star was protein with veges being the support and no white carbs in evidence, and we skipped the optional Cheese course It is the wine that apparently I should be regretting.

I can highly recommend http://www.sagerestaurant.net.au if you are ever in Canberra

Actually after over a month with no alcohol I thought that I would enjoy it more - savour it more, appreciate what I have been missing, but I was underwhelmed actually, even though they were nice wines.  I actually think I would have enjoyed and savoured the delicious food more so if I hadn't have been drinking with it.  All good stuff to have discovered.

Anyway I shall get off my butt and go walk 5kms up hill and down dale in hopefully around the 40min mark.  Afterall - I am dressed for it!

9 Unexpected side effects of a new Fitness regime

1. Extra laundry created by wearing training outfits - sometimes two different ones a day

2. Extra water consumption by sometimes having up to 3 showers a day!

3. The ability to bore your friends with details of your latest workouts or new found products or meals.

4. Something has to give when you prioritise the time to work out - in my case, definitely the house work/paperwork

5. Extra energy.

6. Brighter looking skin.

7. Saving money on eating out and drinking alcohol

8. A new found appreciation for lean meat and fresh fruit and vegetables

9. In my particular case, a new favourite treat - Protein Bars!

I cold probably think of more, so I may need to come back to this brief post again and again!

Great weekend... Yoga and Swimming

Continuing on my journey of fitness, and trying to ensure that I can justify basically paying for two gym memberships at once, I went with a friend to a wonderful Yoga class on Saturday afternoon (that is not me in the photo, but I did do that pose), at my swish gym that is large and has lots of facilities and is quite new and funky.  The class is called Vinyasa Flow and went for an hour and a quarter.  The instructor was very authentic and had a lovely Chilean accent.  Afterwards I felt very fresh, like I'd just woken up from a long nap.  Now I have a new mantra to use when appropriate. And I am probably spelling it incorrectly but it is a silent mantra to go with your  breathing.  On the way in you say 'So' and on the exhale 'Hum'. Very handy to know.  Actually I've just checked and and I have spelt it correctly and you can find out more about it here: www.swamij.com/sohum-mantra-108.htm

And on Sunday I met the same friend, went back to the same gym and swam. I found myself totally out of my comfort zone, dependant as I have become on my swimming aids (flippers and finger paddles), and in my dash out the door I had forgotten them and my goggles.  If I had gone on my own I would probably have decided to do some other kind of exercise, but it is amazing what a little peer pressure can do for your daring.  So I searched out a pair of goggles in the lost and found (probably not very hygienic) and swam like a 'normal' person.  The surprise being that I can swim quite well without the extras, somewhat slower but still with a nice stroke and without drowning or getting too out of breath.  Of course there is nothing wrong with swimming with all the gear, it actually just provides extra resistance into the exercise, but if more cardio if what you are after than less is probably more.  So I will be going at least sans aids at least some of the time in future.

The good times continued through my Monday - woo hoo.  I did a photo shoot for the GF I spent so much time with over the weekend for her to use in her PR for her company.  Gorgeous black and white portraits taken by a local lake.  And later in the day when I met up with my PT Paul, I find out that I am his 'Client of the Week'.