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.