My Journey...

Should I, shouldn’t I? I’ve spent the last three weeks thinking about writing a blog. Do I want another ‘to do’ thingy on my list whilst I have already so much on my plate. I work full time, studying for my PT certificate, studying for a Practice Management Certificate, completing my level 1 Bio-signature and PICP level 1, as well as training and dieting for my 2^nd Figure competition. Then I thought, if I did, who would want to read it, who would want to know about my ‘Journey’, talking about the ups and downs of dieting; the discipline of the training and how truly, madly and deeply in Love I am with training. Then I read an article by Derek Woodske, a story...So here is my blog. I’m going to update weekly but please excuse me if I miss a week.

I’ll give you a bit of history first...

I’m not one of those people who have been into fitness or sport my whole life. The only bit of sport was horse riding as we owned 3 horses at one point. Life had generally been good, brought up in a nice village, brilliant sister, worked and lived in London. Just before I got married I wanted to be in shape so I signed up at the local gym, even getting myself a PT. That was my first taste of ‘The Gym’ environment and I loved it, so much so that I quailed as an ETM and started teaching. The last 10 years haven’t gone well, I’ve had two almost fatal accidents, my marriage failed and the passing of my two dogs was the last straw. I couldn’t handle it anymore so I decided to sell my property and leave to travel Asia and wherever my heart desired. Five months in covering 5 countries and now in the land of down under, Australia. Finally I was with my best friends Maggie Butler, Katherine Geczy and Christina Riolo. I was happy. Actually no I wasn’t completely happy. I’d felt like I had eaten my way round Asia, I had had a great time doing it but was now paying the price. What I didn’t know was that I was a coelic with a dairy intolerance. I headed to Melbourne and decided to settle for a few weeks, just to get myself sorted and whilst I was there I might as well join the gym and start to get back in to shape because there was no way in hell I was coming back home fat! My first session........I was fucked; I couldn’t even run for 10 minutes or lift an 8kg weight. It was pathetic. Then I saw the figure of my dreams. Now, girls don’t float my boat but this girl had the figure I wanted. Like the girls on the cover of oxygen magazine. I looked up, took a look at the guy who was training her, went straight to the board, found his picture took his card, gave a call and booked in for my first session in mid January 2010. That was the start of it. Ben Siong is a PICP level 3 and Bio signature level 1. First of all he got my digestion under control, changed my diet and introduced me to GVT. It was Ben who talked me into training for my first show. It was something that I always wanted to do but thought that I could never do it. I was wrong. During those weeks of training I stayed focused and so determined that I just wanted to do well for myself and for Ben. We managed to get me ready in 18 weeks, (see www.trainasp.com for my before and after pictures). That was it I was hooked.

Once back in the UK I found Upfitness, a gym in London Old Street run by Nick Mitchell and all his trainers are PICP and Bio signature certified. He paired me with Dave Lewis, a phenomenal trainer and that is where I have been since September 2010. We’ve, worked on strength phases, isolation and GVT.

Sit back and enjoy and if I start to get pissy and moany tell me to just suck it up!

Training week 1 & 2

Weight - 47.4kg

Fat % 14.5%

It’s finally here, the countdown has started, and the journey has begun. I’m actually now half way through week 2 due to taking my time deciding on whether to write a blog or not. This is not a time to be stressing, so I’m not! Week 1 went well, had my biosig done, pre photos taking (OMG a bit shocking) and diet given. As I’m still quiet lean my diet isn’t as strict as I thought it was going to be and I’m happy I still get to have my steak of a morning and on a carb rotation. The first non carb day was a bit of a challenge as I’d trained legs with Dave and about 5pm it hit me but this is what I love. I’m missing my rice pudding already!

I’ve had up and downs already but that’s life. Juggling work, studying and training in 24 hour days will be hard at times but being organised is what I’m good at. Week 2 hasn’t been great, I came down with a very bad cold which is taking some time to fuck off but as I’m on a gut healing protocol and an estro protocol I’m detoxifying my little arse off so my immune system is somewhat challenged. I’m also feeling a bit nervous now with questions such as have I gained enough muscle, have I eaten enough, will those bits on the outside top of my thighs come off, etc, etc. Dave is great, he just tells me to shut up.

The one thing I wish I did have is the support of my family. You see they just don’t get it or that I just haven’t talked to them about it in the right way. They don’t even know that I’m going back on stage. My sister will be happy for me but only because she knows how happy this makes me. I’m not doing this for anyone else I’m doing this for me because I love it. This is the direction that I want to head in both as a Figure competitor and as a career.