What, more food??

OMG. I can't believe Christmas day was 3 days ago and I still feel like I haven't stopped eating!!
Christmas day started early for me. I got up and went to church early, then to my parents' place for the pressie thing. I had already had brekkie so I toddled off home while they had friends over for breakfast, and got myself ready for lunch.
We are very close with all our extended family, and so spend Chrissie day seeing EVERYONE. Lunch was at an Italian club with mum's side - my grandmother, uncles and aunts, cousins, and now children of some of my cousins. There are a LOT of us!! Anyway there was an overabundance of food - all delish - but I decided this year not to go overboard. So I had a little bit of the stuff I really wanted to try, and that's it. It had to be the first Christmas lunch that I remember where I haven't eaten so much that I feel 'uncomfortable' full, to the point that I feel sick just thinking about dinner!
Speaking of dinner, Christmas night was spent at my dad's sister's place with my aunt, uncle, 4 cousins + spouses, and the combined 10 children they have. More food. My aunty home makes EVERYTHING and is a killer cook so it's very hard to resist pretty much anything she makes! Again though I tried to have a little of everything I wanted, including dessert. I was even fairly restrained in the trifle eating dept....Trifle is one of my fave Christmas things...this year I had a fairly small serving...compared to my whopping 3 (yes, THREE) massive bowls of it last year, I think I did ok ;)
Boxing day we were invited to a family friends' house. These are my parents' friends, however their kids are mine and my brother's ages, and we all grew up together (we even called them Aunty and Uncle). Again there was an overabundance of food...so I tried to eat in moderation. I was really looking forward to the Toblerone ice cream my Aunty had made in lieu of her normal, fabulous Cassata...however I had gone there with my brother and sister-in-law, who chose the moment dessert was being brought out, to leave. So (probably not a bad thing) I didn't get to try it after all!
Yesterday was MORE festivities. We had a bbq at my parents' place with the extended family for my grandmother's 90th birthday. She is in a nursing home as she suffers extreme dimentia, so we brought her out for the day. She actually, for the first time in about 3 years, had a couple of lucid moments! She seemed to enjoy the day (even though she had no idea who any of us were) and even ate 4 helpings of her cake! Some of the oldies (read: my dad, aunty etc) kept telling us not to give her any more cake. My theory is - the woman is bloody 90 years old. If she want to eat cake, bloody let her! I tell you, if I am lucky enough to make it to 90, there is no way anyone is telling me I can't eat as much as I like of ANYTHING!! Hell, I recall my grandfather's 90th...his birthday was New Years day and we had a surprise party for him on the NYE that year. At 1am when even some of us youngies were getting tired, he was asking us grandkids to go get him another beer!!
Anyway so yesterday involved MORE food. I had leftovers for dinner and honestly, it's the first time during this festive period that I felt a bit sick from eating. I ended up going for a walk after dinner to try and settle the tummy a bit, which was good, til I got a stitch about 20min into the walk!

I have managed to keep up the training throughout, which has made me feel more sane I think. With the exception of Christmas day, which I just used as my rest day for the week, I have trained right through. Saturday I went to one of the local gyms I used to work at as I knew they were open and did chest/shoulders + 45 mins cardio, then yesterday I did legs + 30min cardio in the morning then a half hour hilly walk last night. This morning it is off to the gym for back + cardio....and have a birthday to go to this afternoon, just in case I haven't had enough on lately!

Anyway...enough about me for the day...off to do a few groceries before the gym opens.

I hope you are all having a fabulous festive season and being safe. Eat, drink and be merry...'tis the season after all ;)

Vic x

WOW....how long??

WOW...I can't believe it's been 2 whole weeks since I posted. Lazy shit!! hehe

So...two weeks wrap up (promise it won't be too long!!) The first of those weeks was spent (recovering from a massive weekend)...preparing for having the week off training last week while in Melbourne. I can honestly, hand on heart, say I made the right choice in having last week off. While I gave everything I could in my training sessions, by the last half of that week I was lacking strength and my muscles were screaming for the break. I struggled with weights I normally have no trouble with. What I lacked in weight training sessions I tried to make up for in cardio. I was craving sugar no end and had a bit of a mid week pig out on ice cream (damned sugar fairy...slap that biatch right out lol).
SO...on to better stuff.
Last Saturday I spent the better part of the day working at a supplement store who were having an open day. I had a table set up for taste testing the new Max's choc-banana shake (if you haven't tried it...I recommend it, tastes like banana paddle pops! It rocks!) and their bars and cookies. Was lots of fun, Ray the owner had DJs there and had a free sausage sizzle going etc...was like a little party out the front of his shop. Anyway I pretty much went from there, straight home to be picked up and taken to the airport by my dad. Boarded the plane to Melbourne, only to find I was sitting in a window seat, trapped in by miss 3-going-on-30 year old, and on the other side of her was her mum with a 1 year old on her lap. Wonderful....kids generally aren't renowned for being the calmest flyers in the world, and lets just say my headphones got a workout!! lol
That night me and my brother went to a bar in the city called the Carlton, where one of his soccer mates was having a farewell party as he was moving back to NZ. It is an awesome venue (apart fom walking up 4000 stairs to get in) and there are a few rooftop areas, each with their own bar. We were situated at one of these - it was an awesome place! Met some pretty cool people there and had a good night out. The rest of the week in Melbourne was a blur of catching up with friends and family. There were a few lunches, brunches, dinners, coffees and even a gelato session in St Kilda thrown in. Was great to catch up with everyone.
Training was a non event the entire week (weight training that is). I did not pick up one dumbell, nor did I desire to. It's probably the first time ever that I have not struggled without training. I did do some cardio every day though and finished the week of with a smashing HIIT and plyo's session on Friday when I was back in Sydney.

Nutrition while I was away wasn't strict. I ate as well as I could most of the time but did make a few exceptions. I wasn't anal about dieting, and didn't want to spend the week living out of Tupperware containers while on holidays, nor did I want to have to weigh food and not eat with my brother and sister-in-law while we were home together, so I ate whatever was on the menu. I was a little worried about weigh in yesterday but I didn't put on any weight at all, turns out.

I am off to see Mike this morning to work out my plan for comp season 2010!! I am so excited!! I should also be getting back into the weights today too, will go by what Mike recommends on that one (whether I get back into it today or have a full 2 weeks off). BUT as you would have seen on Tara's blog...IFBB Australasians have been set for the 18 April 2010, which is my next comp...which is 17 weeks today...and 4 weeks after I initially thought they would be, which is fantastic. I am sitting at a good place weight wise, so as long as I don't blow it over Christmas/New year I should be fine to go into full on prep in the new year at say 14 weeks out.

Anyway on that note, I think I have ranted enough. Will update soon (not in 2 weeks), promise!!

Vic x

Dog of a night

I can't believe I wrote an epic blogpost about my weekend...and forgot to tell you the funniest bit!

So on Saturday night, we were heading in the car to go to my cousin Laura's engagement party. Now, as I mentioned in the last post, I was staying at my cousin Leah's place that night (in order to down some champers to toast the bride to be - felt it was my duty as a good cousin). Now as some of you know, I have two pet pomeranians. Felix, my 'little man', who is a toy pom and very quiet, shy, and well behaved; and Trixie...an entity unto herself! Trixie is 6kg (rather decent size for a pom) while Felix is a mere 2kg on a fat day...so you can guess who wears the pants. Not to mention Trixie has epilepsy, and canine ADHD (no I am not joking - this has actually been diagnosed). Now for those who don't know much about dogs, canine epilepsy is rather like human epilepsy. Sufferers have seizures. Some are lucky enough to have them very infrequently, requiring no regular medication. Others, like Trixie, require to be treated by regular medication. Trixie has to have tablets morning and night time, and if she misses a dose, she generally has a fit. The medication for epilepsy is basically a barbiturate - you know, same family of drugs as things such as morphine etc...which under normal circumstances make one drowsy...unless you have ADHD, of course. When you have ADHD, the opposite tends to happen. And ADHD meds interfere with the epileptic treatment...so basically I have one fricken crazy dog! But she is very funny...big personality!

Anyway back to the story.

So I am going to be away overnight, which means the puppies have to go to Grandma's house (my parents' place) for a sleep over with their cousins (yes I know that technically doesn't work but I'm telling the story here!) This is so that Trix gets her meds at night and again in the morning.
Anyway back to the car trip.

There we are in the car having a roadie* when I get a call from my mum. Conversation:

Mum: "How stupid do you think your mother could possibly be?"
Me: "Um...." (never know what to say in times like this...is it a rhetorical question? Is she trying to trick me?) "what have you done??"
Mum: "Well, I was standing at the sink getting Trixie's tablet out. I had just poured myself a glass of water. So I walk outside and go to give her the tablet...and realise I'm no longer holding it..."
Me: imagining where this is going, trying really hard not to laugh...
Mum: "and then I realise that I have swallowed her tablet..."
Me: REALLY trying hard not to laugh
silence
Me: - bursts out laughing - "THAT IS FUCKING GOLD!!!"

Anyway she called Poisons Information who told her not to drink alcohol and make sure someone checked on her through the night to make sure she was still breathing...my take on it was that Trixie is like 6kg...if she can handle a barbiturate and be bouncing off the walls, mum was going to be fine.

Needless to say she was the butt of a lot of dog related jokes that night at dinner...

*this bit might have been slightly embellished for the sake of the story...

BIG weekend

WOW! What an insane weekend. This weekend was the first weekend in who knows how long that I actually had the entire weekend off work - and believe me, I couldn't have crammed any more into it if I tried!
It started on Friday with our member's Christmas party. It was at the local pub and started about 6pm. Took a while for the momentum to pick up but when it did (or when I'd had so many drinks I didn't notice any different?) it got fun. The vodka masked the back pain, which was fabulous. A few old friends happened to be at the pub (might have been coincidentally, or maybe me dropping the old "we'll be up the pub, you should come up!" line) and I even bumped into my old boyfriend from high school (THAT was def a coincidence, I haven't seen this guy in about 10 years), who was having his Christmas party there too. Anyway waaaaay too many drinks later, and the pub closed around us!! lol Was a fun night, ended well (apart from one of the members being very persistant in trying to kiss me???) and was a good night.
Saturday I woke up feeling pretty nasty (might have had something to do with the 3 hours sleep that followed eleventy-eight-thousand vodkas) but had to get to work. I had offered on Friday to cover reception for an hour starting at 8.30am (stupid me) while the receptionist taught Pump, as the instructor couldn't come in. The normally 10 min walk to work (my car had a sleepover at the pub) took me about half an hour...such was the daze I was in. PLUS I was getting my normal post-alcohol leg cramps...OUCH!! So did the hour fuelled on a massive coffee, then managed 20min on the bike (that was all I could do!!) and was going to go home for recovery...BUT...instead had my arm twisted into going to the races with my old workmates!! I'm a shocker, I know. I drove to the races though so it was pepsi max for me, and despite the nachos looking very tempting I figured all the pizza, party pies and ice cream (when I got home, of course that's what I ate - isnt' that what EVERYONE eats at 3am??) I stuck to a roast beef baguette. From there it was to my cousin Leah's place as we were going to another cousin's engagement party, and I was staying at Leah's after it. So Mark (Leah's hubby) did the honours of being DD for the night...and me, Leah and her lil sister Renee got stuck into the champers. It was a great night but I had wayyyy too much of the good stuff (once again!)
After a little sleep in yesterday morning, we woke up to the smell of freshly baking bread. Mmmm.... Mark runs his own catering business "as a hobby" and loves to cook (where the hell do I find me one of these?). So brekkie was freshly baked herbed bread, hot out of the oven, spread with ricotta and topped with tomato... and fresh fruit. YUM!! After that I took myself out to Penrith as I had some friends competing in some Crossfit games that were out there. It was awesome to watch!! Those guys and girls are bloody machines. Anyway spent the day there, and my friend Sheree (she is a machine...just keeps going...eg her hands were torn to shreds after the first round and she just soldiered on) took out 3rd overall in the females! It was her first games too :)
While I was in the area figured I would pop into World Gym and squeeze in a legs session. Unorthodox legs day saw me do 12 sets, 20 reps. Sounds easy. It's not. By set 6 my legs were shaking uncontrollably...but didn't stop me...last 3 sets I did a PB in weight for reps! I was stoked. Finished up with half hour on the bike. Also went for a half hour hilly power walk in the evening...obviously had the guilts from the weekends overindulgences! hehe oh well only live once and the diet starts again in 2 weeks so may as well live it up!
OK I think that's it for now. I have a back session to get to at the gym.
So, til next time...train hard and be good.
Vic
PS - I think I know the cure to arthritic pain....big weekend - it's feeling great today!!

No title cos I can't think of one??

Morning all.


Gosh these posts are getting few and far between, seems I always have other stuff to get done! Gee, imagine that - I actually have a life when off season!! hehe


I managed to crawl my way through Sunday, hungover as anything, but I survived. After work I even managed 20 sorry mins on the bike without puking...then off to the shops to pick up a little pressie for my friend Rachael's new baby Chelsea (who was born that morning). I went to see them at the hospital, and my hangover melted away!! She is so tiny, so gorgeous. She was born a lil early (due Christmas day so almost a month) and would have to have been born to the easiest labour I have ever heard of...so much so that Rachael was apparently in labour for 2 days and didn't know it!! Didn't feel the contractions or anything!! Now THAT'S how I want it to be if I ever have kids!! lol


Anyway she is just gorgeous and I can't wait to go visit again tonight after work :)


So onto my week.


On Sunday my back was playing up a little. For those who aren't aware, I have osteo-arthritis in 3 places in my spine. It flares up every now and again. I figured it had flared up due to the alcohol consumption on Saturday night (as alcohol can do shit like that). Monday morning it felt ok so I went and trained back & biceps. By Monday night it was quite sore again. Tuesday woke up feeling ok again, so did a MASSIVE delts session. By Tuesday afternoon I was in a world of pain. Yesterday (Wednesday) I could barely walk by the afternoon and today it's no better. So I have a Dr appt this morning to attend to and I will be off to get some x-rays done on it. I haven't had a follow up x-ray since the diagnosis ones in Feburary last year so I have no idea if it has progressed any....my guess, by the way it feels...is that it may have :(





For those who don't know much about osteo arthritis, it's where the cartlidge in between the bones (which tends to give them smooth edges) wears away, so that it's not a smooth surface any longer, instead they are covered in bony spurs. The cartlidge in the case of the spine also protects the discs in the back, so the bones tend to compress them. Let me just say - when it plays up, it's pretty fucking painful. Like now. I have been dosed up on meds for most of this week (I normally try to steer clear of too much meds but this week there's not much choice) but honestly they aren't doing much to curb it. Oh well - grin and bear it I guess for now til I know more.

Hmm enough whinging. So I have my work (member's) Christmas party tomorrow evening, at our local pub. I actually am really looking forward to it (although I think someone either needs to make sure there is no drink mixing...and no drunk texting!! lol) and Saturday night I have my cousin's engagement party. Sunday I am off to watch some friends in a regional Crossfit Games day, which should be good fun. I haven't actually watched a competition, just watched them training a lot, so can't wait to see them in action! So busy weekend ahead...and off to Melbourne the following weekend!! I can't wait!

Anyway think that's about it. I am sure you will get a post weekend update on my silly drunken antics...hmmm wonder which souls I will be enlightening with my intoxicated knowledge this weekend lol

Til next time, train hard (cos I can't) and be good.
Vic x

Me and my mate Jack...

OH. MY. GOD.
I completely forgot how bad it feels to be at work after a night on the grog. Seriously.
So I swapped my normal Saturday shift at work with my mate Rox, who does Sundays normally, and toddled off to a bbq yesterday. My friend Andrea, who was coming along to my posing classes, is moving to the Gold Coast next month, and decided to throw a farewell/Christmas bbq at her place. Now I should have predicted the messiness that came along with said bbq, when I told her I possibly wouldnt be there til 5 if I couldn't switch my work shifts (bbq was starting at 12). She replied that would be fine as several ppl were planning on staying the night so they could have a few drinks.
So I got there at about 2pm, and took a mere 4 voddie cruisers with me. Figured I would go the lightweight drinks, and only a few of them, as I had driven there. WRONG. I was promptly (think it took a whole 3 mins after arriving) talked into calling my mother and asking her to pop over to my place in the evening to feed my dogs and give Trixie her meds in case I didn't make it home.
Enter the following:

YEP. Black sambuca shots. Actually, that's slightly inaccurate. Double shots would be a better description.
Well we ran out of black sambuca pretty quickly, so we found a designated driver, and off to the local IGA to restock on the grog.
We got back to the bbq, and resumed the shots.

I was alternating drinking a bottle of cruiser with double sambuca shots...and when the cruisers ran out (didn't take long, those things literally disappear in 2 gulps!) I moved onto:

Now, let me just say for the record (I think I am telling myself this moreso than anyone else)...JACK IS NOT MY FRIEND. I thought he was, in fact just last night I was sure of it. But I can say now, hand on heart, that he most certainly is not my buddy today.

So anyway, I recall having some kind of D&M with a few randoms, fuck knows what about exactly, but I am sure they are much better people having had me pass on all my wisdom last night. I also recall (and thanks to modern technology, aka sms 'sent items', have confirmed my worst fears) sending several random text messages to people I am sure could have done without said text messages (note to self: do not take mobile phone on drinking expeditions), and lastly I recall curling up on the couch for a little rest...I think it was only about 9.30pm...and waking up at 3am feeling slightly seedy and wondering where the fuck everyone was!! I managed to get back to sleep for a couple more hours before rising at 6am and having the worst imaginable 40min drive home...unfortunately there was no choice involved as previously mentioned - I had to get to work this morning. So I did my best to down my usually favourite meal, brekkie, then came to work early and trained legs. Now, it's been a while since I did this, but for the record...leg training with a mighty big hangover sucks arse. Big time. Squats were probably the worst of it so gladly got those over with first, and had to forego the deadlifts - wasn't sure tipping my head downwards was going to be a pleasant (or pretty) experience.

Anyway managed to hold onto my breakfast through the session and have downed about eleventy-eight thousand coffees (I know, water is what I should be guzzling but it's caffeine I need right now!). I would give my firstborn (not that I have one) for some sleep right now!

Speaking of which...before I leave you I gotta share some exciting news...my gorgeous friend Rachael had a baby girl about an hour ago...I can't wait to go visit tonight!!! :)

Anyway party people, better jet, talked your ears off enough already...so til next time...train hard and be good...

Vic x

Early Christmas :)

OMG. How fricken hot has it been! Not that I am complaining at all, I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE the heat. I would swap winter for endless summers ANY day. In fact I have purposely done many an overseas holiday to the Northern Hemisphere just to miss winter :)

Thursday was a bit of a scorcher, I think it reached about 38 degrees where I am, but I worked through most of it so didn't feel it too much. In fact in the gym because the air con is cranked right up, I spend most of my days in a jacket - much to the amusement of anyone entering the gym and escaping the outside temperatures. The gym was abso-bloody-lutely D.E.A.D on Thursday, and I am assuming the heat was to blame.

Yesterday was even hotter. It was in the low 40's...melting temperatures. I got up and trained early even though it was my day off work - figured I would get the training done before it got too hot. Smashed out a rip-snorter of a chest/shoulders/tris session...LOVE it. Then I went home to eat, have a nap in front of the air con, etc... The plan was to take my white butt to the beach and hopefully get some colour...however I quickly decided that I probably wouldn't be the smartest person in the world to by lying out in the sun in such hot weather. So I stayed home and spent lots of quality time with my loungeroom (where the aircon is lol). I even put up my Chrissy tree :) YES I know it's not December yet but, I justify it in the following ways:

• It was too hot to be anywhere other than my lounge room, therefore I was smart to do things that needed to be done in there;
• Christmas trees are so pretty and make you feel all cheery. Why limit that to a measly month?
• I spent the last 3 years living in Newtown, and anyone who knows Newtown knows how cramped the houses/terraces are. I had no room for a Christmas tree and therefore went for THREE Christmases without one. So dammit, I want to enjoy having one up for as long as possible this year!
• Christmas trees take sooooo bloody long to erect and dismantle that I want it to be up long enough to be worth the fricken effort!!

So once it had cooled down slightly, mainly thanks to the galeforce winds we had (WTF!!) in the afternoon, I took myself off to the supermarket as I needed to stock up on some grocery items. Anyway I got there and decided I needed a caffeine hit so took myself off to Gloria Jeans for my regular long black with a dash of soy (yep, even in this heat...) and bumped into one of my girlfriends. Now this friend of mine was one of my best mates, I was even Maid of Honour at her wedding 6 years ago, but we have fallen a bit out of touch in the last year or two. She moved out of the area a few years back, and I can't even tell you the last time I actually saw her, so bumping into her was great. We had coffee together and then I ended up going back to her mother's place (that's where she was coming from, she was visiting there for the afternoon and her 3-and-a-half year old twin girls were there). OMG they have gotten so so so big and cute, they speak so well and copy everything the other does. We also organised for me to go to a bbq at their place after work next Sunday - I can't wait to have a proper catch up with her and her hubby, who I also love to death.

I am at work at the moment (it's like 39 today and I am in here with jacket on again), finish at 4 today and then off to our staff Christmas party tonight. We are off to a Greek restaurant that specialises in parties...ie after the food is over, they clear the tables out of the way and it turns into a night club. So YAY for yummy Greek food while not dieting and YAY for cowboy shots (did I say that out loud??) and YAY for dancing the night away :-)

Stay tuned for the messy photos...

Til next time, train hard and be good

Vic x

Water logged week wrap up

So another week over with...and another weekend with it :( Suffering pre-Monday-itis tonight and really CBF at the moment! Hmmm must be drawing towards the end of the year!! lol

Training and nutrition have been really good this week. The tummy bug kinda stuck around for a little longer than I had hoped, but mostly in the form of nausea and sporadic tummy cramps. So I soldiered on with my training and ate well all week. Thursday morning I did a rip-snorter of a leg session. I know it was a rip-snorter session cos the DOMS kicked in, hmm, maybe a couple of hours after training. And the session-type was confirmed when on Friday evening, some 36 hours later, my legs were still visibly swollen. And further confirmation was granted when I realised just how much fluid retention was going on, when it literally felt like the skin around my calves was going to split open. Now we are talking 11pm Friday night I was in agony. The training session took place on Thursday morning at 6am. The fluid was gone by Saturday morning (OK maybe with the aid of some pre-bed herbal diuretics) and back down to normal weight, which I was stoked about. Leg DOMS subsided by Sat evening, just in time for me to give them a caning again this morning ;)

On a personal note, weekend was pretty good. Aside from the shit of having to work Saturdays (it sucks having a split weekend, my days off are Friday/Sunday....WARNING - RANT TIME... I usually waste Fridays as all my mates are at work during the day, so I tend to not really do much with my day. Friday nights I usually spend at home as I have to get up super early to train before work (I start at 8). Saturdays at work are DEAD and so I spend the day doing NOTHING...unless you count surfing the net for 8 hours as doing something...which makes me tired, so I usually don't want to do anything on Saturday nights!! ANYWAY by Sunday I am normally so bloody knackered it's not funny.

OK rant over - not sure where I was going with that.

So my weekend. On Friday I actually got to socialise a bit. One of my closest girlfriends is due with her firstborn on Christmas day and has had some problems, so is now on forced bedrest until delivery (which looks like it will be in the next 3 weeks or so), so I went and hung out with her for a bit...poor thing is going mad being stuck at home in bed all day every day! Her baby shower was supposed to have been today but she had to cancel it for obvious reasons :(

Friday night I basically did jack shit (for reasons stated above) then last night after work I went to one of my friends' places for some drinks. It was supposed to be a farewell for a friend who is moving to Brissy - but he ditched it at the last minute!?! WTF??? Oh well, we were there and so were the drinks so we had them anyway.

This morning I was up early and went to the gym before opening to train legs, as I had my Goddaughter's 1st Communion today. So I went to that and after the church bit we were going back to their place for a lunch. Firstly I should explain that my Goddaughter is my little 8 year old cousin. So it wasn't a massive 'do, all the aunties/uncles were invited, a handful of the 4,000 cousins that us Italians have (only the ones around her age were invited, none of the older ones...there is seriously about 100 of us otherwise lol) and her best friend. So safe to say pretty close family/friends. And one of my Aunty's workmates. Who happens to be male, close to my age, and single. WTF? If it wasn't the most blatantly obvious attempt on my Aunt's behalf to set me up, it was then made worse by the "Oh Vicki - did I introduce you to Michael?" the second he entered a 15m radius of where I was...followed by making sure we sat opposite eachother at lunch, followed by the "SO - what did you think about Michael" the nanosecond he left!! I actually found it all pretty amusing to be honest.

Anyway had my cheat today...God it was good to indulge in some yummy homemade food... did I ever mention that occasions such as Communions are like Christmas day to us wogs? As in there is enough food to feed a large army. We started with antipasto (like olives, bocconcini, ham, salami, prosciutto etc etc), then had a bowl of home made gnocchi, then had the main course of creamy mushroom chicken, meatballs, and salads. And of course then there was cake - vanilla mudcake...and home made crostoli which was so light and crispy - just divine, and so much nicer than the bought stuff!

So feeling a bit bloated this evening, although I went for a bit of a walk when I got home and the full feeling subsided a bit so that's good. Back on the wagon again now, it was roo and salad for dinner, one of my faves!

Anyway bit of a rant post I know but it's over now ;)
So til next time, train hard and be good.
Vic x

Post with a difference

Dear readers,
Today's post is a little different. Today's post isn't about me and where I'm at. Today's post is about others, and a simple step we can take to help those who are struggling in life.
For those who haven't checked out the fabulous Shelley's blog - I am requesting that you do so today. Shelley has pledged to donate $1 to the Inspire Foundation for every person who leaves a comment. So click here to head on over there...and spread the word.
No matter what we are going through...there is always someone facing bigger demons. It doesn't take much to help out...
Vicki x

Nope, not food poisoning

GODDAMN TUMMY BUG!!

Yep...it's hit me :(

What I thought was a minor bout of food poisoning or something late Saturday arvo (no didn't stop me from going out and getting my drink on) and had written off as a bad Thai food experience has turned out to be a stupid ass tummy bug. I thought it was out of my system but it returned yesterday afternoon, woke me up during the night (love *those* kind of toilet trips mid-sleep, don't you just?? i know, TMI but hey it's my blog dammit) and has hit me with a vengeance today. Got up this morning and went to train back/bi's after brekkie...but by the time I got to the gym the cramps were killer! I did a lighter than normal back workout and called it a day. No biceps. No cardio. Listening to my body today and leaving the training where it is (didn't have much choice to be quite honest...it's a bit hard to bicep curl in the fricken foetal position).

So it's couch time for me today. Time to catch up on some DVDs me thinks. While snuggling with my hot water bottle and puppy dogs.

The end.

Mmmmm Tim Tams...

Gosh I'm getting so lazy at this blog thing. Just never seems to be enough time to sit down and write a post. Which makes me laugh due to the amoung of time I drain on the net, but most of the time I have it on in the background while doing other stuff. Anyway...'nuff of that.

Training wise it's been an awesome week. Have made some strength gains...one of the benefits of extra fuel :) Nutrition wise I have been pretty good. Have had a couple of treats this week...Friday I did 2 training sessions so was extra hungry...slipped some sushi rolls in at lunch time (mmm sushi...how i've missed you!) and a Thai stirfry for dinner. OK OK so a couple of honeycomb Tim Tams may have also entered the equation...lol GOD THEY WERE BLOODY GOOD. So here is my plug...IF YOU HAVEN'T TRIED THEM...GET OFF YOUR BUTT, DRAG IT TO COLES AND PICK UP A PACKET. YOU WILL NOT REGRET. PROMISE (see picture for more detail...little honeycomb chunks in a Tim Tam)

Work has pretty much sucked this week. It has been the *LONGEST* week in the history of the world. We had a shoe sale thing at work this week (yes. I work in a gym. And we had a shoe sale. As you do.) It was a warehouse sale so the company that sells the shoes brought in 1000+ pairs of ladies shoes and set them up in a fairly empty (well it was empty after we moved all the abs/stretching stuff onto the main gym floor section) corner of the gym and we literally had thousands of women flock through the doors from Thurs - Sat to view said shoes. Don't get me wrong, I picked me up a cute little pair of leather ballet flats (bright red, very noice) for like $20...but seriously. Have you ever seen a hundred women at a time flock through a shoe warehouse sale?? Fuck me. It was insane. Thursday (day one of the sale, the day most of em turn up cos they don't want to miss out) was, hands down, the longest fucking day of my life. 8 hours felt, no joke, like 8 months. Yesterday was no better - given it was the last day, everyone wanted to make sure they didnt miss out on some last minute bargains. I thought my head was going to explode.

Thank God that week is over.

So caught up with an old friend last night who I haven't seen in ages, we went to one of the locals and had a few bevvies. When I say 'a few' make no mistake. I am seriously the cheapest drunk in the world these days. Pretty amusing given the copious amount of alcohol I used to consume on any given weekend (and maybe Thursday...but that's close enough to the weekend, right??) I have had no more than 4 hours sleep but my fricken body clock won't let me fall back asleep! Tried for a while before giving up and having brekkie.

So now it's off to the gym for a legs session...then heading to Newtown for the annual Newtown festival...good times :)

Anyway have dribbled enough shit for today so on that note, train hard and be good.

Vic x

Cruising along

So things are plodding along nicely for what feels like a very nice change this year!! Training is going well, nutrition is going well, headspace is going well...and it's OFF SEASON!! When I think of where I was at last year, one week after the last comp for the year...I think I was about 7kg heavier than comp. And about a week after that I was about another 5kg heavier. It went on so fast, but on reflection I was justifying shovelling a LOT of shit down my throat with excuses like "I've earnt it", "I've worked so hard, I deserve it". Really? Does anyone deserve to eat about 3,000 calories in one sitting (which is what I would estimate I consumed the night of the last comp, in the space of about 3 hours...and no unfortunately that is *not* an exaggerated figure). Does anyone deserve to cram pizza, ice cream, chocolates, lollies and pasta in excessive quantities down their throat pretty much all day, every day for a week or two, straight? Or go to a certain ice-creamery week after week and eat an entire take home pack of ice cream with add-ins in one sitting...and then go back for seconds? Sure it was funny at the time...but the reality is that the headfucks that followed for most of this year was definitely not worth the indulgence (binge?) at the time. I am not against allowing guilty pleasures...not in the least (in fact I indulged last night but more on that later) but this year I have decided that my new favourite word is moderation.
SO...I am sticking to a mild cheat mid-week (when I say mild cheat i mean like a small treat, if i feel like banana bread for brekkie one morning or something...) and then a full cheat meal on the weekend. It's working for me, I am still sitting 2.5kg above stage weight.
Anyway enough of the serious stuff. I took me to a friend's Halloween party last night and cut loose properly. Knowing that I was going to be a very cheap drunk given that I can count how many nights on the piss I have had this year on one hand (God things have changed...I have probably been out drinking this year the amount of times I used to go out drinking in one week once upon a time!! lol) I thought I would take some lollywater drinks with me... my usual drink of choice once upon a time would have been JDs or beer but I don't think I could handle any of that right now!! haha...So I discovered these pomegranite vodka cosmos...YUMMO!! And for the first time in my life I was a VERY cheap drunk...I felt tipsy on ONE!! So imagine me after 4 of them plus a cup of Sangria...mmm yep Vic was drunk lol. The friend who was throwing the party works at Fernwood, the first gym I worked at, and I loved all the girls there. It was awesome to catch up with a few of them, I haven't seen them in AGES! There was loads of yummy treats there...Rasha (party thrower) is quite the cook and her and her flattie had spent the day making homemade sushi rolls, quiche slice, pastizzis, chicken and beef sausages, veges with homemade dips, mini cupcakes etc...not to mention the malteser and jaffa bowls scattered around the place...mmm yum!!
Anyway all in all it was a good night but I can't do it like I used to...I was bloody exhausted by like 10pm!! I soldiered on a few more hours though :) Only one way to get back in the swing of things, and with the Festive Season coming up God knows I need to pull my finger out!! hehe
Trained legs today, did a bit of cardio and spent time writing some diets and programs for clients...and sleeping (yep, Nanna over here still needed to recover from last night haha)...let's just blame the Sydney heat for that one lol.
Anyway big week coming up work-wise, we are a couple of staff members down so will be pulling in some OT shifts, so on that note gonna get myself ready for some snoozing :)
So til next time, train hard and be good.
Vic x

Blue porridge and newfound mojo

Gosh I so don't know where to start. I think last post was post-comp day, and I was still going back to watch the boys divisions (and female physique) on Sunday. Sunday's lineups were nothing short of bloody unreal. The quality of all the divisions was second to none, and there were some very tight calls to be made...glad I wasn't judging. My mate Mark won a very tight competition to take out the Under 80kg NSW & Aussie title, it was obviously very close between him and the second-place getter. Mike my old coach took 3rd in NSW in the Over 90kg division and 3rd also in the Aussie Over 100kg (Super Heavyweight) division. The womens' physique lineup was bloody awesome too, with a very ripped Kahla Bullemor (spelling?) taking it out - she was super conditioned!!

The entertainment was good again with Ronnie gracing the stage for an interview again (went a bit long though, especially when they were asking mostly the same stuff as they had on the Saturday) and tearing up the stage (and crowd) with his posing routine. All in all it was a great weekend of competition and I am so glad I chose IFBB over ANB in the end.

We headed into Brighton-Le-Sands after Sunday's show to grace a place called Bay Vista, famous for it's ice-creams served in fishbowl-sized glasses...only to find it had closed down!! That sucked...however in some ways was probably a good thing as I was scheduled to do a photo shoot on Monday and probably wouldn't have looked any good with a belly full of ice cream!! LOL... Most of the others ordered burgers and pizzas...I can't believe this but I ordered a grilled chicken salad!! LOL...BUT it was made up of things like marinated, grilled capsicum, artichoke, eggplant, sundried tomato and topped with goats cheese...see pics. It was bloody delish and I didn't even finish it!!

Monday morning I did the photo shoot and had some fun...although I am a bit camera shy (DEF never make a good model, even if I had the looks I would suck at it haha). Can't WAIT to see the pics! From there I headed out to my friend's gelato shop, Giotto Gelato, for the only real cheat meal I have had since comp....a MASSIVE bowl of gelato...5 scoops of pure heaven. I even got to finally try the new flavour he made while I was dieting that I named... PEANUTELLA...that's right...peanut butter with swirls of nutella...DOES IT GET ANY BETTER THAN THAT!!!

I have been hitting the training again with a new found passion. I have obviously cut back from my 8,000 cardio sessions a week down to one a day, 30-40 mins...and weights down to a 4 day split. I am loving it. Even hit the sprints/stairs this morning :)

And the blue porridge from the title of this post? See pic...this was this morning's brekkie after my stair runs. I have been enjoying adding simple stuff like apple and berries back to my diet...this morning I chopped up half an apple and added a handful of blueberries to my eggy oats..and this is how it turned out...BLUE!! It was divine!!

And lastly...I am happy to report that since I haven't splurged more than the gelato, and pretty much went back to clean eating straight away, I am sitting a measly 2.5kg above stage weight :) AMAZING, given that stage weight is dehydrated, depleted weight. I intend to keep it not much more than this over summer...bikini body here I come!!

So kids, til next time, train hard and be good.

Vic x

Post Comp Report

So it's all done and dusted now. Day One of the IFBB NSW/Aussies are over and I got up on that stage and strutted my stuff :)

So after all that they ended up putting short and tall class together (there were only 2 in the tall - gee, wonder if they new height cut-off had much to do with that!?!) and 7 in short, so in the end there were 9 in the lineup. Great line up I might add :) There were girls I have known for a few years and also a few that I have admired for some time so how could I be disappointed with that! Anyway cut to the chase - I didn't place in the Aussies but got 3rd in the NSW division to Jodie Casey (1st) and Rebecca Michich (think that's the spelling - 2nd). So was pretty happy to bring some silverware home, given 2 days ago I was leaning more towards pulling out than getting up there!! Sara Picken-Brown took out the Aussie Open Figure title, with Kylie Bruno and Dianne Hunt placing 2nd and 3rd (I am pretty sure that's who got 2nd and 3rd!!).

My great friend Cath took 3rd in the Aussies Master Figure category, so all in all it was a fab day :) We had loads of fun and I got to catch up with lots of friends. And I just loved Ronnie. I couldn't give a rat's if he is off season, the guy is a bloody unit and I thought he was great! And his wife took part in the interview he gave on stage too, she was awesome too.

Anyway here are a few piccies, will upload all into facebook if you wanna see them :)

After it was over, we went for coffee and while the others were into the lattes, white choc mochas and chillers - all I could stomach after the sugar overload today was a long black with a dash of soy!! On the way home I stopped at my new local Thai restaurant that I have been hanging to try out as I was starving but couldn't be bothered to cook. I was still feeling the effects of the sugar high from today so just wanted something as healthy as possible so opted for chicken & veggies in ginger...stir fried in water, no oil!! Not even rice to go with it. Highly unusual for me, who only ever wants pizza or pasta and ice cream post-comp...not tonight!! lol. I might mention tho that we are going back to watch the boys divisions tomorrow and heading out to a famous dessert place in Brighton-Le-Sands after that for ice cream... hopefully my appetite will come back!! hehe

Anyway better jet off...early start again tomorrow and am DYING to scrub the dream tan off and get into bed.

SO til next time, train hard and be good, Vic x

...to compete...

As it goes...on with the show.
So after slapping some tan on, dropping the sodium and flushing the fluid out...I have decided to compete. I am biting the bullet and truth be known - feeling pretty good about my decision. I am looking better than I did 2 weeks ago and feeling more confident than I did then too so here's hoping! The water depletion is not fun though, I have a headache and am a little lightheaded but about to eat again so hoping that helps a lil.
There were tonnes of people at registration today - and I got there like an hour early!! Not sure about who will be in my class (I know of 2 certainties but not sure about anyone else) but was told that they had moved the height cut off for short figure, it is now 168cm. WTF?? 167.9cm is pretty bloody tall if you ask me, given I am 157.5cm (I have shrunk - last I knew I was 160cm but at weigh in today I found that's no longer true...), and I know that one of the two girls I know to be doing short figure is under 5' - so still a massive variable if you ask me. But whatever.
I am looking forward to some pasta more than anything I think. I had some sweet potato today for the first time in, well, bloody forever and it was divine!! I can't believe how good sweet potato can taste lol
Not much else to report from me. Thank you to all who have dropped by with your wisdom and comments, you guys have truly helped me this week. I seriously would have pulled the pin if I didn't have people like you surrounding me (even if in Blogland!!)
So, til post comp, train hard and be good,
Vic x

To compete or not to compete

This is the debate I am having with myself. Yes, 2 and a bit days out. I am contemplating pulling the pin. I do this every comp season - get to comp week and feel so not ready to get on stage but it's normally carb depletion talking, not being able to see myself realistically and feeling flat, bloated etc...but I really think this time that I am being more realistic than ever before. I really don't feel like I should be getting up on that stage this weekend, I really, honestly don't feel ready. I don't know if it's cos I feel so headf*cked from the Central Coast comp but I don't feel I am looking stageworthy (or stage-ready). I don't want to be that girl on stage that people are talking about that isn't in comp condition. I do also know, though, that whilst in a state of depletion I shouldn't make any rash decisions, and therefore I will hold out until I am carbed up, tanned up, and water depleted to make a final call.
It has clearly been a week of ups and downs (mostly downs unfortunately) and I think I am also very exhausted. Being on a diet of pretty much nothing but chicken and green veg, with up to 2 hours cardio + 45ish mins weights a day I feel like doing nothing but sleeping - and given the chance would do so quite easily at any given time!
Anyway I am sure I will start to feel better tomorrow when the carbs make a reappearance in the diet and the tan starts to bring out some definition in the currently pasty, white bod...
OK rant over. Just needed to get some of this off my chest...
As for my decision, stay tuned...Vic

Can I interest you in some chicken and asparagus?

WARNING: PRE COMP RANT AHEAD!!

Some days it's just harder to push through than others. So far this week, every day has become increasingly harder to push through. I am struggling to get up of a morning and do my cardio, struggling to get to the gym after brekkie to train, struggling to use my dinner break to do some more cardio, and then to stay back and do even more after work. Mostly - I am struggling to keep my bloody eyes open most of the time!! One more week and ahhhh...relax...

I have been managing 3-4 cardio sessions plus one weights session a day (don't worry the cardio isn't like an hour long each time, in general it's between 30-40 mins and totals about 2 hours a day...I just find that to fit it into my day, and maintain sanity, I need to break it up into smaller spurts...plus I physically can't do more than that at a time with all the freaken stair runs I have been doing every day, my legs are not in their happiest state at the moment!!)

Anyway the finish line is now in sight, this is the bit (believe it or not) that I love but also the bit I find most challenging. Living on a diet consisting of eggwhites with cauliflower (thanks Steph for that idea!) for breakfast and then 5 meals of chicken and asparagus brings out a new form of discipline in me, and while water loading I try to remember how bad it feels to be dehydrated come comp day so I try to enjoy drinking so much water. I might throw in here though - last year when I did the asparagus thing for a week straight, a lot of my PT clients referred to 'asparagus wee' and made loads of jokes about it. I had no idea what they were on about - apparently only about 40% of people have the smell receptors to pick up on the scent that is asparagus wee. Well, people, let me tell you...I have discovered that it is possible to develop those smell receptors later in life. And boy have I developed them. FUCK ME. Nothing could have prepared me for that shit - it's in a class of it's own. It is rank. And drinking like 7L of water a day, one can imagine how many times a day I have the pleasure of smelling this shit.

On that note, I am off to drink some more water...

Til next time, train hard and be good, Vic x

Decisions, decisions

Gosh, I have to start by saying thank you to all for your positive feedback / responses to my last post. It's sometimes hard to pick yourself up and keep going but having support like that which I get here makes a massive difference.
I am currently cardio-ing like a bloody madwoman and my legs are getting a caning. I have hit the stairs/sprints Mon/Tues morning, Spin this morning, trained legs Monday and today, and managed to squeeze so far an additional 6 cardio sessions in on top of the stairs/sprints/Spin class. And it's only 10am Wednesday!! I have never used Deep Heat so much in my life, my poor Spin class got a great wake up with it this morning!
So I have been tossing up a few options in the last few days. My first and foremost thought was to throw in the towel for the year and focus on next season, but the fighter in me tells me I can do this. My next debate with myself has been in regards to which comp to do next weekend. I was originally going to do IFBB then switched to ANB (same weekend) due to costs etc, and only having to pay one federation registration. HOWEVER I think that looking back on the comps I have been to and participated in, ANB tends to lean towards the overly lean girls, who are shredded to bits and don't have a lot of meat on their bones. I do not fall into that category. Experience also tells me that the IFBB comps (in particular those run here in Sydney) tend to go for the more solid girls, who are not overly hard (they mark you down if you are toooooo lean as in IFBB terms, figure girls should not be as hard as physique girls) and of late are placing more emphasis on fullness and symmetry. Which is kind of more what I have. So after double checking rego/entry fees for IFBB, it is cheaper than I had in my head (for some reason I thought it was $99 rego and $50 comp entry....it is $50 rego and $25 entry...BOO YAH!!) SO...I am now leaning towards IFBB. I hate being soooo undecided...is it just me or do any of you competitors out there find that your decision making ability turns to jelly when dieting??? lol
Anyway better jet, just thought I would get a quick post in to get my thoughts out of my head and into writing, and to thank you gals for your support :)
Til next time, train hard and be good...Vic x

1st one down

SO....first comp is officially done and dusted now. I am not overly happy with how it went, I missed the mark on my conditioning. I am trying to work out how it went wrong as I was very happy with how I was looking on Saturday night. Unfortunately I woke up (if you can call it that) Sunday morning looking flat and watery. NOT what I wanted. It didn't get any better either - if anything probably got worse. I had a very bad "sleep" on Saturday night, and in fact I use the word "sleep" very loosely as I probably got a total of one hour in if you add all the broken bits up together. I have since heard this can make you hold fluid? Anyway no matter what it was, I wasn't in form on Sunday and I knew while up on stage for prejudging that I was not in the running for a place. My initial reaction when I got off stage was to be a bit upset - but at the end of the day I knew I wasn't at my best, and if I can't learn from the not-so-good times then I am in the wrong sport. So onwards and upwards, I need to focus hard on the next comp, in 2 weeks. I need to hit the cardio hard and harden up more. So I got up this morning and hit the stairs for a 45min killer session. Home for brekkie (and to post this of course) and back to the gym to throw a few weights around and follow it up with some more cardio. Then I plan on doing a HIIT session after work tonight. This is it baby - FOCUS TIME!!

I have posted some piccies from around the traps, and my cool "i have a new massive back" shot hehe....

First pic...me and my fabulous friends Cathy and Timmy:

Shot 2 - me and the other Vicki (one of the most fun women I have ever met!!):

Probably the only stage photo I don't feel like a heiffer in hehe:

And finally my new back...hehe...

Til next time, train hard and be good!

Vic x

Slack ass

Man have I been a bit of a slack ass lately in blog land. Seems like I never have a chance to sit down for more than 5 mins at a time and do it, between comp prep (training like a trooper), dieting, cooking, working and traipsing around the place watching shows (call it research / inspiration / obsession / whatever!!)

So I headed down to Melbourne for the long weekend. I literally finished work 9pm Thursday night and my good mate Cathy 'Buddha' M'Gee met me at work at closing time. We went to my place, I threw together a suitcase (literally - I packed an entire suitcase and wore about 3 things from it the whole time I was away), got about hmm, 3? hours of shut eye, then got picked up by my mum at 2.30am for the roadtrip to Melbourne. What a trip it was. With me water loading and both me and Cath comp dieting - let's just say we stopped pretty much every hour on the hour for a food and wee break!! Must have been a sight at 6am at Maccas with the two of us pulling out our Tupperware container, oats, measuring cup, protein powder, Glutamine and asking for a cup of boiling water to cook the above with hehe...

We made it safe and sound and dropped Cath off to where she was staying, before heading off to my brother's place. Was nice to get out of the car and stretch (and use a non-rest area bathroom!!) Didn't do much on Friday night apart from DVD's with mum, my brother and sister-in-law, and dinner of course. I was doing another trial run for comp week so got to have a nice big glass of red with dinner - OMG I felt DRUNK halfway through!! Was a great drop too, which made it even better.

Saturday morning got up nice and early and headed out for brekkie with mum and Joe (Rachel had to work, poor thing - some fire training crap she had to go in for)... I had decided to give fat loading a trial so got to have a BIG BREKKIE...mmm bacon, eggs, sausage, grilled tomato, all mopped up with a hash brown...can't tell you how good it was!! Back to Joe's and did about 40mins of upper body resistance to see what kind of pump I got from the fats...didn't work as well as the carbs do for me. Oh well, it was a tasty way to find out!!

Got picked up by Cath and another friend Mick to go to the comp and due to me having worked at the NSW comp, INBA were nice enough to give me VIP reserved seating at the show. WOOT!!! It was an amazing show, such a high standard across the board (it is a nationals though!) and was sooo awesome to meet some of the ladies from blogland/Lindy's Forum (eg Lia and Rae), plus some of those infamous Facebook personalities. I helped Cath with her tanning and pumping up (threw in a little karaoke backstage, thought they needed some entertainment) but aside from that got to watch the entire thing from start to finish. And it has PUMPED me baby!!

Anyway the show went pretty late and afterwards me, Cath, Mick, my friend Luke and two of his mates headed out for a bite to eat - the boys had been talking about a place on Lygon St that does 1kg steaks (exactly what you want to eat after 3months of dieting!!) so we headed there. The boys got their steaks, Cath got a well-deserved parma, and I ate my grilled chicken and salad!! hehe can tell who didn't compete on the day! Afterwards we found a little gelato shop (or maybe not so little? had about 100 flavours!) and Cath got her dessert. I didn't make it back to Joe's til after 2am...and that's only cos I didn't realise it was daylight savings!!

Anyway I won't bore you with the rest of the Melbourne details (not boring for me but I am sure you have read enough already). I am back now and in full swing of Peak Week...I can't believe it is 3 days til I am on stage. I have water loaded and am now dropping it...down to 1.5L today from 6L yesterday. I am sooo thirsty and could eat a horse...my eating intervals just don't seem to come around quick enough!! Oh well not long...carb loading starts tomorrow and I CAN'T BLOODY WAIT!!

Anyway better jet...am at work ;) so better actually do some of that!

Til next time, train hard and be good xx

INBA NSW / Aussies

So - post comp report from the INBA NSW Titles.
It was a bloody huge day, and loads of running around involved. I turned up at 10am to help set up and drew a short straw somewhere, as I got the share-job of taping plastic to all the walls and floors backstage - SUCKY job!! hehe Aah well someone had to do it, may as well have been me. The show was due to start at 1pm and competitors started arriving at about 12ish, along with some spectators. Which would have been fine, HAD THE RSL STAFF SET UP THE REQUESTED AMOUNT OF TABLES!! Noone had noticed prior to then, though, given how busy everyone was, and because they had also neglected to put the table number signs on the tables - so we didn't realise there weren't enough tables til it was too late. Man, what a shamozzle. I tried to remain calm, despite being yelled at by unhappy spectators about their lack of table...just kept taking a few deep breaths and trying to set some more up as quickly as possible. Got there eventually but given it was a sold out show (plus people who didnt get seats and had to stand) it was a bit frustrating. Then there were a few competitors who either turned up late, or didn't realise they actually had to come get their name ticked off at the registration desk to say they had arrived (and hand their routine music in)...
There were soooo many competitors - about 90...I think by comparison the same show last year pulled about 30 competitors...hmmm could it be the looming Olympia?? lol... It was great though - in the Sydney titles in May, there was one female physique competitor - this time round there was NINE!! which was awesome to see!! The standard of competitors across all of the divisions was awesome - lots of hard work had obviously been put in by all in the lead up. Unfortunately due to the new one-show format (it's always been 2 shows in the past in NSW/Sydney comps) and the high number of competitors, the times for the running order of the show had been underestimated and it ran WAY behind schedule. But it's all a learning curve, and all in all it was a great show. Congratulations to EVERYONE who got up on that stage, everyone in the show, no exceptions, was in prime condition.
Unfortunately given that my job was to make sure the competitors got on stage and also cue the music people for all routines/posedown music etc I was stuck backstage the entire day and only got to see the show from the side of the stage (was a great view point though but didn't make for good pics) so I only managed to get a few backstage shots, not actual competition shots. And also unfortunately for some reason I can't locate my bloody USB cable to upload them!! BUT - I am off to Melbourne this weekend (WOO HOO) where I plan to take more shots, and my brother who lives there has the same camera as me so will use his cable and make sure I get some piccies of both the NSW and Aussie titles on here!!
SO I better jet, got lots of cleaning to do as my cousin is house and puppy sitting for me...
Til next time, train hard and be good,
Vic x

PS - 9 days til my stage day!! WOOO HOOOO BRING IT ON BABY!!

ITCHY FEET!!

MAN are my feet itchy...in a good way. Today is the INBA NSW comp and I am heading there this morning to be BACKSTAGE BIATCH (official title, I asked Rab the organiser if I could actually have a t-shirt made up and he told me he was onto it already!!) To be honest I am DYING to get up on that stage today...I did a trial depletion week this week, as mentioned in my previous posts and as of last night I was actually contemplating packing the bikini and dream tan and maybe giving it a crack today...I am hanging to get up there again!!!

This week has been a mixed bag of feelings...the biggest one being bloody exhaustion. I can't believe I forgot how tired depletion week makes me. I was bloody glad once Thursday's training was over as I knew I had the next 3 days off the weights and my body felt like it needed the rest. Friday was my day off and I took myself into work and sat in the detox box for 20mins before getting too bored and going home. Was nice to just chill though! I then went and got a spray tan in the afternoon and God it makes a difference - instant leanness!! Got them to do the darkets possible - to be honest I think that's what has put me in this "I wanna get up on stage NOW" mood. Bloody tan!!

Anyway I can't blog without mentioning Friday night. HOW GOOD ARE THOSE EELS GOING!! ON FIRE!! We had a bbq at my friends' place for the game and one of the guys is a MASSIVE doggies supporter, and me being a MASSIVE eels supporter gave it to him all night. There was a lot of friendly banter, ending with a bit of friendly decorating of the die-hard doggies fan's windscreen with shaving cream!! Lots of childish fun!!

OK better jet on that note, have some more carbing up to do (I love this trial run, I get all the added benefits, eg oats for dinner Friday night, glass of wine last night - went down a dream!! - chocolate today...the only thing that sux is that i am bloody thirsty as a MOFO!!)

Will post some piccies of today later on :)

Til next time train hard and be good...

Vic x

Dust storms and chocolate pizzas

For those who live in Sydney, after today I am sure the above picture is reminiscent of what you woke up to this morning. I reluctantly dragged my sorry, tired ass out of bed at 5.20 this morning after not very much sleep, as I had a 6.15am Spin class to teach. I like to sleep at night with the blinds open a little so that in the morning the light comes through and I am more likely to get myself out of bed to do my pre-breakfast cardio. Bleary eyed I immediately took myself to the bathroom (am water loading ATM so the second I move at any given time of the day, let alone wake up, I am pretty much busting to go...more on that later) and then made my way back to the bedroom to get dressed into my workout gear. That's when I realised an eerie orange glow coming from the other side of my window. My first thought was that my neighbour's house was on fire so I immediately went to the window to investigate...only to find that the entire sky was almost a fluorescent shade of orange. WEIRD. Still half asleep I finished doing what I needed to do and jumped in my car to get to work. That's when it hit me - had I died overnight and this was some strange initiation into the afterlife? Had the world ended while I was asleep? It was very creepy - the only time I remember ever seeing the sky look so spooky was Christmas day 2001 when the massive bushfires had set the sky into various shades of pink and orange. Then I got this strange feeling that the gym was going to be like a ghost town this morning and that no one would front for Spin class.

So I rock up to the gym and was half wrong, half right. The wrong bit refers to me either dying or the world having ended. Was not on the money with either of those. BUT I was spot on with the other stuff. Gym was near empty, and no one for Spin. Hmmph. Oh well did my own stuff instead. Jumped on the cross trainer and did 30min of hardcore intervals, 30sec sprint : 30 second recovery. Job done. Sweating like a pig (do pigs even sweat? not sure how many people have actually tested that theory? If any of you guys have, feel free to let me know via comments). Followed the cross trainer up with 15min intervals on the treadmill. STUFFED, I went home. Very sleepy due to lack of carbs. More on this later. Had brekkie then needed a power nap (woo hoo, got a whole 15mins in) before heading off to the gym to train legs. Good session, about an hours worth...and only followed up with 15min on the bike. I was seriously too weak to do any more than that.

SO about the water loading and carb depletion.

I am doing a trial comp week prep this week. As in pretending that I am doing the INBA NSW this Sunday (I'm not). So last week I cut carbs right down to just my oats in the morning and other than that, veggies. This week there are no oats. Just veggies. Which in my books don't count as carbs. They're not real carbs. And they certainly don't give me energy, or even keep me in a state where I can even pretend I feel human. I don't feel human - not even close. Fuck knows how I have managed to train at all this week, let alone work, drive, or leave the house. I can barely remember where I freakin live this week!! lol

I can't believe I forgot how shitty one feels during depletion week. Hmmm I remember now!! And remember that I have on 3 occasions fallen asleep whilst training in past comp seasons, in between sets, in the middle of the gym. When I have told that story to others, I always think that it really isnt that bad. Oh yes it fucking is!! I was talking to my mate, Strong Bitch, tonight - and she gave me a great analogy - that depletion week is like the stories on childbirth - that once it's over you forget the pain!! lol I think that's spot on!! hehe

So anyway I am carb depleting and today hit the worst of it, day 3 of no carbs, and leg day. Leg day is NOT a good day for me on no carbs. Given I wussed out on the cardio post-training (well cut it short at 15 mins) I promised myself I would stay back after work and do a bit more to make up for it. Well after work came (9pm tonight) and you know what? NO FUCKING WAY was I staying back to do cardio. I don't even LIKE cardio. I do, however, LIKE sleep!! So sleep wins :)

And while I do that tonight, this is what I will be dreaming about...

For those who haven't had the pleasure...this my friends is a delish chocolate pizza from one of my favourite fine dining venues...the house of MAX BRENNER... 4 and a half weeks baby!!!

Boring life...

Wow, I have been rather slack on the blogging front lately. Combination of things I guess, namely that comp prep is taking up much of my free time at the moment, and that I haven't really felt inspired to be blogging.
I am going full throttle with training at the moment, doing around 2 - 2.5 hours cardio a day, plus my regular 45-60mins of weights. I still have a bit of leaning out to do so am trying to hit it hard. I am also doing a trial depletion week this week coming up, so the week just gone my carbs have been very minimal and will be cut again come Monday. Will be doing the full water & salt load/depletion and carb depletion/carb load...not because I want to give it a trial run but because it will make me come in harder for my comp in 3 weeks time.
Headspace has been pretty good with a minor headfuck on Thursday morning, when I was asked by a friend if I would be ready for comp. He explained away that he wasn't asking me cos he doubted I could do it but rather cos I have changed comp dates previously...but in the carb depleted, dieting mindset I am in all I could think was that he was questioning if it were possible for me to be ready in that timeframe. Anyway whatever - it has just made me more determined that I will be ready in time. BRING IT, I say!
So training has been going well, life in general is just plodding along...I am def in depletion stage as I am bloody sleepy all the time. I really can't be bothered to do anything that I don't have to do and would rather sit on the couch than do much else!!
Boring post as not much else to tell you about...apart from to say HOW BOUT THOSE EELS LAST NIGHT!!!
Before I leave you all (for those who are still awake) I just want to send out all my love to the lovelies competing this weekend...GO ROCK IT!!
Til next time, train hard and be good.
Vic x

In a good place...at last!!

Gosh, it feels like I haven't blogged in forever! Hasn't been too much going on to blog about but at the same time I haven't really had time to post. I have been busy training my ass off (literally) and this morning I have woken up, feeling as though I actually now look a bit like a figure competitor!! Lol bout fricken time - this year I feel like I have been in the wars with prep, with my body fighting me ALL the way. There is no doubt about it, I have had to work harder than ever before. If you told me this time last year that on the majority of days I would be doing 3 cardio sessions a day, I would have told you to get off the acid, and that I would NEVER do that much cardio - given I really, really don't enjoy it. I am such a weights girl!! BUT I have been doing it, and for the most part - I have stayed sane!! lol

Friday I went and checked out a few gyms in the area. I am looking like switching training gyms to a place that I don't work - it's so hard working and training at the same place. When I train, I am generally in a little world of my own. No idea what's going on around me - nor do I care. I like to get in there, train, and get out. Eye on the prize. Unfortunately when you train and work at the same place, people like to come and ask you questions in the middle of training. Eg "I don't get sore from my Thursday training anymore, can you please give me some new exercises?" (as in right there and then)...or "Excuse me, but the leg extension machine is broken. Can you help me fix it?" Ummm....I'm training right now....see that person over there in the gym uniform? Maybe go ask them for help, ya know, since they are actually working right now!!! Anyway sorry - had to vent. The moral of the story is that when I go to train, I don't want to spend lots of time fluffing around. I want to train, and leave. End of story. SO gym hunting on Friday was awesome, I have found 2 potential new homes. I will prob wait til after comps though to switch as I don't really want to switch before then as it will just interrupt training I think.

My weekend was ok, a quiet one though - but was glad for it. Friday night was so insignificant I can't even remember what I did. I finished work then did some cardio - but can't remember what after that? I think I might have just stayed home?? Lol that's shocking - it was only a few days ago!! Worked all day Saturday, which bummed me out given it was like 30 degrees in Sydney. And it was cold inside due to the air con. I had a jacket on all day which SUCKED! Saturday night I went to my friends' Karen and Brian's place to help Karen with preparing for a seafood party she was having yesterday afternoon for her birthday. I ended up cooking dinner for the 3 of us while Karen was making stuff for the party, and nearly burnt their house down in the process (not sure if I have ever mentioned on here me and my attraction to fire. Not that I am attracted to fire - it appears to be attracted to me. That's another blog post though). After dinner Brian got a fire call (he is a volunteer firie for the Rural FB) so me and Kaz hung out for a bit before I went home and crashed.
Sunday went off to World to train legs with one of the girls from my posing class. She is competing this Wed night in the ADF INBA competition - it's her first comp, I am sooo excited for her. Anyway we were both quite wrecked but smashed out our legs session and then did some cardio before posing class. Went to Karen's birthday thing in the late afternoon and had a great time (she even catered for my diet so I wouldn't have to BYO Tupperware container!! lol)

It's funny - during posing class one of the girls, who is competing in 2 weeks for the first time, mentioned she had gone to a hens' night on Saturday but left early as she feels awkward when going out now, like she has nothing to talk about. I look back at my first comp prep and recall being EXACTLY the same. I always felt weird going out, could barely converse with anyone as I had nothing to talk about, and always just wanted to go home early. I am so glad that has changed. I am back to my social self, love being out, and have no issues with holding conversations. I am very weary of overdoing the comp talk so only talk about it if people ask questions and seem genuinely interested (not just being polite) and have no issue with being the only non-drinker (or eater lol). I am soooo glad this part changed as I don't think I could have coped 3 years running feeling like a bloody hermit!!

Anyway I better stop ranting and get off my ass and go train delts. WOOT! Love shoulders day!!

So til next time, train hard and be good!

Vic xx