I do the hard thing.

There is so much going on I'm not sure where to start!

I've been sore. Not just a little bit. I ACHED.  I touched my coach's wheel on Sunday and threw myself down the road. Riding a wheel is scary. Touching a wheel is bad. I know that for a fact now! It's mostly road rash, apart from a black pinky finger - which has now returned to its normal colour. I elevated and iced, then after teaching Monday morning I sat in the steam room for a bit before using some hot/cold therapy in the shower. My neck was out and my abs hurt pretty bad, too. Battered, bruised and SO EMOTIONAL. The whingy tearfulness and inability to concentrate with all the post-trauma toxins in my body was YUCKY. Luckily, the worst of it had passed by Tuesday and Wednesday I was feeling like a scraped up and scabby version of my old self again.

Last week was EPIC! While you were all enjoying your public holiday, I was at the first EVER Youth Speaker Inc, hosted by the INCREDIBLE Sam Cawthorn. I was surrounded by 9 other amazing thought leaders and youth speakers for 8 hours in a room that absolutely BUZZED with energy. It was INSANE and just tremendously valuable.

The rest of the week? It looked like this: Train clients, train me, teach spin, early starts, focus on eating right, try to get enough sleep, be organised, forget nothing, be on time, ADD MAXIMUM VALUE, ALWAYS.

Last Thursday was a stand-out. Just one of the most incredible days I've had in, well, AGES. I went out to cover a spin class at FF North Ryde and it was amazing. The connection I shared with every single person I came into contact with that morning was pure magic. Fantastic conversations with incredible people and an incredible workout to boot. What more could you want? It doesn't end there, though. After a quick chai tea pit stop, I was off to The Northcott Centre in Parramatta to meet with David Rothwell from the Amputee Association about our pet project, his idea, but I'm taking it, growing it and running with it just as far as these little legs will carry me. It might take 2 years, but it is coming: Accessible Wellness Centres Australia will be the first "gyms" designed specifically to service the mobility impaired, building functionality, body confidence and self esteem to improve their quality of life. The focus is on integration and inclusion: the end goal is to have confident, balanced people in active lifestyles and good mental AND physical health. Whilst in it's infancy, this is SO EXCITING for me and I am extremely passionate about seeing this through. Whatever it takes.

Saturday morning I had a great metabolic strength training session with Hilly before teaching spin over at Five Dock: the SSS and a great way to power into the weekend chores and endless to do lists! I then had the pleasure of having a follow up meeting with Sam over yummy chai tea in Balmain. We discussed some great topics and I'm looking forward to sharing some of that with you in my first video blog. There's a lot for me to do before I transition full time into my company and away from PT in Fitness First, and I'm feeling quite overwhelmed trying to juggle everything.

All I can do is breathe as I ride these tumultuous waves: I know it's OK to feel overwhelmed sometimes. I know it's OK to struggle. I choose to do the hard thing. It has the greatest rewards.

A Lot on the Boil

I'm just home from my skills session with Coach Geoff Nash. There's a pot of organic vegetable, chicken and quinoa soup reheating on the stove as I write this.

It had been over 4 months since my last visit to the track at Heffron Park. That's where we headed for today's session. In our last session I finally conquered a skill that had held us back for quite some time - changing hand positions. I was elated last Tuesday. Finished feeling happy, accomplished and content. Today we tackled changing hand positions to change gears and when to do it. Today's session didn't end with a rush of enthusiasm for me though. Today I left feeling drained. I came off again.

It wasn't a bad stack, but it wounded my confidence. I was practicing a new skill in a new riding position in a relatively new environment and on a rough surface - yes. The stack, however, was avoidable. It shouldn't really have happened. I feel clumsy and awkward. Maladroite, but moreover: plain silly. I want to stop falling down while I move forward and just head in that direction without the annoying niggles. Boohoo, I hear you say, and I do know that these are first world problems of no real or significant consequence. I also know that no journey is without it's challenges. I'm breathing into this... but it's taking some doing today. I acknowledge my frustration. I have high expectations of myself and this disappointment I feel is of my own creation. I just miss last Tuesday's joy. Could be the dreary weather?

Anyway, it is truly great to be back in training again. I'm loving the fitness training, but have also found renewed vigor and passion for my strength training. I'm finally able to deadlift the olympic bar with my prosthesis in a controlled manner - I trained this on Friday and boy crikey - I still hurt! The hammys are STILL tight! I'm also lifting my personal bests in upper body strength right now which is awesome. I wonder if the fact that I've recently converted to carnivourism is much of a factor.

What does the rest of my training week look like? Well, Wednesday is a hard day, so I'll be doing upper body strength training as well as teaching spin (a hard cardio session) in the evening. Thursday I again teach spin in the evening, Friday I'll train legs/deadlift with Emily before I cover yet another spin, making this a hard day. Saturday I will run 8km with clients and friend and finally on Sunday I'll wind down with 40 minutes of cadence training on the wattbike out at Velofix Rozelle.

Speaking of Velofix, I have some class plans to tidy up and send off before I head out there to coach tonight's indoor training sessions. You should come and check it out! :)

From Strength to Strength

A few weeks ago whilst out on the bay run with dotmef, I had a very bad fall. I was marvelling at what a beautiful morning it was in Sydney and how blessed we are when I should really have been paying attention to the roots and rocks beneath my feet. As a result, I tripped and fell. I took a very pointy rock in my already problematic left knee. That was the worst of my numerous injuries.


I hobbled around in pain for a few days, humiliated by my inability to walk quickly or negotiate stairs, but with time, I healed. I rested. I listened to my body. I saw doctors and learnt that it was not broken. They said the swelling was not normal, though, and that I need to see a specialist to have that looked at. Its not urgent for me, though. I saw my physio who cleared me of any ligament damage and said the residual pain was the result of bone bruising that could take a few months to settle. I was given the go ahead to start upping my kilometres once more.


So 48 hours later I was on the grass at centennial park, and I ran again the following Thursday and I ran AGAIN Saturday morning and my knee has never felt better! I'm very excited because this time next week I'll be in Jindabyne, having already completed 2 or 3 training runs and preparing to run up Australia's highest peak - Mount Kosciusko!


Conny is back here from Switzerland, so a group of us are going along with Sean William's Sweatsydney training camp to do some running as well as some catching up and chilling out. I cannot wait!


Check out our itinerary!


After an idyllic Sunday spent tandem biking around La Perouse and Little Bay, followed by my nephew's 2nd birthday party, I've just spent 2.5 hours in the kitchen preparing my food for the following week. On the menu are the following items:

• Hummus (my recipe)
• Salsa (my recipe)
• TONNES of crudites - snowpeas, capsicum, carrot, celery, cucumber
• A massive salad dressed in seeded mustard and lemon juice with lots of olives and cherry tomatoes
• 3 grilled fish fillets
• A huge batch of DELICIOUS spinach and chick pea soup
• 4  boiled eggs.

Om nom nom and bon appetit! :) Time to check in on my challengers! Xx

On The Eve of my 12 Week Challenge!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Welcome to 2010 :)

I trust we've all had a fantastic break. I know *mine* was indulgent and spectacular, but as of tomorrow, all that is going to change.

Tomorrow, I'm starting my own 12 week challenge. 84 days from tomorrow, on Monday, March 29th, I want to look in the mirror, stand on the scale and be 100% certain that I look and feel the best I have ever looked. I want to be the fittest, leanest and meanest me that anyone has ever seen. And I want to stay that way for the rest of my life.

I'm planning my workouts for the next week, and I'm starting off with 6 days of strict detox. No refined flours, no sugars except those in fruit, no red meat, no dairy, no numbers or anything artificial. I'll be eating loads of fresh fruit and veg, silken tofu, organic malt free soy milk, chick peas, lentils and beans.

I'd go for longer, but on January 10th I have a 'girls picnic' planned at the winery. No problem! I have a strategy for coping with that. Food events just signal that I have to do an hour of hard workout on both the day, as well as the day after the event. That's all planned. Everything is negotiable and forewarned is fore-armed!

I have loads of other strategies to help get me through the challenge, a weekly weigh in to keep me accountable and a support network to hold me to it, too.

I also have a whole stack of online resources I'll be taking advantage of to keep me motivated and informed on how to eat clean and be healthy.

I will gladly share these with strategies and online resources with you, as well as inform you of my progress - just respond and say you're interested - but better yet:

JOIN THE CHALLENGE!

Experience the Debzillah Difference and Be Inspired to find your fittest, most fabulous self in 2010!

Kick off the new year like never before. Witness the incredible transformation your body can undergo with this program combining diet, exercise and expert motivation.

Makeover and photoshoot opportunities as well as skin care and beauty services, not to mention inspirational books, await the winners!

BE FIT. BE FABULOUS. BE INSPIRED!

I will guide you, provide interesting challenges for bonus points from week to week, and help you develop strategies SPECIFICALLY to suit you and get the most out of the 12 weeks. I will be with you and keep you on track EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.

So who is with me? WE CAN DO THIS!

C'mon. Get in touch. Tell your friends. Let's get started :)

A Big Week

What a week it has been! I finished the last of my Personal Training exams with a 95% result in Business. I should have my Professional Practice completed and ready to hand in by next Friday, as well. Otherwise, Monday.

Tuesday morning my gorgeous friend Pinky took me out for breakfast. We went to il Vizio in Leichhardt and it was FANTASTIC. I ordered the fresh fruit salad with muesli and yoghurt which was massive and the hot chocolate I had with it was the most luxurious I've seen outside a chocolate cafe! Pinky enjoyed the il Vizio breakfast of bacon, eggs and turkish with grilled tomato. She took photos, too. Now why didn't I think of that?

Thursday night Hayden took me out for the fondue chinoise at Suissotel restaurant JPB, as it was blogged on Grab Your Fork and the 2 for 1 special is ending. It truly does represent amazing value and was immensely enjoyable. Mustard fruits are indeed an oddity to be experienced!

Dinner preceeded the show "Meow to the World: Crisis is Born" which we saw at the Opera House Studios. Hilariously funny and beautiful, energetic and charismatic, Meow Meow was fantastic. The only problem was that the show started at 930pm - when I'm normally going to sleep. It was an uphill battle keeping my eyes open.

The food adventure continued yesterday, when I met my legendary mates of FIA fame, Lauren Albon and James Raftos, for lunch at Corelli's, Newtown. We had intended to meet at Macro Cafe, but found to great dismay that it had closed!! We all enjoyed the fish of the day - grilled Barramundi with mango salsa. It was an absolute delight.

Last night I performed an energetic jazz/exotic routine to Suck My Kiss by RHCP at the "Nothing to Wear" designer markets in Newtown. My preparation for this was pretty last minute, but it came together in the end. If only there had been more people there for me to infect with my bounciness! Thanks though, to my fine friends that did attend.

Pre-performance I have a sugar-hit ritual. Courtesy of Hayden, last night this was a triple chocolate mousse cake on a cheesecake base. Pinky got me a soy mocha to go with it. After the show, Cecil, Mark, Conny, Llinos, Hayden and I headed to Saray for the finest Pides Sydney has to offer :).

This afternoon, Hayden and I will be joined by Matt and Tammy for 2 for 1 mains at the Red Oak boutique brewery. This is a lead up to 2 events - the first being a performance by the Tigerlillies at the Opera House Studios yet again; the second a visit to Baskin Robbins for their two NEW flavours of sugar free ice cream!!

OM NOM NOM NOM NOM!!

Don't worry, I did an aerobic power training session yesterday morning and did the bay run after work this morning. I work for my food safari!

After tomorrow's 15km run with my running group (2 weeks to city2surf guys!), I'll be heading in to Balmain with Avanti and Swah for treats of the Adriano Zumbo variety...

Watch this space ;)

Xx Deb