Monday what a week it’s been and it’s only Monday !!
Big changes on the horizons, training has shifted up a gear and YES that is possible, when we are aligned and having fun anything is possible, probable and doable. This is my first week back at Uni and requires the last of my organisation skills to get a nce rhythm flowing and it feels really good. Lucky for me as a Counsellor, Life Coach & Personal Trainer one of my subject Health Psychology will be a breeze, ( she says confidently), now that doesn’t mean to say I wont be putting in the research, study and essay time because I certainly will it just means that I live this stuff everyday with my clients and within myself and I know how powerful health, well being and a lifestyle that brings peace, joy, love and vitality truly is, we all need it, seek it and want to be better at it!
Check out this website and find out your life expectancy based on a few simple questions across a diverse range of topics ( what I refer to as wholistic health) that relate to every single one of us http://www.livingto100.com/calculator/start/2, I am living to 100, well at least!!, nice to know and this is a timely reminder to take the best care of yourself because you have this life & body right here, right now so what are you going to choose?
And if you need help you know who to contact vanessa@successhq.com.au.
Training today was more yoga, cardio & TRX core, the abs are coming up nicely top I have a four pack and obliques appearing, no photos yet these are my challenge areas so I will have a great unveiling at some point when I am happy to share, please remember I am a mother and had a Caesarian, which my gorgeous son Charlie likes to remind me is my love scar for a life time and he is right, I was chatting with Nathan ( my soon to be guide and fine tune man) who reminded me that woman once they hit 40 think it’s all over and you know what ladies it’s is just the beginning…. I will show you 
Tuesday Today I was aware of very mixed feelings I am training solo for a while and I am a little sadden by this turn of events and wonder what it will mean? Doing the big sets, heavy weights for this phase is a major challenge and not my favourite bit let me say and I had a tear at the loss and allowed myself the space to process these feelings because to me emotional connection is a key ingredient to success in all areas of life and sometimes stuff changes and we need to accept, let go and surrender to enable our something special to emerge, what that looks like just now I don’t really know?.
I decided to follow my own inner guidance and remind myself of what I often tell my clients, family & friends ” just show up” so I did and I gave it my all and was comforted by my own ability to move through, do my best and be happy with that, happiness is a choice, commitment and discipline is also a choice, that doesn’t mean to say we suppress or forget about what we are experiencing it just means we go a little deeper and connect to our own will, healthy ego and self care and make wise empowered choices.
I am getting some fantastic feedback so that is nice, I love that I am following what feels good for me and that helps others too… Nice can’t ask for more than that. It’s also interesting to note that our own perceptions are sometimes not very accurate as we are with ourselves 24/7 and specifically when it comes to change we can have a tendency not to see what is in front of us. One of the trainers at my gym Sarah is also competing this is her first comp and we have made contact and are chatting as she is telling me all the things I remember from my first comp and it wasn’t pretty… we will meet up and discuss how she can do it easier as science, skill, wisdom and experience has taught me alot as well as the collective wisdom and skill of the many many talented people I have in my network… so you know what if you can help someone DO as you never know when it may be you requiring assistance, be respectful of each persons reality and process and do no harm to self or others.
Ok now we are all loved up I am off for a bath and a good nights sleep listening to the beautiful rain… night all
Wednesday Say hello to the lovely gym floor, new leg program today so it and I are becoming good friends cause its a challenge to get up off it right now 
and the stairs to get out well there could be a marriage proposal coming! Back to uni today again and now I can settle in for the next few months everything covered in no particular order, Training, Relaxation, Education, Business, Clients, Family & Friends, Fun, Passion & Purpose this is my life all flowing nicely, room for continued growth and balance, again I will repeat the mantra, plan to succeed ! It’s easier than you may think, so rethink the idea and allow yourself to explore the possibilities. Ok I am off to study now and rest my very full, heavy well worked legs!
I have had to make some adjustments to nutrition on Wednesdays due to the leg sessions and how fatigued I was feeling Wednesday nights and hungry eating more at the end of the day because I didn’t have enough fuel prior to the session, this lead to eating too close to sleep and then not sleeping well all big no no’s if I want to perform well so I added more carbs ie sweet potato in the earlier meals prior to the legs session and that did the trick so feeling much better now, Remember listen to your body and make changes it knows what its doing
Thursday My Legs are soooo sore from yesterday the stairs at my Centre seem to go forever!!! and as I grimace with every step I know I did a great session yesterday and the results will soon show as my legs become stronger and leaner, I visualise how I will look on stage and I have a little affirmation I repeat over and over when the sessions and or consequences get tough, try it find something that sums up all that you wish to see, feel, believe and achieve put into an I am statement and away you go eg I am fit, lean, healthy, balanced and at peace I am living my best life
Big session today first time solo in a while and with some adjustments to the routine I was able to find my own strength again, I missed the support of course and found my weaknesses too, sometimes when we work with others we gain many other valuable gifts about shared goals, connection and bonding, as people we need that, we need to feel connected to others and build a sense of community and then there are times when we need to go it alone, practice what we have learned from our connections and apply to life in a whole new way, remember what it feels like to be challenged and the insights another perspective can help us to see with new eyes and sometimes we are that for another.
Transformations of all kinds are enriched by this experience and at the end of the day it is up to you, I think it was Ghandi that said “be the change you wish to see in the world” as for me as a teacher and student I value both sides equally and the gift is knowing when to begin and when to end an important key to an overall enriching life… yes very philosophical this week :). It’s been a big week for people in general to dig deep and find their truth and then be able to have the courage to face the consequences of any changes that are required. As you may already be aware I as a Human Behaviour & Well being specialist spend pretty much every moment fine tuning, walking my talk and assisting others to do the same, my practice is busy and thriving filled with amazing people all working toward their dreams and goals, for some its a challenge right now and for others they are reaping rewards of dedicated work toward a better version of self… powerful stuff I am blessed to be a part of… thank you every one.
Friday Rest day, yoga and one of my favourite instructors is leaving so I wonder who will fill his space as I cherish Fridays to rest recuperate and take it easy in general just attending to the day to day, I love having time to stop and reflect, have a chat and be with people in a relaxed way, I had dinner with my friend Brie tonight and it was really lovely to catch up and enjoy each others company, Friday’s I also work with Oliver my teenage elite rower and I am so energised by this kid, he is dedicated and loves his sport, loves to train and prepare for his next event, he reminds me of me when I was that age and into athletics, I just loved to run distance it felt so free and fun, not distracted by the “pressures” of school, study, families, peer groups, no confusion about who am I, what am I meant to be doing right now and personally I think that with having a clear sense of direction, a strong connection with our own identity and free flowing passion anything is possible and that is such an exhilarating amazing way to experience life! Go Oliver :), his training is coming along nicely we are addressing his core strength and helping his to use the power of his glutes effectively, along with sustainable nutrition to cope with the grueling elite rowing regime, this guy is a champion and I am so happy to be working with him he is inspiring.
This leads me to chatting about the impact of energy – mental, emotional, environmental as well as physical, it’s really important to be aware of the affects that people, situation, belief, place etc have on you and weed out the ones that take away from your overall sense of vitality, balance, peace and happiness…. If you have a lot of drama and or stress in your life clean it up its costing you more than you realise and it’s one of those things that you don’t see immediately it’s a slow build of pressure and you may notice it as a mood change, unhelpful thoughts, erratic moods etc obviously check your nutrition and supplementation for neurotransmitter and hormonal imbalances and if that is all go look a little deeper and a lot wider into your self and life, it takes practice and you will begin to notice the subtle changes in your energy field so rule of thumb if it feels good and is supportive of the goal in a movement toward way keep it if not clean it up fast!
Saturday are now becoming another form of fine tuning like Sundays because I am getting fanatstic results and right on track maybe even a little ahead and my body responds fast and I like to get close to my goal and maintain it allows me to get comfortable with the changes before having to face “external” challenges like comp day, routines etc
I am completing a whole body circuit with shuttle runs so the intensity is higher from a functional perspective rather than the heavy sets & isolations for hypertrophy (growth) during the week sessions as my circuits are higher reps and lighter weights really sculpting the muscles to create depth and symmetry, I find that certain body parts for me respond really well to this style of training like my glutes, legs, shoulders & core, bi’s & tri’s like a mix and for back and chest I can go heavy, drop sets seem to be working a dream for this 3 week cycle also, remember no two body’s are the same so be adventurous and test and measure what works for you personally you will see a difference in 3 to for weeks then it’s time to change your program again, always keep the body guessing it creates amazing growth. I made the mistake of too many of the same movement patterns for the first two sets which resulted in fast fatigue and then poor form so I dropped the weights, did a re balance with my brain (kinesiology technique) and adjusted the exercises and viola back on track, I could tell because I was feeling very hot at a core level and my balance was off I wasn’t able to do unilateral (one sided) exercise well, for many they push through with poor form resulting in injury and slow recovery time, I was tired when I left due to the adjustments on the fly as my brain had to work harder today too so a quiet afternoon, movie and early to bed, with all this rain a perfect end to a productive day.
Sunday some glorious sunshine to brighten the weekend much needed boost to the overall outlook, too much rain is not so great for the mood. Training was slow and methodical today after yesterdays fast paced session, I like to take my time on sundays and really get a feel for my body how it’s responding and really tweak the shoulders, mine respond well to lighter weights and higher reps as well as a some heavy presses to add a bit of volume. I met with another Trainer today, she is competing in her first comp in May and needed some guidance, I remember my first comp and all the mistakes I paid dearly for in regard to mood swings, always fatigued and hungry yukkkyyy awful times and wouldn’t wish it on anyone and as I said to Sara if you are feeling that way something is DEFINITELY WRONG and first place to look is nutrition and suppliments and sure enough still heavily relying on egg whites and oats…. old style body building guaranteed to make you stressed and we all know now what happens when you are stressed, the body will hold onto everything because it now perceives a threat so fat loss will not I repeat will not happen if you are stressed so address the nutrition quick smart,as I said to Sara I have so much energy I have to consciously channel it into my many pursuits and teach myself to retain it as body building and life for that matter are both endurance sports so take your time and do it well and have a lot of fun along the way.
Food prep check, watched movie check, caught up with family & friends check, time to do some research and an early night as I feel a deeply focused productive week ahead with some new goals to achieve and changes to make, happy week everyone take care.
All the best Vanessa xx
