Finale Workout & Party – Round 3 2011

I had been looking forward to the Finale Group Workout from the beginning of the preseason.

When the day came however, I was feeling very apprehensive.  I had only trained once since the 12th October – and I felt I didn’t really deserve to be going.  Is that a mindset I need to work on or what!

Once I got there those feelings didn’t last for long.  I was so excited and so pleased that I had made the changes I had in the 16 weeks of preseason and 12wbt.  I decided there was no need for me to feel a failure because I wasn’t perfect.

And when you’re surrounded by a bunch of people like the Sydneysiders Crew you can’t help but feel positive.  It was great seeing friends I had only seen the week before, or not for several weeks, or even for the first time.  And a mini-goal was to be wearing the size 22 Sydneysiders t-shirt, and I had achieved that.  I’m forth from the left, back row – just look for the Lorna Jayne headband – she makes them in my size!

And then Mish arrived!  It was really happening.  I think I’m in a slightly different position in these shots – just look for the purple headband.

And look here – proof I was feeling positive – despite the nagging doubts I’d had since waking up that morning.

I was so excited in fact that when it came time to do the workout I forgot to start my HRM – so please, no questions about how many calories I burned at the workout.

It was great to be there with all the 12wbt Sydneysiders Crew and just amazing that hundreds and hundreds of 12wbt-ers kept arriving.  The atmosphere was great!

But, there was one very special person at the workout.

Just to the left of me in this photo is my special guest with his own Michelle Bridges 12wbt shirt.  Yes, my husband Mr G. agreed to come along and share in the day with me – even though the last time he set foot in a gym was 1997, and the only exercising he’d done since was some walking at a leisurely pace.  (I might be forgetting the time he got on my treadmill for five minutes earlier this year?)

So here we are waiting for the workout to start.  He has no idea what he is in for! He thinks BodyAttack is something our kids do at Taekwondo.

I think he is particularly brave – probably even more daring than going to the midnight screening of “Breaking Dawn” with me.

So here we are working out!  And look – I’m smiling and enjoying it!

Mr G. struggled with coordinating his movements to the music.  And he commented later that it was so confusing – they kept repeating moves and changing moves from side to side and repeating and changing again………but he persevered.

We both think its hilarious that I struggle with being able to identify and name my left and right hands, legs, feet – don’t ask me to sing and perform the Hokey Pokey on my own (you get the idea) – but I can keep up with a BodyAttack routine I’ve never done before.  Mr G on the other hand has a brain wired entirely differently to mine – he can read a map upside down and the right way up – but following an exercise sequence left him baffled. Go figure!  His t-shirt was one of the ones designed for an earlier round.  It says on the front “I smashed it up with Michelle Bridges and all I got was this t-shirt…” and on the back “and lots of lovely meals.  77Noni’s No 1 Supporter”.

Here is how 900+ people ready to work out look like.  An amazing sight!  We followed Mish and her crew in BodyAttack moves as a whole group. Then we broke into four groups and rotated around four stages doing two different exercises at each stage – one standing and one on the ground.  Hadn’t done that since the last Pain in the Park way back in September!

After that there were more routines together as one big group facing the main stage and jogging and exercising in a circle – including 900+ people running towards the centre of the circle and back out again.  It was fabulous to be part of a group that broke the record for the number of people in a workout.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JFDI says it all really doesn’t it!

So once we had cooled down and stretched, there was only one more thing to do.  Another group photo with Mish.

In the end I was so glad I went and did the workout.  Next round I’m determined to make sure I do all I can not to be down on myself if the round doesn’t go perfectly.  It’s not about perfection, just about doing better than your best.

And, I’ll make sure I start my HRM – if you’re going to smash it up with Michelle Bridges, you should know how many calories you’ve burned!

So is it your goal to make it to a finale workout one day?

Yesterday’s Post

Well I sat down at the computer hours ago.  Plan was to log in my cals for the day with myfitnesspal then do my blog post about the Round 3 2011 Finale workout.   Hmm here it is 12.30am and I’m just getting started.  Not good.  What happened to my resolution you ask?  Well you probably are the reason – or very likely – someone you know!

Let me back track.  At first my computer wasn’t logging me onto myfitnesspal.  Hmmm.  A regular person would then go onto the next task – the Finale blog post.  Me – I got sidetracked on Facebook.  Bigtime.  I am now a member in five six 12wbt Facebook Groups – Sydneysiders, 30+ Crew, 8 Week Challenge (A sub-group of 30+ Crew), Blue Mountains, Shredder Face and Western Sydney Crew.  Between the five groups and friends and the 12wbt group on myfitnesspal – I was continually chatting, reading and laughing out loud for about 4 1/2 hours.

But why soooo long?  Well firstly, I’m on holidays, so I can go a little crazy.  Secondly, the world suddenly got a lot smaller.

It turns out someone I’ve been arranging to meet up with at a gym tomorrow is actually closely related to someone I used to work with – thought the surname was familiar.  

Other people besides me are excited about learning to ride a bike, helping others to ride a bike and generally feeling positive about the whole process. Check a previous post for the story behind this one.  (Too tired to put the link in right now.)

Someone I met online tonight, who I’m doing a group bushwalk with next week lives around the corner from the school where I teach.

And they are only three of the conversations that had me laughing, crying and looking forward to the next part of this journey.

And it made me think of these photos.  This first one is the first group of Pain in the Park, just before round 3 2011 started.  That’s me – back row, third from the left, but I’m sure you knew that.  This group of Sydneysiders made me feel really welcome.  It was my first time meeting anyone from 12wbt away from a computer monitor. My only regret is that I let my shyness hold me back when it came to talking to the other members there.  I was so glad I went along.  (And so pleased that the size 26 shirt I’m wearing is no longer part of my wardrobe, and I’m wearing a size 22 Sydneysiders shirt.)

This one is from the next Pain in the Park workout I went along too.  And this particular task terrified me at first, because it was a team task, and I was so worried about not being strong enough or fast enough, and letting my team down.  I shouldn’t have worried – not when I was surrounded by people smiling, and laughing and just simply doing their best.  I realised that’s all I had to do too.  And even better – managed to burn some calories while having fun! (But don’t let AC know I was having fun!)

So, don’t hesitate to reach out and chat to other 12wbt-ers in the forums, on Twitter, by commenting on blog posts, on Facebook or anywhere else.  Ask questions. Ponder out loud. Vent, if you need people who understand to hear you, and listen. Don’t hesitate to offer your support.  We’re all on our individual journeys – but I’ve no doubt we all understand the commitment needed, the importance of consistency and the difference of a smile can make – either a virtual smile or one in “real” life.

I know I can’t do this alone.

I know for sure now I don’t have to do this alone.

I know now I don’t want to do this alone.

And that’s probably the most important thing I gained from Round 3 2011.

A new years resolution

Can you guess?

I am going to update the blog at least six days a week – ’cause everyone needs a rest day.  I am mortified that I let it languish for so long.

So why?

I did my indoor triathlon as planned on the 12/10/11 in the morning before work.  Very pleased because it was only 10 days before that I sprained my ankle, and that was the first time I’d been back on a treadmill.  That afternoon, while going to meet my husband and daughter at the very same aquatic centre – she was there for her weekly swim lesson, I fell down outside and resprained my ankle.  I nearly lost all hope at that point.  But I didn’t.  I just gave up exercising for quite a while, and because I felt guilty about that, stopped blogging.  Lesson learnt.  I’ll be on here now to blog about the good and the bad.  And I’m determined this round there will be more good than bad.

And how did Round 3 2011 end for me?

I was pleased in the end.  11.8kgs gone in the 12 weeks.  18.1kgs since the beginning of preseason.  My mindset still needs a lot of work – but I’m in a much better place than I was 20 weeks ago.   And what I experienced is proof that clean eating is so important.

And what does Round 1 2012 hold for me?

Well I can’t really answer that just yet.  But very excited about it since I signed up yesterday.  I started exercising regularly again on Monday 26/12/11.  Loving it!  I allowed myself to change the ticker you can see to the right to reflect my fresh start with exercise.  The preseason task about excuses is going to be an important one for me – because even after my doctor gave me the go ahead to start weight bearing exercise again I kept procrastinating and making excuses.  This round I hope to have that sorted. Is once and for all too much to hope for?

So, what is your New Year’s resolution?