Earthquakes, The Arnold Classic & back to reality...



with Jen Hendershott





With Latisha Wilder & Claire Torr



It has been a crazy time of mixed emotions & physical challenges.  When the Feb 22 quake struck I was on the bike doing cardio.  I lived closed to the CBD in Christchurch & severity was apparent as soon as I went outside.  People everywhere, some crying & many panicking.  Several buildings had lost walls & windows, everyone including me was scared beyond words.  I made the decision to get out of Christchurch & booked a ticket to Auckland to spend 6 days before flying to Ohio training there.  I packed necessities into a suitcase & left my flat, dropping my pets at the nicest boarding kennel I could find before heading to the airport.

In Auckland I spent each day doing a couple of hours of cardio & 2 hour weights sessions, eating & sleeping & finally feeling safe away from shaking ground.  It was hard work & good to have something else to focus on.  I felt guilty for leaving my pets & in a sense for leaving Christchurch but felt I was doing what had to be done - I'd had my eyes set on the goal of doing my best at the Arnold classic for months & knew I'd regret it if I didn't carry on as planned.

The show was a whirlwind - you're not on that stage for long!  Mine was the smallest figure class, the standard of the girls in all classes was great - not just physiques, but bikinis, hair, makeup etc was all immaculate.  I was so relieved to be in the first call out.  Once prejuding was over I had a day at the expo which I had been excited about for months.  I loved it so much I'd like to go back another year just to watch the show & enjoy the massive expo again, it's a dream come true for any fitness fanatic.  The highlight of the day was getting to meet Monica Brant which had been on my to-do-list!  Then Saturday was finals on the expo stage, everything went quickly & I was pleased with my 4th place finish & very cool trophy.  I had been day dreaming about red meat for weeks so ordered & proudly finished a very impressive 22ounce steak that night - the best steak of my life!  Sunday I went back for round 2 of the expo, overall highlight for me was meeting & chatting to Jen Hendershott who has been one of my biggest Idols for years, I also met the lovely Latisha Wilder at her booth who I met again at the NZ Pro Show in Auckland on March 19th, both of these ladies were so lovely & down to earth.

After a little downtime in I got back into some good high volume training - tried out Harbour Fitness in Birkenhead which I liked.  Was great being in Auckland to see the Pro Show - highlights of this week were getting to jump in on a training session with Erin Stern - Miss Olympia!  Also I got to sit & chat with my lovely friend & fellow figure girl Claire Torr while watching the show.

Not so fun was a knee operation last week - arthroscopic & a lateral meniscus repair.  I don't respond to pain relief so was unpleasant initially but am more mobile & have pain under control now.  Unfortunately I think the same may need to be done to my other knee so have an appointment with another surgeon for next week!  I came back down to Christchurch for the surgery & have really enjoyed being back training my clients at Eastside Barbell Club.  My youngest client Maddi (13) is training for her first year in sport aerobics & impressively learnt almost her full routine over a couple of days & had the choreography to music speed 2 days later - something I first did when I was 16 after 3 years of competing - really looking forward to seeing how she progresses.  I've also spent 10 hrs this last week with 3 ladies preparing for their first shows - 2 in the sports model class & 1 in figure.  They all have done a great job & can't wait to see how they go on show day!

So it's been a month of exciting, sad & happy moments  - with some of the most memorable events of my life to date.  Some things have put a massive smile on my face & made me feel like I know exactly what I want in life - others have made me shed unstoppable tears & made me feel lost.  As for me & my next steps, I'm working on it!  In terms of my physique I have decided what I need to focus on.  I have my long term competitive goals mapped out along with some career ones & will share more about all this when life has some normality back...
"Perhaps our eyes need to be washed by our tears once in a while, so that we can see life with a clearer view again"

With Chie Terui, 3rd place in Figure A

3.5 weeks to go...

I had intended to update this blog more regularly but have ended up taking clients seven days a week to fit everything in around training so life has been non stop lately.  Not complaining though as I really enjoy being busy all the time, I feel I perform better at everything I do when I've got heaps going on!

Sundays are now taken up by clients wanting sessions related to stage presentation/ choreography - this is probably the thing I enjoy the most out of what I do work wise.  Yesterday I worked on stage presentation with a client preparing for the bikini class, a young sport aerobics athlete who is really talented & started a figure routine for a lady who did a great job at our first session.

Saw the movie Black Swan with my mum yesterday - AMAZING one of the best films I have seen in years.  Disturbing & complicated with great acting & beautiful dance scenes,
would definitely recommend seeing it!

My Training has been going well, enjoying weights sessions keeping my strength which is great.  Training upper body 3-4 days a week & working on hamstrings & calves.  Have been doing 2 hrs cardio a day split into 2 or 3 sessions on the bike.  Working my way through the Rocky movies during cardio which have made the time pass more quickly - up to Rocky 5 today, 3 & 4 were both awesome!  Have to admit watching them has made me think more about still wanting to get in the ring at some stage, but have several more goals with work & competing to tick off my list before I seriously consider that.

Diet has been good, this week am swapping at least one meal a day to white fish instead of chicken, eating 6-7 times a day - lots of egg whites & veggies & keeping carbs low.  I always notice what a difference to my skin the increase in veggies & clean food makes when closer to shows - better than any skin care products I've tried!  Lucky for me I love veggies & clean food, although of course am looking forward to some treats & little more flexibility with my diet when it's time for a break.

Saw this quote the other day & particularly liked it;

"The most valuable thing you can make is a mistake
- you can't learn anything from being perfect"

My preparation for The Arnold Classic!

7 Weeks from tomorrow I will be standing on stage in Columbus, Ohio as an Amateur in the Arnold Classic!  My good friend Kristy Thompson went last March so I've heard about it from her & it sounds so exciting, I'm sure it will be one of the best experiences I'll ever have.  Obviously competiting itself is exciting, but I also can't wait to see other athletes & attend the expos & of course enjoy an awesome meal the next day!

I have been training really hard & stepped it up with weights in the last few weeks.  I have a great training partner at the moment, Lance Preddy, who has a powerlifting background - I've been choosing what to do for our leg workouts & he's choosing the exercises for upper body days.  Chest/tricep & back/biceps last week I found intense, trained them on Thursday & Friday & today (Wednesday) the soreness has gone - just in time for another upper body thrashing of some kind today!

Have got a 12 Week Challenge starting for about 15 clients on the 24th of Jan, am going to be running 5 or 6 group training sessions from then (had been running 3) & am training at 3 or 4 girls for their first show in Christchurch on April 30th - the Nabba/WFF Christchurch Grand Prix. 

Writting for the Gofigure website is also keeping me busy & have started doing a bit more online training for people around New Zealand. So all in all - everything is going really well & I'd say it's going to be a jammed packed few months ahead - bring it on!

You can check out my latest aritcle on gofigure here: http://www.gofigure.co.nz/doc/content/blogcategory/31/34/

There are people in life who are incredibly supportive of others regardless of their own situation or what may be going on in their lives, & there are also people who try and knock your down, belittle what you believe in, or what you're trying to do.  I am learning more and more as time goes on to spend my time with/talking to people who will support & respect me & what I want to achieve in life & I will do the same back for them.  The people who can only find negative things to say are most likely unhappy with their own situation, & while it can be easier said than done.. the negative/challenging things don't effect me as much as they have at times in the past,  I know what I want & I'm going after it :)

"I stand for freedom of expression, doing what you believe in, & going after your dreams"
- Madonna

Another new year... 2011 is going to be a good one!

I had a quiet but really nice evening on New Years eve with a good friend, having good conversation over good (but healthy) food.  We both have exciting events &/or changes lined up so really enjoyed chatting about that, & was cool to think when we catch up next we should both have some pretty awesome stories!

Just finished an article for the Gofigure website (http://www.gofigure.co.nz/)  today "5 Things NOT to do when making New Year's resolutions".  This one should be up in the next couple of days & will follow it up with another one about how to stay on track with goals for the new year in a weeks time.  You can check out my last article on tips for the festive season here: http://www.gofigure.co.nz/doc/content/view/1179/34/

My training is going well, have been a little off target with my food but more in terms of not eating enough meals a day at times & timing between meals, rather than eating the wrong things.  Holiday mode does that to me a little, I prefer set routines - boring but predictable, as far as training & making progress with that & diet is concerned.  I ate pretty cleanly even on Christmas day - I did interval training for 2 hours during the day so enjoyed a desert of fruit salad, Gelato & sorbet.


Getting back into the swing of it now & excited about starting a new year, which I plan to make a good one!  Had a good workout today, have eaten well & have my goals clearly in mind.  For me having quotes & photos round my home, in my training diary etc, as reminders of what I want to achieve is always helpful.  Nothing like keeping goals right at the front of your mind - so tomorrow I'm going to put some different quotes & pics up on my pantry door, fridge & bathroom mirror :) I found this quote on a fridge magnet while Christmas shopping.  I think it's a great one to live by, start a new year with & finish for today;

"To laugh is to risk appearing a fool,
to weep is to risk being called sentimental,

to reach out to another is to risk involvement,

to expose is to risk

showing your true self,

to place your ideas & your dreams before a
crowd is to risk being called naive,

to love is to risk not being loved in return

to live is to risk dying

to hope is to risk despair

to try is to risk failure

the greatest risk in life is to risk

NOTHING,

the person who risks nothing,

does nothing,

has nothing,

is nothing

and becomes nothing,

only the person who risks

is truly free..."