The blogging challenge is here, on Kath's blog.
1. Describe yourself in 25 words or less. You can get straight to the point - or bring your creativity into play.
mum to three, being me
running half-marathons, now
lifting some weights too.
(in haiku form!)
2. What brings you to 12wbt? Getting fitter? Losing weight? (Gaining weight??) Are you first timer, a repeat offender??
This is my third round, I've lost most of the weight I want to lose - I was at goal but to be perfectly honest I put on a kilo and a bit since Round 2 ended. This round is mostly about getting stronger, physically and emotionally.
3. Why do you blog??
I suppose I like to kid myself I am interesting! I like writing, and online communication is a huge part of my life. My 'other' blog is about the creative 'domestic' stuff I get up to - but unfortunately I only seem to have time for updating one.
4. Who is your biggest inspiration in life and why (doesn't have to be weight loss)
I think my mum is pretty awesome. She had a career before children when that still wasn't really the done thing. Then she had and raised four children in a country on the other side of the world from her family and most of her friends. She breastfed us all to toddlerhood, again, in an era where this was not encouraged, giving us the best possible start to life. She has always believed in and campaigned for causes - not always the same ones as me, but always with a good heart and with compassion. And now that I have young children, she helps me out a lot because she remembers what it was like to raise children with no family support.
5. What things in life bring you the most joy?
I'm sure it's a cliche, but my children. A sunny spring day before it gets too hot (this time of year!). A good run. Hearing joyous news from friends (a friend had a baby boy this morning after losing a son last year soon after birth. She and baby are well and this news has made me smile all day).
6.What do you think your greatest challenge is going to be this round?
Being consistent. Consistently going into the weights area of the gym and learning/doing new exercises.
7. What are you most excited about 12wbt?
Pushing my boundaries and uncovering some muscles!
8. And what scares the pants off you?
Same as the previous question, haha.
9. Tell me - right now - today - how do you feel about exercise in no more than 10 words
Happy, grateful, tired.
10. Complete this sentence - in 12 weeks time - on the last day of 12wbt I am going to be feeling ____________________
stronger than I thought I was.
Showing posts with label blogging challenge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blogging challenge. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Week three blogging challenge
My greatest support.
Easy. It has to be the Perth crew. My partner tries, I love him for it, and my mum is a huge support in lots of ways that are indirectly related to my health and lifestyle, but this group of people are just amazing.
I don't make friends easily - online is easy enough but too often that doesn't translate to real life or true in-depth support (I do have one other group of friends I met online who are similarly awesome when it comes to parent-type support). The Perth crew are loud, but they listen. They're proud, of themselves but of others in the group too. They offer congratulations when I do well; hugs and just the right balance of tough love when I don't do so well.
We're such a diverse group of people too, in age, occupation, fitness levels, outlook on life.
I would not have made it this far without them.
Easy. It has to be the Perth crew. My partner tries, I love him for it, and my mum is a huge support in lots of ways that are indirectly related to my health and lifestyle, but this group of people are just amazing.
I don't make friends easily - online is easy enough but too often that doesn't translate to real life or true in-depth support (I do have one other group of friends I met online who are similarly awesome when it comes to parent-type support). The Perth crew are loud, but they listen. They're proud, of themselves but of others in the group too. They offer congratulations when I do well; hugs and just the right balance of tough love when I don't do so well.
We're such a diverse group of people too, in age, occupation, fitness levels, outlook on life.
I would not have made it this far without them.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Week 2 Blogging Challenge: My Greatest Strengths
Thanks, Kath, for this week's timely blogging challenge: my greatest strengths.
I remember being asked at my very first job interview, what I thought were my greatest strengths. I couldn't answer it well then, I've bluffed my way through answering it at many job interviews since, and I still struggle to answer it honestly.
I will stick to strengths that are relevant to the 12WBT and living a healthy life, because you probably don't need to know that I can spot a spelling error from a mile away, am a nit-picking grammar nazi of a copy-editor, and can sew a nice straight seam on the sewing machine. Or that I make really good coffee and can do multiplication and addition in my head. Just so you know, though, I can do all those things!
1. Endurance and persistence
In school, I always wanted to be really good at a sport. I wasn't terrible at sport, but I didn't have an overwhelming talent in any one area. I took up cross-country and longer-distance track running (1500m) because I worked out that most people simply couldn't be bothered keeping on going; while sprinting relied heavily on natural talent, I could at least make it to interschools in longer distances by showing up at training and just outlasting most others.
Same thing applies now. I'm never going to be at the front of a pack in a running race, but I can just keep on going, burn those calories, run distances that some people think are really awesome, by pure grit. There's no elegance in my running style, just one foot in front of the other.
Like the story of the hare and the tortoise, I'm quite happy to plod along slowly, as long as I do what I need to do.
2. Not being strong
Sounds silly, yes? I think that when you are very good at something, it can be difficult to help others and empathise with their struggles. In high school, I was a maths whiz. Almost everything we studied just came so easily to me - yes, I was one of those annoying people who could not study hard, and still get good marks (unfortunately this didn't carry through to university, but that's another story). Quite often, I would be asked to help friends with the coursework and it just didn't work! Because it came so easily to me, my explanations of the process were inadequate to them, and we got frustrated with each other.
In some ways, the same applies to fitness, weight loss, and so on. I am ashamed to say that I used to take part in fat-hatred. I always thought it was okay because I "wasn't saying I hated the PERSON", but it's not okay to make fat jokes, poke fun at people for gaining weight, ridicule overweight people struggling to run along the footpath. God, I feel ashamed writing this, and I hope anyone reading who is overweight, has been overweight, and particularly those who have been overweight all their lives, do not hate me for this. I could run, and I was thin, therefore people who weren't thin and who couldn't run or were unfit, were obviously lazy and doing something wrong.
You'll all be pleased to hear I've gained bucketloads of empathy since then. Of course, the cynics among you could argue that it's only because I put on excess weight myself, but I prefer to think it's just part of growing up. I've had struggles with various other issues along the way, and so not being strong (physically, at least. I have become stronger mentally) has made me a much nicer and kinder person. I just wish I hadn't spent a number of years of my life being an arsehole!
OK, I'm done. I could only come up with two! Guess I'm not that good at this yet.
I remember being asked at my very first job interview, what I thought were my greatest strengths. I couldn't answer it well then, I've bluffed my way through answering it at many job interviews since, and I still struggle to answer it honestly.
I will stick to strengths that are relevant to the 12WBT and living a healthy life, because you probably don't need to know that I can spot a spelling error from a mile away, am a nit-picking grammar nazi of a copy-editor, and can sew a nice straight seam on the sewing machine. Or that I make really good coffee and can do multiplication and addition in my head. Just so you know, though, I can do all those things!
1. Endurance and persistence
In school, I always wanted to be really good at a sport. I wasn't terrible at sport, but I didn't have an overwhelming talent in any one area. I took up cross-country and longer-distance track running (1500m) because I worked out that most people simply couldn't be bothered keeping on going; while sprinting relied heavily on natural talent, I could at least make it to interschools in longer distances by showing up at training and just outlasting most others.
Same thing applies now. I'm never going to be at the front of a pack in a running race, but I can just keep on going, burn those calories, run distances that some people think are really awesome, by pure grit. There's no elegance in my running style, just one foot in front of the other.
Like the story of the hare and the tortoise, I'm quite happy to plod along slowly, as long as I do what I need to do.
2. Not being strong
Sounds silly, yes? I think that when you are very good at something, it can be difficult to help others and empathise with their struggles. In high school, I was a maths whiz. Almost everything we studied just came so easily to me - yes, I was one of those annoying people who could not study hard, and still get good marks (unfortunately this didn't carry through to university, but that's another story). Quite often, I would be asked to help friends with the coursework and it just didn't work! Because it came so easily to me, my explanations of the process were inadequate to them, and we got frustrated with each other.
In some ways, the same applies to fitness, weight loss, and so on. I am ashamed to say that I used to take part in fat-hatred. I always thought it was okay because I "wasn't saying I hated the PERSON", but it's not okay to make fat jokes, poke fun at people for gaining weight, ridicule overweight people struggling to run along the footpath. God, I feel ashamed writing this, and I hope anyone reading who is overweight, has been overweight, and particularly those who have been overweight all their lives, do not hate me for this. I could run, and I was thin, therefore people who weren't thin and who couldn't run or were unfit, were obviously lazy and doing something wrong.
You'll all be pleased to hear I've gained bucketloads of empathy since then. Of course, the cynics among you could argue that it's only because I put on excess weight myself, but I prefer to think it's just part of growing up. I've had struggles with various other issues along the way, and so not being strong (physically, at least. I have become stronger mentally) has made me a much nicer and kinder person. I just wish I hadn't spent a number of years of my life being an arsehole!
OK, I'm done. I could only come up with two! Guess I'm not that good at this yet.
Friday, May 20, 2011
If you can dream it, you can achieve it.
Kath @ The Courage to Start had this great idea of a blog ring/blogging challenge. A post on a certain topic each week.
I want you to paint me a word picture. Pretend today is not today. You are not nervous, or overwhelmed or apprehensive or excited about the next 12 weeks. You are none of those things because you have LIVED it! You are at the finish line!
So, it's the end of August. I'm hanging out in sunny Brisbane with the awesome Perth crew. The group workout has gone brilliantly. This time I smashed the pushups and situps, and had the confidence to introduce myself to some more 12WBTers I knew from the forums but hadn't met IRL.
Now it's time for the party. I have the most awesome dress, being a size 10 is great because everything comes in that size! I don't feel the need for suck-it-in underwear because I finally have abs again after doing my crunches every night.
My before and after pics go up on the screen, and I feel awesome because I DIDN'T flake out at the end of the round this time. I'll treat myself to a few drinks tonight, but nothing too big because I'm running my first half-marathon next weekend and I'm aiming for a good time.
Once again I am just so happy for everyone and their exciting transformation journeys. I am happy to be me.
I want you to paint me a word picture. Pretend today is not today. You are not nervous, or overwhelmed or apprehensive or excited about the next 12 weeks. You are none of those things because you have LIVED it! You are at the finish line!
So, it's the end of August. I'm hanging out in sunny Brisbane with the awesome Perth crew. The group workout has gone brilliantly. This time I smashed the pushups and situps, and had the confidence to introduce myself to some more 12WBTers I knew from the forums but hadn't met IRL.
Now it's time for the party. I have the most awesome dress, being a size 10 is great because everything comes in that size! I don't feel the need for suck-it-in underwear because I finally have abs again after doing my crunches every night.
My before and after pics go up on the screen, and I feel awesome because I DIDN'T flake out at the end of the round this time. I'll treat myself to a few drinks tonight, but nothing too big because I'm running my first half-marathon next weekend and I'm aiming for a good time.
Once again I am just so happy for everyone and their exciting transformation journeys. I am happy to be me.
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