Fun on the Funicular Stairway?

While I was in Sydney in January (and still completing Round 4, 2012 of the 12WBT) I was always on the lookout for good places to exercise. I discovered a great one in the grounds of the old Quarantine Station (now called the Q Station) on North Head, Sydney Harbour....the Funicular Stairway!

To incorporate FUN into the name of these stairs seems a dubious sort of thing to do......they go on forever and ever and ever. Even if you aren't there for the specific purpose of flogging yourself on them, you're going to feel some pain! I went back on two separate occasions and conquered those suckers, but I've forgotten how many there were (probably due to the fact that I was delirious with heat exhaustion at the time - that's my story and I'm sticking to it). I know it was more than 200, and I sprinted/ran/walked/hobbled/dragged myself up and down them six times (probably much to the amusement of the diners eating breakfast at the Boilerhouse restaurant at the base of the stairs - bet they didn't know they were getting a free comedy panto thrown in that day!).

I wasn't the only crazy one doing laps of those stairs either. I came across at least one group of bootcampers, fresh off their kayaks, running up and down like maniacs....made me feel right at home! I even had a visit from my little guy. He is quite the stair climber (you can just see him patiently waiting behind me in the shot above....he's not silly, he'd worked out that I would be coming back down again).

PS. If you go to the Q Station web page and watch the slideshow banner they have at the top of their page.....look carefully, because Lucey Blue appears in one of those shots. She's famous ;-)!

Have you lost your weight?

I've gotta say, I personally find it a very nice feeling when people notice that I have lost weight, and remark on it. Having only moved up to Alice in late July last year, I don't know a lot of people here, and those I do know, I don't know really well (yet)...so I wasn't expecting anyone to really note the change in size that I have been undergoing, much less make comment on it.

However, just in the last two days I've had two people come up to me and comment (they haven't been the first either). One, another mum (a passing acquaintance) at school commented that I was "disappearing". This one made me chuckle. While "disappearing" is a significant exaggeration, it is a much nicer feeling than being obese! The second comment I received in a store today (where I was buying food...healthy food in case you were interested). The lady serving me, whose first language is probably not English, asked me if I had "lost my weight"? "Yes, yes I have!" I proudly replied, while thinking....and I hope I never find it again either. I also told her that her delicious food had helped me do it....which made her smile brightly. It was a win, win for us both!

I know I don't need this kind of confirmation from strangers, but let's be honest.....a teensy bit of positive feedback from a relative stranger is a wonderful thing :-). So thanks for noticing!

I'll be back soon with more details on how my first week of Round 1 went.

Let's fly like the wind...

Tomorrow is the big day - Day 1, Week 1, Round 1, 2103 of the 12WBT. Bring it on!

In preparation I dragged the kids out of bed early this morning, chucked two on their bikes, one in the pram and set off on foot. While I was out, I wanted to see how my 1 km run* was doing. We've only just become acquainted, and I'd like to become really good friends :-). On my last attempt I managed 5 mins 50 seconds, which for me...is flying like the wind (let's be real...I am no Usain Bolt and nor will I ever be....good to know your limitations, yes?). Today, however, I forgot that I'd be pushing the pram. It is no excuse, but does kinda alleviate my disappointment some. The first 1 km I managed in 6 mins 20 seconds, but when I ran* it on the way back I only managed 7 mins 10 seconds.

We were out for 1 hour 20 mins in total, and I burnt 847 calories all up. Gotta be happy with that!

If you are about to start Round 1, good luck and fly like the wind!

* run and ran are generous terms for what it is that I do...plod and plodded might perhaps be more accurate descriptions!

Healthy Meal Favourites...

I am going to share some of my favourite healthy meals on this blog too. As I mentioned before, having some scrumptious, healthy food on hand for times when I felt prone to falling off the wagon, made a huge difference to me. Knowing I have one of my favourite meals to look forward to in the evening has gotten me through many a craving-filled afternoon, unscathed.

Now I know that prawns are not everyone's idea of bliss, but they are mine! The image above is far more likely to set my mouth watering now than that of a Mars Bar. Whodathunkit?

The ingredients in the image above are what I use to make scrum-diddly-uptious fresh Spring Rolls....

I have been making these for years. The ingredients have changed somewhat over time, but they are still fresh, light and yummy. You can easily substitute the prawns for chicken or BBQ pork. I often change the green beans for cucumber, and sometimes add bean sprouts too. All taste great. I actually prefer my spring rolls to have a big fresh mint leaf on top, but when I made these this afternoon I didn't have any fresh mint on hand, so basil it was!

I calculate these rolls to be about 75 calories each. That includes two whole, medium-sized tiger prawns each, and also allows for about 5 grams of sweet chilli sauce per roll, as a dipping sauce. They can be a bit fiddly and time-consuming to make, but if you bring the kids in on the action you'll get them done and dusted in no time (although the quality control on the end product goes down some - just sayin').

Do yourself a favour...stock up on the delicious, healthy and nutritious foods that you love! I think you'll find it makes a big difference to how well you manage to stay on track, if you are not constantly feeling deprived.

One of my Round 1 Milestones...

I also wanted to share one of my bestest-evah Round 1 milestones with you while I was here....because I can, and it was very, very exciting! On 27th January I took part in my very first triathlon, the Frampton's Women's Triathlon held in Alice Springs, by the Alice Springs Triathlon Club. It was only a small triathlon, 100 metres swim, 5 kilometres bike ride and 1 kilometre run, but last October (when I was 22.5 kgs heavier) I would have had trouble doing any one of those legs by itself, let alone all three in quick succession.

I was so excited and nervous on the day, but I finished, and I was pretty darn pleased with my time as well: 24 mins and 17 seconds. The swim (which consisted of five laps across the pool) was my least favourite leg, but I made it (just ;-).

This next photo, sourced from the Alice Springs Triathlon Club Facebook Page makes me smile...because it was taken just as I approached the finish line and I think you can see the joy that the moment held for me (grinning like a fool I was)...

...and close to passing out too (well that's what I felt like doing).

I can't wait for my next mini-triathlon. There is another one in March, where you only have to do one of the legs, in a team of three. That will seem like a walk in the park after this one!

Talking Treats

In transitioning from days filled with chocolate, chips, sugar and fats (my old comfort foods) to days where food was heavily regulated (well compared to my previous dealings with food, my meagre 1200 calories/day felt heavily regulated) and healthy, I did experience plenty of feelings of deprivation...and still do from time to time. In order to help combat those feelings, and let's be honest they were only feelings, I found that having some foods on hand that I really looked forward to helped enormously. These special 'treats' (picture a donkey, driver and a carrot on a long stick if you will ;-) that were still healthy, and lower in calories than what I usually considered a treat, helped bolstered my motivation to stay on track. So, I thought I'd share some of the things that I found delicious and treat-worthy on here.

The first treat I'd like to mention here are delicious Cacao Fudge Bites! YUMMMMMMMMMO. Now, I can't give you the recipe, but if you are a member of the 12WBT, the recipe can be found there in the index. Definitely give them a try. They are super quick and easy to make, they taste delicious and if you follow the recipe they come out at about 80 calories a piece (mine are a bit less because I made smaller bites). I made my latest batch of bites using a cute non-stick Wiltshire Petit Four/Chocolate tin that I picked up in Woolies. Even with the non-stick (and some freezing) they were a bit tricksy to get out, and involved a fair amount of hammering on the bottom of the tin.

WARNING: They are pretty darn delicious, so kinda more-ish! If you don't want to blow your whole day's snack allowance in one sitting, perhaps freeze them so that you (or any other munchy-mouths in your house) don't keep seeing them in the fridge and snacking on them.

The Countdown is ON...

In just three days time Round 4, 2012 of the 12WBT will be complete, and Round 1, 2013 about to start! I have completed all my preseason tasks already, many not needing to be done twice. I really only had to re-address my goals, excuses (read pitfalls) and reiterate my commitment to the program. Hooray! I have used my final weigh-in, measurements and fitness test results from Round 4, 2012, for the start of Round 1, 2013.

It feels good to have a plan in place, and I am looking forward to some new challenges and achievements over the next 12 weeks. I think I will also try and make it to the end-of-round Finale this time, which I believe will be held in Melbourne. Not only will it be a treat to visit Melbourne, the Finale workout will be something to train and prepare for. Bring it on!

If you have managed to find my blog I hope that you will find some tidbit of information or motivation along the way, that might be useful to you. If you do, please don't hesitate to let me know. It would be lovely to know that I am not sitting here rambling to myself. If you are taking part in Round 1, 2013 of the 12WBT all the best for your journey too. I'd love to hear how you are doing.

Thanks for popping by!