Yay! Tomorrow is almost here!

What's happening tomorrow you ask? Day 1 of the rest of my life...

• I start my next 12 week Turbulence Training Challenge. Referring to this as a 12 week challenge is not really accurate for me as this is going to be my lifetime challenge. If there is one thing I have learnt in the past year it is that you HAVE to approach your fitness and nutrition as lifestyle change, not a short term challenge. If you don't you WILL end up back where you started from. Taking part in a 12 week challenge just helps to kick start good fitness and nutrition habits.
  
• I start the mini 4 week Turbulance Training Twitter Challenge.
  
• I start establishing my home based design, marketing and communications business
  
• I start living, instead of existing.

There. Its said. In public. For all the world to see... well ok, anyone who visits my blog. I am so totally committed to changing the areas of my life I am not happy with. This week has been the most challenging week I have had in all of my 40 years. It has also been one of the most liberating. My destiny is truly in my own hands. I would be lying if I said I didn't have some fear and worry about our financial situation lurking in the deep recesses of my brain... but that is where it is going to stay. I am realistic in knowing that obstacles may unexpectedly pop up along the way to give me even more of a challenge but I know what I ultimately want to achieve and I am going to keep trying until I get there. 

My car loves me for it... I cleaned it for the first time this year!

I am updating my blog...

I will be working on my blog over the weekend so it is going to look a little strange.

A week I wont forget in a hurry...

This week did not go quite to plan. I found out on Wednesday morning that I had lost my job due to redundancy. Things are really quiet in the New Zealand economy at the moment (as it is in many other countries I suspect) and I have just become one of the casualties. To be honest, on a personal level, I really needed a break so it could have been a dream come true... unfortunately I have a huge mortgage so it is more like my worst nightmare! Oh well. These things are sent to test us. Have allowed myself three days of feeling sorry for myself (ends tonight) and then I am back into life with a vengeance!

Am counting down until my next 12 week challenge starts - my first day is Monday, September 1st. Perfect. Always like starting new things on a Monday and it is even better when it is on the 1st of a month! Craig Ballantyne is also running a four week challenge via Twitter starting on the same day so I am up for that as well. Still trying to figure out how Twitter actually works and what the point of it is but I am on there - just don't know what I am doing!

Unfortunately my preparation ground to a bit of a halt this week as had other things on my mind. I AM GOING TO DO MY FOOD PLAN FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS this weekend... am shouting at myself as need a kick up the backside to make myself do this.

I'm back!

It has been awhile since I last posted. I have been dealing with some life challenges that resulted in a few 'bathroom floor' moments - those of you who have read Elizabeth Gilberts amazing book, Eat Pray Love will know what I mean! I am back now and feeling grateful for these experiences as they have taught me much and made me a stronger person. I didn't finish the last TT challenge. I tried but just didn't have it in me.

I am really looking forward to the next few months. The most exciting news of all is that the Turbulence Training Transformation Challenge III starts in one week! I will post a link to the official information page when it is available. I have spent the last week preparing for it and will spend the next week doing the same.

The injury to my sacroiliac joint has improved to the point where I can carryout pretty much any exercise but I just have to be careful as certain things do seem to aggravate it. I am recovering from a bout of the flu, something which I would rather not have happened but I am so thankful it happened when it did. I took a couple of days off work and, because I was feeling a bit run down asked my new employer if I could have the rest of the week off. He said YES! I am so thankful to him for allowing me this time. I think my body is still fighting the flu a little but other than that am in a really good place!

Some of the things I have been working on in preparation for the next challenge include:

Nutrition

For some reason I hit a wall on this one. I had the best part of a week to consider and put together a plan but for some reason kept putting it off. The thing that was keeping me 'stuck' was having to plan my meals. It always seems to take way longer to do than I think it will. I find it a challenge trying to think of meals that are quick and easy to make during the week, that limit waste by incorporating existing food I have in the fridge/freezer and that provide variety without wasting food (if a meal has for example pumpkin in it, several more meals really need pumpkin as well to use the pumpkin up). Probably the most difficult meals to plan are breakfasts and lunches during the week as I have minimal time to prepare breakfast in the morning and usually only enough time to quickly heat something at work during lunch.

Anyway, as it turned out, procrastinating on this area of my planning was a good thing - when I finally made myself sit down to do my meal plan there in my inbox was an email from Craig Ballantyne telling us about a great nutrition program called The Diet Solution. It didn't solve all my problems (still have to do a bit of planning) but it did provide a nice, simple and effective approach to nutrition for me. I am going to base my nutrition plan around The Diet Solution program, adapting it where necessary to fit into my lifestyle and availability of ingredients.

What TT program to start with???

Hmm. This one I have not totally decided on yet. So many to choose from! I am fairly certain that I am going to start with TT Beginners to help build up some strength and avoid further injury to my back. Plenty of time in the future to sample all the other great programs Craig has developed.

My goals

I will put some thought into those over the next week and provide a summary of the goals relevant to the TT Challenge on my start date. I will be using the The Magic 100 goal setting system to plan and achieve my goals.

Other stuff I have been doing in preparation for the next challenge

I removed alcohol from my lifestyle a couple of weeks ago and have gradually been removing 'cheat' food from my diet and introducing more fruit and vegetables. I had intended upping my exercise a little more but that didn't happen due to catching the flu. I have managed to fit in a couple of walks, a walk/jog and a short yoga session. I have also been tidying and sorting things at home to remove some 'clutter' and help give me the sense of a 'fresh start' for the next challenge. Today I gave myself a home beauty treatment with face masks, hair treatments and a manicure. It is amazing how invigorated and motivated something as simple as this can make you feel! I have also been reading and listening to a variety of inspirational material, including a little treasure I came across in Amazon called The First 30 Days: Your Guide to Any Change (and Loving Your Life More).

Probably one of my biggest decisions is deciding on how often I am going to post comments in my blog and in the TT members forum. My ultimate goal is to reduce my weight, increase my fitness and achieve balance in my life. I spend most of my working hours sitting at a computer so I really want to keep time spent on a computer outside work to a minimum. I also would really like to keep this blog going as well as post regularly on the TT members forum. I am probably looking at committing to posting at least weekly in each, more if I have time.

So there it is. That is what I have been up to lately. The one thing I am really determined about is that by the time I reach the end of the year and our New Zealand summer holiday period I am going to have the best possible body I can in the timeframe available to me.

Sacroiliac joint injury (Update)

Saw a sports injury specialist yesterday. Felt a bit like a fraud when I filled in the form... 'what sport do you play', 'what is the name of your coach', 'what team do you play for'... Actually, writing this now I have just realised that I have the perfect answers; Sport: TT, Coach: Craig Ballantyne and TT Members, Team: Breakthrough Challengers. Don't you hate that when the perfect answer pops up hours later!

Anyway, the sports injury specialist thinks it is my Sacroiliac Joint. She gave me a cortisone injection which will apparently help determine things 100% ie. if it still hurts in a week then it isn't my Sacroiliac joint. I am getting heaps of support from my Doctor, Osteo and Kylie, the sports medicine expert.

The best thing is that I can resume some form of exercise. I refer to it as 'nana' exercise but at least it is something. Last week I devised a program using what TT exercises I can do and have been given the ok to do pretty much all of what I put in there for my upper body. Unfortunately I am back to the 80's for my lower body... leg lifts and that sort of thing for a couple of weeks. I can also cycle on my spin bike for 15 minutes (unfortunately at a slow, consistent pace for the next few weeks) and walking in the pool. Luckily I have my larger size togs from last year when I was recovering from my ACL op. Was quite amusing last year. Because my left knee was weak, I couldn't really use it much for awhile so I had serious trouble swimming straight ie. right leg stronger so I would weave my way up the lane. One night I had to share my lane with about six other people... a bit like dodgems.

Anyway, there is hope. At least I can do some exercise now!

Week 1, Day 1 TT Challenge II (RESTART)

Right. Today I am officially re-starting my second transformation challenge.

For those of you who are not aware, I started this challenge May 5th and injured my back. I actually injured it at the end of the last challenge and it flared up again while doing my first workout for this challenge. I am limited as to what exercise I can do so will be adapting the TT workouts to fit in with my limitations for the next few weeks until I have the all clear to get stuck in properly.

This challenge is really going to be a HUGE challenge for me as my results are going to be quite slow due to having to take things carefully on the exercise front. As per usual my husband Jason will be unofficially doing the challenge with me.

Starting Profile:

Weight 67.5kg (148.7lbs)
Shoulders 101.5cm
Chest 96.5cm
Waist 82cm
Hips 101.5cm
R/thigh 62cm
R/calf 36cm
R/bicep 30.5cm

Goal weight at the end of 12 weeks:

61.4kg (135.2lbs)

My goal weight was originally going to be 57kgs but I have adjusted this to a more realistic target as I will not be able to exercise to my fullest capacity during much of this challenge.

Exercise program for week 1 and week 2

Resistance training: As per usual with TT workouts I will be doing resistance training three times a week and will be combing upper body and lower body exercises from various TT workouts as well as including some new ones that my specialist has recommended.

Cardio: Alternating between bike and walking in the pool (three times a week each, at low to moderate intensity for 15 minutes)

Core/stretching: Three days a week, between my resistance training, I will spend approximately an hour working on my core and stretching.

Rest day: one day per week

The main aim for the next couple of weeks is to re-establish my exercise routine, strengthen my core and glutes, increase mobility in my lower back and be very careful!

Nutrition

As per my goals on my original start date, I have thought long and hard about how I should approach the nutrition side of things. This is my area of weakness. Setting rules for myself doesn't work - it just makes me want what I can't have even more. Tracking my food worked really well but is time consuming, not something I can realistically stick with in the long term and I found myself justifying cheat meals because I was under my calories.

I have decided to set myself guidelines which I will adjust where necessary until I get the right 'fit' for me. The following are my nutritional guidelines to start with:

• No coffee (except for cheat meals)


• No alcohol


• No refined sugar/flour (except for cheat meals)


• Planned exercise each day (except where impacts on back injury recovery)


• 90% compliance (I have rated my cheat meals / occasions so a snack is 0.5 of a cheat meal and an entire meal is a full cheat meal)


• At least five serves of vegetables per day


• At least two serves of fruit per day


• Be aware of how much water I am drinking and ensure it is adequate


• Eat my food slowly


• Limit any snacks after my evening meal to fruit or nuts Monday to Thursday (I have started a habit of having toast/honey/butter and coffee, chocolate and coffee or something similar after my evening meal which I wish to discontinue).


• Have at least two cups of green tea each day (I don't really enjoy green tea but think I will once I get more use to it).


• No starchy carbs for lunch (Mon - Fri) and dinner (Mon to Thu), optional on other days

Supplements

I take a variety of supplements including Multivitamins, antioxidants, fish oil, protein drink post workout etc.

Final comments

Because I am trying to keep my time sitting to a minimum I wont be posting as often as I would like. Possibly only weekly at this stage.

Sacroiliac joint injury

Hi everyone. Just and update on my back injury. Got worse in the weekend. Went to osteo yesterday and she thinks it is my sacroiliac joint. She has told me I have to be really careful as I could slip a disk. There are a few exercises I could try (mainly involving bi-lateral movement using machines) but I have to be really, really careful and there are risks. Even swimming is risky - could kick wrong and twist things again.

My plan is to rest for another week and see how things are. If things are getting better I will look for gentle exercises I can do. Even if I have to do nothing for the next three weeks so I have a chance of getting right before the end of the challenge I will. The Osteo didn't seem very encouraging when I mentioned I was intending doing a fitness challenge in a few weeks though.

I am really struggling at the moment. I am in quite a bit of pain physically and mentally I feel really down. It took months for me to get in the right head space to be able to achieve what I have so far and I am so scared I wont have the energy to get back there again. I know what I should be thinking/doing - easier said than done.

I probably wont be posting too much in the next few weeks as painful to sit at a computer.

If anyone has any suggestions on how I can manage/speed recovery please let me know.

TT challenge: Delaying start date

My week started with a hiss and a roar... put my back out really badly (not sure how), have the flu/cold and extreme abdominal pains (not sure why) and have no idea where my brain has gone (not sure where). I suspected I was getting a cold on Sunday and almost delayed my start then but was trying to be positive - didn't work!

Anyway, I am going to need a couple of weeks of taking it easy to get my back right so will be delaying my start date.

On a positive note, my nutrition has been really good which is unusual for me when I am unwell, food is usually my comforter when in pain. I am going to try and do what I can which will include walking, gentle yoga and maybe light weights later next week. I hope to restart my challenge May 19th.

Illness and injury are a part of life and this is just another challenge that has been placed in my path (wish it wasn't quite now!) to deal with... and deal with it I will!

Week 1, Day 2: TT Workout Day

Today went really well. It is another one of those days where I would like to say I leapt out of bed to do my workout but it wasn't. Have not felt too well the last couple of days and had to push myself to do the workout. Was great once I got started. It definitely seems easier getting started this time round from a mindset perspective. No mind games or second guessing myself. I seem to have just switch straight back into it. I was particularly happy with how I felt after dinner. I had made the decision not to allow myself a coffee and chocolate after dinner during the week and I didn't. The decision was made. I wasted no time second guessing myself or self-talking myself 'through it' like I sometimes do. It was easy!

Exercise:

TT 2K3, TT Interval

Nutrition:

100% compliant with food.
Should have had more water.
Only one green tea.

Muesli, yoghurt, kiwi fruit (x3)
Muffin, coffee
Subway 6", chicken
Carrots & celery
Nuts & raisins
3x feijoas
fish, grilled capsicum & corgettes, kumera, broccoli

I wont be posting what I eat every day due to time constraints.

MOTIVATION MONDAY: Dave Kekich (8-14)

I am on to week two of working my way through Kekich's 100 Credos.

The first week went well. I printed the first seven out and carried them with me each day. I worked to keep out of my comfort zone, was more aware of how I was spending my time and making commitments to others that I would struggle to keep. I think point for me is something I have done too much of in the past but perhaps not in the smartest way. I need to put some more thought into this one. Ha ha! I always try to show gratitude, but not so much monetarily - I don't have much of that to give right now. Point 6 (produce for wealth creation and accumulation) definitely needs work. A whole lot of work and I need a lot longer than a day to get it sorted. I think I am really lucky with respect to point 7. My friends, colleagues and other people I interact with on a regular basis are pretty positive, hardworking and definitely honest!

Kekich's Credos
©2000 Piranha Marketing & Dave Kekich: 8 to 15

8. Learn from the giants.



9. A little caution avoids great regrets. Hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Keep fully insured physically and materially and keep hedged emotionally. Insurance is not for sale when you need it.



10. Learn the other side's needs, offer as little information as possible, never underestimate your opposition, and never show weakness when negotiating.



11. Never enter into nor invest in a business without a solid, well-researched and well thought-out written plan. Execute the plan with passion and precision. Plan and manage your life the same way.



12. Success comes quickly to those whom develop great powers of intense sustained concentration. The first rule is to get involved by asking focused questions.



13. Protect your downside. The upside will take care of itself. Cut your losses short - and let your profits run. This takes tremendous discipline.



14.The primary purpose of business is to create and keep customers. Marketing and innovation produce results. All other business functions are costs. Prospecting and increasing the average value and frequency of sales are the bedrock of marketing and business.

Week 1, Day 1: Starting Stats

Yay! The start of stage two of my transformation.

From past experience, I know it is going to take lots of hard work and commitment to reach my goal weight. Bring it on! The difference between last time and this time is that I KNOW I will do it. Barring external forces outside my control, I know I will complete this challenge and I know I will reach my goal weight.

As with the last challenge, my husband Jason will be unofficially doing the challenge with me. He lost 10cm around his waist in the last challenge and is starting to get the beautiful body back that he had when I first met him 13 years ago.

While officially today is day one, tomorrow is when I am actually going to start the challenge. I had to take my before photos on a weekend day so I could take them during the day. I wont be posting progress photos on my blog, just the before and after photos once I have completed the challenge.

Profile:

Weight 67.7kg (149.1lbs)
Shoulders 101.5cm
Chest 96.5cm
Waist 82cm
Hips 101.5cm
R/thigh 62cm
R/calf 36cm
R/bicep 30.5cm

Goal weight at the end of 12 weeks:

57kg (125.6lbs)

Program for first four weeks:

TT 2K3
TT Interval Advanced (alternate between spin bike and elliptical)
Yoga and power walking on off days
Rest day Sunday

Nutrition:

I have thought long and hard about how I should approach the nutrition side of things. This is my area of weakness. Setting rules for myself doesn't work - it just makes me want what I can't have even more. Tracking my food worked really well but is time consuming, not something I can realistically stick with in the long term and I found myself justifying cheat meals because I was under my calories.

I have decided to set myself guidelines which I will adjust where necessary until I get the right 'fit' for me. The following are my nutritional guidelines to start with:

• Eat my version of clean 90% of the time (no more than 4 cheat meals a week)


• Any cheat meals are to be planned at least 24 hours in advance (thanks Steve!)


• Spend the time that I would have spent tracking my food (approximately 10 minutes) meditating or just sitting quietly and having some 'still' time each night after work.


• Eat at least two servings of fruit and five servings of vegetables each day


• Be aware of how much water I am drinking and ensure it is adequate


• Eat my food slowly


• Abstain from alcohol


• Limit any snacks after my evening meal to fruit or nuts Monday to Thursday (I have started a habit of having toast/honey/butter and coffee, chocolate and coffee or something similar after my evening meal which I wish to discontinue).


• Have at least two cups of green tea each day (I don't really enjoy green tea but think I will once I get more use to it).

Supplements:

Multivitamins, antioxidants, fish oil, protein drink post workout

I have come a long way since January 14th when I started the first challenge. My body feels so much stronger and firmer. I look forward to getting up in the morning and working out (most of the time!) and I don't dread getting ready for work in the morning as my clothes are starting to fit me again. Life is great once again!

My 'Cave'

I love our house. Each room has something special about it. One of my favourite rooms is my 'Cave'. Technically it is not a room. It is really just a bit of space on the second level of our house that was too low to do anything with. I made my library in the cave. I get to my cave via a door in our walk in wardrobe. There is also a 'sub-cave' that you get to from the main cave but that is another story for another day.

I have a bean bag and a big red cushion in my cave and all my books, magazines and special things. Spiders love my cave and so do my two cats. My husband very rarely enters this space. I love my cave. It is so quiet. Sometimes when I go in there to find something (which takes awhile as my cave is messy) I just sit for awhile and listen... to nothing. I look around in awe at all the knowledge that is living in this tiny space. There are several hundred books, old tapes that I listened to... well when tapes were what you listened to music on, my art and design portfolios, paints and brushes, magazines, my old journals... it is a room full of 'me'.

I love my cave.

NEW!!! Lisa's Book Club

I love learning. One of the best ways to learn is through reading. To me books are like undiscovered adventures just waiting to be explored. I love the smell of books. I love the idea that I am being allowed to enter into another persons mind. I love knowing that I am going to learn at least one new thing that I didn't know before. When I enter a book store I am in my own personal heaven. I quite honestly could spend hours in a book store.

My love of books and book stores has caused some delicate situations between myself and my husband. Whenever we go to a new town (well any town actually) I HAVE to go to every book store I can find. A few years ago I had to pick up a book from Borders, Auckland. Jas waited in the car while I 'popped' into the store to pick up my book. Wow! Over an hour later I was still wandering around this amazing store. It had several levels, nice big comfy chairs everywhere and every single category of books you could imagine.

What draws me to a particular book? It depends. I may have heard about it from a friend, it may be an Oprah Book Club book, I may just love the cover and want to know more.

I buy most of my books from Amazon. I find the reviews are really helpful, the books are usually less expensive than most book stores, they have access to pretty much any book that you could ever want and you can get many books second hand which saves even more money.

From time to time I come across a book that really touches me. A book that I wish all my friends, family and... well everyone had the privilege of reading. From now on, each time I come across a book like this, I am going to post a review and a link through to Amazon where you can find out more information about the books I read.

Pre-challenge

Only five days to go until I start the next challenge! Who would have thought that I would be so looking forward to spending another 12 weeks working my butt off, eating clean healthy food and hanging out with a great bunch of cyber friends!

I started the Turbulence Training 2K3 workout today and loved it! I had to get up earlier than usual because of work stuff but I still leapt out of bed and was really excited about doing my workout. It certainly wasn't like this a few months ago so the workout habit definitely coming back and I am feeling heaps stronger and fitter. Yay. I did the upper body part of the workout this morning and even though I took it reasonably easy I can feel it this evening.

Some background on my workout habits

1. I generally always workout in the morning as I have found from past experience I am more likely to skip workouts scheduled for the afternoon because I am tired or working late etc.

2. Because I have sustained a number of injuries in the past from over doing it with heavy weights I now keep things on the lighter side... the really lighter side! An example is that I am currently bench pressing a whole 5kgs (on each dumbell)! I tried going up to 7.5kg a few of weeks ago and sure enough. Hurt my shoulder and had to have some time off.

3. I try to maintain conscious awareness of my technique and form (the way I do each exercise) to ensure I am doing them properly. I do this for two reasons a) to avoid injury and b) to gain maximum benefit. There are times when it is tempting to rush through the exercises when I am running late or just tired and want the workout to finish. Mostly I resist this temptation.

4. I don't generally have anything to eat before I do my workouts and often don't get a chance to eat after them for an hour or so. Ideally I should have something to eat post workout. I need to work on this.

5. I alternate between an elliptical and a spin bike for my cardio and listen to loud music on my computer!

6. My workout partner is my husband. We support and encourage each other... most of the time. It is a great time to 'address' concerns which can lead to some rather vigorous discussions! A couple of our workouts have taken much longer than they should have!

7. I wake by radio alarm and usually listen to a couple of songs before I get up. To help me in the motivation department I try to think about and visualise my workout the night before and think about it a bit when I first wake up. This really does help.

8. I record every excercise, number of reps, weight and any additional comments that may be helpful in the future. I might mention that I only did a 1/2 full press-up or that my shoulder was a bit sore or that I need to put my weight up on an exercise for the next workout.

8. And... probably the most important and valuable thing of all, I discuss my workouts and how I am feeling with other TT members and keep up to date with what they are up to to help me keep on track.

Right. I am off to get some sleep.

Details on how to enter the next TT Transformation Challenge!

Below is a link that will take you to the details and conditions of the next challenge. If you have any questions please let me know by posting a comment at the bottom of this post.

CLICK HERE for the details and conditions of the next Turbulence Training Transformation Challenge

Good luck!

MOTIVATION MONDAY: Dave Kekich

For the next few weeks I am going to focus on Dave Kekich and his 100 time-tested tips, secrets, and strategies to becoming wealthy beyond your wildest dreams both personally and financially, known as Kekich's Credos.

Each week I am going to post seven of Kekich's Credos, one for each day of the week, and each day I am going to apply them to my own life and give you a summary of how I went the following Monday. You are welcome to do this with me and let me know how you are going by posting comments at the bottom on each post.

Some background on David Kekich

Twenty years ago, Dave was a health and fitness buff. He worked out, did long-distance running and ate a low-fat diet. While working out one day, he felt a stab of excruciating pain and was rushed to the hospital. By the next day he was paralyzed from the chest down, the result of a hematoma in his spinal canal and has been confined to a wheelchair ever since. After a long stint in a rehab center, Dave embarked on a 15 month overseas odyssey to find a cure for his paralysis.

He returned home out of shape, emaciated, with dysentery, and morbidly depressed. A routine survey, sent to him by a newsletter that he subscribed to at the time, helped him renew his commitment to fitness, and life. Instead of falling into a deep depression over the news, Dave decided to accept the cards he was dealt, and make the most of his unfortunate circumstances.

He became an extremely successful venture capitalist, has hundreds of friends and admirers from all over the world, and has published the "Kekich Credo".

Kekich's Credos
©2000 Piranha Marketing & Dave Kekich: 1 to 7

1. Strive to increase order and discipline in your life. Discipline usually means doing the opposite of what you feel like doing. People will do almost anything to stay in their comfort zones. If you want to accomplish
 anything, get out of your comfort zone by replacing your bad habits, one-by-one, over time, with good habits. Focusing on habits is the easy road to discipline.



2. Cherish time, your most valuable resource. You can never make up the time you lose. It's the most important value for any productive happy individual and is the only limitation to all accomplishment. To waste time is to waste your life. Use your time effectively.



3. Think carefully before making any offers, commitments or promises, no matter how seemingly trivial. These are all contracts and must be honored. These also include self-resolutions.



4. Real regrets only come from not doing your best. All else is out of your control. You're measured by results only. Trade excuses for results, and expect half-hearted results from half-hearted efforts. Do more than is expected of you. Be willing to pay the price. Life's easy when you live it the hard way...and hard if you try to live it the easy way.



5. Always show gratitude when earned, monetarily when possible.



6. Produce for wealth creation and accumulation. Invest profits for wealth preservation and growth. Produce more than you consume, and save a minimum of 20% of all earnings. Pay yourself first.



7. Cut all ties with dishonest, negative or lazy people, and associate with people who share your values.

NEW!!! MOTIVATION MONDAY

If ever you are in the need for some extra motivation and inspiration, from now on all you will need to do is visit my blog and check out my MOTIVATION MONDAY posts!

I am always on the lookout for inspirational people, information and techniques to help keep my motivation and enthusiasm towards achieving my goals alive. Each Monday, where time permits, I am going to post information on material I come across in this area that I consider to be particularly valuable.

The next TT Transformation Challenge

Hi everyone. I can now confirm that the next challenge officially starts May 1st, 2008 and finished August 23rd, 2008. All transformations must start and finish during this time period and the final day to enter is Saturday, May 31st, 2008.

As mentioned above your 12 weeks can start anytime between May 1st, 2008 and May 31st, as long as you finish before August 23rd, 2008.

I am waiting for some final details from the organiser. As soon as I have that information I will post instructions on how to enter the challenge and conditions of entry.

What TT fat loss program to choose?

As mentioned in my earlier post, those of us intending to do the next challenge are discussing what programs we are going to do during the next TT challenge. Not an easy choice, with over... well, to be honest I have no idea how many there are and don't have time to count them all right now!

Most of the exercises within the workouts below require little or not equipment. If you currently have no equipment try to scrape together even just a mat, swiss ball and set of dumbells. If you come across an exercise that requires equipment you don't have and you can't improvise from what is lying around the house, just replace that exercise with another one that works the same muscle group. If you are not sure ask me and if I can't help you I will find out for you.

First time TTers

If you have never worked out, worked out very little in the past or are unfit it is recommended you start with the Turbulence Training For Fat Loss manual which includes several four week programs that you can work through as your fitness and strength builds up. This manual can be found in the Turbulence Training Basic Edition package. This is the manual that I have been working from so far.

Why not try a bodyweight program?

There are several to choose from. You can get them all in the Deluxe Edition of the Turbulence Training package or purchase them separately. Included among the many benefits of the bodyweight programs are:

• You don’t have to drive to the gym.


• No fancy or expensive equipment required


• You can train your whole body in only 30 minutes.


• You can train in your own home, a hotel room, outdoors, anywhere!


• Workout anytime – on lunch break, at night when the kids are asleep, early in the morning.


• Great for beginners


• The advanced exercises and workouts will challenge anyone. Just wait till you try the TT Bodyweight 500 Challenge!


• Safe and easy on your joints, and strengthens your lower back.


• These are not just plain old push-ups and sit-ups. The variety in these manuals is endless, with over 75 bodyweight exercises.

To find out more about these workouts go to the Turbulence Training website by CLICKING HERE. This is truly just the tip of the iceberg but will keep you busy for quite awhile!

Breakthrough Challengers!

A group of us from the previous Turbulence Training Transformation Challenge have formed a support group called 'Breakthrough Challenge' to help us in the next challenge. Check out our new logo!

The excitement is building within our group with emails flashing back and forth discussing what Turbulence Training programs we are going to do (such a hard choice as so many to pick from!), when we are going to start and what challenges we anticipate having to overcome. The support and encouragement has also begun as we discuss how we intend to work through the various challenges during the up-and-coming 12 weeks.

Our start dates vary depending on what date works best with our particular circumstances, as do the chosen workouts. Several people are looking at doing the bodyweight workout which is perfect for those of you who don't belong to a gym and have no workout equipment at home. My chosen weapon for the first four weeks is the Turbulence Training 2K3, a program that alternates upper/lower body each workout. I gave it a test run this morning and LOVED it!

NOTE TO OTHERS FROM THE PREVIOUS CHALLENGE: If any of you would like to become part of the Breakthrough Challenge group then let Sara know (I am sure you all know how to contact her!).