2014

2014 is going to be a big year!  A BIG YEAR  full of firsts!!  One major first will be doing a contest prep! No, I probably won't compete, but I want to learn as much about it! I will be aiming to step on the stage in 2015, for my first figure competition!!!!

I am giving myself a full year of "prep"  I am currently 162 at 5'5  YIKES!  I have some fat loss that needs to be accomplished and  some lean mass to gain.

I will be blogging about my experience along the way!!!  And I may need all the support, motivation and encouragement one can get!! 

Stay tuned :) Starting pics to come soon!

Gluten Free Trial

I am starting a gluten free one month trial to see if some tummy issues and bloating can be solved.

I don't normally consume a whole lot of breads and pasta, but I sure do love them!!!

I am about 1 week into the gluten free diet and have learned so much!!  One thing I learned is that the bakery in Cornwall,l Mary's Bake Shop, makes delicious gluten free breads and squares.  So not normally do I eat sweets (watching the old waist line) I decide that since it is gluten free, I need to have it.  Well my goodness those Toffee Fudge Squares are to die for!!!!  I am sure about a zillion calories each.

I have also learned that the price of a loaf of bread is about $7, YES SEVEN DOLLARS!!!  Crazy!!!  Pasta is about $4.  How do people afford this?  Good thing I don't eat it a whole lot. 

The bread is good, not bad really. I enjoyed it, but my bank account didn't.  I also managed to find gluten free chicken nuggets.  :)

For some reason, I was eating little processed foods, stuck to mostly fruits and veggies and a protein.  But since deciding to trial a gluten free diet, I have been obsessed with reading labels and focused on buying and consuming process foods, because they are gluten free.......WHY!!!!

I had fatigue and low energy, but fixed that right up with coffee (this could also have been due to no coffee for about a week, I normally drink 5 cups or more a day)

I have been feeling ok, still minor bloating, but I am thinking that is more from the processed foods versus the gluten.....? Could be, might not be?

All in all one week in, I am doing ok.  Need to focus on back to my lean protein and fresh veggies/fruit instead of concentrating on the processed gluten free foods.

I can see why people who decide to go gluten free end up gaining weight, and driving themselves CrAzY! haha I have been driving myself crazy!

Lets see what week 2 will bring. (The first week didn't bring any weight loss, but I am sure that is due to the gluten free cookies and squares I have been "trying")

If you have any tips or tricks, please share! :)

My Inspiration

**Written in 2007**
MY INSPIRATION
The person who is my biggest inspiration would be my little girl, even though she is not quite 2 years old she is a big influence on me.
I had always dreamed on becoming a mother at some point in my life, but never in a million years did I think that at the age of 24 I would become one. On July 2 2006, I gave birth to the most important person in my life. That night at 8:46 p.m. my life changed forever. She was a beautiful 8 lbs 7 oz and 19 inches long. She had the most perfect fingers and toes, the chubbiest little cheeks and the bluest eyes I had ever seen and well she looked just like I did when I was a baby, so needless to say she was gorgeous. She was perfect in every way.


When she was only about 5 weeks old I had to return to work. At that time I was working all night shifts because she was too small to go to a daycare. My mother at the time was a student at CompuCollege and after she was done of classes she would come take Kailyn so that I could get some sleep before I had to go back to work for the night. After about a year of working 12 hour night shifts and weekends I realized that I had missed out on a lot of Kailyn's firsts. Mommy was really tired and even though I loved my daughter with all of my heart I felt as though both of us were missing out on all the fun we should have had. I knew that I had to do something positive with my life for her. I am determined to give her the best possible life. One that is full of laughter and encouragement. I decided to do a complete career change and went from a dispatcher to an infant teacher at Little Wonders Child Care Centre. I spent over 8 hours a day playing with all the infants at the daycare laughing, playing, dancing and singing. These were the things that I wanted to be doing with my daughter. Don’t get me wrong I still did this with her but not as much as I had wanted to, after supper, bath, and house work there was little time for play. Seeing those innocent big blue eyes light up when we did play was my inspiration to become somebody. I wanted a career, a house, and a better pay check. She was my inspiration to return to school and become somebody.


When school and life get tough and hard to deal with, seeing her seems to make everything fade away. Her tiny arms wrapped around my neck and her sweet little kisses let me know that I am making the right decision. I know that she looks up to me and I am her inspiration right now, but what she doesn’t know, is that she is mine. She pushes me to succeed in everything that I do in life. When I feel like I can’t, just looking at her lets me know that I can.

Her fearlessness pushes me to try new things and if I fall I just get back up.

Joey's Deep Sea Fishing (30 Before 30 extension)

My Deep Sea Fishing Adventure

As you may recall, I had a 30 before 30 bucket list on the go.  Some items didn't get completed before I ran out of time, but I am going to complete my list!!

Fishing was an item, and I figure go big or go home.  I went Deep Sea Fishing!  Yes, on a boat......I don't like boats........

It was beyond a fantastic day.  Hot Hot Hot day!! The sun was just shining and no clouds, the water was just like a mirror, so calm. 

I took my dad with me, he LOVES boats and was excited when I extended the invite.  He was just like a little kid.  I am sure he was itching to ask the captain of the "Reel Upgrade" if he could drive.  He was grinning ear to ear and loving it.

We sailed out, and found a spot to drop in the old fishing line.  It was a rush.  As soon as we dropped the line in there were bites.  It was awesome!!  That's when the competition started!! I had a 4 - 0 lead....But just like the Leafs and Boston....I blew it.  Dad quickly caught up and passed me with a 4 - 6 in his favor......the rest was a blur, we were reeling in mackerel left right and center.   I caught up, but just as I did he would pull in some more!  

 

The last few seconds of the game we ended at 11 - 13 for dad.  Grrr.....No way I would ever live this one down.  Just as the Captain said "Reel it in, we are going to change locations", I managed to pull in 2 more fish making it a tie game. 

 

We sailed out a little further to try to catch some cod.  Right off the bat, dad caught 3......hahahaha However, they needed to be a min of 20 cm in length or we had to throw them back.  Tehehehe All 3 were under the 20 cm mark.  I giggled a little as I felt a tug on my line.  Laughing as I was reeling it in.....My cod was just at the 20 cm minimum and was a keeper!  His other 3 didn't count! They had to make it into the boat!!  

It was a slow day for cod fish!  I was the only one who caught one worth keeping.  There were a few "Ugly Fish" caught, and they were creepy looking.

It was an amazing day, the crew and staff were beyond!!!  Very knowledgeable and gave some great information about fishing, and the island as we sailed out.   They were more then helpful!  I didn't even have to bait my hook!  They even fillet the fish and cleaned them, bagged them for us to take home at no extra charge.  The owner Joey was right there when we got back in, and gave me some tips on how to cook the mackerel and explained in detail how to cook it and how to tell when it is finished.  I took his advice and grilled my fillets with some steak seasoning, and it was so yummy!!

If you are ever in the Rustico area, you need to check it out!! Joey's Deep Sea Fishing, they will go above and beyond to make sure you have the best experience.  And once you get back, you can sit out on the deck and enjoy one of the most delicious fish and chips!  I will be back for more, that is for sure!!!

I think this was probably one of the best and most memorable items on my 30 before 30 that I have done!
 http://www.joeysfishing.com

Day 1 "Train the Trainer"

Day 1 is here!!  Starting off great!!

Food prep done last night, roasted  veggies and pork roast. Lunch is a nice salad from Sobey's, and of course some fruit and protein :).  Healthy portions, LOTS of Water!!!

I was weighed and measured last night, my hydration was almost non existent, working on that!! (Bonus to hydrating....cardio in running to the bathroom every 15 minutes!!)  I will post measurements at the end of the 6 weeks, but will keep you updated with weight.  It is after all ONLY a number, the number on the scale does not define who you are!!!  My starting weight was 165.4 and hopefully this will be on the decline each week! 

I have my work out planned, thanks to Gineen, who obviously knows something I don't.  This workout she designed for me is pretty hard core!  I think she is "Testing me"  and I know she is watching, so I have to give it all I got! haha I am not sure if I will even survive the first 40 min cardio speed intervals on the treadmill! haha Good thing they have a defibrillator on site! 

I will be attempting this tonight around 8 pm and hope I live to tell you how it went.  I may even be brave and post a picture or two!

This is my plan of attack tonight in my (as Gineen called it) Get Ripped Program....
**do not attempt with out consulting your physician first**

-       SPEED INTERVALS FOR 40 MINUTES ON THE TREADMILL

JUMP SQUAT X 20 REPS

PLYO SPLIT LUNGE X 20 REPS

PLYO STEP-UPS X 20 REPS

PLYO LATERAL LUNGE ON BOSU

BUTT KICKS X 30 SECONDS

POWER JACKS X 20 REPS

STABILITY BALL CRUNCHES X 20 REPS

LYING LEG RAISE X 20 REPS

RUSSIAN TWIST X 20 REPS

MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS X 20 REPS\

To be continued..................  

So I did what I set out to do....I went and attempted Day 1.  Day KICKED MY BUTT!  My speed intervals were more less speed than speed.  I did a 5 min brisk walk warm up followed by 1 minute intervals at the pace of 4, 8, 5, 9 and did that for 20 minutes.  I switched to the plyo part, which killed me! lol I didn't leave a break in between sets (ok, a little one) and I used a 4 lb ball between my feet for the leg lifts and Russian twists.  

I then went back to the ole treadmill to which I found I had no more speed intervals left.  The old knees were aching, and thanks to a "stitch" in my side, I brisk walked at 4mph for the last 20 minutes.  I did however give all I had on the last set of plyos.  I used weight, added in a little more and did some sets over. 

Well, to conclude, Day 1 was an eye opener.  I am still eating well and ready for the next workout!  

Stay tuned......

www.nfpei.ca

Day 0

So counting this as day 0, as today is the healthy hydrating clean eating day.  Tonight I will be warming up with circuit style training class at Naturally Fit.  Starting tomorrow, Day 1 I will begin my training program! 6 weeks trying as hard as I can to stick to clean eating and training every day!

I had a wonderful personal trainer/business owner create this "Train the Trainer" program, so in turn I am accountable to her!  I can't disappoint!

I have a feeling I will have some ups and downs along the way, but hey, its only 6 weeks! I can do it!!

I will post measurements and photos of the 6 week challenge.  I know I am curious to see some results and just what hard work and dedication can do to your body.

My 6 week project started today!!!

I will or may need some motivation, encouragment and some one to yell at me to "Go Harder" along the way! feel free!! I welcome it with open arms. 

Day 1 will be Cardio and Plyometrics.  Hopefully I will live through it and blog about it after! :)

30 Before 30 - Letter To My Future Self...

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Dear Future Self,

As I am sure you remember, you created a 30 before 30 list of some silly things to complete before you turned 30. It was an amazing experience, and the love and support from everyone along this journey was beyond.  On that list was a letter to your future self, so I will tell you at this point how my 20's were and my lessons and values learned.  You might roll your eyes and laugh at your thought process, in your let’s say late 20’s early 30’s! haha

I am not sure if my advice to you is going to be useful by the time you read this, but the best words anyone has ever spoken to me were “You control your life”.  As soon as I heard those words something clicked.  How true they are.  I am my journey, my decisions and actions have outcomes, which could make or break me.  I hope you steer this ship in the right direction and down the right path, and look back on your years and the journey of life with a smile and many stories to tell.

I think you know already, but life throws you curve balls and puts many speed bumps in your way.  These are all strategically placed to keep you on your toes.  From what I can recall up until now, nothing has ever stood in my way.   I was known to have a….let’s call it a “Strong Attitude and Personality”. Yes that is what it was.  I also learned along the road that sometimes it is best to bite your tongue, no matter how hard it is.  This is a lesson I have learned the hard way many times, and I am still learning. (In the process of mastering the biting of the tongue)

I have learned to be patient with trust, I always seem to learn that one the hard way too.  I now know that it is earned.  It is quality which I hope to possess. You need to stay true to yourself before you can stay true to someone else. 

Your 20’s were amazing.  Two beautiful little girls and the experience of being a mommy is more than words can describe.  I am almost looking forward to being old, so I can be a grandmother and experience it all again. Not sure if I am looking forward to the old part? But you are only as old as you feel.  

I discovered you can sit and wallow in self-pity when the whole world is against you or you can say enough is enough and start kicking ass and taking names! I have found that ass kicking strength and actually surprised myself of my ability to fight for what I wanted.  I think most would describe that aspect as being stubborn!

We all need to learn our own lessons and see true trial and error before we see success.  We need the little blunders first hand to really appreciate success in its entirety.   As long as we are afraid of failure we will put forth that extra strength and determination for success.  For me failure is not an option, it is not failure, rather just little bumps in the road, which build character and allow us to have a story to tell.

My 20’s have also made me realize that without your health, you truly have nothing.  I do not want to be a statistic with 5 different co-morbidities and not be able to experience life to the fullest.  I kicked bad habits, and found the happy healthy lifestyle.  That black cloud, regrets, and extra baggage was instantly released.  I found the ability to see things in a different light.  Positive thoughts are now the only ones allowed.  I look for the good in every situation.  Learning lessons and having a story to tell.

I have learned that others look up to you, I never thought in a million years someone would ever look up to me.  I inspired others to take control of their life. One thing they don’t know is that they give me the push to continue on this path.  I find strength in their ability and reassure myself that I got this one!  I have learned (the hard way sometimes) you are held accountable for your actions! People are watching and on PEI opinions are formed quite quickly.

I have stepped out of my comfort zone and it was by far the most amazing experience.  I wish only I had done it sooner.  My 20’s made me who I am today at 30.  I have no regrets, no would have, could have, I wish I did…….  I have had struggles and won most of my battles all of which have made me a stronger person.  I have met so many wonderful people and I am truly honored to have been given that opportunity.  I have realized that from time to time we need help and it is ok to ask or accept offers.

I have learned that getting your sexy back takes time and patience…..Not pretty when your pants split at work with your OLD and I mean OLD Pink Granny Panties play peek-a-boo as you walk.  (and my pants splitting, I mean top to bottom wide open!) 

I have discovered, if you want something you better be willing and able to work for it.  Not everything comes easy.  For any advice on this, I would suggest to make sure it is worth fighting for. 

I have no ability to bake, this I have learned the hard way many times.  I can however cook and that is all that matters to me! J 

I discovered the ability to be a leader and step up for any challenge offered or presented.  I found the joy of volunteering and seeing how rewarding it is.

I experienced some pretty hard losses of friends and family, all of which have made me realize the importance of family.  It has shown me to let go of the past, and to let go of any grudges and forgive without forgetting.  I have found my ability to listen and offer an ear to someone in need.  I have also learned too that not everyone wants to hear my venting too! haha

I have learned to its ok to cry and the value of a compliment.  I have learned to give credit where credit is due. I have discovered the pleasure of “pay it forward”.  Good things come to good people.

I discovered child birth was easy peasy! (I didn’t have any experience really? 2 easy c-sections) and I can produce some BIG beautiful babies!!  Kailyn Tracy Anne and Ava Jenae Kathleen have made me a better person and taught me the valuable lesson of patience.  They continue to “test” my ability.  I hope that I can relay some of my discovery and learnings to them as they grow into beautiful women.  Rodney has taught me how to be strong, and has shown me what happiness really is.

I am very thankful for my 20’s in teaching me how to live and love. Showing me the value of respect. Learning many lessons, and discovering my abilities.  It allowed me to be courageous and shine in the moment.  Most of all my 20’s taught me about the woman I want to be.  I hope in reading this I turned out just how I hoped. I hope I hang on to some qualities I discovered in my 20’s, and gain new experiences and continue to think outside the box and step out of my comfort zone, after all that is where all the fun is.

Don’t ever be afraid to tell someone you Love them!

Autumn Getson