Lisa and Kirstine
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Kirstine had been sounding me out for a few weeks about which show she might be ready for this year. At first we thought the INBA Taupo in August was a good date to aim for as this will give us enough time to put a wee bit more muscle on and plenty of time to tighten up the diet.
But oh no, Kirstine being the super keen (or crazy wants to diet!) thinks the INBA Women's show in May could be a fun one to do. Yikes that's only 10 weeks. I told her she probably won't be in top condition but at least it'll keep her forcused for the next few months and will probably help her get leaner for shows later this year. |
So I thought it might be fun for Kirstine (and for me to watch her diet...fun for me) to write a weekly diary of her trials and tribulations as she counts down to compete at the INBA Women's Show on 23 May.
Here is her first instalment talking about her daily grind at her day job as Communications Manager.
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| Just another day at the office...
My day starts off at 6am (actually more like 6:10 after I hit the snooze button a couple of times and force myself out of bed) and after a quick chug of coffee, which I have waiting for me when I wake up thanks to a percolator and handy timer (best invention ever!!), I jump on the treadmill for my pre-breakfast cardio. After about 10 minutes I actually wake up and somehow manage to bust out anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour (depending on how many times I pressed the snooze button).
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Kirstine with her office ornaments |
| Breakfast is oats and protein - my favourite meal of the day, followed by a mad dash to get ready, pick up my pre-prepared bag of food and make it out the door by 8am to get to work on time. This never actually eventuates and more often than not, I'm at least 20 minutes late.
My boss would always try telling me to get out of bed earlier, which for a normal person who wasn't already getting up in the dark might be quite feasible, but the thought of waking up in the 5's never filled me with much enthusiasm so somewhere along the line, he gave up trying and has reluctantly accepted the fact that it's just never going to happen! In fact he texts me the night before on the very odd occasion he sets an 8:30 meeting in the morning to make sure I can be there on time!
I try as much as possible to plan my work and meetings around my meals and for the most part, I'm pretty lucky, but occasionally there is a clash. The key for me, is to plan in advance for when that's going to happen... Can I eat first, before the meeting, or can I hold out until afterwards, or do I just take my food with me? My workmates are becoming accustomed to my little food containers popping out mid-meeting, but I've become quite a master at devouring my food quite discretely - no mean feat when it comes to rice cakes and chop chop! Read More
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Like most office environments, mine is prone to many morning tea shouts and muffins or cakes during excessively long meetings. I always make sure I've either already eaten, or I take my food with me and eat at the same time as everyone else so I don't feel like I'm missing out.
I think a lot of people find these sorts of situations quite difficult to deal with - a table load of sausage rolls, sandwiches, pastries and other treats laid out in front of you can be hard to say no to, and it's tempting to fall into the "just one won't hurt" trap. I know myself well enough to know that it takes more self control to stop after just one, than to say no from the start and just not even go there, so that's what I choose to do. And that's what it comes down to - choices. You can choose to indulge or you can choose to exercise self-control and restraint. Of course that's not to say I never indulge in treats. With a partner who is obsessed with food (his feeding frenzies are a sight to behold), and a fantastic cook to boot, it's impossible not to every now and again - ya gotta live a little, but it's about choices - I'd much rather enjoy a nice meal with him on the weekend, than a morning tea at work.
At first, I got my fair share of strange looks and comments ("What the hell is THAT?!" looking at my bright blue pre-workout concoction... haha) but I've found that the majority of my workmates are supportive of my choices, and often in awe of my "will-power". I don't think it's really all that difficult though - if you have a goal and you want it badly enough whether it's competing in a show, or just to look and feel better about yourself, you certainly won't let a few sideways glances, sausage rolls and cakes get in your way. Some days are certainly harder than others and on those days, you have to take it hour by hour rather than day by day, but there's no reason not to make it through!
Lunch time at work is actually pretty easy to handle. My lunch is exactly the same every day, so I don't think much about it - it's become almost transactional. And besides, the carb-fest that overruns the kitchen on most days isn't all that appealing to me anyway. I'd rather feel alert and energetic after my lunch than sleepy and lethargic thanks very much!
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Again, like many companies, ours is prone to the odd Friday after work drinks and a few years ago, before I started seriously training, I was always the first to start and the last to leave! I also used to feel like complete crap on Saturday mornings... No more!
Admittedly, as Lisa will attest to, cutting out the alcohol has been one of my biggest personal challenges and whilst off season I do still have the odd glass (or three) here and there, I choose my moments to do so. |
I'd rather be enjoying a nice glass of wine with my partner, than boozing at the pub with workmates. So it's straight to the gym for training after work on Fridays. I used to feel like I was missing out on something, but now I realise the only thing I'm really missing out on is feeling like crap first thing on Saturday morning and that's one thing I can do without (especially when Lisa has me lunging up countless flights of stairs or walking for an hour first thing Saturday morning!)
So while I certainly face challenges throughout my day, all in all nothing is insurmountable and getting through is much easier if I've planned my day as much as possible, am prepared with all my food (there's never an excuse for having to grab something on the run if you already have it with you) and stay focused on the big picture and what it is I'm trying to achieve.
Kirstine Nelson
16 March 09
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