Maria's update - 16th January 2010 06:16pm

STOP THE NEW YEAR TRAIN!!!!!!!   I really feel like 2010 has started too early and I am running to catch up with it. My goals arent quite set in concrete and my body is disobeying me big time, bugger it.   My family and me had a lovely Christmas, spent mostly camping and enjoying the warmer days. We still have 2 more weeks of camping coming up so looking forward to that. Its the just about the only time I get to play board games and cards.   Below: Me with my son Ben, my mum and my daughter Eva     Usually New Years Eve rolls around and Im all sorted and know what I want to achieve in the New Year. This time round I was a bit thrown off after receiving an email from Ali Gascoine inviting me to join the NZ Team and compete at the ANB Champs on the Gold Coast in May 2010. Bit of a hard decision really. Its less than 20 weeks away and really cuts into my Off Season Training.   I love the Off Season as I have said many times before. Training hard and feeling really strong is awesome.   If I chose to go to Aussie with the Team I really only have time for 2 short Power based Programs before the 12 weeks diet rolls round. I believe the sport to be about Improvement, and doing the diet is a waste of time if you are going to just look like you did last year. So do I stay or do I go??????   My decision will impact my other NZ Goals which were to take a Team to Taupo. I would still take a Team but whether I would compete also is another story. If anyone is interested in competing with  the Taranaki Team, please contact me at ree.rockbodz@clear.net.nz     TRAINING   Training has been going well even though I am battling a hell of a lot of pain and fatigue lately.   Haven't felt this bad in quite awhile.   Been lifting quite heavy, workouts last about 45mins, maintaining the strength and stamina that I built in the previous program.   Training 4 days a week.   Cardio has slipped alot. Been sleeping in, having trouble getting up as not sleeping due to pain. My morning cardio is prob done every 3rd day and the night cardio is zilch. At about 3 oclock my body hits the wall and fatigue is taking over. If you have never experienced true fatigue it is horrible. You more or less lose your legs, have trouble lifting your arms, just have to lay down, you start to feel better and go to do something and just crash to the floor.    This is hard for me to cope with especially when my kids see it. They start to worry and its real hard to stay strong and act like everythings o.k.   Once my hubby gets home from work I crumble totally. The fatigue has been real bad for 2 weeks now. I am trying to work out why???? Knowledge is Power and I like to know why and what I am fighting.   A lot of other ladies with R.A are also suffering big time, so it might be the wheather or the moon????? Takes alot to hold me down , but it is.   Today I did manage a chest/tricep and quad workout, and my mind feels so much better , the pain has subsided. How long that  will last I do not know. The workout doesnt make the fatigue worse, as a lot of people would think. It helps reverse it.   The advice people give me is "go to bed Women, dont train". This is the worse thing I could do. The old saying "move it or lose it" is soooooo true. I dont advise this for everyone suffering with arthritis, I know my body real well and I train with my brain, I am very careful.     DIET   Eating has been pretty clean. I am so desperate to ease the pain that I am trying to eat as well as I can. My only down fall being that when you are in alot of pain you just dont feel like eating. I am getting 3 meals in a day and snacking on nuts and seeds and fruit inbetween.        I have been trying the supplement Tribulus before workouts and really feel like it is a great supplement. It really has boosted my strength and Stamina.   I hope to try out some other supplements this year and really give a honest opinion to whether I find them useful or a waste of money.   The next month is Tribulus and then I will have to go see the guys at Supplement King again for their advice.   POSITIVITY    My goal this week to help me feel happy and more positive through all the pain is to write down 100 things I am grateful for every day until I feel a change. I am used to writing down 10 things every morning but 100 is quite challenging. Yesterday I managed 90. Today I have 30 so far...lol.   It works well though as my mind is trying to think of things I am grateful for, so therefore, there is no time for negitive thoughts. So simple yet so effective.    Today is my Wedding Anniversary. 3 years ago today I got married. That was the last time I was this sick with the R.A and I did end up in Hospital, getting discharged 3 days before the ceremony and ending up back in hospital the week after .   Our Wedding day was the best day ever though, surrounded by all our friends and family.     So my goals:   1. I will be  Focusing  on surviving the R.A.   2. This is the only thing holding me down. Im awaiting advice from my Specialist and trying all I can do to get better.   3. My workouts will always happen (unless I end up in Hospital).   4. I will try to catch up with that 2010 Train and head to the front of the carriage so I can start steering it in the right direction.   5. I will be Grateful for all that I have right this very minute.

Stratford Team - 8th November 2009 05:47pm

Maria's Update on The Stratford INBA Comp WHAT A NIGHT!!!!!   Im going to be really honest here and say that there was so much negative talk around town about doing this comp. Alot of people didnt think it was worth the effort.   Below: Heading out the door to go to Stratford     I myself struggled big time to stay on track but really really wanted to see this competition take off and be an annual event.   In my opinion it was a Blast.   What a fantastic night. The competitors back stage were having a lovely time, very friendly, and the audience was amazing, what a lot of noise they made it was so energizing and made everyone buzz.   Im not sure how many competitors there were. The ladies out numbered the men but the standard of physique on stage was brilliant.   International figure competitors to National Title Holders.   It would of been nice to have more of Team Taranaki on Stage but we were Represented by The Gorgeous Farah Deobhakta (who won senior figure and overall), Paul Adams who won Masters Men, Trisha Legg who placed 2nd to Farah in Senior Figure and myself who placed 2nd next to the amazing International Figure competitor Janine Haywood.   Another Amazing Team Taranaki Member Karl Cook was the Guest Poser. The Audience really appreciated his "All Natural Body", and yet again he did us Proud.   Alot of the classes had at least 3 competitors in them. It was a One Show Format which meant you went on for Compulsories and then did your Routines straight after that and then right back on Stage for prize giving. The Show kicked off on time around 5.30pm and finished around 9-9.30pm.    The Venue was Terrific, The Old Kings Theatre on Broadway. The sound was great and just filled the Theatre which added to the energy.   So a big Congratulations to Mike and Nina Ryan for running this Show. Well Done. And Welcome to your very handsome little son Sean.        TO MY PERSONAL STRUGGLE OF COMPETING 3 TIMES IN A ROW   Oh my God, I dont think I will do that again.   My body hit the wall about 2 weeks out from this show. I had about 3 kg to lose to look how I wanted to look on stage. I stuck to the plan perfectly and yet the fluid etc would not drop. My RA started playing up so I had to increase my meds to get me through, my motivaton was zilch, I really didnt want to do it.   Even after registering on the day, I had no motivation or desire at all. I had to force myself  to make the effort and tan properly and do my hair and makeup. By the time I got back to Stratford for the show I had a killer headache and was dreaming of my pj's.   ( I did have some black slippers that I wore all day and will remain an important part of my prep gear). Once everyone turned up and the atomosphere was obsorbed I came right and tried to hold my own next to Janine and the other lovely ladies in my class.   So I am pleased I was part of the competition and know now my limitatons. I dont like competing when there is no motivation on a personal level.    I had about 5 weeks between my INBA Taupo Comp and NZFBB Wanganui Classic. I did manage to peak again at Wanganui.   I then had 5 weeks until the INBA Stratford Comp. I allowed a week of more relaxed eating and then started the countdown again.   But with no motivation or desire and the Power of the Mind was lacking big time, so negitive, I hated it, I just spiraled down. I had been dieting for close to 6 months. 6 months of really strict eating and I was over it. I love eating and your social life just stops when you cant eat out etc. (ha ha , not that I have a Social Life...lol)   I tried lots of ways to turn my motivation around. I made 2 more posing suits (which I didnt end up wearing)  they look fantastic, but still did not encourage me at all, I did up a new routine so I didnt have to do the same one 3 times in row, this didnt work either.   I tried to stay in contact with Trisha Legg as we were both battling on towards the same goal. This did help and actually if it wasnt for Trisha I dont think I would of done it.   Thanks heaps Trisha, I have enjoyed getting to know you this year and look forward to next year with you.   Writing Updates has probably played an important role of achieving all that I have this year. Because I train at home, I dont see other competitors much, I train myself so dont have a Trainer to answer to, these updates have kept me honest and on track.   Big thanks to Doctor Anne for allowing me to post them.          When I say dieting, its not that competitors dont eat. We eat alot, alot of protein, veggies, and keep our carbs low. We dont stave our bodies but we do push them hard to keep our bodyfat levels low. (if done right).Its just that most of the food has no flavour, bland, dry almost. And it is this that drives you nuts. I also miss the crunching of food. Carbs give you that crunch, eggwhites are soft, warm toast is crunchy :)    It is really important to not let your prep interfere with family life, This takes extra work but is worth it. Your family will be more supportive. We choose to do this sport so you have to take the responsibility of keeping our emotions etc in check. My hubby laughs as I feed him all the things that I want to eat and he has put on a fair bit of weight over the last 6 months.   I am now looking forward to eating what my family is eating but on a healthier level as I will still watch my carb intake doesnt get out of control. However , I am a Christmas Fan, I love the festive season and intend to make the most of it. I am also a fan of "Off Season" Training and will be giving it my all to put on some more muscle over the next 6-8 months.   My major focus this year was to Experiment and work on the Power of Positive Thinking. This has been a huge learning curve, very valuable and I will be sending in an update just on this topic. It is truely amazing what the power of a positive mind can do. We hear this said all the time, but not many of us truely work on it.   So that wraps up this update.   I have come to the end of my competitive year. The highlight has been all the wonderful competitors I have met. Standing on stage next to Ali and now Janine was a true honour. Being part of Team Taranaki was great and I hope we can continue and grow our team in 2010.