Wednesday WOOT! Factor!!

Hey Kittens!! Oy! I'm out of town the next few days but will be a delicious blogging good girl. I've noticed that my blog traffic takes a nosedive in the last 30-40 days of the year, so I guess many others are also dealing with crazy holiday schedules and such too. It made me feel a little better about missing some posts with all this family medical drama going on round here! 

But- OH SNAP- I'm not gonna let it get me DOWN! OH NO! That's because I am a Vanilla Ninja:

I LOVE that song. Also- I can't buy it on iTunes for some ridiculous reason (I do NOT like being told no) and one of you had sent me the music file before....if you have it, can I beg for it again?? Kelly Lost! Kelly Lost It!! ;-(

Oh Gosh you know it's been a bad week when I break out talking in THIRD PERSON. Hold on while I smack myself. 

Anyway, today's Wednesday Woot! Factor is my bestie from down under, Chelle!! I don't even remember how I found her blog but her saucy attitude makes me smile and get PSYCHED in a big way! ;-) Check her out- and remember, The Wednesday Woot! Factor is always brought to you by the Sears(R) Fit Club- so join the fun over on Facebook (important new announcements happening today! WOOT!) CLICK HERE TO LIKE THE SEARS FIT CLUB AND JOIN THE COMMUNITY!

Wednesday WOOT! Factor Questions

When did you first start working out and why?

I fell in love with sport from the age of 5. I was very competitive as a kid and loved the thrill of competition. I even captained the Australian Indoor Soccer Team on a tour of Europe as a 14 yr old! After school finished I knew I still wanted to keep fit so I joined the gym. For the first time ever, I saw girls with sexy athletic bodies and ABS and immediately knew that was how I wanted to look too. I got hooked on weight training and have never looked back. I’ve competed in three figure comps (not sure if I will compete again) over the past few years but now my training is geared towards creating my ultimate physique and MAINTAINING IT. (No more yo-yoing!)

 

I am NEARLY at my happy place. My skin folds are sitting at about 14.2% Body Fat or 71mls and I am about 3kg (6-7lbs) away from showing off a ‘sexy-six-pack’! Having said that I am comfortable and confident with how I look at the moment.

If you are in maintenance mode, do you feel that you work just as hard to maintain your level of fitness as you did to lose it?

Absolutely. Our bodies adapt very fast to training regimes so it is vital that we keep challenging ourselves. Everyday you train you become fitter and stronger than the day before.  So if you become complacent and decide that it is OK to slack off and take it easy, it won’t be long before you wake up one morning and realize that you are back in ‘weight-loss mode’ AGAIN!’

What does your current workout “routine” look like now?

After 8 years of your typical 4 day split body part training I have discovered high intensity full body workouts. I am incorporating Zuzana’s Bodyrock & Craig Ballantyne’s Turbulence Training programs into my routine. I love the fact I can do a kick-arse, heart pumping workout in less than 30mins and feel my body tightening up by the day!

Full body workouts (7 to 10 exercises, 300 to 500 reps) - 30mins 3 x week.

What do you do for cardio? How often?

Boxercise:       60 mins 2 x week

Running:          5 to 8km 2-3 x week

Walking:          60mins 2 x week

Do you workout at home or the gym?

I love weight training in the morning at the gym and running/walking in the late afternoon OUTSIDE near my home. I find the treadmill excruciatingly BORING!

What do you say to those that haven’t gotten fit and complain that they don’t because they “can’t get motivated”?

Motivation is temporary. It can lift you but it doesn’t have the follow through to change your life. Inspiration fills you from the inside every single day.

What about any/all of the excuses like “No time”, “No money”, “no gym”, “no support”?

EVERYBODY has the same 24hrs in a day, if you are guilty of making one of the above excuses then being fit and healthy is really not a priority to you.

1. You need to MAKE time. Training should be a scheduled appointment in your diary.

2. You don’t need money or a gym to get fit. There are thousands of bodyweight workouts on the net that you can do in your home/hotel room or local park. Running or walking doesn’t cost you a cent!

3. There are many free social support groups on line. Start a blog or join the dailymile.com. You’ll be surprised just how many amazing people you will ‘meet’ who are on a very similar journey to you!

What does your “diet” look like i.e. how you eat, what is your Philosophy?

Eat foods that will ENERGIZE your body. They should be natural, unprocessed and whole. If you eat this way 80 to 90% of the time then you can still enjoy fabulous desserts without un-doing all your hard work!

My typical day:

Upon rising – lemon juice in warm water

Breakfast – Fiber Shake and a Coffee

Morning Tea – Banana Super Shake (100ml rice milk, 150mlwater, vanilla protein pwd, 120g  frozen banana, 1 tbsp frozen blueberries, handful baby spinach and ice)

Lunch – Brown rice, colorful salad and tuna or 2 boiled eggs

Afternoon Tea – if hungry: coffee/ fruit/almonds/ avocado and cucumber on rice cakes

Dinner – Veggies/Salad with Fish/Seafood or Eggs… I only eat meat 2 to 3 times a week

Supper – a piece or 2 of 85% Lindt Chocolate or a spoonful or 2 (or 3!) of Natural Crunchy Peanut Butter

What changes have you made over the past several years in your diet and/or workout approach and why?

After years of all or nothing attitudes, extreme dieting, body building comps, yo-yo dieting and binge eating I decided 2010 was about finding balance. I successfully followed the Eat Stop Eat program for about 5 months and not only did I lose over 10% body fat but it helped me to stop stressing out and being obsessed with counting calories, meal timing, clock watching and macro ratios. I learnt to chill out as I came to realize that none of the above really matter. Getting lean is all about calories in versus calories out.  I also eat gluten and dairy free 90% of the time as both cause me to bloat, retain fluid and zap my energy.

What is your food weakness?

Dark Chocolate, Ferrero Rocher Icecream and Double Coat Tim Tams

What is your favorite healthy breakfast?

I’m not a breakfast person (I now know that breakfast is NOT the most important meal of the day- eat when you are hungry, not because a ‘rule’ told you too!) so I would say that my Banana Super Shake (Morning Tea/Post workout meal) as listed above would be my favorite meal of the day.

When did you start blogging and why?

October 2009. For the last 10 years I have suffered from yo-yo dieting and binge eating. I have never been ‘fat/overweight’ but I have been heavy and uncomfortable. I finally decided that it was time to confront these emotional demons once and for all. My mission is to create my ultimate body (which I will MAINTAIN for LIFE) and find peace in my body, mind and soul.

How has blogging enhanced your fitness efforts?

Being exposed to the world brings about a higher sense of accountability. Blogging makes me even more determined to achieve new goals and inspire people around the world. I have ‘met’ so many amazing fitness friends in ‘blogland’ who have travelled a similar journey to my own; we are like one big family supporting each other through the highs and the lows!

What is your Twitter/FB/Email?

FB –  I have no idea what the web address is so look me up –Chelle Jeans!

Email – michelle.jeans@integria.com

Blog – http://chellesultimatechallenge.blogspot.com/

What haven’t you done (fitness wise) that you’d like to try?

5-10km road races in 2011. I have a few friends trying to convince me to run a ½ marathon but at the moment that is way too many kilometers for my poor little head to comprehend!

What motivates you to keep at it?

My dad is 69 and just received his 6^th Dan Black Belt in Ju Jitsu. He tells me that age is only a number. If you are fit and healthy you can be any age you want to be! I will be one of those 90 year old ladies still pumping iron in the gym!

Being fit, strong and in smoking shape gives you the confidence to achieve bigger goals. When you radiate positive energy you will find that fantastic opportunities come your way.  As a certified nutritionist and personal trainer I have a desire to walk the talk. I love inspiring and educating others and hope to one day write a book and be on the cover of a fitness magazine!

Are you a morning workout person or evening or lunchtime?

I like doing weights in the morning and running/walking in the late afternoon.

What is YOUR biggest excuse that you find yourself battling in not wanting to workout a certain day?

Sometimes if I am tired, been travelling (for work) or have had a stressful day I will have an internal battle of whether or not to do afternoon cardio. Usually a coffee and some good tunes will turn my attitude around. I also try to remind myself that we are never really as tired as we think we are and that once the endorphins kick in you will forget why you had an excuse in the first place!

Do you weigh yourself or measure yourself?

Both. Though I go through phases with the scales because I am known to let the numbers play games with my head! I know that skin folds are the most accurate measurement to where your body is at. I also go by how my clothes fit. If my shorty gym shorts are too tight to wear to the gym then that is a SIGN to tighten up my nutrition!

More from Chelle:

You need to realize that without your HEALTH you have NOTHING. It is never too late to start exercising, so begin with baby steps. Take 10 to 30mins out of your day and have some ‘me time’. On a piece of paper write down your GOALS- Short term and Long time of what YOU want to achieve and WHY achieving them is important to you. Take a BEFORE photo and stick it on your fridge. Find a fitness activity that you ENJOY doing. Every night before you go to bed and every morning when you wake up, visualize yourself having achieved your goal/s. Imagine what it feels like to have boundless energy, to be super toned, to have glowing skin and to radiate confidence and positivity. Your mind is where you inspiration is created. You become what you think so DREAM BIG!