Pete Exposed - Phase 2!

G'day all.

It's been a while since i've been on here, but i've been busy beavering away at what I do. Works been crazy busy, but is going well. I got a terrific rating for '09, and i'm getting a lot more responsibility very soon.

My fitness is still going strong - lots of cardio - and i've got two big events coming up very soon - the Byron Bay triathlon next weekend & the SMH half marathon the weekend after. I'm still doing all the classes at work, and running Monday Movers every Monday lunch time. I'll put up my results soon.

Amazingly, i'm at a point now where my Mum wants me to stop losing weight - I never ever thought that day would come! My Sister showed me off to her friends recently, and it was so nice to see them all. As Niki is 15 years older than me, these women who came along have seen me grow up, and have been hearing all about my accomplishments from Niki. It was great to be fussed over for a bit! I am still getting great compliments. Jacinda at work is blown away everytime she sees me. I see it on her face when she sees me - so I know it's true! She says i'm still changing everyday.

I'm also trying to help out others now too. People who are already there, and people who need it. Here's a little of the people who have been an influence on my life recently:

Ben's qualified for the Commonwealth games and is currently in training in the States. He's put in so much hard work, and is unbelieveably dedicated to his goal. I don't know if i'm entitled to be, but I am so incredibly proud of him & feel very honoured to call him a friend. Ben's still checking in on me and encouraging me from a far. Wow! That blows me away.

Go Ben!

Amanda at work is on the same journey as me. She has joined the 'Fighting Fit for Life' comp at work which I won last year, and we met up to discuss things several weeks ago. There were some amazing similarities in our stories, and I hope that I helped. That reminds me - she's been away, but is back now - so I'd better check in with her!

Jason, who introduced me to Bootcamps, and has provided me with so much encouragement has left ING which i'm sad about :-(, but has done incredibly well to secure a new job at PWC so i'm very happy for him :-). We've caught up a few times since, and i've assured him that in the next bootcamp, i'm gonna kick his ass!

Craig G. & Ben A. at work have also been big influences in my life recently. I've been working out in the gym with Craig, and he's been introducing me to the world of weights. What he's shown me, and where he's guided me has influenced where I want to go next - more to come later! I'm also helping out Craig with his cardio work - interval training together etc - as he wants to drop his body fat % - not that he needs to!

Ben A's been training with me heaps lately - Ben's a super fit guy, and I think i've been an influence on him a bit! We've been training together a bit lately - Monday Movers, Pilates, High Energy class & we even went swimming together! Ben told me that he likes training with me because I push him harder than he would by himself. I feel the same way when I train with Ben - so it's win win!

Craig & Ben came to a mini-bootcamp at Clovelly with Craig R. last weekend - and they both enjoyed it heaps. Here's a pic of us dudes last weekend!

Craig R in the middle next to me, Ben A on the right of me, with Craig G next to him.

Chris is a guy who I started with at ING. He's also been helping me out in the gym with tips, and a ribbing - which I always enjoy! Anytime he's down there he's always ready to give me a hand - or a hard time - which makes that space all the more enjoyable for me!

But it's not all good. There's still some psychological demons i'm fighting. Think about it this way. I've never known a life where i'm fit & slim. I do not know any other Peter. Despite all the compliments, fitting into some size 'S', YES - S!!!! clothes, and size 32 jeans, I still feel fat. I even think I look fat. I see myself in the mirror and see a big guy still. I approached a friend at work, Suzanne, who's one of the lovliest most friendly and genuine people I know and asked her for her honest opinion. "Am I fat?" I asked her. She said no. Very definitavely! That made me feel better, but i'm still battling those demons. I've got loose skin now, and it's starting to affect me. I dont like showing my chest, it gets in the way. When i'm doing pilates, the skin can gather under me, and when I lie on it, it can hurt. I'm hoping it will retract naturally, but I don't see that happening. I have the feeling that until I see pecs, and a 6 pack, I won't be happy. And that scares me.

So that's a little about what's going on with me, and some of the people who I care about.

"So what's Phase 2" I hear you ask?

Well it's my plan for where I go from here. I want to work on my physique. Craig G's influence on me is that i'm starting to use weights to build up my body, and develop a physique that I can be proud of. Bodies like David 'Wolfman' Willams from the Sea-Eagles (below) are what I admire, and that's what i'd like to work towards.

I dont know if i'm setting myself up for failure but i'd like to give it a go! 3 weeks ago I started PT sessions with Craig R who runs the boot camps. Craig specialises in this kind of training and is currently assessing my abilities in the gym. We will work together and he will write me a program that I can follow to achieve my goals. I can tell that he really cares about me, and wants to help me achieve. This will begin earnest after the SMH half marathon - though I still want to keep up the running etc - City2Surf is still a goal for 2010!

So that's me for a bit - I will be updating my results from the tri & half marathon soon. Soon I will also put up some new pics & stats, so that I can again use this blog to help me to reach for my very own stars.

Thanks to all the above who've been great influences in my life over the past few months.

Ciao!

Pete