3

It starts again in 3 days!

4

In 4 days it starts again...

Partnerships work!

Howdy all!

I made a realisation the other day, that almost ALL of my exercise I do is with friends. And I do a lot!

Here's a run-down of what I do, and with who...

Monday lunch - Monday Movers running group with 6-7 people

Monday arvo - High energy class with Brendan & Georgie

Tuesday morning - Interval training with Ben A

Tuesday arvo - Weights training with Evan

Wednesday morning - Boxing with Chris R

Wednesday lunch - Corporate Cup running or Craig R's circuit class

Thurs morning - Interval training with Ben A

Thurs lunch - 'Mens Fitness' circuit with Chris R

Sat morn - Boot camp with Ultimate Bootcamp

Sat arvo - Weights with Chris

Sun - Weights with Chris or Kris!

Now of course these are not set in stone, lives tend to get in the way of these - but it's pretty amazing to make this realisation!

So if anyone out there is reading this that does a lot of exercise on their own - and tends to skip it regularly - if you align yourself with someone, you are then not only responsible to yourself, you are also responsible to them - and you're more likely to do it!

So do it!!!

:-Pete

Hmmm - wasn't really back was I?!

Boas!

I've been wanting to write this for a long time, but I've been very dissappointed with myself, and I needed some good news to annouce before I did so..

Please read on!

Where I'm at

Yes my last post in September 2010 stated 'I'm back' - but really I wasn't!!

Funny thing this blog - I used it to help me lose weight. But once I lost the weight - it wasn't really needed anymore.

But...

After I hit 90 kilos, I started doing weights - maintaining my weight measurements but increasing my weight to 95 kilos. My physique was coming along nicely.

Then life kinda got in the way.

In the last 3 months I really dropped the ball. After Christmas I reduced my cardio. There were several reasons. One was that I bought the wrong shoes - I started getting sore knees and shins and really reduced the amount of running I did. But the main reason was that I just lost motivation. I rode my scooter to work instead of my pushbike. I skipped exercise sessions I would normally go to.

I also ate poorly. Chips & chocolate were back on the menu. Ice Cream too. I started getting dissappointed with myself - and that made me eat more! I feel back into my old habits.

By the end of April, I had put on so much weight I was back up to 111.8 kilos!!
I didn't fit into my jeans anymore - didn't fit into t-shirts and shirts I used to. I even had to revert back to my old work pants!!

That was it.

I don't know where I mustered it from, but I found my mojo again. Since the start of May I have gone back to my 'good' old ways.

Here's a break-down of my new activity on a weekly basis:

Monday:
Lunch - Monday Movers 6k run
After work - High energy class with Georgie Way - the coolest trainer ever

Tuesday:
Before work - Interval traing session for 45 mins with Ben Andrich - one of the best people I know - and also a Monday Mover
After work - Weights - high intensity for cardio benefit

Wednesday:
Lunch - fornightly - Corporate Cup 5.9k run / Training session with Craig Raymond - who really knows how to push you

Thursday:
Before work - Interval traing session for 45 mins with Ben Andrich
Lunch - Circuit training with Chris Rodgers - another awesome guy & a Monday Mover too!

Friday:
Still is my one day off

Saturday:
Morning - 7am boot camp at Kirribilli - run by Richard Lewis of Ultimate Bootcamp - more on this later
Afternoon - Bike ride - 27k's last week

Sunday:
Morning - Cardio Session
Afternoon - weights

Plus with all this my diet is good again - no more chips or chcolate, back to healthy dinners, minimal carbs after 2 and all the good stuff I did before.

So a pretty full week you can see there! And here's the best thing..

I've already lost almost 6 kilos!!! Yes this morning I jumped on the scales who informed me, ever so politley that I'm now 106kgs

So the target is to get back to 95 kilos. And I'm well on my way! 11 to go!

Ultimate Bootcamp

Well advertised in the paper a few weeks ago was a fitness challenge - 'Your Best Body Challenge' from the guys at Ultimate Bootcamp - www.ultimatebootcamp.com.au - the program is free, and it's a 12 week program for fitness & weightloss. We meet down in Kirribilli early on Saturday and are led by Richard or Dominic in various activities. The other day was a tough one! We had to do - 20x Squats, 20x Push ups, 20x Sit ups, 20x Burpees & 20x Cobras (lying flat on the stomach - touch hands out front, the sweep back to touch hands at small of back) followed by an approx 250 m run around North Sydney Olympic Pool - which includes 42 steps (yes, I counted). Once you did this, you had to do it another 4 TIMES!! So it was 100 of each exercise - and the time limit was 30 mins. I did it all, but in 37 mins :( - something to aim for though I suppose!!

The Ultimate Bootcamp has been varied & interesting and I'm enjoying what they're teaching me.

Ben

As anyone who has read my blog before would know - Ben St Lawrence has been a massive support for me. For those of you living under a rock, Ben works with me (more on that) and helped me with my weight loss. Ben is a professional athlete - the winner of the City2Surf 2010 + many many more events. Ben has recently been overseas training and racing, and in a massive effort, became the fastest Australian ever in the 5000m race - beating his previous best by around 40 SECONDS!! Massive! With this stirling effort, Ben has qualified for the Olympics, and undertstandably wants to concentrate on being the best he can be. So he'll be leaving us here at ANZ on Tuesday next week. While it will be sad to see him go from here, Ben & I will still be good mates, and I'll be his greatest supporter for everything he does & especially at the Olympics!!

So that's an update from me - I'll endeavor to update again at least weekly, to keep everyone updated on how I'm doing, and motivate myself - and hopefully you too!

Thanks for reading

Peace out :)

I'm back!

G'day!

Yes i'm back. Its been a while, but the blog served its purpose. But now there's news. Big news.

I'm gonna be in Men's Health! Yep! All my efforts have been recognised by Australia's most popular mens fitness & health magazine. I will be in the 'Gutless Wonders' section of the December issue. I have had my interview & photo shoot - now it's just time to wait for the issue!

One of the features of the article is this blog, and how I used it to help me with my weight loss. As such I want to get back into writing this, and with, hopefully, more people reading, maybe, just maybe, I could help a fellow person who is struggling with their weight to do something about it.

So stay tuned, and Pete's gonna be exposed some more!

Cheers!

Pete

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

What i've been up to lately....

Dumelang,

Well it’s been a while since I’ve updated the blog, but it’s not because I’ve not done anything! I have been an active boy – but despite all this I’ve actually not lost any more weight!

Yes, still at 90 k’s – not that that’s a bad thing! I would like to lose a little more, but I haven’t been as strict with my diet as normal. So I’m getting back onto the diet band-wagon in the hope of losing a few more kilos.

I have been using my Christmas present – my new bike – a few times – though I would like to use it more – I’ve actually been riding with my brother Anthony and his riding group as they enjoy their rides.

Since my last update I have done quite a bit: Here’s some of my main activities:

10k Run along the beach in Callala Bay - did this on 1st & 2nd of Feb.

21k road and trail run from my place along the coast to Balmoral & back. This includes the Awaba St hill (Balmoral Burn) - and I managed to run the whole length!

Big 54k ride with my Brother & his mates - my longest ride yet!

I’ve also done another Boot Camp up at The Basin. The camp was supposed to be a 2 day boot camp but due to the atrocious weather, and being washed out of the tent on Saturday night, and not getting any sleep, day 2 was called off. Despite this we still got a fair bit of activity done on the Saturday including Short Course Iron Man (I did the swim leg – 400m), & the hill run – a 5.6 run with a massively steep hill to start with which is about 1 k – I managed this in my best time yet – 30 mins – surprising a few of my competitors!! We also kayaked back from the Basin to Palm Beach.

Talking of kayaking, I’ve been doing some more of that as well – my Mum lives on North Harbour and has a kayak of her own that I borrow. About 4 weeks ago I went for a very long kayak – about 1.5 hours worth! I really enjoyed it, but my hands didn’t – they’re still peeling to this day from the rubbing of the wet paddle and the paddling action!!

I’ve been doing some tough interval sessions in the gym – here’s an example of one I did last week
*15 mins – Treadmill - 1 min running at 14km/h – 30 secs rest – 10 reps
*15 mins – Cross trainer – 1 min at 160-170rpm, 30 secs at 100 rpm
*15 mins – Rower – 1 min at 1:45-1:50/500, 30 secs rest
*15 mins – Bike – 1 min hard, 30 secs slow
Tell you what – it takes it out of you, and you’re sweating like crazy! I’ve even got Craig – a mate from work to join me, as he wants to lose about 5 k’s too.

Ben and Richard have also started up another boot camp at work – on Monday arvo’s and Thursday lunch times – lots of running and strength activities. Their boot camps are always very beneficial and work up quite a sweat!

Some of the events I have coming up that I am training for are:

-The Byron Bay Olympic Distance Triathlon – 1.5k Ocean Swim, 40K ride, 10K run
8/9th May

-Hunter Valley Marathon – doing this with Leigh – 21k Road & trail run
18th of July

-Toughest Competitor Alive – Craig’s boot camp up in the basin in October – I wanna win it!

So that’s me to date!

Catch ya later :-)