I'M STILL ALIVE!

I just realised how long it's been since I've posted on this blog and I miss it and need to get started again!!!

WOW though - SOOO much has happened since July I don't even know where to start!

First of all and maybe most significant is that I actually completed my Certificate III and IV in Personal Training through the Australian Institute of Fitness so I am now a fully qualified trainer which is amazing! I've learnt so much through the course and it's not only developed my skills to help other people but it's given me such a good understanding of how to achieve your fitness related goals. 

Something else that happened that's probably the most amazing thing to happen to me is that I've gotten a job with Bondi Vixen!!! For those who aren't familiar with Bondi Vixe, it's an outdoor training group for women right on Bondi Beach run by the incredible Vix Erber, one of the greatest trainers in Australia! I will make a separate post all about it very soon!

Those are the two big things that have happened but other than those I've had lots of smaller achievements. I'm really into my weight training now and I have such a better understanding and confidence around the gym now. Now more getting intimidated by all the big guys in the gym - I'm right next to them now doing my own thing and it's awesome :)

Miss Bondi 2013 Finals

I was also lucky enough to compete in the Miss Bondi 2013 competition at the Beach Roach Hotel and I made it in the finals which was incredible! Such a fun experience and got some cool stuff out of it too ;)

Anyway, keep checking back for updates, I'll definitely be making the time to be updating hopefully more than ever now that my life is really taking off in an amazing direction!

Danni

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My First Half Marathon!

Hey everyone!!!

I DID IT!

On the 7th July 2013 I completed my first half marathon and I am so proud of myself!

I finished in a very slow time of 2 hours 42 minutes, but I don't really care because I think I did really well to even finish it at all! 

I managed to finish after having an injury that put me out of running for more than 2 months just before the event - so I think running a half marathon without having run for 2 months is a big achievement!

Not only this, but the first time I ever decided to "go for a run" was actually less than 6 months ago! My mum pointed out - not many people start off their running journey with a half marathon! So I'm pretty proud of this too!

I think it just proves that you can do anything if you put your mind to it and have a positive attitude, and never let the words "I can't" creep into your head!

I was pretty wrecked after it though haha!

The first 10km were great and I was running faster than I expected!! I actually did 9km in the first hour which is probably the fasted I've ever run for a distance like that ever which was excited for me! At the 10km mark the pain of my ankle started to come back but it was ok and I could push through it as it wasn't nearly as bad as how it used to me. Also, to get me through the half way mark, Bon Jovi's "Living On A Prayer" started playing for me, so I had a little bit of a laugh while I was running and singing in my head "WOAHHH WE'RE HALF WAY THERE!" hahaha :)

I was going well and up until the 14km mark I thought I would have a chance at finishing sub 2hr 30min but then this awful pain in my hips started to kick in and it was just so bad that it just really really ached when I tried to run, so my last 2 or 3 kilometers were very slow as this pain was just so bad. I managed to sprint down the finish shoot though haha and then I spent the day collapsed in my lovely hotel bed. I was happy to notice that my ankle pain actually got better straight after I ran when it used to remain sore or even get worse throughout the day when I ran on it. But my hips were awful, even when I was lying down. I was walking like a duck for the rest of the day and people kept staring at me hahaha :P

Just wanted to thank everyone who has sent messages of support to me and congratulated me - it means so much to have you behind me! Also the Gold Coast marathon people and the people at the water stands!!! And the people who stand on the sidelines cheering the runners on - they're amazing (especially the lady with the "RUN BITCHES" sign hahaha). It was a great morning and even though I was terrified when my mum dropped me off at the startline (I started crying and didn't want to get out of the car) I proved to myself that I can do anything if I say I can and stay determined and never let negativity into my mind! That feeling when you see the finish line is so amazing, and I encourage everyone to do something like this and get out of their comfort zone because nothing feels greater than achieving something for yourself!!!

Danni
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The Big Day...

Oh shit...

That's basically the only words going through my mind for the last couple of days.

I'm sitting here in my hotel room in the Gold Coast right now - tonight is the final sleep before I wake up at 4am tomorrow to head to my very first half marathon at 5am in the morning...

I'm so nervous I think I might wear myself out from shaking before the race even starts haha! The other day I realised that I developed tendinitis on the 19th April, which happens to be the last time I was actually able to run aside from the 10km test run I did on Tuesday. That's really scary... Yes I have kept up my fitness in other ways, but running a half marathon without running for more than 2 months prior is a scary thought...

There's a good chance I won't make the finish line. My pace has definitely decreased since I haven't been able to run, and paired with being an extremely slow runner naturally, I may not make the 3hr cut off time.

Regardless of whether I do finish or not, I think the important thing is that I'm giving this thing a go and it's something that mot people will never attempt in their lives. 

I've decided to give running a rest after this - I need to let my ankle heal properly, and then hopefully one day I can try give the full marathon a try... but we'll see.

Hopefully I'm still alive tomorrow :P

Will make a post post-race tomorrow and fill you in on all the details!

Thanks to everyone who's been so supportive and wished me luck, you're all amazing and you motivate me to try my hardest everyday!

Danni
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Long Time, No Post!

Hello everyone!

I just remembered that I haven't updated my blog in almost a month! What an outrage!

A lot has happened in that month. Biggest of all - I turned 18! Yay! 

Another thing that's happened is that the Gold Coast half marathon has been very quickly creeping up on me and my tendinitis-ankle... and now there's only 5 DAYS TO GO. WHAT!?

This is extra crazy because I haven't run in about 7 weeks. Yesterday was my first outdoor run in about 8 weeks... So I'm gonna say there's probably a fairly big chance I won't be able to finish.

It's not like I haven't been keeping my fitness up though - I was taking regular spin classes multiple times a week in addition to hitting the gym 5 - 6 days a week. The good thing about spending time in the gym was that I got to really build the strength of my leg muscles which was often my main weakness when running - my muscles would often start to let me down way before my actually cardio fitness levels would, so hopefully that helps me out.

My run yesterday was a little challenging - probably more in my mind than my body. I eased back into running with just a quick 5km yesterday and I'm about to head out today for 10km (hopefully can do that in about an hour). I have a bad habit of stressing out/panicking/doubting myself when big events come up and I did shed a few tears yesterday because I'm not 100% sure I'll cross the finish line, OR that my ankle is going to keep working throughout the whole length of the race. However, my mother reassured me that just entering is an achievement and that the fact that I'll be giving it a go even with an injury that's prohibited training is great. So I will attempt it and whatever happens, happens.

Also I'm sure that the race environment will be far more encouraging than running 5 laps of the promenade at Bondi Beach haha! It's all about the atmosphere I guess :) I was also pretty excited to learn yesterday that the course passes Cav's Steakhouse in the Gold Coast which has fake cows outside which always brighten my day hahaha :) So hopefully the cows will cheer me on a little.

I'm pretty happy to be attempting my first half marathon at 18 years and 2 weeks when most people will go their whole lives without doing one so I just have to stay positive, get rid of the tears, and focus on the next 5 days to make the most out of this event!

Danni
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Banana Blueberry Protein Muffins with BodyScience Protein!

Hello everyone!

Yay - it's recipe time!

Here are some yummy Banana Blueberry Protein Muffins I made, using BodyScience products!

Ingredients

• 4 very ripe bananas
• Approx. 1 cup blueberries
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 Tbsp chia seeds
• 2/3 cup Vanilla BodyScience Body for Women Shaping Protein OR Vanilla BodyScience Hydroxyburn Pro Clinical
• 1 1/4 cup Almond Meal
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/3 cup coconut water

Method

1. Preheat oven to 170°C/340°F
2. Combine chia seeds with 3 Tbsp of water and let them soak for 10 - 15 minutes or until it starts to become a gel
3. Mash the bananas, then stir in the coconut oil, followed by the chia seed gel
4. Sift in almond meal, protein powder and baking soda and stir until combined
5. Add coconut water and then stir
6. Stir in blueberries
7. Spoon into muffin tray lined with muffin patties and fill 12 muffins
8. Baked in oven for approx. 25 minutes, or until they become golden on the top - everyones ovens are different so they may need an extra 5 minutes for some people
9. Leave them to cool - when you take them out of they oven, don't be concerned if they look under cooked in the middle - they will set once they cool.
10. Enjoy!

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did - they make a great snack to take on the go and are very healthy and have a good protein hit in them! :)

Danni 

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BodyScience Body for Women Lo Carb Bars

Hey everyone!

I was really excited to receive a box of goodies from BodyScience this week and I'm so excited to share some product reviews and some awesome new recipes using these products in the near future! 

Today I thought I'd do a review on the Body for Women Lo Carb bars, which I absolutely love.

If you're looking for a protein bar that's low in carbs, calories and is going to keep you satisfied then this is definitely the one to go for. I tried it in the Swisse Chocolate flavour and I really don't have anything bad to say about them!

The flavour is great. It's a really nice, rich chocolate flavour and what I love about them is that say you're craving a chocolate bar, you can just reached for one of these, satisfy the craving, while also satisfying you hunger, getting a good hit of protein, vitamins & minerals and knowing that you're feeding your body something that not only tastes good but is good for you!

They are really filling too which is great when you're out and about and need a snack but also want to keep healthy while eating on the go. For me, when I go to uni and there's nothing much to eat except things I'd rather not be putting into my body, it's so easy just to throw one of these in my bag to keep me satisfied until it's time for a proper meal. 

Each bar is 141 calories, which 14g of protein, 3.1g fat, 2.4 carbohydrates and only 1.4g of sugar, so this bar is high protein, low fat, low carb AND low sugar so it's fit for just about anyone on any diet.

With a great taste and great nutritional value, it's impossible to say anything bad about these bars. If you're looking for a great protein snack for a protein boost or hunger satisfier throughout your day, I can't recommend these bars enough!

Danni 
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Heart Rate Monitors

Hellooooo!

So on Thursday last week I discovered the greatness of heart rate monitors!

I used to think that they were just something extra if you felt like/could afford one that gave some kind of slight benefit to your training sessions, but only if you really knew anything about heart rates and things like that (which I don't, really).

However, I was totally wrong!

So obviously they're not a necessity but if you're thinking about getting one I encourage you to do so! I didn't really know anything about heart rates and the zones and whatever before but in the few days I've had it I've learnt quite a lot from it, and it helps me to maximise my workouts for the most effectiveness and really shows me exactly how hard I'm working during the workout!

Because of my 12WBT membership I got a discount on Polar heart rate monitors and I've heard only good things about them so I decided to go with the Polar FT40. I liked all of it's functions, but it was also pretty :P that's always important, right? hahaha.

So you have the watch part which displays everything and then that thinh that says POLAR is the transmitter which you attached to the chest band thing which records your heart rate... pretty cool.

So this is the screen when you're during a workout it shows your heart rate on that bar. Up the top where it says "Fitness" - that's what range your heart rate is in. So for me above 135 is my fitness improving heart rate, and under that would be my Fat Burning heart rate. Very clever hey haha :)

and then this is what is displayed after you end your workout. Calories burned, the percentage of calories burned that were from fat, and the total time of your workout. Pretty useful and great to keep track of how effective your workouts are! I found this really easy to use, but I haven't tried any other models or anything so I'm sure any decent heart rate monitor that tells you this kind of stuff is going to be just as useful. I just really like the layout of this one and then look of it. (It looks way bigger than it is though in the photo, I think it's cause I have unusually tiny wrists haha).

Anyway yeah if you're considering getting a heart rate monitor I definitely recommend it! I'm kind of obsessed with mine now and wanting to use it gives me some extra motivation to get into the gym everyday :P It's a really handy device and can help to help you keep track of and maximise your workouts!

Danni
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