So your all probably wondering what the fuck I was thinking.

No food for 24hours, and only water as liquid – no tea, no coffee.

But desperate times call for desperate measures.

Lets take it back to last Tuesday in the lead up that caused me to fast for 24 hours….

Tuesday night my Bowel Disease (Ulcerative Colitis) – which has been in somewhat of a remission – decided to flare up again.

This left me with intense stomach craps that feel like someone is grabbing my insides so tight and twisting it around – my stomach is so sore to push on, there is also an often need for a toilet, blood, and extreme fatigue.

It is crazy people suffer with this in silence because they are too embarrassed to talk about it. Looking at a person you wouldn’t even know the toll this takes on their body but also their mind. If you were with me you wouldn’t of know that I was going through all of this.

From Tuesday it got progressively worse – resulting in me testing the beautiful service station toilets driving home on Sunday from our weekend away in Portarlington.

It gave me emotional flashbacks about how sick I was, even writing this makes me tear up. I just couldn’t handle being the mentally, emotionally and physically drained version of myself that I was. It really did scare me – “I can’t go through it all again” I thought to myself.

So Saturday night I took action.

I remember reading a few articles about fasting (not eating for prolonged periods of time.) and how it can help improve UC. UC is when your intestines are inflamed and have lots of ulcers. When you continually eat your body is constantly trying to breakdown foods and process them through the intestines – meaning your digestive system doesn’t get a break and the ulcers don’t get a chance to heal. Fasting for a prolonged amount of time gives your digestive system a chance to break and for my case a chance to heal.

And at the point I was willing to try ANYTHING.

I had my last meal 7pm on Saturday night and would not eat until Sunday night 7pm.

I woke up Sunday morning with the instant urge to go to the toilet after already going 3-4 times during the night – thinking to myself in a negative way that this is bullshit I should just eat.

Then thinking logically it is last nights dinner being processed through and to stay strong and push through.

Again toilet stops on the way home in the glamorous petrol station toilets really hit my ego. I’m feeling at rock bottom – I’m back to this uncontrollable point again.

Determined I refused to throw in the towel – I would make it until dinner and then if I didn’t work at least I could say I tried.

12pm – It got to lunch and I realised the intense pain had settled.

This was a small win.

1pm – I was pretty tried from the restless night before hand and had a nap on the couch for an hour – still not hungry.

2pm – It was a beautiful day so I worked up the courage to go outside and go for a walk.

The sun made me feel really bloody good – as did the fact I got through the walk without shitting myself. (whoooo)

That is 18 hours without food.

5pm – I started to feel really weird, not hungry just a bit light headed and delusional – to the point where I almost threw up twice – BUT we had just had our floors re-stained so this could have been a combo of not eating and fumes. I also had a massive headache again could be the floors.

But no toilet trips or cramps.

We are 22 hours without food now….

6pm (23 hours without food) I was ready to eat – I admit I actually wasn’t hungry but all signs were telling me to eat – I was very light headed and very indecisive.

To I wanted to break my fast with a simple dinner – I opted for chicken breast with no seasoning or sauces, roasted white spud and steamed broc. A very simple but a very nutritious meal that was more then likely not to mess with my stomach. By the time Matt cooked this for me (yes he is amazing!) it was 7pm…

I had made it 24 hours fasting….

24 hours without food only water.

And man it felt good to eat again – everything tasted so delicious!!

After dinner – I was cramping slightly – nothing too bad and there was not toilet trips….

Being wrecked from the night before and from UC in general I fell asleep on the couch and put myself to bed at I don’t even know what time it was!

Monday I slowly introduced foods back in – I did this by fasting until 12pm (7pm-12pm no food 17 hours) and only having Lunch and Dinner – plus cutting any crap out that I might have been consuming.

It is now Tuesday and although my toilet trips are still there they have dramatically dropped and I have no more stomach cramping – this is a HUGE win for me! My energy is also up – to a point where Monday night I could sleep I was just thinking, brain storming creating and on fire…. Though annoying I still woke up with a lot of energy, which I did not have at all last week.

I’m going to continue fasting for various times on various days depending on when I’m training and what my body is telling me.

It is funny how making a few small tweaks to your diet and/or routine can dramatically affect your life in either a positive or negative way.

So I want to leave you with this – are some tweaks you need to start incorporating to feel more energized, to feel vibrant, to feel like sunlight, to feel refreshed and to feel like your true self rather then the shadow of yourself you may be living without realising?

It may be going for a daily walk to get some sun and recover, or maybe start meditating to de-clutter your crazy brain and to help you focus or perhaps introduce an energizing breakfast to have you fuelled for the day rather then foggy brained and tired all day….

These things may seem difficult to add to your routine now but like with my fasting once you inherit the benefits it is all worth it.

Notice when you are not feeling 100% and change.

Stay Strong & Stretch,
Tel X

‘Balance’ they say – ‘balance’ is shoved in my face every second day.

It is ALL about balance… You gotta create balance..

Mate I can’t even create a decent poo let alone create balance.

But what even is balance?

I see these women who have it all together – they advocate balance – these zen masters who have an amazing husband/partner, a beautiful house, they are always being fit and active and cook impressive healthy meals and treat their body like a goddamn temple, treating themselves with a tiny bit of 90% raw chocolate.

They call this balance.

While I’m over here arguing with Matt about who’s turn it is to feed the dogs, avoiding the pile of washing that is starting to look like Everest (as are my dishes) cooking the same chicken and 90 second microwave rice almost every night and trying my absolute hardest not to eat a whole block of chocolate in one sitting…. Resulting in me eating the whole block, feeling disgusting and having my stomach feel like it is going to implode about 20 minutes later.

And these women (although pretty fucking amazing) make me feel shitty about myself.

I start to think…

‘Why don’t I have ….’

‘Maybe I should start….’

‘I need to create balance’

‘Is that what I am suppose to do?’

Then I catch myself in mid thought and react.

My life is pretty fucking ace AND pretty fucking normal, I mean I can’t be the only one with washing coming out of my ears or perhaps washing lodged in my husbands ears hence why I have to ask him 10 times to take the bins out.

We need to begin to realise we ARE NOT failing because we fed our family 90 second microwave rice for dinner rather then quinoa (I had to google how to spell that.)

In real life balance is a load of crap.

I’m sure people create it – I’m sure it probably feels good for the week they implement it but you know what gets in the way?

Life.

And what I’ve found is the more you focus on what you DON’T have and what you are NOT doing the more pressure you put on yourself, the more stressed you get, the more weight you gain, the more sleep you loose, the more motivation plummets, the more you feel like an absolute failure.

What feels truly good is knowing you are doing your best – some days you will have your shit together and other days you won’t – it IS NOT creating balance.

It is simply life.

If you aim to live ‘balanced’ on a tight rope chances are you’ll fall – headfirst and feel really down about it.

If you aim to just live life the best possible way for you – not anyone else – for you and accept that there will be ups and downs you can never fall, you can never fail.

It is simply life.

Stay Strong & Stretch,
Tel X

You’ve probably heard mixed responses on wether you should directly train your core or not right?

I mean with all these Insta Gurus it’s bloody hard to know what the actual fuck to do!!

Every second person recommending something different and for someone like yours truly who gets to train 70 badass women each week it makes me cringe some advice I see online from people who probably haven’t trained an actual client everrrrr *insert over dramatic crying face emoji

There are those saying all other lifts target this section so it isn’t needed and there is no point because doing core work won’t actually give you a flat stomach, you can’t build abs blah blah blah….

SO lets clear it up shall we?

YASSSTELLLLL

You should 110% train core.

NOW lets get it straight what your core is before I tell you why because it is a word that gets thrown around a little to loosely… that’s what she said (sorry couldn’t help myself)

Your core refers to your entire midsection – front, back AND sides – NOT just your abs (rectus abdominis) your abs make up only a part of your core.

Right’o Tell I didn’t come here for a anatomy lesson…

Your core muscles act as stabilisers – they keep your body safe during day-to-day movements such as bending over, picking things up and even getting out of bed. They also help increase full potential strength on main lifts (squat, bench, deadlift)

If you have a weak core you’ll experience back pain (a SUPER common issue!), shitty posture (especially while sitting or in that case slouching) AND you wont experience true potential strength on your main lifts not to mention your form on these lifts probably wont be so crash hot either….

BUT TELL CAN’T I WORK ON MY CORE BY LIFTING WEIGHTS?

Sure – if you have fab body awareness you’ll more then likely train a parts of your core by lifting weights no doubt about it BUT how much control do you really have and how much focus are you putting on the correct muscles?

This is why training your core directly is important – body awareness and muscle activation – just like doing a heap of body weight, bad form squats won’t give you an ass – doing a heap of ab exercises whilst not focusing OR not doing it correctly won’t increase core strength.

By adding a small 5-10minute routine 2-3 times a week you will dramatically change the way you move, improve posture (especially with a sitting job) increase strength and WILL define your midsection – I truly believe core work gets giving a bad name because people throw a few sit ups in a set and call it ‘core’ my girls and I very, very rarely do sit ups – so what do we do?

WHAT CORE EXERCISES SHOULD I DO?

PLANKS AND STATIC HOLDS: I great place to start is static hold exercises like planks and hollow holds because you aren’t moving you have a chance to really squeeze (am I mean squeeze) the muscles you are trying to target. They should burn and and shake – get to know what this feels like so you know what to look out for when progressing….

ROLL UPS/TEASERS: Once you nail static hold exercise begin to add moving exercises that create body awareness and core control such as roll ups which will teach you to move your body all whilst keeping activated – you learn to control your body rather then getting momentum from other muscles like your arms and legs.

LEG EXTENSIONS: Now your body control is down pat lets focus on keeping your core tight whilst moving your legs away from the body – think leg raises, flutter kicks and scissors – all exercise commonly done – but commonly done incorrectly – as your legs extend to straight your lower back should NOT lift away from the ground – once this happens you’ve lost control so either a) complete the exercise with knees bent at 90 degrees or b) decrease range of movement – don’t take your legs raise all the way down to the floor it may only be a slight movement as long as you stay in engaged thats all that matters.

WEIGHTED/RESISTANCE: If you are nailing all of the above add a dumbbell, bands, kettle bell or weight plate to the exercise to advance it but be sure you never loose control and remember to focus on what you are doing, feel the muscles working.

VARIETY: Don’t complete the same exercises each week – change reps, angles and weights – there is so many deep muscles throughout your core by doing the same movements you will not target all of them, won’t progress and will get bored very quickly. Adding in a variety will hit the different areas and will teach the body how to keep tension throughout out each one of them.

Soon enough by adding in the above and doing it correctly I guarantee you’ll notice a HUGE difference in strength, definition and injury prevention/rehab.

#ISAIDCOREWAYTOMANYTIMESINTHISBLOG

Stay Strong & Stretch,
Tel X

Y’all know I love sugary foods – and for a chocoholic Easter is a dangerous time of year.

An even more dangerous situation is when it is Easter AND you are going away for the long weekend!

WHY?

Well you know when you leave the house wether it is an over night trip or a week away it is automatically holiday time and Calories don’t count.

It’s like an unwritten rule.

Like at airports – doesn’t matter what time of day it is it is totally socially acceptable to drink or in my case eat a packet of peanut M&M’s at any time of day.

So I want to give you my TOP SECRETS on how I DON’T blow out on holidays and still eat whatever the f*ck I want.

1 – FASTING: Not eating for a prolonged period of time (12-16 hours) gives your digestive system a chance to catch up on all the crap you’ve been shovelling in, will leave you feeling flatter, more energetic and you’ll actually feel hungry when you eat!

WHAT I DO:
Miss breakfast all together…. The first meal is lunch – this option will save you time, money and calories. No rushing to get up and get out to find somewhere for breakfast – no paying for breakfast – more calories to consume later in the day.

BREAKFAST LOVERS:
So if you are a huge breakfast lover this already sounds horrible and you are ready to click da faq out of this post BUT WAIT!!!!! You can STILL have breaky! Just push it back a little bit – instead of having it as soon as you wake up wait until 11-12 and have ‘Brunch’

2 – BLACK COFFEE:
Good for two reasons:
#1 give you energy without a shit tonne of calories
#2 travelling can leave you constipated (I obviously don’t have this problem) but I use to and I know many women suffer the same thing too – have a black coffee in the morning and it should ease any toilet trouble and leave you feeling a little lighter!

3 – SWEAT:
If you have access to a gym that’s awesome! Jump onto my insta (@chantelmaree) and under ‘Workouts’ in my highlisys I got you covered. If you are in the middle of bum f*ck or somewhere without a gym and all you have is your body I got you to 😉
If you know movement you know the basic body weight exercises right? Like squat, push up, lunge, sit up etc…. write a list of x10 exercises in the notes section of your phone. Each morning choose x3 exercises. With these x3 exercises complete x10 reps of each. Complete 3-5 rounds. Sweat done!

4 – WALK:
Everywhere as much as you can! You are in no rush walk 2km to get your coffee and some lunch – who cares! JUST WALK!

5 – GREEN CAPS:
It is likely you wont eat as many veggies as you usually would so I find a travel friendly aka can fit in my handbag greens sup (I use the brand we stock at RF 7.2 Greens Caps) it is an easy way to get my nutrients in.

6 – BIGGER MAINS LESS SNACKING:
Pretty self-explanatory eat bigger main meals WITH entrees if you please just don’t snack between. Simples 🤷🏼‍♀️

7 – BE ADVENTUROUS:
I’m ALWAYS down for lounging by the pool and laying around (currently in bed in NYC) but it is great to mix things up and try something new – mini golf hell yeah, surfing sure, stand up paddle boarding wicked, hiking aighttt!! Whatever it is get your family, partner or who ever it is with you and take them on an adventure!

And most importantly have fun, be safe and have a good bloody time where ever you are! 

And there you are my secrect to stay lean whilst eating all the delish foods you want 😜

Stay Strong & Stretch,
Tel X

So you’re 15 years old and told you need to start taking ‘The Pill’ – you kind of know about it – some of your friends are on it and it is supposed to a) help with your acne, b) regulate your teenage periods and most importantly c) stop you from falling accidentally pregnant.

All pro’s – wewwwww – you don’t second question it – especially if the GP see no issues.

Everything is good – your periods and pimples are well under control and you are not auditioning for MTV’s TeenMom.

You know no different and continue taking it for the next 10, 12 hell even 15 years….

That’s what I did – that’s what we all do right? If there were any effects on the body surely our GP wouldn’t just keep giving out this medication no questions asked??

RIGHT?

Before we even get into that side of the story do you even know what that tiny little pill is? Or what it is doing to your body? Or your daughters body when used long term?

Most birth control pills are “combination pills” containing a mix of the hormones oestrogen and progesterone to prevent ovulation (the release of an egg during the monthly cycle). A woman cannot get pregnant if she doesn’t ovulate because there is no egg to be fertilized.

AGAIN – NO EGG RELEASE!!!! It literally stops your body from doing what it was designed to do. (The thought of not letting my body naturally ovulate for 12 years made me cringe.)

The Pill also works by thickening the mucus around the cervix, which makes it difficult for sperm to enter the uterus and reach any eggs that may have been released. The hormones in the Pill can also sometimes affect the lining of the uterus, making it difficult for an egg to attach to the wall of the uterus.

I honestly didn’t know either of these things. I had been taking this medication for 12 years and did not know this. I didn’t even second question the pill I popped for 12 years straight – I was completely oblivious to how it worked.

It wasn’t until I become sick with my bowel disease I starting digging a little deeper into the long term effects the pill has on the body because my Naturopath had questioned how long I’d been on OC (oral contraceptives) for and if I’d ever given my body a break.

‘Break?’ I thought to myself? Why would I need a ‘break’?!

The more I read the more convinced I was it was making me sick.

The more I read the more concerned I was for what I’d been putting my body through.

The more I read the more I thought why is no one talking about this??

Fact: Women who take the pill are nearly ten times the risk of dying from pulmonary embolism (a blood clot reaching the heart) than those who aren’t taking it.

A normal dose of the pill is four times the amount of oestrogen normally present in the body. Pills are a “one size fits all”, however if no two bodies are the same, it becomes easy to recognise why so many women experience negative side effects.

Like myself.

In my next appointment with my naturopath after lots of reading and researching I questioned her about the negative impact the pill could be having on my body particularly my gut and bowel disease.

She explained – the pill is toxic – therefore it directly affects the liver.

Your liver goes into overdrive and your body does what it can to protect it.

Leaving your gut open game for all sorts of infections, diseases and issues.

This made total sense to me and made me think of how many women out there actually suffer from gut issues that could be OC related!

I stopped taking the pill that day.

It felt very weirdly liberating. I can’t explain it but I instantly felt like I had more energy, I was sleeping better and my UC improved significantly within the first month.

I felt free.

The only thing I was paranoid about was falling pregnant but after downloading the app ‘flo’ it was a real game changer it logs my periods so I’m able to see when I’m ovulating and when I’m due for my period… I learnt so much about my own body it was really cool expect when ‘flo’ reminded me my period was now 3 weeks late….

Omg I’m pregnant, what am I going to do?!? I can’t look after a child, I’m not ready – omg omg omg.

The Naturopath did inform me that my period may be a bit off as your body forgets how to produce hormones naturally due to the fact it has been given artificial hormones for 12 years.

Yup – your female body forgets how to produce hormones because of the long term use of OC.

For me this was the case – no pregnancy just a lack of hormones.

It took me 4 months to get my period – I had like phantom periods with horrible cramps like it was trying to come but never did…. everyone is different some girls come off the pill and instantly get their period others won’t see it for a good year.

Because your body is basically that fucked up from artificial hormones.

If I wanted to get pregnant I couldn’t of. All because a lack of education. We assume to take the pill (have all these side effect which we assume are normal and just our bodies) then when we want to start a family go off it, have sex and fall pregnant.

It just does not happen like that.

I’m now 12 months off the pill and am only just getting regular periods – meaning I can now begin to pin point and know my cycle.

I’m a strong believer that OC contributed to my bowel disease, moods and energy levels.

I can confidently say I’ll NEVER go back on OC again.

This post it not saying do not use Oral Contraceptives – this blog is merely saying just be mindful – do your research on different options and what they are doing to the body and be sure to give your body a break if you do choose to stay on OC, be smart and listen to your body. Hopefully this post makes you more aware and saves you any long-term grief like I know so many women have gone through just because we are not educated on the topic.

Stay Strong & Stretch,
Tel x

 

The power, hard work and sense of accomplishment after BJ’s is just unbeatable!!!

BJ’s require A LOT of energy because they are highly intense. They use the WHOLE body and will activate nearly every muscle, which is why BJ’s burn a heap of calories in a single session and can help you loose weight.

The POWER and SPEED that comes from a BJ will help you increase your strength. When you follow an eccentric contraction (muscle lengthening) with a concentric contraction (muscle shortening) your muscle produces greater force and this is where the power and speed utilised in a BJ comes from.

The only disadvantage with BJ’s is the high risk of injury. I have never personally seen anyone hurt himself or herself during a BJ but because of the intensity and impact on the body it is quite common, so it is very important your BJ’s technique is on point. If you are a beginner it is important to start with low volume and gradually progress once you have built up strength.

It is safe to do BJ’s 2-3 times a week but make sure you begin with a light 10 minute warm up to increase blood flow to help your muscles function properly and to prevent injury.

So make sure you add box jumps to your workouts – an exercise I LOVE!

Stay Strong & Stretch,
Tel x

How frustrating is it when you’re on – you know when you’re feeling really fucking good wether it be training consistently & hard or eating well – you’re feeling strong, lean and confident then the unexpected shit storm happens.

You injure yourself.
or/&
You binge eat.

leading to…

You can’t train.
or/&
You feel like shit.

What do you do? How do you react?

I know you’re thinking of a certain time where this has happened to you – it may even be right now….

It’s just crap.

Do you ‘push through’ your injury only resulting in hurting yourself more and having even more time off training?

Do you take the all or nothing approach and continue binge eating – I mean you’ve broken your good habits now you might as well make the most of it?

What are you suppose to do???

You don’t want to have time off training – it makes you feel good and you don’t want to fall behind.

You don’t know where to start with eating well again because you’ve just lost all control and get into the groove of saying ‘I’ll start Monday’

So seriously what the fuck are you suppose to do?

Step 1 – frantically panic and start hysterically crying about your injury worrying you’ll never train again continue onto Coles to buy a block of chocolate.

Okay just kidding there….

Well sort of…

I think it’s perfectly normal to have a little cry if you hit a setback – I mean you’re fucking upset and frustrated at yourself – you don’t need this shit right now of course you’re going to be upset.

I did when I tore my quad last week.

a) It bloody hurt.
b) I was on fire with my training this is NOT what I wanted.

Result – sook like a little baby and think about how fat and weak I’m going to get because of it.

Tel, you’re literally not helping the situation at all please give me your magical advice before I either punch someone in the face or reach for another snickers.

Okay, okay lets go…

SO YOU ARE INJURED

-You instantly need to take it seriously – just pretending it’s a little niggle or pushing through will NOT make it go away – you need to address it ASAP.

-If it is just a little niggle/tweak believe it or not this is actually a good thing – it means you can look after it before it becomes a real big issue.

-If you legit know you have hurt yourself (e.g my quad) because of the intense pain, followed by even more intense throbbing and aching please stop whatever the fuck it is you’re doing and just sit down – don’t continue walking, running, lifting whatever it is you are doing.

-Don’t panic – lolz jokes panic will probably happen – the cloud of doubt will 100% loom on you so I’m not even going to try and tell you to remain calm – lets use my examples from above of some thoughts that may cross your mind… ‘I’m going to get fat’ ‘I won’t be able to train ever again’ ‘I’m going to loose all my strength’ ‘Why me?’ ‘It hurts’ ‘I’m dying’ etc, etc.. followed by some tears it is all pretty normal and standard but try and pull yourself together.

–DO NOT book into a bloody GP – your local bulk billing doc is great when you need some anti baby pills, sleeping pills and a med cert to get the day off work – not for training injuries, they will give you some anti-inflams which yes will make the area feel good but it will simply mask the problem not resolve it – see a Dr that specialises in the body which leads me to my next point…

-Book into an Osteo like right now – don’t ‘Oh I’ll see how it feels tomorrow’ like right now do it. Here is a link to my Osteo …

BACCHUS MARSH OSTEO

-Until your appointment don’t do shit that hurts – if it hurts to squat don’t squat. As a trainer I know there is ALWAYS alternatives to an exercise – so please, PLEASE ask and tell us when something doesn’t feel right – I know trainers are good but we aren’t mind readers!

– Listen to the Osteo – sounds simple right – but I know what y’all training crazed junkies are like!!! If he says no lower body weights for a week then NO LOWER BODY WEIGHTS FOR A WEEK!!! This is the most important point on this blog. You will not recover if you do not let the area rest, I know it sucks, I KNOW!!! But what sucks even more is not resting and re-hurting the area resulting in another 2 weeks off training.

SIDE NOTE: YOU CAN STILL TRAIN WITH AN INJURY – as I said above do not do anything that hurts and leave that area of the body alone eg. I haven’t trained lower body in 2 weeks but I have been going for light walks because the movement feels good and have also been doing upper body sessions. Listen to your body. It isn’t the end of the world you can work around it!

-Go to your follow up appointment with the Osteo – depending on what you’ve done 2 Osteo sessions minimum is what I would recommend – the second one you might not feel as necessary because you’re feeling good but that is exactly why you should go.

-Re-introduce training that area LIGHTLY just because you’ve been given the all clear don’t go and smash you body – take it light, and increase on it next session.

LASTLY…

-Think about what you did that resulted in this injury? If you train like an athlete do you recover like one? Do you have rest days? Do you eat enough food? Do you take stretching seriously? Do you do mobility exercises? Do you use correct form when at the gym? Do you need to strengthen certain muscles? These little things can prevent another injury from happening so are some good points to think about and improve on so you don’t go back to square one.

SO YOU ARE EATING LIKE AN UNSUPERVISED CHILD AT A BIRTHDAY PARTY

You were eating so well what happened?!?!

You fell off the chicken and veggies train straight into the dirty burger with chips and gravy ocean…

I know, I get it, it happens *raises hand like the unsupervised child I am…

so how do you get back the motivation to get your eating back under control?

Stay tuned for part 2 tomorrow 😉 In the mean time step away from the goddam packet of starburst. 

2017

Another year is almost over.

Can you really believe that?? HOW?!?!

Matt had us in our staff meeting write down everything we have achieved this year.

I honestly felt like I had done nothing….

Don’t you feel the same?? What a wasted year – I started thinking to myself – If I had of started this I could be here, or if I had of done that I could be here….

“Tel – Are you writing or daydreaming?” Matt catches me off guard – totally daydreaming….

Any who back to writing – where do I start?!?! I’ve done NOTHING!!!!

For a moment I feel kind of down – I NEVER do nothing I guess the best place to start is Jan…

(JAN) All I remember is starting the year a newly wed and extremely sick…. My bowel disease Ulcerative Colitis was at its worse – I wasn’t sleeping, I had no energy and I was not my self. I was running to the loo 15-20 times a day. It was affecting my life dramatically – coaching was hard, training was harder. Social life became limited because I didn’t want to risk being toiletless. The relationship I had with Matt suffered I was depressing – never wanted to go anywhere or do anything just sleep.

I really didn’t know how bad it was until I look back now…. I don’t know how I coped at all.

(Dr Relf and his laser acupuncture have worked wonders for my UC – I now live a somewhat normal life – don’t get me wrong I’m far from ‘fixed’ but god I’m happy to say I’m finishing the year finally feeling like my motivated self again.)

This was the first thing I thought of when he told us to write about our year.

(JAN-APRIL) Dot point number two was Royale Wellness Studio. Yup between naps and shitting 24/7 Matt & I managed to set up a new sister business to Royale Fitness – it was hard work – but we love a challenge – Royale Wellness Studio has x2 Infrared Saunas and a Floatation Therapy Pod, we also have an Osteo in the front room plus two absolutely beautiful receptionist/PA’s Malree & Steph which have made our lives so much easier! The studio compliments the gym and follows everything we believe in. I LOVE that whenever Matt and I get an idea we just follow through and bloody do it! (Always with a ridic deadline and a lot of redbull!)

(APRIL) Did a refresher in my Pilates mat series course and also did my Pilates reformer qualifications. Lots of people have asked me about reformers and I LOVE them – but I don’t LOVE teaching them, mat series is my jam and I absolutely LOVE it. Floor work pilates is for EVERYONE and can be done anywhere. Doing these courses is the best way to learn what you do and do not like – it keeps my programs fresh and keeps the old brain ticking! Knowledge is key and if you are the smartest person in the room – you are in the wrong room!

(APRIL) Decided last minute to go to LA with Matt – he was already heading over on the Saturday I decided on the Tuesday I was also going to go with him!! Venice Beach, the stars home tours, the Hollywood sign, cruising up to Malibu, watching the NBA play offs and shitting myself after breakfast burritos in white jeans – was defs a trip to remember!

(JUNE) I bought my first car – I know 27 years old and has never had to buy a car, DW I defs made up for it with my new wheels. I’m not a car person but I tell you I feel pretty damn cool driving around in my benz!

(JULY) By this point I was starting to feel energized again. Slowly getting my mojo back – I started training with Ashby. We work together but we never really trained together – she trains early morning and I just wasn’t doing early mornings, as I’d usually be up a lot of the night with an upset stomach. So as my tummy settled I got to become more consistent and found a new training partner and a bloody good friend! Training from December 2016-July 2017 was not a priority at this point – I was lucky to train once a week if that – the energy I had went into the Studio and my Tribe at RF.

(JULY) Held a Mid Year Party for Royale Fitness – it was 80’s workout theme and man was it fun!!!! Had such a good night dancing in my active wear. Just when you think you couldn’t love your second home any more you hold an event like this and it just bring you all closer.

(SEPTEMBER) One year married – time is going so quick. We spent our one year wedding anniversary in EGYPT!!! I know!!! How amazing – it was truly breathtaking. I HIGHLY recommend people to go – it isn’t scary like portrayed at all. Memphis Tours is whom we did ours with. – again I highly recommend them. After Egypt we spent a week on the Greek islands – Santorini and Mykonos. Sun. Cocktails. Food. BIG Bucket list goal ticked off!!!!

(OCT) We got a quote to renovate our kitchen (YAY!!!) walls are removed for where it has to go and the ball is finallllly rolling – should be in Australia Day! Reno’s are slowly getting there not much left to do on the inside then the outside will start!! We also decided to become apart of a mentorship program to learn more about property investing and add to our property portfolio. Now realestate.com is homework – no complaints here!

(DEC) My training is consistent. Hitting 4-5 sessions a week. I’m finding the more consistent and motivated I am the more my girls are. Man are they strong. I’m so SO proud of the effort each one of them is putting in. I look forward to going into RF every night and I leave feeling so blessed for my life. #telstribe SOOOO pumped for the new year helping each of the strive towards new goals.

Shit.

-Setting up a new business.
-Travelling overseas twice.
-Creating lean, STRONG, badasses.
-Buying my first car.
-Overcoming/managing a bowel disease.
-Renovating a house.

Maybe I did do a bit….

If I hadn’t of done this exercise I would have honestly continued to think that 2017 was a year dedicated to trying not to shit myself in public.

Our brains for some silly reason are attracted to the negatives in life – I guess because these are the things that hurt you and stand out the most.

WE are ALWAYS our own worse enemy.

So are you feeling like 2017 wasn’t your year? Feeling like you didn’t hit targets you wanted to? Did you go through pain? Was it all just a load of shit?

I bet you answered YES to at least one of those questions.

If you did I want you to sit down and write out what you achieved this year.

Yes, all the shitty things you might of had to of gone through (that’s life baby!) but also focus in on those parts that made you feeling really fucking good.

Those little wins.

You may have cut bad relationships but I bet you also made even better ones.

Celebrate the wins – acknowledge your successes and be proud of the person you are.

Let it motivate you to aim high in 2018.

Fucking OATH!!!!! Cheers to 2017 thanks for the experiences, the lessons and the relationships I’ve gained – 2018 watch out because I’m ready to fuck you up.

Stay Strong & Stretch,
Tel X

This one is for all my girls out there who were unhappy, unfit &/or overweight and decided to take action on their life to gain confidence, health and apparently a lot of criticism….

‘Fit Shaming’ sounds weird doesn’t it?

What could someone possible have against another person for gaining health?

I ask myself the same goddamn time every time I hear it happening.

And you know what it is really starting to piss me off – as I imagine is for the people copping this ‘Fit-Shaming’.

But first what is it?

Here let me give you a clue and see if you have ever been a victim of ‘Fit Shaming’ or even worse someone who actually fit shames…

‘You aren’t going to loose any more weight are you? You’ll look too skinny’

‘You should stop lifting weights because you’ll get to bulky’

‘Why do you exercise you are already skinny enough?’

‘You are too young to be doing that’

‘You are too old to be doing that’

‘You don’t look like you exercise’

‘Don’t you know how to have fun?’

‘I can’t believe you’d rather go workout then go out for dinner and drinks –what is wrong with you?’

‘Lifting weights isn’t good for girls’

‘You’ve really lost all of your boobs haven’t you?’

‘Skip the gym, you’ve already been 2 times this week you don’t want to get to addicted it isn’t healthy’

‘Eating healthy is too expensive’

‘Training is too expensive’

‘Why don’t you want McDonalds for dinner? Do you have an eating disorder?’

‘Is that all you’re having for lunch?’

And usually the ones that aren’t directly to your face are:

‘OMG have you seen …. She is looking gross, she has taken it too far’

‘What is with all her gym sefies, who gives a sh*t, she doesn’t even look that good’

‘Apparently she has an eating disorder and doesn’t eat ANY takeout’

‘I can’t believe she exercises nearly every day, she is going to over do it – it isn’t healthy’

‘As if she can eat that and still look fit? She must throw it up straight after’

OH MY GOD – Need I go on?!?!?!?!

Firstly a big F*CK YOU TO THE PEOPLE WHO SAY THAT ABOVE SH*T!!!!

WE don’t want to hear it!

The people that say this kind of garbage are usually uneducated, overweight people unhappy with themselves who can’t stand that fact that other people are actually succeeding in health and life that are looking and feeling really bloody good!!!!!

If you’ve gone through a transformation of your own you may let these comments get to you and start questioning yourself – DON’T.

You also may see friend groups change as you go through this transformation – GOOD! Don’t let this make you feel ‘bad’. You are separating yourself from these negative people whilst then surrounding yourself with people who want to see you succeed, who motivate you, inspire you and encourage you – who share the same beliefs as you.

Training is healthy.

Not wanting to consume rubbish is healthy.

And most importantly confidence is healthy.

So next time someone questions you and the way you look, reverse their snide remarks and flip the question back onto them because I’m damn sure they wouldn’t like to be told

‘You aren’t going to put on any MORE weight are you?? You’re getting too fat!’

Stay Strong & Stretch,
Tel x