Well I’ve mentioned preciously how much I enjoyed & benefited from Michelle Bridges 12WBT program over the past few years. From last count I’ve done 5 rounds since my first one in Round 3, 2010 until now. During those 3 years I have always gone back to the recipes and exercise programs that Michelle puts together. They have become my ‘go-to’ folder for dinner parties, lunches or really busy weeks at work.

I’m struggling at the moment with finding balance. I can fit in work, toddler rearing and exercise but I am finding that my food and nutrition suffer. It is all too easy to grab the closest easy meal, particularly something like tortellini that I know the Worm will eat.  It is FAR to easy to head down to the local cafe & grab a hot chicken roll or a hot dish for lunch, I know that these choices aren’t disastrous but they certainly aren’t the best food that I can be putting into my body.

Until this week I’ve gotten away with it. I’ve known that I need to take more care (hence introducing daily Green Smoothies) but with this week of a sedentary lifestyle due to sickness, I’ve had an unplanned break, my eating (although reduced due to illness) has still remained the same, with me chomping on a piece of bread with dinner, or grabbing that extra snack during the day. These extra calories are fine when I’m in full training but this week is a prime example of a ‘Red Flag’ situation, where I should have adjusted my calories to match the activity.

I’ve signed up for Round 1 2013 of the 12wbt program. In the past I’ve had some FANTASTIC results, particularly in that first round I did, where I placed in the top 10 transformations of the round, won a Body Blitz challenge, and also fell pregnant with Worm. I continually kick myself for not taking advantage of the Star Shots photography package that I won.

September 2010-December 2010

The primary reason I have for signing up again is to get help with my food and nutrition. I want to be able to put healthy options in front of Worm as often as possible. She might not always eat them, but at least by exposing her to a wide variety of foods I’m demonstrating that these are good, nutritious and normal foods to eat. I’m working with Jen at Sparta PT for my 70.3 Ironman training, and currently 12WBT doesn’t have anything suitable, so I’ve decided to select the Lean & Strong exercise program, which I will be doing in and around my triathlon training, taking careful care to not run into that dreaded ‘over training’ zone. My triathlon training comes first at all costs, however I believe that adding in some strength & core workouts will be enhancing my overall fitness levels and therefore produce a better athlete overall.

As always Michelle Bridges has an intense Pre-Season program – more intense for me this round as I only decided to jump in 3 days before the round started. If you have never done 12wbt before all I need to stress that the pre-season is INTEGRAL to your success with the program. Personally I found in previous rounds that if I was drifting off program or diverting from my goals a re-visit to the preseason tasks quickly brought me back on track. With that in mind I thought I should share part of my journey with you:

My goals for Round 1, 2013 are:

• Eat healthily and offer Emily healthy options, even when I’m tired and just want to take the easy way out.
• Consistently do my core exercises, to reduce my tummy pooch.
• Participate in the Mooloolaba Olympic Distance Triathlon.
• Complete the 70.3 Ironman in Yeppoon – 18th August 2013

These goals are very “big picture” but that’s how I live right now. I have found that if my goals aren’t big & scary enough I won’t try hard enough to achieve them. In addition to Mooloolaba & Yeppoon above I have a series of other events that I want to compete in over the next 12 months. These events are all scheduled to have me at my peak come the 18th of August 2013 for the 70.3 Ironman event. YES I know I mention this a LOT, however as Michelle says we need to shout our goals out LOUD to ensure that our infuencers all have the end goal in mind so they can support me as much as possible.

You might wonder about my lack of ‘weight loss’ goals. I’ve currently got a BMI of 22.5 and am still breastfeeding Worm, so I feel I need to be careful about my weight. I have a goal of a 4 kg loss, but that is not as important as achieving the goals above.

Week 1 started on the 11th of Feb, I was a little slow off the start, having only just signed up for the round, so I admit that my meal planning and shopping didn’t happen in an entirely organised way this week. I managed to eat a few of the dinners, with the Lamb Koftas with Minted Yoghurt being a huge hit here.  My exercise program was thrown out the door on Wednesday when I was too sick to continue, and rest days were desperately needed.

As this post gets published it will be Monday, Week 2. I am really looking forward to this week, my nasty head cold/cough/flu is still persisting but nowhere near as bad as last week, so I feel I’m ready to get back in the game.

I’m excited about the Basil & Walnut Pesto Spaghetti for dinner Monday night, and have been suitably organised this week to have followed the shopping list so my fridge is full of goodies.

So now I need to know – how many of you are doing Round 1, 2013 12WBT too? Please let me know via twitter, Facebook or the comments section below. Add the links to your twitter or blog so I can follow your progress too – WE will do this together!