Just an all round Olympian

Sean thinks I'm obsessed with the gym but I beg to differ, so I went twice in one day last week that's normal right?

At 6 am I was doing Bikram Spin, it wasn't actually Bikram but as the temperature outside was a bazillion degrees it felt like I was, and as I couldn't get near the fan on account of 2 very larged bottom ladies being in front I was melting.  

   

I think this pretty much sums up how I look and feel during spin. But I love it so all good.

The gym was offering Pilate's taster session, so I was quick to sign up a place. Didn't really know what to expect or really what to do. But then in true Maddi style went bumbling along to the class, of which I am the only one of 6 who hasn't done it before. Undeterred and feeling pumped from bikram spin the instructor said pick a bed, lie on it and let's gets started.  Hmmmm pick a bed, yes that's easy, but lying on it?! That was the hard bit, I didn't know which way I was supposed to lie, where my hands went let alone my head or feet. 

As you can see its a bit of a mystery, or it was to me. So I fluff around a bit do some groin stretches, drink from trusty Jack Wills bottle, do a few squats and eye up what everyone else does. 

It's then time to start as I still have no clue and nobody seems to be in a rush to move I sit on mine cross legged and hope for the best. The instructor smiles and tells me to lie down and put my feet on the bar, ha, so now I know which way I'm supposed to be. 

After 5 pushes of this she then says I'm putting you up to the hard level this is too easy. I nod and thank her although I was feeling quite puffed already, lying down pushing your body weight away from itself with the balls of your feet after doing bikram spin is NOT that easy. But none the less I aim to please. 

I have no idea what she did but it was tough, she was talking about different coloured springs, I have no idea I just kept pushing myself on the bed and smiling every time she peered over me. 

After what was only supposed to be 12 pushes but I'm sure I counted to 50, we were told to lie on the box on the bed. What box, I had no box, I need a box I have to lie on it, where's my box. I'm hastily scanning the room for a box whilst looking what everyone else does. They are already on theirs, where mine. I'm told it's under my bed so out I drag it and heave it on to the bed, work out which way I should be lying again then try and get comfy. 

We're told to do to the superman, opposite arm out to leg, easy peasy, then swap, again easy peasy. The instructor is then beside me and I hear her ask "are you a rower" I thought about this for a brief second, remembered all the times  I used to row in my front room to Homes under the Hammer and replied "I used to be". Well, she did a little leap, I kid you not then came over whilst I was mid superman and pressed my lower back and exclaimed "wow you have great back muscles, I can always tell a rower" I glance sideways and smile whilst being superman. I'm then praying she doesn't ask where I rowed, in my head I was going to tell her I just did it for Charity in the UK and only at the weekends.  Sounds more believable in my head rather than it actually reads out loud. 

We're then asked to do some more work lying on our back, legs in stirrups and arms in elastic straps  (yes it really was at the gym not some adult only place in Fyshwick)

So there I am pushing legs while pulling arms and the instructors asks "Are you a runner" so I thought about this again for a brief moment, remembered the night before when I was on the treadmill and yes my feet were indeed going faster than I normally walk, so yes I was running therefore I am a runner. Look up and smile and say "Yes, yes I am" she said she could tell after rubbing my right thigh then told me how she'd really like to give me some harder excercised as she felt these were too easy. Too easy, I'm lying there practically  having a game of twister all on my own and she wants to make it harder. So I smile and thank her and say "that will be lovely" 

After another few rounds of twister she then let's us go freestyle, only I'm still not sure what I'm doing so with legs still in stirrups I just wave them around like I'm doing the River Dance. The lady next to me looked impressed, it may actually have been sheer horror on second thoughts, but what does she know. She is no Olympian like I am. 

At the end of the session, I wiped the box down and the bed, grabbed trusty Jack and legged it. I think I will give Pilate's a miss for a little while.  

Just call me Braveheart now..

We've been camping. ..... and I survived. Had 2 weeks of very disturbed and minimal sleep on the lead up to it, so much so that my fitness band warned me I was not getting enough sleep (slightly better than what my new band told me which was a Christmas present but subsequently got returned. .... it told me I was asleep from 8pm on one day through to 5 pm the next day, which I wasn't because I was up, awake and thinking of scaries while camping, it also told me the next day I'd only slept 3 minutes and yes it does sometimes feel like I've only slept for 3 minutes but on this occasion I know it was at least 10! It also told me I'd exercised for 1 minute. After nearly blowing the old bouffant in to a complete spin I asked Sean if he'd mind if I take it back. He muttered some thing about "if it stops you whinging about the inaccuracies then please do it" so I did. I'm back with the old faithful band which I love).
But I digress  (don't I always) back to camping. We went to Shallow Creek which is about 2 hours out of Canberra and it's just a field with a shower block and right next to the river.
We put the tent up (trailer tent no less, a bargain Sean found on gumtree .... had to discard the mattress as now I'm in the know 😉😉 I knew that particular mattress was NOT fit for use ... say no more). Brand new queen mattress in place and after an hour of putting the side bits up, juggling with poles and swatting flies away we were erect.
I was actually hoping I could have crossed my legs for the whole weekend but I soon realised that was not likely.  So had to brave the shower block. More on that in a bit.
After exploring the river which was colder than ice but very soothing as was a bazillion degrees last weekend, we thought we'd go to the beach. Ob and Sean swam while I sunbathed and slept then I very bravely went in the sea all the way to my knees with I must add no beach shoes. Get me... I was feeling very brave after using the drop toilet at the shower block. (I don't think that needs explaining does it?
Plus the water was so clear I felt a bit like Steve Irwin (pre death obviously) and figured I  would just wrestle anything that jumps out at me. I mistakenly thought I saw a shark that actually turned out to be a bird, but still a little shriek of shark now and again never hurt anyone ..... right?

Back at base now and still feeling brave I decided I would take a shower. After debating doing this with myself and reasoning with myself that I could do it, I took the long walk through the grass to the shower block (I actually ran /skipped/ trotted as I couldn't be too sure there wasn't anything lurking in the grass ready to eat me.
I spent around 3 minutes looking at the 2 showers and trying to decide which one was the better one, if you can imagine public toilets at their absolute worse mixed with festival toilets you get where I'm coming from, but now I'm brave I wasn't even crying which is the norm. I decided the shower on the left was the safest bet, started the 5 minute timer to get the water ready and started to undress...... I was willing myself not to look around too much, however those 4 foot cobwebs across the ceiling were just too big to miss.... but in my head scaries only come out at night so felt I was safe.
Stepped into the shower (with flip flops for added security and then I saw it........ the biggest scary in the world, my heart was flapping, my bouffant was growing with fright I was frozen to the spot and could not take my eyes off it.
After what felt like an eternity I told myself this is not how Steve would have reacted, and took a deep breath and realised it was dead and squatted and actually not moving anywhere. Then thought it may just be playing dead to fool me in to thinking it wasn't going to pounce. So I washed dried and literally ran out all within 2 minutes, timer flashing and telling me I still had 3 minutes left.
Then skipped / ran all the way back to the tent. Sean asked if I was alright as I was a bit white, I reply with a little squeak that I'm fine. I didn't want to tell him about my encounter because like I keep saying I'm brave now and I didn't want to cry.
(Had to get Ob to hold the door open to the ladies shower block last thing at night in case I didn't make it out alive).

I'd like to say Ob slept well but unfortunately he didn't, on account of his camping bed only having 3 poles along each side instead of 4. His feet were propped up on boxes. Still he was a little trooper and did what he was told "SLEEP IN A BALL"

Now the not so great news is that our friends came to see us the ones that told us in the first place about the camp site.... to cut a long story short Lex very kindly stood on a bullrot fish, I say this because Ob was standing 2 foot away from him when he did it and man oh man I'm so greatful it was Lex and not Ob.
As he hobbled back to the campsite, Sean rushed round to pack the tent up, I ran like a mad woman up to the owners house which was on top of a mountain (felt like) and it was a bazillion degrees. His repose in true Aussie's style "just put it in the hottest water he can tolerate, he'll be right" another kind Aussie came over and actually asked Lex why wasn't he drinking to numb the pain. I think Lex's expression told this man all he need to know. (Unable to ask Google as we had no signal at all so we had to trust the kind Aussie's and believe them when they said "yeh it'll pass in an hour, pointless going to hospital")
Meanwhile our truck had gone flat because some person (Sean) left the ignition on to charge his phone. He and Ob are unable to push the truck down the slight slope we're parked on, so I flex my muscles (now I'm lifting the weight of a small car, I thought, I've got this) tell Sean to get in the truck in case I push it so hard it runs poor Lex over while he's dealing with his leg going numb and the excruciating pain and poison spreading through his body, and off it rolls. Yay me. Fist pumping the air... so not only am I super brave now but also super strong.

So the moral of this story is to wear swim shoes and don't believe the Aussie's when they say it will pass....Lex ended up in hospital after 6 hours of pain, swelling and unable to weight bear. But yes they were right in some respect he was alright in 4 days time.
Oh and the scary was confirmed as a huntsmen... and if you open your hand and spread your fingers. ... that's how big it was. Gulp

The offending fish (well not the exact one but a picture) 

Me after the shower incident and yes I can see why Sean asked if I was ok! 

I am no Lego lady

As you know I've been hitting the gym and I love it. I've been resisting the mints at the end as I figured too many calories after busting my butt out in a class and plus I've never ever seen anyone else take one.
So last week I'm in body pump which I love and have increased my weights to the equivalent of a small car (I kid you not) I'm standing at the back for 2 reason.... 1 being that as you have to "stick your bum out" I really don't want any one having to have my bottom in their face. Even though it's not a big bottom I'd rather just not having anyone else thinking hmmmm that's not a pleasant sight.
The second reason is that it's like my little comfort zone at the back of the class.
About 20 minutes into the class I look across and see the girl to my right has her top on inside out which makes me start to chuckle and think what idiot goes to the gym with their top on inside out..... you know where this is going don't you. As I start my over head presses with the weight of a small car I get a feeling that maybe I should just have a little check on my own top. So I do and yup there's my tag on the outside and also I have a top you all know the ones, with half an encyclopedia of washing instructions, sizing, what shop it came from, down to the person who stitched it, all plastered across the back.
Feeling stupid and also cross that no one told me it's inside out, oh wait it's because there is no one behind me. Sigh.
So I gingerly put my bar down and run to the changing rooms, stopping to refill my bottle just to make the exiting look genuine (in case anyone was watching) changed top and quickly jumped on the scales and see that the 20 minutes of lifting a small car above my head has not shifted any pounds, feeling annoyed I run back to the class but not before coming across a flood......
Where some idiot had left the tap on the water fountain...... you guessed it that idiot was me.... debated briefly ignoring the flood but then thought better of it and went and told the lovely receptionist.
So note to self that day was "check clothes are in the right way and that the tap is off"
I'm pleased to report though I've found the trick in the spin classes. ....... I get on the bike next to the biggest or oldest person in the room because then I'm guaranteed (I believe, but still researching) that my legs will be faster than theirs. It does mean some times a change of 3 or 4 bikes but so far it's been worth it.
Am slightly confused why after last week's spin class we had to do push ups afterwards "because it's a Christmas treat" hmmmm, I didn't feel like it was a treat.
I'm also trying get to work out why I was shouted at in another pump class "lady with the pink gloves detach your legs from your body" we were planking you see, which I love and could do it all day, honest I could (if I didn't work full time sigh) when I heard this I did hope the instructor was talking to another "pink gloves" but no it was clearly me as she bellowed it 3 times. This is the same instructor that told me "new girl stick your bum out"
I was so confused and just looked at her with a grimace and a face that I hope reflected I was trying but I suspect it was more of a look of constipation. She did kinda sigh and shake her head but I'm hoping that was my imagination.
If anyone knows how to detach your legs whilst planking please let me know.

I think my luck may be in as on New Years eve I was sat on the decking when I feel some thing land on me, screaming and jumping a mile whilst throwing my tablet at Sean and screeching "hold this, oh my God what's that" I then realised I'd been shat on, I felt disgusted and violated, but then figured it was good luck, low and behold I found $10 on the floor the other day. Result hey!!

Just quickly.... our first New Years eve was brilliant .... up until we got asked to leave the pub because of Ob..... and the fact he was under age AND in the gambling part of the pub. Sigh. We didn't even get chance to say goodbye to our friends. We were made to feel like criminals and also had to vacate straight away. Sob.
Still, one to remember and one to tell you lot 😉