Adversity

So I was just notified that my body building bikini competition has been moved 2 weeks forward, as they were unable to hire out the venue for the original dates. So the comp date is now the 10th of March 2012, which means I am now 11 weeks and 4 days out. Ahh adversity! I think I shall just use this as fuel in my next training session, knowing my d-day is earlier then expected challenges me to step it up a notch! This Christmas period also adds many twists and turns to my usual training sessions. Opening hours, and work schedules have put my routine out of wack, but I'll continue to find a way around it. Soft sand beach walking has become a good friend for my glutes and hammies, and the little home gym occupying my garage will be handy over the public holidays. Sticking to my diet is also a challenge with all of the Christmas foods and sweets slowly filling my house! We have decided to cook a roast turkey (and lucky it's my turkey day!) with cooked vegies and salad for Christmas dinner, no cheating here! I've decided to allow myself one cheat meal, so I don't over indulge in all of the snack foods. It's a recipe for protein ice cream and chocolate peanut butter cups made with Stevia and protein powder, taken from this month's Oxygen magazine. With just 210cal I think I'll just up my cardio and all will be forgiven. I'm dedicated to my goals, and just because it's a special day does not mean I can allow myself to binge on sugar, salt and fats- especially when I've worked so hard to get to where I am right now!
So prep; how's it all going, is what I am continually asked. Good is usually my answer. I've stayed consistent with my diet, and I've been completing 3 split body parts weights days, with 3 whole body conditioning classes, along with a max of 20 mins of cardio per day, with one rest day. I have now been training with my personal trainer for 4 months, and I have 3 months left till comp. I'm sitting at around 17% body fat, and weighing 53kg. I need to get my body fat down to between 10%-14% while holding on to as much lean muscle as I can. This is where supplements come in, and boy did I just drop a whole lot'ta cash on those! This is what I'm taking at the moment;

Cytosport Complete Whey Protein Powder (Choc)
GLUTAFORM Glutamine Powder
Dorian Yates GH Blast
ALCAR Acetyl L-Carnitine
BCAA Capsules


All of these supplements are aiding me to build lean muscle mass, burn fat and help to repair my muscles quickly and effectively. Supplements are an aid, they do not do the work for you! I do not take a fat burner and all of a sudden my fat just disappears, they simply work with my training and nutrition to give me the best results possible.
As for cutting and upping my cardio, this hasn't begun yet. I know that soon we will be increasing my cardio periods, as well as training weights twice daily. My diet will also have a few changes to the kinds of foods I will be allowed.

The sort of picture I could be expecting!
Photography Nicole Miller, Bikini: Dana Carmont Bikinis

It's nearing closer and I'm getting really excited! In a month's time I have a pool bikini shoot with Dana Carmont Bikinis, with renowned photographer Nicole Miller! Where they will style 3 separate shoots with different bikinis, and a shoot for an hour. I will then get to keep 6 high quality photographs for my portfolio! Talk about exciting! Two of my good friends, one a make-up artist the other a hairdresser, have volunteered to get me all glammed up for my shoot! From this shoot I will also get a chance to look through Dana's collection, and hopefully decide on my bikini for comp! I think I'm going to go for a baby blue, lilac or sea green? As these colours tend to flatter my features and colouring. Next step will be the dreaded stripper heels, and practicing walking in the things! Posing classes come next, and trust me it's much harder then it looks! I need to learn how to present my body in a way that shows of my strengths, posing in a way that looks elegant, sexy and enables me to tense every muscle in my body! The prep will get more intense as I get closer to comp, but for know I'm just focused on eating clean and making the most of all of my training sessions. Yes adversity may have hit, but I am resilient and determined, as well as excited that the challenge just became that little bit harder. Tickets for my comp go on sale soon, I believe they are $60 and it will be held at the Perth Italian Club, on Fitzgerald St, North Perth. So if you're interested in coming down to support me, let me know and I can point you in the right direction for tickets!
Keep pushing the barriers and believe in yourself! <3 Rach

Alcohol's evils

Sorry I haven't posted in 2 days, but I had a family drama to take care of. My issue right now is the effects alcohol has on your own mind and body and your family and friends. Last night, at 1am I answered the phone to the news my Mum had been rushed to hospital by ambulance, she had head wounds and was going to emergency. Not at all the call I would wish upon anybody. I tried to keep calm, and as I was out at a party sober, I was able to make the right decisions and get myself there as quickly as possible. I had been told that she was at a party, drinking, and had fallen down metal stairs, hitting her head, becoming concussed, and bleeding from a cut on her scalp. I sat in emergency waiting for her to come in, surrounded by other anxious and worried people waiting for loved ones. When I finally got to see her, she was incredibly distressed and obviously under the influence of alcohol. While I tried to comfort her, waiting for what seemed like forever, I saw some pretty horrific scenes come through those emergency doors. Images of sickness, old age, alcohol and drugs, violence and disease. This was definitely not a place of joy or positivity, although I kept assuring my Mum, and myself, that everything would be just fine. When we were finally taken on to the ward, we waited and waited, and she became more worried and her wound was giving her more pain. Reassurance goes a long way, I continued to stand by her and stay as positive as possible. Hours passed, and she finally received head scans and a check over by the doctor. Stitches weren't in need, and we were finally sent home at 10am the next morning. After 9 hours spent in emergency, I can say I never wish to go back there. The noises and images will stay with me forever. With a big scab, lots of swelling and bruises, she is alright. A wave of relief and gratitude swell over me, even though I hadn't slept in 30 hours. It sounds like a happy ending to a horrific accident. That's where you're wrong. This is just the beginning. 

Alcohol abuse is a serious issue, that I think our culture takes too lightly. I think everybody can recite an incident where drinking excessive amounts of alcohol caused them to injure themselves, make bad decisions, get into an argument, cry, and induce a massive headache the next morning? With the majority of you doing this once or twice a weekend? I too have abused alcohol and it has caused many regrets in my life, however I have chosen to learn from these, and have chosen to stay sober. I can see the effects it was having on my body, my mind, my relationships and on my soul. Others, don't learn these lessons, and continue with the same happenings time and time again. You would think that they would learn, after trying every method of telling them how it is effecting them and your family, you would think they would learn. After accident after accident, incident after incident, argument after argument, you think they would learn. Unfortunately this decision to recognise and accept that you have a problem, is one from within. You cannot force someone else to see something and to want to make change. They need to do this on their own. As heartbreaking as it is; watching on and trying so desperately to help, it is something they need to do on their own. With support of course, and I have always been there to support and help guide, but it has just not been accepted. I sincerely hope now that she can see just how serious this issue is. I have begun researching counselling and group support of alcoholics and their families, because I can't do this on my own anymore. I have tried numerous times before, and my methods, or her lack of commitment to the cure have failed each time. I need support and guidance, and that is what I am seeking right now. I truly want nothing more then to have my Mum happy and healthy, and at the moment this is not true of her. Family means so much to me, and to see someone continually inflict pain on themselves and their loved ones, really hurts. These issues run deep, and have consumed not only her life but my own and my brother's for as long as I can remember. If she doesn't have the strength to realise this, I am now committed to getting her the help she really needs.

So how come alcohol abuse has become such a huge problem in Australian culture? We have placed alcohol at the centre of all of our social gatherings, and people have become incapable of socialising sober. People continually ask me how I go out clubbing sober.  I always reply with "I'm high on life"- judge me as you will, but I prefer to go out and talk and dance with my head on straight. I prefer to wake up in the morning and remember everything that happened the night before. I prefer to wake up early and see the day. I prefer to live my life, purely as it is. Yes, at the moment I am sober as a part of my preparation for my sports modelling competition, but that is only the surface reason for my sobriety. The real reasons lie in the images and memories that haunt my dreams of the many, many ways alcohol was wrecked havoc on my own and my families lives'. Incidents, too many to recall, that I would never wish upon anyone else. I deal with these every single day. Although I choose love over fear, and I work through these issues and chose to see all that is good in life. I do not let them determine my future, but I allow them to teach me, I have learnt from these mistakes.

I am not at all going around trying to convince 
people not to drink. I just urge people to think about their own mind's, bodies, souls and their own family and friends before they chose to abuse substances. Control yourself, and stop once you start to lose control. If you are drinking to try and numb pain or deal with issues, there is a far greater problem. You need to recognise these and seek help in dealing with the real issues. Alcohol may be a quick fix, although it brings along with it many more problems, and does not at all address the real reasons for your escapism. I urge these people to talk with a friend, get counselling and seek help! Your bodies, minds and souls, are precious, please respect them and keep yourself healthy in all of it's forms. If anyone is also dealing with similar issues, feel free to contact me, as any support given or accepted is helpful! Respect yourself, because you don't need alcohol to be the awesome person that you are! <3 Rach

Thank YOU!

Wow guys, yesterday this blog hit 1,000 views! What a fantastic feeling! I am so happy that people are actually reading, listening, being inspired and taking action from the things I have written! I want to say a huge thank you to all of you! A massive thank you to all my friends who have already supported me so much on this journey. You girls and guys never judge my decisions or actions, but have supported me 100%! Whenever we go clubbing, I love the way you fully support my water on the rocks, and never hassle me for not drinking! I love the way you have all given me such positive support, and have shown interest in what I have been accomplishing. That's when you know who you're true friends are; the ones who stick by you no matter what. Even when I have to pass up on plans cause of training, or for the water bottle that remains glued to my hand, and you still stand by me when I whip out my Tupperware container of chicken and broccoli in restaurants! Even more to the girls who prepare a separate meal of 'Veggies for Rach' when I come over, I thank you!! Without all of the supportive people in my life I would have never been able to accomplish what I already have, and would not have the mental drive to be following this challenging road! My family; you have been  so supportive in helping me live out my dreams. By the way you always ask about what's going on, how you help me in preparing the masses of food I eat each day and for the love you show me everyday. 

I really feel I have encompassed myself with the most beautiful, kind, positive, supportive and amazing people, and I want to thank all of you for being my backbone throughout my travels. I'm getting closer to comp day, and my training and diet will continue to challenge me. Knowing I have all of you by my side, encourages me so much and allows me to know if I ever fall, you all are there to catch me. I love you all, and I would not have been able to get this far without each of your special effort's, so thank you for accompanying me on this amazing journey! <3 Rach

Get Active!

With alarming news that 65% of Australians are overweight, I think we need to start making changes today! The sad fact is that studies show that only 33% of Australians are actually aware of it. 
Australian's have adopted such a sedative lifestyle. I've noticed when we hit our 20's and become consumed by full time jobs or full time study, our health goes out the window. Out goes organised team sports, out goes daily exercise, out goes home cooked meals. Instead we drink more, we eat out to socialize, we are too busy to cook at home and we can't find the time to exercise. This is when our once 'skinny' teenage bodies start to stack on weight, and this cycle tends to continue into our 30's, and then there's a whole lot less time when you're trying to look after a family. 'Me-time' is again thrown out the window, and daily exercise is again the first to go. Sound like you? Do you think you're just way too 'busy' to find the time for daily exercise? Way too busy to cook a healthy meal? 

In all honesty it doesn't take that much, to find a bit of daily exercise or make healthier options when cooking. It's all about taking the best options, and being organised. Make your day's meals the night before and take them to work or uni- you'll save time, money and not to mention your health! Find at least 30mins of physical activity each day, it's not much, but can do so much for the health of your body! Exercise with a friend if it's that daunting! Just get outdoors and get moving! Go for a walk, cycle, dance, go for a jog, walk your dog, play organised sport, swim, surf, play tennis. What ever it may be just get active, get your heart rate up, and keep your body healthy!
Exercise improves my mood so much, and I always have a smile on my face when I'm finished. All sorts of feel-good chemicals are released into your brain when you exercise. People who exercise also show diminished symptoms of depression! Do it with a friend and then your socializing and sharing this amazing feeling together. Get active today, in any way possible! Take the healthier options and become organised in the way you structure your meals. Australia needs to realise how much of a problem obesity is becoming, and all of the health problems that are associated with this. Don't become part of the statistics, and be kind to your body and mind, get active today! <3 Rach

Your meaning in life

Another day, another dollar. 

This popular saying really gets to me. It's like saying "I hate my job, I'm not in control of my life and I don't have the ability to make any changes." It is such a self-victimizing attitude to hold. People who commonly hold this view are usually unhappy in their job/career, their relationships and life in general. These people have chosen to put a negative spin on their lives and are obviously unhappy. You would think this would ignite change. You would think these people would sit down and re-assess their lives, their goals, ambitions, wants, needs and think about what they really want from life. Although they don't. They continue to complain about hating their jobs, they dread Mondays and place high value on money earnings over their own happiness. Why?
Because it's easier. There is no effort involved in doing the things we always do, and it's easier to put the blame on the job than on yourself for not making changes. Although how much can we really take of leading unfulfilled, unenjoyable and unhappy lives? Do you really want to live a pointless life? Or would you like meaning, ambition, a goal, a dream, would you like purpose? 
This is how I have chosen to live, with purpose. I really believe that each person on this planet is here for a different reason. Separately we are all individual and unique, but together we all bring something different to this life we share. We all contribute and have a meaning. I see life as having a reason and a purpose. It's like this feeling inside of a higher purpose guiding your every thought, feeling and action. It's this overall sense of the bigger picture, and the real meaning to life. Whether you were made to help people, to teach, to learn, to motivate, to invent, to change for the better, to give your time, to speak your mind, to tell your stories, to listen. Whatever you feel is really your purpose in this life, what you were really created to do. 
We have become so set in this idea of "jobs" and which job is going to make you financially richer. What about which job is going to allow you to live out your purpose and make you emotionally richer? People have become absorbed with climbing ladders and being the best in a field for the sole purpose of a title or a larger pay check. But what do you really perceive as success? What really makes a person successful in this life, what is success? I guess it depends on your values, and what you really see as being most important to you, what is really going to make you happy. This quote really speaks to me;
"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful." -Herman Cain 

It shows us that when you find something that excites and energises you, it can make you jump out of bed in the morning and fall asleep with a smile on your face each night. When you have this energy and positive drive, you will work hard, and you will want to keep achieving and growing with this passion, and you will meet success. This success may not necessarily be measured in dollars and cents, but does this really matter? If you are living a fulfilled, meaningful, enjoyable and happy life, is money and physical 'things' really a factor? We have become so obsessed with physical objects and a paychecks as a form of measuring our life achievements and successes. I'd prefer to measure my life's successes and achievements by; the amazing people and family I have in my life, by the relationships I will have with my future family, by the amount of times I make the choice to smile instead of frown, by the places I have explored, by the moments that took my breath away, the memories that leave me in fits of laughter, the people's lives I have touched and by my general sense of living my life to it's fullest and doing everything that I have wanted to do- it's about the amount of dreams and goals I have accomplished.

I feel that my meaning in life, the reason I was created, is to help others. I am a teacher. In every sense of the word. It is my calling, and I feel it in every aspect of what I do. I want to help people realise their potential and then educate them on how to reach it. I love learning, I love educating myself and learning from others. I absorb everything around me, and then have the ability to be able to put this across to others in a way that they will understand and be able to use in their own lives. I am very opinionated, and independent, and I don't let other people influence my beliefs without good reason. I am my own person. I also love people, and if you know me you'd know that I love talking, I love sharing and I love expressing my thoughts, ideas, feelings and beliefs.
I am studying primary school teaching, and I feel this degree is giving me so many tools and resources in order to make me a better teacher. It has taught me about the different ways in which people learn, and the techniques in order to be able to cater to all learning techniques in my teaching. I am also a very intrinsic learner (motivated from within), and so I have the self-drive to stay committed and focused on my goals.

The way I am leading my journey at the moment, I've taken the track of health and fitness. Something I have found that has given me great mental strength and the ability to think positively and focus my energies into reaching personal goals. It has also opened my eyes to a community of like minded and incredibly supportive people, who I wish to keep in my life to learn from and grow with. This blog, as well as my future goals within this sport have given me a platform to help and teach others. Already I have passed on information to so many people, I have had people tell me I have inspired them to make positive changes in their own lives and I have helped others to think a little differently about life in general. Doing these things brings me joy and a sense of fulfillment in my life aspirations. I have chosen to teach children as I see them as the future of this world, they are responsible for the future generations. I want to make changes in this world, and I believe I can do this through the education of our youth. By being a positive role model and practicing what I preach I can teach these children the real importance of life. Deeper then geography and maths, but the ability to be positive, confident, educated, loving human beings who are motivated to make positive changes within our world. The environment, world hunger, pollution, war, racism, relationships and love are aspects I want our future to be able to resolve, find a better way and create a world where all it's citizens are allowed the basic needs in life. Well that is my calling, that is my life goal, it's my purpose. Everything I do in life is about helping and teaching others. My life isn't just about another day and another dollar. It's about making this day count to make tomorrow better, if not for myself but for others. Have you found your purpose in life? If not, why? What is it that's stopping you? Yes it's scary and daunting, but it's worth it just for that smile I have on my face every night and the smile and excitement for a new day every morning. Give your life meaning, and reach success through happiness <3 Rach

The truth about weights

This image speaks so strongly to me, as well as highlighting the many misconceptions people have about lifting weights. All the time I hear girls saying "but if I lift weights won't I get big and bulky, and find it hard to lose fat?" NO! I see girls in the gym; some overweight, some very skinny doing exercises with 1kg dumbells. They do incredibly high reps and complete them so fast they almost throw them around. I always give them quite strange looks, and wish I could just go and show them what they should be doing. These girls seem to think that if they use a weight where it actually begins to 'hurt' their muscles, that overnight they are going to blow up to the size of a male heavyweight bodybuilder. NO, NO, NO! Trust me if it was that easy, men would be very happy! Women simply do not have enough testosterone in their bodies to grow this sort of muscle. In turn they build lean, toned and hard bodies.


Tone: Now this is a word that women throw around without really understanding it. They say I just want to tone up, yet spend all of their time on the cardio equipment. Being toned, is when your muscles are in a constant state of partial contraction, this way you are able to see the muscle definition. For your muscles to appear toned, you need to have muscle to start of with. How do you build your muscles? By lifting heavy enough weights that you create small microtears in the muscle tissue so that when given rest they will rebuild themselves back up stronger and bigger (in a process called hypertrophy). Use a weight that causes failure at about 12 reps. Women also need to understand that muscle tone can only be seen when they lower their body fat. No matter how large your muscles are, if you have a blanket of fat covering them you aren't going to see any definition. Most women then decide they are going to 'spot reduce' their fat. Now this is an absolute myth! You can't choose where your body is going to lose fat from. By doing continual sit ups, does not mean that you are going to have a 6-pack! Of course you need to work all of your bodies' muscles and aim at building them hard and strong, although this does not necessarily mean they are going to be defined. In order for them to 'show' you need to lose overall body fat, so this layer of fat is thinner, and your muscles become more apparent. The good news is that lifting weights does burn fat, and the more muscle your body has the more calories it burns at rest (pretty sweet deal if you ask me!).
Yes cardio is still important, in raising your heart rate and burning unwanted calories, although static rate cardio just doesn't cut it. You see the same people everyday slogging it out on the treadmill or X-trainer, they jump on for an hour and 'exercise' while reading a magazine or chatting on the phone. They stay on a speed that is comfortable and never really push themselves. After a year, I go past the same people, and they still look exactly the same. In order to burn calories you need to raise your heart rate, and 20-30mins is all you really need, of high intensity cardio, after your weight training. I love High Intensity Interval Training, where I go on the X-trainer and do 10 mins of 30sec full out (100%), and a 30sec at about 80%, at a resistence level where I can complete 6-10 intervals. My heart rate is up and I'm pushing my body as hard as I can, I get off huffing and puffing covered in sweat. It doesn't take long.
Unleash these misconceptions about weights turning you into a male body builder. Weights at a challenging weight will help you to build lean muscle mass, and at the same time burn fat. Add in some high intensity cardio to raise your heart rate and continue burning fat, and you will start to notice fat loss, and more overall body 'tone'. So get away from the cadio theater, and enter the weights room! Make sure you are working all of your bodies muscles, as spot reducing does not work! Lift heavy, and get a sexy, lean , hard body that does not resemble anything of a male body builder. Trust me it's hard, you will sweat and it will hurt but it's definitely worth it! <3 Rach

15 Weeks Out!

Update for the beginning of Week 15. I can't believe how far I have come already! In 3 and a half months I have noticed a dramatic difference in my muscle definition and tone! From looking at my first photos to the ones I have just posted I feel so proud of my progress. Knowing I still have 15 more weeks of training gets me so excited to see how my body is going to look when I'm ready for competition!! At the moment I weigh 53.8kg and I have 17% body fat.



I have come to a bit of a scary goal, that I think I can accomplish, although I'm still a bit nervous. This goal was to wear a crop top to the gym without a singlet. It's almost like saying "Hey look at me, I love my body!", and I do, but at the same time I don't want to come across as cocky. It's just a little personal goal I set myself, to feel confident enough in myself to be proud to show what I've got off to the world. I'm still a little hesitant, but if I do build up the courage and not allow myself to be effected by other people's thoughts or comments, and keep reminding myself that I'm doing it for me- I'll post about it! :)


It's legs day today, and I'm pumped! They're the body part I need most work on, and I'm excited to challenge myself.
Have a fantastic Monday, and keep celebrating all of your accomplishments, no matter how small! <3 Rach

How do you perceive yourself?

How do you perceive yourself? Do you think positively about the way you are, or are you continually comparing yourself to others or a set of standards you've created for yourself? Do you project yourself in a confident manner or do you shy away and continually pick fault in yourself?
In psychological studies this is called self-concept. This is the way in which we see ourselves and is composed of four interrelated self-perceptions; the perceived self, the ideal self, one's self esteem, and a set of social identities. These elements all play a role in directing, energising and organising our behavior.


The Perceived Self: This is the way in which we perceive our individual attributes of traits, competencies and values. Traits are our relatively permanent patterns of behavior, these become labels in which we use to describe ourselves, such as; lazy, dependable, ambitious and conservative we use these to describe our essential character. Competencies are the perceptions of what skills, abilities, talents and knowledge we possess; "I am good at making friends", "I am stupid" or "I'm a good singer".  Values are concepts and beliefs about desirable end states or behaviors that we see as important in specific situations, and which guide selection or evaluation of behavior or events. Such as a belief that money is more important then happiness, or that you value your health and well-being. These values will guide the ways in which you behave and the choices you make in your own life. Your level of self-perception refers to the degree to which you perceive your attribute level. This deals with the issue of how you see yourself, whether or not you how high or low self-esteem in regard to these.


The Ideal Self: This is the set of traits, competencies and values that we would like to possess. These are the things we feel if we had we would be ideal. "If I was skinnier I'd be happy", "I'd get the job if I was smarter", "Men would give me more attention if my boobs were bigger." This is the picture of our perfect selves that we have in our head. This can sometimes be a positive thing, that aids in motivating us to better ourselves. Although it can also be negative when we set unattainable standards for ourselves. Some people even place an ideal standard in other people, such as a friend, a celebrity or complete strangers. They idolise these people, and believe their lives would be perfect if they would just be like them.


Social Identities: This is the process by which we classify ourselves and others into different social categories, such as "Women", "Nerds" or "Successful". This classification process serves the function of segmenting and ordering the social environment and enabling individuals to locate or define themselves within that social environment. Social identification provides a partial answer to the question, "Who am I?" using the aspects of our self-concept that derive from the social category to which we believe we belong. This is often when we perceive ourselves to be better or not as good as others. This is often where people become self-conscious as they are putting themselves and others into social stereotypes, and depending on the way they see themselves, this effects how highly they rate themselves in comparison to others.

Self Esteem: This is the evaluative component of the self. It is a function of the distance between the ideal self and the perceived self. When the perceived self matches the ideal self, self esteem is relatively high. Low self esteem occurs when the perceived self is significantly lower than the ideal self. Our self esteem comes about from the categories described previously. It can result from feedback from others, events or results of one's efforts.


So after reading about how we construct our self-concept, how healthy is yours? Are you able to find traits, competencies and values within yourself that are positive, or do you continually cut yourself down? Have you created an unattainable ideal self or placed all of your ideals into one person? Do you continually compare yourself to others and place yourself into negative categories?
Your self-concept affects the way you make choices in your life, how you feel about yourself and also how you project yourself to others. I'm sure everyone could find at least 10 things that they can be positive about, in regard to themselves. Remind yourself of these things everyday! Poor self-esteem can be detrimental to one's happiness, as well as the perception that you have no control over making changes to your thinking. Of course you do! People have almost an obsession with comparing themselves to others. Continually we place judgement on other people, and then try to size ourselves up in comparison. 
Be yourself. We are all individual and different, and no-one truly has a 'perfect' life. Find the things you love about yourself, and project these out on to the world. The more positively you see yourself, will effect your confidence in making positive decisions, choices and actions in your life. Sometimes we need to step out of our comfort zone and challenge these negative self-perceptions. Have the confidence to live your life how you want!
Feedback from others is an integral part of how we build our self-esteem. If people or one person in particular continually tells you something about yourself, you tend to believe it's true. This is often the effect of bullying. If you're constantly told you're not good enough or you're beliefs are stupid, you tend to start believing these things about yourself. Again, people seem to think that they are the victim in this situation and that they have no control over changing the outcomes. Yet you do. Be strong and believe in all of the things that are positive about yourself. Most importantly surround yourself with positive people who love and support you! Lately with my involvement in my current life choices and positive projection of myself I have had a lot of positive feedback, although at the same time I have also had negative! Some people have chosen to try and cut me down with insults or putting a negative or sarcastic spin on my endeavors. Although this was expected, and I don't allow these comments to get to me. I have high self-esteem and a positive concept of my self. I am aware of my strengths, accept my flaws and I have the ability to look at all of the positives in my life and the supportive people I have chosen to surround myself with. This shows me that these negative people are only trying to make themselves feel better about themselves by trying to make me feel bad about myself, and I don't need them in my life.  "People who are too weak to follow their own dreams will usually just try to discourage yours." 
Although they will never succeed! I would never let them. There will always be people in life like this, it's your own ability to shrug it off and know that you're an amazing individual no matter what, and that you have many people who love you just the way you are.  

If you're reading this maybe you already know that life has amazing things to offer you or maybe you're struggling with finding these things and are searching for some guidance. Who ever you may be, you need to understand that you are at the centre of controlling how successful you will be at finding the positives in life. Start right now, find those things within yourself that make you incredible, surround yourself with people who can also see these things and start living a more positive life where you hold your head high, step out of your comfort zone and take life head on. Be your own number one fan, and see just much this can change the way other people see you and the way it will impact the choices, opportunities and challenges you will now allow yourself to make. Self-love, because you're amazing just the way you are! <3 Rach

Numbers Vs. %

Girls these days get so hung up on that number on their scales, or the size on their clothing. These forms of measuring your weight loss or health and fitness just aren't accurate, as everyone's bodies are different shapes, heights and store body fat in different places. Body fat, now that's the kicker, that's the real thing were trying to get rid of when we say we want to lose weight. That layer of fat that covers our bones and muscles, that can either be low and allow our muscles to be defined and our bodies to appear lean and fit, or high and show up as a spare tyre, a muffin top or bat wings. Our body fat percentage is the real thing that measures our health and fitness. Unfortunately it's a lot harder to measure then our weight on a set of scales, and measures can often be quite inaccurate. Although BMI (Body Mass Index) and taking your measurements are still a much more accurate way of measuring your progress then your weight in kg, as you are unable to tell whether or not this weight-loss is coming from fat, muscle, bone or water. When I was losing weight I took measurements of my arms, chest, waist, tummy, hips, bum, thighs and calfs every week, as well as my weight in kg and my BMI. This form of keeping records enabled me to see my progress, and motivated me to keep going, as I could see just how far I had come.
Here are my measurements from the beginning of 2010

	Date	Arms	Chest	Waist	Tum	Hips	Bum	Thighs	Calfs	KG	BMI
	1/1/10	30	94	80	89	95	104	63	38	73	28.7

By looking at this data I can see that my BMI tells me that I was overweight, and getting close to obese!! A very scary thought. If I look at my measurements now I can see just how much I have really lost, or how much I have gained!-Depending on how you look at it :)

	Date	Arms	Chest	Waist	Tum	Hips	Bum	Thighs	Calfs	KG	BMI
	22/11/11	25	86	63	65	80	89	50	34	54	21.2
		-5cm	-8cm	-17cm	-24cm	-15cm	-15cm	-13cm	-4cm	-19kg	-7.5

You can wok out your BMI by dividing your weight in kg by your height in metres squared;
BMI= weight (kg)/height(m)2
21.2= 54/(1.63x1.63)
Check your BMI against the chart.
Even more accurate then this is getting a body fat measurement.
There are a few different ways you can get this done.

Bioelectrical impedance analysis: The general principle behind BIA: two conductors are attached to a person's body and a small electric current is sent through the body. This is usually a machine that looks like normal scales, with handles that you hold, while the current is sent through your body (you can't feel it). The resistance between the conductors will provide a measure of body fat, since the resistance to electricity varies between body fat, muscular and skeletal tissue. This is the form I use.

Anthropometric methods: There exist various anthropometric methods for estimating body fat. The term anthropometric refers to measurements made of various parameters of the human body, such as circumferences of various body parts or thicknesses of skinfolds. Most of these methods are based on a statistical model. Some measurements are selected, and are applied to a population sample. For each individual in the sample, the method's measurements are recorded, and that individual's body density is also recorded, being determined by, for instance, under-water weighing, in combination with a multi-compartment body density model. From this data, a formula relating the body measurements to density is developed.

Skinfold methods: The skinfold estimation methods are based on a skinfold test, also known as a pinch test, whereby a pinch of skin is precisely measured by calipers at several standardized points on the body to determine the subcutaneous fat layer thickness. These measurements are converted to an estimated body fat percentage by an equation. Consequently, the body fat percentage calculated from skin folds or other anthropometric methods carries the cumulative error from the application of two separate statistical models.

Description	Women	Men
Essential fat	10–13%	2–5%
Athletes	14–20%	6–13%
Fitness	21–24%	14–18%
Average	25–31%	18–24%
Obese	32%+	25%+

By using the Bioelectrical Impedance scales i have been measuring my body fat % to track my muscle building efforts. When I first had my body fat recorded in April by my nutritionist, it was 25.5% and my body contained 14.8kg of fat. Wow that sounds like a lot of fat, but by looking at the chart I can see I was still in an average category, verging on Fitness level. Since following the nutrition plan she gave me and lifting weights, I took my body fat % again at the start of my sports modelling training at the end of September. It was 21.5% and my body contained 12.1kg of body fat, showing that I had really lost 2.7kg of fat! An accurate measure of real weight loss. I have continued taking my body fat % readings and after 2 months of training in November it was 19% and my body contained 10.3kg of fat, another 1.8kg of fat loss. I took my reading again yesterday, 2 weeks after my last reading and after following my training diet plan for 11 days, it was 17%, with 9.2kg of fat. I am so proud to be able to track my progress, and see that I am really getting results with all of my efforts. I am now in the 'Athlete' category and am well on my way to being ready for my competition in March! For competition, girls try to get down to the 'Essential Fat' category, so I still have a little way to go, but I'm getting there!

This shows just how different your body appears with
different amounts of body fat!

So remember girls don't go judging your weight-loss or health and fitness via the number on your scales, cause that number really means nothing. You need to combine these different strategies of BMI, measurements and body fat % measures to really see the extent of your efforts. As many people who appear "skinny", when they have their body fat % read they realise they could very well actually be obese! Remember your body doesn't always store it's fat on the outside of your body, it can actually store it around your organs, a very dangerous thought! This is called 'Skinny-fat', and is probably more dangerous then being obese on the outside, as these people continue to lead unhealthy fitness and eating habits as they believe they've just been blessed with a good body, and later in life will wind up with all kinds of health problems. Get your body fat % read today! If your in the process of losing weight start keeping records of these measures as motivation and a reminder of just how far you've come. Everyone should exercise and be active everyday, and eat food to fuel their bodies correctly. Remember this is your only body, and I sure want to live for as long as possible!
Celebrate your accomplishments and keep reaching for your next goal! <3 Rach