Aussie beach body! Aussie beach body! Aussie beach body!

Hello everyone.

One more week left in Sydney then it's back to grey old Glasgow :( Spent the morning on Bondi beach,probably the most famous Aussie beach in the world and discovered a new obsession - checking out other girls bodies.Does anyone else do this? Not in a pervy way,of course,but I just mean admiring and imagining what it would be like to have that flat stomach,those lovely thighs,her peachy and perky bum.I know it's an unwritten rule to not compare ones self with other women as we all have different shapes,builds,where we carry our weight etc.,but I've found myself constantly admiring and imagining myself with the bodies I see on the beach.

I am sooooooo damn determined that I will be able to strut down the beach in a bikini and also be able to run the length of Bondi on the soft sand bit.I was watching all these healthy,uber fit men and women running up and down the soft sand bit and that gave me another goal and motivation.The list keeps growing! And by the way,this was all at 8:30 in the morning - Sunday morning I might add.I was up so early as I had a breakfast with friends,not because I am a sunday morning fitness angel........but I will be!

So,that brings me to this interesting article on weight loss I found in a Sydney paper.Hopefully the copyright demons won't chase after me as I found this really helpful and will print it out and pop it on my wall somewhere..................

10 TOP TIPS TO SLIMMING SUCCESS

1. KNOW YOUR OUTCOME.

What do you want?

*To be fit and healthy,slim,but still keep my boobs and have a peachy bum.

*To be able to run around my local park - the entire jogging path,including heartbreak hill,and not need to use my asthma inhaler.

*Challenge my other half to a race...........and kick his ass!!!!! :D To be able to swim a half hour session without needing my Ventolin or take a break.

*To make wiser decisions when eating out,but not be fanatical and obsessive about every bite that goes into my mouth.

*Still enjoy baking without inhaling the whole cake or batch of cookies/cupcakes etc.

* TO BE HAPPY WITH MYSELF!!!!!!!!!!

What is your final moment of success?

*Fitting into size 12 (I was aiming for 14,but why not set the challenge a little higher and see what happens) comfortably.

*Jogging around the parks entirety and swim half an hour without needing my Ventolin.

*Being able to run on the soft sand,the entire length of Bondi Beach,without feeling as if I am going to throw up,pass out and collapse in front of everyone,especially the hunk - o - spunk Bondi lifesavers (spunk means something different here BTW - good looking,gorgeous)

2. LIST YOUR REASONS

WHY do you want this?......

* It is not healthy for me to be this weight and size (18 stone,nearly 19/119kg's.Size 22-24)

* I am asthmatic

* I deserve to be beautiful,while I don't equate this necessarily to being slim,i do want to be healthy and glowing from all my new found energy instead of being red in the face and constantly swigging at my Ventolin.

* I want to wear my pretty vintage dresses and be able to saunter in heels without discomfort because I am too heavy.

* I want to be able to shop in 'normal' shops and buy nice,fashionable clothes off the rack.

* I want to look back at photos and smile and feel good about myself.

* I'll be 30 next year!!!!!!

What will it do for you?

* I will feel confident and happy about myself and when someone tells me I am beautiful.........I will actually believe it!

What is important to you about achieving this goal?

* To feel worthy and happy and confident,instead of feeling like a fat blob or a beached whale when I am laying on the beach.

*To be healthy and have my asthma under control,and to be able to achieve all the things I listed above.

3. WRITE YOUR GOAL DOWN.

State it in the positive and as if you have already achieved it.

I now weigh a trim,slim,energetic 80 kg/12.5 stone.I am a size 12 - 14.I can jog and swim without needing my Ventolin and have achieved everything I have listed.

4. VISUALISE YOUR GOAL

Visualise yourself at your goal weight on a daily basis.Picture your success in your mind.

The model on the left is a size 14,the one on the right is a 12.They look pretty damn good to me :D I will be happy to look as good as them,especially the 14 - such killer,womanly curves!!!!!

5. ACTION STEPS

Make a list of all of the action steps you need to reach your goal.

* I need to re-think my attitude to food.Food is enjoyment and nourishment but NOT comfort.Must curb my emotional eating.

* Chocolate and other vices are treats and to be treated as such.No deprivation,just moderation.I will aim to have one fun size chocolate at the end of each day as a wee treat.....not 10,just 1!

* Size 12,bikini body and/or jogging _____'s park without my Ventolin will be my new mantras.

* I will aim to walk at least 1/2 an hour around the park or on my treadmill each day,and try to swim at least 2 times per week.(Keep chanting that mantra!)

* I will plan my meals and try at least 2 new recipes each week.

* I will ask myself if it's physical hunger or emotional hunger when I get cravings for unhealthy foods.

* I will enlist the support.motivation,encouragement and at times kick's up the bum from my angel of an OH (who is already very encouraging and supportive and makes me feel beautiful anyways......I know,bring out the violins.LOL!How very hallmark card of me.) and my sister and friends and workmates and clients.

Phew,that's quite long.I often forget that other people read this and it's not just a place for my ramblings.I will write up the next 5 tips in the next few days and the tips in a condensed form without my twitterings in case anyone else finds it useful and wants to print one up.

Hope everyone else is on track.And recipes will re-commence when I get back to Glasgow,and Shanna,I promise to put up pics of the dresses when I'm back in Glasgow too.

xoxoxoxo