Shaking, hurting, burning, feeling like I want to puke and cant walk down the stairs.... yup it must be legs day

There is no excuse to avoid it and the benefits take a little longer to show (well definitely on my body anyway) but it is the one day in the workout regime that I definitely cant muck with and would never achieve the results I do without getting involved in.

I know many of my amigos feel the same way that I do about legs day and it is the one that hurts so many of us but it is worth it even if at the end you are unable to walk down the stairs and you feel it every time you sit, stand, walk etc...

yup it must be legs day......

own it and train hard amigos

cheers

tankgirl  

There are times when it can be a little tricky to stay social and eat clean - particularly in the Aussie environment when so much social activity is based around food. People go out for lunch, dinner or catch up for coffee & cake or even just a drink - sadly whilst it can be really great to see your friends, family or meet a new amigo it can be absolutely detrimental to your diet.

My tip:

Get to know your local establishments really well and see how they are able to adapt their menu for most occassions. You are relatively safe ordering things such as steak & salad or chicken salad and simply ask for the dressing on the side. Alternatively, if you are heading out for breakfast, you can usually adapt a menu to just get poached eggs & mushrooms on the plate with a side of spinach and for some good fats a little avocado.

Ideally, it is best when you can cook for yourself but if you are anything like me catching up with people is important and going out on the occassional date is always nice to.

Get to know your locals and which ones will help you with your dieting requirements, it will not be perfect but if you are smarties there are ways to eat clean and stay social. As for the rest of the time...

train hard amigos

cheers

tankgirl

It never ceases to amaze me - how often people forget to train the parts of their body they can't see. Yes its true, friends of mine in the gym, will often have phenomenal chests but they slouch or they have amazing quads but forget a little about the hamstrings. 

I often get asked about it too and when I say to them 'its because you can't see your back or the backs of your legs' it is like a little light bulb goes off. Think about it, everywhere you go in the gym there is mirrors where you can see your biceps, your chest, your torso and of course great quads, because when you train you can see them in the mirror.

Remember the parts you don't see as often, as they balance each other out so when you train them both (like today on a back & chest day) you not only look more asymmetrical but your body will be in great balance and your posture will be really good.

train the front & train the back - and most importantly...

train hard

cheers

tankgirl  

I have to laugh sometimes because working a hospitality schedule often means I have to take in 2 -3 meals at a time to get all of my nutrients in for the day. At this point, it has normally been a good 3 - 4 hours since my last meal and I am totally ready to eat.

Surprisingly, when many people see what I sit down to eat when I am on a break, they are amazed at the size of my body vs the amount of food they see me putting away in the short space of half an hour.

The good news is... once my body is refueled, I am pretty much ready to go for the next 8 hours before heading home and crawling into bed. The thing is, I do my best to be friendly, fun and accomodating to our customers but seriously amigos - don't get in the way of me and my food

Eat clean, stay lean and ....

train mean (hard)

cheers

tankgirl  

There are times when we all want to help others, or do nice things for others and share what we know, but it is really important to make sure that this does not come at the cost of your own, time, health and wellbeing not to mention your nutrition.

I have often found that I but kilos back on when I am short of time and I have no time to cook - then I grab something on the run and it is usually not as clean as my little body is used to... then the weight creeps back on.

Same with my training - when I am over committing myself and trying to help others once I get to a certain point I find that helps comes at the cost of looking after myself. Sadly, but realistically - you cannot look after people without looking after yourself and there are times when you simply have to put yourself first. 

I will always say - where you can assist others but don't sacrifice yourself once you are in a good place then you can share the goodness but without that you cant.

Don't do what I have been doing lately, don't sacrifice yourself and your fitness

train hard

cheers

tankgirl  

Oh I do love cooking and today in the tankgirl kitchen there are many great dishes being produced:

protein pancakes

chicken soup

sweet potato mash

protein cookies and finally for lunch today

1 x clean eating chicken burger

whoever said to live healthy you couldnt eat great tasting food?

Not me - for I eat clean & train dirty

cook up a storm amigos and train hard

cheers

tankgirl  

There are a few things in life that I believe are worth fighting for:-

* relationships with your loved ones

* your happiness

and very importantly your health and fitness

The thing about the above including your health and fitness is that no one else can do it for you. You have to put in the effort, you have to take the steps and you reap the rewards. If however you don't make the effort and put in the steps well you are unlikely to get many rewards.

So are you Warrior or are you walrus?

Fight for what you believe in amigos, be a warrior and

train hard

cheers

Warrior tankgirl  

Today it has been completely cold and miserable but I am happy to say that I have been curled up studying and completed the first mini quiz of my Cert 3 and have been heavily reading through all of my notes. 

With a cold, wet & all round miserable day outside, I have been bundled up and getting ready to head to the gym for a massive cardio session prior to going back to school to learn more about the muscular & nervous systems.

Looking forward to absorbing more information and learning more about the fitness elements in the industry that I love. Do feel a lot like a student though .... hanging out in my tracksuit, coffee and water (more water than coffee ) and reading multiple pages of notes......

ah yes - back to school

learn and train hard amigos

cheers

tankgirl  

Yesterday at the gym was the absolute gun show and I have to tell you it was hilarious! Every where I looked - people were training the guns (including me) and it was awesome.

The best guns in the business were out and about and there was lines and big definition and it just looked amazing - my idea of a very good time. The only bad thing about it was that I had the smallest guns out of everyone... although admittedly that is probably how it should be when I am the only girl

Tee hee - love the guns 

train hard and enjoy the show amigos  

cheers

tankgirl 

After the excitement of earlier in the week, I am starting to sort through all the pics and scrutinize all of the lines, muscles and images - it is time to set some new goals. I have to admit, most of the photos, I am pretty happy with but sadly, my legs and behind didn't quite come in the way I would have liked them too and they did not look as good as they have in the past.

That said, my torso did really well and the lines through the middle, I just love

Setting new goals and they will mostly be focussed on the behind for the next shoot later on in the year

train hard amigos

Cheers

tankgirl  

Sometimes the simplest workout can be the most effective.

Today after all the excitement of the shoot and the treat meal and school last night, it really was time to take my training back to basics. On the treadmill to run it out, I have said in the past slow and steady wins the race and when you simply crank the treadmill to a pace where you are just steadily running it out - once the half hour is complete, it generally just feels great. That is exactly how it was today

great to put the gym clothes back on

great to get the feet turning over

great to be feeling the sweat from just running it out

now it is time to start culling the shots and set the next lot of goals

take it back to basics amigos and ....

train hard

cheers

tankgirl  

Like many of you - I am always looking to learn as much as I can about health, fitness and ways to be beneficially active.

So, I have signed up for a Cert 3 & 4 training course with the fabulous team at WYN training. Tonight's class was about the muscular system - now most of this stuff I admittedly learnt a long time ago (high school biology) to be honest but that was a really long time ago and it is always worthwhile to get a refresher, plus learn some new things like how one little injury or incorrect style of lifting a weight can not only create a much bigger industry but also cause a huge domino effect it can have on the rest of the body.

Amazing

anyway - now ready for bed after a big evening of learning, preparing to wake up and

train hard tomorrow

cheers

tankgirl  

A very big thank you to Olivia at Levante Sox Shop in Southern Cross station this morning who was extremely generous and awesome with her stocking of sox - Olivia you saved my photoshoot and helped me create some amazing outfits today.  

And after a very amazing day of shooting, tonight I am enjoying a very delicious treat meal. It has consisted of all the things that I normally look at and avoid having in my fridge and whilst there is no doubt I am enjoying it - I know that once it is consumed I will definitely not want it again for a long time.

I will certainly sleep well tonight and look forward to getting back on the wagon of clean eating and as I always do....

training hard

pics will be posted soon

cheers

tankgirl  

I have said before that rest & sleep is key ...... so with a very important photo shoot booked for tomorrow, I am getting ready for bed.

Good night amigos - sleep well for tomorrow, its SHOWTIME

train hard

cheers

tankgirl 

With a photoshoot coming up in two days, I am extremely excited about the way that I am looking and feeling right now. 

It is nice that I have been able to focus so heavily on my training and my diet and I also have a colleague at work who likes to eat the same way I do so we are always sharing nutrition secrets, recipes and meals - it is soooo nice

I am in the process of choosing my outfits and choosing a location - cannot wait.

Also looking forward to a cheat meal

Hope there is something in your world that is keeping you excited too amigos

train hard and smile lots

cheers

tankgirl