Here we go again.....
Well I didn't think I would ever do this again and I certainly didn't think I'd be doing it at 44 years of age but it looks like I'll be competing in 2013.
If STA decide to send a team to the World Masters Games I'll be heading to selections and giving it my best.
I'll be trying out for the Competitive Under 49kg Over 35years division.
After my hip surgery in September I've been training as much as I can but have been very much inhibited in my taekwondo training due to the after effects of the surgery and also being careful not to ruin all of the surgeons good work. The thought of going through the downtime after surgery again was enough to hold me back. That and a scare early on when I accidentally kicked and thought I had done major damage.
My hip still has a lot of pain but my physio (Andrew Ritter) is convinced it is the fact I have overloaded my Iliopsoas and my TFL is dynamite right now. This could possibly be due to me overdoing the training a bit early on (oops!!) so I am paying for that now.
Back to physio next week for a bit of a telling off, some dry needling plus plenty of foam roller and fingers crossed I'll be as good as new.
Anyhoooo today was my first "real" tkd session back after surgery where I could test out the hip without fear of tearing the attachment points.
I was awake at 5.30 itching to get going even though I wasn't meeting Wendy till 9.30! :)
Really just eased back into things today, resisted the temptation to go all out and made sure I listened to my body and took note of any movements I felt needed care.
TODAYS SESSION:
15 minute warm-up
5 min stretch
20 minutes paddles - single technique both single legs and alternating to get some movement going.
20 minutes of body shield drills and sparring
A good way to ease in but still a decent workout.
It was hot and humid in the dojang today which I LOVED!!!
SUPPLEMENTS:
Recovery and feeling fresh are going to be really important as my training intensity steps up and in your 40's your body doesn't bounce back as quick as in your 20's (dammit!!) so supplementation is going to be a major part of that.
GNC Cardio pre-workout formula.
GNC BCAA's during training.
GNC 100% Whey Protein & GNC L-glutamine post training.
NUTRITION:
3 Weetbix with skim milk and Jalna Yoghurt and protein powder.
Supplementation as above.
Wholegrain Wrap with lettuce and tuna mixed with celery & philly cream cheese.
Tub yoghurt and handful of nuts.
Wholegrain Wrap with lettuce and tuna mixed with celery & philly cream cheese.
Protein & L-Glutamine in water (will have before bed)
I'm not following any set plan for now but will get into the Dolce Diet 3 Weeks to Shredded when I need to start to cut weight.
After enjoying the holiday period with my new man a little too much I'm sitting close to 54kg which is about 2.5kg more than usual.
I'll let the training strip me back to around 51kg then tighten up my nutrition a bit closer to selections.
My old division was under 47kg and even after I had my kids I didn't have to work too hard to make weight.
Different story now as I have a lot more muscle (and a lot more fat right now!!) and I want to try to preserve as much of that as I can and I do not want to be anywhere near competition feeling depleted so I'll go at it slowly and comfortably, I think I can sit at 49-50 without sacrificing too much.
My fitness was pretty good, I have been working hard on maintaining my fitness and strength and it showed today but I will need to work on my speed and explosiveness.
These are fun elements to train so I'm all for that and can't wait to feel my speed and sharpness come back up again.
When I was competing when I was younger I was always freaked out I wasn't fit enough, now I know better. I was superfreak fit and in the early days confused the rush of adrenalin with being unfit. Once I got a handle on that it was better but I still always over prepared. My body won't be able to cope with that these days so I'll be training smarter and supplementing like a machine!
These days I know I'm fit enough even now without a lot of specific training under my belt and I know that 6 weeks of intense training is all I'll need to sharpen up and gain the added fitness I want to feel all over it.
I guess the wisdom you gain over the years is the "bonus" of getting older!
I also have a lot of "old" muscle and strength and latent fitness that younger bodies don't have so overall I'm feeling pretty good about things.
LIFE UPDATE:
I've been pretty quiet over the past 10 months as I ended my marriage of almost 10 years and got some clarity around what direction I wanted to take my life both in business and in general.
I'm coming into 2013 with a lot of clarity and focus and have decided that my taekwondo school PUSH
is where I want to focus my energy as far as my business goes.
This meant letting go of my online businesses Glow and Rip It UP Challenge (maybe just for now) after much agonising but now I have done it, it is definitely the right thing to do.
PUSH feeds my soul on so many levels, the women and girls are amazing and I love going to work every day. Taekwondo is my passion and I love being able to share this and watch what happens as the women sink their teeth into training.
Life has thrown me some curve balls since I began training 22 years ago but TKD has always grounded me and kept me solid and I love that I can give this gift to other women.
On a personal level for the first time since my early 20's I let myself slow down and take time for things other than work.
I'd been a workaholic for over 2 decades and I made a conscious decision to let people into my life, have friendships and god forbid a social life!!
This really opened up my eyes to how much I have been missing out on in a cycle of kids / work / train with not much else.
I have to say I have had more fun in the last 6 months than I have had in years and it is helping me to do my job better and I am attracting great people into my world and my world feels much richer and fulfilling than it has in many years.
Along the way I met a new man despite my best intentions NOT to meet a man!!
So far so good but I'm not thinking beyond the right now and I am enjoying taking each day as it comes with him and also enjoying the freedom of living alone with my children and having my own space.
I wrote a book! This really was the catalyst for the changes I needed to make and I can't recommend this process highly enough (if you haven't already done this). It is a bit like giving birth, bits of it hurt like hell but the prize at the end makes it all worthwhile.
I need to pull my finger out and publish it now and plan to have that done and dusted by Feb so stay tuned!!
This year I plan to Blog a LOT as I record what happens over this year because I know for sure it is going to be HUGE!!
I'd love you to join me and drop me comment's often; in fact share with me what BIG STUFF you have planned in 2013 and I'll be there to cheer you on!
Until next time...
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