Maria's 2009 reflections & 2010 plans - 13th December 2009 08:11am

REFLECTING BACK ON GOALS SET AND ACHIEVED AND EVERYTHING ELSE LEARNT ALONG THE WAY   My Major Goal this year was to work on the Power of Positive Thinking. I found this, and still find it, absolutely fascinating.   It is free to do and feels so good. Sure it takes practice, but what doesnt? The more tools you have to help you the easier it is to maintain the positive thoughts Like everything else in life it is hard to maintain at certain times in Life When you stop doing it you miss it But....It is easier to get back on board Its a hell of alot easier to be positive than negative It rubs off on others You give more to others, which of course means more smiles in the World  Each day seems brighter You take time to smell the roses To help me be more Positive and Achieve what I wanted using the  Power of the Mind I bought 2 books.   Excuse Me Your Life is NOW by Doreen Banaszak and Law of Attraction by Michael J. Losier.   Between these 2 books I found the tools I need to stay focused on what I wanted to achieve, to stay focused and awake to my life, everyday.    I have read them both 2-3 times this year, often picking the book up and seeing where it opened and reading/focusing on whatever tool was on the page.   You learn how to visualize yourself actually achieving your goal, writing down a script of what happens on a certain day, mine being my comp day. I wrote about how I felt after doing well in Taupo, how proud I was of myself,  lots of different things that I wanted to happen on the day.    I did these Scripts for Taupo and Wanganui. After each comp I re-read the script and it was right on with what I had written.   Even my husband was blown away with how accurate the outcome was to my lists and scripts.   The books teach you how to identify your negatives and then turn them into positives. I won’t go on about them too much but definitely recommend buying the books and giving it a go.  Great  New Year Challenge for 2010.   Below: 2009 - training hard     The nicest change in me was the "giving back to others". Every week I started helping someone else in a little way.   This Year I have Supported: SPCA FOOD BANK RESCUE RELICOPTER MAKE A WISH FOUNDATION SALLY ARMY RIDING FOR THE DISABLED KIDS CANTEEN STARSHIP CHILDRENS HOSPITAL ARTHRITIS NEW ZEALAND SAMOA SURFLIFE SAVING NZ       It makes you feel real nice to do something like this, it doesnt have to be alot of money, it doesnt take alot of effort, most of the time there are people sitting outside your supermarket and all you have to do is donate right there on the spot. Other times you need to stop and listen to the telemarketers who ring you to get you to pledge $20 or more. Maybe next time really listen to them and get them to send out an envelope and follow through on your pledge. Choose something close to your heart and focus on that charity.   Also we have donated lots of clothes and toys to various places. This time of year is great to do this. Get your kids to give away some toys or clothes they no longer need or play with. It teaches them about how lucky they are at Christmas time and about the people who dont have much at all to celebrate.   Remaining Positive is now going to be an important factor for me and living my life. The power of the mind astounds me and I know I am only just scraping the surface on what the mind can really do and how it might help me achieve more goals and cope with my rheumatoid in the future.      COMPETITIONS AND ARTHRITIS   I don’t know if it is just simply the fact that I have an Auto-Immune Disease or that it is actually quite hard normally to compete 3 Times in one year.   My body really hit the wall after Wanganui, the fluid retention was nasty, and I am still struggling with it now. I felt lousy, I wasn’t training well, very tired, and simple things like picking the kids up from school etc in the afternoon were a major mission.   Along with this was the negative thoughts that I really wasn’t used to after being so positive all year.   Instead of saying "Im going to do well in Stratford and enjoy the Day" I kept repeating over and over "Why the Hell am I doing This?", I dont want to do this, I don’t care how I look, I've had enough". These comments went on and on. I felt like I was climbing a mountain but not getting anywhere......so frustrating. And so out of the ordinary for me.   Below: Stratford INBA     But.......If I had to re-live 2009, I probably would do it all the same way. Why? Because I learnt a hell of a lot and I met some great people along the way.   Self Improvement is essential if we want to feel wiser with age, more knowledgeable in our work. Then instead of feeling like the years are passing us by, We can remember each year by what we learnt and how it helped us achieve greater things.   My Arthritis could be better. Actually it has been a pain in the bum lately. My hands and wrists real painful. and I am now getting back into a routine with all my supplements and more calories (lots more) , increasing my energy levels and giving the mind time to relax.   Relaxing the Mind is important to do. If you have spent a good 6 months of the year concentrating on what goes in your mouth and fitting in cardio,  weight workouts, posing practice etc as well as trying to blend it into a family life, then its time to STOP and RELAX  the brain. Don’t worry about counting calories or having to do exactly so many minutes cardio. Unwind and enjoy the freedom. It won’t be long before you will have to start it all over again, and then you will kick yourself for not making the most of now.       TRAINING Training is going real well. I started on my off season training straight after INBA Taranaki. First program being a Pyramid Program increasing my weights over 4 sets. After 4 weeks I am already lifting heavier than I ever have before.  I am making the most of eating extra carbs and feel great with 5kg more weight on my physique. Still doing my mild cardio morning and night, giving myself 2 days off from it depending on how I’m feeling at the time. Mostly I feel much better when I do it (arthritis wise).   below: My favourite exercise: pull overs     EATING I am eating whatever I want but making sure I eat my quota of protein each day. Protein is in the form of Protein Powder, eggs, chop chop chicken and tuna. I have been eating whatever and a lot of that "whatever" is crap food  and it is having a bad affect on my arthritis so I am going to have to clean up my act a bit.  I am living off anti-inflamatories and hate it. I know its the food as the training really does relieve the pain and inflammation. Bummer time to have watch what I eat, I love Christmas and Christmas Parties and food and drink.......bugger, bummer and double bugger.   SUMMERTIME Over the holidays I will spend alot of time camping and I am going to try and get through 2 weeks without heading to a gym for a workout. Having a break is great for the normal bod, but I am worried that If I stop cardio and weights for a whole 2 weeks that I might end up in intense pain or worse. Maybe I can take some dumbells with me....lol I love camping, we just go down to the local beach and get away from telephone and work etc. Teach the kids how to live in a tent. Enjoy the sun and surf. This time will be spent unwinding mentally, getting ready to kickstart my 2010 goals.  I’m excited already.       Merry Christmas to everyone, may all your dreams come true.

Maria - 1st November 2009 01:04pm

I THINK I CAN I THINK I CAN   I must be crazy. Doing 2 Comps in a row was a mission let alone trying to do 3, but yes thats what I'm going to do.   I have 3 kilos to lose in 10 days (well actually 7 days now as its taking me so long to write this update) to be in the kind of condition that I will be happy with on stage at INBA Taranaki.   Why do I want to do it? Well I want to support the sport and help get a competition happening again in the Naki. We have some wonderful bodies in our region who have all done well at a National and International Level, it would be nice to show them off.   I encourage everyone to come along for a look and see these bod's in action. It is an interesting show to go to if you havent seem one before and if we can make it happen it will only get bigger and better each year.   I was undecided and pissing around alot so met with some of the girls from Team Taranaki and they motivated me enough to go for it. I have found it real hard to keep dieting. Went out for dinner on Saturday night to Marbles....man it was devine and I ate everything I could get my hands on. Monday was my birthday and I did try to be good but gave myself one meal of whatever!!!!! before getting on the scales and realizing how much I would have to lose to satisfy myself on November the 7th. I also went to support my Mum who is a Potter and has an Exhibition Running in Eltham Gallery at the moment. She has made a group of ladies exercising. they are so lovely, abit out of shape with their leotards and leg warmers on, but also quite danity. (dont know who inspired her to make those).She is so talented.        Thrown together another rountine to try and motivate myself, ( yep , not working )   So how am I going to lose 3ks in 10 (7) days. Lots of mild cardio, regular training, and no carbs for 7 days, sodium deplete alittle to help ....  :(   Rheumatoid is being a right Pain in the Bum, playing up and jumping from joint to joint, this is due to the crap I have been eating....lol. It will probably inprove over the next 10 (7) days.   Training is going real well. Decided to start what I call "Off Season Training", going real heavy with low reps, I love it. The next goal is to take Team Taranaki to the INBA Taupo Comp next year so need to plan the stages now to maintain motivation and focus and get stuck into some serious training. Anyone out there that would like to join the team and compete, get in touch with me at ree.rockbodz@clear.net.nz The bigger the team the better. We will be having regular posing practices etc in the New Year , hope to pick up some kind of sponsorship for trackies etc. Anyway watch this space for updates.   Oh well short and sweet this update, better go sit on my bike for 40mins or so.   Big congrats to everyone who competed this year. I admire every one of you.   Catch ya all soon.

The Wanganui Report - 11th October 2009 02:02pm

WHAT A WEEKEND   When your dieting 4 weeks seems like forever and then when it is all over it seems to have gone real fast.   I struggled to get to the day of the comp. I was so sick of dieting and my motivation wasnt the same as for Taupo. I was only doing this comp to be back stage with the team since it was the first competition for most of them. To make matters worse my Arthritis started playing up 2 weeks out pretty bad due to stress.   I was stressed because my little boy started school and even though he loved it, each morning I would have to leave him while he was crying is heart out.   Once My hubby and I got to Wanganui, I focused on trying to relax and enjoy the weekend. The female side of the team started turning up one by one and most of them seemed well organised. We all went and registered on Friday night and then most of the hubbies etc went off to the nearest pub while the girls had some quiet time.   I didnt sleep well that night, bugger it, but still had the energy to get up at 6am and start getting ready. Thank god I did as it took 1 hour to put on my false eyelashes.......OH MY GOD 1 hour, due mainly because I was dumb enough to put the false nails on the night before....lol.   I ended up with so much glue on one eyelash that I had to design my hairstyle to cover it up. I think I did a good job actually and you know what, that lash didnt move at all.      Terry Hills always runs a nice friendly show and the pre-judging was underway before we knew it.   I was on stage first, then Trisha, then Sharon and Emma, then Tania. Below: the quarter turns The boys seemed to be well organised and relaxed where the girls where alot more nervous and anxious. I was so proud of them though. They all did exceptionally well. Sharon and Emma had the biggest class of the comp and were drilled on stage for a long time.   I didnt get to watch the guys so Im looking forward to the DVD arriving so I can check everyone out.   I also missed Kaye O'Neil on stage so thats another performance to catch up on.   After the morning show the girls had some quick photos back at the motel and then chilled out while the "men" took off for a long lunch, with strict instructions to be back in time to tan their partners.     The night show was due to start at 5pm so we headed back about 4.30. The show was late starting as their sound system blew up which meant it took awhile to get music sorted. In the end in was played through a laptop which was very quiet, you could just and only really hear your music start etc. But it all worked out and didnt seem to phase the team at all.    One of my highlights of the weekend was again meeting some great people. I was on stage with the lovely Paula Signal. Paula was clever enough to wear some gorgeous black slippers while she was waiting backstage. Boy what a great idea.  I've decided to add a pair to my comp bag, thanks Paula :)     Below: with the lovely Paula Signal     The other ladies in our changing room were very entertaining, it was a nice atmosphere.   Trisha and I were back on stage for the overall and man we had sooo much fun, it was worth the long cold wait.   I got to do my routine again when I won best performance award so that was kind of cool also. It was real nice to be back on stage with the team for the team award. Some of the team members didnt make it up with us which was sad as it would of been nice to have the complete team in the photos.     Below: Some of the winning Taranaki team After the show most of us had a quick shower and headed to the after function for a feed and then took off to find a pub that was showing the Big Fight. We managed to just walk in when it started and of course it didnt last long so we were all home  in bed before midnight.   Sunday was horrible weather so we  headed home early. Enjoying some normal food along the way.   The first half of the week has been hard, Ive been so very tired. Taken the week off training and will start again on Saturday.   Everyone keeps asking if I'm doing the Nationals?   Next year.....the great thing about Wanganui was that it was a qualifier for this years and next years Nationals. There is no way my body could handle doing the nationals this weekend,   I have to remain wise when it comes to what I can and cannot do. I can compete if I choose and organise my comps well.    My goals for 2010 are to take a team and  compete in INBA Taupo in August and then take a team and do the NZFBB Nationals.   As for the rest of 2009, Maybe I'll be on Stage at INBA Taranaki in 4 weeks time......??????     Post script: Maria’s Update On Eva   For everyone that has been following the progress with my little girl Eva-Marie's health.   Today we finally got a phone call from Eva's Doctor.   The results from the last MRI Scan show no difference. This is good because it means that the brain hasnt died anymore.   They seem to think that the damage has been there from birth (as I have said all along) and that they dont think it will get any worse. So as long as I keep doing all the exercises etc with her to keep her flexibility good and muscles lengthened she should develope as good as any other child.  She may have to work harder at some things but she is used to doing that already.   Tears of relief are now pouring down my cheeks as I type. What a waiting game, I can now enjoy my daughter without the fear and thoughts that were going through my mind no matter how hard I tried to be positive.    Thanks to everyone for the loving emails and phone calls

Taranaki Team - 4th October 2009 05:06am

A Big Congrats to Maria Dunlop and the Taranaki team at the Wanganui comp 3rd October 2009   A full report is coming soon - but here are the team results and pics.... Trisha 1st Senior Figure over 45 Maria 1st Senior Figure over 35 Tania 2nd Novice figure short Emma 3rd Novice Physique over 55kg Paul Adams 1st Masters Over 50 Brendon Lawerence 1st Novice Men 70kg-80kg Karl Cook 1st Open Men 70-80kg Karl Cook OverAll Maria Best Performance Award Plus the Team Award   Sharon did compete but missed out (just) on a placing. As shown below, she looked awesome - so a huge congrats to Sharon as well.   Below: Left to right: Emma, Maria, Trisha, Tania, Sharon     Below: Left to right: Tania, Maria, Sharon, Emma.

Maria Dunlop - 4th September 2009 06:22pm

Maria's Comp Day .....   When I left for Taupo I was really nervous. I knew I was up against some awesome girls. I figured there would be at least 5 in my class.   When we arrived in Taupo we checked into our Motel which overlooked the lake and we stared straight at the mountains with all their snow. It was pretty chilly, thank goodness I always take a little heater. I had it plugged in on most of the time upstairs.   When I book a motel now, I try to get a biggish unit or 2 storey unit then my Hubby has one level which stays normal temperature and I heat up the other and spread all my stuff out and thats where we tan and do all the final nervous tweaking.   When we get settled in we always head to the supermarket and I buy water, kumera and a treat for the next night and my Hubby buys all the ingredients to cook himself a meal. I always try to get a unit with full kitchen in it, that way my hubby can cook up a feast and I can cook kumera.   Anyway a did the stressful performance of what suit should I wear, and then when he gave me his opinion I chose the other one...lol. I do this every night before a comp. The last minute discisions that you dont want to regret later. Anyway choose Purple and glad I did, I thought it looked fabulous. Had to change to orange for the nightshow as the purple one was too dirty. I always take a spare suit.   I always take an old sheet with me and wrap myself in it so the motel ones dont get yucky, I think I slept o.k. I woke about 6am but didnt get up till 7ish. Left the Hubby sleeping and did my hair and makeup. Went downstairs to have a short black coffee and the motel owner came to the ranchslider to deliver the paper. I gave him a hell of a fright, He looked at me as if I was nuts, all done up with false lashes and an over the top tan, I just took the paper out of his hands and closed the door and he just stood there for awhile then slowly walked away.Ha ha so funny.   Woke my hubby up at about 10am and we put on the top coat of the tan, I wasnt sure what the story was with INBA so thought it best to be prepared to limit stressing out and not enjoying it. The bodyshimmer I use is fantastic and stays on real well.   It was a long waiting process at the venue but the nerves left and I got so excited. Peter Hardwick was so motivating and positive. All the ladies I met were wonderful and the show was very well run. I was first to walk on stage with Ali next to me. What an honour to be on stage with Ali. I have never been to an INBA show and stuffed up some of the compulsories as they were called different and done different than I thought but I hung in there and posed my heart out. Actually I must of been posing hard out as my muscles were all so sore the next day.   below: Prejudging - Maria on Left   After the pre-judging I always head back to the motel and not stay too long watching the other competitors, this helps me with the Rheumatoid and enables me to get through the night show.     We were back at the venue at 6 and it didnt seem to take long before competitors were coming back into the room with smiles and medals etc. Then it was our turn. The routine time. Mine went real well, couldnt of done it better so I was stoked.   Because I was first on stage it seemed to take forever before we were ready to see who was in the top 3. I thought I was 3rd and when another name was called for 3rd I was gutted.  Then they called my number and name for second and I couldnt believe it. What a feeling.   With this show, when they gave us our medals and prizes they then call the poses again for you to do for the audience and cameraman. It was awesome to stand there doing the poses again with no pressure.    Below: Maria - second from end (left) When I got off stage and headed back to the change rooms I was shaking soooo much. Unbelievable Feeling. I was so Proud of Myself. I put myself outside my comfort zone and achieved my goal.   I always txt my Mum first to let her know where I got. Before I could txt her my hubby was txting me from the audience, he was so proud of me too. I had trouble txting back because me hands were shaking so much. I got changed and joined my hubby in the crowd and broke open a bag of mixed nuts and watched the awesome physiques on stage. We then shot back to the motel and cooked up wedges and watched the AllBlacks Game. Perfect timing I must say as it was just starting.   The next morning I couldnt stop smiling, actually I think I smiled non stop for a couple of days.     We had breakfast in an awesome cafe, I had Eggs Benedict..ha ha eggs again....boy they were yummy.   For the next week I ate whatever I wanted. My plan being to fill out again, fill up the tanks etc. I'm competing in 4 weeks time with a team from Taranaki in the Wanganui Classic. I have never done 2 comps in a row since having Rheumatiod so hopefully it all goes well again. So I am dieting again and it actually feels good, dont know how long that will last...lol   Today I got a Letter from Peter Hardwick Officially Inviting Me to Join the New Zealand Team at the Natural Olympia in Australia in October. Wow how cool is that :) Unfortuntely I wont be able to go. I have talked it over with my husband and it just doesnt seem to be the right time for us. We are still waiting for our Daughters MRI results, which is doing our heads in, we cant afford to go and well the passports are expired to. Not sure if my body would handle it ,but if the other 3 reasons were solved I would definitely be on that plane and give it a dam good try, arthritis and all.   Well there you have it, my journey to the Taupo South Pacific Champs. I recommend it to others. I hope to put a Taranaki Team together for next year and we can try to Win the Team Award. Taupo Team has won it far too many times.

Maria Dunlop - 31st August 2009 06:06pm

Comp Day !!!!   2nd Place at the Taupo South Pacific Champs   Standing next to Ali G was such as honour, and what a lovely lady she is.   I was so nervous but had the absolute best time in Taupo.   Heres some of my favourite pics.   Run Day of my day coming soon.   Start dieting again tomorrow for Wanganui Classic so are spending the night eating.....lol   Below: Me and Ali G    Below: Prize Giving - I was sooooo happy!   Below: I was pleased with my shape   Below: The Taupo comp during the pre-judging

Maria Dunlop - 22nd August 2009 07:39am

Day by Day Countdown Update ......   Thought it might be interesting to do updates on every day or two to give an indication of what goes on in the last week.   THURSDAY   Wednesday afternoon my son started to get sick. I kept him home on Thursday and by Thursday afternoon I come down with a fierce fatigue attack.   I could hardly walk and ended up in bed when my hubby got home. I thought it was a Rheumatoid Fatigue Attack . I also had horrible chest pain with it.   Started to get worried but once I had had a sleep I worked out that all the tuna I had been eating was giving me nasty interjestion. lol.    Friday I kept Ben and Eva home from Kindy as I was still struggling and then Ben came down with the fatigue thing. We each had it for 2 days, I thought that was the end of my comp, it really knocked our socks off.     SATURDAY   I woke up on Saturday feeling like a million bucks.       SUNDAY   Sunday was busy as with showing some girls and their hubbies how to tan each other and then heading to the gym for posing practice.   It was a awesome practice and we had an Australian Champ turn up and give us some tips (thanks to Andy). It was priceless.   MONDAY (NB: Comp on Saturday ....so final week starts)   First day of De-Carb. This means bye bye to some things that were getting me through. My diet now consists of .........EGGWHITES!!!!!!!!!....with weightwatchers jellies, strawberries and cantaloupe.   Below: egg whites and weightwatchers jelly     Got through the day pretty well actually, finishing off with an eggwhite omlette on lettuce.       Starting to stress about how I am going to fit everything in. My hubby is on nightshift and tanning needs to be done. . I might have to cancel clients to give myself more time.   Both kids are back at kindy which gave me time to do my higher than high rep sqeeze out. I like to call it 'THE TEAR JERKER".   You pick an exercise for the Chest Triceps and Quads , just one exercise, You start at a high weight and do as many reps as possible , then you slowly drop the weights by one block at a time , doing the most reps possible. By the end of it , if done properly, tears are running down your cheeks.....its a killer but part of the de-card Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Then a good ten minutes on Abs.     TUESDAY   With my Hubby on Nightshift I have been going to bed at 8.30pm. Getting loads of sleep. Considering I only ate eggwhites yesterday I wasnt too hungry when I woke up.   Really really cold though. I am wearing a scarf and gloves whenever I go out....bbrrrrrrrrrrrr. This will get worse when I sodium deplete as well. And tanning....oh my goodness, might have to light the fire for that one.   Been doing lots of baking with my kids. I love baking!!!!!   I work hard at making sure my competition does not effect my family too much. If the kids want to bake, we bake, Its my choice to compete and I dont take it out on anyone when times get tough.  So I am now leading into my final day of de-carb. This day will be exciting as I will be so excited about carbing up the next day.    Have to say goodbye to my strawberries and cantaloupe.   Below: 3 days out .....     WEDNESDAY   12.35pm I woke up this morning early so I could get everything done in the day. First job at 5.30am was to start cooking my kumera for carb up tomorrow.   Went to drop Ben at Kindy and for some reason he didnt want to stay, The teacher said there was a nasty bug around and to take him home. I had lots of things I had to do in town so had to drag the kids with me. Lucky for me they are awesome kids and we were all home happy by 10.30am.   Today I am eating eggwhites (surprise surprise) and 1/4 of an orange and 1/4 apple every 2 hours.The one big thing I like about this diet is that I eat fruit all the way through, just changing the types of fruit along the way.   My energy is o.k which is good as I have 2 clients today and 1 last weight workout to do.     8.30pm Today went well and fast actually, was abit flat when personal training. At 3.00pm I thought that I couldnt possibly eat another eggwhite without throwing up but by 6.30 I was hungry and really enjoyed my last eggwhite omlette with lots of black pepper.   My Hubby gave me my first coat of tan this afternoon inbetween clients. He did a nice even first coat which is what I love, he was real careful and did a great job.   Tomorrow morning after my last 2 clients my Mum is coming up to give me a coat. Will aim for 2 coats tomorrow and 2 on Friday and finish off with the shimmer coat on the Saturday.     Im pleased with how I am looking so are relaxed about the next couple of days. Actually I am so proud of myself already which is abit weird as that usually doesnt hit me till after the show. The only thing bugging me is an Arthritis Pain in my left Shoulder. Dont know why its flared up out of the blue, I hope a good night sleep will cure it.Lets not dwell on it huh. Off to Bed I go.     THURSDAY   Oh bugger bugger bugger bugger. I have got my period. That probably explains the arthritis pain which is now hanging around. I will be O.K as long as the fatigue doesnt hit like it usually does at that time of the month.   I am feeling good, real glad I have put myself to bed at 8.30-9.00 pm every night this week as that might of combated abit of it. All the hard work is done now so will spend my day enjoying the tanning and finishing packing.       Kumara Day.....yum yum yum yum   This is my last day to use my coffee machine.......OH MY GOD!....lol   The last 2 weeks of my countdown have been exciting considering all that has happened. The first 6 weeks were the hardest and I could of easily given up. At this point it feels like you have been climbing a mountain for a year. The last 12 weeks you can see the top. Now I am at the top and ready to enjoy the view. The only thing left to do is to impress Myself  and I have pretty much  done that already.    Millie Cyrus or Hannah Montanna (whatever her name is) sings a song about "The Climb" were she says its not whats on the other side of the mountain thats important its the climb.   Bodybuilding is very much like that, you learn so much about yourself, your tolerance, patience, strength, descipline, courage, focus, determination, stubborness along the way. Thats whats so rewarding.   I also like being reminded about the enjoyment of the little things in life that we take for granted like Honey, jam, steak, cake, cups of tea with milk...ha ha  ha All the things that most of us have everyday and dont give it another thought.     So there we have it. It is now 6.30pm Thursday night, My kids are in bed ready to start their fun filled long weekend. I have packed everyone's bag except mine so thats what Im about to do now and then another nice early night.     Above: pics on my final week If my body behaves on Saturday I will be doing the NZFBB Wanganui Classic with a Team of Awesome Naki Bodybuilders, getting excited about that one already. Thanks to everyone for all there messages of encouragement.   A huge Thank you to Anne for allowing me to post my updates and for all her support. She is an amazing lady who works hard to achieve what she wants. Very proud of your Achievements Anne.   (NB: from Anne: thanks Maria. It has been brilliant posting your updates and thanks for sharing your story so openly and honestly with us all. All the best with the comp. You have been an inspiration and education to us all...PS: and right now you make me feel fat and lazy ...)

Maria Dunlop - 12th August 2009 05:54pm

12 DAYS OUT AND COUNTING DOWN   ASSESSMENT   44kg's today.   Still need the legs to catch up a tiny bit but I know that will happen within the next 7 days. Havent done caliper test for bodyfat as I bruise easy because of the meds I take for the rheumatoid and believe it or not the caliper leaves beauties on me.   I am guessing I would be about 6-7 % bodyfat.     DIET   My diet consists of a dozen egg whites for breakfast and tuna/brocauli or salad for other meals. I am having strawberries and rockmelon with weightwatchers jelly too.     My diet is from the Australian Sports Institute and I adjust it to suit me. The best thing to do is to stick to the basics. Low fat Low carb food. Its easy really but hard to stick to somedays.   The only cravings are for the basic stuff like honey or jam on toast, pumpkin, banana's now as have dropped them out this week.   I have a treat bag that I always start 2 weeks out. I allow myself to buy things that I fancy when in the supermarket and put in a bag to take with me for the night after the comp has finished. It is so satisfing just buying it and quite exciting knowing you can have it in another 12 days.   So far there is 2 candy bars, a box of vita-wheat crackers, and a bag of grainwaves. Im sure it will be bulging with stuff over the next week.   TRAINING   Im training legs everyday with other bodyparts.   For example: Chest and Hammies Back and Quads Triceps/Biceps and Hammies Delts and Quads Working Calves heaps and doing all those abs every night.   Cardio is Twice a day, morning and night and if I have time I will do 30 minutes on the Stepper during the day as well to encourage those legs to catch up.   Energy levels have been O.K due to the Power of My Excitement and Positive Thinking.     FAMILY   Still no news as yet about Eva's Results.   Ben enjoying Kindy again.   Been doing alot of baking with the kids which is a killer some days but I love doing it. Took them out to Breakers for Lunch last Sunday, I had my tin of tuna and a long black, boy their chips looked fabulous.   The next 12 days will be spent getting everyone sorted to go away. That means lots of bags to pack.   On Friday the 21st I will do a quick trip with the children to their Nana's house who is looking after them for me, organise the house for the other grandmother who is staying at my home to look after my 17 year old dog Taipan.   Get my Hubby sorted and in the car by 10am so we can get to Taupo early and chill. Hes on night shift next week so wont get home till 4am on that Friday which means I will have to drive and let him sleep. Driving long distances can flare up the Rheumatoid so will have to be careful.   Finished decorating my new posing suit and think it looks fab. Knowing me I will change my mind as once you have the tan on, the suits can look so different.   At the mo I am as pale as casper!!! Hence the black and white update pictures...lol    Anyway enough dribble from me, time for another tin of tuna.

Maria Dunlop - 9th August 2009 01:26pm

17TH SOUTH PACIFIC NATURAL PHYSIQUE FIGURE AND FITNESS CHAMPIONSHIPS   18 Sleeps to go   .....   Wow time goes by so fast. Its hard to believe Im in my final 3 week prep stage. Last week went well.   TRAINING   I have been training as hard as ever and got the blood shot eye to prove it.   Diet brain kicked in and I loaded the bar for incline chest press with an extra 10 kg's.....Oooops!!! I managed to get 3 sets of 4 reps out before I thought, man this is real heavy or maybe Im real weak today....lol   That night I had a boomer headache behind my eye and when I woke the next morning it was full of blood (which kind of freaked my kids out).   Its almost better now and I am trying to stay more alert with my training.     Fatburning has been easy,  doing the 500 or so Abs at night which is a bit of a struggle as when I lay on the floor it feels so good I just want to stay there and not move.   Had Posing Practice on Sunday and Andy from Shotgun Supplements called the poses for us. Man he drilled us hard , it was awesome, just what I needed to get into the right frame of mind for hitting that stage again. (Real Sore today though).   Routine is sorted, just need to practice it daily now along with walking in those God Dam Heels.....lol     DIET   Been real good with my eating. Enjoying Tuna, OH MY GOD, never thought I would say that.   Eating lots of tuna, eggwhites and chicken. I will be trying to eat more chicken now as it seems to keep me fuller, although in saying that I usually look quite flat in the last few weeks , I know not to panic about it as once I carb up it all falls into place.   All I do now is adjust things slightly if I feel I need to, and that might be by having 1/2 banana instead of a whole one. Very minor changes until I total decard etc.   CHALLENGES   Eva had her M.R.I Scan on Friday which went well, She was so brave again. I on the other hand still cried when they put her to sleep......the doctor was even taken by surprise and held my hand.   He then came into the waiting room about 45 mins later and I shit myself, usually a nurse comes and gets you, when I saw the Doctor I freaked out, he could see it on my face and apologised for scaring me, he had just come to get me and tell me he had taken good care of my baby.      He then came and checked on me again before I left the hospital........Great Bedside Manners I say. Eva woke and recovered while I had a lovely long black from the hospital cafe and then she ate everything so could get her hands on.   Unfortunately the Specialist that was going to talk to us about the M.R.I was out of town so we are now waiting on a phone call again with the results. Heres hoping it is a pleasant phone call.   Below: After the scan and enjoying an iceblock     My Son Ben had a great week at kindy so everything is improving for him with the support of the teachers etc. He is back to his gorgeous amazing self.   THE WEEK AHEAD      Normal week ahead just training and lots of practicing, sending away my entry form and finalizing plans for the children and dog etc while Im away.   Im excited, and nervous, but very positive. I know I will have a fantastic time in Taupo as all the hard work will be done and all thats left is just the fun part.   My client load has eased off so I will be able to cope better with my long days which are so full on.   32 fatburning sessions left,   13 workouts to complete,   8500 sit ups to do.       What you radiate outward in your thoughts, feelings, mental pictures and words, you attract into your life. Catherine Ponder Dynamic Law of Prosperity

Maria Dunlop - 26th July 2009 08:27am

5 WEEKS OUT   This week will sound really boring compared to the last month.   We are all healthy, no one died, no visits from the firemen, all good really. Except my Son has had 3 days back at Kindy and 2 of those days he has been bullied...........F**K** Little Shits.   Eva has her MRI Scan booked for Friday the 31st July.   I  have been training hard, dieting well, working hard, staying focused and positive.   A nice easy week, yeah about time I say.   Took a few progress shots, they are abit funny as I dont have a tan and the suit I am wearing is actually bright orange but for some reason comes out looking like I am naked in the pics, So dont panic, I do have clothing on.    Below: My legs are starting to shape up       I weighed in this week at 46kg, havent done a caliper test and decided to just go off how I feel and what I see in the mirror.      Eating lots of tuna, chicken, eggwhites, salads, green veg, and 3 fruit a day, small amounts of kumera, rice cakes in the mornin, lots of water but more COFFEE....lol Back in my cardio and ab routine.   Below: My symmetry has improved and my abs are coming out       The week ahead is full of clients again and playing happy families, which is easy as my kids are awesome.   So short and sweet this week . Got to go as Prison Break is on soon, gotta watch it, you know why ladies!!!!!    :)

Maria Dunlop - 19th July 2009 07:31am

6 WEEKS AND COUNTING   ANOTHER WEEK OF CHALLENGES ....   Last Week was a right off in some ways and almost successful in others.   I had a friend die on Monday so that put everything into a tail spin.   She was a Mother to 2 of my best and oldest mates, and a mother figure to another mate. She also was a fellow Arthritis Sufferer. She suffered from Still's Disease which is a severe form of Rheumatoid.  A wonderful Women who was so brave and strong. Rest in Peace Heather.   The funeral was Thursday so till then I was kind of walking around in disbelief.   I was running around frantically on Wednesday night trying to get to the airport to pick up a friend for the funeral when my chimmey caught on fire and I had to call 111.   I was impressed with how quickly 2 fire engines made it to my house. My heart was beating so loudly, I got the kids dressed just incase we needed to flee the house.   Lucky for us it got itself under control and the firemen and women checked up in the roof etc and I made it to the airport on time.   Thursday seemed to be the length of a month, time stood still and by 7pm I was history, sad, cold, tired, worried, felt like it should of been midnight.    Friday was a day of major fatigue but I made it through trips to the airport and training clients. Saturday was better and Sunday I trained hard again.   TRAINING   I have trained 4 times in 2 weeks as still struggling with the flu. Felt so weak that couldnt even dream of training on some days.   I have kept doing my cardio nice and gentle so my arthritis doesnt flare. Not training has made the fatigue worse. I know when I train it makes my whole body and mind feel great. Glad now to be off in the right direction again.   I have trained Chest/Triceps/Quads/Shoulders/Calves/Abs/Hammies so far this week. Need to do more abs as they have slipped alot lately.   DIET   Been doing my best with the diet. Most days have been fine. The night of the funeral we had turkish iskenders which is a nice healthy meal but my Mother-in-law made a sticky date pudding for us and it was irresistable on Thursday night. Finding the cold weather hard to diet in and having the flu, eating eggwhites is more challenging.     ASSESSMENT   I havent weighed or done as assessment for ages. I think I have lost about 3 kg's in 6 weeks, which would be about right to what I was aiming for.   So that would mean I need to lose about 3-400 grams a week for the next 6 weeks.   I keep saying this but hopefully I will be able to do a proper update with the right accurate figures etc next week and some update pics.     THIS WEEK   I have a busy week, school holidays still, lots of clients, but my goal is to stay present in the moment and make the most of being able to go alittle bit slowly with the holidays and not having to do 4 trips to kindy each day. 3 days this week I have a chance of sleeping in till 7.30 which is a real treat and no other challenges are forecast. So onwards and upwards and roll on positivity.     This ride has only 2 types of passengers: those who learn to love it and those who don't. Its not possible to get off the ride, only to gain the inspiration and the tools to consciously create and love-not fear- all of the inevitable bumps, dips and turns.     Doreen Banaszak Author of "Excuse Me your Life is NOW"

Maria Dunlop - 4th July 2009 06:29pm

7 Weeks ....   SICK AGAIN   Man I can;t believe it, I'm sick again and worse than last week. Eva is Sick again too and Bens cough is back.   My hubby had to take 2 days off work to look after me this week. When I get a bug I get it worse than everyone else as the drug I take for my rheumatoid stops my immune system working, so instead of my cells being on guard for the invaders, they are chilling out and inviting every other foreign thing into my body.   Its Saturday today and I havent trained since last Sunday so 6 days no training. Not that I could lift a weight if I tried.     The last 2 weeks have been challenging.   Eva was put under for her MRI Scan and then the MRI Machine wouldn't work. They left her under for over an hour while they rebooted the machine over and over. It was so stressful. I dont understand why they didnt check the machine before knocking small children out. Thats Taranaki Base for ya.   So after 2 hours the scan wasnt done. Apparently the lady that reshedules scans is away for a week (Is there no one else who can do this job?) so we have to wait to find out when Eva gets it done.   They did tell us that they can only afford the anethestist once a month, so maybe that will mean end of July. Just hope its not end of August as that will be the friday before my comp which will mean no going to Taupo. Im checking the letter box everyday for the appointment card. My little girl was so brave as always and I am so proud to be her Mummy.   Below: My hardest job ever ....     So seems like the universe is throwing everything at me this time.   I must say that this is the most stressful unenjoyable competition countdown I have ever done. Usually the first 5-6 weeks are great and its about 3 weeks out that things get tough.    One positive is the Rheumatoid is good and all under control.   Positivity has been low, No, lower than low.   I tried to go to posing practice last Sunday and just ended up in tears when one of the girls asked if I was alright. I was still so stressed from the hospital appointment 2 days before. I tried to train afterwards but did not enjoy one moment of it, I only stayed and kept training to get my moneys worth.   I saw clients on Monday and Tuesday but had to cancel the rest of the week. By Friday I couldnt talk.   Other stresses in my week was finding out my Son was being bullied at Kindy. Hes 4 years old and already its started.   I tried to sort it on Monday and Tuesday but didnt feel I had gotten anywhere so my hubby went in on Wednesday and made an impact.   Poor Ben is too scared to go to the toilet as the "bad boys" as he calls them, block him in, and he is on edge the whole time checking out to see where they are and if they are going to get him. This disgusts me and has been a very stressful thing for me to deal with.One of The teachers said she has seen it and poor Ben is terrified.   Alot of his behaviour at home had changed and now it makes sense to us. My Son is amazing, so gentle and loving and so nice to everyone.   This is a new experience for me, to learn that I cant keep him safe 24/7 and trying to trust in what I have taught him so far.   Like I always say, It is the hardest job in the world, being a Mum.   Below: My wonderful son Ben     Below: someone's been watching mummy!   DIET   I am trying my best to stick to the plan. And that is all that I can do.   No need to discuss training as there was none.     MY WEEK AHEAD   Who bloody knows!!!!!!!!!   Its School holidays now so will be challenging to keep children busy and happy and Clients satisfied. Fitting in my training will probably be the hardest but I will try my best.     HAVE I THOUGHT OF GIVING UP?   Yep everyday, but the excuses arent good enough yet, they are just excuses. Realistically I can still make it and thats all I need to know right know.

Maria Dunlop - 28th June 2009 04:48pm

8 WEEKS OUT FROM COMP   MY WEEK/TRAINING/CARDIO/DIET ETC ETC ETC .....   8 Weeks, at least I think that is right, the weeks are flying by and I think I missed an update last week. Its all abit of a blurr when it comes to my goal.   My kids have been real sick and I had both of them home from kindy last week.   I then felt like shite so cancelled all my clients last week.   I missed 3 days of training which wasnt too bad. One day I remember that I could hardly lift my arms to do anything let along train. But like my usual fatigue attacks it only lasted the day.   Cardio was kicked up a notch once I felt better. By that I mean I am doing 40 minutes morning and night instead of 30, still a mild intensity though.   I have been doing some time on the new/old stepper I got from Trademe, man its awesome, my poor butt...lol   Every Sunday after posing I always stay on at Rampage Fitness and have a workout. I usually stay for quite awhile (enjoying the time out). I try to train Chest/Triceps/Quads on that day.      My other workouts are put in wherever I can fit them and are usually only 40 minutes long.   Have blitzed my abs this week with decline work and now they are real sore. The only change to my workouts is the additional stepper work Ive put in between some exercises.Otherwise its just a normal 4 day split. 9-12 sets for major muscle, 6-8 for minor.     The highlight of my fortnight was the awesome txts and messages I got from clients, fellow competitors.   When you enter this sport you meet some fabulous people, it is the most rewarding bonus you could ever get from a job.   My diet has been 70% O.k 30% not so good. The trigger for going off track was stress. Having 2 sick children is hard work. I feel like I havent left the house in a year.   My meals have consisted of alot of eggwhites, chicken, tuna, salads, and green vegetables.   I have ditched the chop chop chicken now for tuna as chop chop is higher in fat and thought I'd better do it now rather than later. I have been having tunabaked Potatoes which are sooooo yummy, especially on a cold day.     For these I take a little spud (no bigger than my fist) microwave it for 5 minutes, carve out the inside and mash it with tuna, onion, tomatoe, flaxseed oil, pepper, mushrooms, then try to stuff it all back into the potatoe shell, Its impossible to fit it in so put the shell onto tin foil and just pile it up, wrap it up and put in oven for 10 minutes to warm though.     My last meal of the night is still eggwhite jelly with rockmelon. This week I have put a few berries into the jelly before it sets and that is really nice too.      While stuck at home for such a long time I ordered some special glue from Leotards Unlimited online and it arrived the next day for me to start decorating a posing suit. This helped alittle with motivation, the suit looks cool though so cant wait till I can fit it...ha ha heres hoping.   I havent weighed this week, I have been tempted but thought it better to wait till I was feeling better. I think I have lost alittle bodyfat as Im looking slightly more defined than 2 weeks ago.   Rheumatoid has been non-exsistant still...yippee. Just keep visualizing Im in remission and its working.   Positivity has resurfaced but mildly. My mission this week was to work on it and to use all  the strategies that I have put in place.   One of the most useful ones I use daily goes like this:   You do a list on the right of your negitive thoughts, things that are bugging you or stopping you achieving.   Then you read the first statement you have put on the right and you change it to a positive and write it on the left and cross out the right hand side one. You do this all the way down the negitive list till you are left with a full positive list on the left. It works for anything that might be bugging you. Heres an example, read the rightside first then left, then right then left :     Positive                                                                     Negitive I have enough time each day to train                  Im so busy today when am I going to train?                                                                                         (cross this one out once positive is written)   I am exactly where I need to be                             Im in over my head   I can do this                                                              I cant do this anymore   You get the point. I Think it is called a T-Table Technique. I have lots of them. Now I re-read them, but just the positives as the negitives are ruled out. Its a great focus list. Give it a go.     The week ahead.....   Well havent thought further than Friday at this point as Eva's MRI Scan is this Friday. Got a busy Thursday cramming all my friday clients into Thursday. My hubby has the day off so that will be helpful.......hopefully :)   Anyway eyes are drooping and my bed is calling and my hammies are screaming at me to lay down, so better call it quits.   Will try to check in next week with lots of positives.     The Difference Between a " Dream" and a " Plan", is a Time Line  Doctor Phil

Maria Dunlop - 14th June 2009 08:05am

10 WEEKS OUT   Its 10pm and my eyes are drooping but I really want to get some starting pictures up and running so my progress is charted.   I had an assessment on Monday.    Weight: 48kg. Started 3 weeks ago at 50kg.   12 % Bodyfat   Been a real busy week again.   TRAINING   Training is going well, achieving all workouts and very sore the next day in the muscles so all good. Stamina is still there.   I have bought an old stepper machine off trademe, I have been looking for the older type for ages as I like the way they work the butt and hammies so well. Got this one from WorldGym West   Clearout Sale for $60 and its fabulous. Oh my hammies, butt and calves are loving it.   Bought my old exercycle inside to do my cardio on as it gives me a harder workout. I am still doing only 30 minutes, morning and night if I feel up to it.   Ab workout has improved, I was doing them at night but now do them with my workout so I get them over and done with, no excuses.     DIET   I am doing good with eating real clean but giving myself 1 cheat meal in the middle of week and one on the weekend.   Last week it was Burger King and this week KFC. I dropped 1 kg when I cut dairy products out of my diet and another kg when cleaning up the other areas. My body really loves these cheat meals and fulls the muscles up nicely which makes the workout the next day awesome.   My meals are huge still as you will see in the pictures. I have been making chop chop chicken patties and salads for dinner, quite nice.   Below: Chop Chop Chicken with kumera and banana     Below: Chop Chop Chicken patties   Morning is 2 vogel toast, 1 poached egg and 6-8 whites   Mid morning is tin of chop chop chicken with 10 rice crackers   lunch is a protein salad usually chicken or tuna    Mid afternoon is chop chop chicken with 2 big rice cakes   Dinner is chicken patties of some sort or big chicken salad and always broccoli   I have a big bowl of fruit salad at night instead of having my fruit during the day, so the fruit salad is 1 banana, 1 orange, 1 kiwifruit, berries or rockmelon.   I have just started setting some eggwhites into my jellies with fruit and having a protein/jelly desert instead which is nice if I am hungry and need more protein.   I often have a raw carrot sometime during the day to.   I still have loads of black coffee and do drink lots of water.             Below: TIP: Cooking paper is great to cook on - no oil etc. See below for cooking chicken patties.     QUICK SUMMARY BEFORE I FALL ASLEEP   My daughters doc appointment went well with all her bloods coming back normal....yippee, just the MRI and more bloods in a fortnight.   Positivity has improved and it really is my life saver. Using the techniques I have put in to place really make my days so much more enjoyable.   My Rheumatoid is still non-exsistant, another yippee.....lol   PROMISE TO DO A BETTER UPDATE NEXT WEEK, THANKS FOR READING :)

Maria Dunlop - 1st June 2009 07:04am

12 WEEKS OUT   Havent found my bag of goodies yet so decided to start to build up a new one.   Before I did this I wanted to work out what exactly sent me spiraling downwards.   All I could come up with was "over doing things". Spreading myself to thin.   When I set a goal I need to have time to focus my brain on what I am trying to achieve. I like to train, cardio, visualize, keep taking babysteps forward. I guess I felt like I wasn't getting enough time to keep my goal moving forwards.   I have been training but my ab workouts have decreased, I have finally increased then back up to where they were before.      My eating has been pitiful. Some days not eating enough and other days eating whatever I wanted without giving it a second thought. I have been going to posing but not really focusing on the hard out posing that I should be doing.   Its not just the increase in my Clientele but the daily routine of going back and forth to kindy for both sessions.  Keeping the house running smooth. My little boy got sick and then my little girl got sick and then I got sick and so on and so on and so on. I have lots of reasons or excuses to justify how I let things deteriorate.    Today is Thursday and I started to feel better with some positivity, mojo and motivation under my belt.   When I got home today from picking up my little girl from Kindy my hubby said that the hospital had rang and my daughter has another MRI booked in one months time.   Oh god, my heart just stopped, visions of the last one going through my head, reliving the results again, then the brain started to travel off on its own and I was thinking that her Doctor must of speed it through because the bloods are back from Aussie and we have an appointment to discuss those in 2 weeks, Oh My God, somethings wrong.....bla bla bla...until my hubby stopped me and brought me back to earth.   He went off to work and I started to bath the kids, feed them, do all the housework, get them to bed, do my cardio, do my abs, then I decided to dye my hair darker, then I thought I'd better do this update and now I think that I am going to have to get a grip.    Get a Grip Maria.    Keeping myself busy is not going to help me deal with what lays ahead.   I need to use all the strategies that I have learnt from the begining of the year.  Start over, be strong, be positive, create the energy that I want to surround me and be as brave as my daughter.   TRAINING   So when it comes to training, I have stuck to a 4 day split.Sort of. Done a couple of workouts at Rampage Fitness after posing practice and that has been great.   My training sessions are hurried and squeezed into a small time frame. Not exactly as enjoyable as I usually like. Not as intense as I would like.   EATING   Well I start my 12 week comp diet next week. This week I have been slowly cleaning it up, cut down on dairy products and stopped the deserts at night :( Am I ready to diet? No, not as ready as I usually am, but then, its not a major, Im not stressed about it.   Im sure in 2 weeks time I will feel differently.   RHEUMATOID   My oh My, some positives. I have been keeping my thoughts on being in remission and it is working. I have no pain.........NO PAIN.....its been a long time since I have practically been pain free for a couple of weeks in a row. Usually when I diet down for a comp my rheumatoid improves a great deal so things are  looking up on the arthritis front.     COMP PROGRESS   The only thing I have done is book my accomodation and get my music done. My routine is finished and I have performed it in front of the girls after posing.     GOOD DEEDS   So interesting how the good deeds stopped when I struggled to cope with my own living each day.   I have donated clothes etc to charity and kept putting food in the SPCA bin at my supermarket, but not as regularly as I would like.   If I had maintained the momentum that I had going every week with good deeds it probably would of helped me cope better, but instead I let it slip.   I will be focusing on trying not to let that happen again.   So there you have it, nothing exciting happened I just fell off the Motivation Train and didn't even try to run after it, Or even purchase another ticket for the next train. Onwards and Upwards.

Maria Dunlop - 25th May 2009 04:43am

An update ....well sort of ... LOST AND FOUND   Lost 1 bag of very valuable things.   Lost somewhere in New Plymouth on Monday 11th May.   Bag contains lots of Motivation and heaps of precious positivity.   If you do find this bag please be careful not to drop it. My MOJO is inside and I need it back in one piece.   This week I have also lost my mind, so that could also be in the bag.    Do not think about keeping bag for yourself as Contents of bag have been custom made just for me.   Any sightings of this bag of tricks should be reported to me at ree.rockbodz@clear.net.nz a.s.a.p.

latest countdown - 9th May 2009 05:00pm

COUNTING DOWN ....   The weeks are flying by so fast.   Some days I feel great and ready and others I feel shattered and in need of a good holiday.   I have been real busy Personal Training and choreographing bodybuilding routines. I have done 2 routines so far this week and had a dream last night that when I got to the finals at Taupo I ended up doing a mixture of everyones routine as I forgot mine.   Today my new posing shoes arrived......they are perfect, my friend did so well finding them. All I need to do now is practice in them (ALOT)   The workshop on Sunday went O.K. We froze our A's off in Stratford so after all the practical was done we hit a coffee shop to defrost and talk about all the other aspects of comp countdown.   We have formed a great group, all the girls are very supportive of one another. They all get on real well, so well infact that we decided to organise a regular posing practice every Sunday at 2pm at Rampage Fitness.   The Awesome guys at Rampage are allowing us to use the studio for free every week. So supportive, what a great gym. I havent been in there yet so this Sunday will be the first. I hear they have a coffee shop too......that could be a problem...lol     TRAINING   I have been training one day resting the next . Just like last week. Its working well with my busy days. I dont feel like I am recovering well enough still, my arthritis is doing o.k and thats a big bonus.   I think the recovery rate could be better with more sleep, A sleep in, A day in bed, A day in bed being waiting on, A day in bed being waiting on and watching a great movie. Actually I think I would recover faster if I had a butler, a chef, and a  nanny. Hmmmm Mothers Days coming........ Its funny the things we crave when we know we cant have them, who would of thought you could crave a sleep in. Motherhood huh.   Once I start dieting the focus will change from pillow to fudge.   Still been sitting on my bike morning and most nights, and done my ab training as usual.     MY WEEK   My little girl started Kindy this week, she has done well so far.      Today she struggled a bit as she was so tired and so she fell over alot more. My days are busy with taking my son in the morning to kindy,   Training clients, then picking him up at lunch time, having a quick lunch then taking Eva back to her kindy session. I have to stay with her for the first week so poor Ben has had to come back with me, we have cuddled up and read some books while Eva gets her bearings. We get home at 3ish and I get them feed and settled and thats when I try to have my workout.   I am a bit shattered and it takes a lot of self talk but I feel heaps better after I have finished.  Once inside its bath time for the kids and then dinner time. I like to get them in bed and asleep before my night clients turn up. After I finish working I then come in and unwind on my exercycle and then enjoy a nice dinner.    I also have to fit into my day my exercises with my little girl and her very important stretches etc to help with her walking. We always do some dancing and ball activities and Ben loves to play hide and seek which I suck at as I always end up laughing. The day is full and thank god for my coffee machine.     THE POSITIVITY   The Positivity is going well. I struggled again on Monday after a busy Sunday but the week has got better and better. I am getting very good at stopping negitive thoughts from myself and others, It really does take practice but boy does it pay off.   That old saying " You can do whatever you set your mind on " is so true.

Maria Dunlop - 2nd May 2009 06:53pm

16 weeks out ....   Oh No Tomorrow is going to hurt!!!!!     As I sit and write this update my legs are killing me after my workout 4 hours ago. I can't believe they are so sore already, tomorrow is going to be a mission...lol     I have been training real hard and it was leg day today which I was pleased about as my Chest and triceps are so sore from Mondays workout.   I seem to have fallen into a pattern this week of training one day resting the next. Mainly because a have felt shattered this week.   After the Workshop on Sunday I developed a huge headache and felt real ill. Ended up putting myself to bed for a couple of hours. I completely emptied my energy and motivation stores. Boy did it feel terrible not to be able to think positively.I think it was just the R.A Fatigue.     Monday I was booked solid with clients and on the Sunday I worried that maybe I would have to cancel everyone. When I woke up Monday I felt loads better. Now its Wednesday and I must admit I still feel real shattered.   The week so far has been full on with a School Interview for my Son and Kindergarten Interview for my Daughter, training inbetween clients, and making sure my family gets everything they need. The only time a sat down today for more than 5 minutes was to eat my breakfast.    Boy oh Boy my leg muscles are sore.   I am having to change positions in my chair as I type. To go along with the muscle pain (which I love) is the arthritis pain (which I hate) which has been great but is abit intense in my right wrist now. This annoys me as it has been my left wrist that has been real bad for months and months. Thats the thing with this disease, it picks and chooses where it wants to hang out.      Today I got an email from Peter Hardwick with all the details of the Taupo Comp. I got real excited when I read about it. I have been looking into accomodation in Taupo and alot of the Motels have their own Mineral Pool in the room, one of those self filling ones. Hmmmmm this sounds wonderful and would be a nice way to spend Sunday the 23rd August. Oh my Hamstrings would love that right now.     My Friend in Singapore has found me some shoes and they should arrive in a couple of weeks. My friend is amazing, I wished she lived closer. Supportive Friends make life so much more enjoyable .    This week I received a parcel from Misfit Clothing in America. Its cool training clothing etc with great sayings on them all to do with training and competing, working out. I got myself a "Pose like a Champ" top and got my hubby  one that says "My Wife can lift heavier than Me".        I also got some new RoCKBoDZ Shirts and caps done which I am pleased with. These went along with some new Business Cards.          I designed the cards more feminine so they didnt scare new clients away.The cards are pink with a flower and info on them, but the clothing definitely promotes weight training for women.         This Sunday is My Posing Workshop which focuses on Posing to Music. I will be teaching the tricks I have learnt, moves that look great but are so easy to do. When you pay for a comp Dvd of your performance, its nice to have a decent routine for you to look back on and show your family and friends. Workshop starts again at 10am till 12 at the Fit 4 Life Gym, Page Street, Stratford.        Well I absolutely can not sit here any longer, MY LEGS ARE SOOOOOO SORE.     Maybe this week I will focus on "NOT TRAINING QUITE SO HARD"

Maria Dunlop - 26th April 2009 08:18am

17 WEEKS OUT   UNBELIEVABLE WEATHER    The Wind the other night was unbelievable. I had clients on Monday Night, and at times we had to yell to hear each other, not to mention my poor little gym almost blew away. Pots smashed, outdoor furniture disappeared, and somewhere along the line my positivity got blowen to Kingdom Come.   Lucky for me they didnt know what to do with it so sent it straight back.   I find this so fascinating, that the windy weather could disrupt me like that. I think it was because every time I opened one of the gym doors 2 truckfulls of leaves blew in, having to vacuum over and over really annoyed me (I hate Vacuuming).   My Skin feels like I have been in a desert for a week, with no water, I feel like shit actually. Thats probably not all because of  the Wind.   "That time of the Month" has a bit to do with it also.     I have been fighting against the fatigue like I usually have to with my cycle. On Wednesday I just wanted to crawl into bed for the day. My skin hurt where my clothes were touching, I was so buggered, my hair even hurt. I decided to try and use the power of positivity to turn it around. Self talk was first on the list.   "I feel fine" "What a nice day" "Oh my kids are beautiful" "I'm so grateful for my coffee machine"......yes I was struggling to come up with things.   Then it turned into "Boy my cars dirty" "I need to clean it" "Oh it needs a vacuum" "I hate Vacuuming"   So the self talk took me round in a circle. I made another coffee and then decided it was best just to shut up and  keep moving. That afternoon I vacuumed and cleaned my car and had a workout. When my head hit the pillow that night I slept real well and the fatigue took a break until Thursday, but was nowhere as bad. Looking back on it now I would say that the Power of Positivity did help in its own way.  I just need to practice more.     Eva's Birthday   On Sunday before the wind I gave my daughter an "Animal Rescue" Party. She is a fan of Dora the Explorer's Cousin Diego who saves animals in trouble. I re-inacted one of the episodes almost to the "T". Took abit of work and alot of creativity.   She sat next to her Daddy that night on the couch and said "Dad, I had a Great Birthday Party". She didnt care about the presents, or food, she loved the animal rescue part, looking for trapped leopards and possums and pulling prickles out of their paws and finding food for them.       So Proud of her. Now she is 3 and off to Kindy.......hmmmmm.   My big brother Tony also took her for a ride in a FireEngine and let her shoot a big fire hose. She absolutely loved it. She is so amazed that Uncle Tony has his own FireEngine. He is now almost as cool as her Daddy.       TRAINING   Mostly good with training. Still supersetting as limited for time again. I have achieved all workouts but 2 of them I did not enjoy. This is just not like me so put it down to fatigue. Think I missed a couple of cardios at night and a few ab workouts. Nothing to dwell on though.   One thing that hasnt been good is I dont feel like I have recovered well from workouts. I am sore all over (muscles), my workout from Saturday still hurts today, almost a week later. I am eating heaps, and sleeping o.k , although would love a good sleep in, so again putting it in the fatigue basket. I am still growing though and real pleased with my shape.     WEEK AHEAD   I have the first Posing Workshop on Sunday which I am looking forward to. Just being with others who are interested in competing is so motivating and encouraging. I am looking forward to teaching my techniques.   My Son returns to Kindy in the mornings and my Daughter will hopefully start in the afternnoons.This will make for an even busier week ahead.  Cant believe April is nearly over already.   My Main Goal is of course to Practice the Power of Positive Thinking

Maria Dunlop - 19th April 2009 07:16am

18 Weeks Out   It has been a very positive week, very busy week, very interesting week, very rewarding week. I have remained positive and focused for the whole time. I was challenged a few times but didnt sway at all.    It is getting easier to remain positive, I still have to use lots of techniques but it is alot better than a few weeks ago.   I have been very busy with Clients, some days having 5 people booked in on one day, this makes for a very busy day which kind of goes like this:   6.30 Up with Kids, get them dressed and fed   7.30 My Morning Cardio 30 minutes   8.00 My Breakfast and activity with kids   8.30 Prepare Dinner to save on work later   9.00 1st Client   10.30 2nd Client   11.45 Time with Kids, lunch etc   1.00 3rd Client   2.30 Housework, time with kids.   3.30 My Training   4.30 Bathtime for Kids   5.30 Dinner for Kids,small meal for me, time playing quietly, story time, bed for kids.   7.00 My 4th and 5th Clients   8.00 My night Cardio 30 minutes and 500 situps   8.45 My Dinner   My children are with me the whole time I am working. Playing with  toys, drawing on the blackboard I have painted on one wall, riding their bikes around outside, playing with playdough and joining in with me while I count reps and encourage my clients. They are the best Kids ever.   Not all my days are that busy. Most days last week I only had 2 clients booked. This was great as gave me a breather and time to work on my daughters Birthday Party this weekend. As I write this I am feeling rather buggered but think it is leading up to "that time of the month". I am hoping to bypass my usual fatigue day that comes with my period. How amazing if the Power of Positivity can help with major fatigue.   I feel like I am moving through life in a more flowing manner. Eyes wide open, positive and ready.   TRAINING   My training has been similar to last week, supersetting to get through it fast to fit in everything else, still training hard out though. My legs are sore from their workout and Chest and triceps have just recovered after a few days.   Below: Blitzing abs     Below: Chest workout      I am focused on my Taupo Comp.   One of my Best Friends who lives Overseas is trying to find me some New Comp Shoes, how exciting. She lives in Singapore and says the shoes are everywhere over there and way cheaper than I could of got them. I look forward to having some that I can slip on and not have to worry about buckles etc.   My friend is so supportive of my sport and is always encouraging me by email, phone calls and txts. Love ya Trac.     DIET   My eating has been O.k. Have ate alot of chicken. Actually it feels like that is all I have eaten. Most of my night meals have been a Chicken Salad Naan Bread Wrap. Real yummy, I grill some edam cheese on the wrap first then put in the warm chicken and loads of salad fillings with balsamic vinegar. Its almost as popular as my pita pocket.   below: Yummy Naan bread wrap     WEBSITE   I got offered a month trial to build a basic website to see it I liked it and wanted to incorporate it into my RoCKBoDZ Work. So I have given it a go. It is real basic, I am such a technophob.If I keep it going I will use it to promote exercise to help arthritis. If you want to check it out it is www.rockbodz.com       THE WEEK AHEAD    Need to get my routine finished as I have client routines to choreograph.   The First Posing Workshop is coming up on Sunday next week at Fit 4 Life in Stratford so will be putting the final touches on that.   Got a busy week with clients plus the last week of the school holidays so pretty full on again.   Laughing is wonderful exercise: it deepens our breathing and improves our circulation, and smiles and laughter stimulate the production of our natural feel-good chemicals. So why not take your good mood out and about this week and share it with others who need a boost.

Maria Dunlop - 10th April 2009 07:10am

CAN WE THINK TOO MANY POSITIVE THOUGHTS?   I have spent the last 2 weeks getting on board the "Positive Train" , heading to "Achievement World" and wow I think this Train needs to slow down abit. Things are happening at a great speed. I am loving it but as I sit and write this update (at long last and only a week late), I wonder whether I can keep it up.   If I stop feeling so positive, would it immediately slow down?   But why would I want to stop feeling so positive?   This is definitely a bizarre thing to focus on, the whole positivity thing is really quite amazing. It takes alot of practise. You really have to stop yourself if a negitive thought enters your mind and deal with it then and there and move onto  a positive.   I have managed to do this for the last 2 weeks.   The only time I had trouble was when my Hubby stressed me. But I stuck to my guns and maintained the positivity.    I have found with my positive thinking came the need to help others. Over the last 2 weeks I have donated to the SPCA bin in our local supermarket, donated to the Blind Foundations Appeal to help the process of training the guide dogs and donated to the Child Cancer Appeal. It obviously is time for all the major fundraising for most groups and makes it very easy to do a good deed as they are everywhere you go around the city.    The next side effect of thinking so Positive is the increase in energy levels. This is great for me as the fatigue goes hand in hand with the Rheumatoid.   Most of the ladies I have met last year who also suffer from some form of arthritis usually try to get most of the major work done in the morning because came afternoon time the body really does struggle, its like 3.30itis on steroids, its a battle to do normal things like prepare dinner etc. I have got used to feeling like this and trying to get dinner etc prepared in the morning to take the load of the afternoon work.   Since focusing on positive thoughts and relaxing my facial muscles, smiling more etc I have had loads more energy in the afternoon.   Time seems to slow down, the days go by slower, lots more gets done, more time to look around and appreciate the finer things in life.     A friend of mine found an article about the research of positive thinking to help you handle the pain etc of Rheumatiod, it seems it does have a good effect.   This is all good to read and hear but it is very very hard to do, especially when you are in combat with pain every day.   So how am I doing it?   STOP.   I simply  say to myself STOP when I am thinking negatively.I have found you need to stop it as soon as you can so that it doesnt gather speed because before long it can create thoughts of self doubt and effect the rest of your day.     By stopping the little negatives it has made way for major focus on goals of all kinds.   My Personal Training Work has increased to the point where I will soon have to start turning people away.   My training has been going real well even though I am in alot more pain lately (prob due to the wheather changing)   I feel more positive about competing in Taupo in August which is only another 19 action packed weeks away.   Its funny because I have always thought of myself as a positive person and yet I have obviously been smothering my own potential.     TRAINING   I have lead myself into a superset style training program. This has been so I can fit my training inbetween clients and family etc.   I have enjoyed it and been real real sore, muscles that is, not joints...awesome.   One day I did legs and could actually hold the weights while training, I had a fantastic workout. Couldnt walk, squat, sit, go to the toilet without muscle pain for a whole week, just in time to do it all over again. So I have had a sore butt for a fortnight now...lol.   If you want to focus on inner thighs and butt alittle more then try this simple workout, it went like this:   Dumbell Step Lunges, use a step that is a decent height so you can lunge nice and low       Reverse Step Lunges, done on same type of step and lunging nice and low, making sure you lunge downwards and not forward.     BB Squats with feet wider than shoulders, squatting nice and low again, Keep your weight down so you can go lower.     BB Stiff Leg Deadlift, again off a higher step so you can stretch further. I had trouble finishing these as my hammies and butt were screaming at me already.     Leg Extensions   Hammie Pullbacks   One Leg Hammie Pullbacks     Leg Curls   Do 3 sets of 10 reps on each exercise . It is important to maintain perfect form to keep the body safe from injury.      I have had to drop a few of my night cardio sessions due to Personal Training but have made sure to do every morning on the exercycle.   Abs have been done but also missed a few nights due to working as well.     MY EATING   I have ended up eating late most nights again because of working so have found that challenging. Some nights it is so late that I dont actually have an appetitie once I am home for the night. Will have to invest in some more protein powder this week and down some inbetween clients. I like to eat my food not drink it so I do struggle with protein powder after awhile but it is a life saver in busy times.   Got my chop chop chicken appetite back so that was great as it is so easy.           I havent weighed myself for a few weeks but feel like I might be over 50kg now....whoops...thats past my cut off mark.   Only 5 weeks till I start dieting so not too worried. Will give myself a proper assessment over Easter (before the chocolate) and report it properly next update.       MY PLANS FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS   Easter will be just like any other weekend as my Hubby has to work all stat days so nothing much will change in our house.   The following week is my little girl Eva's Birthday Party so I will be putting a lot of effort and energy into giving her a great day.My Big Brother is a Firemen and is going to take her for a ride in a Fire Engine, she is going to love love love it. We finally have an appointment to get her special inner soles for her shoes to help with her walking, this will be just in time for her to start kindergarten.....hmmmm.....I might have an emotional week there having to let my little girl go to kindy by herself.   I am trying to find a Primary School that I like to send my son to later in the year. He was going to go the one next to his Kindergarten but appartently we out not living in the "Zone" so have to go somewhere else...bugger!!!!.   Lots of Clients booked, some for general fitness and wellbeing, some for bodybuilding, some for posing, a great variety.   And of Course the first Posing Workshop will be at the end of the Month.      GOALS TO FOCUS ON      Maintain that power with the positivity. By doing this everything else will full into place.   MY THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK Today I celebrate the fact that I have recognised my power to change an ordinary life into a great one.

Maria Dunlop - 27th March 2009 05:20pm

THE DAY DOOFUS MEET ARTHUR   My week has been a lot better. I have been real busy with clients this week. New people stepping up and setting their goals to compete. Its very exciting to witness and be part of them achieving their vision. Its a great way to keep me motivated too.   The worst day for me was the day Doofus (my name for my stress) met Arthur (my name for my arthritis). I had had a real busy Saturday and wasn't feeling the best on Sunday but tried hard to remain positive and focused. After attempting a workout I went down hill fast and ended up in bed for the afternoon. Getting over stressed causes the Rheumatiod to play up and coping with the intense pain creates fatigue. Its a vicious cycle and I usually can reverse it most days with exercise but not Sunday.   Major Fatigue is a freaky feeling, it hits hard and heavy but for me, the next day I feel loads better. It also acts as a warning bell that you may need to change a few things round so you dont end up in hospital.     I WILL START ON MONDAY     Those famous 5 words that many people say.   Monday was my "no excuses" day to make sure I picked up the positivity.   It has been easier than I thought and has made my week so much more enjoyable instantly. All I did to get started was say "What a Fabulous Day".   Monday out of the blue I got an email from a very special friend of mine. She had read my updates and had some useful strategies for me to help with handling stress and help me stay more positive. It amazes me how the universe gives you things you need at a specific time. This email which I have printed out and read so many times already has empowered me and has helped strengthen me from the inside out. Thank you Friend.     TRAINING   My workouts were all achieved. I didnt pressure myself to do anything in particular, just picked a muscle group and went for it.My Arthritis has been real bad in my left wrist so I had to change a few workouts cause I couldnt hold the weights.   Monday Morning I did an Intensity Check with a Client, for this I train along side them so I can register what they are going through more personally.   Clients love this every once in awhile and its alot of fun giving them that experience of a serious workout with a training partner. This Client has very good form and is not afraid to lift heavy, I really enjoy training along side her as we work well together. Even though we had an intense workout she still made it look easy.     I then based my training around what I had done on Monday with my client, I think I ended up doing legs 3 times in the week, really feeling them now.   I ditched my night cardio a few times, giving myself that time to blob on the couch once the kids were asleep.   I even bypassed the abs a few times as well and went straight for the video and grainwaves.   Training Legs without having to hold weights means I have to think outside the square.   Dumbell Lunges have to be performed without the dumbells.   So I then perform them without weights but do 10 reps, hold it at the bottom for 10 then 10 pulses then 10 full reps again.Swap legs.   Leg Extension has to be lighter as I usually go heavy and have to hold my butt down on the seat, of course I couldnt hold on ,so did 10 full reps then held it at top of the motion for 10 counts, released it slightly and held for 10 counts, released it again slightly and held for 10 counts. This is harder than it looks.   I did the same for One Legged Leg Extensions.   For Squats I couldnt bend my wrist back to hold a barbell on my shoulders and couldnt hold dumbells so used the swissball instead.   I had one foot on a step and the other foot on a higher step. Held the swiss ball in front of me and squatted to place it between my legs. Because one foot is higher than the other the inner thigh is targeted real well. You then turn around and put the other foot on the higher step for the next set. I held it at the bottom of the squat for as long as I could on the 10th rep.   It was quite an enjoyable workout , doing something totally different, put a positive spin on training with R.A.   Below: Swiss ball Step start position     Below: Finish position below: Hold at end of set   FOOD   I have eaten lots more this week and feeling better for it. I am getting alittle sick of my Chop Chop Pita now though so will have to invent a new favourite.     DO I OR DONT I?   I am trying to decide on whether or not to compete in Taupo or take the pressure off and just compete in Stratford.   The main reasons for the change of plans would be my health, money, my daughter. There is 21 weeks till the Comp in Taupo so will have to decide soon.     Whether I compete or not, I always train like I am, so theres no worries either way. I usually do a 12 week out comp diet so that will be the date I need to watch out for.     THE GOOD DEED   This week I donated money to the Child Cancer Foundation. On Monday when I was starting over with my positivity I received a couple of receipts in the post from Charity's I have donated to over the last month, it was a real nice feeling to be reminded of the good deed done.   One day while picking up my Son from kindy, My Daughter performed her own good deed. We were walking out of kindy and she saw 2 beautiful leaves on the ground. She picked them up and told me they were very special leaves. I agreed and keep walking. I turned back to see her looking at all the Mums arriving for there children. She seemed to pick one particular Mum and went up to her and said "these 2 special leaves are for you". This Mother started to tear up and looked absolutely stunned. I walked up to her to see if she was o.k.   She said it is amazing that Eva had given her 2 special leaves right at the moment as she had just heard that 2 close friends of hers had died.   She thanked Eva very very much for making her day.   I always call Eva my little Angel and thats because she gives me good reason to.       POSING WORKSHOPS     I have set the dates for the Posing Workshops. The first workshop will be on Sunday the 26th April. It will cover Compulories, Entering and Exiting Stage, Making the most of the time you are in front of the judges.   The Second Workshop will be on Sunday the 3rd April. It will cover Posing to Music, How to Put together a good Routine.   All the information on Where , times, cost and what to bring will be sent through to this site soon. I will be giving away all my posing secrets.          Whenever you are feeling knee-deep in negativity remember this: The Biggest most powerful thought is always the positive one, it will sweep all else away with its intention, focus and determination.

Maria Dunlop - 19th March 2009 05:26pm

I'm So Not Good at Stress....   The last 2 weeks have been a painful blur. More Mentally than physically. Stress is a horrible thing.Im so not good at handling stress, actually the last fortnight I have felt like I have not been good at anything.   I feel so mad now that stress ruined some of my time with my friends.   3 days before my friends were due to arrive my little girl started falling over more and could hardly walk. She was still very bright and intelligent but just could not keep her balance. This sent me into panick mode, I didnt want to take my eyes off her. When I asked her if she was sore she would say no and by the 3rd day she was getting quite annoyed with herself as she was falling over so much.    On the 4th night I asked her again if she was sore anywhere and she said yes her left ankle. I immediately realized she could of sprained her ankle as she falls over more than the average child and suddenly thought of a day at kindy where she did twist her foot as she fell. She is so brave and refused to be carried and seemed to go about her day with no worries, but now I think back and the light bulb comes on. I strapped her ankle straight away and she started walking 30 % better instantly.   So a week later and that worry is over, a sprained ankle, I cant believe it. How stupid could I be? The stress from this worry made the rheumatoid play up and 3/4 way through the Jimmy Barnes concert I had to go sit down. I could hardly stand. What great mates I have as one of them stayed with me and missed the last part of the concert too.   Below: Jimmy Barnes ....     Below: best friends and me at Jimmy Barnes ...     Sleep has been deprived with quests staying and nights out etc. Appetitie has been down due to the stress and pain. This week the fatique has tackled me and stripped me of all my motivation. So there you have it, absolutely negitive, nothing positive, absolutely 100% negative .   Did I try to be positive?   Yes.   Did it work?   I dont know.... I guess so.   I still thought how lucky and grateful I was to be with my friends and what wonderful friends they are. Still thought how lucky I was to go shopping one Saturday morning with the girls and out for coffee. But I couldnt manage to spin the negitive round into positives enough, this was the stress, it just seemed too heavy to push away and I ended up giving up.   SO HOW WAS TRAINING?   I fitted in all my training sessions. Couldnt tell you what I did without looking in my training journal, but I did train.Cardio sessions morning and night were done all except 2 and I think I missed a few ab workouts but nothing major. Because the fatigue hit hard I knew I had to keep moving or I would be history completely.   One day my best mate trained Chest and Shoulders with me and this week we did legs together before she had to leave for Singapore. I was so grateful for these workouts as I needed to do them for my health but was struggling with motivation big time.They were very enjoyable workouts.   Below: Tracey, me (and Eva) training       I am lucky to have a client on a Tuesday night who also amazes and motivates me to keep going. Thank goodness for those special people who enter our days.   Eating has quite simply been, not enough.      SO WHERE FROM HERE?    I need to get motivated. That is the bottom line. At the moment I have no interest in competing, just getting through my days is hard enough. I hate feeling like this as it makes me weaker. I definitely need to be strong right about now.   I will have to pull all the tricks out of my hat this week to get my shit together.   I miss being positive, hate this black cloud following me. I need to work out a way to control the stress and not let it enter my positive being, keep it at arms length.     SO HERES THE PLAN   I've decided to give my stress a name, I am going to call it "Doofus".     Instead of saying or thinking "I am sooooo stressed today",  I am going to say or think "Man Doofus stop bothering me today, ".Just typing this has made me smile, And then I am going to turn it around and instead of focusing on Doofus I will think about something that makes me feel happy .   So time to Get back to basics:   Playing music more,   Training whatever bodypart I feel like at the time to increase motivation.   Get creative and work on my posing suit.   Laugh more   Give myself permission to relax more. This is hard for me so might invade the video store this week and stock up on Grainwaves....lol. I really feel like I need a good holiday, a real rest.   Write in Journal daily.   I need to do a good deed this week.   Last week my good dead was done at Jimmy Barnes. I was waiting in line at the ladies toilet when a women walked out with 1/2 metre of toilet paper stuck to her shoe. Now we all know how embarrassing this is as it has happened to most of us at some time or another. She didnt notice the toilet paper and it took me a couple of trys to get it unstuck off her shoe, but alas I did. Later that night I was again waiting to pee......and I noticed the lady beside me looked abit uncomfortable so I offered for her to go before me. She was so grateful and I was very grateful when She started vomiting loudly in the toilet........thank goodness for kindness.   Marci Shimoff once said "Gratitude is absolutely the way to bring more into your life"

Maria Dunlop - 3rd March 2009 04:56am

AND THEN THE PHONE RANG   Everything went well for most of the week.   Managed to get my mo-jo back and stay thinking positive now that I was over the flu.This week on bill day my Daughter and I bought some extra tinned food and put it in the FoodBank Container in our local Supermarket. This good deed was great to do as we have walked past these containers for years and not made the effort to donate anything and it couldnt get any simplier to do, just buy a few extra tins and bend down and put them in.   Trained the same as last week for the first half of the week which was 3 days on/ 1 day Rest. Friday rolled around and I decided to train in the afternoon. 3 oclock was my goal to step foot in my gym, then the phone rang.   I have been waiting 10 weeks for this phone call.   It was my Daughter's Doctor.   When you have children it is the hardest job in the world. There is no sleep in's, no holidays, no proper meal breaks, etc...BUT when you have children you inherit Super Powers. These powers take over your whole body when they are needed. These powers help you to breath, walk and carry on when all you want to do is die.   Starship and Our Specialist have agreed on what they have found on Eva's MRI.   They have given me 2 reasons why an MRI looks like hers.    2 reasons that they dont think apply.   The first reason is if the child went through a dramatic birth.  I believe Eva did. I was in labour for a very long time. The midwife wasnt listening to me and when they finally called my specialist Eva was struggling big time and so was I. They had to resuss her on delivery. It was a nightmare from start to finish with me nearly dying after another midwife's error.Eva's Doctor doesnt call it a stressful birth.     The other reason is brain damage from a fall etc which hasnt happened so we can diffiantely cross that one off the list.   So if they dont think it is any of the above it only leaves one other theory, that her brain is slowly dieing.   God this is torture to write, excuse my spelling mistakes I cant see the computer screen through the tears.   One thing in our favour is that Eva is improving on everything, which would be unusual under the circumstances.She is well advanced mentally compared to other children her age. She cant run but is getting better and better each week.    So, I was told that whatever is happening it is probably not curable, there is probably no treatment for it at all. This is where the super powers take over.   I am trying to think of everything I need to ask but also remember everything he is telling me. Try to stop myself from spewing all over the floor, try to keep my heart beating, then get him to tell me everything all over again. After receiving the instructions on what will happen next He hung up.   My brain was working over time but in slow motion if that makes any sense.       Trying to find pen and paper to write everything down, Calling my Husband home from Work, picking up the phone to call my Mum and remembering she just had bad news about her heart and maybe it wasnt wise to tell her yet, setting the kids up with an activity and then standing infront of my coffee machine waiting waiting waiting for the long strong black coffee. Then sitting and waiting for my husband. The tears came.         My Hubby listened to me repeat everything back to him and then taking a leaf out of my book turned to me and said very calmly..."O.k lets look at the Positives". He is a brickwall when he knows I am hurting. Wasnt long before that wall crumbled too.   So I am writing this on Monday night. Sunday night a Doctor from the Childrens Ward rang and made an appointment for Eva today to get more intense bloods tested.     Above; Eva getting ready for her blood tests   These are to go to Australia for some reason so will take 6-8 weeks to get the results. My Little Girl didnt even cry when the took her blood, she is absolutely amazing. All she said was "I dont much like that Doctor Steve Mummy, but I liked the Nurses", Steve of course had the needle.    While we were in the childrens ward I asked what things were best to donate to help brighten up the childrens days, after receiving all the do and donts on whats allowed in the ward I now have my good deed set for an up and coming week.   My Husband also suggested we look in the hospice shop as anything we buy is helping hospice. What a positive to my week to see how  he has changed his thought patterns. It really is inspiring and so simple to do.      We now have to wait again for another MRI Scan to be booked to see if things have changed. I am hoping I am right and the damage was done at birth, that way it wont be getting worse and she will just live with mild celabral palsy.   Amongst the tears the super powers kept working and each day went on as usual.   Being positive, staying focused at times like this ...   I have sat on my bike morning and night, done the situps, done the training. Some workouts were  harder than others and alot of self talk was needed especially on leg day.    I was surposed to set dates for the posing workshops be will have to do that this week once things have calmed down abit.   I am still excited about seeing my best friends. I actually think it is wonderful how for some reason they are going to be here this week when I need them the most.     My goal this week is to get some sleep.   I find night time the hardest, once the T.V is off and the mind starts thinking, the tears start again. My hubby is on night shift which will make it easier as I am the sole protector and the super powers kick in more and I stay in control more of my tears.    My Mum said to me yesterday. "So much for your Positivity huh". thinking that I had given up on it. But I havent. In between the times when I crumbled, my husband and I repeat to each other and to ourselves that Eva is going to be fine.    Positivity gives you Hope, and Hope brings Positivity. Theres no way I am stopping now.

Maria Dunlop - 27th February 2009 06:23pm

IN THE LAND OF THE LIVING   Starting to feel better, its been a nasty bug and I am gladed its moved out.   I was aiming to train last Thursday after having a week off and I managed to do that. It got me right back on track. I have been recovering fast and enjoying the workouts.   Today I looked back over my training journal and realised I have trained 3 days with the 4th day being a rest day, trained 3 days, 4th day a rest day. This surprised me because of fighting off bugs etc. But hey thinking positive is the answer.   THINGS I HAVE NOTICED ABOUT THINKING POSITIVE   Time goes slower. Well it feels like it does.   When you are thinking positive, you stay present in the moment and things around you shine, e.g. my children, their laughter, their smiles, the sunshine, my peaceful street, etc. By noticing things like this all the time it feels like you are fitting alot more into your day.   Trust in yourself increases. I've noticed I trust my thoughts, my decisions, where Im going what Im doing etc, its great.No double guessing.   You naturally want to do something nice for someone else. This was the first thing I noticed happening from week one with donating things to charity, being very polite and curtious to people (not that I arent normally...lol). And This week I donated some money to  The Haemophilia Foundation of New Zealand.    Below: the positivenes and the pleasure of giving to others: Donating to the Haemophilia Foundation     I watched a T.V Interview with Will Smith last week and he said "If your not doing something each day to help someone else then your life is wasted".   I dont believe you have to have alot of money to do this.   Its Catchy. People around me are acting more positive, My hubby stops himself and changes sentences so they arent so negative, and he has corrected me a couple of times too.    TRAINING   This week I have trained in the late morning. Trying to fit it in before I pick my son up from Kindy. This has worked well. My workouts have been short and intense. It makes for a very busy morning which goes abit like this:   6.30-7.30am Up with Kids, get them dressed and fed etc   8.00-8.30am Do my Biking   8.45- 9.30am Take Ben to Kindy   9.30-10.00 Breakfast for me and morning tea for Eva   10.00-10.30 prepare dinner and packed lunches for the next day and do housework   10.30-11.00 Take Eva for Bike ride if fine or do exercises for co-ordination inside   11.00-11.30 Train   Then back to Kindy.   You can have a great workout in 30 minutes. You stay focused and power through your sets. I have done 3-4 exercises for major muscles and 2-3 for the minor.   Abs are done at night still after my evening biking.   My Arthritis hasnt been too bad. Usually I cant train in the mornings as the pain etc is too bad, but this hasnt been a problem at all.   This week my Husbands Trike comes home from being built. He has been hinting he wants to park it in the Carshed which is part of my Gym. On Tuesday much to his delight I changed my gym set up to make us both happy.   I will however have to start up the trike and ride it out of the shed when I have clients etc (this could be fun).     Training this week might stay the same I think. I am enjoying not having to motivate myself to train late afternoon when kids are tired and Im tired.   I've enjoyed having more time to fit in other activities and chores etc.   Put another 10 seconds onto my routine and have been practicing in some high heels to get used to it again. After 4 days of walking around the house in them I decided having the feet up and enjoying a coffee was much better practice.      ASSESSMENT   Gave myself a quick assessment one day. Sitting at 12% which Im happy with. Managed to put on around 3 Kgs Muscle since September last year.   I feel it too, My strength and stamina has increased and my body's  depth has improved.     FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD   Trying not to have crap at night and it has worked until I made a passionfruit cake and then that was the end of that....he he he....it was worth it, it tasted so yummy.   My husband is growing giant veggies and the zucchini is no exception. Each week I have been making a beautiful zucchini bake, full of veggies and eggwhites.   Below: The giant zucchini and the love of my life!     The kids love it and it is so easy and cheap to make.Its not long before someone has eaten a piece.    Below: Zucchini bake ...yes with a slice missing!     THE WEEK AHEAD   This week is exciting for me as 3 of my best friends are all coming home at the same time. The first one arrives on Thursday.    I consider myself a rich women when it comes to friends.   I have 4 BEST girlsfriends and they have been their for me through all my ups and downs.Even though they live in different countries the power of our friendship has survived. One of these friends I met at School when I was just 5 years old. When we get together its like she never left. The special thing about these 4 extrodinary women is that they have each taught me something different about life. Valuable, Priceless things.   We are all heading out to the Jimmy Barnes Concert so that should be such an enjoyable night.   This weeks goal is to Smile :)   Ceasar Millan said in his show on Saturday   "Positive Energy and BodyLanguage, You cant buy that, You Create it".

Maria Dunlop - 18th February 2009 06:48pm

LOOKING BACK NOW ITS SO CLEAR   I pride myself for knowing my body so well and yet there are times when I just don't seem to pick up on the hints that it is giving me.   Last week I wrote that I noticed I wasn't recovering well from workouts and I was trying to fight off a bug of some kind.   I decided to train one day rest the next and this really did work. I have recovered well muscle wise.   BUT On Friday my daughter and I came down with a nasty flu or head cold........high temperatures, sore chest and throat, the works. I noticed a nasty lump in one of my eyes and I  ventured to the Doctor who told me I was probably run down.......yeh right ....whatever.   Trying to stay positive I was sneezing and coughing my guts out and after each sneeze or cough I would say out loud "I feel great" or "Man I feel so alive". My hubby would turn to me and say "Good on Ya Babe".   This went on for about 24 hours and then I climbed into bed and wimpered "I think Im dying". This was Valentines Day and I spent all afternoon in bed while being waited on by my family and watching 3 awesome thrillers and eating loads of junk food.     Being Positive ...   Earlier before my brush with death I had a successful time.   I had "Bill Day" which can be abit on the "non" positive side of life but I turned it into a rewarding time.   I gathered up 2 boxes of belongings that I thought I no longer needed and donated them to charity.   Every person I came in contact with I made sure I said " Have a Great Day" before I left. I didnt say it as I was walking away (as you do), I stood right infront of them and said it . This went down a treat at my local shops where one shop owner stopped serving the next customer and looked up at me with a big smile and said "Why Thank You, Thank You so much". She obviously wasnt used to it, or it didnt happen often.    I let people in the line ahead of me at the supermarket, just real simple stuff.    It took the focus off the bills and I came home with a smile on my face.        The last 2 weeks I have been focusing Positive thoughts on getting my daughters health sorted, getting the ball rolling again and on Monday we finally had her physiotheraphy session. They checked out her progress and were very pleased with everything we have been working on. I have exercises and stretches that I make Eva do every day.    I put them into a game so she is always keen to do them and they have really paid off. She scored 10/10 on everything. And they are going to try and help us get the MRI results from Starship.   The exercises and stretches are something Eva will build into her day/life.   I am so grateful I am a Personal Trainer as it has helped us so much.           I have tried to stay positive but to be honest I really did struggle once I was ill. And thinking positive healthy thoughts did not make me feel any better physically.   Mentally though I think it did help. I could see the funny side of getting so sick while I was doing these updates and my hubby and I did laugh alot after all the sneezing and coughing and saying "I feel Great". And the day in bed being looked after was kind of nice.     Training   Training went well.   I only missed Shoulders last week and the start of this week I have missed Chest/Triceps and Legs so far but are feeling better so hope to be able to train by Thursday.   I don't stress when I miss workouts because it gives the body time to get over my illness and also to recover from the hard out training that I have been doing. It usually results in muscle growth.   Below: No gym? No excuse! - Maria working out at home - step lunges      Cardio has been done every day.    It doesnt take much to sit on the cycle and peddle.   I have managed 2 sessions of 30 minutes each day except the day I crawled back into bed.The cardio is done to combat the fatique of the Rheumatiod, not for fatburning reasons. It is always done slowly, just concentrating on getting the blood circulating.    Abs have been done every day except the day I almost died...lol.   I am really motivated with abs as I loved the results I got last year from doing 500 a day. On stage it didnt matter what I did, they were there shining brightly.    Below: Those ab workouts do pay off!     Weight   Thought I had better check my weight again as felt like I had reached my cutoff point bodyfat wise.   Hopped on the scales and YES time to clean up my act.   So to do that I will just cut the crap out of my diet at night. I have been eating desert just about every night....I have a real sweet tooth. The rest of my eating is fine.     Positive Pics Off Season   I have never taken off season pictures before and thought that it would be a postitive thing to do. To remind myself the body looks great without all the definition. So even though I am weighing heavier than I have been for a year I did some pics.     Below: Pic from Maria off-season photo shoot     Routine Music is chosen and I have started putting my routine together. I like getting it sorted early and tweaking it closer to the day.   Posing   I am going to be running 2 Posing Workshops to teach people  how to make the most of every second on stage.   The first Workshop will be the Compulsories and the Second Workshop will be how to Pose to Music and how to Put a Routine Together.    These will be run from the Stratford Fit 4 Life Gym and I will confirm dates soon.   I have a lot to teach about posing. It really is an Art Form.   Most people order the competition dvd's etc and if you pose great you know your dvd and pictures are going to be worth the money.   Each workshop will only cost $20 and will go for about 2 Hours.     Goals for the week   My Goals this week are to regain my focus and positivity. I am sure it will all come back to me as the bugs leave me.   I am going to pick one day a week to focus on being nice to others as I did on bill day last week. I think If everyone tried this, a lot of people would have nicer days.     I will put another 5-10 seconds on my Routine.   Continue with my workouts.   Cut the Crap out of my diet at night.   And remain as positive as I can.   Genevieve Behrend once said: We all possess more power and greater possibilities than we realize, and visualizing is one of the greatest of these powers.

Maria Dunlop - 10th February 2009 06:29pm

THE POWER OF POSITIVITY   From the time I sent in my update last week I have been doing my best to think positive,be positive ,visualize positive things, etc etc etc.   I had a couple of days where I struggled to do this, The other 5 days were amazing.   I cant believe how enjoyable my days were.   When you are a mum most of the time it feels like "ground hog day" doing the same routine over and over.   This week I felt like a massive boulder was lifted off my shoulders, everything seemed more enjoyable, easier, less stressful. I felt more alive.   I thought I would feel better and maybe more focused but I didnt realize I would feel .......'Uplifted".   My face is more relaxed, less tension in my body, less pain, more laughter.   Who would of thought huh that changing your mindset would work so well and so very quickly.   So did I find it hard to do?   Well  the first few days were challenging, I actually wrote down every negative thought I had and then wrote a positive next to it before I walked away.   I filled in one A4 size paper over the 2 days.    By the 3rd day I wasnt writing them down as I wasnt having as many negative thoughts and when I did I changed it instantly before the actual thought was even finished.   An example of my negative thoughts:  I don't want to get up - changed to, what great things can I achieve today  Want to do so much this year, how will I afford it? - changed to, I will be wealthy and afford to do everything I want to do  On the 6th day I had a busy start and got to lunch time and realized I wasn't feeling too "alive" and realized I hadn't  started my day off with positivity.   So I started thinking positive thoughts, things I was grateful for etc and within half an hour I felt much much better.   I have being battling a cold and running a temperature on a few days  but just kept repeating to myself that I was fine. So I havent ended up in bed sick which is great.    Below: taking my temperature as i felt lousy       The hardest time to be positive was when my hubby pissed me off, we had a "disagreement". I then felt mad because he had ruined my mindset but quickly viewed it as a challenge and tried to regain my positive being. It was hard and did take awhile ,   I had to keep reminding myself to stay positive. Usually this would of probably turned into a battle of the sex's, Not this time and it was great as it didnt take any energy away from me.      It is such a simple technique and doesnt cost a thing, but does take practice practice practice.     SO HOW DID IT EFFECT MY TRAINING?   I didnt think and feel like I was recovering fast enough from my workouts last week.   I would train Chest and Triceps and 4 days later was still aware of how hard a workout I had given them.   So this week I have trained one day rested the next, so it looked like this:   Monday         Chest and Triceps, calfs   Tuesday        REST   Wednesday   Legs   Thursday       REST   Friday           Back and biceps,calfs   Saturday       REST   Sunday         Shoulders   500 Ab Crunches each night.   The first 400 cover basic crunch, obliques and lower with the last 100 being very advanced ones to accelerate intensity covering the whole abdominal wall over again.   Achieved 30 minutes stationary biking each morning and 40 minutes sessions at night before my ab workout.   The positivity flowed into my training sessions. I was focused, hard on myself checking that I was lifting heavy enough and checking my form was perfect.   I wrote down all my sessions, drank loads of water throughout and didnt have many interuptions at all.   My Rheumatoid is 60 % better.    Below: Having a great chest workout     EATING   It was that time of the month last week so ate alot of sugary foods, salty foods which is normal for me and when Im not in competition diet mode I just go with it and enjoy.   I am focusing on eating enough to help with the recovery issue from training and also I want to grow grow grow muscle, obviously,  and can honestly score myself 10/10 for effort.   My poor pita pocket doesnt even stay closed, there is so much food stuffed into it at lunch...yummy.   After starting my cardio again I dropped 1/2 kg but think I have put it back on again....lol   I know diet time comes around all too fast so I am relaxing and telling myself to enjoy off season. Not hard to do :)   Below: My Chop Chop Chicken pita lunch      OTHER EVENTS IN MY WEEK   I went to spotlight and got some more things to decorate a posing suit.   I was pleased  with the one I made last year so am decorating a similar style suit but in a different colour.   I do love black though, I think it makes the body or maybe "my body" look better so I might grab a cheap black teeny tiny suit from the warehouse and decorate it as well.   I have been visualizing having more money.....yes dont we all.....well I worked hard at it last week and ventured down to the lotto shop on Saturday and while I was peddling on Saturday night watching  Ceasar Millian the Dog Whisper (which I love to watch, hes so positive) what do ya know I won some money on lotto.    I have 2 spaces opened up for clients to come for workouts and so I thought about more clients, how I need 2 more clients.I had 1 come for a workout on Saturday and another ring to comfirm her workouts next week.        QUESTIONS FOR MYSELF AFTER THE FIRST WEEK    I question how I am surposed to stay this positive, even though it is easier than being negative?   I feel like everything is so bright and clear and how can it stay that way. This of course is negative.   Why be sad when you have the choice to be happy?   Why sit and shulk when you can dance around your lounge like nobody's watching?   Is it really that simple?     Doctor Joe Vitale once said: That"s what I'm doing almost all the time - following my excitement, my passion, my enthusiasm - and I'm doing it throughout my day.

Maria Dunlop - 3rd February 2009 07:07pm

Maria Dunlop - Her 2009 Journal   A New Year – A New Goal .....   GOAL FOR 2009 - INBA Taupo Contest   DATE - August 22nd   COUNTDOWN - 28 WEEKS FROM 7TH FEBRUARY     WHY THIS COMP?   I think it is good for us to get out of our comfort zone.   I imagine that this competition may be a good size one. The last 3 years I have competed in comps that ranged from 60-80 competitors so be nice to try a bigger one.   Lots of competitors seem to jump from federation to federation so I thought I would try INBA this year.     IMPROVING   Competing is always very personal for me.   I am the most critical Judge. I want to impress myself and improve my physique. Its no use saying that I want to win this time, winning isn't a good way to measure improvement unless you are against the same girls with the same judges.   So the Aim is to impress myself.         Above: Side chest - I am happy with my depth     MY UPDATES   I dont want my updates to be a repeat of last year as that is not motivating for me to write or you to read.   This year I am trying something different.   My New Years Resolution is to improve my Power of Positive Thinking.   Over the next 20 odd weeks I am going to acknowlege all my negative thoughts and try to decrease them and increase the positives.     This sounds so simple...........but it is hard to do.   When I worked at Jenny Craig we had to get intouch with our negative thoughts and they made us put rubber bands on our wrists for a whole day, every time we had a negitive thought we had to ping the rubber band and if someone heard us say something negitive they were allowed to ping it.   By 3 in the afternoon I took mine off as it was pinged alot but not as much as some of my fellow workers.   I have always believed in visualization to help achieve goals and this works well along side the positive mind.      The method I will use to help make this work is to record a list of all the things I am grateful for.   I read this list over every morning.   I do believe it is good to acknowledge what you have before ask for new things to come into your life.   As an example my list starts with My 2 beautiful happy healthy children and ends with the wonderful city I live in. I have about 15-20 things listed. It doesnt take long to read over it each morning.   I then have a list of what I want or what I want to achieve, I then read over this 2-3 times letting it sink in.     I then need to set goals each day which I will record in my journal.   By little goals I mean my cardio, training session, stretching sessions with my daughter( which we have to do to help her with her balance and walking), water intake if it needs improving etc etc.      Each night I will check over my list and tick what I have achieved which should be everything. This is a very satisfying technique to use. Also a great way to work out areas that you need to improve on.     I will also be acknowledging how many times I have to correct a negative thought, this should be very interesting, just writing this update I can see alot of things that should be worded differently.....lol       The journal I will use is a cheapy, I always grab a cheap one and place a picture of my last years results in the front to remind me of what I am aiming to beat. This also acts as a positive reminder each time I use it of just how well I can do.   Below: the new me - and a new hair colour!             CHALLENGES   We are still waiting to hear news about my daughters MRI Results.   I am phoning constantly but getting nowhere, we have given her the most enjoyable Christmas and Summer Holiday that we could, created lots of lovely memories.   I hope to hear something soon. I WILL HEAR SOMETHING GOOD SOON :)     The Rheumatoid will always be there. At the moment my left wrist is giving me grief but I will be trying  to sort that out over the next week or so.   Had a lot of pain in my feet which is new for me. I have been camping for about 3 weeks so might just be due to not wearing supportive shoes etc.   Other challenges are mild:   Trying to be a mother and wife while competing takes a lot of organisation and I try not to let it interfear with my family much.   The dieting will come later so at the moment I am eating everything and anything but making sure the protein is going in.     Not sleeping well...this is due to being addicted to my coffee machine....he he he....My doc suggested cutting right back and I did for a week and I actually did sleep better...but it didnt last long...lol     ASSESSMENT   Although I am eating alot of food I still only weigh between 48 and 48.50kg.   I think I weighed in at 43kg in my last comp so have put on about 5kg. I havent done a fat test as yet. Usually do my first one at the start of my diet.     EATING   My breakfast still consists of eggwhites plus a poached egg on 2 toast   Mid morning is a protein drink and banana   Lunch is a pita bread filled with chop chop chicken (addicted to that as well) and loads of salad and goodies in it like cheese, mayo, beetroot.   Mid afternoon I eat what ever I can find to eat on the run as I am busy from 4pm onwards with baths and dinner, clients etc.    My children eat at 5.30pm so I have a small meal with them and once they are in bed I have been enjoying having my dinner in peace. Always have veggies and protein and I dont eat alot of carbs at night though.   Above: tea - Chop Chop chicken and veges   TRAINING   I was going to start a Power Program but still cant seemed to get my mind around it since hearing the news about my daughter. I have still just been doing a 4 day split and if I feel like it I add in a 5th workout.   My focus is on Shoulders/biceps and the Vastus Medialis (inner thigh just above knee) and always calves.     Above: My back has thickened again this year   Cardio is slowly coming back into my day. I am trying to do my biking in the mornings but havent been that successfull lately.   And my night session has disappeared as well. This of course is because I have been camping and didnt really want to take my bike with me.   I was intending on walking our loving seafront walkway but  never seemed to get the time, but there was lots of other fun things to do.    This may be why my arthritis is playing up abit also as I do believe it improves when I get the blood circulating regularly.            SUMMARY   Some people say that if you focus constantly on what you want , you will receive it.   If you constantly think things are tough, not fair, too challenging then thats exactly how it will be.    I intend to focus on what I want and write it in my updates for the cyber-universe to see.    So lets see how I do over the next 28 Weeks.        TO KICKSTART MY POSITIVITY    This week I start the journal writing and do one session of slow cardio per day plus 500 ab crunches (which I have been doing every other day) .   SO LET THE FUN BEGIN

Maria Dunlop - 24th December 2008 10:55am

Maria Dunlop's Xmas message and update   HERES THE SEASON TO BE.......................  Christmas time, A time to be Merry or Not.   I was lucky  enough to be asked to be part of the Stratford INBA Bodybuilding show on Dec13th. It was a real fun and busy night and a great kickstart to making it an annual event.   My posing demo went well and the fashion show that I was orgainising went well too. Gnarley Goods Clothing has such fun outfits for us to work with.   My favourites were the ball gowns and the Matrix looking Jackets.                     It was a nice way to end my year so I thought, until I went to my Daughters Specialist on the Monday after the comp to get her MRI results.   My daughter is very very smart and I wasnt worried about the results that much (not that I understand MRI's at all).   My hubby didn't bother taking time off work because he wasnt concerned either.   Its funny really because I thought Doctors put on this "Doctor Face" which doesnt show worry or concern, this doctor seemed to show  how concerned and sorry he was about the results.       The Results that he could not understand, the results that he had sent up to Starship, the results that should of been back from Starship by now, The Results that showed Black patches on both sides of the brain, one side of the brain he could understand but both sides??????? he didnt have an answer for me.   Well my heart stopped beating, the world seemed to stop........once my heart started beating again I acted like he had just told me she had marmite on her face and it was nothing out of the ordinary. I left with the kids, we got in the car, I started driving home, then I started crying.   Everything the Doctor had  said went over and over in my mind.   Its been over a week now and I havent stopped crying yet. Each night I cry myself to sleep and every morning I wake and tell myself to get my shit together.   I rang the hospital to see if they had heard back from Starship and the doctor told me that "someone" forgot to send in to Starship......My daughter had this MRI the week before my competition in september and december the 17th they realised it hadnt been sent on. I was too devastated to be angry with them.       More tears,    it surprises me that I havent ran out of tears yet.   How do I get through this time?  How do I act Brave and Strong? How does Life still go on, everything needs to stop until we get some answers, Thats how I feel anyway.   TRAINING   For the first 3 days I didnt train or do any cardio at all. I couldnt eat or sleep, was useless really. But on the 4th day I got out to the gym and had a workout.   I was surposed to be starting on a Power Program but just stuck to a normal 4 day split style starting with Chest and Triceps.   Just went through the motions, lifting quite heavy and feeling nothing, pumped out the sets with my maximum lifts and felt nothing, no pain, no pump, nothing just felt numb.   The next day  my chest and triceps were screeming at me. I headed back to the gym and trained legs, thank goodness I train from home as the tears were flowing, I looked a wreck but to my amazement had a hardout leg workout but at the time felt nothing in the muscles.   Again the legs then screemed at me the next day. Looking back now I cant really remember what exercises I did or how long it took. I dont remember it being hard work.   It Amazes me that because my mind was focused on my daughters health I was able to lift heavy, train hard, achieve alot in the gym but not really be concious of it. I know it has helped de-stress me abit as the tears have slowed slightly.   I have put myself on the bike again morning and night and peddled away like a zoombie. My eating is suffering a little with not enough calories but the foods I am eating now are good foods.     I know that bodybuilding has helped me survive my battle with Rheumatoid Arthritis so far, and I honestly feel without my workouts this last week I would of gone nuts.    Maybe I am Brave and Strong after all.   SUMMER HOLIDAY   Over the next 3-4 weeks if I can stop crying I will be camping at a local beach with the children. I love camping and teaching the kids how to survive without certain things like telephones, tv's, fridges, comfortable beds etc. My Mum camps for 2-3 months over summer and we go pitch a tent next to her. She is in a flash caravan and if things get to hard we can just pop inside and watch tv and grab a nice cold drink from the fridge and sleep on her beds if ours deflate. Yeh not really camping I know.   Hopefully I can pop home for my workouts. The motorcamp is right next to the coastal walkway so will look forward to some fatburning in the sunshine.  We are having our christmas day at the beach to, nice and simple.   2009   I have goals in my mind for 2009, goals inspired from an encounter with someone at the  Stratford Show, goals that I guess I will unconciously head towards while trying to maintain my health at a good level, goals that will instintly take a back seat to my daughter, my daughter is an angel with big blue eyes, an angel that still looks cute even with marmite all over her mouth. My daughter is so brave and strong.   Happy New Year Everyone and if you dont train....you really should, for your body mind and soul.

Maria Dunlop - 6th December 2008 05:36pm

LIFES UPS AND DOWNS   2 months has gone since my major goal of 2008 was achieved. Its been 2 Months filled with pain unfortunately. My hands have not recovered from the hand massage and hot wax treatment I had months ago. Its probably not fair to blame just the massage, I know it is common to crash and burn after you have achieved your goal. You push yourself to the limit, especially with bodybuilding (and how lean I wanted to be). I wanted to make sure I could honestly say I gave it my all.   The power of the mind is amazing and it got me through a 30 week countdown but now its probably saying......."For the Love of God Women, Have a Break". "A Break".......whats that?   I don't see the point in sitting on my butt. I have though started giving myself a "lunch break". Usually I down a protein drink and eat the salad etc while I am doing other stuff but that has stopped and I now try to plant myself in front of the t.v in my bedroom while Ellens on and eat a bowl full of oats with egg whites mixed in it and some scrummy sultanas.  Some days this has backfired on me because along with increased severe pain comes fatigue and I have had the old day or two when I have had trouble getting started again after my break is over.    Its not good to eat in your bedroom because it can cause triggers that make you want to eat when your in bed, a bit like the food ads they play on the telly at night when your trying to avoid the biscuit tin.  But I find my bedroom a very relaxing space and it is my space, not the kids, not the dog, not the gym, MINE. So that is where I chill.    I had to chose a time in my day when the children are chilling also, and it just so happens that Ellen is on at the same time as Little Bear. Win Win situation really.   Along with the lunch break thing I have had the odd Sunday where I have had to go back to bed and exit the world for a few hours.   This frustrates the hell out of me ........I miss out on time with My hubby and the kids, all of us together which doesn't happen that often as my Hubby does long hours.  When returning to earth I am served dinner in bed  which is, of course, Pizza and do you think I could russle up that inner Personal Trainer to remind me how non supportive this behaviour was becoming.....no that inner Personal Trainer was actually "Having A Break".   I was taking this all in my stride, not worrying to much about the pizza etc. I have been training real hard and still fatburning, and yes those 500 sit ups a day are still part of my routine, plus I wasnt going to be in a tiny bikini again until I hit the beach (and then it is not as tiny as my posing suits) so hey all is good right..........all was good until I got a Phone call informing me of a bodybuilding contest coming up locally that I really wanted to support.       I am all about promoting weight lifting for women especially around Taranaki. I was asked if I would do a posing demo on the night of the comp. I said yes and then thought " Oh my God " I don't exactly want to look like a posing baby hippo.   Below: Maria checking out the poster     So the last 3 days I have cleaned up my acted again, yes the last 3 days........only 3 days ago I got my shit together.....3 days....... So can baby hippo's dance? Come along and find out.   I have put together a routine that lasts about 4 minutes which is quite challenging really. A normal routine at a comp is 1 min so 4 mins is quite long.   I am most creative when I am in the kitchen (bizzare I know) so when I am cooking dinner for my family I also work on my posing. I am not game enough to wear my posing suit but will come up with some outfit that shows the whole point of a good routine.   This weekend is not going to help the waist line as My hubby and I are heading out of town to a concert and some one on one time, kind of a short second honeymoon.   I was in hospital for most of our first honeymoon (bloody rheumatoid) so here's hoping this weekend is better than that.   I really want to chill out and make the most of not having to look after and ran round after the children for a few days,and enjoy some dining out and sleeping in. So there will be extra calories and less cardio. And NO hospitals.   TRAINING    This week is the last week of a 6 week program. I have been doing a 5 day split which goes like this Day 1 Chest and Triceps Day 2 Legs Day 3 Shoulders and biceps Day 4 Back Day 5 Shoulders and biceps   Shoulders and biceps twice a week as I have trouble training them because of the joint and joint pain, so therefore do them moderately twice a week instead of full on once a week. This way I am not crippled for 2 weeks with swelling and pain.   Cardio is mild just to help the circulation morning and night followed by ab crunches and calf raises.   Been lifting heavy, reps ranging from 6-10. Lots of real sore muscles (yippee)so hopefully will be on some more size over the next 6 months or so.   My strength is great and I am hoping to do a Power Program next. I havent attempted a power program since getting rheumatoid arthritis so it will be interesting to see if I can handle it.   MOTIVATION My motivation has been up and down like a YO YO. This is because of the hard time with the Rheumatoid.   One of my medications changed and is now made by a different company and for some reason, even though the chemist swear it is "practically the same" drug, it keeps me awake at night. I went through a whole week with no sleep, right on my 40th Birthday. Man did I feel like shit, felt like an 80 year old.   I had a "naughty forties" party to celebrate and bluffed my way through the night, smiling and pretending everything was fine. Dressed up as a Playboy Bunny and my guests made a top effort. We had a couple of "naughty cops", a very naughty Priest and Nun. Some people were hard to recognise. It did make me laugh and was nice to see my friends.   I crashed and burned the next day.   Everything suffers when I am ill and I get angry at the disease and it can cause a downward spiral effect if I am not careful. So when I am real ill I hang on for dear life to my exercise as I know it will get me out the other side faster. The only problem is the motivation decreases. I score my motivation every day in my training journal, it can score between 1 and 5, 1 being crap and 5 being fantastic. Looking back over my journal my motivation hasnt scored higher than a 3 for quite awhile.   MY DAILY EATING This is what my days eating looks like.   Breakfast: 8 eggwhites 1 whole egg poached 2 Vogels toast   Mid morning: Protein Drink   Lunch: 1/2 cup cooked oats 8 eggwhites 2 tbsp sultanas   Afternoon: Banana Protein Drink   Dinner: Salad Chicken   Supper: Rockmelon and strawberries   I have been struggling with veggies so have stuck to salad with raw silverbeet, tomato, kiwifruit, orange, cucumber,carrot in it.   Having flaxseed oil everyday.   Trying to increase my water and decrease my coffee a bit. I got a coffee maker for my birthday.....yummy but addictive.     GOALS FOR THE NEXT MONTH I plan on training hard with my power program right up until the second week of January and then the kids and I are going camping down at a local beach for 2 weeks. There I will have to just focus on walking the foreshore each day and abs and calves or maybe a complete rest.   Working hard each day with my daughter doing exercises and stretches to help her with her walking. We get all the results from her tests back on the 15th December so cant wait, seems to have taken soooooo long.   I love Christmas and are going to enjoy every minute of every day leading up to christmas day. Its so much fun with the children.   Train, grow, relax, just enjoy life in Taradise :)   Merry Christmas Everyone

Maria Dunlop - 20th October 2008 04:27pm

A few weeks have past since Maria Dunlop's Competition. She provides some post comp thoughts and insights on her life now that the event is over. What sort of physcial and emotional roller coaster happens to her post-comp? What ideas and lessons does she share with others? GETTING BACK TO NORMAL IS IT EASIER SAID THAN DONE?   It is quite common for people especially women to go through a tough time after competing, especially if it is for the first time.   Your whole competition build up has required structure, routine, focus, you have had a direction to head in, a date to aim for, a strict eating plan to follow with no compromise.   So when it is all over you are left without structure, routine, focus and you have no direction straight away, no date set, and your eating is free range again, which can be a nightmare.   This is a very important part of your competition and if under a personal trainer you really need to get them to help you for about 4 weeks after your comp so you can let your body and mind adjust.   The only time I have had trouble after a comp was the first comp I did since having Rheumatoid Arthritis. I was so upset with how much the arthritis controlled the competition. I went through all the phases of loss again,  depression, anger, denial. It lasted for about 2 months. I have never had difficulty with getting my mind around eating more after a comp.   When I first started competing years and years ago (before my disease) my trainer set everything out nice and clear.   We had a "on season" which is comp season and a "off season" which is growing season. We were kept so motivated throughout both seasons. Not a negative word was ever said.   After our competitions we were motivated into putting on more size and visualizing how much better we will be next comp. To put more size on we had to eat. I was buzzing so much after competing and always turned up to start training again straight away. We were instantly set up with a new program, new focus, which meant a new structure, new direction to head.      So hence I find "off season" quite exciting. And yes I have started a new training program and have a new focus, a new direction to head in.   I usually put on 2-3 kg in the first week. Most of this is fluid as I always sodium deplete to drop my fluid out of the body.    Over the next few weeks I will put on another 2-3 kgs, this is the body filling up nicely, getting back to normal, filling up the tanks so I can train and grow.    When we are on stage, we are in that shape just for the day, thats all. The recipe I use is to look a certain way on that day and that day only. It is unrealistic and not healthy to stay that way.      This needs to be told to first time competitors over and over so they realize what the goal is. It will make it alot easier later if it is understood.       SUGGESTIONS FOR "OFF SEASON"   Off season starts right after you have finished competing.   You need to take it easy on the food thing, which is hard to do the day after the comp, especially if you are travelling home from somewhere.   Have small amounts of what you like. Try and stick to eating small regular meals still.   Have your structured "on season" breakfast but modify it to suit you. I always have 8-10 eggwhites and 1 whole egg on vogels toast every morning and almost all the way through my "on season".   If you have oats then after comp still have your oats but you can add trim milk and more fruit etc or you can follow it with a nice piece of jam on toast. Try and keep hold of the structured pieces that work for you. There is probably alot you can blend from one season to the next.   Limit your carb intake at night still. Stick to veggies and meat etc and dont get into the habit of having a pile of mash potatoes or pasta at night.   Never miss out your protein shake as this will leave you hungry and make it easy to stray to often. Enjoy those meals out and special occasions. Lifes too short not too.   Buy a new training diary, one that inspires you to write in it, or stick pictures all over it to help motivate yourself.   Get a new workout drawn up straight away.   Remind yourself regularly about what you accomplished last year.   Keep a portfolio of your competitions, these are fun to do and  great to look back over later on.   Keep your contestant number, pictures, write where you went, what motel you stayed in, what building the comp was held in, who you met, how you did, what you would do different next time (if anything).   Below: One of Maria's favourite comp pic from Masterton:   If you are going to compete again over the next year, start listening to music that you would like to pose too.   This all puts your focus forward in a positive way.   If any negative thoughts come your way, or if someone says something negititve about your last comp, quickly workout wheather it is a helpful comment and if not then push it out of your head immediately.   This is a good skill to practice, not allowing negativity into your life. It does take practice though.   If someone says something non supportive to me now I visualize myself bouncing it up and down like a basketball until I have decided if it is too negitive and not supportive to my goal and then I simply throw it away. Sometimes I throw it straight back at them....he he he.   Competition time you have to be so focused and even selfish, off season you need to look around you and make the most of other people and things in your life.   Get some moderation and balance happening.        These are all the things I have been working on over the last 3 weeks. I have had to clean up diet right up again as the rheumatoid has flared up bad. It started playing up with all the sugary things I was eating but then I went with Arthurs Girls to have a hot parrafin wax treatment on the hands and the therapist massaged my hands.   When she was massaging it hurt quite abit but I hung in there incase it had a positive outcome at the end. Well 4 days later and I am ready to cut both my hands off.   I havent had pain this bad for awhile. You just end up being such a mess as you cant stop the pain, no matter where you put yourself or what you try to do it wont budge. I've ended up increasing my predisone and hope to get it under control over the next few days.   In saying all that , I am still training hard. Cycling morning and night mildly to keep my circulation going, doing calfs 4 nights a week and abs every night still.   My training program is a 5 day split which goes like this:   Chest and Triceps Shoulders and biceps Legs Back Shoulders and biceps.   I am doing shoulders and biceps twice a week to improve the muscle groups. Biceps are the hardest to train for me and my arthritis. Shoulders are the next hardest so i am training them as best I can twice a week without over stressing the joints each time.   AND STILL THEY KEEP COMING            I have had contact with 2 more arthritis sufferers this week. I cant believe that they are still coming forward. Its amazing and sad at the same time.   I think I need to organise an "Arthurs Girls Convention" so we can come from all over the Country and meet each other.   THE BIG 4 0 Oh my my.......I turn 40 in 11 days time :)   I got my pictures from the comp delivered and there is some great ones in it.    I remember before I got rheumatoid that I told myself I wanted to have the body of my dreams by the time I was 40. Taking into consideration that I got stuck with a chronic incureable disease and I have had 2 children I think I have achieved my goal.    So of course I really should be planning a big party........I will post some before 40 pics and then life after 40 pics.......I wonder if I will look any different :)      I want to be thoroughly used up when I die...Life is no brief candle to me. It's a sort of splendid torch which I've got to hold up for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.   George Bernard Shaw Irish dramatist, essayist and critic

Maria Dunlop - 5th October 2008 06:29am

For the past 30 weeks Maria Dunlop has provided insights of hercountdown to the NZFBB Masterton Champs (scroll down for her earlier weekly diaries).   The event took place on 27th September.     This is her story of her  desire to compete, whilst also being a mother, a personal trainer, wife and not to mention ....sufferer of arthritis.     People sponsored Maria's comp countdown - a few dollars each week or a donation - and this helped her to raise money  and awareness of Arthritis - all the money she raised will be going to Arthritis NZ. email her at: ree.rockbodz@clear.net.nz   MY FINAL UPDATE .....   My Weekend in Masterton   Last week went as smoothly as it possibly could of. Wednesday was the hardest day with Eva-Marie's MRI Scan. I found it real hard and dropped close to 1 1/2 kg on that day.   Seeing my little girl put to sleep and then having to leave the room was one of the most upsetting things I have had to do. My legs just wouldnt move me, the nurse had to forcefully help me walk out. Then the tears came, my body was so tence. Afterwards Eva was very upset and clung on to me for 3 hours solid. My arms were ready to fall off.   Once Friday hit and everything was back to normal I started to focus on my weekend. My main vision was to have as much fun as possible.   I started eating Kumera on Thursday and went through $40 worth in 2 days. They were so yummy. The drive to Masterton went well and I even drove some of the way without it flaring up the R.A.   We booked into our Motel which had a lovely relaxed feel about it. My first mission was to decide on what colour suit to wear.     I had a black one or an orange one. My hubby, mother and I decided the orange one stole the show and deflected from the body. With the black suit I didnt have to worry about tan staining it and lucky me got my monthly cycle on friday so black was diffiantley safer.   Once black was it, it decided to fall to bits on me so I had to do a quick glue job to stick things in place again.   I went and registered on the Friday night so I didnt have to bother with it the next morning. Friday night there was a big party across the road with lots of young drunk people partying till 1.30am on Saturday. This didn't really bother me as I made my body relax and since I was awake I just kept eating. I woke at 5am and by 6 decided to get up and check my tan and start to get ready nice and slowly.   I was still pain free.   We headed to the venue at 9.30 and I met up with some local people who were competing as well.   Once back stage I started to pump up slowly.I had eaten myself silly on kumera , ricecakes with honey for the last 4 hours and couldnt possibly eat anymore. this was handy as I didnt have to waste time eating. Most of the ladies were eating chocolate of some sort and sipping wine. This year I was avoiding the chocolate as I had a feeling that was what flared up the R.A last year. I also cannot drink alcohol anymore so slowly sipped my water.   I find if I take it easy and slowly keep moving through the muscle groups with my exercise band and do enough pushups I can pump up well enough. By the time they called our class to head to the pump up area I was already to go.    When I walked out on stage my Hubby yelled out real loud and I wanted to cry right there and then.   We both knew that at the moment I had achieved my goal.   I had made it to the stage.     Anything from that point on was a bonus.   I went through my poses with ease and once off stage I had to go sit quietly in the toilets and have a little cry as I was overwhelmed with what I had accomplished.    I guess it sounds silly but they were tears of absolute joy.   I was still pain free.   Below: The "been there" tee-shirt     I then went out to enjoy the show and met up with a lovely lady named Kate who I have been talking on line with for months and months. She had travelled up from Wellington to support me. Between the day and night shows we met chatted awayl. We have so much in common and it was one of the highlights of my weekend to me her.   Below: Me & Kate     4.30 I headed back to the venue. Backstage had a totally different feel, everyone was so much more relaxed. Boy it was noisey, lots of talking happening.   The lady before me forgot her routine but mine went very well. I had help getting my shoes back on (backstage help was great) and when I won Silver I was so happy.   At the end of the night when they then called my name for Best Performane Award I really got a surprise. There were so many great routines that night.   It was the icing on the cake.   Best of all, I was still pain free.   After the show My hubby, Kate and I went out for a feed and chatted away again till close to midnight. I thought I would find it hard to sleep but drifted off in no time.    Below: A moment in Masterton to remember   With daylight savings we felt like we had to check out way to early. We were on the road heading home and got back into Beautiful New Plymouth at about 5pm. It took abit longer than usual as we had to stop and eat all the time...he he he.   SO NOW ITS OVER      How do I feel now that its all over? Absolutely Fantastic.     Will I go to the Nationals?   Not this year. I put all I had into that one comp and at this point in time my body couldn't handle doing another show. If I did do the nationals I wouldnt enjoy it and wouldn't look as good as I wanted to look. I am just starting out in this sport again and believe that in 5 years time I will have a gold medal body.      How do I feel about the results?   I look back at my body in 2006, 2007 and now in 2008. I can see great improvement. Best of all I achieved competing with no pain, this was the first time in 3 years.   Below: 2006 (Maria with blonde hair on right)     In 2006 I was in so much pain on stage I could hardly pose. 2007 was better, it just flared up at the night show. 2008 Pain free.   Below: Maria in 2007 at the NZFBB Taranki's   The recipe I have devised has worked. It may still need alittle tweaking, but thats what next years for :)   THANK YOU   A Big Thank you to Anne Probert for letting me post weekly updates.   Thanks to everyone who has helped me raise money for Arthritis New Zealand. I will be collecting the funds over the next week or so and handing it over to our New Plymouth Branch.   Thanks to everyone who has sent me messages of support and encouragement especially Sonia in Australia and Kate in Wellington. Somedays those emails were the only thing keeping me going.   For those of you wanting to follow my training and life living with Rheumatoid you can check out my blog at www.bebo.com/MariaFoleyDunlop I will be setting some new goals over the next few months.

Maria Dunlop - 24th September 2008 06:07am

MARIA'S FINAL PRE-COMP REPORT !!!!!   MO-JO .....   All the times I have competed over the years I have always been so focused from 5 weeks out. This time was so different for me. I just couldn't get and stay focused. Two weeks out and I was ready to call it quits.   I knew that if I couldn't find my mo-jo I was history.   I was encouraged to go to my final posing practice with the Taranaki Bodybuilders on Sunday and I am pleased I did. It is nice to hear some of the other ladies saying how they were feeling all out of sorts, it reasured me , even though I knew it was probably the diet that was doing me in, and I decided to hang in there.   Never before has my weight stabilized for 5 weeks in a row especially not in the last 5weeks . It took all my skills to hang in there. Especially with my sons birthday party and yummy food everywhere and also worrying about my little girls MRI scan on Wednsday.   I usually have dreams about food or losing my posing suit or forgetting my routine on stage but my dreams have been about my little girl which made me realize where my main focus was and of course this didnt surprise me.   Never the less I am still here and will be in Masterton on stage posing my heart out on Saturday.   ASSESSMENT    Monday I weighed myself and I had finally lost 1 1/2kgs. And yes my legs are finally close to being ready. I am confident that by Saturday I will be pleased with how I look.   Tuesday morning I did a caliper test and I am 8% bodyfat.     MY MISSION   My 30 week countdown has achieved so much.   I have met 30 women suffering from the same or similar disease. Thats averaging 1 lady a week. All of those except 2 are from my region. It blows me away to think of how many ladies are suffering in silence in other cities around New Zealand.     I have helped raise thousands and thousands of dollars for Arthritis New Zealand , created awareness of this disease and promoted weight training for women.   I am very pleased with all the results.   Arthurs Girls is up and running and going from strength to strength and I am so happy to have contact with these awesome strong women.     MY DIET   Monday to Wednesday I de-carbed and I am starting to  carb up on Thursday. So looking forward to that.   To de-carb I have eaten eggwhites, tuna, rockmelon, strawberries, weight watchers jellies, chicken, salad. Mostly eggwhites.     TRAINING   The hardest part of training was the high rep workouts  on Monday- Wednesday. I did close to 100 reps per bodypart. The workouts only took about 20 mins but were very intense and has made the body ready for those carbs.   My last workout was Wednesday.....yippee....now I just sit back and enjoy the ride (while eating kumera).      WHAT I AM HOPING TO ACHIEVE ON SATURDAY I am hoping to have a lot of fun, thats the only expectation I have of myself.   I believe there is no reason to compete if you don't enjoy it to the fullest.   I am already so proud of myself. There is no other feeling like it, to be absolutely proud of yourself.

Maria Dunlop - 18th September 2008 08:33pm

10 SLEEPS TO GO...   10 Sleeps to go and today I am having doubts as to whether I will make it to the comp.   The last few weeks I havent reported my assessments as nothing has changed on the scales. I am still weighing 45kg.   I haven't done my fat percentage for 3 weeks as when you are on predisone your skin bruises easy and it takes a long time for the bruise to go. The calipers pinch and leave big bruises so I have stopped doing them. The last reading was 9.5%.   I am feeling like my legs are never going to come to the party.   I am doing all I can to try and be ready for 27th September.    I know how I want to look and don't want to let myself down.     ARTHRITIS   The arthritis has settled abit but has flared up a few times over the last few days, mostly in my right foot.....probably from posing on Sunday in those dreaded shoes. I had trouble with pain in my hands due to colouring in all the batman things that I have made for my sons party. Holding pens etc is a real hard thing to do when you have rheumatoid.       Sleep is my best friend at the moment....next to eggwhites that is :)     TRAINING   Training this week has changed.   I have added a step workout in and combined it with higher reps on my exercises.Mainly to help drop the weight from my thighs. The step part of the workout only lasts 20-30 mins and has been alot of fun.   With my motivation dropping I had to change it up or give up....it was  nice for a change and I am now doing 10-15 reps on most exercises.    DIET   I don't want to drop my calories much more as I am trying my best to hold on to the muscle that I have.   So this week all I am doing is changing my fruit.   Instead of banana I am having strawberries, I have taken the orange out at night and are having a kiwifruit for afternoon snack. I seem to be eating a lot of weight watchers jellies too. I might slurge and buy a couple of rockmelons this week...man they are expensive.   My protein this week will be in the form of eggwhites and tuna more than chicken.   My veggies will be broccoli or silverbeet.   The next 10 days will be very challenging.   But thats what achieving goals is all about, it wouldnt be so rewarding if you didnt have to go through the tough times.   SUPPORT MEANS MILLIONS   My hubby is being so supportive and giving me little pep talks. I dont think he realises how much his little talks actually help me.   Last night I was on the verge of giving up and he gently told me not to, to hang in there till the end,  He asked me what I would advise a client if they were feeling like I was, and he told me not to panic.   I had been through this thought process earlier over and over but just hearing someone else say it seemed to make a difference.   It is hard training at home alone and heading for a comp on my own. Last year a had my best mate Tarsh with me and we did it together.......really miss her this year :(       NOT MUCH ELSE     Not much else to say. This week will be all about the thighs and trying to survive and not give up.   Bens party is on Saturday so that will be full on. (Below - his Batman frame for his birthday cake!)     Next week is full of specialist appointments for my daughter. She is walking everywhere now which is great so I am hoping she was just a late bloomer when it came to walking.   I do alot with my kids. When on the bike I constantly interact with them,  when I am dieting I love to bake and fatten up everyone else and my kids love to cook with me especially Eva, she has turned into a right little chef over the last 2 months.   Ben and Eva play very well together and this week I have enjoyed sitting in the sun with my black coffee and watching their imaginations sore.       I'm not feeling to positive this week that I will make it to Masterton. 10 days doesnt seem long enough.   Hopefully next week my update will be full of positivity and I will be heading out of town to compete.       QUOTE OF THE WEEK Despair doubles our strength

Maria Dunlop - 10th September 2008 11:17am

17 SLEEPS TO GO....   17 sleeps, that means   12-14 workouts left,   17-30 possible fat burning sessions left,   8500 ab crunches to do.   Wow thats not much when you want your thighs to start catching up to your upper bodies leanest. Thats all I am waiting on now.     WORKOUTS   Last week I stuck to the pyramid style training but come Monday I hit a motivational wall and didnt really even want to train. This was due to a very busy weekend and a very late night Saturday night, or should I say early Sunday morning. So on Monday I trained Chest and Triceps but did what ever exercises I felt like doing and today....well they are killing me....yippee love "muscle train" pain.   This week I will take it day by day as to what I train. I had a very painful couple of days with the rheumatoid due to the late night and busy days over the weekend but today "Tuesday" all seems to be calming down again. This is a quick recovery which is a good sign, means my body is handling training etc but didnt enjoy the lack of sleep.   Speaking of sleep, wow I slept like a baby last night, No pain at night, well it didnt wake me up if there was any.   Maybe I should party more often......lol.   Done my cardio each day and abs as usual so all is good.   EATING     My days eating looks like this:   Breakfast is 8 egg whites, 1 whole egg poached on 1 toasted vogels   3 hours later another 6-8 eggwhites and 1 banana   3 hours later a tin of tuna or chicken on a bed of salad   2-3 hour later 1 kiwifruit and another 6 -8 eggwhites   for dinner I have a plate full of steamed green veggies and chicken and flaxseed oil   After dinner and night cardio I have 1 orange   There is always chicken cooked in fridge and if I feel I need to I nibble on some during the day, but this hasnt happened much. I havent been hungry at all really just craving stuff a little and  only because I cant have it not because my body wants it.   I am drinking black coffee or hot parsley water.   I have started making up weight watchers jelllies to have when I feel like something sweet.     POSING PRACTICE   I went along to posing on sunday again and really enjoyed the drill. It is so good to do. I forgot my music so couldnt do my routine but will take it for sure this weekend as it is such good practice to do it infront of people before the big day.       THE WEEKS AHEAD     This week I am focusing on my sons 4th birthday which is on the 20th September. He is having a super hero party. I am spending my spare time (yeh right,what spare time) making batman things. I am attempting to make a big batman car that they can sit in for a picture. So far so good but my hubby tells me that the lastest bat mobile is way cooler than the one I have modelled off. Hey my son is 4, surely he wont know that.   I have completed the cake setup which is also the bat mobile and I have made lots of bats.....My son wants Batman to be the main theme,( in case you didnt guess that.)    The week leading up to my comp I have 2 important specialist appointments for my daughter. So my focus will be on her more than me. I am glad I have competed before and can just do what I have to do without any dramas.         TICK TOCK TICK TOCK   This close to comp and I can almost hear the tick tock of the clock counting down the time.   Boy oh boy I hope My legs catch up, I know what I want to look like and are so close yet so far . Its so exciting :) Only bodybuilders will understand that comment.     QUOTE OF THE WEEK  If only I could stand on a street corner with my hat in my hand, and get people to throw their wasted time into it! Bernand berenson (1865-1959) American Art Critic

Maria Dunlop - 3rd September 2008 01:35pm

4 WEEKS....   DIET BRAIN   Boy oh boy talk about diet brain.   I am having trouble recalling what I have done over the last week.   This week I havent really dropped calories but changed the order of my food around.   In previous weeks I have had my fruit at night as a fruit salad. I am now having my banana at morning tea with eggwhites, and my kiwifruit in the afternoon with eggwhites. And for supper I have an orange.I have swapped the protein drinks for eggwhites. Easily eating 1 1/2 dozen eggwhites a day.   By the next morning I am soooooo ready for my breakfast.The rest of my meals are the same, just chicken and veggies.     TRAINING   Still training pryamid style for another week. Strength is still increasing.   Cardio sessions have been abit hard to start off with but after about 10-15 mins I seem to find my groove and finish each session.   I am doing 500 ab crunches a day which is down a bit on what I was doing but they are still getting in there, good quality crunches. I usually do them after my evening cardio infront of the t.v.   LIKE MINDED PEOPLE     Spending time with like minded people is so good for you.   On Saturday night I went to a 40th party of one of my good friends. I spent the night laughing  with similar fun loving personalities. It didnt matter that I couldnt drink, we had so much fun. My poor friend who turned 40 would of woken up to a bedroom which had been toilet papered, a telephone which had been marmited, a mirror which had lots of messages on it for him in lipstick, and all his c.d's in different cases. They were going to rice his bed but couldnt find any so broke up noodles in it instead.   I turn 40 in October and are having second thoughts about celebrating in now as payback is a bitch :)   On Sunday I felt like I had drunk a keg. I usually try to be home before midnight as I think I turn into a pumpkin. I managed to stay out till 12.30 and diffiantely turned into some kind of vegetable on Sunday.   I managed to make it to Posing Practice with the Taranaki Bodybuilders on Sunday. It was so great to be with people all aiming for competitions.   We were drilled hard and then some of us did our routines at the end. It was so rewarding and I am looking forward to going again this week.   After posing practice I met up with "Arthurs Girls".   We had a very encouraging meeting and I left feeling very supported, energised and focused. Thank you ladies.   BUSY WEEK AHEAD   I have a busy week ahead.   Tonight we are off to watch the All Blacks. Friday a friend is staying for the weekend. Saturday night we are hitting the town and Sunday I am going to posing practice again.   Last week I got my tanning products sorted and my music done. This week I will get my bag out and start sorting what I need to  take. It is easier to do it when you are not so carb depleted.   THE RHEUMATOID     The arthritis has been surprisingly good, touch wood :)   Maybe the clean diet is helping more now, whatever the reason I hope it continues.     QUOTE FOR THE WEEK   Discipline is the soul of an army.  It makes small numbers formidable, procures success to the weak, and esteem to all. George Washington (1732-1799)

Blast from the past - Maria competing several years ago!

Maria Dunlop - 28th August 2008 02:50pm

5 WEEKS TO GO ...   CREATING AWARENESS MEANS BEING TOTALLY HONEST.   When I started out on this mission 25 weeks ago I promised myself that I would be totally honest. How else could people learn what it is like to have Rheumatoid Arthritis.   I have talked about the pain, the fatigue, the anger, denial and depression, I have even talked about how it makes my monthly cycle extra challenging.   This week I went to talk to a group of arthritis sufferers about my life with R.A.   Before I even sat down I was informed that I had affended some people with what I had said in the Daily News article. I had said "we are young people not a lot of old biddies".   Arthritis New Zealand received calls about it too.   When I was diagnosed at 30 years of age, one of the hardest things to come to terms with was that I thought I had an old persons diesease. What made it worse was that most of the community thought so to.   Part of the anger, denial and depression was to do with that particular topic.   Everywhere I went whether it was the gym or to meet friends the same thing was said everytime I had to tell people what was wrong with me "Oh Arthritis, my grandmother has that". It didn't matter how nice and young I looked, I came crashing down to a pile of devastation. I just wanted to run and hide from the world. I ended up having anxiety attacks a lot, I even had trouble getting the guts up to go put petrol in my car.   The few arthritis meetings I went to were full of elderly people which just made it worse.   If I could I would shout it from the highest mountain for all the world to hear  "I am not an old biddy".    I have met many younger women who have felt the very same way when dealing with their illness. Over the last 5 months of so I have put my face out there and told everyone that I have Rheumatiod Arthritis. This was not easy.   I am greatly saddened  that people have taken it as an insult when they should be taking it on board and using the information to reach out to younger people.   The way to help people is to listen and try and understand what they are trying to deal with. But nobody really listens at all.   No wonder there is so many younger women and probably men suffering in silence.      This left me with a feeling of utter hopelessness.       TRAINING    Even though I was trying to rid myself of this nasty super flu I managed to do all my workouts and increase my weights on my back and bicep day.   The pyramid training is enjoyable and does encourage me to put up the weights.   I was hoping to join the Taranaki bodybuilders posing practice on Sunday but forgot my hubby needed the car.   I have set it all up to go along this Sunday so really hope it happens.   My daughter is still having trouble walking and has to go for lots of tests, scans and x-rays . I am trying my best each day to encourage her to walk and this week I managed to get her interested in helping me practice in my high heels. I walk across the kitchen floor first and my shoes go clonk clonk clonk on the wooden floor, she then stands in her mickey mouse sneakers and walks towards me, as she is walking she says clonk clonk clonk.      Its so cute and a new way to motivate her.   All cardio and ab workouts were achieved.     EATING         It was so hard to eat eggwhites when feeling so lousy......but I did it.   I really struggled to get in all the food that I needed. I felt like I needed to eat alot more to help me through the flu.   I had lots of medicine and lots of lemon drinks with lots of honey in them. By Monday morning this week I actually woke up with an appetite and couldnt wait to have my eggwhites etc.   THE RHEUMATOID PAIN     The pain has still been bad at night in my right hand. It is still a numbing freezing cold pain thats wakes me around 2pm and keeps me awake till about 6am .   I then get woken up by my gorgeous son at 7 am .   My hubby was home sick last week as well and did get up to the kids 2 mornings and let me drift off to sleep for a few more hours. (heaven )     ASSESSMENT   Well with having the flu I have dropped way to much weight this week weighing in at 45kg. I know it was because I wasnt well.   I haven't done the caliper test as didnt need anything else to topple my motivation over, I know that I must of lost a bit of muscle along with bodyfat unfortunately.   Theres nothing that I can do about that now. I need to focus on the week ahead.   LOOKING AHEAD   The next 5 weeks are going to be full on.   I have a friends 40th this weekend, posing practice at the gym, and an Arthurs Girls meeting. Next week a good friend comes to stay to celebrate more birthdays and I am going to watch the All Blacks play.   Then its my sons 4th birthday the weekend before the comp, and my daughter goes to an important doctors appointment a few days before I leave for Masterton.Heres hoping all goes well:)     LIVING WITH ARTHRITIS ON THOSE SPECIAL DAYS   I used to promote weight training for women by doing bodybuilding demo routines at beach canivals, rodeo's etc but this was a high anxiety time for me as I was just diagnosed with arthritis. I really didnt feel like I looked.     Special times in my life have been so hard due to the rheumatoid especially my wedding day. Having to sit at the ceremony because of the pain in my hip, my hubby helping  me walk past our guests (he always holds on to me so tight)         I look back now and can see how sick I was but still wouldnt change anything as the day was superb.   I just got out of hospital 3 days before the wedding and ended up in hospital on our honeymoon again. This was due to the medication making me very unwell.    The birth of my children and trying to learn how to hold them and bath them without dropping them, all extra challenging but again worth every once of pain.           QUOTE FOR THE WEEK     The most beautiful thing in the world is freedom of speech   Diogenes Greek Philosopher

Maria Dunlop - 21st August 2008 12:39pm

6 WEEKS OUT FROM MASTERTON NORTH ISLAND CHAMPS ......   Wow I cant believe it is only 6 weeks to go.   I started my countdown at 30 weeks. The last 6 weeks have probably gone the fastest.   When you hit the diet down stage you have to stick to your plan. I start 12 weeks out and slowly cleaned up my eating. I know that the last 2 kg's will be the hardest to move as the body will be reluctant to let it go. 12 weeks allows my body time to plateau/stabilize and then carry on burning fat.   If you have the time you don't panic and  enjoy the whole process of watching your piece of art develop.    Displaying your piece of art is important to, which is why you need to master your compulsory poses and piece together a routine that shows your body to its full potential.   Alot of people following my blog have no idea what the poses are all about so this week I want to quickly explain each pose.   When we first step on stage we are judged on our body's symmetry, you want to try and build a nice symmetrical body. To show our symmetry we perform "quarter turns".   We then head into our compulsory poses which cover the whole physique.   Chest Pose  (from either side) This pose contracts the chest muscles together.  Tricep Pose (from either side) The triceps job is to straighten the arm so this pose is with the arm straight also showing delts, obliques, all legs. Open Hand Front Pose (bodybuilders have close fists for their compulsories) This shows off the biceps, abs, quads etc. Open Hand Back Pose This is for the all back muscles including arms, abs, hamstrings and calfs.    Front Abdominal Pose. This shows Abs, legs etc.  Inbetween poses being called we are asked to relax, this is also a pose. Every minute you are on stage your muscles have to be taunt. This is a workout on its own especially under the stage lights.   The whole body is judged from head to toe on each pose.   Routine poses can be anything that compliments your body. Lat spreads are usually done by bodybuilders but good for routines in figure classes. Your routines go for 60 seconds which isnt long but can feel like eternity when you are piecing one together.  Posing practice needs to be done to perfect the poses and so you get used to the intensity of posing. If you have a big class on stage then it will take longer so be tougher to stay flexed the whole time.   Best to be prepared.      MY WEEK   My week has been a challenging one again but also a forfilling and success one.   The challenging side of it was having  very very sick children. Boy they were so sick and still are recovering now. My husband and I are now coming down with it. I am  doing everything in my power not to get as sick as my kids. Its like a super duper flu with an extra kick of super to it.    I have had quite a few nights without much sleep but hey I am kind of use to that with the rheumatoid.   The successful side of my week was having The Taranaki Daily News do a story on my quest.   The midweek article reached alot of women in the New Plymouth district which I now have contact with and is how "Arthurs Girls" was formed.   But I felt if there was that many women in New Plymouth then surely there must be more outside our district.   The article was a success as I have been contacted by more ladies in there 30's who are coping with Rheumatoid Arthritis.   I had a great chat to one lady in South Taranaki on Friday Night and so related to everything she was saying.   Another lady in her early 30's has had this disease since she was 2 1/2 years old. I also had a motivating email from a lady in her 30's who has just ran a 30km run to raise money for children with arthritis, she is all the way over in Canada.    Her email motivated me so much as she is so active like me and succeeding in life. These are the stories we need to hear as the give as hope and courage to go on.            So a big thank you to our daily/weekly newspapers for their support.   THE TRAINING   I had 4 days off from my weight training because the children were sick and my husband was away for 3 of those days and I couldnt get out into the gym.   I still did my morning and night cardio sessions. They were more challenging than normal as I had to keep getting off my exercycle to wipe boogie noses. I counted the times I had to get off my bike on sunday morning and it was 25 times. After 5 times I thought that it was impossible to keep cycling but I hung in there and added extra minutes to my session to make up for the interuptions. I will always stop training if my children need me.   I also achieved all my ab workouts.   When monday rolled around even though I felt sick with this super flu I went out to the gym and trained chest and triceps and increased my weights on all exercises, yippee.... so the 4 day break must of done my muscles good. I am now lifting better than I ever have.   Today I managed a great leg workout which consisted of lunges, squats, leg extensions 1 leg and 2 legged, stiff deadlifts, hammie pullbacks, leg curls and calf raises.Keeping to the pryamid style workout.    THE DREADED ASSESSMENT      I wasnt going to do bodyfat assessments each week as it can be unmotivating at times but I cant help myself and every Tuesday morning a get out my calipers and do the test. So the results are:   46.25 kg 10.4% The scales were playing games with me this week and when I weighed on Sunday they said 47.50 kg. The first thought I had was "No F***en Way!!!!!!"   Then the Personal Trainer in me took over and I accessed my week and lack of sleep and knew that it wasnt a correct weigh and to wait till Tuesday morning. My weightloss this week is perfect, Nice and slow exactly what I needed.   DIET   My eating has been good, more protein drinks and I increased my eggwhites in the morning. Last week was "THE LAST WEEK" for eating things that I shouldn't such as lean mince, an extra poached egg, rice cakes with jam on them (I love Jam) and the odd piece of cheese or a cup of tea with milk.    6 weeks out is always the cut off point for me as I know it goes so fast and I know what shape I want to be in on the 27th September.   So bye bye strawberry jam :(   When I diet down hard I miss the simple things such as jam and honey sandwiches, cereals, a cup of tea. The hardest time will be at that time of the month when sugar and salt cravings kick in. I do take supplements to stop these but they dont always do the trick. It will be this time that I will crave fudgecake, chocolate, and fattier foods.   But hey 6 weeks to go that means only one cycle to get through......I CAN DO THAT :)   THE WEEK AHEAD   My main goal this week is to control this flu. I really dont feel that great, but hope to sweat it out on the exercycle and down loads of lemon drinks.   I have a busy week ahead.   On Thursday I am going to tell my story to the Stratford Arthritis Support Group. The Stratford Press is also going to do an article on my mission.   I really want to keep creating awareness of this disease and promote weight training for women.  With only 6 weeks to go, theres no slacking off now.      QUOTE OF THE WEEK I'm grateful for all my problems. As each of them was overcome I became stronger and more able to meet those yet to come. I grew on my difficulties.   J.C Penney (1875-1971) American retailing magnate.

Maria Dunlop - 12th August 2008 05:04pm

7 WEEKS TO GO......   HANGING IN THERE UNTIL THE STORM PASSES   When your motivation is at the all time low it seems easier just to give up. But like everything else in life you are given choices, so you can choose to give up or you can choose to keep doing what you know you need to do to survive and reach your goal.   "Just keep swimming". It is that easy. All you got to do is to just keep going. One foot infront of the other until you see the light again.   The things I knew would help motivation and start the ball rolling again were filling in the journal, positive thoughts and disrecarding negitives straight away.Posing practice, shoe practice (much needed), music and good solid workouts.   This week the journal was filled in, somedays not much but by yesterday I had recorded workouts, weights lifted, cardio, abs, appointments etc.   Practiced posing and routine and wearing the dreaded shoes.   Music featured highly each day with My kids and I dancing around the house most days.   The sun shining a few days did help as well. The children could play outside which made training a bit easier.   Don't get me wrong, it was a huge effort to do these things. It took alot of self talk.   THE RHEUMATOID   The pain has decreased this week but fatigue hit hard for 2 days. I ran out of iron tablets last week and this week had my monthly cycle which meant that with lower iron levels and my period I got body slammed pretty hard. I took a few cardio night sessions off, made those days my rest days with no weights and spent some hours lying watching t.v with the kids in the late afternoons.   I just hung in there until the storm passed.   TRAINING   I have turned my 4 day split into a pyramid training program.    This means I start with a lower weight and do 10 reps, then go heavier and do 8 reps, then go to my heaviest and do 2 sets of 6 reps.     My strength has been improving throughout my journey so I decided to focus on it for 4 weeks.   I want to avoid high rep work (which is usually done at this stage of competition countdown to help cut and define the muscles).   High reps aggravate my joints and My body is showing up cuts and definition nicely so no need to go there.          With all the wet weather I have now brought a set of dumbells inside so I can train at night when the children have gone to bed. My husbands been on night shift for a couple of weeks now which means I dont have time away from the kids to train. They have to be in the gym when I train clients and sometimes its to much to ask them to go out into the cold while I train.   Shoulders are the perfect exercise to do inside with dumbells as there is alot of different exercises you can do to hammer them.   Biceps are another and believe me I need all the bicep help I can get. It is the hardest muscle to train as it depends on the degree of joint pain in the wrists and fingers.   I now have one of my exercycles, set of dumbells and one of my ab rollers in the lounge.No excuses you see.   We have the biggest bedroom ever and it is perfect for practicing my routine.So one of our stereos is now in the bedroom for practice sessions.   MY EATING     With my monthly cycle came salt and sugar cravings. These were intensified with the massive wave of fatigue and I did eat a few meals off track this week.   I really listen to my body and if the cravings are genuine I allow myself to forfill them to a certain degree. Salty hot chips and some fried chicken went down a treat on my worse fatigue day. It was just what the doctor ordered.   Protein drinks have been increased and I have enjoyed eating lots of fruit and veg.   Still struggle with no appetite especially at dinner time.   ASSESSMENT       I have lost 500 grams this week. Bodyfat down to 10.8%.   I have noticed the change in my legs mainly this week. Hamstrings starting to show up more. I will invest in some tan lotion and then can take some pictures of the whole body without the glear of my lilly white legs breaking the camera.     Speaking of breaking cameras I actually did break mine. I dropped it on the gym floor and the lens wouldnt open and close and it just refused to work.   I rang around the camera specialists and they told me that it would be cheaper to buy a new camera than repair mine ($350 at least to fix what the say is a common problem). So out came my ladies toolkit. Armed with a deadly screw driver I fixed (more like attacked) the camera and now it is working again. Sure it looks like it has been through World War 1 and 2, but hey it is working and enables me to keep posting pictures on my updates.                                                                        QUOTE OF THE WEEK Every tomorrow has 2 handles. You can take hold of the handle of anxiety or the handle of enthusiasm. Upon your choice so will be the day.

Maria Dunlop - 7th August 2008 05:15pm

8 WEEKS TO GO AND COUNTING....   GOODBYE TREE   If you read my update last week you'd know the hassle of the tree verses sewage.   Well the tree lost out on Sunday.   What started with a small whole soon turned into a big whole which then turned into a massive whole with the digger getting closer and closer to the house.   They got rid of the tree only to find that its mate growing along from him had the same craving for poo's and wee's.     At this point they couldnt dig up anymore of the front lawn as it was already dug up...........all the tools came out and the massive amounts of tree roots were dealt to. They started work in the morning and didnt leave till 5.30pm that night hopefully having solved the problem. For the first time since moving in to this place we can pee in peace.    Below: The tree saga - the outcome and the process !               SO MANY KINDS OF PAIN   Diseases all have their own pain. Rheumatoid has a whole lot of different pains.   Usually when real bad I just want to cut off my limb thats affected, it actually feels like someone is cutting it off with a pocket knife or blunt saw.   At the moment the pain in my hands at night is a deathly pain ,meaning it feels like my forearm,wrist,fingers are dying. They go real cold and it starts to spread up my arm.   This is a horrible feeling like your arm is in a freezer and you cant get it out. Along with the cold feeling is the pain. Its a throbbing pain coupled with sharp spears of pain in my fingers.If I get out of bed and walk to the kitchen have pain killers and go back to bed the cold pain has decreased because I have got the circulation moving. I drift off back to sleep and within 30 minutes are awake again with the deathly cold feeling and pain.   I take a heat pack and 2 hotwater bottles with me to bed and it doesnt stop the process at all.  This is the time when the disease can really take a hold on me. If I let the fatigue get me I am defeated.   This is where my workouts are actually saving my life. And that is what I have told myself every minute of each morning that I have struggled out of bed and done my morning cardio. Its not that the rheumatoid will kill me but it will win, I will be powerless, vunerable and the pain will grab hold and drag me down with no quality of life.   This is where being stubborn really helps.     HIGHLIGHTS OF MY WEEK   I am so lucky to have the greatest clients. I really enjoy training them and they do so well.   One lovely client has been in town for 5 weeks as she now lives overseas and she turned up today with a bunch of flowers for me. Little gestures mean so much.   My clients really motivate and energize me and make me love what I do even more.   All the clients that I have ever trained for competition are up on my gym wall. The memories of their comps and how well they did are still fresh in my mind. I dont think people realize that it is not only a journey for the competitor but also for the trainer. Its amazing to see someone transform.   I have made the most amazing friends through bodybuilding and hope to make many more.   Another highlight this week was a phone call from a bestmate in Aussie. We had a good catch up, it was fantastic.   My hubby no longer has to play rugby on Saturdays so I feel like I actually get a weekend now and on Saturday I made the most of it and painted some of the gym walls. One thing I learnt is that I really cant paint. I got covered from head to toe.     Im lucky because outside the gym door is a patio area and then the childrens playhouse and a nice lawn for them to play on. With a few sunnier days its been easier to train and watch the kids enjoy the back yard and fresh air.    ASSESSMENT        Well here are the figures this week. 47kg 11.6% bodyfat 5.45 kg fat and water 41.55 kg lean   My upper body is looking great so its just up to the legs to fall into line now. I carry most of my bodyfat and fluid on my thighs and when you get down to a low level like this it takes a little longer to get the results you want. So with 8 weeks to go I think I will be fine.   I have downed alot more protein drinks this week and had one night totally focused on the All Blacks and chip and dip and chocolate he he he . It was great especially because we won.       MY TRAINING PROGRAM   I have gone on to a 4 day split program that looks like this   chest and triceps legs back and biceps shoulders Abs everyday 700 Calves when ever I have time at the end of a workout. Performing 3-4 heavy sets of 6-10 reps.   Cardio morning and night 30-40 minutes.     QUOTE FOR THE WEEK     If you are not getting as much from life as you want to, then examine the state of your enthusiasm.   Norman Vincent Peale (1898-1993) American writer and minister

Maria Dunlop - 30th July 2008 04:47pm

9 Weeks to Go   I don't even know where to start this week.   We have been living here for 3 weeks and have had people round to fix the sewer 3 times. There is a big tree in our front lawn that has taken a liking to sewage and broke through the pipes which keeps blocking them up an we end up with all kinds of things on our back lawn.   This time was even more upsetting as it took so long to get someone here to unblock it (which is hard with 2 young kids).  When they were trying to fix it they broke our toilet and sewage was splatted from floor to ceiling in the loo. At this point I just wanted to cry. It was horrible. So after hours of work they managed to tape up our toilet and someone came back the next night to fit a new one.   If the dam tree doesn't come down it will all happen again in a week or 2.     The wind on Saturday blew my gym roller door off its runners and broke the lock so it doesn't lock or roll up and also lets all the rain in.This has meant that I have had to move a lot of stuff off the ground and bring some stuff inside. Not motivating at all for me and my clients. It will probably take 3-4 weeks to fix which is a pain in the bum.   So needless to say it has been a pretty crap week.   Heres a quick summary of what else happened:      The Pain is hitting my right hand especially at night when I want to sleep.   The training has been happening but I can't really remember what I've done.   I haven't been writing in my journal.   Done cardio morning and night to try and combat and stop the fatigue setting in.   I did increase my ab workout to 700 a day.   Out of 35 meals in my week I have had 3 off track.   Did practice my routine and posing for a short time.   Bodyfat down to 11.6% ( will hopefully be more motivated next week to work out all the figures)   Motivation is at an all time low.   So that's it for this week. It hurts my right hand to type so will have to keep it short.   Hope to be feeling more alive soon.

Maria Dunlop - 24th July 2008 04:49pm

10 WEEKS OUT FROM MASTERTON CHAMPS   PAIN PAIN GO AWAY   Pain, fatigue, no sleep for the last 4-5 days has given me major doubts as to whether or not I will make it to my goal.   My mood has been very low due to the frustration of this disease.   The pain has mainly been in my right hand with it getting quite severe at 2am each morning. I haven't been training much and have let the cardio night session slip due to lack of motivation.   Sunday night I felt real ill  and my hubby and I were expecting a trip to the hospital....but I hung in there and got through the next couple of days and today apart from the severe pain in my left hand (yes its changed sides) I feel more motivated.   I even managed to train Chest/Triceps/Quads today and maintained my heaviest lifts so that was great. I have learnt that even if you are fatigued it doesnt mean that your strength actually suffers so through all this nasty rheumatoid illness I have managed to get myself back to what I was lifting before this diesease struck me down 9 years ago.     And of course fatigue is helped by exercise, if you workout wisely.   So the question mark will still hang at the end of this sentence "will I make it"   COUNTDOWN DIET and WEIGH-IN RESULTS    The diet has been easy as when you are in incredible pain you don't feel hungry but the reverse side of that is that you don't eat enough and that is what has happened this week causing me to canabilize a bit.   I weighed in this week at 47.5kg down to 12.3% bodyfat.   If you do the maths on that it means my muscle mass has dropped which is NOT what I am aiming to do. But hey, I felt like it was a bit out of my control, if I had eatin more, I doubt with the all the pain I was in that it would of stayed there for long.    I was aiming for 300grams a week. I started at 49.50 and this week are 47.50. 2 kg's in 2 weeks, average of 1kg a week. 13.1% down to 12.3%.   Obviously the focus this week will be to try and eat more.   I had a lovely surprise on Saturday when a friend of mine turned up with 4 containers of protein powder for me. This is great and will help me out heaps.So this week I will try and drink more protein shakes especially if I have trouble eating calories.   So as long as this dreaded pain eases and I can get some good nights sleep I should be right.   I am good at cooking and dont have any trouble putting together a healthy alternative to what I have cooked my family.   One night they had spaggetti bolognaise and I saved 2 tbsp of the tomato puree and cooked my lean chicken in it with some onion, served on a small portion of spaggetti, it was lovely.     I also make a mean meatball with lean red meat, onion, eggwhites, and mixed together with some rolled oats and herbs etc, oven baked and served on steamed veggies, very nice on a winter night.      Each night I finish off with a big plate of fresh fruit salad made of banana, orange, kiwifruit and whatever else is in the fruit bowl.   If I am having a sweet craving I will enjoy a nice hot cup of low-fat hot chocolate. Of course the closer I get to the big day the more my diet will tighten up.     MOTIVATION       Well what can I say, the motivation is down, The tools that I should of been using, I aren't and when I am in pain I don't really care.   The tools that I will hopefully start using straight away will be filling in my journal again, using music to lift my energy and ......god I honestly cant think of anything that will work unless the pain disappears.      I did find another old posing suit which I decorated one day. It is the same bright orange colour that Arthritis New Zealand uses as their colour. I thought that it would be nice to wear their colour to tie in with what I am doing. I also think that their National Awareness day is Friday September 26th which is the Friday before my competition. I never planned it that way so its kind of cool how it worked out.     Anyway it looks real nice and gives me another one to chose from.        ARTHURS GIRLS MEETING We all met again, this time at a different cafe. We had one new lady turn up. I was expecting 5 new ones but hopefully they can make it next time. It was a nice couple of hours and I am looking forward to the next meeting in a months time. Most of us are in a fair bit of pain at the moment. It was nice to know that I wasn't the only one having a hard time lately.   QUOTE OF THE WEEK The liquid drops of tears that you have shed Shall come again, transform'd to orient pearl, Advantaging their loan with interest Of ten times double gain of happiness.   William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English Playwright and poet

Maria Dunlop - 15th July 2008 11:54am

11 WEEKS OUT FROM MASTERTON     RELOCATING The last week was spent moving house. We had a slumber party with the kids in the new house on Thursday night which was fun for them. All the bedrooms were set up but we didnt have the beds etc.   I had taken most of the small stuff to the new house and Hookers came and moved all the big heavy things on Friday morning.   It rained cats and dogs which wasnt fun but nothing got too wet.By Friday night we had most things sorted and by Saturday it looked like we had been living there for months. I spent most of Sunday and Monday sorting out the gym rooms. Before I was in one large double garage and now I have 2 smaller rooms.   It has worked out quite well and I have had 2 workouts in there so far and trained 1 client. All worked o.k with only a few adjustments needed.     It feels cozier and alot more personal.My daughter Eva seems to like it.   We had a few stressy moments, one when the lounge suite wouldnt fit into the lounge and another when the washing machine wouldnt fit into the laundry.   They finally managed to get the lounge suite in but we had to buy a smaller washing machine.   TRAINING Most of my workouts have been done and alot of increases in weights which was nice. We didnt pack the gym up until Thursday afternoon so it was only out of action for 2 1/2 days. These few days definatley werent spent lazying around. I was on the go the whole time.(this shows in my weigh in this week).   I am still supersetting exercises together to compact the workouts and give me more time for other things which was perfect for shifting house.     My cardio sessions were done most days, only Thursday/Friday were missed. My muscle most lacking training would have to be my calves. I have had a lot of pain in one foot due to climbing up and down stairs and walking boxes to and from the car etc and I havent always achieved my ab workouts each day but thats about all that lapsed.      THE FIRST WEEK OF COUNTDOWN DIET  The first 3 days went real well. By Wednesday night I felt like I had dropped at least half a kg. I was tired and ran out of steam about 5pm. I had a client booked for 6pm and we ended up getting Burger King for dinner.   I felt so good after the feed and once my client went I had an awesome shoulder workout. Thursday and Fridays eating was way off track with moving house but come Saturday I was able to cook the foods I needed and was back on the plan.   Because I have done this many times before I know what to look for when accessing my body in the mirror. If I look too flat, too empty in the muscles, which usually ties in with how I am feeling at the time I know I need a good feed. I know when I have eatin just for the sake of eating and instead of beating myself up I will do extra cardio if needed.  Its no good wasting energy on negitive thoughts, you need to keep moving towards your goal. I needed extra calories last week so all in all it worked out well.   THE WEEKLY WEIGH IN I was expecting the first weigh in to be a big loss as you usually lose a bit of fluid when you clean up your eating.   My hubby was laughing as he saw me chowing down on burger king and was visualizing my update this week when I had to admit to putting on a kg.   But alas it was what I expected not what he expected.   Last week I weighed in at 49.50kg and this week I weighed in at 48kg.   Am I happy with this result?   Kind of, I would of liked it to have been only a kg.   I will be doing another caliper assessment next Monday so are hoping it will all even out abit next week.   PLANS FOR THE COMPETITION Today I booked my accomodation for the Masterton Comp. This felt great and puts the focus forward in my mind.   I have a nice area to practice posing in and have set up the stereo with speakers in the roof to blast my routine music loud.   ARTHURS GIRLS   Since my article in our local midweeker I have met and formed "Arthurs Girls" which consists of fellow sufferers around the same age as myself.   The group is getting bigger . It started out with 4 of us and now we are at 10. We are meeting this Sunday again and I am looking forward to meeting some new girls.   It still surprises me how many other people just around my area are suffering with the same disease and alot of them are suffering in silence.   Instead of a quote this week I will leave you with this:     WHAT A LIFE Remember, old folk are worth a fortune With silver in their hair, gold in their teeth, stones in their kidneys, lead in their feet and gas in their stomachs.   I have become a little older since I saw you last and a few changes have come in to my life. Frankly I have become a frivolous old girl. I'm seeing 5 gentlemen every day. As soon as I wake up Will Power helps me out of bed. Then I go to see John. Next it's time for Billy Tea. They leave and Arthur Ritis shows up and stays the rest of the day. He doesn't like to stay in one place very long so takes me from joint to joint. After such a busy day I'm really tired and glad to go to bed with Johny Walker. What a Life.   P.S. The Preacher came to call the other day. He said that at my age I should be thinking about the hereafter. I told him, Oh I do, all the time. No matter where I am, if I'm in the parlour, upstairs, in the kitchen or down in the basement, I ask myself: Now what am I here after?.

Maria Dunlop - 8th July 2008 04:43pm

12 WEEKS OUT FROM MASTERTON   AND SO IT BEGINS  It is very exciting to be at the start of what we call the pre-competition phase of training.   This is where we burn the bodyfat off and hopefully hold on to the precious muscle that we have put on since out last competition.   My countdown will be done on a tight budget.   I am not taking fat burners of any kind as I don't want to upset the medication that I am on. I think it is wiser to go it alone, it may take a little more sweat but thats o.k.   I have made sure I haven't put on to much off season bodyfat to make it easier for myself. Training will change to work in with the diet changes that I will slowly make.   I have decorated old posing suits to save money which I will try on soon to see how they look. (when its a little bit warmer)   THE FIRST OF MY BODYFAT ASSESSMENTS Well Monday morning rolled around fast and I had to retrieve my  scales and bodyfat calipers from the new house, bring them back to the old house do my assessment and then return them to their new home again. A couple of times I thought I'd just leave it till next week but that "Personal Trainer" in me just doesnt allow easier cop-outs like that.   So last week I ate everything that I know I am going to miss over the next 12 weeks, felt like shit on Monday morning because of this but stood on the scales for the first time in awhile.I was expecting to be about 52kg.   This is my assessment Body weight in KG's = 49.50 Fat Percentage = 13.1 % Lean Bodyweight in KG's = 43.02 Fat and Water = 6.48   If you havent met me you now know that I am no giant. But hey good things come in little packages :)   I have mangaged to put on 1.5kg muscle since November which is real exciting for me as training hard and heavy can be a challenge at times with the Rheumatoid.   I felt like the training programs were working and was glad to see that the results proved it. I want my fatloss to be real slow. My goal each week will be to lose 300grams a week.   I hold a lot of water on my legs and so will need to drop that in the last week of prep. This means a kg or so will be dropped in the last few days.    My eating plan is pretty basic and for the next few weeks will go like this:   Breakfast 5 eggwhites 1 whole poached egg  2 vogels toast (without butter of course)   Mid morning  Banana and protein shake    Lunch  Salad, chicken or tuna Rice or Potato   Afternoon snack Fruit and protein drink   Dinner Chicken/Steak/Fish and steamed veggies  1 Potato or kumera   Supper Fresh fruit salad.   This will change little by little if I need to keep the body burning fat.   Eating like this you aren't really hungry, you just miss Carbs, I will probably go through a few weeks of de-card cravings(de-chocolating).   The main changes for me from last week till this week is taking out the cups of tea with milk and other dairy foods.   This alone will probably make a change straight away to my body which will be motivating.   An important part of this eating plan is to supplement with your vitamins/minerals/calcium/iron etc.   I believe that you need to enjoy your journey to your comp, not dread it.   THE NEW GYM SET UP My clients are so great. They have said they don't care where we train as long as we train.   The shed we are going to be training in is not as nice as where we are at the mo.   My Mum and I have been having a laugh trying to make it a nice place to be. I must admit that it is great to train in a nice gym but it doesnt make a difference to the workout unless the area is full of positive energy. I am full of positive energy when it comes to training so I think we will all be training well in our new little Rockbodz Shed.     THE MOVING All is going well with moving. Had a few major hic-cups but they were sorted out yesterday. I have just about moved everything, just the big stuff now and Hookers will have a workout moving all that gym equipment on Friday morning.   This time next week we will all be settled in and back into a normal routine.   SUPPORT IS IMPORTANT   It is so important that the person closest to you supports what you are doing and remains positive.   My hubby is great. He pushes me to train when I suggest that I dont want too. He throws positive compliments to me which boast me up. And this week he came home from Tegal with a 15kg box of lean chicken fillets for my pre-comp eating. And he bagged them all up for me.   He has helped hang up the posing mirrors in the gym as this will be an important part of my prep work a bit later on and the first thing to get set up on Friday will be the gym gear so My clients and I can keep training.    Keeping Negativity away is important as it can lead to self doubt and effect your eating and training.     THE FUNDRAISING     The fundraising has hit another drought due to being busy moving house. Hopefully I can pick it up again in a few weeks.     This week i want to acknowledge my clients that suffer from Arthritis. They are doing so well and are training much harder than most women do. They are enjoying the benefits of resistance training and I am so very proud of them.        QUOTE FOR THE WEEK My business is not to remake myself, But make the absolute best of what God made.   Robert Browning (1812-1889) English Poet

Maria Dunlop - 2nd July 2008 06:22pm

13 WEEKS OUT FROM MASTERTON CHAMPS     THE LAST WEEK OF "EATING WHATEVER"   Wow 13 weeks to go. A short update this week as I have so much to do :)   This week I will be enjoying eating all the things that I really enjoy, the things I know I will crave as I clean up my eating heading towards the big day.   When I diet down I mainly miss the simple things like toast and jam, cheese, cups of tea. And then I miss the favourites like cheese cake and fudge.    I will be aiming to lose 100 - 200 grams only a week.    My main goal through the cutting up phase of this competition will be to stop the body panicing in any way. This will allow for easy fatloss and control the flares of Rheumatiod.   My cups of tea will be swapped for black coffee and lots of hot parsley water. I will cut out dairy foods (milk, cheese, yoghurt). I will be supplementing ,again to keep the body happy. Fruits and Green Vegetables will increase alot.   I am really good at knowing the difference between cravings and genuine hunger so will be monitoring and changing things when I need to.    Each week from 12 weeks out I will record my weight in kg's. ( I havent weighed for quite awhile now so that will be interesting)   I will do a caliper assessment to record my bodyfat in kg's and my lean body mass in kg's.(if I can find the calipers as everything is packed away) This is to keep a check that I am burning off bodyfat and not muscle.    And also hopefully I will do pictures to show the results, but I will only do these every few weeks as I will not be having a big weight loss each week.     CHALLENGES      The main challenge this week is to get time to do everything.   I started moving things into our new home yesterday. The days are going to be really full on but it should make for a easier move in the long run.   A bit of work to be done to get my gym up and running. I will not have the same amount of room but are hoping to make it work.I mean "I WILL MAKE IT WORK".   I have achieved all workouts and cardio sessions last week and my weights have increased again so thats great. I am still supersetting my muscle groups which is working well as I have so much more to do now.     THE RHEUMATOID     I had a few days where my hands were pretty sore last week and really believe that it was due to the weather.   Today Wednesday I am pain free all over.....yes thats right PAIN FREE. I cant believe it. It feels so great.   I have increased my fishoil and added in magnesium so dont know if thats why or if its just the wheather as it isnt as cold today as it has been.   My visit to meet the CEO of Arthritis New Zealand went well. It was good to listen to what's happening with the foundation.   I was a little shocked when I walked into the room and it was mostly people my grandmothers age but it re-inforced the importance of me staying in contact with the ladies I have meet since starting my countdown, ladies around my own age. So the group that we have named "Arthurs Girls" is going to be an important part of my future.        FACT ABOUT RHEUMATOID   Cutting up pumpkin is hard at the best of times but when you have R.A it is almost impossible. I ended up with my knives stuck in a pumpkin this week,  I couldnt get them out no matter how hard I tried.     Another challenge is the peel back top on cans. They are meant to be easier than a can opener but they certainly are not!!!!       QUOTE FOR THE WEEK It is familiarity with life that makes time speed quickly. When every day is a step into the unknown,  as for children, the days are long with the gatherings of experience.   George Robert Gissing (1857-1903) English novelist

Maria Dunlop - 25th June 2008 09:05am

14 WEEKS OUT FROM MASTERTON CHAMPS   MY TRAINING The last week has been one of the best weeks so far in my countdown. My energy levels have soared.   The last 2 weeks I have been supersetting my exercises each session to give me more free time to do other things, so I had cut my workouts down to 3 hard-out sessions per week covering all muscle groups , but I have felt so great this week and had the time to train so have done double the workouts.   This has also increased my appetite which is so awesome. I have actually been hungry during the day and eating whatever I could get my hands on.   My recovery rate has been good and the arthritis pain has been low.(yippee)   So why the good week? Who cares why! Im just taking it :)   MOVING HOUSE   I'm a very tidy and organised person and the last few days my gym has turned into a depot for boxes.   We are moving house in 2 weeks and I have started packing. I have a plan so I can move without getting too stressed. I have moved homes 43 times since I moved to New Plymouth. 42 of those were before we had children. Our last move was so much harder because you couldnt just get stuck in, you had 2 little ones to worry about as well. Thank goodness for Nana's and Gran's.    Hopefully everything will go to plan.   Its not too motivating in my gym though as I am running out of room fast and also looking around my gym at all the things (most heavy)that we have to shift.   I've taken down and packed all the pictures of my ex-clients and myself that inspire me each day.   Packed trophies and medals away but when it came to my Vision Board I thought I'd better leave it there and take it with me on the last day.        ANOTHER MOTIVATIONAL TOOL - VISION BOARDS   Vision Boards or Motivation Boards are fantastic. You can use them for whatever goals you may have.   I scribbled on mine about 20 weeks ago that I would compete in Masterton and raise money for Arthritis New Zealand along the way.   As the weeks have gone by I have added photos to it that inspire me, put a contest calendar on it etc but the main goal is in big black printing for me to see everytime I step into my gym.   Even if I dont realize it, it subconciously keeps me focused.      MAGAZINE ARTICLE   This week I received a copy of the New Zealand Multisport magazine which incorporates The Femme Fitness and Lifestyle magazine inside it.   The article they have done on me is perfect. It is under the inspirational section.   I wrote my own story and thought they might change it or cut it or whatever editors do but it is exactly how I wrote it.   I hope now that it inspires/helps/encourages at least one person to exercise.         THE ARTHRITIS   Last week I emailed my Arthritis Doc to order "more drugs" and told him that my left hand/wrist has been so painful. He suggested a cortisone injection.   He then rang me a day or so later to see if I wanted to follow through on it. For some reason (maybe the fear of needles) my wrist and hand has been so much better. Better than it has been in weeks. He must of scared the pain right out of there.   I'm very lucky because My Arthritis Doctor is just the best. You can be in the utmost pain, very fatigued, feeling so bad and he makes your appointment enjoyable.   That means alot to those of us suffering with all different types of arthritis.        MY FRIDAY CHALLENGE   This Friday I have been invited to meet the CEO of Arthritis New Zealand and the Financial Services Manager.   The last time I went to an Arthritis New Zealand Function, (actually it was the first and last time) I left the building in tears. It was about 8 years ago and I wasnt ready to face what was happening to me, I thought I was but when I came face to face with other sufferers it scared the  pants off me. I guess I tried to outrun it. That denial lasted a very long time.   So this Friday is like facing a fear.....am I really past the denial? have I accepted it? I thought I was past it 2 years ago when it suddenly hit me like a sack of potatoes when I was on stage competing in 2006 and I went through the stages of denial, anger, depression all over again. It sounds pathetic buts this Friday is a real test for me.     FACT ABOUT LIVING WITH RHEUMATOID   This is the time of year where alot of people fight influenza.   Health Officials urge rheumatiod arthritis sufferers to get their free jab. Yep thats right its free for New Zealanders at high risk of complications until the 30th June.     QUOTE OF THE WEEK     Determination, patience and courage are the only things needed to improve any situation.  And, if you want a situation changed badly enough, you will find these three things. Anonymous

Maria Dunlop - 18th June 2008 06:19pm

15 WEEKS OUT FROM MASTERTON CHAMPS   SURPRISINGLY GOOD Considering I had the flu all week I had a surprisingly good week. Once my the flu finally hit my body I was able to cope with it better.   I find it interesting how my body now crashes before an illness or before my monthly cycle. It is the initial fight that the body struggles with, once the enermy is past the front line the fight doesnt seem so hard, or I cope with it better.   EXERCISE FOR THE WEEK     I achieved 2 cardio sessions per day Monday to Friday last week.   In the morning when I sit on my exercycle I set myself up with things to do while I'm peddling. This allows me to achieve more in that hour plus makes the time go faster. I usually have some sort of study update to go over, a book that Im reading, my journal to fill in, my mobile and a strong coffee. I'm positioned in a place where I can see to children as well.     With my weight training I stuck to my supersetting program which of course allows me more time each workout to fit in more muscle groups. I did my three days of weight training and the best part was I trained biceps properly for the first time in 3 weeks.    So my week looked like this:   Monday= chest/triceps/calves and abs Tueday= Quads/hammies/back and abs Thursday= Shoulders/biceps and abs Friday I felt good and had the opportunity to train so took it and did chest and tricep again.   Over the weekend I had a good friend from Auckland staying with me so didnt getting any training or cardio done as to busy doing other stuff like visiting, shopping, talking, and even had a night out where we met up with a few other friends, it was great.   MY CALORIE INTAKE Eggwhites are so hard to swollow when you have the flu. I usually look forward to my breakfast but this week it took quite awhile to down my meal each morning.   The rest of the day was usually o.k. I ate more fruit and less chocolate, but my carb intake was up and protein was probably just enough, could of done better but hey over all it was surprisingly good.     MY NIGHT OUT Saturday was a very busy day out for me. In the morning my friend Kim and I took the children and went visiting most of the day. We then dropped the kids off with my hubby and went and did abit of retail therapy. Half way through shopping I said to Kim that I needed to get home or I wouldnt be able to make it out that night.   I was starting to crash and knew that a bit of down time was needed.By 6.30pm we were out watching the All Blacks win and having a lovely time with friends.   It was great to see old friends again, people I have been friends with for 20 years. I drank black coffee and ginger beer all night while they enjoyed the real stuff.   When midnight hit I knew I had to get home, it took awhile to get my lovely friend Kim to leave as she was having such a great time laughing and dancing. On the way to the car we had to stop and phone 111 as a young girl was lying drunk almost convulsing on the pavement and it looked like her friends were not going to stay with her. Kim rang and ended up talking to someone in another city and couldnt get them to understand where the girl was. In the end she hung up as 2 policemen on foot were headed to the girl.It was so sad to see. At 1.15 in the morning and the streets were filled with young drunk kids. Most with an attitude problem just looking for trouble. We were glad to get to our car.      We walked in the door at 1.30am and my hubby was waiting up for me very concerned about how I would be feeling. He knows I cant handle late nights anymore.   Sunday I felt like I was the one who had drank all the alcohol. I was up at 7.00am for the kids and had to have an afternoon sleep with my daughter.   Monday was straight back into training and cardio, business as usual.   TIME Time is going so fast and I am having some doubts as to whether or not I am going to make it to the day.   Hopefully I am just feeling that way because I am tired after my weekend.   I took a couple of progress shots hoping to motivate myself to hang in there.     YIPPEE        Finally I have got my money back for the Dvd I ordered at my last comp. It has taken 8 months to get it refunded.   I hope he doesnt get work at another bodybuilding show and put anyone else through what I went through.     113850       113850.00 is the number of Ab crunches I have done since November 4th (my last comp) through to Friday last week.  One hundred and thirteen thousand eight hundred and fifty. Thats averaging 500 a day.         FACT ABOUT ARTHRITIS Gout is one of the most common forms of arthritis In New Zealand.  People get gout because there is something unusual about the chemical processes which take place within the body.     QUOTE FOR THE WEEK A little of what you fancy does you good   English music hall song

Maria Dunlop - 11th June 2008 02:57pm

16 WEEKS OUT FROM MASTERTON   This update is dedicated to Sonia A true friendship is one that warms the heart even though we are miles apart. Thank you for the email, its just what I needed.      NOT A GOOD START  The begining of last week was not good and I had to call my hubby home from work to help me. I spent 2days in bed watching DVD's. It wasnt the pain that got me, it was a total body slam of unwellness. I felt very dizzy, sick, faint, felt like vomitting, just wanted to lay down. My children came down with bad colds that day so I think my body was having trouble fighting off the bugs.   So the week has been full of snotty noses and grumpy kids.    Just when I thought I had dodged the bugs, I hit the deck again with a sore throat etc. Struggled big time again just being upright.      TRAINING SUPERSET STYLE   (I still stuck to my training when I could)   I have moved onto a superset program now.I decided to do this and blend more muscle groups together to give me a few extra days off training this week. This was because I needed to fit in that "me time" that I have been talking about over the last month and wanted to have more rest time.   The "Me Time" that I miss (not that I should have to justify myself) is NOT getting out of the house and totally away from the kids, its the simple stuff like being able to watch a T.V program without missing every second sentence due to the kids talking, or having a bath without talking to the kids non-stop (I have quick baths because the heat can drain me and make the fatigue worse when I am real sore)   or going to the toilet ALONE......without 4 little eyes watching me,   or eating a meal without having to share my food with 2 little mouths (even though they have already had a meal).    Sitting and doing my nails without having to do 20 extra little fingers.   These are the simplest things that I'm sure all mums miss.    I dont need a babysitter to help me, I need to re-balance things so I have 15-30 mins here or there to accomplish them. So thats what I tried to do last week.   The workouts were pretty hardout and fast. I think most workouts were over and done with, within 40 minutes. Instead of a 5 day training week I did a 3 day training week.   It looked like this: Chest and Triceps with Calves and Abs (really pleased with the weight I am putting on)   Back with Quads and hamstrings and Abs (really enjoyed this workout and boy my legs and back muscles were sore the next day)   Shoulders was surposed to be with biceps but left biceps out this week as left hand was not up to the challenge.But did do ABs.   Supersetting is when you do for example a db press then go straight onto a pec dec then rest, superset 2 exercises together, It does speed up the workout but gives you less rest of course.   I quite enjoyed doing this so might stick to it for another couple of weeks. I also managed to do my nails for the first time in 1year, and have an hour sleep while the kids slept too.   I also decorated another suit and started reading a book.     I have struggled to get out of bed each morning but have achieved most of my morning cardio sessions.   I have been sleeping with my hands in wollen gloves for the last 2 weeks and my hands have not closed up as bad as usual. The pain is still there but I havent had to wait for hours for the hands to open.   BUT THEN Over the weekend things seemed to go down hill more and I couldnt straighten my right hand out properly.   Today I said to my hubby that I should have a workout but probably wouldnt be able to do much because of my hand. He suggested that I went ahead and had a mild workout, so I did.    After training chest/tricpes,claves and abs I came upstairs and showed my perfectly opened hand to my husband. We both smiled with amazement.     DRUGS AND SUPPLEMENTS The other morning I noticed that the supplements I take now out number the drugs I take for my arthritis.This is awesome.   I take fishoil morning and night, iron tablet daily, and folic acid daily. I take 20mg Arava daily and 5mg Predisone daily which are the arthritis drugs.   The predisone is so little but holds so much power. To try and get off that 5mg dose you have to drop to 4mg for a few weeks and if you dont flare up then you can go down to 3 mgs for awhile and again if you dont flare up you can continue to try and come off it. This is done with the permission of your specialist of course.   I cannot get down to 4mg. Dropping that 1mg causes so much strife. This is very common and very very frustrating for a lot of arthritis sufferers. Predisone is like a wonder drug when it comes to decreasing the swelling and killing the pain but the side effects are not good especially if you are on a high dose. So the lower the dose the less side effects which is why so many sufferers try to come off it.        DIET BLUNDER I Ran out of protein powder this week so had to try and eat more protein. This was very hard especially on days when the pain was higher.   The carb intake was much higher than usual especially when my hubby was helping look after me and preparing the meals.....but hey I wasnt going to complain. It was awesome having a cup of tea and a muffin brought to me in bed.     SO WHAT IS IT THAT KEEPS ME GOING? I have been asked a lot how I stay so focused and motivated to exercise.   I used to weight train because I loved it. I saw the positive changes in my body and I felt great. Now, well I still love training.   The thing that motivates me the most now is that I truely believe in the benefits weight training gives to women (of all ages).   I dont want to look sick, unwell, fatigued, older than I am. I want to look fit, healthy, strong. I am Maria Dunlop, Wife, Mother, Personal Trainer, Bodybuilder. I am not just a sufferer of Rheumatoid Arthritis.   One of the key tools to my motivation since I started this countdown has been the emails and txts I have received. Some are from strangers and some are from my best friends.   These messages are long and short but carry the same power. They have made me wipe the tears away and get on with the plan.  So thank you so much for taking the time to write them. I like that I am helping other people achieve their goals and to those of you struggling at the moment I can tell you this:"when you achieve your goal whatever it is, it is the most amazing feeling."     TIP ABOUT ARTHRITIS Having rheumatiod arthritis and the flu really sucks.     QUOTE FOR THE WEEK Look to your health; and if you have it, value it next to a good conscience;  for health is the second blessing that we mortals are capable of;  a blessing that money can not buy.   Isaak Walton English Writer

Maria Dunlop - 5th June 2008 07:10am

17 WEEKS OUT.....   This has been a very challenging 2 weeks. A lot of stress has caused my arthritis to hit more joints and the fatigue, which seems to always be laying there waiting to strike, has indeed struck.     I have had to force myself to sit on my exercycle each morning but have benefited from it each time. That self talk is so important and so hard to do when you are feeling like shit.     For the first time in ages I haven't been writing in my diary and logging things down. I've done all workouts but haven't enjoyed them. Even my Chest workouts that I absolutely love havent been much fun.  All of this is due to stress. I find de-stressing or not stressing very very hard to do.     One thing I did do was decorate another old suit. Its been fun getting creative. I've now got a purple, black and blue suits and one more to do which is a beautiful bright orange colour.     I still haven't made it to the WorldGym yet and havent had the "Me Time" that I need without being interupted. That's the trouble when you train at home, you can ignore the phone but can't control the people that visit and dont phone first. Everytime I have gone to de-stress/train and listen to some music a visitor has turned up.     THE OFF SEASON... Anyway the weeks are going by fast. I'm pleased with the weight that I am putting on. I'm  a fan of the "off season" and don't believe in doing a lot of competitions in a row. I have always just picked one date a year. Because I don't have the genetics to put on muscle fast it has always taken a lot of hard work to achieve the muscle I have.   The "off season" gives me time to recover from my previous comp, time to enjoy christmas and summer and of course time to train and eat and sleep with no worries about too many calories. I do keep an eye on the scales and try to stay within 6-8kg's of my comp weight. I only jump on the scales about once every 2 months "off season".    THE WEEK AHEAD ... The week ahead is hopefully going to be better than the last 2.     I will make sure I fill in my journal each day, mainly for motivation.    I always manage to train but this week I might train at night so my hubby can be on children duty and I can just train and enjoy myself and take my time.   DIET... Because of the fatigue taking hold a few days last week I have ended up having takeaways a few nights, forcing the food in as I have no appetite. I would rather eat takeaways rather than nothing at all. My main goal each day is to stop the body from panicing so it is very important to feed it regularly even if I dont want to eat. A few days the protein intake has been to low so I am going to focus on that this week.   TIP FOR TRAINING WITH ARTHRITIS... You need to learn about your body and know how far to push yourself. If you don't have a Personal Trainer then you need make sure you have good form with all exercises.   When it comes to fatigue you also need to learn when to stay in bed and when to attack the fatigue with a mild cardio.     QUOTE FOR THE WEEK The only place where success comes before work is a dictionary   Vidal Sassoon English Hair Stylist

Maria Dunlop - 29th May 2008 01:05pm

18 Weeks out from Masterton....   This will be a very short update as I have had the worst night with pain and are hanging by a thread today.   A stressful matter has caused my arthritis to flare up badly. I tried to avoid the stress but no matter how fast I ran it still caught me.   So I will leave you with pictures of my leg workout this week. My left hand is bad so I had to focus on exercises which didnt stress it at all.   Dumbell Lunges are great but I have to hold the dumbells on a slight angle tilting forward to adjust the pressure on the wrist.   Stiff leg Deadlifts are good but I do them up on a bench so I use the distance of the stretch more than the weight on the barbell.       Leg Extensions are great as I don't need my hands much, just to hold me down on the seat as I lift more than I weigh.     Reverse Lunges are awesome especially if the back leg is up high.     Barbell Squats are O.k to do but my wrists dont  extend enough to actually hold the barbell behind my head. I keep the weight low and do very low squats, wide squats, pulses at the bottom of the reps, and hold it down there also to get the most out of the exercise.       Hamstring Pullbacks are again awesome as I dont need to hold anything. Boy they get into the hammies to.        The Calf Raises were done on a step but I couldn't hold a dumbell to add more resistance so I did 20 reps normal 20 reps up high, 20 reps down low and tried to get out 10 normal reps again. This sure made them burn.      I always try to do at least 3 sets of 8-10 reps on every exercise.   Ab Crunches are still at 500.   Cardio still morning to warm up and night to unwind.     How to do a cheap but nice Bodybuilding bikini ......   I also started decorating some old bodybuilding suits that I have had for years. When I started out in this sport there was no figure section so I had to do bodybuilding.   Anyway this is how you can save money and decorate your own bikini.    Just pin it out on a pillow. Draw your design on a piece of paper first. (get ideas off the internet bodybuilding sites).       Get your decorations and special glue from spotlight etc and away you go.       Here are some before and after shots of one I did last week.

Maria Dunlop - 21st May 2008 04:55pm

19 WEEKS OUT FROM MASTERTON BODYBUILDING CHAMPS     MY BALANCING ACT (Easier Said Than Done)   Things I need to balance each day:   Activities with Children which include: crafts, exercise, reading, writing, play, kindy, story time, bathtime Time with Husband Housework Dog Meals Cardio Sleep Computer work Resistance Workouts Outings such as groceries, bill paying etc Personal Training Me time Staying as stressfree as possible   Not a very long list really, but ever so hard to balance.   The first to go out the window is Me time, then time with the hubby. Next to go is sleep. Then the dog. Those 4 important factors in my day are compromised everyday.   Last week I had some pretty hideous days with Rheumatiod pain. The worse night I had to wake my husband up so he could help me roll over in bed.   The next morning I said to him that maybe I need to stop training for 1 week. He instantly said "NO".   So while training the next day I thought about the balance of my life and realized that sleep was lacking and the "ME TIME" had been non-existant for over a month.   The workout decreased my pain by half the next day, so I knew I needed to focus on the sleep and Me time.     My husband didn't have rugby this weekend so was able to help with the children for the first time in awhile. This enabled me to go out with friends for a coffee and catch up on Saturday and out for lunch with my Mum on Sunday. We also went to my mother-inlaws for dinner Sunday night so had a night off cooking.   I made sure I went to bed earlier and the last 4 nights have had 8 hours a night, although I have had to get up at 3am to take painkillers.   The Pain is heaps better. Yippee!!!!   But of course the hardest thing for me to do is to maintain that balance.     This week my Husband is on Dayshift so is home most nights to help with the children. The best thing about dayshift is that he is here at night to give me a massage :)   Last week I was given a free Gym Membership by WorldGym West, which is so great. I have all the gear at home I need, but it doesnt allow me that all important "time out". I tried twice on the weekend to get to the gym but it just didnt happen.   I hope to get over there this weekend. Its not as easy as it seems as I need a babysitter and a car and of course the time to go.   Yeh right, just another thing to put onto my balance list.     STAYING STRESS FREE Well this would be alot easier if other people behaved properly.   I am very stressed about trying to get my money back for the DVD of the Taranaki Champs last November.I paid $80 for it and was told it would arrive within 3 weeks of the competition.   6 months later and I received the first dvd which didnt play.   The DVD man sent me another dvd just in an envelope, not even in a case, which didnt matter anyway as it too doesnt play.   They dont play on any dvd machines in New Plymouth.   The Person doing the dvd's is behaving so badly and refuses to communicate with me anymore or refund my money . This is so unfair, especially as it is a big thing for me to achieve doing a comp. I really wanted a copy of it. Who knows if I will make it to another contest.     TRAINING My training has been good.   The last 3 workouts I have managed to increase my weights which is great. Once I increase my weights.   I never go back down unless I really have too, this helps the strength improve of course.   The heavier the weight and the more careful I am with my joints. I have to alter and focus on how I hold the bars and dumbells.   One of the hardest things to do is to lift the dumbell of the ground. So if I'm doing DB Chest Press, its not the exercise but picking up the weights that hurts.   Another hard one is tricep pushdowns, I have found the a real close grip helps the wrist joint handle this exercise. The 2 joints close to one another, power in numbers.   Increase in strength is probably due to increase in sleep and increase in calories. I have been eating heaps which is great.   Below: triceps pushdowns     THE QUESTION  Last week I met 2 lovely ladies from Arthritis New Zealand. We had a good catch up and it was really positive.   They asked me questions about how I find life living with Rheumatiod Arthritis.   One question they asked was "how do I see my future with Rheumatoid Arthritis?"   I said that I didnt want to think about that and the question was dropped.    Well ever since then I can't stop thinking about it. I've been wondering if I will need hip replacements or other surgeries, if I will end up walking with a limp, or end up in a wheelchair,  wondering if the drugs with kill me before the arthritis does, then of course wondering how my children and husband would cope if I did pass away sooner than later.   Then I found myself wondering if the training is indeed helping or if in the long run it wont make an ounce of difference.   The truth is that I wont know till I get there and I sure in hell arent going to sit on my arse and wait for it to happen. So I'll put the mini violins away and that question can go back into the closet.      POSITIVES  My fundraising for Arthritis New Zealand went well last week adding almost another $100 to the kitty.   Receiving the free gym membership was awesome, Big thanks to Rochelle at WorldGym West.   Having coffee with 2 good friends and fellow competitors was so enjoyable and very medicimal.   Spending some time finally with my hubby was great.   Helping my Mum celebrate her birthday, My Mum is one of my best friends.   THE WEEK AHEAD This week I am going to try and improve on ceasing the moment.   I always cease the moment with the kids and are constantly cuddling and kissing them.   The other day I stopped what I was doing and just watched a seagull soaring through the sky. I watched him for about 1 minute . It was so peaceful and soothing to see.   When we are so busy trying to balance everything in our days we tend to miss out on the simply things that are right outside out window.   We have a fishtank and we bought a new fish on Saturday, I was allowed to name him. I called him "Spirit".   I now sit and have a coffee and watch my Spirit move and glide effortlessly around.     When is the last time you Ceased the Moment?     TIP FOR TRAINING WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS Make it fun whatever activity you are doing. If you are enjoying how you are exercising then the benefits will be higher.   Use music, train with a friend, dance inbetween sets, remember to breath, and drink lots of water while you are training.   Then you will have Joy, oxygen and water circulating through your system, a win win situation.       QUOTE FOR THE WEEK To most of us the future seems unsure; but then it always has been, and we who have seen great changes must have great hopes.   John Masefield (1878-1967) English Poet

Maria Dunlop - 13th May 2008 12:45pm

20 WEEKS TO GO ...   THE LITTLE BLACKBOARD   10 weeks have gone by already.   The off season of competition goes faster than we realize and we really have to make the most of this time.It's easy to take for granted all the carbs in our system. I love this part of the training.   My week has been full of ups and downs. Most of my workouts have been great even though my left hand has been pretty sore.    My days have started off slowly and by 2 in the afternoon the pain has subsided and I managed to do things alot faster.     Friday I was training and at one point I stopped and wrote "you can do this" on a little blackboard that I have in the gym. I didn't think much more about it.   Saturday was a stressful day, really needed a hand as I was quite miserable, but had to go it alone and struggled all day. Sunday My children both fell asleep at the same time so I took advantage of the opportunity and went downstairs to the gym.   I put on my training gloves, put on some music and just stood there. I needed to train biceps but my left wrist was sore. Maybe I'll do chest, I love chest workouts, But I didn't want to train chest either.   I decided to try some incline db bicep curls as these really get into the bicep without having to go as heavy. I picked up some 6kg dumbells and attempted the exercise....couldnt even get 1 rep out. Put the dumbells down and said to myself "what am I doing? this is crazy, I have rheumatoid arthritis, I can't do this".   The tears started rolling down my cheeks. I stood there for awhile feeling absolutely beaten. Then The Personal Trainer in me suggested I just train Abdominals.....cant injury any joints doing crunches. So I lay down and positioned myself in my ab roller and started crunching. Right in my line of vision was the little blackboard. For 500 crunches I read "You Can Do This". Once I'd finished my abs I proceeded to work biceps and calves.   The next day the pain in my left hand had improved by 50%.   FEEDBACK I have been hearing alot of nice feedback through the grapevine. This has helped me get through some tough days. Please email me your thoughts of encouragement, I don't bite.    SOME EXCITING PROGRESS This week I was contacted by Arthritis New Zealands North Island Office and asked if I would like to be featured in a mail letter that goes out to 17,000 arthritis members. The letter is about real stories and helps create awareness of Arthritis New Zealands Services and they fundraise about $70,000 a letter. This money helps keep the 26 Service Centres open.    I am so pleased to be able to help in some small way and give back to my community.   I was also contacted by the New Zealand Magazine Femme Fitness  which is now called NZ Multisport/Femme  and asked if I would like to put my story in their Femme Inspiration Section in the June/July issue.   This is so great because my objectives of my goal was to Create Awareness of Rheumatoid Arthritis and Promote Weight Training for Women. I feel like I am achieving those objectives.   SUMMARIZING MY WEEK  The good far out weighed the bad last week. And even though some days were really tough, I made it through the otherside to do it all again this week.   The training sessions were all achieved. My eating has been nice and balanced.   I hope to have some "Me Time" over the next few weeks and catch up with some friends.    TIP FOR TRAINING WITH ARTHRITIS You need to use your brain when training.   Focus on the muscle you are working. We can tend to put alot of pressure and energy into our hands by gripping the bars etc. Its wasted energy and doesnt do the joints any good. Make sure that you are pushing or pulling with the muscle groups and not the hands. This takes practice and is easier achieved with some exercises  than others.   The use of sponges and weight gloves are important when your training gets more intensive.  Wrist straps arent good for arthritis sufferers as of course this puts pressure right back on the joints.     QUOTE OF THE WEEK OUR GREATEST GLORY IS NOT IN NEVER FALLING, BUT IN RISING EVERY TIME WE FALL   CONFUCIUS (551-479 BC) CHINESE PHILOSOPHER

Maria Dunlop - 7th May 2008 01:08pm

21 WEEKS OUT ....   SEASONS CHANGE Most people have a change in mood  with the change in seasons. Some notice it big time and some only mild.   Its often the time of year when I have clients cancel alot and when I was at Jenny Craig we had to hang on tight to them. It takes a few weeks to adjust, put on more layers, change from shorts to trackpants, wind up the car window and start lighting the fire or gas burner. Fatburning walks turn into time on the treadmill and we usually eat more because we are inside and closer to the fridge.   I hate winter because it causes my joints more pain, or should I say a deeper more throbbing pain. I hate being cold and the last 3 days have played havoc with my joints especially my left hand. The swelling's not bad its just this "deep horrible cold to the core pain". It starts about 4am and lasts until about 1pm. This is the time it takes to warm up and for my drugs to kicked in.   Wet and cold weather is worse than cold and fine. I can just about perdict when it is going to rain now.   So I have had some challenging days.   I have still done my cardio and training but I was like a turtle, everything seems to take so long when you are in pain.   My son is great and likes to help me. This also slows us down a lot.    At breakfast he helps peel my boiled eggs. I don't know if anyone has ever had a 3 year old peel their eggs for them then de-yolk them, but it is torture to watch. It takes a long time and bits of shell and egg go everywhere. I end up with crumbled whites that have flowen across the kitchen and have bits of yolk still stuck on them.       I like to eat sultana's with my whites and so my son then insisted on filling each eggwhite case with sultana's which he put in "one by one".............I am a very patient women....lol   Another perk of my hubby working at tegal is the trays of eggs we get once a month. Often double yolkers.     The arthritis pain might not all be to do with the cold.   I have had no time to myself over the last few weeks. Being  a Mum is the hardest job I have ever done and I take my job really seriously. I'm not the type to sit down much unless I'm doing an activity with the kids. To fit in my training and cardio I have to be super organised. Any time thats free is usually filled with one chore or another.   I do believe that every Mum needs time out to refuel. I dont seem to be getting much of that lately.   This causes my shoulders to creep up around my ears,  which of course is tension, which of course stresses the body, which of course causes my arthritis to play up. Its not looking much better for the next couple of weeks either.   This morning I started to use music as a de-stresser, so as I go about my day I've made a point of playing music that I enjoy. This worked well today and I found myself singing along to some good old hits from the 80's. When I've been training I've played Metalica. This is great to de-stress to and really makes you lift heavier.   THE WORKOUTS I have had some great workouts.    The workout the sticks out the most last week was my hamstring workout and thats because it took 5 days for them to come right. Like I said earlier Metalica makes you lift heavier and do more.   I didnt do anything out of the ordinary either. Leg curls, one leg leg curls, hamstring pullbacks and stiff leg deadlifts. 4 sets of 8 -10  reps on each exercise.    Boy did they "feel the burn" for days and days. I did them again today along side quads and calfs (while Metalica Played) so tomorrow I'll be enjoying that whole feeling over again.   This may seem strange but I love the feeling of sore worked muscles.......it makes me smile. Its a pain that I can handle. It gives me great satisfaction to know that I have had an awesome workout the day before, and gives me some power back over my disease to.(if that makes any sense).     Cardio and abs are still the same. 40 minutes on my exercycle morning and night and 500 abs. My ab workout consists of normal crunches, obliques, lower abs.   Different styles to keep the abdominals guessing. I was doing 1000 a day but this month have dropped it back to 500 then I will increase it again next month. Again just to keep them out of their comfort zone.   EATING Well yes boy I have actually been eating  a lot more. Most of it at night. This is mainly because my husband hasnt been here so its a form of comfort/boredom eating.   It has all been desserts too or chocolate. I'm not worried about this as I am having trouble getting back up to 50kg. But again this could also be causing my arthritis to play up.:(   I have finally found a protein drink I can stomach over and over without it making me sick. It is EAS AdvantEDGE SOY PROTEIN. I havent tried soy protein powders before and only bought this one because it was on sale at countdown. Boy its yummy.   Its only 20grams protein per scoop which is a bit lower than others but It doesnt blow the stomach up or make me feel sick. I've tried the vanilla and chocolate now and they are both awesome. I bought it for $22 at countdown on special, usually $32 for a 616gram container. I've been drinking it now for about 5 months which is a record for me as I usually go right off protein drinks after the first month.   MY ROUTINE Wow I can actually say that I have worked hard on my routine this week. A lot of people say not to bother on your routine as you arent judged on it. I dont care about being judged on it,though it would be nice.    If I was a painter and spent months on a painting I would then make sure that I framed that painting nicely to show it off to its best advantage. I feel the same way about my body. My routine is the finishing product, showing it off to its best advantage with the best poses and moves possible. It is very entertaining for the audience and fellow competitors to.   I only have my finishing pose to put in now. As I diet down and the muscles start showing up more I usually change or alter certain poses to suit whats good and whats not. I like to have it done early because once you start cutting your carbs back its hard to focus and concentrate especially with 2 children running around.   TIP FOR TRAINING WITH ARTHRITIS When training with arthritis or even RSI do less reps. High rep workouts such as pump classes increase the stress on the joint far more than low rep workouts. You can increase your weights more with low reps as well. Dont be scared to lift heavier weights ladies. You won't turn into Mrs Arnie :)   QUOTE OF THE WEEK The thing has already taken form in my mind before I start it. The first attempts are absolutely unbearable. I say this because I want you to know that if you see something worthwhile in what I am doing,  it is not by accident but because of real direction and purpose   Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) Dutch post-impressionist painter

Maria Dunlop - 29th April 2008 01:48pm

22 WEEKS OUT   THE "EXTRA" MONTHLY CHALLENGE Most women find "that time of the month" challenging. The sugar and salt cravings increase while the motivation and energy decreases. And of course our mood changes. Constant exercise helps cope with the cycle in lots of ways but the symptoms above still surface. Because of my low iron levels due to the rheumatoid, my body gets hammered at this time of the month with fatigue. It invests my body the week before my cycle. All last week I found myself lying down any chance I got. Climbing the stairs was a mission. I felt constantly out of breath (low iron means less oxygen circulating).   To combat this I made myself do my cardio nice and slow to increase circulation. I also managed all my workouts. The intensity in them was lowered to cope with increased pain which also happens with my cycle.     I have been working on coping with this time of the month for about 6 months now. Usually the pain is exercise halting. I can just cope with looking after my family but I have found that if I make myself do the exercise, the circulation helps combat the fatigue and I then feel up to training. I then sleep better and get through the week one step ahead not 3 steps back. This in itself is inspiring for me.   I also wondered if the pain wasn't as bad this time due to the fish oil which I started on 4 weeks ago - (proven to decrease pain in arthritis sufferers by 30%).   Last week I cancelled all my clients as I had nothing extra to give. There are times now when I tell myself to focus only on me and my family, my clients wont fall off the face of the earth if I cancel once in a while. This is part of the guilt process which I am still working through.   I did end up giving extra one day when I thought I was seeing triple. Our friendly Dove suddenly turned into 3. I think they have been tag teaming me. They now all turn up every morning when I'm doing my biking. They wait patiently for me to finish and feed them.    LAST WEEKS MISSION I said I was going to focus on activities that put the competition in the front of my mind not on the back shelf.   I did work on my routine 3 days last week but I didn't start my suit. I would say that I achieved half of what I wanted to.   MY EATING COMPROMISE When you are dealing with salt and sugar cravings with your cycle its hard to "not give in".   I made a compromise with myself along time ago that as long as I wasn't in the "cutting phase of competition" then I was allowed whatever I liked as long as I kept up  the exercise.   I find this works real well for me especially with the rheumatoid. I give my body what it wants which satisfies it and stops it stressing and I continue my exercise.   No harm done, energy tank is fulled with petrol and all workouts are achieved.    It also gives you one time each month where you can relax with your eating. This is good for the sole:)   THE TRAINING AND THE RHEUMATIOD Training was done effectively.  Worked out 5 days and had 2 rest days. Dropped the matrix set on the end of each session due to slight increase in pain.   Another tip for training at "that time of the month" is to do the exercises that you love for each muscle group. I absolutely love  dumbell pullovers so they were put in on my chest day. Reverse Lat Pulldowns on Back day. Seated Barbell Shoulder Press on Delt day. I did lots of 1 leg, leg extensions on Quad day. Stiff leg deadlift on hammie day, as I love the stretch. Cardio and abs where still done each day. The rheumatiod was bearable.   Below: DB Pull overs     The hardest part was probably the posing. I find this very hard on the wrist and finger joints. It is hard to tense the muscles without adding the tension to the hands. This will be the major challenge for me on the competition day.   My goal will be to pose hard but so no one can tell it hurts like hell.       FOCUS THIS WEEK Nothing............I actually don't feel like focusing on any in particular this week. I'll just do what I'm doing, keep traveling down that road.     FACT ABOUT RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS Well I guess the best fact this week is written above. The rheumatoid effects the body and makes everything harder. With women its harder to cope with hormonal events. These are things that cant be controlled really because the are a Natural process within the body. Men with rheumatoid might have a slight advantage here.   QUOTE FOR THE WEEK Character contributes to beauty. It fortifies a women as her youth fades.  A mode of conduct, a standard of courage,  discipline, fortitude and integrity can do a great deal to make a women beautiful.   Jacqueline Bisset English Actress

Maria Dunlop - 22nd April 2008 06:24pm

23 WEEKS OUT   TRAINING When I went to write my update this week, I had to read back over my journal to see how my training had been.    Journals are so good to have. When reading back over the week it re-inforced just how sucessful my week had been. I managed all my weight sessions and most of my cardio sessions. I added a matrix style set on to the end of each muscle group (dont know why I did that, obviously was feeling pretty good).   As an example this is what one training session looked like with the matrix: Machine Chest Press ( 3sets of 8-10  reps of all exercises up until the matrix) DB Flat bench Press 1 arm Pec Dec DB flat flyes BB Matrix Bench Press 5 full reps                                    5 top reps                                    5 bottom reps                                    5 full reps then straight into                                    4 full reps                                    4 top reps                                    4 bottom reps                                    4 full reps then 3 or each, 2 of each, 1 of each (hope you can follow that)  You lower your weights for a matrix set, its challenging and takes a lot of focus as you have to keep count as you go, and thats a lot of reps to count while pushing the muscle to the limit.     I had 2 rest days this week and for some reason I felt like I had slacked off. Ab workout was down and only managed 2500 for the week.   So overall training was good.   DIET My eating has improved. I have managed to increase my calories and this wasnt done because my appetite has improved, it was because our house turned into a train station last week.   I found myself making and drinking a lot of coffee and eating along with most of my guests. It was a frantic week as my client base has increased and I was playing "catch up" all week long. This as well is probably why I feel like I didnt do all my training. I amaze myself with how much I can fit into my day :)   Meal time was made easy with all the chicken that we have in our freezer. My husband works at Tegal and so we can buy chicken at discount prices. One kind of chicken that we have is low fat, skinless, boneless, pre-cooked fillets. They are so handy and you can do so much with them. It was fantastic this week as they are so quick to prepare and turn into a wonderful meal.      One thing I could of improved on was keeping the water intake up.       HIGHLIGHTS OF MY WEEK   I had 3 highlights to my week.   The first was my night out with my wonderful friends from the past. We went to a local Bar and played Pool (rather well) for 4 hours. I did turn into a pumpkin at 11pm and was home in my P.J's before midnight.     This was good as my daughters 2nd birthday party was at 10am the following morning. It was a fairy party and she had a wonderful time. My hubby dressed up as a magical wizard and we magically turned all the little guests into fairies. He looked really good and one of the parents actually thought he was a statue until my husband nodded to welcome to him.        The third highlight was some good news from a friend.   All in all my week has been really enjoyable with my successful training, lots of visitors, a night out and my beautiful daughter turning 2.   THE ARTHRITIS    The arthritis is playing up a bit and I feel it is because of the change in weather.    The pain has been bearable, but enough to be annoying and you do worry abit that you might be heading towards a major flare.  I kept telling myself not to stress the small stuff. My kids caught me one day singing "just keep swimming" like Dory out of the Movie "Finding Nemo".    They dont like my singing for some reason...he he      My clients that have Rheumatiod are having great success with the weight training which I find very inspiring. I am so proud of them :)     SETTING A GOAL FOR THE WEEK   I need to focus more on my destination. I feel the competition is in the background and I would rather it be in the foreground where I can visualize it.   To improve my focus on the comp I am going to start making my posing bikini.Havent been that interested in posing so maybe I will try a few practice sessions also.   FACT ABOUT RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS   No 2 peoples pain is the same, They may have the same disease but the pain will be different, hit different joints, at different times etc.      QUOTE FOR THE WEEK Forsake not an old friend; for the new is not comparable to him: a new friend is as new wine; when it is old, thou shalt drink it with pleasure.   (Ecclesiastes)

Maria's Update - 16th April 2008 04:19pm

24 WEEKS OUT   MOTIVATION VERSES STRESS   Today I find myself asking "What is more challenging, lack of motivation or stress" ?   My week has been very eventful. I have found myself reaching out and helping a close friend whose Mother has been diagnosed with Still's Disease, which is a serious form of Arthritis, very similar to Rheumatiod Arthritis.    To see my friend so desperate for knowledge of the condition and so desperate to help his mum, and then to see his mother in a similar position to what I was in 9 years ago, so fatigued, in so much pain........it just tore my heart out.       It's one thing to motivate someone to compete, but to motivate someone to survive took all my skills, and then I had a feeling of not knowing if I had done all I could of or if it had helped at all.    My shoulders tensed up, my right hand closed up and was so painful. I knew that it was the stress causing it and straight away started to do everything I could think of to de-stress. I find De-stressing one of the hardest thingsto do. It is so hard to stop thinking about things.  I soaked in a hot bath....but couldnt stop thinking I sat on my exercycle....but couldnt stop thinking I trained hard in my gym....but couldnt stop thinking. I tried to read.....but you guess it, couldnt stop thinking.   Friday night we checked out a local band at Peggys. It was great to just chill out and listen to some music.      I met up with 2 friends on Saturday that I havent spent time with for over 15 years. We laughed from the time we got together till the time we left. This was just what the doctor ordered and took my mind off things for awhile.    On Sunday I brought 5 fellow arthritis survivors together to meet each other. We had a lovely time and I think we all got alot out of listening to each other. It was a positive meeting but on the way home I started thinking about the people I knew that had a chronic health condition and were living alone.   My daughter is having trouble walking so we had to take her to see a specialist and he said there is something wrong but he cant tell us what. We have to wait and see what develops. This also of course tears my heart to pieces and stresses us a lot.   I felt my shoulders tense up and it started all over again.   Anyway I have come to the conclusion that stress is more damaging to our goals than lack of motivation.   I suffered from "Lack of Motivation" for almost a whole month and suffered from "Stress" for 6 days. The Stress is more damaging because it impacts on our health and wellbeing in such a big way.   But I have found a "positive thought" in all of that:   I am lucky to have an auto-immune disease as my body shows me straight away if it is stressed. How many people are stressed out there and have no idea what it is doing to their body and mind?   BB'ing Update   I honestly couldn't tell you how my training or eating has been. I know I have still trained and done my cardio but its all a bit of a blur.   I did try to practice my posing and it started and ended rather quickly with quarter turns or should I say one quarter turn.   When I was in my de-stressing mode I got my husband and father in-law to help move all my gym equipment into the garage.I often train 2-3 people at once and needed more space to move. We now also have a 4th bedroom for visitors to stay.    So you guessed it, my focus this week has got to stay on de-stressing.   I am meeting my friends again Saturday for a night out which is garanteed to be full of laughter and its my beautiful daughters birthday on Sunday. She will be 2.   The fundraising has been pushed to the back of the stage this week. I have added a few more dollars to add to the kitty.   Thank goodness I'm 24 weeks out and not 4 weeks out:)   FACT ABOUT RHEUMATIOD ARTHRITIS QE (previously known as Queen Elizabeth Hospital), in Rotorua is a specialised treatment centre for people suffering from arthritis.It combines modern investigation with older, more traditional "spa cures" and provides rheumatology, rehabilitation and orthopaedic surgical services to clients from New Zealand and around the world.   QUOTE FOR THE WEEK  There is nothing so bitter that a patient mind cannot find some solace in it.   Lucius Annaeus Seneca (Roman rhetorician)

Maria's countdown - 9th April 2008 06:08pm

25 weeks out: 5 DAYS/NO EXERCISE    The first time in 1 1/2 years that I've gone 5 days without training .I didn't even do 1 situp. We went away to Napier for a friends wedding and took our children with us.   We were so busy, there was no time to train!!!!!!!!!!!. There was time to go shopping........ and I found time to check out the aquarium...... and I made time to eat loads........and I did watch a little sky t.v.........but no training.....oops.   I did dance at the wedding which was my only source of cardio for 5 days. But I had a great time and I was pain free for the complete time. This is amazing for me especially to dress up in high heels for the wedding and dance the night away and be completely pain free the next day.....it was brillant.   My Kids on the other hand were so active. We stayed at Kennedy Park Top 10 Holiday Park and it had so much for the kids to do. They did enough exercise for all of us.       Their favourite part of the holiday was seeing the crocodile at the aquarium.      I was looking forward to getting home and having a good chest/tricep workout and kickstarting my day with my morning cycle.   My eggwhites and vogels tasted beautiful this morning.   MY PROGRESS   I feel my progress is great so far. I am pleased with the size that I'm putting on in my arms and chest.   Thickening up and strengthening my bodies core.   And of course the abs are looking great and feeling fantastic. When I was pregnant I really missed having a tight strong abdomen.So it makes me so proud now when I touch my stomach and feel the strength of the muscles and know that the hard work (1000 abs a day) is paying off.   The only muscle that is lagging behind and probably always will is the biceps. This is and will remain the hardest muscle for me to train because of the pressure on the wrist joint.   MY FOCUS FOR THE WEEK    My focus this week is to get back into training after my little wayward excursion in Napier and to practice posing while I am pain free.   My motivation is great so no worries with that.   My eating is back on track as is my cardio.   The hardest part of the week will probably be having my husband home. He has the week off work which is nice but he could lead me astray.     On the other hand it means I can train by myself without the children. Time just for me ....Yippee :)   FUNDRAISING    Raising money for Arthritis New Zealand is going slowly but it is  growing and I keep reminding myself that it's more than I could of donated myself.   The peopIe I have met since having my article in the paper were keen to met other sufferers so I am bringing them all together this weekend to meet each other and hopefully build a nice support group and friendship.   Well short and sweet this week since I've slacked off so I'll leave you with a fact and a quote:     FACT ABOUT ARTHRITIS    There are lots of different types of arthritis. Here are a few different ones: Rheumatoid Arthritis  (chronic inflammation of the joints and the tissue around the joints) Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (Childrens arthritis) Ankylosing Spondylitis  (mainly affects the joints in the spine) Osteoarthritis  (breakdown and eventual loss of cartilage in one or more joints) Gout  (excess of uric acid in the body which forms crystals in the joints) Fibromyalgia  (chronic musculoskeletal syndrome)     QUOTE OF THE WEEK "Travel and change of place impart new vigour to the mind"   Seneca (Roman philosopher)

Maria's Update - 2nd April 2008 05:32pm

Maria's Update: Week 26 A BREAK IN THE WEATHER     This is amazing....no pain for 6 days. 5 nights of painfree sleep.     It's like being out on the high seas for months and months then sailing into a beautiful calm bay :)   I can't believe I made it through the months of consistant pain in my right hand. I can't believe that most people feel this great everyday.   Needless to say that my training has been good this week. I had to have a few days off after having my right hand injected last Wednesday, this is so the steriod stays around the region that was injected to give it maximum effect.   The other great thing about last week is that I don't have to add another drug to my cocktail (just yet).     Things that could of been better last week:   I still don't have much of an appetite so are struggling to get the calories in.    For the first time ever I'm having trouble piecing my posing routine together and I'm not enjoying practicing posing.   I pretty much think it is all due to not having any time to myself this week. The children have been with me constantly. My little girl is sick and I have had no free time at all to get into my own head space.   I think it is really important to try and have that "Me Time" at least once a week.   The Success of the Newspaper Article goes on      I am still receiving calls about the article in the paper a few weeks ago.   I am now organizing a coffee morning to introduce everyone, hoping to build a support network for them. The people I have met so far suffer from a variety of different types of arthritis, not just rheumatoid but all as nasty as one another.   A lot of the people that have contacted me are trying to do some kind of activity.All are interested in knowing what kind of exercises I do.       Some of my Favourite Exercises for Legs    I have spent the last 9 years altering exercises to suit my joints . I do focus on the basic exercises alot, such as lunges, step ups, stair climb and exercises that look so easy but hit home the next day.   Below: Stair Climb: When training legs I like to hit the inner thigh well and have found that a Side Step Squat does the trick nicely.   Below: Side Step Squat:       I love working hammies and the Hammie Pullback is a nasty piece of work.   Below: Hammie Pull back     Reverse Lunges are fantastic and great to super set with High Bench Barbell Step Ups. Its great having a flight of stairs close by and a Dumbell Stair Climb is a great warm up or finishing off exercise.      Challenge for Week Ahead   We are off to Napier on Thursday to a friends wedding. Traveling long distances is hard for me as my legs and hands play up.   As I can't take my exercycle with me I'm probably going to have to get in an early morning walk. I hope to find a gym close to where we are staying. But if I can't get there then I will focus on a workout that I can do in our motel. The kids are coming with us so it will take alot of juggling.   Last time we went to Napier I ended up in Hastings Hospital for 3 days so here's hoping this trip goes better.   I am looking forward to dressing up as I havent been out properly for such a long time.     Fact about R.A   Because of the complexity of combinations of symptoms, Rheumatoid Arthritis is not easy to diagnose and when one takes into considersation that no two cases are alike, that makes identification of the disease even more difficult.     These are just some of the many symptoms : Stiffness of joints Inflammation/swelling Deep bone pain Lock Jaw Chest Pain Burning sensation of skin Chronic fatigue Depression Ear ache Hair loss   Blurry vision Tender skull   Glad I'm not a doctor                                                        Quote for the week To get the body in tone, get the mind in tune   Zachary T Bercovitz American Doctor and Writer

Maria's Update - 25th March 2008 06:19pm

Here is Maria Dunlop's update as she trains for the NZFBB Masterton event. Maria is not only a competitor but sufferer of arthritis. As she trains, she is raising funds and awareness of this condition. Please sponsor her worthy cause.   27 WEEKS OUT   I have named my last few weeks as my "Motivation Drought" .The Motivation tin was dry as a bone!!!!!!!   I must of tried absolutely everything to try and snap out of it.   Some of the things I tried were:   Music (the right kind of music can work wonders) Books (ironman or other fitness books work well) Positive Lists (reminds you of the good things) Gratitude Lists ( make you appreciate simple yet important things like walking, eyesight, sunsets etc) Training Journal Videos (of past comps or favourtie movies) Training my favourite muscle group (which is chest and I worked it a lot!!!!!!) Changing training program   In the end it was a few emails that I received that helped me. Especially one particular message from Jo Stewart.   TRAINING   As usual my training is going well as is the cardio or though I have given myself a few nights off from cycling this week.   I managed to do 1000 situps last week. I hammered them, it was great.    I changed my training program this week and just did what I felt like as this works well when you feel stale.   So it went abit like this chest/ triceps Quad/calves Back/ biceps Hammies/calves Delts   A Real basic program with real basic exercises and loads of pumping music   :)   Did a bit of posing practice with my son Ben too which was fun.   I am pleased with the increase in the depth of my chest muscles.        FUNDRAISING I am hoping that the fundraising drought has stopped as well. I have managed to increase the kitty this week by another $60. I have started to put in $5 from every one of my clients P.T sessions as well.      Next goal is $300.   It doesn't have to be alot of money. If everyone dontated $1 it would soon add up. So if you're able to go without that coffee one or two weeks over the next 26 weeks let me know by emailing me at ree.rockbodz@clear.net.nz   Cheques can be made out to Arthritis New Zealand and posted to me or we can arrange a pick up if your in Taranaki.      THE ARTHRITIS   Today I looked back over my diary and noticed that I have been going down hill a little on this new drug. My ears have become really blocked. I feel like I am on an airplane waiting for them to pop and listening on the telephone has been hard. Have had pains in my chest when I breathe and pain in the left lower back.   This seems to be a regular way that my body tells me it can't cope as I have had the same side effects on different drugs. So yesterday I stopped the drug that I think is causing it and hope to see an improvement. I go to my specialist tomorrow and he will probably tell me off but I feel like I know my body well and because I am in good shape and eat healthy etc I can pick up on my bodies messages. The bad news is that since I have stopped one drug I will have to try another one.   My right hand is causing me nothing but grief so are hopefully getting it injected tomorrow with steriods. I have had lots of success with these injections. I have only had 3 over the 9 years but the pain has not returned to the joint that was injected.   I used to have a fear of needles but soon realized that the pain of a needle going in was no where near the pain of the R.A.   With all the above happening to my body I still have felt pain free for at least 1 hour after training. The feeling of strong muscles during each and every day helps me to survive.     FACT ABOUT R.A. - What causes all that Arthritis Fatigue? Pain, Anaemia, Sleep disturbance, WEAKNESS AND WASTING OF THE MUSCLES. Weakness and wasting of the muscles is often seen in arthritis as a result of inactivity. Along with pain and inflammation it will contribute to fatigue since more effort will be required to perform certain activities. (THIS OF COURSE IS WHY RESISTANCE WORK IS SO IMPORTANT)                                                                   QUOTE FOR THE WEEK : PERSEVERANCE   Consider the postage stamp its usefulness consists in the ability to stick to one thing till it gets there     Josh Billings American Humorist

Maria's update - 19th March 2008 07:23pm

MARIA DUNLOP'S UPDATE - 28 WEEKS OUT FROM THE MASTERTON NZFBB CHAMPS   Todays probably not the best day to be writing an update. I'm stuggling big time.   But what's the use of people following my progress if I'm not honest, right?   I've had lots positive things happen this week.   My best friend from childhood came and visited for a day which was awesome.We've been best friends for 30 years. (But this made me miss all my friends that I havent seen in a while)   I had an article in the midweek and received lots of emails from women who are also suffering with arthritis and want to know whats working for me.   (This made me mad at the health system as alot of them don't feel they are getting the support that they need).   Where ever I go people are congratulating me on my courage. (BUT no one is donating any money, not even one dollar)   Each day my main goal is to work on increasing my motivation and each day I'm failing to achieve it :(   I've done all my cardio sessions, all my weight sessions, increased on my abs, practiced posing in high heels, achieved increasing my protein and water intake but I still feel real flat.   Still having trouble with the pain in my hands and a few mornings they have been closed up and have slowly opened while I've been cycling. This is frustrating as it is so much harder to do real simple tasks like make the beds or dress the kids etc.     Above: Hand first thing in the morning.   Below: Hand after cycling     I have no doubt in my mind that I will compete.When I set a goal to compete I always achieve it. Its just getting through these tough times that's frustrating.      RECIPE IDEA Anyway this week I thought I would share a recipe with you. Its great to have your own veggies growing in the backyard. My hubby has succeeded in growing real big zucchini"s and I have been experimenting with stuffing them.   It you take your zucchini and cut the top off then scoop the seeds out its ready to stuff with whatever filling you want.    E.G.  Brown mince and then drain fat off. Season with salt and pepper and whatever herbs etc that you like, garlic is great. Mix 2 -3 egg whites into the meat and then add enough breadcrumbs or rolled oats to make it stick together. You can add whatever else you like. Chopped up extra veggies, corn and carrots are great as it gives in colour. Stuff into zucchini and put the top back on. Press closed and bake for 1 hour at 180degrees or until zucchini is soft. Slice up and serve with fresh salad and lite sour cream. This is also nice done with chicken meat.This is so easy and can be a real cheap filling meal for the whole family.   FACT ABOUT RHEUMATOID Rheumatoid can burn itself out. Some people have gotten pregnant, had their children and the rheumatoid has just disappeared and never returned. Other people have had the rheumatoid burn itself out and just disappear. Some of these people are left with deformed joints to show for it though.   This quote made me smile, and hungry, so thought I'd share it with you     QUOTE FOR THE WEEK "As you make your way through life, Let this ever be your goal, Keep your eye upon the doughnut and not upon the hole"    By Anonymous   To support Maria and donate to her cause of raising money to help arthritis sufferers in NZ (all money goes to Arthritis NZ) email her: ree:rockbodz@clear.net.nz

Maria's Update - 29 weeks out from the Masterton NZFBB Comp - 12th March 2008 07:45pm

29 Weeks Out From Masterton Champs   Last week has past and I can honestly say that I made the most of  every minute. This update I will be telling you about my training.   Training:   Back and biceps:   It was Back and Biceps for 3 days in a row then Legs for 3 days.   Back and biceps are my hardest body part to train as it kills my wrists. But as usual by the third day in a row of training I noticed my strength had increased. My biceps are my weakest part and the bodypart that I dread training the most (and always have) which makes it harder again to train them. It would be so easy to say "Oh I'd better not train them today as my joints are too sore". BUT I constantly have that Personal Trainer on My shoulder yelling in my ear  (damn she’s annoying)    I ended up doing DB curls with a full range of motion to start each day and then I switched to hammer curls and half rep curls as these don’t stress the joint the same way. Half reps are when I start half way up with the barbell and take it to the top and then lower half way down again. This keeps tension on the bicep in a different way to a full rep. Its then good to follow it with half reps starting at the bottom and curling half way up. It did the job nicely last week.     Legs:   This week has kicked off with legs. I have 3 different leg extension/curl machines and I find they all hit the muscles differently as they are at different heights and angles. This helps me greatly. If I can’t hold on to any weights I can kill my legs with lots of lunges and leg extensions/curls.   My first day of legs looked like this:   DB Step Lunges      3 sets 10 reps DB High Bench Reverse Lunge  3 sets of 10 reps Leg Extensions  8 sets heavy 6-8 reps BB low Squats   3 sets 10 reps Calf Raises    4 sets 60 reps   The next workout will focus more on Hammies with: Db Stair Climb Stiff dead lifts Hamstring pullbacks SSSquats (Side Step Squats) for Adductors Leg Curls  Calf Raises   The 3rd day of Legs is more isolating each leg: Step Ups 1Leg Leg Extensions done on all 3 machines 1 Leg Leg Curls done on all 3 machines Cable adductor xovers Calf raises   It’s pretty hard to climb the stairs in our house after the 3rd day as the legs feel like jelly.     General Update on My Comp Prep:   Everything else is ticking along O.k.   Motivation is still low but that’s just because of the pain in my joints.   My eating has been the same. Forcing in a protein drink when I can’t stomach much else.   Still doing my cardio and have increased my Abs to 800 a day now.   MIxed my music to 1 min and now fitting my routine into place.   All in all I have done pretty well.     Good Luck!   Good Luck to everyone competing at the Elite Show this weekend. Wish I could be there.     An Update on My Fund Raising for Arthritis NZ:   Last week the midweek newspaper came and did an article on what I was up to. It was a bit of a laugh as I wasn’t feeling too great with the meds and we had workmen here fixing a door, banging around etc. I couldn’t really concentrate.   I hope it gets the message across about the goodness of training etc.   Fundraising has been slow as I haven’t been out much to promote it. Still sitting at around $200.     A Fact about R.A: The pain etc of R.A causes the body's iron levels to drop. Low iron in the body makes you feel pretty lousy. Most people suffering from R.A need to go on an iron supplement.     Quote for the week:  "What a new face courage puts on everything"   Ralph Waldo Emerson (American Poet and Philosopher)   Don't just read Maria's update - pledge some support for her cause ! Scroll down for her email details, make contact and sponsor her contest prep and countdown. All porceeds go to Arthritis NZ

Maria's Countdown - 4th March 2008 04:02pm

COUNTDOWN TO THE MASTERTON NZFBB EVENT - WEEK 1    My First week One thing you learn when you are competing is that time goes so fast.   The first week of my 30 week countdown has begun.   It has been a real challenging week for me. The pain in my hands has been incredible and keeping me awake for most of the night.   This hasn’t stopped me training though.   I’m loving this new program and have just done chest and triceps for 3 days running……..the weights are going up nicely each session. Its real enjoyable doing lots of different exercises over the 3 days.   My wonderful husband recently purchased some bowflex dial up dumbbells for me which are fantastic When my hands are sore I don’t need to bother loading up the weights just dial what I want to lift. I love love love them, the best present ever.         I Struggled with the cardio in the morning as I’m so tired but I have to operate because of the children so I have achieved every session and it defiantly has helped with the pain and movement.   We have had a friend join us each morning as I do my cycling. He has taken a liking to us (probably because we are feeding him). It’s a beautiful ringneck dove. He isn’t scared of us at all and I have found him in the lounge a few times.       I’ve been helping one of Taranaki’s Top Bodybuilders with a posing routine and this has been real motivating. I also got to meet some other competitors on the weekend and watch them practice posing as they countdown to the Elite Show in a few weeks.   They all looked great I was so excited for them.     My favourite motivating tool   I’m a big believer in training journals. I think they help with motivation and are great to look back on. Each morning I right down my goals and at the end of the day check to see if I have achieved them all. I record my weight sessions/cardio sessions/how I’m feeling/energy levels, just anything that indicates how my progress is going.     THE FUNDRAISING The fundraising is off to a good start. Please email me your pledges, it can be any amount you want. All proceeds go to Arthritis New Zealand.   Weight training is so important for our health. Help me promote resistance training and help raise some money to find a cure/relief for all those suffering out there with arthritis pain.   My quote for the week : All things are difficult before they are easy (Thomas Fuller. English historian)   Here are some facts about Rheumatoid: R.A is an auto-immune disease that is incurable.   Basically the cells that are supposed to attack invaders are attacking the good guys because they don’t recognise them.   We are given a disease modifying drug that slows down the immune system, this then leaves us more acceptable to lots of bugs as our immune system isn’t working on all cylinders.   A good friend of mine said to me “well that’s easy, just send someone in to introduce them all.

Maria Dunlop - 25th February 2008 10:01pm

Maria Dunlop is a competitive bodybuilder who will be competing at the NZFBB Masterton Event  scheduled for  27th September 2008.   She will be providing regular updates on her progress - so you can check in and follow her story. Maria also has Rheumatoid Arthritis - so training and dieting has a few added challenges.   As she clocks down to her event, she will also be raising money for Arthritis NZ.   You can get behind Maria by sponsoring her weekly count down and donating to this cause.     DOING WHAT I LOVE TO RAISE MONEY FOR CHARITY.  My name is Maria, I am 39 years old. I have 2 young children and a wonderful husband. I also suffer from Rhuematiod Arthritis and have done for the last 9 years. I am a Personal Trainer and work with clients from my home based gym. I have recently started competing again in figure competitions. My Goal this year is to do something I love and raise money for Arthritis New Zealand along the way.   T.R.A.I.N.Z Targeting Rheumatiod Arthritis in New Zealand      My Objectives are to:  Create  Awareness of the Power of Resistance Training on the Body and Mind  Create awareness and understanding of Rheumatoid Arthritis  Raise Funds for Arthritis New Zealand to help find a relief/cure for Rheumatiod Arthritis   My 30 week countdown starts on the 1st March 2008. I am aiming for the NZFBB Masterton Bodybuilding Champs/Figure Classs on the 27th September. Sponsorship is done in weeks, e.g. 50cents a week (x 30 weeks = $15), $1 a week (x30 weeks = $30) or a donation came be made. Anyone can jump on board at any time with sponsor pledges, just email ree.rockbodz@clear.net.nz ALL PROCEEDS GO TO ARTHRITIS NEW ZEALAND.  TRAINING   I am lucky that I'm a Personal Trainer as this cuts down on costs. I also have a great little gym set up at home so this also saves money and I can train any time of the day or night. I've devised an awesome program to kickstart my journey.   My Rheumatoid is pretty bad at the moment so have to train so I don't damage my joints.   This first program blitzes each muscle group over 3 days:   Chest and Triceps 3 days in a row Rest Day Legs 3 days in a row Rest Day Back and Biceps 3 days in a row Rest Day Legs 3 days in a row Rest Day Shoulders 3 days in a row Rest Day Legs 3 days in a row   Performing 3-4 exercises per muscle group, different exercises each day. Never repeating an exercise. Legs follow each upper body day as my rheumatoid is bad in my upper body more than lower so this allows for more recovery time.   I do 30-40 minutes of cardio each morning as this frees up my joints so I can move better and I do another 30 minutes at night once the kids are in bed. This is my unwind time.Abs are done after each cardio session. Achieving 500 per day.  A TYPICAL DAY    My days are always full on. I do a lot of activities with my children in the mornings, Then my son goes to kindy and I spend one on one time with my daughter.   My husband works long hours and lots of night shift so I have to be super organised so he has meals etc ready to take with him, and so we get to spend some time together through the week. Poor guy has his whole daily diet worked out and packed for him, (otherwise I know he'll stop at MacDonalds on the way to work). My workouts fit in around my children and joint pain. Most workouts are done at night.   I usually crawl into bed about 10.30-11 oclock and read a good thriller.    THE RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS  The R.A has flared up real nasty. Seems to flare up at this time of year. Maybe its the heat? lack of sleep? or possibly all the milkybar chocolate I have been eating. I'm in the process of adding a new drug to my cocktail. The side effects freak me out and the script usually sits in my wallet for a week or 2 while I get the courage to start taking it.This drug has 1 in 5000 chance of damaging my eyesight, it makes you feel so ill, dizzy, hair loss etc. After another week of intense pain I decided to start taking it. Unfortunately it takes 6-8 weeks to start working. Training is great. I am pain free for 2 hours after I have trained and can move a lot better. Sex also relieves the pain for a few hours. How great would it be if I could just train and have sex all day,  lol.  There can't be nasty side effects to that antidote!!!  TRAINING AND BEING A MUM Sticking to a routine is the best thing you can do when you have children and you want to fit in workouts.   I spend an hour with the kids first thing each morning, then set them up with an activity while I do my cardio. I make sure I interact with them while I'm doing it and I don't hesitate to stop if they need me. This has made them respect what I'm doing and not resent it. They usually help me with my Ab's (which is getting harder the heavier they get). I have a childrens area off my gym so they are close by if I train while they are awake. Some days are harder to focus than others but the children only see the positives related to exercising, again so they learn and respect what I do.       DIET At the moment its a BIG struggle to eat enough, mainly because the drugs I have to take make me feel so sick.   I always have 6 eggwhites, 1 whole egg and 2 vogels toast for breakfast with my first lot of pain killers etc. Then I make myself have a Protein Drink and banana for lunch.   If I'm feeling o.k I'll have a feed of oats and egg whites again.   When I'm due to take my next lot of  painkillers etc I'll have some crackers and cheese then dinner is usually always steamed veggies and chicken or steak.   I enjoy having fresh fruit salad for desert. Whatever I feel like eating I usually have so I can keep my calories up.   I try very hard each day to keep my water intake up to help my body handle everything.   Well that's all about me and my plans for the next 30 weeks. Please get behind my cause with your pledges, donations and lots of motivation. I will be updating regularly with progress reports for the fundraising and an honest diary lead up to a figure contestants competition day. Remember this : Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don't recognise them !!

Maria - on stage (centre) at the Taranaki's in Nov 07. She will be competing again this September in Masterton. Follow her progress and cause.

Maria Dunlop - 30th November 2007 07:41am

Maria Dunlop provides a post- Taranaki event update.     Before competing, she provided insights of her preparation, and also her personal battles with rheumatoid arthritis (scroll down for her previous profile).     At the Taranaki's 07, she placed third in her category.      Here is Maria's report on her experiences of the day, post-event life and plans for 08.     WHAT WAS COMPETITION DAY LIKE?   Maria: Comp day was so much fun.I had a friend over from Aussie who visited me the night before and so I didn't get to bed until after midnight.     My day started at 5am so I could get ready slowly and stress free. I went and picked up my partner in crime, who was competing in the bodyfitness class, at 6am and we finished off our tans etc. We had pre-registered the night before so there was no rush to get to the venue.   Once at the comp we wanted to relax and mingle and absorb the whole atmosphere. We caught up with some people we hadn't seem for a while and made lots of new aquaintances.   I was competing in the Senior figure over 35years so I got to be on stage early incase the Rheumatoid flared up. This worked really well.   I enjoyed eating Kumera, bananas, rice cakes and then a little chocolate before I went on. I still watched how much water I drank. My aim here was not to shock the body to much by changing anything which again could flare up the arthritis.   We ended up with a room full of lovely competitors and there was a lot of helping each other, laughing, sharing tips and stories etc. It was great.     WHAT WAS IT LIKE ON STAGE?   On stage was fantastic.   I felt very pleased. I chose to wear lower shoes so I could pose properly. This did make me look heaps shorter than the other ladies in my class but I didn't mind as I performed well. Everything went how I had visualized it. I really enjoyed the music playing softly as we did our compulories.   I was just as prepared come the night show. My routine went well and I felt like I had climbed the biggest mountain. What I achieved was amazing considering my illness. I have never been so proud of myself as I was at that moment.   Below: Maria - Centre - on stage at the Taranaki's.   WHAT DID YOU DO POST EVENT?   After the comp we went upstairs to the after-function but my Rheumatoid had set in, in one foot and the pain was unbearable. My husband was going to take me up to the hospital but I said it would be such a mission trying to explain what I had been doing, why I was covered in lots of brown stuff, with lashes ready to fall off and hair looking a bit like bed hair with all the hair spray in it, so we went home and I survived on whatever pain killers we could find.  The next day I was fine which meant that I was just over tired.     Next comp I do I will make sure I chill out more during the day and get a good night sleep the night before. I relaxed on Sunday but on Monday I got up and started my routine cardio and weights like I had been doing.This formula is keeping me healthy and reasonably pain free.   I enjoyed eating whatever I wanted for a week but the R.A played up so I'm back to a real clean diet with the occasional treat. This is hard but I'd much rather be without pain than eating whatever. Some doctors say that diet doesnt effect R.A but thats just not true, not in my case anyhow.     WHAT ARE YOUR OFF SEASON GOALS?   My plan for the off season is to get into some power programs and start to put on a little more muscle.   I need to stay in control of my eating and constantly stay as stress free as possible. I have great methods and strategies in place to do this.What I have learnt this last year has been priceless.   Once the NABBA calendar is out I might try one of their comps.     I have been with the NZFBB for 10 years and would like to try something new and see some new faces.     If not I might aim for the NZFBB Nationals but I'd really like someone to buddy up with. My partner in crime is off to live in Aussie and I think it is far more enjoyable  and motivating to have someone else doing it with you. Someone to practise posing with etc.       HOW'S YOUR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS BEEN THROUGH ALL THIS?   My R.A was pretty good throughout this whole process. The night of the comp was the hardest.   I was very pleased with the recipe I used and the outcome. My husband said if we go away to a comp out of town we need to make sure we know how to get to the nearest hospital ( he is so supportive ).     WHAT'S NEXT?   I am going to use this chance to raise money for Arthritis New Zealand as I countdown to my next competition. Much like the kids do with the 40 hour famine but my sponsorship will be in months not hours. So over the next month or so I will be setting my goals in concrete and kick starting the plan.   Anyone interested in sponsoring me to help Arthritis New Zealand can contact me at ree.rockbodz@xtra.co.nz   FINALLY ......   Maria says:   "THERE IS SO MUCH MORE TO THIS SPORT THAN MEETS THE EYE. LEARN FROM THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF OTHERS AND ADD THIS KNOWLEDGE TO YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE.   THE HUMAN POTENTIAL IS AMAZING. WE ARE SO MUCH MORE INCREDIBLE THAN WE THINK WE ARE.   Happy training, Merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year.

Maria Dunlop placed third in the over 35yrs Figure Category

Evelyn Walsh - 27th October 2007 08:05am

Evelyn's Post-National Update   Taranaki's Evelyn Walsh won her section at the NZFBB Nationals - Novice Figure Short. She has been posting candid updates on this site - her training, eating and thoughts about competiting and life in general (scroll down for earlier updates). She had two goals -  to compete at the Nationals (now accomplished) and the Taranaki's (in a few days time).