Operation Picture Panic

Well hello hello. Welcome back. Nice to see you all again!

Today, Gym Ninja has spent a total of 6 hours (possibly more in fact) driving to and from The Lake District today. The joys of a sales rep role! However it was a lovely sunny day & GN only had to take one call from Muppet the Line Manager so it wasn't too bad. Plus, Gym Ninja had prepared a healthy tuna salad to take out with her in her mini cool bag, along with the trusty Promax Diet protein bars and organic apples. Yum! No chance of Gym Ninja going hungry eh?

Now weirdly, the night before as Gym Ninja was prepping her food for the day ahead (always wise to pre-plan your meals and prepare the night before to prevent 'ahhhr I'm starving and there's nothing suitable here to eat so I shall shove that cake down my neck' type moments) she was listening to her favourite Fitness Podcast...you've heard Gym Ninja mention it before? The FitCast podcast. It's downloadable on iTunes or via their website at www.thefitcast.com  (click on that link for info). Gym Ninja has been listening to it for the past couple of years and had a fair backlog of weekly podcasts to catch up on. It was these podcasts that kept Gym Ninja from going insane on long commutes, whilst educating her in nutrition and exercise...oh & making her laugh too!

So..Ok where was Gym Ninja? Right,.... listening to the most recent Episode entitled Episode 176: Steve Cotter & The Shrimp That Almost Killed Leigh  (& if that title alone doesn't get you checking it out then you're dead from the neck up!) whilst prepping the food for the next day. Yep? OK...so...Gym Ninja had prepped the salad and had now begun to do her usual trick of slicing and cubing up the Promax Diet bar, before sealing it in a plastic bag. The reason GN does this, as well you know, is to make the fab chocolate orange taste last longer. You see, the  past ex-fat-kid in Gym Ninja would normally  'inhale' the Promax Diet Bar she eats things so quickly if she left it whole which is why the cubed version works so well ...when whaddayaknow? The FitCast host Kevin Larrabee started to go on about his old school chum's mum who used to cut up chocolate bars and make him and his friend share a bar between them.

"Who cuts up stuff like that?" Said Kevin, incredulously...

Gym Ninja stopped dicing her Promax protein bar and looked down at it in all its chocolately and chopped up glory in the very way Kevin had mentioned....

Er...  Gym Ninja does! ?!?! Why? Scroll down to the pep talk at the end... ;-)

Anyhow, as this podcast was a marathon 2 and a half hours long it meant that having listened to some great info on how to teach a client to eat clean for life , Gym Ninja could squirrel away the rest of the podcast for the long drive the next day. Fantastic!

So, back to today and Gym Ninja is ensuring she eats every 2-3 hours from her box of clean food as she drove.  After 2 and a half hours of driving, GN is nearly at her destination and is now driving past beautiful green fields filled with cows and sheep...and more sheep....and even more sheep...and .....a rhino?

WHAT?

Gym Ninja looked again. Yep. A rhino was walking around a field...and nearby strode a giraffe. IN THE LAKE DISTRICT! In the UK!   Of course yes, it was a zoo, but seriously, how unexpected was that?

That evening Gym Ninja headed to the gym for a cardio session. No cardio had been done since Sunday (only weight training Mon and Tues) so Gym Ninja planned a 10 minute fast run, followed by 10 minutes at a 7% incline of 1 minute run:1 minute walk intervals, finished off with another 10 minutes fast running.  However, t'was not the cleanest of gyms today...look what was on the X Trainer when Gym Ninja did her pre-run warm up?

GYM GUM!

Ewwwwwwwwwww! Someone elses gym stuck on the X Trainer console. Bleurrh!

Anyhow, the reason for the title of today's Ninja blog is thus...(tis something of a fragmented blog today)....is that today Gym Ninja has booked in for her first Fitness Photoshoot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*gasp*

Yep. Gym Ninja needs photos for her Personal Training website and publicity stuff, and so has managed to track down a photographer who can give her the look she has in mind...

So now? Now, unless it grew out of the ground, had a face or was engineered by Maximuscle, then it will NOT pass Gym Ninja's lips. In exactly 21 days time (on 12th May) the photoshoot is happening. The workouts from hell are about to begin!   

*pep-talk alert* 

You see, there is NO REASON why you cannot aim to have the best body you can! Do you want it enough? Do you want to be fit, healthy and full of energy more than you want that donut? Huh? Yep, thought so!  Gym Ninja has to set an example. Gym Ninja was a fat kid. A greedy kid. A laaaaaazy kid. The latter 2 of these 3 things are still effectively true. Gym Ninja can be lazy and greedy! But Gym Ninja is no longer fat. Gym Ninja wants health more than the chocolate bars and the sugar coated cereal and the sitting down on the sofa every night dunking biscuits into her mug of tea. Gym Ninja wants to make the most of her life and that means making sure her body is as fit and healthy as it can be. Ironically, Gym Ninja is now in the best shape she has ever been in. 

Think about it. 

Gym Ninja is today, the OLDEST she has ever been, and yet her body is in better shape now than say, 10 years ago!

Does that seem weird? Most people expect to age and to look worse or their body to start to sag/gain fat/lack tone. LISTEN to Gym Ninja. That is not aging! That is LACK OF USE!  Lack of use and lack of CARE! Do not blame your age. Blame your own actions. Blame your actions, accept the blame and plan your way out to optimal health and a fantastic body (aren't the side effects of taking care of yourself great eh??) 

So....are you ready to claim your best body ever yet.....? 

Gym Ninja x

FitCast 'Fame'

On a spur of the moment, prior to leaving the house on her Sunday run, Gym Ninja decided to email The FitCast regarding some advice she required. After all, who better to go to for advice than the FitCast?

Now for those who have never heard of The FitCast, you need to go check it out via the link I posted under their name just now, or via iTunes. It is a fantastic weekly podcast on all things health & fitness related. New exercise techniques, nutrition, supplements, injuries, latest trends..you name it, they cover it, and they also do a weekly mail bag so listeners can call in and ask the experts (and they do have some big name experts on their show). This is exactly what Gym Ninja did...she needed some advice/guidance on what type of equipment to buy for her new mobile Personal Training business and who better to ask than these guys?

So, about 37 minutes in to the latest episode, 172, imagine Gym Ninja's delight when her email was read out and they gave her some advice. Gym Ninja even signed it off with her blog signature 'Toodle Pip' that completely baffled the American guy Kevin Larrabee who presents the show.  Fantastic, lol!  It's podcasts like these that give accurate, up to date quality information that's so beneficial for anyone out there wanting to further their knowledge and stay up to date with the latest fitness industry info. You've 172 episodes online waiting for you to start educating yourself with. Scroll through and start with the topics that jump out at you, or do what Gn did and start from Episode 1. Perfect for commutes, if you have to drive for a living, or just want something to listen to as you work out or do housework/chores/gardening. It's not 'high brow' but done at a very accessible level, so even if you are just starting out on your quest to get in shape you'll understand what they say. Oh and it's funny too!  You'll learn LOTS!

Then today, again spur of the moment, Gym Ninja realised that it is Easter this weekend (duh!) and that if she wants her regular order of Maximuscle supplements to arrive in time for next week at the FitPro Spring Convention (well, Gym Ninja always travels with a healthy supply stash) she'd best place the order as it won't arrive magically of it's own accord!!!!

So Gym Ninja ordered what she deemed the 'basics' for travelling with. Gym Ninja ordered a box of Maxi-Milk (so she can quaff those during the long lectures), a box of Promax Diet Bars (again, easy to carry should she get hungry travelling or 'learning' ....and a fairly new addiction of GNs) and of course the obligatory box of Promax Crisp Bars (Happy Easter present to oneself!).  That order was placed at 11.30am today.

By 2.30pm Gym Ninja received an email..to tell her that her Maximuscle order HAD BEEN DISPATCHED!

WOW!

No need to have panicked eh? Is it just Gym Ninja, or does anyone else think that is an incredibly rapid service?

Gym Ninja also decided to try and track down a telephone number so she could contact Vistaprint about her incorrect business card order. After all, what is GN supposed to do with 250 cards in the wrong colour?  After much searching, she found an 0800 number and was put through to somewhere 'far away'. Gym Ninja explained the problem...that the preview had shown a white background but the cards arrived with a blue background and GN had needed them urgently for this weekend.

The Vistaprint girl checked and saw that the preview did indeed show white..and then also found that the 'proof' document also online (what? Where IS the proof?) showed blue. The girl then went and put GN on hold for 10 minutes...oooer. This isn't boding well!

When the girl came back she admitted that for some reason the upload had caused the background to change and that as it was their fault they would rectify it and dispatch urgently free replacement cards (well, they aren't really free are they seeing as Gym Ninja paid for 250 freaky blue cards) and that they will be with Gym Ninja on Friday.
Wow.
Impressive seeing as the Post doesn't get delivered on Friday (or does it?). Fingers crossed they arrive looking perfect!

So, although it is a few days away, what does everyone have planned over Easter? is it just Gym Ninja, or does anyone else see Bank Holidays as extra bonus time at the gym?  Admittedly due to the final weekend of exams (eeek) Gym Ninja cannot attend her usual Saturday Slaughter Session, so will cane it Friday instead. Let us call it a Fearsome Friday FitDay. What does that entail? Hmm, GN has no clue as of yet but will soon plan something suitably hardcore so she starts Easter in a fit and healthy way. What will you do on Fearsome Friday FitDay?  GN does not partake in chocolate (unless it's wrapped around a Maximuscle bar or in a Maximuscle shake) so Easter Eggs are not a temptation, so staying on track will be fairly easy. That'd be unless someone puts some bunny ears on a box of Promax Crisp Bars.....

Toodle Pip (!)

Gym Ninja x

Gym is the Tonic!

www.tarafitness.com Before Gym Ninja starts today's blog, allow her to offer a Clown Watch update:

Clown Watch:
Hair is still 'essence of parrot' akin to hair of a clown. After much boosting of nerves, Gym Ninja bit the bullet & rang to ask her hairdresser to correct it. Hairdresser is off until Thursday.......Noooooooooooooooooooo!

So...today was all up & down, highs & lows, back to fronts and Parrot hair. Understand?
Nope?
OK, so essentially Gym Ninja is still distracted with 'other private goings on', but also distracted by her clown hair, aka Parrot Hair. But today's blog is NOT about hair of the clown you'll be pleased to hear. Today Gym Ninja fought back her fear of being seen with the clown hair, and went to the gym.

OK, so maybe she wasn't that brave. Maybe it was because she thought (thought being the operative word here) that she'd packed her baseball cap. But when she got into the changing rooms, no cap was found. It was instead, still sitting on the end of the stairs bannister at home. *Gulp*

Needing to run off the stress of the day, Gym Ninja again decided to get a push elsewhere and again did the iTrain workout of sprint intervals for half an hour. Gym Ninja really needs to upload more of her iTrain library into her iPhone or else she'll get mega bored of this running session with it's naff music. Luckily one is too busy sweating her eyeballs out to notice the music that much...so the job was done, endorphins were released and Gym Ninja even managed to ignore (for the most part anyway) the woman on the cross trainer in front of her who had so much 'bounce' going on that she feared her head may bang the ceiling at one point!

GN then started her weights session. T'was Upper Body today. The shoulder is virtually 100% back to normal, although Gym Ninja is still playing it carefully and not overloading too heavily on anything that may set it back a bit. Good Gym Ninja!

Gym Ninja really does need blinkers at the gym sometimes. As much as she was trying to focus on her ow training, she was distracted by a number of things.

SHOAL! Yep, The Shoal was in again everyone. A group of 4 young girls all moving in unison as one gaggle of girls. 1 did half-hearted moves on a piece of resistance equipment whilst the others sat on the surrounding equipment using them like chairs whilst watching the leader train. Then, they'd all swap places. Must take em days too finish a workout!

Of course it wouldn't be a day with a Y in it if there wasn't someone on the Chest press machine using the Easy Start Pedal as part of the exercise now would it? That goes without saying.  There were a few new moves though. One woman decided to always stand in the most awkward of places wherever anyone needed to get past. She positioned a Swiss Ball bang next to the free weight stack, and then just bounced up and down on it for a while. A bit like that 0898 advert (or whatever the dial prefix is nowadays) you see on late night satellite TV with a girl in a bikini bouncing on a space hopper mouthing "call me big boy!" She (the woman at the gym, not the one on the advert!) then grabbed some dumbbells, lay back on the ball and waggled them around for a while. Next, she stood up, grabbed a dumbbell inbetween her hands, raised them up above her head as if about to murder someone with it, and then nearly tipped backwards as the dumbbells lowered themselves without any control from her, behind her head in a sort of triceps extension. Cute! She followed this up with a tug-o-war using the high pulley cable machine & the rope attachment. Gym Ninja thins it again was supposed to be an attempt at a triceps move. It wasn't. If anything it would have worked her lats and maybe biceps...but mostly momentum.


Gym Ninja listened to the latest edition of the freebie Podcast, 'The FitCast'. You should really subscribe on iTunes to it if you haven't already as they discuss all the latest developments and tips in the fitness industry. Very informative it is too, if you can stop giggling at the bits where they make each other laugh.

After her workout and cool down stretches, Gym Ninja mixed up her Chocolate Maximuscle Promax protein powder to help maximise what she'd just done at the gym. God, Gym Ninja seriously misses Choc Mint flavour. Oh and she's not as of yet tried the powders now rebranded for women by the same company, called Maxitone. Gym Ninja is waiting for Tara to try that and then review them: you all know Tara and her blog now don't you? We're all chums together here after all. Shame Tara didn't steal Gym Ninja some freebies eh Tara? Shame on you! ;-)

Hmm, Gym Ninja needs to stock up on some stuff actually. She may as well pootle off to the Maximuscle website in a moment. Choc Mint Protein powder plus a tub of Creatamax 300 is a callin'! Must also have a mooch and see what offers are on special this month too.

Anyway, Gym Ninja digresses....Oooh talk of the devil, Tara has just sent Gym Ninja a link on Facebook..must go peruse it! Oh and seeing as GN doesn't have comments activated on her blog, maybe any kind readers who also want Gym Ninja to try some Maxitone freebies would suggest that on Tara's blog comments for her please? After all, Tara is a Maxitone Body of 2009 finalist and if anyone can nab a free water bottle it's her...

Mwahahahha! Sorry about that Tara!!!!

Ok, toodle pip. Clown Hair is making Gym Ninja feel 'funny'...

Gym Ninja Clown x

Quickie Ninja!

Sorry.

Gym Ninja does not know where the time went today so cannot blog full-sized as it is now nearly tomorrow! Busy busy!

However, today, courtesy of listening to The Fit Cast Podcast (find it on iTunes or follow them on Facebook here) she looked up FitDay, a free calorie nutrition log online. Now yeh, Gym Ninja knows a lot of you already know about it. However, she didn't ok?  So she has filled most of it out today and fears it may be another thing computer-related she finds leaches time off her! Worth it though! It's surprising where the sneaky calories add up! It's hard to lie to oneself about what one eats when one has to write it all down. More about this in the coming days...

Gym Ninja signed the final bits of paperwork to adopt her Mini Cooper today too! Now all she hopes for is that the finance people get a wriggle on and sort the spondoolies Thursday so she can go play swapsies and trade in her BMW and collect her new baby! Bless the Mini Showroom guy! 

"Anything else you wanna buy mate?" He asked, knowing full well Gym Ninja is prone to pointing and saying "me want!" She'd already sat there as the Parrot Guy came into the showroom to install her parrot. Aww, Gym Ninja always wanted a parrot you know. Not the bluetooth version in her car. No, she always asked Father Christmas for a real 'stuffed dead' parrot. Yep. Cute kid eh? Oh and no, she never got one so sadly couldn't fulfill her dream of being a 6 year old pirate. *sigh* 

Oh and before she goes, she wants those of you she's not already coerced into playing, to play 'The Mini Adventure' Game. Spot as many minis out and about between 6am and 6pm as possible. Play with a friend. Text or email your totals. Pathetic yet strangely absorbing. 

Ok, bed time for me!  

Gym Ninja in brief x