A Day In The Life

Every wondered what it's like to live a day in the life of someone else? I have. Normally I dream about being rich, a little famous (not too much because I'm crap at doing makeup/hair before I step out the door), and having my own private chef, gardener and assistant. So I don't imagine that there is anyone in the world who would actually dream what it's like to be in my humble shoes...however I'm going to give you a day's worth anyway. Cos I can. Cos it's my blog.

Here is a typical day in my little life. Weird as it is at the moment.

0130 Wake just a little to remind myself that the alam will be going off at 0545.

0145 Another little nudge to self that alarm is going off earlier than usual today.

0230 Quick peek at the clock to see if it's any closer to 0545.

0300 Damn - 0545 is rolling in fast!

0345 Blimin tired now.

0430 Shit and blast. Only 1.25 hours of sleep left!

0545 While finally in a deep, deep sleep, alarm goes off. So not fair!

0545.01 Leap out of bed in my one moment of strength. Straight into clothes that are laid out next to bed. It's freezing here right now so I have long socks, track pants, thermal t-shirt, sweatshirt and hat. I can't face doing hair so early so I reign it in and literally stuff it under cap.

0547 Very quietely brush my teeth. Can't do anything or go anywhere with morning breath. Always remembering that ensuite pipes back onto small son's room so I have to forgo moisture. It's a dry brush today.

0550 Grab a pair of sports socks and stuff them over hands. I have no mittens and this will have to do. Yesterday I thought my hands would snap off after becoming frozen in snow blizzard (exaggeration).

0552 Out the door. Hard turn right down path to park. 180 degree turn when realising that the park sprinklers were on. They are ruthless and accurate and being sprayed with icy cold water at 0552 is not cool. Head down the road instead.

I'm walking fast. Too fast. I'm not allowed to run and I'm trying to stick to the rules, but find I walk just under a run..which isn't good for the body. My first ever 'walk-not-run' was for one hour and I clocked up close to 6km. Which is quite good considering I had to motivate a 10 and 8 year old to keep up. Then had to carry the 8 year old on my back for 2km because she had a sore stomach due to not being able to find a private spot for a quick toilet break. An extra 23kg (thank god she's a light 10 year old!!) made it a truly gruelling walk and I woke the following day with sore shins, heels and toes. Have since figured that it's ok to walk when I'm walking.

0625 Have made it to the first bridge past 'The Cow' (it's actually a bull but everyone in Katherine calls it 'The Cow'. I know it's a cow because my son jumped up and started to 'milk' it last week, and then I noticed that he didn't actually have hold of it's udders!!!). Keep walking to the next bridge.

I've passed two people walking dogs, and been 'beeped' out of the way by a couple of keen riders. I've blurted "hullo" to them all but only received one "hullo" back. Thought they were being rude but later remembered that most people these days have ipods in their ears and can't hear a thing. They are all forgiven.

0655 Home to warmth!!! Treat myself with a cup of hot coffee, using soy milk only. Woohoo - just remembered it's 'Dairy Free Week'!!! Happy days.

0715 Whizzing up; 2 x scoops of WPC (protein combination), 1tsp vital greens (a concoction of green everything!! Looks like spirulina powder but tastes better...should do at $170 p/kg!!!), and a couple of cubes of ice to keep it interesting. Sit at computer and read paper while sipping brekkie. Yum!!

0719 Brekkie over. Battle with 2 kids to get them ready for school. Arguments galore over uniforms, lunches, dishes, breakfast, shoes, socks, hair, teeth...and anything else we can scream at each about before we walk out the door.

0750 Big kids off to school. Smiles on their dials - no one would ever imagine the chaos, tears and yelling we just completed behind closed doors. Ahhh - thank goodness for doors!

0815 Out the door with child #3. Check for the following: work bag, diary, new clothes for post workout, training belt, gloves, supplements, towel, water, training schedule, phone, glasses, lunchbox, nut paste, child #3 and car keys. Race back inside to down 2 x flaxseed caps, 1 x multivitamin & a chewable vitamin C (Vit C linked to skin elastisity - am eating them like crazy to get bum skin tight!!).

0830 Child in creche. Client #1 arrives. Have a brilliant workout.

0930 Client #2. Another fab 60mins.

1030 Scheduled Break. Race to work kitchen & grab 100g of cooked, diced chicken from fridge. Nuke for 20seconds to take cold edge off. Mix with tsp of nut paste (OMG it's soooooo goood!!!!) and scoff the whole lot in about 8 seconds.

1045 Next client please!! Thank god for my clients - they keep me sane.

1145 Time for me. Organise my water, down my creatine, start loading up with BCAA's (amino acid recovery drink) and choose workout. Crap. It's chinups and chest today. You already know the chinup story and it's pretty much the same drama each and every session. But I labour through and feel great and it's done. The rest is systematic; Incline press, pressups, flies, bench press. 5 sets. 15 reps per set. I try to fit in another 20min walk on the treadmill but am fighting my mind. Want to go home!!! Need to get the 'cardio' in. Won't tell you which of them won the battle!

1330 Done. Absolutely and utterly done. Nothing left. Hungry, tired, sore & ready for home. Down another shaker full of protein and glutamine for recovery.

1345 Home now. Throw 75grms silken tofu under the grill. Feeling cheeky so splash a little soya sauce on top. Bad move. Sauce burns and it all looks like a charred mess in no time. Too bad. No time to recook. Mix it with steamed green veges and 25g (do you know how ridiculously small 25grms of anything is??????????????) pink salmon (from a can - you know the sort - complete with little vetebraes!!!) and down it in 10 secs flat.

1410 Cup of coffe. Soy milk only but who cares. It's coffee. Truth is, it's not 'on the list' but I'm a rebel. I drink it anyway. Quick read of the online paper, facebook and emails while sipping my soy gold! Swallow 3 fish oil tabs.

Time to catch up on some washing and tidying up.

1430 Big kids home. Homework is out and on the table. Fighting begins. #3 always picks this time to be extra naughty. Ditch homework and give them iceblocks instead. I didn't every propose to be mother-of-the-year did I!! Clean up the instantaneous mess these 3 create after 5 mins home. Pick up discarded and filthy socks, pick up a trail of schoolbooks and arty pictures, undo lunchboxes containing a veritable explosion of yoghurt!!

1500 Crap. Forgot to get dinner done. Start peeling veges. Anything for the kids. For me; savoy cabbage, zucchini, green capsicum, brussel sprouts & broccoli - there's a pattern here. It's green, green, green!! Feeling ruddy hungry while preparing so help myself to some nice, long, crunchy stems of celergy. Wacky doo!!

1530 Round up kids and their karate outfits. Make extra sandwiches as snacks for kids at Bootcamp. Finish dinner prep and get rooms ready for bed.

1615 Kids out the door and down to the Bootcamp oval. Love Bootcamp and the kids love it to. Tried to leave #3 at home one evening and he sobbed the whole hour so it's become a punishment to stay at home. Love the fact that our children are immersed in healthy activities all the time.

1616 Race back inside and grab 10 (that's Ten, not eleven!!) almonds. Naughty as I am, I grab about 10 sultanas too - they are a no-no but again, I'm a rebel. Slowly munch on these 20 little morsels and make them last as long as I can.

1800 After setting up, my team arrives. I'm hungry and a bit wound up. No worries at all - just start motivating others and I find all of my energy back again. Have NEVER finished a bootcamp feeling like crap. Always revitalised and grateful for the hour.

1830 Walk in the house after Bootcamp. Can smell the cooking dinner and start salivating. It's not my dinner by the way - it's next door. Kids straight into shower. Unpack car. Cook dinner and feed kids. Clean up yet again. Kids to bed by 1900-1930 so it's story time and listening to anything new that must be explained to me...right on bed time. Listen to complaints of headaches and sore tummies...that did not appear at any other time than the aforementioned bed time. Deal with ailments and moans and finally crack it and yell at them all to shuddupandgotasleep!!!

1930 Make lunches and prepare dinner. 150g for me, 200g for Rob (sorry honey - you're in there with me on this one!!) of chicken. Stirfry in a dry pan. Add pre-cut veges and stir-fry the living hell out of them all. A bit of rice or bread for Rob but none for me. Try to fit in tomorrow's school lunches at this time too. Never can find time in the morning and the bad sammies reflect the rush which makes me feel guilty. Better to do it the night before. Or teach kids how to do it themselves!!

2000 Dinner. It takes a surprisingly short time to eat 150g of protein with some veges. How sad. Finish and complete programs and preparations for the next day. Answer emails and have another look at the posing bikinis and the colours available - will the decision ever be made? I'm not sure!

2042 Pill time. 3 x fish oil, 2 x glucosamine with chrondroitin (impressed???), 1 x cholorophyll, 1 x multivitamin. Magnesium in water should follow....but often doesn't. All powdered and pill'ed out.

2045ish Dessert. Oolala!!! 350ml soya milk, 1 scoop soy protein powder, 1tsp vital greens, 2 cubes of ice and a good whizzer!! This is the highlight of my evening and I enjoy every last slurp!!!

2100 Cup of tea. Soy milk.

2130 BED!!!! This is actually an early night. Lately it's been about 2230 but we're bringing it back in due to excessive yawning noticed in the afternoons.

2132 Have a quick moan about the things I didn't get done today. On the top of the list is posing practice and organsing a massage for these very tight shoulders. Hector the posing-trainer says I look like one of those robot dancers from the 80's - all stiff and tight. Thanks Hector.

Mental note to deal with these issues in the morning. Quick chuckle to self at the fact that I will probably not remember at all and will spend tomorrow night thinking exactly the same thoughts!! Why? Because I've been meaning to do both things for the past five days to no avail.

2140 Have a read of the latest Mens Fitness magazine. Let mind wander to how I could integrate some of those ideas into client workouts. "Would it be too mean to make him do 20 Turkish Getups on each arm using kettlebells? Hell no. He'll love it! Done!" And he did do it - and I'm sure he loved it!!

2200ish Sleep arrives.

2345 Just checking the time. Gotta wake up a little early tomorrow for the morning walk......