The day i've been waiting for since March 2015 has finally come!  The girls and I were ready to #sweatwithkayla

I didn't know what to expect other than knowing that Kayla would do her thing and kill us all Haha. Prior to this boot camp i watched the session she did at her Amsterdam Boot Camp and saw how fast paced the session was, so i knew not to over work myself to much during the week to prep myself... and boy was i right!

I felt rushed in the morning, didn't get to make myself a smoothie so i just settled for green tea and cereal topped with blueberries. There was track work on the Western line so we had to catch bus and then change over at Granville station.




When we finally got through the security,  we were greeted with music pumping and a big S W E A T pink letter display and we couldn't help but run up to it and take photos haha. We walked over to the stage and noticed how spacious it was, and even though it looked like we were in a decent spot which seemed like the middle because there was so much more space behind us  (well it might've been just me and my poor poor eye sight) as we arrived there an hour and a half before starting time, but we were actually pretty far. which suddenly made me even more eager to meet Kayla because i wanted to see her properly! When we found our spots, Kayla's boyfriend Tobi came on the stage and introduced himself as the MC and read the terms and conditions of the event as we patiently waited for Kayla.




When Kayla was introduced to come out, everyone was looking at all angles to see where she would come from! People were looking towards the stage, on the sides and down the aisle, (which was where i was hoping for) and then there she was on stage!  She said her hello's and thanked everyone for coming and then just went straight to the warm up exercises that went for about 3 minutes and then a 30 second break  before beginning her circuits.

The whole session went for about 45 minutes including stretches and it was my most intense boot camp yet! She did arms, abs and leg circuits in 30 second intervals 3 times and then did other work out challenges. An example of one of them was Kayla would  split the room into groups and instruct us to do specific exercises for 2 minutes and then swap over.  Some people from Kayla's team were giving away merchandise during the workout, However, whenever they would coincidently walk over to our side, i would be struggling or dying so there was no way i was going to get a freebie that way!

When I recently started BBG 1.0 again for the third time, i started to time myself properly and i try to do the circuits as fast as i possibly can (honestly) but on this day her 30 second intervals felt like 20. I was on struggle street! but Nonetheless, still tried to push through. It didn't help though when most of the exercises she chose were the ones i dreaded the most.. including Snap jump in and outs, burpees and Jump lunges, just to name a few..


By the end of the work out session she made me dislike mountain climbers even more. (It seemed like they were included into almost every round!) Overall, my  favourite circuit was her ab circuit seeing as we were on the floor the entire time, but it was still a killer  because while we were doing those exercises i could definitely feel the burn.

When the struggle was over, we went straight into stretching and cool downs as Kayla talked to us about her journey and BBG. If i was being honest though, I used this time to make more memory on my phone for photos instead of focusing on stretching properly. Oops!

When stretching was finished everyone rushed, ran and sped walked to the front of the stage as Kayla wanted to take  a massive selfie with the crowd and was literally throwing free merchandise! Everyone had their arms stretched out ready to charge. I badly wanted something but i knew there would be no hope given my short arms , reflexes and hopeless catching skills, but my friend Lisa managed to catch a #sweatwithkayla bottle! (Lucky her)

 It was during this time, that i realised the morning and work out session went by so so soo quickly that i really couldn't believe it.

My girls and I quickly came up with a plan where i would run straight to the meet and greet line while they went back to pack our stuff. So when Kayla finished giving her freebies, that's exactly what i did as I decided in that moment, I didn't want to leave without meeting her, even though i didn't know my chances and i actually didn't know what I'd say.

Thankfully we wern't too far down the line but it was still probably a half an hour wait. (You should have seen the HUGE line behind us!) After awhile it  hit me that we were ACTUALLY meeting her. I mentally was NOT prepared. I had all these questions: What do i say to her? Do i take a solo photo? a selfie ? A group photo?  Do i hug her ? How do i tell her she's an inspiration to me? What ? How? ... Just standing in the line was making me so nervous. I tried to compose myself, but on the inside i was freaking out. There was so much i wanted to say to Kayla. I saw people giving her gifts and then it dawned on me i should have wrote her a LETTER as i knew i wouldn't be able to tell her EVERYTHING i wanted to say.


When i went to meet her, the first thing i did was hug her and told her it was amazing to meet her!  Then Lisa and Maree thanked Kayla for the workout and i chimed in with "Yeah you killed us" and she just  laughed and said "I know."  After the photo was taken, I stayed back and i told her about how much she inspires me  She was so down to earth to talk to and took her time with everyone who met her. When she was talking to me, she asked about my Cerebral Palsy and told me how cool it is that i'm doing BBG my own way and then gave me another hug (unfortunately there's no evidence of any of the hugs :( ) . Here's how it roughly went down..

Me: Kayla you are honestly amazing , you are such a huge inspiration to me! I have Cerebral Palsy and i do your workouts and even though i modify some they are amazing (WARNING:  'amazing' is said about about 10 times Haha) 

Kayla: Omg that's amazing you can't even tell just by looking at you!! So what is it that's affected  ?  

Me: Yeah i modify pretty much most of your exercises but i do them the best i can . but its mainly my right side and leg. 

Kayla: so it's mainly your leg. what are they doing to it now, do you go physio or ? 

Me: (in my head: OMG she's asking about me, she's so nice *FREAKS OUT*) 

Me: Yeah well i've had two correctional surgeries because i used to walk on my toe and so they operated and twisted my hip and operated on my right leg.. it's never going to be 100% cured or anything but i'm walking better now than before and working out.

Kayla: No, yeah but it's amazing how you can do these exercises, that's incredible.

Me: Thank you so much!! you're amazing *Hugs goodbye*

Kayla: Thank you so much for coming it was good meeting you! 

Me: you tooo! *omg i actually met her*

Kayla is such a nice and down to earth person to talk to, i wish i wasn't super nervous though and couldn't help being extremely star struck by her, but i was so surprised when she was interested to know more about my Cerebral Palsy. I really wish i could have given her a letter too though but initially i really didn't think I'd actually get to meet her and i was lost for words when i did. 


When i woke up the next morning , i found my arms and shoulders were kiiiillllingggg me the most that I had to take a rest day, seeing as i worked out for 5 days that week anyways.

Below is a little video montage i put together, showing highlights from the day. Enjoy



Overall, i enjoyed the day especially doing another bootcamp with my two friends. It  certainly kicked my butt and gave me the motivation i needed and it was amazing to see all these women come together.  Kayla has done so much for her age at only 24 and i love how even though her exercise guides are called 'Bikini Body Guides' she always emphasises that health and fitness is all about FEELING confident in yourself and reminds girls to enjoy the journey and progress as she posts transformation photos of  girls all different shapes and sizes.

Sure there are similar guides and workouts around, but there's something about the way Kayla presents herself that makes me and so many other girls stay on track with active living. I may mix and match with workouts, but i still incorporate her her guides into my routine.

 Even though the boot camp killed me and it was challenging, i would  definitely go again, so i'm hoping she does another one in the future!

Kayla Itsines Official:

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

So, Who's going?!


What a great and healthy way to kick start the new year!
Hopefully (fingers crossed) i get to meet her too! Kayla's workouts have changed my life for the better, transforming not only my body but my attitude and outlook too and i can't wait to see the rest of the #BBGcommunity come together as a huge team!

Looking forward to recapping this event :)

Yes, I know. So long over due for a post , especially one that  recaps this fantastic event/day. 

Let's start with that early 5am wake up that i  was surprisingly able to do with no hesitation and complaints along with 2 of my other girls, followed by my breakfast berry and banana smoothie with toast and egg to keep me energized through out the morning. The gloomy and cold weather didn't exactly compliment our ready-to go mood and bright active wear for the day though, but we didn't let that be a downer since the event was held under cover anyways.

When we got there we were greeted with pink balloons, tents, free goodies and music already pumping. 10 mins in after settling in our spot and looking around, I could already tell this would be one of those days that would be a memorable one.








The day started off with introduction and motivational talks from Nutritionist Specialist and Phd,  Dr. Libby Weaver followed by Lorna Jane herself. As they spoke, they touched on the current facts and statistics and  emphasised the importance of an active lifestyle and sharing their words of wisdom and encouragement to have confidence to achieve goals. I was in Awe and knew i was in the right place and wanted to be there. Personally, i can never get enough of positive and motivational talks/speeches, even though i may have heard something before countless times, it's always reassuring, especially when it relates to you at the moment it's being said by someone you admire.


The  workout session was run by personal trainers 'Base Body Babes.' After the warm up session, the workouts they had us do were  strength and cardio interval training circuit style . We did two circuits of 5 or so exercises in each, repeating each circuit 2-3 times All was fun until it got to the dreaded Burpees. I could only do 4 each round :(

Everyone was focused on what they were doing, it was a judgement free-zone where we were all just concentrating, but it was pretty cool seeing everyone in-sync with one another and following each other.

The space was pretty large but it was packed out just a few minutes before we started so when the workout session started we had to make room for everyone so there were instances where we would be so close to kicking or whacking the person next to, in front or behind us! Pretty sure my form was a tad off when doing some push ups because i was being wary of my arm space to the people next to me Haha!


 Celebrating Active Nation Day with two my girls also made this day even more incredible! I loved everything about this day and what it entailed, from positive advocacy, active living, encouragement and motivation, Down to  girl power and unleashing confidence! I'm so glad i got to share it with them. These girls,  not only woke up early with me on this day, but  have also been there for me since DAY ONE of my journey. Working out together bought us closer together and i wouldn't have it any other way :) I'm so proud of how we've come.


 The workout session was then followed by yoga, stretch and meditation with 'Activeyogi' AKA: Yoga expert Katie Kendall! I love meditation and i do it whenever i get the chance but i've never done Yoga before until this day and obviously my balance and flexibility skills aren't as up to scratch as most people, but that wasn't going to stop me from making attempts. I nailed the meditation and most of the warm down stretches, but when it got down to the Yoga.. let's just say i couldn't hold in my laughter for some parts because of how much fails i was succeeding at, Haha! I was there putting the wrong foot out in front, my form was all over the place, I couldn't maintain my balance the whole way that i even cheated and used my friend as a leaning post.However, with that being said, i would try again. After all, Practice makes perfect right ?

When that was all over i felt very relaxed especially after meditating, inhaling-exhaling and all the namaste'-ing ;)


 After watching a few testimonial video's and learning more about the establishment of the Lorna Jane brand, people were given the chance to share their active life story and their personal journey's. My girls were nudging me to raise my hand but i was hesitant and unsure, but after hearing the first 2-3 stories, I felt so much good vibes and positive energy radiate through out the room as i was observing the community of girls that have all come together on this day. I was just sitting there listening to all the other stories, taking in everything from the day, and then came that moment... I was suddenly eager and inspired to not only keep going on this journey, but to share my story with everyone else too. So i faced my nerves of public speaking volunteered and raised my hand and got the mic handed to me.  

Whilst talking i got tongue tied and i was super nervous. I just had so much i wanted to say that i started talking with my hands. My words come out better on paper compared to in person so it just felt liberating to say some of those out loud for once and share my journey so publicly like i did. I just felt so much energy. Getting into an active lifestyle has changed my outlook on everything and i've become passionate about it because of the benefits and opportunities it has opened up for me. For a very long time i neglected my health and body. As i was speaking i made mention of Cerebral Palsy but my nerves got to me and didn't really explain it as well as i could have. In a nutshell what i really wanted to say was, as long as you are moving, then you are moving forward and making a change for the better no matter how big or small. Every step counts! Cerebral Palsy will always be a part of who i am but it took me ages to find ways to truly embrace that. It may make me a turtle but it gives me a reason to emphasise the Ability in "Disability." Hearing the other stories from that day  made me realise the wonderful community of support  that came together and i was inspired to share my own story because i felt proud, really inspired and blessed to where i was in that moment on that day. I had my moment of clarity.

Afterwards Lorna Jane herself came up to me to greet me and give me a hug!!!  she pointed at my "make your own rules" shirt and said " I think i made that shirt especially for you."

(Watch Video BELOW - Recorded via: iphone: Blogspot has compressed the quality :( )



I wanted to meet Lorna Jane again afterwards but the line was long and my girls and i were starving so we ended the day looking at the market stalls, headed off to lunch, went shopping for awhile and then headed home. 
---
Just a week ago, ( November 1 2015) there was a segment aired on 60 minutes interviewing Lorna Jane and they were showing footage from this years Active Nation Day and i managed to spot myself @ 6 seconds of the clip below.  Seeing footage from this day just bought back all the emotions i felt that day: Excited, happy, zen and nervous.

Honestly, I think this has got to be ONE OF my highlights for 2015. It was incredible! I went in knowing i would be inspired by other girls and was keen as ever to workout but the positive vibe and energy was so contagious and strong, i was so moved by everything!

So, was my early wake up worth it  ? Yes!!!! :)


Mentions on this post: 


Active Nation Day: www.activenationday.com/

Lorna Jane: www.lornajane.com.au/

Dr. Libby Weaver:  www.drlibby.com/

Base Body Babes: www.basebodybabes.com/

Kate Kendall: http://katiekendall.com.au/

It's that time of year again! Lorna Jane is hosting Active Nation Day for our Sporty Sisters & Brothers. Join us for a fun filled day of exercise, and enjoy the beautiful market stalls with everything they have to offer! Active Nation Day kicks off around the globe on 27 September 2015 where you'll be able to take part in a group fitness class hosted by the World's leading active ambassadors and enjoy the Active Living Market for post-workout rewards. -- "A day that reminds us to reset our health and fitness goals and inspire those around us to do the same and celebrate how amazing being active can make us feel! TOGETHER we can make a positive change and move Australia towards a fitter nation!