fair dinkum

A typical Australia Day for me involves getting together with friends to drink and indulge in a good bout of cringe-worthy (read bogan-esque) behaviour.

This year, however, I was on a farm in country Victoria with a few blokes who'd been slaving away in the sun all day, listening to Triple J's hottest 100. There were a few drinks, a good feed and, of course, the tennis. It was nice being away from the crowds, festivities and fireworks.

While the parades in the city were all about a modern and multicultural Australia - an Australia I live and breathe every day - it was nice to experience something different, something considered quintessentially Australian.

My day started in the city, where I haphazardly managed a morning run under the brooding sky. (I wanted to enjoy Australia Day without guilt but my body wasn't in a cooperative mood.)

After stocking up on supplies I headed to the farm and was greeted by glorious sunshine and sunburnt pastures. It was a postcard worthy view.

The scenery had a surprising effect on me - I felt enchanted. It was beautiful and unforgiving and vast. I have lived in Australia my whole life, seen a fair bit of the countryside, but there was something so captivating about the vibrant, albeit lifeless, landscape.


I should admit that this is not the first time scenery has tugged at my emotions on Australia Day. Previously, I cried in the Himalayas while watching the sunrise at a lookout. It was beautiful but I had never felt so far away from everyone I loved and everything familiar to me.

Australia Day 2009

In all honesty I don't know why Australia Day has this effect on me. I am Australian but I would gladly live somewhere else. I think it is a fantastic country but acknowledge that it isn't perfect.

I guess that, like Christmas, it is traditionally a day where people gather with loved ones regardless of their beliefs or backgrounds. And what is there not to like about that.

- Dani

just another mind-numbing, spirit-crushingly boring young person

Let me digress from my transformation journey for a moment. There are a plethora of thoughts running through my head and I need get them out, or at least make them seem orderly. So I hope you will bear with me or ignore me, either is fine.

This is my response to an opinion article recently published in the Sydney Morning Herald.

***

Alecia Simmonds' article describes Gen Y as being "nauseatingly conservative", that they are more concerned with money and "duck-faced photos of themselves on Instagram" than real issues. And to a degree, she is right. But then I think about people I know and, hmm... all of them, regardless of age, are concerned with money and it certainly isn't just the youth flogging Instagram with 'selfies'.

What strikes me as so blatantly ridiculous, is that Alecia appears to be basing her analysis on a lack of student protests. Yes, you read right. The archaic, less than useful act of congregating as a group to 'take a stand' in the hope that public action will lead to further action.

Oh and clearly the Gen Y participants in the recent union protests don't count. (Not that these protests have particularly achieved a lot.)

Perhaps dear Alecia has not realised that Gen Y have decided to approach social change with actions and tools more suited to our contemporary society. It is not that we don't care. We have gotten business savvy and don't mix our drive for change with the need for a sense of belonging. (Read into that what you will.)

Is outrage for the sake of outrage really preferred? Would people rather today's youth just jumped on the bandwagon for whichever agenda was popular in that moment? And if engaging in public protests is the only measure by which we can be deemed to have spirit. Then maybe the word 'spirit' requires a new definition.

I personally know young men and women that are campaigning for change either through fundraising (e.g., to establish a community learning centre in Mto Wa Mbu, Tanzania) or establishing businesses (e.g., a bar sourcing products from developing countries and feeding profits into development projects in those countries).

These people don't spend hours painting large pieces of cardboard or create chants. These people aren't expecting someone else to action change. These people, these young people, are changing the world themselves.

Subtlety might not win you any awards in Alecia's book, but genuine passion and drive to change is what really counts - no matter how you dress it up.

- Dani

everything is falling into place

The last few weeks have been fantastic. I am feeling healthy, happy and almost fit. It is hard to describe how wonderful this feeling is. Furthermore, the bonds with my family and boyfriend have strengthened. My work is constantly challenging and encouraging me. To be honest, life couldn't get much better.

This transformation started after I realised how unbalanced my life was. I'd put on a bit more weight and I was working some pretty long hours at the time. Then I had the thought "If I'm prepared to work this hard in one area of my life, why don't I put in half as much effort into other areas of my life?". At this point, I decided to join the Michelle Bridges 12 week transformation and thus my journey began.

It certainly hasn't been a smooth journey. There have been good weeks and bad weeks. Positive moments and moments of sheer hopelessness. I can honestly say that acknowledging my situation, trying to move beyond my weaknesses and flaws, has been one of the hardest things I have ever done.

People often make excuses because they don't want to take accountability for their actions (or in-action). But I didn't just make excuses, I didn't care. By not caring, I was happy, but my body wasn't.

This body is the only one I've got and I'm going to have it my whole life. And I have treated it so poorly.

When I realised this and realised the behavioural issues ingrained in me that perpetuate this mistreatment, I felt totally shattered. Here I was thinking that I am a capable, dedicated, smart individual, but I couldn't do something as simple as keep my body in good shape. Needless to say, this self-reflection resulted in a lot of tears.

Out of the tears and reflection came something wonderful - knowledge and resolve. I was learning, learning about myself, learning about what I needed to do to get out of this situation. Now by no means am I now a guru on health and fitness, my mind still craves all sorts of things when I know I'd actually prefer something else, but I am better. And I will never stop learning, nor will I want to go through that process again.

Now I'm under 80kg, a milestone I thought I'd reach weeks ago, but I am thrilled regardless. My body shape is different and I am loving it. My attitude has changed, and is continuing to change. Everything has well and truly fallen into place.

This brings me to the main point of this post, and it is a point I'm sure I will need to tell myself time and time again. I also hope it might help just one other person out there.

Don't give up.

Every small improvement you make, even if it isn't a permanent one, will help you. Every over-indulgent snack you turn down, every extra step you take. All of it is worth it. And this applies to anything you want to achieve in life. It might not be the fastest way to reach your goals, but you will make progress.

In a previous post, when I was in struggle-town, I wrote this -

I might be able to make this transformation step-by-fricken-tiny-step. But I have to keep trying. Because even though I'm no where near my goals, I am closer than when I started. I might never have a light bulb moment, but I never want to give up.

And it is so true. I think that this realisation really helped to turn things around for me. I stopped focusing on achieving the perfect transformation, stopped comparing myself to other 12wbters with phenomenal will-power.

So yes, there are crazy, amazing, inspiring people out there who can lose 20kg in 3 months or transition from being a couch potato to a marathon runner. But the people who get on with their lives and make small changes every day, those people are inspiring too.

- Dani

under 80kg (finally!)

I'm back! I spent most of yesterday preparing for the week, trying to get back into a decent routine. Trying to be even more prepared than last year.

As I only had access to scales once during the past two weeks, I decided to weigh myself upon my return and guess what boys and girls... I'm under 80kg!

Yes it has finally happened!

And that weight is never coming back. I will never weight over 80kg again.

My progress has been slow, but I'm feeling pretty confident that I am making life-long changes. Changes that can be sustained and maintained. I'm improving my overall lifestyle.

I have to admit I'm also pretty stoked that I met this milestone after 3 weeks of holiday, 3 weeks of not following any 12WBT plan. It makes me believe in myself. I don't need a program, a celebrity trainer, a specific set of rules to achieve my transformation goals. It just takes good ol' common sense. Something most of us have, we just don't take advantage of it enough.

- Dani

a few words from Japan

Eight fabulous, enchanting nights gone and four more nights left to enjoy. I am loving Japan.

I don't know why but I was expecting less similarities between Japan and Australia. I was expecting a topsy-turvy mind boggling world. But it reminds me a lot of my dear Melbourne, in ways, almost moreso than any other country I've visited.

And not that the Japanese restaurants back home are bad, but the food here is fantastic. (I love Japanese cuisine.)

Every day we are walking kilometre after kilometre. So it comes as no real surprise that I've lost weight. Though, having not followed any of the 12wbt plans for the last 3 weeks, I imagine that my strength and cardio fitness has decreased.

Furthermore, it's nice to be exercising and eating well in a more organic fashion. (Compared to the detailed and planned 12wbt world.)

- Dani

Ps. There will be more detailed posts in the near future (following my return to Aussie soil). If you want to see more pictures, please follow me on Instagram - daniemerson