Lifting Heavier and Running Faster

Last night was another night of personal bests. It was welcoming, encouraging and made me feel much better, after having not been feeling the best yesterday.

I am having issues of feeling really bloated and blah; although from what I have been reading this is normal post competition. It is really just your bodies’ reaction to the introduction of regular foods back into your diet and eating them more consistently.

So back to the personal bests, I trained my back last night (one of my favorite things to train) and I pushed myself to lift heavier.

My routine was as follows:

*5 sets of unassisted chin-ups (going to failure on each set); I managed 20 total

*3 sets of wide grip pull down superset with straight arm pull down; I managed 120lbs on the wide grip and 80lbs on the straight arm

*3 sets of dumb bell bent over rows; I managed 50lbs each arm

*3 sets of bent over barbell overs; I managed 90lbs

Next I completed my mile run and again beat my best time by 7 seconds; hey, it’s still improvement. My time last night was 7 minutes, 2 seconds. I got my speed on the treadmill up to 10mph; in order to beat this time, I need to start increasing my speed faster. Goal is still to get to Andrew’s record of a 6 minute mile. I am trying to give him a run for his money…lol.

Today is my last day of shift! After today, I am off for 5 days and we are heading out of town. I plan to finish up some Christmas shopping and shop for clothes for myself as well. I need pants and jeans very badly.

Tonight will be a rest night because we have another Christmas get together, I will be staying completely clean for this one however as there is no supper; so I’ll eat before I go and just drink water while there. It’s nice to get out, socialize and I love to dress up as well.

No new changes or news on the diet front. Still staying clean and feeling fit; I am taking my time introducing things back into my diet. Right now I am having a great time with my morning oatmeal, love having my protein shakes back, some pb, my Greek yogurt with berries and a steak here and there.

I am having my first training session in a week with Andrew tomorrow and we are going to work legs. I slowed down a bit on appointments with Andrew since the show, mainly for budget reasons, with it being so close to Christmas. In the New Year, we will get back to our normal routine and at least a couple of appointments a week.

  

I got back some of my stage shots from Photographer Tim Rollans; I’ll share some of them with you below.

Have a great day!

Until next time!

 

Squatting 205lbs

This is the first video I have shared of myself but here I am squatting 205lbs back on July 25th, 2012. My bum was so sore the next day...lol

Hoping to beat this very soon. Go Big or Go Home!!!

Push hard, Lift Heavy and Get out of your Comfort Zone!!

Transformation

I thought it would be a good idea to share some before and after photos.

Here I am February 2010 to November 2012.

There was a lot of sweat and hard work to get here but so worth it.

Accomplishment

Is there any greater reward then the feeling you get after having accomplished something that you have put your mind, focus and energy into for so long?

This past competition (my first) was such an amazing experience. It taught me so much about myself and about what I can do when I put my mind to it.

I was thinking last night about how happy, how proud and how appreciative I am, to have walked into World Gym, Fort McMurray a little over a year ago with the intent of getting my body competition ready and having reached that goal.

I walked in there that first night, nervous; not knowing what to expect from Andrew, how the meeting would go, or if I would survive his work out…lol, but I knew it was time for a change and time to finally figure out how to make one of my dreams a reality.

At that time I was 156lbs and between a size 6-8 and now I am 125lbs and a size 0. Wow! I lift heavy, heavier than I ever thought I could; I mean my personal best squat is 205lbs, my deadlift 225lbs and so on. I can do probably 7-8 good chin-ups in a row. It all seems incredible to me how far I have come.

I have met some new, fantastic, like-minded people along the way; I have gained confidence, knowledge and a true passion for the healthy, clean, natural lifestyle.

And I think that I have also become a happier version of myself. How does that quote go; “you have to make yourself happy first; before you can make others happy”! Not that I was miserable before, but now I feel much more positive.

I am currently the happiest, fittest, healthiest version of myself. I have so much energy, and I only want to get better. So how will I do that? By continuously setting new goals and kicking them in the face; new competitions, beating personal bests, trying new things, completing my personal training certification, taking part in photo shoots, etc.

It is something I am so passionate about. When people ask me about my journey; they always say, I couldn’t do it; I don’t have the willpower for that. Funny thing is you have the willpower and drive inside you; you just have to want it bad enough. For me, it is something I want and definitely something I enjoy!

“One person with passion is better than forty people merely interested." — E. M. Forster.

Burpee Push-up Challenge

Burpee Push-up Challenge

Try this 10 minute challenge and let me know how you do.

Set a timer to count down for 10 minutes and try to complete as many burpee push-ups as possible within that time.

I did this the other day and got 67 total

*Remember this one is a burpee push-up combo*

Burpees are a great total body workout. Try this out and don’t forget to let me know your score.

How to perform burpee push-ups:

Start from a standing position, lowering down into a squat with hands on the floor in front of you
Kick feet back into push-up position

Complete push-up
Immediately return to squat position
Stand and jump up as high as possible

Preparation is Key

I haven't written anything in a few days because I have been busy with a few things.

I took the day off of work on Sunday, had some errands to run, training to do plus cooking, cleaning and laundry.

Preparation of food for the week went great, is so convenient and makes it much easier to stay on track. It took me about 2-3 hours and I cooked Chicken breast, ground chicken breast burgers, tilapia, asparagus, salads, zucchini and rice.

Training on Sunday, consisted of my burpee challenge (only push-up burpees this time) for 10 minutes. I got 67 plus I completed 10 sets of running stairs and 100 squats.

Due to the overindulgence the night before at my birthday supper, I limited my carb intake on Sunday to only veggies. Sunday night we went to Kevin’s Christmas party and had a great time, danced a bit and I managed to stay clean; other than one glass of wine.

Yesterday I was off to Calgary for work, only a day trip, but I still needed to be prepared and conscious of my diet plan. So I completed all of my prep and planning on Sunday.

It is so very important to be prepared, especially when travelling as there are not always that many healthy options on the go.

So how does one stay on track while away from home?

Prepare, pack your own, always have small, healthy snacks on hand and if you get caught with nothing always go with the healthiest options available.

So for me, on Sunday I developed a plan. How many times would I have to eat while away? What foods would I bring to stay within my allowable calories? Would I get up early enough to fit breakfast in before I left? And so on.

Here is what I did.  Being that as a general rule I eat every 2-3 hours, I knew that I would need about 3-4 small meals while away. I got up early enough to make and drink a quick protein shake, I put all my ingredients for oatmeal together the night before (you can get hot water anywhere), I pre-cut and bagged some veggies for snacks, took a protein bar and 1 piece of fruit.

Also being that I had been to Calgary before for work, I knew that there was a place nearby that I could get a quick healthy salad. We went to a salad bar where you can make your own and I just picked what I knew was in my limits, added some protein like chicken and a hardboiled egg with no dressing. This plan had me staying on track all day and I was full.

After flying back home, Kevin met me at the gym. I had pre-packed my bag the night before; we did a fabulous arm & abs workout as well as some cardio. It was a great night for beating personal bests. I got up to 195lbs on the seated triceps press down machine, I completed 3 sets of 10 unassisted triceps dips with 25lbs hanging from me and I BEAT my mile run time again; I am now up to 7 minutes, 9 seconds. Woot, Woot!

Remember when trying to reach goals and stay on track, preparation is the key, pushing yourself is also important as well as reminding yourself how great it feels to be healthy and fit.

Until next time.

Overindulging then feeling Guilty

I hate to admit it but I still feel paranoid and guilty every time I overindulge. I mean my body feels gross after, horrible in fact but do I really need to beat myself up over it?

I'll explain. Saturday night there was a change in plans and instead of heading to the gym, Kevin decided to take me out for that birthday supper. You know the one we missed on the actual day because I was in full competition mode. We had a great time, enjoyed each other's company and I enjoyed my meal and dessert.

*Chocolate Explosion dessert from Boston Pizza*

However, all the while I was thinking I shouldn't be eating this, I shouldn't have dessert and so on. So why is it that I still beat myself up, even after all that I have accomplished. I mean I KNOW for a fact that a little treat once in awhile is not going to do me any harm, so why? Is there really any need for me to be so paranoid?

I think that there are several reasons why I do this to myself:
1. I am scared that I will end up where I started and all this hard work will be wasted
2. I am scared because I don't know if I will be able to maintain and right now we are just playing around with calories, etc to see what works best for me
3. My body is strange and reacts differently sometimes than Andrew and I expect it to

But I also believe that I have to teach myself not to. I have to teach myself to enjoy those little indulgences as much as I enjoy my healthy carbs because really I don't allow myself those so called 'bad' things very often at all.

I guess the point of this blog is to both help me get past my fear and guilt of enjoying a little indulgence once in awhile and to help me learn to enjoy those times in life when I allow myself the luxury of a little treat. I DO NOT need to beat myself up over it.

After all, it's good for me to enjoy things like dessert once in awhile; especially for my birthday.

So make sure, you allow yourself treats from time to time and make sure you enjoy them. Don't spend any time after beating yourself up; just get back on track and move on; knowing that you enjoyed an incredible dessert and had fun doing so.

Photo Shoot with Tim Rollans

Last night I received my first picture of the photo shoot I had with Tim Rollans the day before the competition. I love the picture. I look tough....lol

Check out Tim's work at http://trollans.ca/

Here is my picture, what do you think?

Believe in yourself

I came across this video yesterday and wow, is it ever inspirational. This guy never gave up and he accomplished so much. It's a powerful story!

It is important to always have faith and to believe in ourselves. Stay positive and focused and never give up. "Fall 7 times, get up 8". This is true for all instances in life, not just fitness and health, and it made me think of how many times during my competition training that I thought I would never get through it. However, just with a change to a more positive attitude and focus, I pulled through and rocked it.

Check out the video and remember, Never give up and Always Believe in yourself!

I'll leave you with this.

Until next time.

Vote for Me--Contest

I entered my picture into a contest with a local makeup artist. The winner receives a photo shoot and make up plus will be the face of her new business cards and advertisements.

 

To vote all you have to do is click on the facebook link below, like my picture and like her page.

 

Voting will go until December 1st at 12:00am

 

https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=529284127099931&set=a.529283237100020.134691.236392729722407&type=3&theater

 

Thanks for your support!

 

 

Ground Chicken Burgers

My husband and I love these and I usually cook up a big batch and either freeze them or keep them in the fridge to take for lunch. I don't have a bun with mine very often and they are good either way.

Ingredients:

1pkg ground chicken breast
Sprinkle of feta cheese

Egg whites

Green Onion
celery
green pepper

Basil

Parsley

Chili pepper (optional)

Clove of garlic

4 tbsp whole wheat bread crumbs (optional)

Mix everything together in a bowl, form into burgers and cook. Good in the oven or grilled on the BBQ.

I do add the chili pepper for that extra kick but I don’t add the bread crumbs which makes them a little more difficult to keep from falling apart but it still works.

These are yummy!

The Power of Stretching

Yoga aimed to unite the mind, body and spirit!

I love stretching and I love yoga.

 

Stretching helps elongate muscles, improves flexibility, performance, posture and just feels really good.

How many people out there practice Yoga?

Me, I practice Yoga on my own time and although I have done classes, these days I just don’t have the time. So a couple of times a week, I will go into a quiet room in my house and practice some yoga poses at home. I enjoy this for the relaxation and stress relief as well as to reduce some of that muscle soreness that comes from lifting heavy at the gym. I probably don’t do it as often as I should, finding the time is difficult, but I do try and stay somewhat flexible and I enjoy it.

Typically, I shut off the world, put on some light or instrumental music, get in the zone and stretch. With each stretch I try to go a little further than the first time to increase my flexibility. My favorite though is practicing outside in the summer time or on the beach while on vacation; I just grab my mat and go.

                                       *cruise stop in Great Stirrup Quay-Bahamas in 2010*
                                                   My body has transformed since then!

I love trying new stretches or setting goals to learn new yoga poses. I set a goal about a year ago to learn how to complete this one and voila, I did it.

One thing that I am also interested in is 'Hot Yoga', I haven't tried it yet.

Has anyone? What did you think?

It's the weekend!

It's the weekend. How are you spending your Saturday and Sunday?

We are having such cold temperatures already…brrr…it’s going to be a long winter.

I am feeling motivated and inspired today, despite the weather.  I started a FitGirlsRock Facebook page and I already have over 40 followers. I am excited to share my passion, my various workouts, challenges and goals as well as some recipes with a broader group of people.

So last night, traffic and weather was pretty bad on my way home and since my training was to be shoulders, I decided to rock it out at home. My shoulders were burning by the end and I burned out my abs as well.

Shoulders and Abs- November 23, 2012:

Equipment 2 x 20lb dumbbells, 2 x 10lb dumbbells, bodyweight and chin up bar

·         Seated Overhead press superset with single arm lateral raise (3 sets of 12)

·         Upright row superset with bent over lateral raise (3 sets of 12)

·         Front Raise to Standing Overhead Press to Regular Lateral Raise (3 sets of 12)

·         1 minute Plank (up/downs-elbows to hands) superset with bent over rows (normal and reverse grip) (3 sets of 12)

·         Hanging Knees to chest superset with oblique twists and reverse crunches (3 sets of 15)

I am working a shorter day today, meaning I am skipping out early…lol and I’ll be headed to the gym. Today is a total body training day; I’ll hit all the major muscle groups (chest, back, shoulders, legs, triceps, biceps and abs). Kevin is busy with an important work project so he worked late last night and likely again today. If I get to the gym early enough, I may call a couple of girlfriends to go watch the tree lighting and Santa Claus parade tonight.

Tomorrow I took the day off and the plan really is only to cook, clean, maybe complete some cardio and some shopping. I have to fly to Calgary Monday morning for work, so I really need to get a pair of dress pants or a skirt, which is more businesslike, since I don’t have any of that type of clothing left that fits. We also have Kevin’s Christmas party tomorrow night. I don’t plan to over indulge food wise, however, and since I don’t drink much it will be easy to refrain from that as well. Alcohol has so much added calories and it’s so easy for them to add up quickly. Be Aware!

Natalie Jill has a great blog about Holiday Drinking. Here is the link:

http://nataliejillfitness.com/what-about-alcohol/

I think that’s all for now. I’ll share one of my favorite healthy snacks with you.

Greek Yogurt - I usually have about 1/3cup per serving and I add about a dozen blueberries and 1tbsp of hemp seed as well. Hoping to try out some new recipes tomorrow and so I’ll share some of those next week.

Keep training, be happy and eat clean!

Inspirational stories

Since I started posting progress pictures and updates about my fitness journey on both my Facebook page and this blog, I have received a lot of messages telling me how inspirational and motivating I am. This always pleases me because I am eager to help and motivate anyone to become fit and healthy.

However, through these messages, I too have been inspired.

Here are some examples:

A friend of mine, who I have known for years, recently had a baby and naturally put on some weight. I got a message just last week that she is now down a total of 61lbs and still at it, going to the gym regularly, eating well and feeling great. Now that's inspiration!

My sister is another example, this year she starting running. She had convinced herself for so long that she couldn't but now she runs almost daily and loves it. She is more into fitness and feels better for it!

My husband is another great example, Kevin wasn't an overly active person until he met me and even then there were times where I felt like I was dragging him to work out instead of it being something he wanted to do for himself. This past year though, he is much more motivated; he started working with my trainer, is learning more and is inspired to keep going. For the first time ever, last night, he went to the gym by himself while I was out. I was impressed!

It's so great to hear from people who have been inspired by my blog or my posts or just my passion for fitness in general and who have become fitter, healthier individuals. These people inspire and motivate me as well; who wouldn't be inspired by some of those stories?

Getting into living healthy, eating clean, working out and training are lifestyle changes; great lifestyle changes. I am still amazed sometimes by the energy I have, by how much weight I can lift, by how happy, fit and healthy I feel.

I am so proud of all the people I mentioned above and I am sure there are more great stories out there.

Anyone want to share theirs?

Protein shake recipe

Another quick and easy recipe for you all.

The following protein shake is my favourite one to date.

Ingredients:

Ice 

1cup water

1scoop chocolate or chocolate peanut butter protein powder

1tbsp peanut butter or almond butter

Sprinkle of coffee

Instructions:

Simply blend in blender and drink

So yummy!

*NEW* FitGirlsRock Facebook Page

I started a ‘FitGirlsRock’ Facebook page.

Join me on my quest to be the fittest, healthiest version of myself and don’t forget to hit ‘Like’!

https://www.facebook.com/#!/Fitgirlsrock

It's Friday!

Happy Friday Everyone! It is the last day of the work week for some of us; not me but that’s ok. Wednesday coming will be my Friday….lol

So what’s new and exciting? Let’s see! I went out for a dinner with a couple of my lovely lady friends last night. We had some good laughs, good conversation and it was just nice to see them outside of work for a change.

What did I eat? We shared a plate of sweet potato fries as an appetizer and I tried to stay somewhat clean by ordering the grilled sirloin salad, which was delicious. (7oz steak, romaine lettuce, tomato, feta cheese, grilled mushrooms and snaps peas, with no dressing). It did come with garlic bread though and I ate it, justified it by eating very clean and limiting my carbs all day.

I am still having a little anxiety about body maintenance but I suppose I should let it go because I am still training and still eating clean with only limited treats here and there. Not really a big deal! It is just such a hard thing to get past though, when you have worked so hard and still need to get leaner to compete again. That anxiety creeps up on me every time I eat something outside my clean diet.

I shared another recipe this morning that I am super excited about. Such a great treat, especially when you love peanut butter as much as I do. Check it out to find the recipe for Chocolate Protein Peanut Butter Treats. http://fitgirlsrock.blogspot.ca/2012/11/chocolate-protein-peanut-butter-treats.html

I have confirmation that the photo shoot I was telling you about will be the morning of either December 8th or 9^th, so I am excited about that and looking for more posing ideas.

Back to the gym again tonight with my hubby training chest and shoulders and trying to beat my 7mins, 29sec mile run time.

This weekend I will be going to the gym one day; for now I am going to stick to my two days off a week; especially since we are lifting that much heavier. It’s important to let your body rest and repair.

I am also hoping to go to the cities Christmas tree lighting and Santa Claus Parade, and I took Sunday off so I’ll be shopping and heading to a Christmas party that evening.

Life is just moving right along. I am happy! I feel healthy, fit and energized. 19 more sleeps until I am finished work for the Christmas season break and 23 more sleeps until I am home with my family. Yay!!

Have a great weekend!

Until next time

Chocolate Protein Peanut Butter Treats

Everybody who has been reading my blogs knows how much I love peanut butter so when I came across this easy chocolate protein peanut butter mix last night I decided to give it a try.

And the obvious......OMG! Similar to a Reese peanut butter cup, not quite as sweet but still divine. I'm in love....lol

I only ate half of it and I counted that as a serving.

Here is the recipe:

11/2 cups chocolate protein powder (I use ISO 100)
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 cup Water (to thicken protein mixture and pb)
2 tbsp peanut butter (natural)

Mix Protein and Cocoa Powder together in a bowl
Add a little water until it becomes thick (like fudge)
In a separate bowl, add peanut butter and a little water to thicken
In a small dish, add half of your chocolate protein
Cover with all the peanut butter mix
Add another layer of chocolate protein
And place the dish in the freezer (an hour or so)
Once hardened, remove from the freezer, let it stand, fork it out and Eat!!

So Yummy! I found it on a blog that I follow. Here is the link: http://www.candyfit.net

Enjoy those yummy bars!

My Breakfast Oatmeal

I thought some of you might like this recipe for my morning oatmeal as well

I use Rogers Porridge Oats

Everyone's portion sizes may be different based on calorie intake but I make mine like this.

1/3 cup oats
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
1 tsp unsweetened coconut
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp of peanut or almond butter ( all natural)
Add water to desired consistency and mix well.

So yummy!

Results, Goals and Personal Bests

The results of the show came out yesterday and I placed 7^th out of 11 ladies in the fitness model category. Not too bad, I suppose for my first show, however I can and will do better. Working on it already and am motivated.

Really excited to get my photo shoot pictures from Andrew and Tim, Andrew worked on some of my pictures yesterday so I hope to get them soon.

Here is a collage of some of Tim's work with me.

I have also been in communication with Rick, the photographer who wanted me to do a shoot with him and it looks like we will be doing that on either December 8^th or 9^th at the gym.

Here is a pictures he took of me on the big day.

So what else is new and exciting?

These days I am counting down the days until I go home for Christmas. 25 more sleeps!!

It’s also the time of year for Christmas parties, dinners and stuff. I was a little anxious about these things but as long as I keep my intake of wine to a minimum and stick to cleaner foods, all should be good. I love Christmas!

Really overall, I am just enjoying life, enjoying the normalcy of regular training and clean eating. Greek yogurt (nom, nom) and oatmeal…OMG….eyes rolling back in my head….lol

  

Last night, I worked my triceps and biceps. I can now complete 12 unassisted body weight triceps dips in a row, when I started I could only get 6. I lifted heavy last night and I also beat my personal best time in the mile run. Last night I completed it in 7 minutes, 29 seconds. Goal is a 6 minute mile!

I also cooked a bunch of things when I got home last night. Chicken breasts (yes I am back to those), protein muffins and I tried homemade protein chocolate peanut butter cups but I haven’t tasted it yet (Let you know about that tomorrow).

Andrew achieved his goal of making my lats so stiff and sore that I would feel them. So I text him to let him know and he says, “Good, now practice flexing them in your office chair”…lol

I am still deciding on my next show or shows for 2013 and I am excited to do another, extremely motivated and can’t wait to get my body in even better shape.

Tonight, is free night; no gym because I am going out with some lady friends for dinner. Back at it on Friday though, my hubby and I will be working chest and shoulders and I will be trying to beat my mile run time again.

Stay tuned! Check out my other blog posts from today, I posted the recipe for protein muffins and my morning oatmeal. Speaking of oatmeal, I think it’s that time. Yay!

Also a Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers from the United States!

Protein Muffin Recipe

These Protein Muffins are yummy as a nice treat; I make them for my hubby all the time.

1 cup brown rice flour or even just whole wheat flour
11/2 cup rolled oats
1 tsp cinnamon
3 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp ground flax seed
2 scoops chocolate protein powder ( I use ISO 100)
1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup natural honey

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350
Place all dry ingredients in bowl and mix well
In another bowl combine wet ingredients and mix well
Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix together
Spoon into muffin cups and bake for 20-25 minutes
Usually makes about a dozen
TIP: use muffin cups

Nutrition:
240 calories
7g protein
30g carbs
11g fat

Maintenance and Path Forward

Oh 4:45am mornings, how I hate you. I am feeling so very tired today! Maybe I needed more time to recharge, rest and relax post competition.

We (Andrew and I) have come up with a plan now for body maintenance and training post competition which thankfully involves me eating more than eggs and chicken. Some of you might be thinking, why is she going into something so structured so soon? Well the answer to that is simple, I like structure and I like having a plan to keep me on track and reaching my goals.

I am fully aware that based on the increase in calories and carbs, my body will almost inevitably change somewhat but as long as I maintain my training and a structured, clean diet plan, it shouldn’t be as tough a preparation for my next show.

Andrew and I discussed my goals and the areas we need to work and focus on and it the same as I had received from the other judges. I need to lean out more, increase my leg and abs muscle definition and work on my back pose.

So what is the path forward?

Training: 5 days a week

1)      Legs

2)      Back

3)      Shoulders/Chest

4)      Triceps and Biceps

5)      Full Body

The plan is to be at the 8-12 rep range but with heavy weight, increasing all the time to build the muscle. Abs will be trained as well every second day.

Diet: Obviously clean eating

Calories will be at 1595

Protein 1.25 x my current body weight (125lbs) = 156g

Carbs 90g

Fat 63g

Protein is so high because we want to ensure, with the lifting heavy, that I am getting enough to build and repair those muscles. This plan should still lean me out and also increase my muscle mass.

Last night, Andrew and I worked my back and worked it heavy. I can feel that stiffness there today. His goal was to make me really feel my lats so that I know what to flex when I am doing my back pose. I also ran a mile on the treadmill and beat my personal best. I got 1 mile in 7 min, 40 sec. The Goal is to keep beating it.

I have a lot going on this shift. 2 Christmas parties, going out for supper with my lovely lady friends, Kevin and I are going to the Santa Claus Parade and Tree Lighting Ceremony on Saturday as well plus out to supper for my birthday celebration. I need to try not to go overboard with food but a little indulgence will be okay.

I had some extra vacation so I am still off 1 day a weekend from now until Christmas and after this shift; there is only one shift left and then Christmas break. I can’t believe the holidays are here already. Exciting!

So tonight, I will be heading to the gym to train arms. Loving the training!!

Until next time

Getting back to Normal

Life is slowly going back to normal after 3 months of a serious diet and training regimen for the Keane Classic competition.

I cannot express how happy and excited I am to have had the opportunity to compete and how thrilled I am to get on the path to competing again.

I enjoyed getting my fill of the things that I had been craving for a couple of days and yesterday, after everything I had eaten on Saturday night and Sunday, I had a fast day and returned to the gym with my hubby. We worked legs and did a little cardio, both had loads of energy and lifted heavy. Felt good to get back after not working out for almost a week.

I feel somewhat rejuvenated, minus the 4:45am, now that I am back to work, and am ready for my appointment with Andrew tonight. Now is the time to get back into normal clean eating and a normal training regimen, which will likely consist of approximately 1-1.5 hours at the gym 5-6 days a week.

I have already looked into other competitions and right now I am aiming for one with the NPAA on May 19, 2013 in Calgary, Alberta. NPAA stands for ‘Natural Physique and Athletics Association’ and being that it’s tested, to ensure you really are all natural, I think it’s a great organization for the next show.

There won’t be any serious prep for this one though until probably March, right now the focus will be just working on building up my legs, abs and leaning out more. I talked to a couple of the judges yesterday for their feedback and I know where my areas of focus need to be. #1 I need to work on leaning out more #2 I need to work on building my lower body and abs and #3 I need to work on my quarter turn posing. I did get some great positive feedback on my stage presence; that it was one of the best. I looked positive, confident and happy to be there and I also got compliments on my walk and smile so I am happy about. I was worried about the stage part of it, about whether or not I would be able to portray what I needed to. I will find out more details tonight when Andrew and I get together for my appointment.

Back to regular clean eating today, again I will discuss with Andrew tonight where I need to be calorie wise as well as with my proteins, carbs and fats. For right now, I am just eating clean. I have had oatmeal with a scoop of protein powder for breakfast, a protein muffin snack and salmon with a salad for lunch.

Looking forward to seeing all of my photo shoot pictures and possibly doing others. I did get approached by a local photographer, on my way out of the venue after the competition, who asked if I would mind working as his fitness model so that he can increase his fitness portfolio. I will be contacting him after a little more rest and I am excited about that because I loved the photo shoots.

I do still have concerns in regards to maintaining what I have worked so hard for but I am sure that once Andrew and I discuss it and figure out a plan, it’ll be fine.

Goals going forward are, as I said above, leaning out especially in the legs and abs for the next competition, studying for my personal training certification, training in general and beating more personal bests as well as just living and enjoying what I love.

Post Show update

The show is over and the day was a truly amazing experience. I had such a fun time, met some fantastic people and gained some confidence along the way.

I didn't place in my category but I did get an award ($100) for representing what Keane2Befit is all about; meaning living the natural healthy lifestyle through clean eating and training. Honestly, for the first go at this, I just wanted to try it out, give it my all and say that I did it and did what it takes to get there.

I definitely intend on competing again and am already looking at shows for this coming May or June. Things that I need improvement on, that I know myself, are my quarter turn posing and leaning out more overall. I will know more on Tuesday about improvements, after my first post show work out with Andrew.

Show day ran very smoothly and the function was organized extremely well. I had my tan touch ups at 7am, hair and makeup at 8:15am and made it to the venue on time at 10am. I had the jitters and butterflies but once I stepped on stage that all seemed to go away. I believe that I pulled off my t-walk poses very well and I was called out in every line in the morning show for comparisons as well.

It was nice to see friends and of course my hubby in the audience cheering me on. My hubby was more nervous for me than I was for myself...lol and he was extremely supportive and accommodating all day and everyday for that matter. Love that man to pieces!

After the morning show, I came home, ate and crashed for an hour or so. At 6pm, we started again, the crowd was bigger and livelier for this one. The theme wear round went off really well and everyone enjoyed cat woman and her whip...lol

Post show, before even leaving the venue, we had ripped into our Reese peanut butter cups and they were so freakin' yummy! Then we went to the Keg for supper, out for breakfast this morning plus our pot luck this afternoon and I am definitiely ready to get back to normal tomorrow. I feel like I am in a carb coma....lol

So back to normal tomorrow. Clean eating, actually after all I ate today, maybe a fast day to start the week, back to the gym with my hubby for legs and a little cardio, Tuesday will be my first appointment with Andrew and things will just start to transition back into regular mode.

Goals going forward are to keep training, focus some on my personal training course and getting certified, transitioning out of competiton mode and back into normal mode (normal training and normal clean eating), choosing another show and aiming high to improve on this past performance.

A shout out again to everyone who has shared and helped me through this process. It has been trying and hard but definitely worth it and such a rewarding experience overall.

It's show time!

It's actually here! The big day has arrived.

Now is the time to show off everything that I have worked so hard for. I'm nervous this morning; those butterflies are killing my stomach...lol but I am excited too, really tired and also very, very thirsty.

I only drank about 500ml of water yesterday and today there is none, only sips if absolutely necessary, so I am feeling dry.

Another awesome, fun photo shoot yesterday with a photographer out of Calgary, Tim Rollans.
It was great and I had a blast! It was all so real, made you feel like a rock star, with the make up, tan, etc. just so much fun!

Athletes meeting last night gave us a chance to check out the venue, practice the walking and posing on the actual stage and get a feel for the event in general.

Today I am up early again and really didn't get much sleep after 1:30am, just tossed and turned. I have my tan touch ups at 7am, hair at 8:15am and makeup at 8:45am. Have to be at the theatre by 10am. It'll be a busy day but I am hoping to get some sleep between shows.

So that's it then, off I go. Thanks to everyone. I hope to make you all so proud.

Results in tomorrow's post!

Last day before the show

The last and final day before the show....eeeeeeeeekkkkkk!

Excited, nervous, anxious, determined, focused, happy, so many feelings right now all mixed up together causing butterflies in my tummy.

This morning I am up really early at 4:30am and strange how its not half as bad when you know you aren't going to work (lol); funny how that is.

I slept better last night after a nice bath, feels really good to get some sleep because I was feeling tired and my muscles were sore.

Had a fun, relaxing day yesterday. Spent time at the spa with a friend of mine for manicures and pedicures, got my eyebrows done, even did a little shopping.

So today, what's going on? - Spray tan at 7am, 9:30am wardrobe for final photo shoot, 10am makeup and 11am time to rock it for pictures. Almost feel like a real fitness model.....lol. My hubby is off now as well for the weekend so I think he is coming down for the shoot and then I am staying afterwards with a couple of the girls to practice our posing again. The rest of the afternoon will be used to rest and relax before the athletes meeting at 7pm.

This morning I do notice some changes in my body as anticipated. Seems tighter, leaner and I can notice some more veins here and there. All good things of course. Tomorrow should bring even more noticeable changes, so I've been told.

We are down to 1L or less of water today, carbs (banana, rice cakes and sweet potato)-- rice cakes are just freakin' divine with almond butter (nom, nom, nom). 

One other thing and I know I have been saying this a lot but thanks again for the support, encouragement, messages, texts, emails, etc wishing me luck and telling me how well I'm going to do. It means so much. There is always that self doubt no matter how hard you have worked and how much you know you have changed and its appreciated to hear you all believe and support me, so once again Thank You!

Only one more day.