FemSport Calgary 2013 - A Recap

The big day has now come and gone but it has left us with the awesome feelings of accomplishment, camaraderie and team spirit. What a truly wonderful experience!

Bam Bam's Newfie Chicks won 3rd place in the team novice division and we were tickled pink with the placement.

The decision to go ahead with the competition in Calgary with all of the flooding going on in the city was met with some very discouraging and negative feedback. The organizers did not make this decision lightly and the competition took place in honor of all those suffering. Many, possibly even all of us, donated anything and everything that we could including our swag bags, t-shirts and monetary donations. FemSport along with Platoon FX (the venue) gave all the proceeds from sales to the relief as well as donated all the prizes.

Starting at 10am on June 22nd with nervous anticipation, almost 80 women of all ages, shapes and sizes huffed and puffed our way through kettle bell lifts, tire pull, box jumps, tire flips and obstacle course events.

Overall, it was an inspiring day! I personally feel that the FemSport event was a truly positive experience; a glimmer of hope through a negative time. A day filled with determination and positivity in a world where we concentrate too much on the negative.

The organizers and volunteers were there for us all and showed nothing but encouragement and support for each of us. This was an event not about winning or losing but about proving to yourself you can do it. An event of empowerment for women who love fitness and encourage one another not to quit but instead to do all they can to push through and finish.

I saw girls cry because they struggled with box jumps but made it through, I saw ladies pile around a girl with encouraging words to aid her in pulling a tire across the finish line and I saw ladies hug, laugh and feel good about themselves because they finished. It wasn't about winning; it was about making everyone believe in themselves and feel like a champion. It was about cheering on those who struggled to push them through and encourage them not to give up. A positive atmosphere in a trying time. Talk about inspiring!!

A huge shout out to my teammates Clarine and Michelle; we made a great team. To our trainer, Andrew who kicked out asses and got us ready but who also drove the many hours to be there, took pictures and gave us support the whole way through. To my hubby,who couldn't be there but was there in spirit for sure. To our fluffers, Anna and Nicole and to my mother in law and her friend for cheering us on.

I feel very blessed and honoured to have competed in this event as part of team Bam Bam's Newfie Chicks but also to have been a part of the total team of truly inspiring, strong women.

Hats off to FemSport; I think I speak for the team when I say we can't wait to do it again.

Until next time,

For information about FemSport, check out
http://www.femsport.tv

FemSport & Update

T-2 days until the FemSport competition; we are super excited and I have a feeling that Bam Bam’s Newfie Chicks are going to rock it.

Our logo is developed, shirts are made, cars have been pushed, tires flipped, sleds pulled and we have box jumped to death. I will have another two workouts and a couple of sessions of hot yoga before the big day.

The registration and mandatory athletes meeting take place Friday night and there is an official photographer for the event.

I am in Calgary already for work and will be staying now until after the competition, flying home on Sunday. The other girls will get here on Friday as well as Andrew, our trainer. My husband can’t make it to the event, although he would love to be here, but his mom is coming to watch.

I feel that we are ready and no matter how it goes the day of the event I know we can finish with pride because we trained hard and put in our best effort. We are there to give it our all but also to have fun.

FemSport 2013 here we come!

http://m.youtube.com/watch?client=mv-google&gl=CA&hl=en&v=XfB28uDQK00

On a different note; I have been feeling better, getting more sleep and training only 2 days a week. I am on a re-balance program which includes juicing, shakes and some balanced meals as well as a supplement program. It is meant to provide me with all the macro-nutrients I need and re-balance my hormones, etc. Sleeping is a must as much as possible. I have cut down my work hours and noticed a big difference since I am no longer getting up at 4am, going until 10pm or later and working on 6 hours of sleep or less per night.

I feel like I am finally on the road to recovery. Patience is key as it is with everything I suppose so seeing my body catch up in regards to leaning out again will take longer but at least I am coming around and for that I am grateful. I no longer feel like I can’t make it through the day because I want to go to sleep; I can actually function. My body temperature seems to be slowly getting back to normal, my appetite is still not quite where it should be and emotionally I am sometimes all over the map but just like it took me awhile to get here it is also going to take me awhile to get back on track.

It is a continuous struggle right now but I am pushing through and I have no intention of ever giving up. I have a dream and I am going to make it happen.

Until next time,

Struggle Today; Strength Tomorrow

Who knew being told not to train could be so hard? Well…..I guess I knew it wouldn’t be easy since I love it so much.

There is something wrong with the picture of your husband walking out the door headed to the gym and you kissing him goodbye saying have a good workout babe…..just wrong!!!

I keep telling myself daily this is going to make me better and this is what I need but it is really FREAKIN’ tough.

I can’t remember the last time that I was away from training for 1 whole week….but I am headed into the gym tomorrow night to train for FemSport, which is only 17 days away now. Exciting!!! I will be training once per week until that date and then my coach and I will establish if and when I will continue based on how I feel from there.

So what have I been doing? Sleeping A LOT; I was on my days off from work when I met with my coach for the first time and was told to stop training so I kept occupied on the weekend with gardening, a couple of leisure walks, spent some nice time with my hubby and did some things around the house.

I started back to work yesterday and had the discussion with my boss about needing to either take some time off or reduce my hours. The 11-12 hour days for 9 days straight was killing me; I mean my first day off all that I could do was sleep. So we had the discussion and for now we have decided to simply reduce my hours to 8-9 hours per day. I will be going on vacation in 1.5 more shifts and then I will come back to a regular work week of Monday to Friday 8 hours per day. I’m really looking forward to that and already getting to sleep for the extra hour and a half this morning, I feel better.

In terms of eating, I am struggling. Not because I am eating the wrong things or over-eating but because I rarely feel hungry and sometimes the thought of food makes me want to gag. I know, I know…I’m supposed to eat more but how? I just don’t want to eat; I’m ok with small meals like fruit, veggies, a protein shake or something but the thought of bigger meals…blah! I am making a conscience effort to eat more but it has not been easy either.

I meet with Naomi again on Friday for some more direction and discussions on what is next. As things move forward, I am taking comfort in knowing that all of these changes and efforts are going to make me feel better in the long run and are going to bring me back to doing what I love; which is train.

Remember: The struggle experienced today is developing the strength you need for tomorrow.

Until Next Time,

It's Time for Rest

Hello everyone!

I guess it is fitting to say that I have pushed my body to its limits and now my body is no longer playing with me but against me. Just fantastic!

As my last post described I have metabolic damage with a whole list of symptoms ranging from extreme fatigue and unexplainable weight gain to digestive issues, low body temperature and no appetite.

How did I get here? There are probably any number of reasons why but I guess one of the biggest is that post competition in November I didn't take any considerable time off. Sure I had a day or two but what's that after 12 plus weeks of training 2-3 times per day? Nothing!

So here I am at a point where I feel gross (mentally and physically), where there are days that I am so exhausted I can hardly function yet still training as if there is nothing wrong. Stupid me!

I met with a coach, Naomi from keane2befit, and she is going to help me get back to my energetic, healthy self but it will take time and the first step is a break from training and lots of rest.

I have had the weekend to absorb this, at first I was devastated, now I've accepted it and am looking at the positive side. I can focus more on finding balance, take leisurely walks and do yoga, I can spend time gardening and enjoying the summer weather plus I can breathe and maybe not feel like I am constantly running on overdrive. I'm going to take the time I need to repair myself and when I finally go back to the gym I'll be better than ever.

My FemSport competition is still a goal and I'm not backing out. We are just limiting my training for it to once a week for now. There are only a little over 2 weeks before the competition anyway.

The Focus now is on repairing my body, eating more (clean, of course), training less and sleeping whenever I need to. It's tough being that I am so active but it's been tougher dealing with this and never feeling any better. At least now, I have finally started the road to recovery.

Naomi will be guiding me and helping me through this process. She's such a great person and so easy to talk to. My training for FemSport will still be with Andrew, he is fantastic too and once I get back on track and get back to training he will still be my go to trainer.

If there is anyone reading this post and the last one that can relate please get some help; it is something a lot of competitors go through especially women. Don't ignore it. It's a struggle but it feels so much better just knowing there is a way to fix it and if you feel like sleep; make sure you sleep. Your body needs rest to begin the healing process.

Until next time,

Metabolic Damage- My Story

So here I am another week or 2 since my last update and this time I am going to be even more brutally honest with what’s been going on with me and how I feel. I have been telling you bits and pieces along the way but maybe not the whole story.

It’s no secret that I am struggling and also that I am beating myself up about it. Today I am 15lbs heavier than I was when I stepped on stage in November and I am discouraged, disappointed and frankly more than a little embarrassed. I know I said it many times during the prep that the stage ready body is not something anyone can maintain all year round so I was prepared for that and I know that I have likely increased my muscle mass since then but that is not all of it; this I know.

Immediately some of you are probably thinking change your diet, work harder, that’s the key; there has to be something I am doing wrong, right? Well that is the part that disappoints and discourages me. If I were doing something wrong; it would be an easy fix but I eat as clean or cleaner than ever, I work harder at the gym and I am getting stronger and fitter with each day (one positive at least) but I just don’t reap the lean looking benefits any longer.

So why not?

Well I have been reading a lot, talking to doctors, naturopaths and others in the fitness industry and it seems that my body has decided to be rebellious and hold on to everything that I feed it. Metabolic Damage; isn’t that just wonderful. Doctors’ appointments have determined that I have high cortisol levels, adrenal fatigue, an acidic body and very low iron levels.

My story and struggles however don’t just begin with the training for the fitness competition; I do believe that I had issues before I started training. It’s just now they seem to be much worse.

When I first began this journey it literally took me forever to lose 1 pound of fat and to notice any really difference at all even in inches lost. That’s more than a little strange! I mean I was throwing around heavy weights at the gym which was a change from my normal regimen so I should have been seeing results. I talked to my doctor but he didn’t seem to think it was a big deal and then suddenly one day it started to happen. My body reacted; Phew!

I put so much of myself into preparing for the stage; so much time and energy and I felt on top of the world honestly until it all came crashing down post competition and now my body just feels drained and fat. Despite how hard I work, despite how much I rest and what I eat there seems to be nothing I can do to change it. Add that to everything else and here comes the stress factor which increases my cortisol and fatigue and so the cycle continues.

As you all know I love fitness, I love being healthy and I love lifting weights. I am all about challenges, setting new goals and seeing what I can do and what my body can accomplish naturally. So I work to get this lean looking body, step on stage, love, love , love it and bam returning to normal is harder than getting stage ready in the first place…wtf!

I don’t blame anybody; it is just my bodies’ reaction. I didn’t go all out and binge for days after the competition, I didn’t lose my period for months like a lot of women, and my calorie intake was low but high in fat and protein. I had little to no carb intake however which I may want to do differently next time around because I WILL do another show someday! My training was intense but I had loads of energy for it. I was getting up at 4:30am to do a 20 minute interval workout, an hour of weights at night coupled with another 30-40 minutes of cardio and I honestly felt better than ever.

So the last several months have been a major struggle for me. I had intended to compete on May 19, 2013 in the NPAA show in Calgary but I had to change plans and work on body recovery first. A huge blow but one that I am coming to terms with gradually; I picked up training for FemSport instead. A goal and one that keeps me determined and focused on getting stronger and better; no dieting required.

I still haven’t found a solution or a balance and I am still not recovered but I am working on it. I have been told it takes time so I am learning to accept it and be patient with myself. I rest when I need to, I eat when I need to, I have a cheat meal every once in a while and I know I’m healthy. In fact my lifestyle hasn’t changed much from where I was pre-competition; it’s my body that has. I want to feel normal, to feel lean, to look at myself and be happy with where I am; knowing that my hard work is paying off. Unfortunately I can’t diet or train out of where I am so right now I have to accept my heavier self and not stress over it but be patient.

It’s embarrassing some days to go to the gym and have to face so many people who know where I was yet who don’t know what I have been going through. Little do they know. It’s a tough road but I am working through with determination and I am NOT giving up. I want to continue to inspire and motivate people to live the healthy, fit lifestyle.

Fitness is my passion and will continue to be. Clean eating and training are the key but right now my body needs time to respond as it once did. I currently work out 5 days a week for approximately 1 hour each day of entire body workouts and I eat clean which is normal for me. I rarely feel hungry which is bothersome because it makes me concerned that I am not eating enough. I have to make a conscious effort to eat every 2-3 hours and to incorporate healthy carbs, proteins and fats into my daily regimen. I am also always tired.

It is so easy to get discouraged and the mental spiral just stresses me out which makes everything much worse. I am concentrating on my improvements in strength and endurance and on training for FemSport which I am enjoying and doing great with.

My current motto: Stay strong, focused and determined; continue with the healthy, fit lifestyle and the rest will eventually work itself out.

*me now*

Until next time;