Hmm

So i'm not sure exactly what is going on with my body. I don't know if it is just me, but I really don't think it is. My clothes are fitting tighter and I look like I've gained a few pounds.



What is weird, is that I'm not eating badly(actually eating pretty well, calories and carbs are more than i've been used to lately though), but I feel as though I look like I'm gaining weight by the day. My "carb face" will not disappear, and I'm just pretty confused. Anyone ever had this happen?



The positive side of this is that I'm not freaking out. Normally, I would try to restrict my food like crazy and freak out that I'm getting "fat", but right now, I understand that my body has been through a lot in the past few months and it is probably just reorganizing itself and getting back into a better working order.



I was overtraining, restricting calories, not sleeping, eating low carbs, its no wonder my body is going nuts. My focus right now is on giving my body what it wants. I am eating about maintenance. Some days a little over and some days a little under, depending on how I feel. Mentally I am in a great place. I am also in a great place, because I have a plan on when my contest prep will start again.



I am going to give myself 8 weeks to lean out. I am trying to maintain my weight that I'm at right now (probably around 133-135?) I would like to be about 120 for the November show, so that works out about right for a 2 pound a week loss, which may or may not happen, but I am being sure not to be super restrictive right now so that mentally I feel awesome going into contest prep. It is definitely hard to see my body less lean than i've been used to, but I know that i still am in great shape and still look good. I have never felt so positive about my body while gaining weight lol and it is a really great feeling.



Anyways, anyone that has any experience with this kind of thing after contest prep, let me know. Like I said, i'm not eating donuts and pizza, i'm eating clean with a little cereal here and there and more fruit than I'm used to, as well as more carbs in general(oatmeal, etc.) Will this go away? am i a big freak of nature? Let me know!! Thank you guys!!!

(the hardest part of this for me is the carb face thing! I feel like my face looks so fat. :-()

Weekend Recap

Where did this weekend go?! I feel like it was just Friday, but now I sit here on Sunday evening, planning my workouts for the week.

I had a great weekend. I can't tell you how amazing I feel. Ever since I decided not to do OCB, the weight has been lifted, and I am no longer feeling like a crazy woman. Now that I am not on a competition diet, I have been extremely well with no cravings. I am eating what I want to eat, which happens to be basically the same foods that I eat during comp. prep. I knew it was all mental. I am definitely eating more carbs than I was, but my body is thanking me. I have a little extra weight on me right now(I know from the extreme low/high calorie intakes that were going on.) but it will balance out. I am learning to really appreciate my body and it is something that I have never been able to do before. I am actually okay with my body even though I am not as lean as I'd like to be. I know that when it is time to start comp. prep, I will be ready. My metabolism seems to be getting back on track and I truly feel great. No urges to binge AT ALL this weekend. Lovely :)

I am also LOVING my new workouts. I have been going really heavy in the weight room, and my cardio is just in "bursts" right now. I am also doing a two day on, 1 day off plan for now. I used to do a monday through friday weight lift, and weekends were optional. I think this will be really good for me to do. My days "off" will consist of active rest. Saturday was an active rest day and I went on a nice hike with a friend. Today I did a 20 minute warm-up jog, Chest and Ab workout(DB incline press, med. ball pushups, decline pushups, cable flys, band ball crunches, russian twists, HLR and side HLR), and for my cardio: up the stairs 30 times. It's a pretty big staircase and i broke it up into 3 sets. It was definitely very tough, but it was quick(about 15-20 minutes)

I am so interested to see how my body responds to the short, hard cardio. I have been doing long, steady state cardio for the most part the last few months, so my body is not accustomed to this at all. Love being a guinea pig :)

How was everyone's weekend? I went out Friday night with some of the girls I competed with. We had SO much fun. We just went to Z'Tejas and chatted about all things fitness and competition. It is SO NICE to have friends that are doing the same thing as me, there are so many things that you just can't talk to other people about because they simply don't get it. I went out with friends afterwards too and had a blasty :)

Saturday night, I tried to go out and was absolutely beat by 10pm. I even took a nap on Saturday, but I guess my body was sleepy. I'm tired today too, and I just cleaned my entire kitchen(scrubbed the floors even!) and cooked up my chicken for the week, so I am hoping to hit the hay early.

So glad to feel happy and balanced and not like the world is sitting on my shoulders.

Great workout and Blueberry "cereal"

I had an AWESOME workout this morning.
I warmed up for 15 minutes on the treadmill, and then hit bi's, tri's and abs. I went VERY heavy and it felt AWESOME. i was fighting the last few reps of each set. I spent an hour and 15 minutes in the weight room today :)

Afterwards for cardio: Ran 10 laps around the basketball court sprinting at the sidelines, then did 10 sets of stairs, and finished up with 10 minutes on the treadmill..this was tough..15% incline and i did 30 second sprints. Holy hills baby. I did a little plyo work and was DONE. such a great quick cardio sesh, i'm liking this already :)

So the blueberry cereal!!!

I was at Trader Joe's today and grabbed a pack of their freeze dried blueberries(120 cals). I had never had these(only the strawberries) and I ate one and it was such a fun crunch! It reminded me of Kix cereal...and that's when I decided to pour the rest of the package into a bowl with a half cup of milk. YUM. It was like blueberry cereal..so good!!!!

If you have kids, just tell them that their milk will turn BLUE and i can guarantee they will eat this new "cereal" too :)

A good laugh

Jack Shit is at it again.

MUCH better

Okay, feeling SO much better. I pulled my head out of my ass, and feel good again. :)

Another part of that is I also got a weight lifted off of my shoulders. I talked to my posing coach today and we decided that I should NOT do OCB on September 5th. My body and mind are telling me to TAKE A BREAK from comp. prep. i know this and so does she. Instead, this is my plan.

November 20-21, Las Vegas, Fitness America Weekend. This is a HUGE show, guys. 400-500 athletes. So, for now I am going to keep eating clean and healthy, but not be so super restrictive. I will be meeting with my posing coach(Tiffani Bachus..3rd place at Fitness America last year! Look her up!) every couple of weeks and we will decide when I should start my leaning out. If i stay at this weight(which I plan to) we are guessing probably 4-6 weeks out.

As far as training goes, you all know that I have been revving my engine. Although I don't often say it on here, I KNOW i over train. Weight training to cardio ratio is definitely not how it should be. I have noticed my muscles wasting away in my arms. 1 hour of weight training to 2 hours of cardio a day will do that to ya. Add being on a comp. prep diet, and say goodbye to those muskulls.

The new plan is to cut WAY back on cardio. Will still do my 5 day split of weight training, I change it up all the time, but make sure to hit each muscle group at least once a week, twice sometimes too. The cardio will be cut back to more like a half hour a day. Some days it will be steady state, but there will be much more HIIT going down in my world. That was a decision that I made based off of my trainer at Funktional Fitness. He is a smart guy and gave me his input. Get ready to see a little more muscle on this chica :)

By the way, I am one lucky gal. I have so many people helping me out. A year ago, I didn't have this support system, but I started to put myself out there, ask questions, take people up on their offers, etc.

For those of you who are wanting to compete, put yourself out there. ASK questions, be OPEN to suggestions. I have learned SO much from reading through articles, research, and books, blogs, but doesn't replace LISTENING to what others who have competed, or have a serious background in fitness and health have to say. I can't tell you how much advice and training I get for FREE just because I ask. The free training that I get from my trainer Dae, came from him seeing me work my ass off in the gym and wanting to help me out. The free training I get at Funktional Fitness came from me sending him an e-mail about what I am doing. The free training I get from my boxing instructor came from consistenly going to his class and being open to what he had to say. Many times, trainers at smaller studios will do trade with you. Do you have a business or some way to hook them up? You hook them up, they will probably hook you up too. Now, don't get me wrong, there are a LOT of stupid people out there claiming to be trainers, nutritionists, experts, etc. I can tell you that I wouldn't hire half of the personal trainers at most gyms. A lot of them don't know what they are talking about and have little to no experience. This is where it becomes SO important to ask questions. Ask them about certifications, training, philosophy, etc. You may not know what they are talking about, but you can always research it. Ask to speak to previous and/or current clients. There are MANY good trainers out there, but you just have to find them. (Kind of like men :))

I also suggest changing it up. If you have been with the same trainer for 6 or more months, I know we often get attached to that person, but try to mix it up with a new trainer. Not all trainers are created equally and I have yet to meet two trainers who do things the exact same way. (I'm really starting to sound like I'm giving dating advice huh?)

Anyways, just some tips that I wanted to share, and let you know what is going on with me. I feel awesome, ready to kick butt in the weight room, eat my healthy foods, eat a little fruit for god sakes :) I feel good and just wait until November. I am going to knock everyone's socks off!
(I maybe haven't run a marathon yet, but I can definitely WRITE a marathon. Sheesh sorry!)

Triggers

These past few months I have learned a lot about addiction. Dealing with the issues of my brother has opened my eyes in more ways than I could have expected. Although this is not the firs time I have dealt with addiction(mother), it is the first time I have put all my effort into helping someone with an addiction. With my mother, it was the "norm" as a young child and there wasn't much I could do about it. Crying and whining that she should stop drinking wasn't the answer. By the time I got older, I just figured it was too late. You also can't help someone who won't admit to a problem.

Addiction is something that has always run through my family. Grandfather, mother, aunt and younger brother. Addiction makes you do things you don't really want to do. The addiction, however, wants you to do it. The addiction takes over, and it tries to control you.

So where am I going with this? Every addict has triggers. My brother, for example, can't take any type of pills, because these are a trigger to him. Smoking cigarettes and pot are also triggers for him. He is working on avoiding these things so that the addiction does not try to coax him into taking oxycontin.

I eat healthy every day and I love it. People ask me if I get bored of eating chicken and vegetables and egg whites all the time and I truly do not. I also noticed last week when I was carb depleting, that all of my cravings were completely gone by Thursday of last week. When thinking about wanting something to eat, all that I wanted to eat was oatmeal. Not ice cream or cookies, just some oats or some fruit. Something healthy but something with carbs, obviously.

So why am I going through this stupid binge cycle with this crap food that I don't even like that much? Because I have been having cheats so frequently(it's not exactly frequent, but weekends have been tough), my body is starting to crave sugar. Once I get it out of my system, I'm okay, but there are certain foods that I feel that trigger me to want to just EAT my little heart out. When I eat chicken, avocado with salsa and vegetables, I am completely satisfied afterwards and don't even want anything else to eat. When I eat a tablespoon of almond butter? I want 834290384 more. So, that being said...here is my list of trigger foods that I am aware of. These are all foods that are healthy in moderation, but for now, I am going to steer clear of them in order to get the ball rolling again.

This is me going on 30 days, guilt free healthy living(of course I have a little contest prep left in there, so I will allow 1 cheat meal the night of or the day after the show. Notice I said MEAL, not day.)

Trigger foods:
-Peanut butter and Almond butter(i will miss you both)
-Fruits(I am fine as long as I don't eat them too often. If i grab an apple at the store every few days, that works, just not going to keep a ton of fruit in the house.)
- Egg whites/Eggs(I am not going to stop eating this. When I eat this for breakfast I am good to go, but if I eat it in the afternoon for a meal, i crave more food afterwards.)
-Sweet potatoes(i know these aren't supposed to spike your blood sugar, but i feel like they do for me. haven't been eating them much lately anyways)

My Key Foods:(these are foods that satiate me and leave me totally satisfied. No cravings.)
Proteins:
-chicken
-canned salmon or tuna
-egg whites(in the morning for the most part.)

Complex Carbs:
-brown rice
-veggies(red pepper, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus and green beans)
-quinoa
-plain oats

Fats:
-avocado
-coconut oil
-EVOO

So for now, I will stick to these foods. Like I said, fruit is okay with me as long as I don't have a ton of fruit lying around the house. Because I WILL eat it all :) Not that that is necessarily a bad thing, and I am not saying there is ANYTHING wrong with fruit, but I want to just keep things easy, and eating the above foods for a few weeks will make things easy.

I am going to try to photograph my meals too. Let's see if I can handle it! What are the easiest ways to upload photos on to blogger? I am terrible at it(hence the lack of pics on this blog!)

Thanks for reading the long-ass-novel post. :) If you read all the way through, you must really love me :):) haha
-almonds

Ugh

I need my head to be screwed back on straight.

It's funny how in my last post I spoke about buckling down and working on what I need to. I had great intentions yesterday and today. Yesterday I stuck to my goals, whereas today, I did not.

I'm not sure exactly what came over me, but I decided that eating a ton of crap was what I should do.

I'm struggling guys, not going to try and hide that. I don't know what it is honestly. I DO know, that I need to get my head screwed back on straight. At this point I want to crawl into a hole in the ground and bury myself for a while. Hey, at least then I won't be eating a bunch of crap right?

Okay, so since burying myself in a hole is not an option, moving forward is my only choice.
My best plan of action is to pretend like this is someone else writing this post, and to give them my best advice. So here goes:

"Dear friend, every day is a new day, you may have made poor choices today, but starting tomorrow you can make good choices and have the chance to turn it all around. Don't give up, just pick yourself up off the ground and get back into gear."

Easy peasy right? I am just upset today. Figures the same day I am featured on a very popular website, I am struggling. Ah, just need to stop being a baby and get my head in the right place. That's what it truly comes down to.

Going to go through the motions of putting the pieces back together. Going to wake up tomorrow like any other day and do my workout, going to eat healthy like my body wants me to, and going to try to get my head out of this funk. THAT will be the hardest part.

I am going to sit down and have a talk with the man upstairs tonight. I need some guidance right now. I just don't seem to be sticking to my healthy eating goals lately the way I should be. Too many cheat DAYS(not meals, DAYS) and they add up. They are pushing me further from my goal. It SCARES me. Because I have gained weight before(after losing it) and vowed that I would never do that again. This is how it all started though, and I am telling you right now that will NOT happen again. I am going to get back to the healthy lifestyle that I truly love(although lately I am a poor example of it.)

Starting over beginning right now. Okay...deep breaths.

School has begun!

Ahh, so much to say and so little time to post! Let me fill you in on what's been going on.

I took Sunday off from exercise AND dieting and pigged my ass off :) I also compared pictures from this competition and my July 18th competition. Well, I was right when I told my friend George that I thought I had taken a few too many cheats in between last competition and this one. My legs were not as lean this time around. It motivated me to get my ass back in gear!

The reason so many "cheats" were had was because I wasn't prepared, and I also lost some flame. I had been working so hard and dieting so hard that I just wanted a break. Trying to take a break while preparing for a contest=no-can-do captain. I lived, and learned. I didn't gain that much weight by any means, but I noticed it in the pictures. I don't know how much can be taken off before my Sept. 5th show, but there will be no more cheats. I was doing fine the last 2 weeks before the FAP, but it was the 2 weeks that followed the NPC show that really did me in. Moving on...

I believe I am going to be doing the Fitness America Weekend 2009 in Las Vegas in November! A bunch of the girls that I competed with this past weekend are doing it, and I think it will be a fun time. It also will give me the chance to REALLY get my body in shape. This show is 300-400 athletes and some BIG NAMES will be there. I will have about 3 months from the Sept. 5th show to get ready for it. I plan on taking the week off after sept. 5th(off as in, not strict dieting...clean eating stays though for the most part..i'll still be working out...i love working out..taking a break would be like punishment) Then I will start dieting 10 weeks out. I want to have a nice 6 pack going into this show, as it seems that is what FAP really likes. A great set of abs. I am going to show them just that!!

School started yesterday so I am extra busy. Sorry if I am not blogging as much, but I'm still reading and will try to blog and comment as often as possible. Thanks for sticking with me guys! You are awesome!

check it out!

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/female-transformation-lizzy-ostro.htm

few pics. more to come

A few girls from our posing group........me, Michelle(1st place....sweet girl just me her last night), Elena(3rd place..i think she should have won our class!! beautiful girl), Belle, and Laura.


Some of our Posing Group!
Belle, Patty, Kim, Cyndi, Elena, Me, Mara(CUTEST woman ever, seriuosly amazing woman..always happy and positive. love her!), Lisa, and Jill

Good spirits

I didn't mean to come off so negatively last night in my post. I really did have a wonderful time. I was with 9 girls who i have practiced posing with for the last few months and it was wonderful to see them all get on stage as well. We all had a blast. There were definitely some drawbacks with the show/promoter, but I learned a LOT from this show. I actually feel more confident than I did after the NPC show. It made me realize many things and I have a TON of drive inside of me.

One part of the show that was not typical was that they interviewed each of us on stage. Most of the girls stammered a little bit, and I figured I would too. When it came my turn, I just decided I wanted to have fun with it and when he asked me about my hard rock/ heavy metal music choices, I just decided to be playful and joke around with him. He and the audience got a good laugh and it helped me to open up. My personality is full of sarcasm and that came through on stage with that.

Any and every experience, good or bad, on stage is HELPFUL. More experience with things that don't go as well as you hope makes you a better and stronger competitor. I am actually very pleased with everything. Now that I have had time to sleep on it, I just realized that this has given me even MORE of a reason to work harder. Not only harder, but smarter. There were only 6 people in my class, but it was a tough class and although I would have placed myself 3rd or 4th, I am happy with my 5th place. It gives me plenty of room for improvement.

I can't WAIT for OCB in 2 weeks(sept. 5th)

Things I plan to improve for the future(EXCITED to work towards these goals):
Gotta get these abs more defined! :)
Lean out a bit more
Get a new suit, get more creative with my outfits
Practice my posing and T-walk even more and really let my personality shine on stage

I don't plan on stopping any time soon and I am also SO thankful for the wonderful people I have met so far. I met so many new friends last night at the show, and so many inspirational people that keep me going.

The future totally excites me. Thank you all for being supportive with me on this journey of life that i'm LOVING :)

verdict

Well, 5th place.

Not too happy with it, but at the same time, the judges were all photographers and fashion model people, so they really didn't know fitness. The promoter was explaining to them what they should look for in each category..umm shouldn't they know? But its okay. i got more experience being on stage and got some GREAT feedback from my posing coaches. one of my coaches, tiffani bachus, who won 2nd or 3rd place at fitness universe(she was in the runnings with lindsay messina and other top dogs!) told me that her and the other coach had a long talk about me and that they really think i can take this far and do well in it, so she wants to work with me more. So that was awesome!

All in all, wasn't a fan of this show/organization and it was a VERY small show. Was expecting a lot of people, there were 35 competitors total.(180 at the NPC show i competed in)

Anyways live and learn. Now eating my oats with peanut butter and banana that ive wanted all week! :)

And we're off!

Show time!

Ready to go!

:-I'm tanned, meals are packed, bag is packed, and now I just wait :)

Thank you everyone for being so patient with me this week and the last few weeks. I have been complainier(just made that word up--copyright 2009?hehe) than usual, but I am finally feeling much better. So thank you all again! You have been awesome, and been there for me and I can't thank you all enough!

It is storming like CRAZY here right now. The lightning cracks have been so loud. Kind of scary :) But I love big storms.

The foods I am bringing with me tomorrow are:
Egg Whites
Chicken/Avocado
Sweet Potato
Banana
Dates
Asparagus

i brought chocolate and juice last time and i don't know what really helped/didn't help. This time, I am just going to eat my normal chicken etc. I may or may not dig into the sweet potato. I haven't had starches in a week and am afraid they might make me bloat?

Anyone with more knowledge, PLEASE let me know your opinion?
Comp. day is so difficult. You either get it right or you don't...ah!

1 day out

Hey guys! I promise I am in a much better mood today :). Yesterday, I got in my boxing, leg workout and 30 minutes of cardio and came home.

I had a workout at my sponsor's gym , and was really angry because I didn't want to do it. I was so tired, carb-depleted, you name it, I just was NOT in the mood. But who am I to turn down a workout? So my crabby pants drove to the gym and did it. I had a GREAT workout. For one, it was a sweatfest, and for two it completely changed my mood around!(Thank you endorphins!) It was just what I needed to get my head back on straight and stop plotting my world domination.

They gave me brochures, and my clothing to wear at my competition, and I started feeling good and excited again. (below is the back of the jacket.)

I went home afterwards and ate, and had some family drama, of course. But didn't let it get the best of me, and headed off to my boxing conditioning class in the evening. 5 workouts in one day is ridiculous guys. But I pushed through, and now am off today with just some light cardio. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

I came home from conditioning and was NOT hungry, but forced myself to eat a piece of chicken and a bell pepper. I was confused as to why 1600 calories was keeping me full on a day that I burned probably 3000+. Well, I woke up at 1AM and seriously HAD to get something in my system if I was going to get back to sleep. So i had a ridiculously early breakfast of spinach and eggs, broccoli and a few almonds. I fell back asleep and had CRAZY crazy real-life dreams. Then I had some nightmares about eating cupcakes, cookies, ice cream, and looking in the mirror to see the WORST CASE OF CARB-FACE EVER.

phew, just a dream(nightmare). I had a cup of egg whites, some walnuts and a bell pepper for my 2nd breakfast, and will be headed off to the gym for some seriously light cardio. Then meeting my mom, grandma, aunt and brother for coffee(water for me).

Agenda for today:

Gym

Coffee

Gettin muh hair did

Getting painted

RELAX AND SLEEP.

BIG DAY TOMORROW :) WISH ME LUCK! There is no prejudging tomorrow, so I will text you in the evening to give you updates :)

perfect

There could not have been a better day for this to pop up in my e-mail:

The most powerful tool for prophecy is learning from the past.

Today, before making a decision, recall the last time you were in a similar situation. Think about how it turned out. Do you need to do something different this time around?


These e-mails seriously turn my day around. Love it.

Peak Week-still moving

Peak week is still moving, however it is moving s.l.o.w.l.y.

It is Thursday, so I'm almost there and will make it through. Yesterday, I wanted to hate everything i saw, everyONE i saw, everyThing in general. Yea, no carbs will do that to you. I was literally mad at the world. Mad that it was only Wednesday, and that I still had 3 more days until my competition. But I got over it, and instead filled my day up with things to do so that the time would pass. I went to posing, left feeling the size of a peanut and not at all confident, went to the dentist, got my tooth drilled, and didn't mind it because it kept my mind off eating. Went home and ate another meal, headed to the library to get some new books/kill time. My brother is home from rehab, so I went and picked him up from my moms and took him to his NA meeting. Came home and ate another meal and actually wasn't craving food OR hungry.

I woke up today not feeling that hungry either, but ate my eggs and headed to the gym. I boxed(Steve killed me today, i hated/loved every minute of it. he knows how to push me), did a quick leg workout(only about 12 sets..my legs are so dead/done-zo but I know i just gotta push through this week), did an easy 30 minutes on the treadmill. I now have a workout at my sponsor's gym, which is going to be hell, I'm sure. And doing a boxing conditioning class tonight. The one that literally makes me want to cry, it's that hard.

This is all rambles, but I don't have much else to say except.....2 MORE DAYS. I will definitely have a much better post hopefully tomorrow. Today, I'm not feelin it...

Bad blogger!

sorry for the lack of updates guys! I have been very busy and being that it is peak week, my mind isn't working in its best fashion :)

Peak week is going EXCELLENT. I have stuck to my plan 100%, which is pretty easy when I just think about the fact that I will be on stage in a few days. The evenings are tough though for sure. I am so hungry throughout the day and am able to eat my meals, and after that last meal at night, it's just waiting time until bed. Sleeping has been okay, but still waking up a few times. I had horrible nightmares last night too, so that didn't help.

My body is coming in better than I thought. I was really worried that I had taken one too many cheat meals since the last show, but now that the water is getting out, I think I will end up with a better package than last time :)

Plan for today: Already did boxing, glute workout, and 30 minutes on the arc trainer
Plan on going to my boxing conditioning class tonight. That usually helps to keep my hunger at bay (weird i know) and i'm ready to pass out when i get home :) Eat, sleep and exercise are my only priorities right now.

I need to run to the grocery store, cook up the rest of my chicken(maybe if i stare at it long enough it will cook itself? better yet, i will throw it on the patio, the 110 degree weather should cook it right up throughout the day! kidding ;) Also need to do some minor craftsmanship to my theme wear. Hope to have that all finished by Thursday(way to cut it close right?!)

Will hopefully be a better blogger the rest of the week!

IMG00098.jpg

They taste better than they look! Red pepper with avocado,and red pepper flakes

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And another

These Kabbalah e-mails are rockin lately! Here is today's:

Sometimes people get impatient because they are not "changing" fast enough. Now, while it's important to strive to be different, we need to own the place we are starting from. And give it a little love. Owning your journey and "place" in this world is a prerequisite to progress and the positive shift you are looking for.Today, decide that it is a brand new starting point. Use what you got and learn from what has worked for you - but most importantly - don't see yourself through a version of you that is not there "yet." Instead, see yourself now - in the moment - and embrace the world with the knowledge of your real power.


I find these to be so motivating and they all seem to hit home with me. I am a very spiritual person and that is why I feel that I relate to Kabbalah so well.

Anyways, peak week has officially begun!! I am actually REALLY excited. Got my carbs in yesterday....plenty of them..lots of them..and now I won't see them until next Sunday lol. I ran/incline walked 7 miles this morning and plan on running 2 more outside tonight when it cools off.

Failure is Good

If you've never failed, you've never ventured out of your comfort zone.

If you've failed many times, that means you've tried many times, which means you are willing to step outside of your comfort zone.

Failure translates to ATTEMPT, TRY, PUSH, WORK, STRENGTH.

Failure is actually a sign of good.

Failure only becomes a bad thing if you don't pick yourself up and try again.

Another one

When we risk, we often feel good - more fulfilled than when we don't.

One thing most people agree on is the more we give ourselves fully to an experience, the greater our pleasure in life.We have to let go of a lot of things to do that. We have to let go of being liked, and let go of expecting others to do it too. We have to take responsibility for our own experience. We have to risk moments of standing alone.

Take a leap into the unknown today. You may just find yourself.

Got this in my daily Kabbalah e-mail. I like it.

"The closer you get to succeeding, the stronger your doubt gets.

It's the self-survival mechanism of your inner opponent. Because once you have all the doubt removed and eradicated from your brain, then whatever you will think, you will achieve. The job of your inner opponent is to challenge you and prevent you from creating fulfillment.

Today, forget the rationale your mind generates non-stop for why you shouldn't follow through on something. Doubts be damned — just jump in and go for it, no matter what. "

Plyo-hell

Okay, so after yesterdays awesome WIFL, I pretty much did nothing the rest of the day. Didn't have to work, and ran a few errands, but that was it. Until it was time for conditioning......

The conditioning class is 1 hour long. We go by the bell, which goes off every 2 minutes, with 30 seconds in between each "set" We did a circuit yesterday. We went through the entire thing, not once, TWICE. NO REST. And if you think the 30 seconds in between is a rest, it's not because you take that 30 seconds to jog over to the next station and the bell goes off signaling the start before you can even make it there. These were the stations all for 2 minutes straight each:

1. Line Jumps (just jumping side to side over a line, as high as you can go)
2. Bench Dips
3. Twisting Hindu Squats(Jump squat 180 degrees, and back, and forth, and back, and forth, and you get the point.)
4. Planks and Side Planks
5. Pushups across the basketball court
6. Jumping Lunges
7. Mitts (hitting the mitts for 2 minutes straight with all your energy is literally like sucking the life out of someone)
8. SPRINTS
9. Skaters (hard to describe but it works your glutes well!)
10. Wall Balls (Squat and thrust upwards and throw the 12 lb med ball as high as you can on the wall, catch and repeat)

I was seriously sweating like CRAZY. This was so hard, but I left the gym feeling mightttyyy accomplished. Love this class!

This morning I was planning on a run, but my running buddy dipped out, so I decided to hit the arc trainer hard. I really pushed it and did it at Level 10 and I can honestly say i pushed as hard as i could throughout the entire hour. I then met my trainer for...MORE LEGS. Just quads(ha, right "just") He had me doing hack squats(5 seconds down explode up, then squat down quick and 5 seconds up), leg extensions(toes straight, in, out), more jumping lunges and squats(because i obviously didn't do enough of them last night), and something else i can't remember.

All in all, i have gotten in some great workouts the past few days. I start my peak week on Sunday, so i am enjoying my oats and savoring every single bite. The only difference in next week compared to my last peak week is NO ALMOND BUTTER. I have gotten a little to friendly with that stuff and I don't know if I trust myself anymore. It's funny how that happens. For a while I was totally fine and would just have a little bit at a time, but now it's like my treat and 2 TBSP turns into 4 sometimes and it's getting out of hand.

Off to work, then some errands, then to the casino and out tonight!! :) Going to try for a run tomorrow, depending on how my legs feel, otherwise it will be chest and abs only.

Quickie

No not that kind of quickie. Get your mind out of the gutter ;-) Or maybe I should get mine out of their first. ANYWHO.

This morning I did a WIFL. It's kind of like a MILF, except not at all. It stands for Whatever I Feel Like. I woke up this morning to screaming hamstrings. They are STILL extremely sore even after 3 days, lots of glutamine, and 11 hours of sleep last night. So instead of doing chest today, which I didn't feel like doing, I did a WILF. I did some bicep curls with 20 lbers, lots of abs, some more biceps, and some Complex 1's. This is something I used to do at my old gym. You take the barbell(45 lbs) and do: 8 straight leg dead lifts, 8 bent over rows, 8 power cleans(instead of starting from the floor, it is just the "catch" portion, so starting at the hips and rotating over), 8 push presses, 8 squats, and 8 good mornings. Did about 3 sets of those. It was honestly a REALLY fun workout. I love weight lifting and going in there and just doing WIFL!

I challenge you all to do a WIFL! Let me know how it goes :) It is good to have a plan, but sometimes it is good to just lift your heart out :) I'm a dork, I know this. :)

I did have something else to say, but I totally can't remember now. I hate when that happens! Anyways, i definitely fell asleep at 7:30pm last night...woke up briefly to the LOUD thunder and wind(love me some monsoons!) at around 3am, but fell right back asleep and woke up at 6:30am. My body wanted SLEEP.

Oh I remember what I wanted to say. My new mantra. I think it was Michelle, but i'm not sure who posted it on their blog (sorry) But now, whenever I am struggling mentally(which has been happening lately) I repeat this in my head. "Two choices: give up, or don't give up." I always choose the latter. This makes it very easy because i don't have any other factors involved. It's either DO IT or DON'T. I am choosing to NOT GIVE UP :)

Have a good day kiddos!

i promise

you will not regret reading these.

funniest. shit. ever.

http://www.27bslash6.com/strata.html

http://www.27bslash6.com/overdue.html

http://www.27bslash6.com/magic8ball.html

Funny and My future hubs.

If you read Jack Sh*t's post last week, here is the follow up.

In case you missed the first one, here it is. So hilarious!

Oh and this is my future hubby.(Too bad he's already married. But i have been in love since the Saved by the Bell days, and he only keeps getting more good looking!!! Mark Paul Gosselaar, if you are reading this, I'm single!)

MIA

Sorry about the MIA-ness guys!! I have no excuse other than, I've just been too lazy to write. I have been reading though and will get to commenting soon enough!

After my fun weekend, yesterday was pretty mundane. I worked out in the morning (3.15 mile run on the treadmill, 31 sets of glutes/hams, and 45 minutes of incline walking) and then ran errands and the day really flew by. Before I knew it, it was time for some boxing at Club SAR. This class was an instructional class and I learned many new things about my form, etc. I also learned this: Shadow Boxing is Hilarious. I don't know that I will ever do it without feeling a little bit crazy, or ever watch someone do it without thinking that they are a little bit crazy, but ya gotta do it! :-)

Yesterday's calories were a bit high, but it's all good. I probably still had somewhat of a deficit, or at least broke even, so I'm not worried too much about it. I have 11 days until competition I believe!! Down to the nitty gritty. I am kind of freaking out because I need to work on my posing more, figure out which bottoms I will be wearing, and get the rest of my costume for my themed sportswear. Ahh! I had a nightmare about not being ready for the competition last night, but money has been tight and so has time, so it's been hard to piece it all together! I have posing with the girls tomorrow, so my goal is to have everything ready by Friday, and then just pose, pose pose until I am all posed out. Getting excited though!

Today I had my normal boxing class at the gym, then hit the weights for Shoulders/Biceps..good workout, not the best, but those days happen, and then did 45 minutes of treadmill..mixed it up with running, incline walking, backwards incline walking, etc. I am going to work in a little bit and doing another boxing conditioning class tonight at 6pm. I finally got my own gloves too!! Look at these beauties!! :):) Have a great day!

AWESOME night

I don't have too much time, but I have lots of pictures to share!!! Last night I went out with my friend Maggie, my sister, her boyfriend Corey, and one of his friends. We also met up with my old trainer Bret, who is still a really close friend of mine. We went to this bar Gilligin's in Oldtown Scottsdale. It is such a fun bar, I highly reccomend it if you are ever in the area! i will let the pics do the talking. I was sober, and had more fun than I have had in a while! :)

Jesse, Corey(sister's bf of 5 years), Maggie, Me, Bret

Bret and me slow-dancing. The bar tender called us out over the loud speaker saying "Hey look someone didn't get to dance at their prom so they are making it up now!!" Hilarious.

Me, my sister Rachel, Maggie, Corey

This is Chewy. He is a bartender at Gilligin's and he's my bud. I let him smack my ass and he gives my friends free drinks haha

Honestly a great night. I'm super tired today because I only got about 5 hours of sleep.(Can't sleep in no matter HOw tired i am ughh.) I took a rest day yesterday, and am taking another one today. My body needs it and I KNOW THIS. Not to mention, this week of workouts is intense. I like to plan my workouts on Sunday's, and I've got quite the agenda for the week. Only 2 more weeks!! :) Eating has been great this weekend as well!

Pirate King/Queen

If you haven't already, read this post so you know what I am talking about :)

It is SO hard to think of just ONE Pirate King/Queen. There are SO many influential people in my life. These people keep me motivated in different ways.

I will name a few, in no particular order.

Pirate King: Steve, my boxing instructor. This guy knows how to push my limits. When I'm doing 200 mountain climbers and I don't think I can do any more, he will jump down on the floor next to me and start pounding them out with me. When I feel as though I just can't hit any harder, he tells me to hit harder, and miraculously, as if the skies open up above me and the angel's start singing, I hit harder. I see him twice a week, but his motivation and belief in me is with me all the time.

Pirate King: Dae, my trainer. Dae is another person who has made me see just how hard I can push myself. He hands me weights that I would never even think twice about looking at, let alone lifting, and somehow, I lift them. Not only has he taught me new exercises, new ways of training, and different ways to tweak my physique, but he has taught me how to dig deep. I mean, truly, dig deep. Find my inner power and go for one more rep, go for that heavier weight. I thought I pushed my limits before, but through training with me, I realized how much more I am capable of.

Pirate Queen: Bloggy friend, Melissa. This girl motivates me to do my best and push through the hardest obstacles. The comments I receive from her are always uplifting and also reading through the accomplishments that she has done, the battles she has faced, and the way she has overcome them, always gives me the jolt I need when I'm feeling out of whack. This girl rocks!

Pirate King/Queen: Old man at my gym Wayne, and Woman at my gym Kris: These two people motivate me in a very different day. I see Wayne(probably about 75 years old) at the gym EVERY DAY. Not only that, but this man is battling brain cancer. He has had surgeries, therapies, etc., yet STILL manages to get to the gym and work out almost every single day. If that isn't enough, he is the NICEST man I have ever met. He is always cheerful, makes sure to say good morning to me EVERY DAY. All while dealing with cancer, tumors, therapy, medicine, etc. That is a true hero. Kris is a fellow boxer. I have mentioned her on the blog before. Her husband is dying of pancreatic cancer, and yet she is able to still make it to the gym quite often. In the last few weeks she hasn't been as much, but her husband is literally on his death bed. When she gets to boxing class, this girl can HIT. She is a tough cookie and NOTHING stops this mama from sweatin' and kicking ass! She also has 3 children to take care of. And still makes it to the gym to take care of her body, her mind, her soul. She is such a nice woman and always cheers me on in our boxing class. Another true hero.

There are so many others in my life that motivate me and keep me going. My dad, my friends, fellow gym go-ers who tell me that I inspire them. It is such an amazing thing to hear from someone. These are people you see everyday that are working out too. It really is great to know there are so many people around us cheering us on, even when we don't know it.

I am in this for the long haul, because I love it, I crave it, and in all honesty I need it. I thrive off of competing against myself. To get better, stronger, fitter, faster, smarter, happier, healthier, more giving, more helpful. The life I lead has and continues to make me grow EVERY DAY. With every fall and failure, to every step of success and milestone. I have become a better person in ALL aspects of my life through training. Although to an outsider, the effects of the gym might just be "getting in better shape", many don't realize that it really can help you succeed in every other way imaginable. Your career, your family, your health, your children. Keep up the good work everyone.

Who inspires/motivates you?

OOps --the Weigh in!

Forgot to post about my weigh-in earlier. I had made a point to weigh myself on the 7th(today), the 15th, and then the 21st(day before comp.)

Well I am happy to say I am right where I should be. Weighed in at 130 even. This is perfect, because during peak week last time I dropped about 5-7 pounds(mostly water weight) and weighed in at about 123 on comp. day.

I don't want to jinx myself, but now that my bloat is all gone, I honestly think that my legs are going to come in better than last time :)

Staying strong and loving comp. prep right now. I KNEW my hormones were messing with my head. I KNEW i wasn't just being lazy(well I was, because i was falling for my "hormone cravings") but at least Iknow WHY i was feeling that way.

I feel absolutely great and i'm so thankful for all of you who have been so supportive!!! Still haven't napped. I tried to, but i just can't fall asleep UGHH. Going to go try again...

Nap and Weigh in!

Hey lovelies!! So, after yesterday's exercise extravaganza, I went to the gym this morning, KNOWING I needed to keep it VERY light. My body was screaming at me not to even go, but I wanted to get a light workout in.

Everything on my body was sore, except for my chest. I knew that cardio was just NOT going to happen, so I decided to just walk on the treadmill and read until my training appointment. I walked at 3.5mph with a 4% incline for 70 minutes.(I got to the gym early because I couldn't sleep any later than 5...SURPRISED?! ughh..) Then I told my trainer I felt like I needed to keep it light and he said "you look tired." Haha, just what every woman loves to hear right?! Luckily it is almost impossible to offend me. I am the first one to make fun of myself, I don't sweat the small stuff. Anyways we did a light chest day. Just some cables and bands and a little bit of abs. Then he told me to GO HOME.

I went home, ate, went to go get my new tire, found out they didn't have it and needed to have it delivered, went to work for a few hours, decided I REALLY needed a nap or else I was going to kill everyone in the office, so I went home, stopped at Sports Authority on the way home and got me some B-E-A-U tiful new boxing gloves. They are so pretty. The leather is soft, I am in love :) I am also a boxing addict I decided. I LOVEEE it. I reccomend it to anyone and everyone. In shape, out of shape, big small, tall, short whatever. IT IS AMAZING.

Anyways, I came home and ate some much needed carbs. I had egg whites with 1/2 a sweet potato and now I am just chilling out reading blogs, e-mails, etc. I want to go take a nap, but am too lazy to walk the 10 steps to the couch. i will get there eventually.

This no-sleeping thing is really starting to suck. I woke up last night at 12, fell asleep, woke up again at 3 and from there on out i just tossed and turned until I finally got out of bed at 5:07. Ick. The time I was asleep, was not relaxing because I was having a nightmare that I was locked in a room and 2 guys were trying to murder me! AND THEN GUESS WHAT HAPPENED?!?!?! I ate PIZZA for dinner with DIET COKE in front of my SPONSORS and they didn't say a word about it!! So i yelled at them for allowing it. Haha, you know your in contest prep when THAT is what I have dreams about. Ahhh i tell ya. 15 more days bay beeeee.

Bizzy Lizzy

Totally not complaining, I like to be busy. Here's today so far:

3:00AM: I wake up and lay there for a half hour. Just another one of my random middle-of-the-night-wake-ups. Finally fall back asleep and have CRAZY dreams and get some GOOD sleep in, but only until my alarm clock goes off...
5:30AM:Alarm clock goes off, get out of bed, make breakfast. Today it was 2/3 c. oats, 1/2 c. egg whites, 2 TBSP natural PB, cinnamon. A big breakfast, and tomorrow I will only do 1/2 c. of oats and 1 TBSP PB, because although it didn't overstuff me, it was a little too much.
6:30AM: Boxed my sox off. He also added a lot of plyo's in class today. Good thing I had plyo's on my agenda for today......
7:30AM: Squats, Jump Squats, Leg Extensions, Jumping Lunges, Bulgarian Squats(Split Squats), Bench Jumps, Side Bosu Lunges, Box Jump-overs, Side to Side Band Walks, High skips, butt kickers, high knees.
8:45AM: 31 min on the Arc Trainer and STRETCHED :)
9:45AM: Chicken, salsa, avocado, green beans, almond buttaaaa

After that morning, I headed to my apartment office. At the beginning of next month(September 8th) I will be moving into a different unit, since my roommate is not moving back in and I am SICK of paying for a 2 bedroom when I don't use the other room at ALL.

Finished up the paperwork and got everything set up, then went back to my apartment showered, packed some food, and headed to work. Got a few things done, ate my salad with salmon, coconut oil, pico de gallo with red bell pepper on the side, and headed back home.

Now I am just hanging out relaxing for a bit. Answering e-mails, talking to my sponsor, and reading bloggies/facebooking/twittering. I ate some more oatmeal(forgot how much I loved/missed this stuff) and the almond butter fairy attacked me and forced 4 TBSP into my mouth!!! ;-)

Lucky for me, I had the room calorie-wise, and my oatmeal turned into my dinner. I am taking yet another boxing class this evening at club SAR(the city's gym..aka the sauna) so, I think I have burned my fair amount of calories today. I seriously am getting more and more intense with my workouts. I have to be careful not to run myself into the ground! But I figure, I have less than a month (Sept. 5th is my last comp. for a while) to push it. And to be honest, I LOVE working out like a maniac. Absolutely LOVE IT. I thought of a great way to punish myself if I were to binge(which I will NOT, trust me. My mindset is SPOT ON :)) But in the future, if I binge, I am NOT ALLOWED to workout the next day. That will motivate me, because I don't take rest days very well.

My nickname in my AM boxing class has become "freak show". Ha love it.

Hope everyone is doing well!! Loving me this 100 day challenge! :) I had a rough start, but have bounced back and I think a lot of that has to do with me not having RAGING HORMONEs that a stupid relative brought last week. She is nasty. Glad to have her gone!

Wowza

Hey guys! The title of this post is because I don't know what else to say. It has been a long two days. Not in a bad way, but just exhausting.

Yesterday, I boxed, did an hour of Shoulders and Biceps, 35 min. on the arc trainer. I left the gym, ate my yummy chicken, avocado, salsa combo with brown rice and broccoli/cauliflower on the side. It is seriously my fave post-gym meal. It fills me up, but doesn't make me completely stuffed.(I know it seems like so much food, but it is just the right size.)

Afterwards, I headed to work to deal with some crap, crap and more crap. The lady i work with(my dad's assistant) is the sweetest lady ever, but talks so much. It makes it hard to get things done because she just talks, and talks, and when she hands me a paper, I get a 5 minute explanation along with a story about her kids, or grand kids, etc. etc. Sometimes, I just don't want to talk! When I am at work, I work. Call it anti-social, but if I have things to do, I tend to work fast and hard to get it all done. It's how I have always been with school and work. No time for lolly-gagging.

How do you guys work? Do you prefer working alone? Working with others? Working slowly and taking your time, or pounding it out in a short amount of time? More importantly, do you have a Chatty Kathy at your office? (If anyone reading is named Kathy, no hard feelings k?!)

After I left work, I got a call from my dad that he needed somethign picked up out in East Mesa and brought back to his office.(63 miles round trip) It worked out okay, because I got to spend some quality time with Killswitch Engage. I listened to their new CD at least 3 times :)

My friend Perry informed me that he was going to be taking a boxing conditioning class that night and that I should come since I've become such an addict. It was at a new gym, and well it was only $3. How could I turn it down? Ended up being a really good class(I still prefer my normal boxing class), but the gym was a SAUNA. Not a bad thing though, because I am a weirdo and actually prefer it a little warm when I am working out. (Told ya I'm a native AZonan) I will definitely take this class again! Needless to say, I came home and crashed out.

I have been having such a hard time sleeping these past few months. I fall asleep INSTANTLY, but always wake up once or twice in the night. Sometimes I fall back asleep right away, and sometimes I have to get up and do something for a while. It's really frustrating and I think it correlates to being in a calorie deficit. Any other dieters/contest preppers ever have this problem? It is starting to take it's toll on me, as today I have been pretty exhausted. Not the tired where you want to fall asleep, the tired where you are NOT ready to go to sleep, your just tired.

Anyways, this morning I got a 15 minute run in, followed by a sweaty Back/Tricep/Abs sesh with my trainer, and ended it with 45 minutes on the treadmill, varying speeds, inclines, and directions. (Walking backwards at about 2.9mph with a 15% incline KILLS the quads. Such a burn)

Worked all day again today and then got me some new RUNNING SHOES :) My other ones were SHOT. I haven't had them for very long, but I go through shoes pretty quickly because of all the miles I put on thoses babies. I got the same pair I have gotten the past two times. Here are my loves:

Is it weird that I get so excited about new running shoes?! It made me happier than any other purchase I could think of at the moment. Can't wait to workout tomorrow just to wear them!!

I am feeling strong mentally and it makes all the difference. 17 Days :) Night!!

Another great giveaway

Check out this awesome giveaway!

A Good Laugh

I woke up tired and a little cranky this morning, but after I read this post by Jack Sh*t Gettin Fit, my day has turned around. Hilarious! If you haven't checked out his blog, it is worth it. The guy is a bloggie comedian.

Queen Box-a-lot and an Award

Well first off I want to thank miss Melissa for the "Honest Scap Award" If you haven't checked out her blog yet, DO IT. Talk about motivation!! Thanks Melissa!



This award is:

"bestowed upon a fellow blogger who's blog content or design, the givers opinion, is brilliant. This award is about bloggers who post from thier heart,who often times put their heart on display as they write from the depths of their soul".



What a great award! I am so happy this was given to me :)



The rules to accepting this award are:



1)Brag about it(done above :-))

2)select 7 blogs you find brilliant and link them to the post

3) list 10 honest things about self





Okay so 7 blogs I love(in no order..and this was hard to narrow down to just 7!):

Melissa at Melissa's Journey to the Figure Pro-Stage

Kaneil at Balance is Best

April at The Weigh I Am

Reese the Hott Healthy Housewife

Shelly at Here I am-The Other Side of the Journey

Sohee at Let's See What I can Do

Becca at A Mile in These Shoes



Ahh like I said really hard to narrow it down..i seriously read SO many blogs that i LOVEEE so if I forgot you and I comment on you a lot, consider yourself tagged as well :)



And now for 10 Honest things about myself:

1. I have never been in a relationship that lasted longer than 3 months.(of officialness, i don't count the "still talking/hanging out blah crap...that lasted way too long with my ex!")

2. I have extreme body image issues, and I still sometimes try to cover up my "fat" I have never been overweight, so I don't know why this is, but it is.

3. Addiction runs in my family and I am no exception, I have just chosen to use it for the good : Exercise addict.

4. I listen to heavy metal and love to rock out. I play guitar and piano and music is a serious part of my life. If I hadn't gotten into fitness and competing/workingout, I would be a roadie. No joke.

5. I don't drink and haven't since I was 15. I had 1 drink on my 21st birthday and 1 drink when I went to Las Vegas. My mom is an alcoholic and I know I have the potential to become that, I don'teven want to mess with it!(plus it makes you fat!)

6. I used to eat fast food at least twice a day (often more) drink about 5-7 cans of dr. pepper per day, eat dominos and brownie bites like they were going to be discontinued, and still didn't gain weight. Oh how i loved high school........(i however did not have the physique I have now..i was "skinny fat" i look back at pictures now in disgust.)

7. I have a lot of confidence but at the same time, i am really hard on myself. I will usually come up with reasons why I'm not good enough, why someone won't like me, and actually have really low self esteem. It is a weird mix, but totally true.

8. I have lived in AZ my whole life and have never been to the Grand Canyon. eek.

9. I always wished that I had cousins that were my age. All of my family growing up was adults besides my bros and sis. We had two cousins that lived here that we didn't really like (we're mean, but if i began with the stories, you would get it) and the only other kids lived in Pennsylvania, so we only saw them once in a blue moon.

10. My ideal life is to move up north to a small town with my husband and kids and live in a big house with a lot of property. I want to be about an hour and a half away from Phoenix. Close enough, but not too close. Somewhere with good hiking, running trails, and good neighbors.





Quick re-cap since this is wayy long already: This morning took boxing, did an hour long shoulder/bicep workout(crushed em!), 35 minutes on the arc trainer, worked, and then took ANOTHER boxing class this evening. WOO my body aches. Eating was MUY bien :) and i stretched TWICE today. yay! Bring on tomorrow!! 18 days.

Map my run I just

Map my run
I just mapped out my run from last night and it was actuall 3.4 miles ..I knew my pace seemed a little faster than norm

Evening Run!

Hey again! Ahh, I didn't do much else today after my nap-fest. I did make it to the grocery store because I was out of chicken. I wouldn't have slept well knowing I didn't have my favorite post-workout meal waiting for me after my workout tomorrow.

I am seriously in love with chicken, avocado and a little salsa on top with red pepper flakes and pepper. It doesn't sound that great but I loveeeeee it.

I finished cooking up my chick-a-dees, and cleaned the kitch, and thought about going for a run. Before I knew it, I was outside hitting the pavement. The true Arizonan in me came out, because although it was still about 98 degrees outside(high of 111 today :)) I thought it felt really nice out. I didn't wear my HRM, I didn't bring a watch, I didn't map out a route, I just RAN. And ran and ran! I ran fast and loved every minute of it. I always forget how much I love my outdoor runs. They are so soothing to my cluster-f*&k of a brain. The whole time I was out there I was thinking about how thankful I am to have the drive and ability and athleticism to just run my heart out. It felt so amazing. I ran along the road by my house which is a windy road. It is about 1.6 miles long in length so I decided I would run up and down it(approx 3.2 miles) I didn't time myself, but door to door it took me about 30 minutes. All I had with me was my ipod and I really can't wait until the weather cools down a bit.(Which in AZ, our summer usually doesn't end until like October. bleh) Either way, these evening runs will hopefully happen more often.

That's all i've got for now, but I will be back tomorrow with a possible cure for my raging hormones. Ugh the aunt is almost gone and hopefully life will be NORMAL again, until then..no excuses :)

Nap-Face

Well I pounded it out at the gym this morning. Had a great workout, came home and ate some chicken and avocado, sweet potato(haven't had it in so long, but this weekend i cooked one up and still had the other half) and some much needed asparagus to try to dump some of this water I am holding on to. A little later i made some oats with almond butter and a drizzle of honey, and then I decided I was REALLY TIRED. I called my work and told them I would be coming in tomorrow, instead of today, and I layed on the couch. I literally napped my face off.



I woke up to my phone ringing(3 hours later!). It was a girl I met at the NPC show who does mobile tanning. I had scheduled a phone meeting with her to discuss a discounted rate for all of the girls I pose with if we all use her. Turns out she is the official tanner for the show anyways, so it worked out. She is giving us a GREAT rate, so that will be nice.



I just woke up a little bit ago and am working from home, getting some phone calls in, and e-mails out. I just had a red bell pepper, delish. I love those things I wish they weren't so expensive.



I have to confess I started buying them at the 99 cent store. I feel kind of weird buying produce at a place like that, but 3 bell peppers for 99 cents?! Can't beat that. I might start growing weird things out of my body, but I can save a few bucks right?!



Anyways, that is all I've got for now. I'm feeling TERRIFIC now that I have napped. I was a grumper earlier. Sleep is a wonderful thing. I'll check back later. :)

45 min. Am cardio, 18

45 min. Am cardio, 18 min warm up run, glute/ham workout, 30 min incline walk. So far so good!
M1: egg,egg whites, spin, AB

Break it down

FAP - 20 DAYS

13 days: 1800 calories, 100-150g. carbs per day.
6 days: 1600 calories, 50-75g. carbs per day, veggies only.
SHOW TIME!

What.
I haven't been quite strict enough since my last show. Partly because I was struggling with dealing with post-comp. blues while prepping for a show. That is a deadly mix. These past two weeks have been filled with binge, followed by 4-5 days of good eats, followed by another binge.

Why?
After dieting so strictly, especially for the few weeks leading up to my first competition, I needed a break. I was so excited and thrilled by the results of my first competition, and how much fun I had doing it, that I didn't realize what I was setting myself up for. Although I am not regretting doing these next two competitions(August 22nd and September 5th), I feel that a break should have been in order. And the break should have been better planned.

Order of Action:
Learning what I have learned in the past two weeks(although it feels like it has been months...), is that I need to allow myself and my body time to recover from the rigorous dieting it is put through pre-contest. I have 20 days now, and although I know I have gained a few pounds, I haven't gained too much. My workouts have stayed intense, and I have been eating clean the majority of the time. I am bloated right now both from poor food choices, and also my stupid period. I haven't had it in 4 months, and it decided to take it's time puttering around in my body the last week and a half driving me insane wondering if it was coming or not. It finally did on Saturday morning. Explains the raging hormones, mood swings, etc. My body is adjusting, and dieting is NOT easy when your body is adjusting. I also know that 20 days is a lot of time if I do it just right. I believe that if I really push myself and set myself up for SUCCESS, that I will come in looking even better than I did at my last competition.

This is me putting myself out there. If I get any feelings of wanting to stray from plan, I am going to text the blog(if I am out of the house) with my cell phone number so all of you can text me and yell at me for being a big baby. I don't believe that will happen, but if it does, feel free to banter at me!!! :-)

The 20 day countdown has begun.

On a positive note, I cleaned my entire kitchen, both bathrooms, closet and picked up the clothes from my bedroom. Just need to finish re-arranging my room(need more shelving first) and the house will be spotless(at least until mid-week hehe.)

Agenda for tomorrow:
Workout: AM Cardio, Legs-Glutes/Hams, 1 hour cardio post-workout.
Work: 11:30-2pm
Meeting: 2pm-2:30pm
Errands: 2:30pm-4pm Get new jump suit to give to my sponsor for logo-ing, get themed sportswear outfit
Blog: 5pm
Secret Life of an American Teenager: 8pm(yes, very important haha)
Sleep: 9pm!

And i'm off.....with 8 Skinny bones....

Funktional Fitness

My new sponsor is Funktional Fitness. I am so excited about this because not only are they going to sponsor my next to competitions, but I LOVE their gym. I hate that it is about a 25 minutes drive from my house :-( I wish that I could just start training there. Totally different workouts than I am used to!! August is starting out pretty nicely :)

Check it out!!

At least I know why

At least I know why my hormones/emotions have been crazy off the wall...aunt came to town after 4 months without seeing her! Ugh

At least I know why

At least I know why my hormones/emotions have been crazy off the wall...aunt came to town after 4 months without seeing her! Ugh

:-(

I am so saddened to read about Jen's mother this morning. Jen has always been there for me during the tough times, both regarding my brother and also just in general life. Please go show your support for her as well in these difficult times. She is an AMAZING girl who does not deserve this.