3 magazines + my next challenge

so i’ve been bombarded with goodness all in one day from 3 different magazines…go figure.  i’m so happy that i can barely contain myself.  check it out:

magazine #1: fitness magazine (sept 2009)
to back up just a bit, there’s been a crazy up-tick in fitbook sales the past few days and i was wondering why…and i remembered that fitness magazine had contacted me about featuring fitbook.  so i bee-lined for barnes & noble and sure enough – there on page 100 is a little write-up and photo of the fitbook!!!!!  seriously – to see that just made me giddy as a little girl!  the write-up was on fitness trackers and they list the “perfect workout tools” for different types of people.  they recommended fitbook for the ‘journal lover’: “let no move or munchie go unrecorded with the fitbook.” (they capitalized fitbook but i’ll let that one go…understandable error given that it would be grammatically correct that way!)  they go on to talk about the features of it and they included a little image of it and everything!  i proceeded to buy 4 copies, leaving 1 of course so someone else can buy the magazine and then buy a fitbook!  ah – what a blessing.

magazine #2: IDEA fitness journal (sept 2009)
this is the fitness industry trade magazine from IDEA – the organization that put on the fabulous fitness convention that we just attended in anaheim…where fitbook celebrated its first birthday, i might add!  (happy bday fitbook!)  so i get the mail at around 11 o’clock tonight, still glowing from the fitness magazine feature, and i’m flipping through the IDEA magazine and fitbook is featured in the product showcase….a little write-up and pic!  what are the odds?  just another reason i love IDEA (www.ideafit.com).  a lot of trainers and gyms learned about fitbook at our very first tradeshow just one year ago in vegas and we happily returned to the IDEA expo this year in anaheim – but we’re so thankful to IDEA for puttin’ the word out about fitbook in print too! 

magazine #3: muscle & fitness HERS (sept/oct 2009)
so i just sat down to relax tonight and was flipping through my latest issue of muscle & fitness hers.  everytime i get it i flip through really quick to find the fitbook ad that we place in there each month in the HersSHOP section.  there was my little fitbook happy as can be!  ok this is the wierd coincedence: directly opposite the fitbook ad is an article entitled “aftereffects: beat the post-contest blues by staying disciplined in the off-season”!!!  ok how many times did i joke that there should be post-competition therapy or support groups…and where was this article when i needed it most?    well, apparently directly opposite my fitbook!  i seriously want to write the entire article down here for my blog-followers that followed me both before and after the competition because you’d see that (apparently) i’m normal and everything i faced was just part of it.  it touches on the post-competition blues, the “feeding frenzies”, which apparently are due mostly to the hormones which get manipulated during competition prep. the most interesting part was that since you’ve been depriving your body, it starts absorbing fat, sodium and sugar like a sponge so your hormones go out of whack to try to stabilize itself…then the sugar (which you have NONE of during prep) causes your hunger to go “through the roof” (YES – i can attest to that!).  ah – it was just nice to see that i wasn’t whacko!!  a lot of people deal with this and end up weighing more after the competition than they did before (which i did too!).   the article goes on to talk about a “step-down plan” which consists of knowing yourself and what your triggers are while bringing your calories up by 300-400 per day, staying active to maintain, keeping  water intake high, and then staying accountable (fitbook perhaps?).  anyway – great article and SUCH an enlightening read for me.  i wish i would have had this sooner – but i made it through on my own and learned so much in the process.  

needless to say: lovin’ my mags right now!  the whole point of this blog was to talk about my next fitness challenge for myself, but i just had to share the great news with everyone.  so onto the point of the blog: i’d love to hear from you what you think my next fitness challenge should be for myself.  here are a few ideas – feel free to let me know which one you like, or recommend something else for me.  here are my ideas:

• blogging through p90x: i’ve heard it’s killer which to me means “challenge”…i’m competitive that way.  i thought i could do the p90x program and blog about it each step of the way for 90 days (which is equal to one fitbook coincedentally!).
• train for a tri: (sprint, that is)  a sprint triathlon consists of a 1/2 mile swim, 10 mile bike ride and a 3 mile run.  i’m fairly certain that i could do that now – but if i trained for it i could really kick butt at it!  there’s one in catalina island on november 7th i could train for!
• …any ideas?  let me know what you think…i really want to push myself and find a new goal.  i’d love to hear your input.  (no figure competitions for awhile please!!)

i’ll be starting my new little health challenge in about 2 weeks, after i get back from some traveling!  in the meantime i’m loving being back in the gym, taking some new and fun classes, and starting enjoy cooking again with more than 5 ingredients, but still healthy as always. now that i’m back at it – i’m ready to tackle something new!  so please – challenge me…what do you think i can’t do?  that’s all i need – and i’m all over it! 
bring it on!!

my new program!

as promised, here’s a glimpse of my workout program that is intended to not only shock my body a bit by doing something totally different, but most importantly…get me motivated and get my mind on track!  it’s worked so far this week.  just the process of trying to figure out what workout i wanted to do and how to set up my week – totally got me all fired up.  so here it is:

monday:  back/biceps  + 2om treadclimbers + 20m stepmill intervals
tuesday:  legs/shoulders + 40m incline walking
wednesday: spin class + abs
thursday: total body tabata training* + 40m incline walking
friday: beach workout**
saturday: chest/triceps + 40m incline walking
sunday: active rest - swim, rollerblade, walk on the beach, volleyball – anything!

on lifting days i’m doing 4 sets and 2-3 exercises per body part…but the first 2 sets i’m doing heavy (6-8 reps) and the last 2 sets i drop the weight and do 15-20 reps.  not really sure where i got this but thought it sounded good…will work to build muscle and then lean out by following up with high reps.  on lifting days i’m also circuiting with cardio and explosive/plyo training to keep my heart rate up and burn calories.  for cardio i’m really mixing it up…i’m doing intervals mostly to try and lean out a bit.  here are the details on my tabata training and beach workout: 

*total body tabata training: my good friend and trainer taught me about tabata which is high intensity interval training (HIIT).  i’d done it for cardio but he recently told me about doing it while lifting.  basically you do 1 exercise per body part to hit all muscle groups and you choose a weight that is about 50-65% of your max.  so say you’re doing dumbbell overhead press for your shoulders…you do reps for a total of 20 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds, do another set for 20 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds…and you keep going for 8 total sets!  so you do that for each body part.  killer.

**my beach workout is amazing and it literally kicks my butt every time – and it’s different every time.  i love it.  i get to workout while looking at the ocean – i can’t really complain!  the workout usually consists of working this long flight of stairs for awhile with running, jumping, lunging – you name it.  then i’ll go running in the sand, sprinting up hills…anything to just make it tough. then i’ll find a park area and do step-ups on the little walls, pushups in the grass, pull-ups in the trees (yes!).  pretty much anything that i can find to do in an hour.  i usually go with my friend/trainer so it’s incredible all the things we can think to do to kick each other’s butt…it’s somewhat of a competition.  he won last time: we did pushups all the way up a flight of stairs with a squat thrust/burpee in between each pushup.  brutal.

research shows you should change up your workouts every 6 weeks to keep your body (and your mind) guessing.   i did the same darn workout (pretty much!) for 4 months.  time for change!  most importantly, i’m in the gym only 2 days in a row….getting out and changing things up a bit which frankly i love.  it’s summer anyway and i wanna enjoy the weather and be outside!  i’ve found changing up my workouts not only keeps me from getting bored, but it has a major positive effect on my nutrition…i’m overall just more focused and happier.  so for nutrition – here’s the plan: because i do want to lose a few of my ‘souvenir LBs’ that i brought back from mexico, i am going to cut back during the week to 1500 calories for 2 weeks…then i’m done counting calories!!!  i hate it…i want to just focus on eating healthy and eating when i’m hungry.  but – i also want to lean out just a tad bit and that’s the only way for me to know calories in / calories out.  muscle & fitness had this great little formula for calculating how many calories you should eat.  you figure out how many hours per week you work out  and add that to 9.  so for me, i work out at least 6 hours a week (probably more, but i wanted to be conservative) so i add that to 9 to get 15.  then you take that and multiply it by your target body weight (mine is 110)…so that’s how i came up with 1500!  not rocket science but it’s a different way of figuring out your target caloric intake. 

on the weekends, i will just eat healthy most of the time and enjoy golden spoon for my treat.  that will get me back on track easily in 2 weeks and then NO MORE calorie counting for me.  my weight is always very consistent so i don’t really like to weigh and i definitely don’t like counting calories.  i have enjoyed integrating things i used to enjoy back in: ezekiel bread, van’s whole wheat waffles, string cheese, nuts, avocado…all good things, but not allowed before.  i even bought milk!  but i only drink it in moderation because it is like twice the calories of my almond milk, but i must say i missed it…i love milk!  so the nutrition won’t change a lot – because frankly, i ate really healthy before!  but i am making different choices and i’m happy that i can enjoy my weekends again, share dessert with my girlfriends, have a glass of vino (!) with my meal…and enjoy life!  that’s what it’s all about right?

viva la mexico…i’m back!

the past few weeks have been a whirlwind!  between hawaii (which i think was the last time i blogged!) and then only being home for a few days before heading to mexico for a week – not only have i been traveling like crazy, but then of course i’m behind from being gone so much.  i really shouldn’t be complaining as i know i’ll get no sympathy for having spent a total of 10 days in the sun in a matter of 2 weeks.  i can’t lie – it was amazing!  i definately needed some time away i think it really did me a lot of good.  i actually worked in mexico…outside in the sun on the patio, overlooking the beach with an iced coffee.  i think i got more done there in an hour than i do in a whole day here!  and of course when you absolutely LOVE what you do – i didn’t consider it working, as much as having the time to really focus on what’s important.  anyway – more on fitlosophy later.  mexico.  so amazing.  as you can see, i diverted happily from the competition diet and quickly acclimated to eating normal again. although, normal for me is not really depicted in this pic (no – i don’t tend to eat 3 desserts in one sitting), i did enjoy getting to just eat the amazing mexican food and enjoy some wine and maybe a few tequilas.  even though i was on vacation i was still active….didn’t want those tacos to come back with me to the states!  i went to the gym and actually trained the friend that i was staying with which was fun….then a few days i went for long aimless walks on the beach and swam around in the pool.  one morning i was feeling ambitious so i went on a great morning run on the beach…i just kept running and then about 20m into the run i actually came upon this huge group of people doing a workout on the beach to salsa music – there were a ton of people and people would just join in at random.  so to fully experience the culture (and since no one there knew me and i was free to make a fool of myself) – i joined in and did a little salsa on the beach!  i was definitely the only american and i stuck out like a sore thumb – but i really didn’t care…i was having too much fun!  so i decided i should head back because i heard thunder and i was a good 20-30m away from the house.  all of the sudden it just started pouring and i ran in the hardest downpour all the way back and was sopping wet by the time i was done.  it was hilarious – but actually very enjoyable!  so despite my being active and trying to just enjoy all the yummy food in moderation, i definitely brought back a few LB’s as souvienirs from mexico!  

so i had an epiphany when i got back – well, i don’t know if it’s that incredible, but it was for me.  i kept trying to think of something to motivate me to at least get my mind re-focused and back into my workouts.  and i guess for a long time now i’ve been working so hard toward a goal that i set, but because i was blogging and everyone around me knew that i was working toward the competition, that held me accountable. so anytime i felt like giving up or slipping up a bit, i knew i had pictures on monday….or i knew that if i was with people, i couldn’t slip up when i had this goal i had set.  that’s the great thing about voicing your goals – but what i also realized is that once that goal was gone, i didn’t feel like i had anything motivating me!  so the epiphany?  i guess i realized that right now i want to be focused on being healthy for ME…not for a competition, not because anybody is watching…but because i want to.  don’t get me wrong – my idea of falling off the bandwagon isn’t all that bad…a few days away from the gym and a little crappy eating for a few days.  but the truth is i just don’t feel good when i’m not taking care of myself.  so i’m back baby!

i got back from mexico last monday…and my goal last week was just to 1) go to the gym and get back in the swing of things and 2) eat healthy but not be too strict on myself.  my priority right now is to get my mind back to a healthy (non-obsessive) state.  while i learned a ton and am so happy i did the competition, there are a lot of after-effects that i could’ve done without.  but – it is what it is and i’m working to set new goals for myself that are for me.  so for starters, i got back on a monday and i started my new fitbook on a tuesday!  sounds like a stupid thing but maybe some can relate to the whole ‘monday syndrome’…i feel like i have to start things right…be perfect on monday or i’ve wasted a week. i’ve done this so many times and it trains our brains to just get down on ourselves and give up…eat crappy for the rest of the week, be a bit lazy at the gym, and then get all geared up for the next monday.  so small step, but a step all  the same.  my plan right now is to completely switch up my workouts like no other, moreso for the mental aspect…just needing something new because i got so burned out at the gym.  but i also want to shock my body with new and different workouts!  so i’ll be posting my new workout tomorrow – stay tuned!  also coming to a blog near you: exciting updates on fitlosophy and our next fitbook launch (next month!).

i seriously miss blogging – i really must get back to it.  i have no clue what the point is now that i already did my competition, but i’ve received enough emails from people saying they miss it that i suppose someone somewhere loves reading my ramblings.  if there are specific things you wanna know about my workouts/nutrition/fitlosophy/life…whatever…leave a comment and let me know.  so – i will wrap up tonight’s blog as i sit on my patio enjoying the warm summer night.  ahh…so relaxing!
buenas nachas! 

hawaii competition: i did it!

ahhh…it’s sunday morning and i’m outside at starbucks in waikiki drinking a coffee and just enjoyed a yummy egg and turkey bacon breakfast sandwich (on a whole wheat muffin of course!) as i blog about the competition yesterday!  first off – i’m so happy i did it, but i’m also happy it’s over so i can enjoy hawaii! 

so the day started a bit scattered yesterday because i had to catch a cab to the pre-judging and was a little late, but at most shows you have a good 2 hours to get ready and prep because figure usually goes after bodybuilding.  not at this one!  they got us in, out, and on our way!  luckily i showed up ready to go – some girls were still doing hair and make-up – but it was a bit rushed meaning that we didn’t at all have time to get our little muscles pumped up to go on stage!  that said, i was a bit frazzled, didn’t have time to practice my posing, and before i knew it i was prancing back on-stage under those big lights to do my quarter-turns.  i definitely wasn’t AS nervous as the first competition, but my little knees were still knockin’ a little bit!  and this time they had us pose for a good 5-8m which doesn’t seem long, except you’re holding your poses flexing every last little muscle the whole time.   honestly i was a bit disappointed because they moved girls around to do comparisons and never moved me – i wanted to wave my hand and say ‘hey – look at me!’  ha ha!  oh well – all i could do though was smile and do my best…and this time i kept my head up!  and as i was walking off-stage i saw kim and gunter coming in…they had just got there and they too didn’t expect us to go on so soon so they didn’t even see me.  not a big deal – i just wanted feedback on how i did.  but it was clear, after going to the dressing room that i wasn’t quite show-ready….i was dripping sweat from the posing, which i didn’t do at the last show.  the reason: i still had quite a bit of water in me.  i think the combination of not dehydrating soon enough, being sick, plus having to take that anti-biotic, i just didn’t get all the water out!  i thought i was just hot from posing but kim said it was just the extra water i had in my body, which more than likely i’d get judged down for.  what’s a girl to do?  honestly – i was just happy i wasn’t up there coughing on stage!!   

but of course, in classic ‘ang’ style, i was bummed after pre-judging and hard on myself.  i just went back to the hotel and sat on the patio thinking over and over in my head how i didn’t put my ALL into prepping for this show, but then after i sat there a bit and stared at the ocean i  just snapped myself out of it (and a few super supportive text messages and conversations helped too).  i just realized how hard i can be on myself, and while it can be a good thing because it’s what drives me – i also have to just step back and be proud of what i did accomplish.  i could have given up after the last show – but i didn’t.  i could have decided not to compete because i was sick – but i didn’t.  and the truth is, as i sat there staring out at the water, listening to the waves, i just smiled knowing that given all i have going on, i did my absolute best.  the last show i was focused 110% and put my all into it – and this show i just couldn’t.  i am so hard on myself to excel at all things i do – but i can’t be all things, all the time.  fitlosophy has been growing like crazy since the last show….and it deserved more of my time.   not to mention just wanting to spend more time with friends and family after the last competition prep took a lot of my time for over 3 months.  that said, i am so proud of myself for doing this because i had to push through some major mental barriers going from competition shape and being super-strict, super-lean – to completely hitting rock bottom and gaining weight which was hard for me to do – to getting my head back on straight, working my butt off, and coming to this competition with a renewed, healthy perspective…which is worth more to me than ANY trophy. 

so after this little thinking session on my patio, i relaxed at the hotel for a bit before i had to jump in the shower and re-paint.  yep!  last time i didn’t shower obviously because i was painted – but this time, from all the water in my body i had to shower and put another coat of paint on because i looked like a little melted candle with drippy marks all over me!    i could completely tell a difference when i painted myself in the afternoon compared to the morning though that i’d lost even more water and i felt competition-ready.  kim said i easily lost another 1-2lbs of water weight from the morning to that night and probably 3-4lbs from the night before!  so i had re-painted myself, got all purtied up and left my hotel feeling very confident and just excited for the show that night…that’s the fun part anyway!  i had a great time backstage getting to know all the girls and was literally bouncing off the walls – my snack of choice this time was chocolate covered espresso beans, so you add that to my already-energetic-personality and it was just hilarious.  long story short…we all got ready for the big show, got dolled up, and pumped up (with plenty of time this time!) and had a great time.   the music, the audience, the energy – the night show is just fun, although i did miss my cheering section from last time!  i went out there with a big smile on my face and confidence knowing that i did my best and was just proud of that.  the results: i took 4th place (again!!) in my division (5’4″ and under) and am absolutely proud of myself for that.  here are a few pics from the show (more to come later)….

so after the show, i won’t lie i was a bit bummed about 4th place – but given that i didn’t put my ALL into it i’m not sure why i was expecting better.  but what i did appreciate was feedback from kim and gunter on how i did.  as far as my body goes, they said i looked good – but was just ‘smooth’ compared to the last show….because i’m tiny and don’t have a lot of muscle like some of the other girls, if i’m not super-duper lean, then you can’t see the muscle definition.  and i wasn’t quite as lean – probably another week and i could have gotten a bit more lean, but given that i seriously hadn’t worked out since tuesday because i got sick, i wasn’t surprised that my muscles didn’t pop as much.  i was back-stage just trying to get my little six-pack to show and it did a little, but not near like last time!  so that was their feedback on my body – which i loved that insight.  on another note though, they said i looked really comfortable on stage this time and said my posing was ‘spot-on’!  yay – that made me happy!!  oh and kim said i looked gorgeous (thank you!)…and a lot of that was i was just happy and having fun and it showed.  they know how i am – i’m so hard on myself, but i can honestly say that having them to give me honest feedback, and tell me exactly like it is – that’s what i needed.  no sugar coating needed – i know that if i would have trained a bit harder, ate a bit better, and didn’t completely crash after the last show – i could’ve done a lot better.  but i didn’t…and given that my head wasn’t in it 100%, i did just pretty darn good! 

sometimes i find it hard to say i’m ‘proud’ of myself when i didn’t put my all into something…not because of the result, but because what matters more to me than the outcome is the effort put forth.  so when i say that i’m proud of myself for doing this show – i mean it.  but not because i put 100% into the physical and was focused like i needed to be to compete.  i wasn’t.  for that, of course i’m disappointed with myself because i know i’m capable of much more.  i don’t like making excuses.  so i have other stuff going on…so do the other girls in the show – some of these women have 3 kids! so i got sick – yeah there were like 2 other girls that were sick too.  so excuses just don’t cut it for me and don’t make me proud of myself, despite setbacks.  but i do give myself credit where credit is due.  and this is why i’m proud of myself:  9 weeks ago i hit a super-high from doing my first show which was quickly followed by an extreme low that not only took me a good 3-4 weeks to get out of, including a few days bummed out in bed, endless phone conversations, not to mention putting on about 8-10lbs which for me is a lot on this little frame.  it took everything i had to pull myself out of that, get my butt to the gym, get re-focused, and commit to not just getting healthy physically – but getting my head back on straight.  i am SO glad i did this show for that reason and that reason alone.  i can sit here and tell you that i am now ready to get back to my normal, healthy and fit life….and getting through the last 9 weeks has prepared me for that.  where do these deep thoughts come from?  sometimes i amaze myself.

so after the show last night, toting my 2-foot tall trophy (yeah – not sure how that’s getting back home!), we all meandered over to cheesecake factory – the only place open at 11:30 at night for dinner still…and yes that’s the same place that we had dinner after the last show!  no wine this time (shocker – i know)…just some decaf coffee and then i had the thai chicken lettuce wraps which just absolutely hit the spot.  nice and light – and salty, which i needed…i was so crampy from having NO sodium or water.  we all chatted about the show, grubbed our food, and then i headed back to my room where my hour-long shower ensued to remove my layers of spackle!  i crashed out and woke up this morning bright and early….and here i am now.

so now i have 2 days left in hawaii and am absolutely thrilled.  it’s 9:30am, 80 degrees, and i am going to head poolside, maybe stroll on the beach and go swimming, maybe hit some shopping with kim later, then a catamaran ride this afternoon…and we’re going out for dinner and wine tonight!  monday we’re going to hike diamondhead and then i plan to relax and take in the sun until i have to head to the airport tomorrow night.  i’ll be uploading more pics of hawaii once i’m back, but i’ll be a bit behind on work so who knows when i’ll be blogging again.  but i must say – i’ve missed it.  now – i just have to think of another goal and something to blog about.   oh dear….who knows what i’ll be up to next.

on a final note: thank you (or as they say here – mahalo!) for all the love and support on my journey to compete in hawaii…it’s so appreciated.  i have the most amazing friends and family…and blog-followers - i am so blessed!
aloha – i’m off to the beach!

aloha: alive + kickin’ in waikiki!

all I can say is thank God for moms and antibiotics!  don’t know what i’d be doing right now if it weren’t for both.  the medication, combined with tons of water and even more sleep did the trick and i’m a new woman!  i’m not 100%, but at least I can function.  i’m excited because now i know that i’ll be able to compete – a few days ago it was fairly questionable.  now – i may not look quite as good because i’ve supposed to have been dehydrating the past 2 days and i couldn’t…hello…sick…need water to get better!  but other than that I still stuck to my diet.  it was actually a blessing in disguise I think.  the mere thought of eating asparagus still turns my stomach from the last competition…eating about 3lbs in one day will do that to you.  but the beautiful thing is 1) i don’t have much of an appetite so i’m not hungry and 2) i can’t taste a thing!  so i’m happily munching on my asparagus and eating low-sodium tuna from a can and have no clue that it’s absolutely disgusting.  we made a trip to the grocery store yesterday so i loaded up on my exciting foods i can eat.   i have to have sweet potatoes but i have no microwave in my room – so i got creative and bought baby food sweet potatoes which is just pure sweet potatoes and water.  brilliant!  instead of buying my asparagus at the grocery store, i’ve been frequenting the PF Chang’s right by my hotel…i’ve been there twice already and will go there again today.  i just order a large order of steamed asparagus and brown rice and for $7 i’ve got freshly steamed asparagus that is more palatable than the raw asparagus.  it’s hilarious though – you have to go to the bar to order a to-go order and i went there at like 8pm last night and while everyone is at the bar ordering drinks…i ordered asparagus.  the bartender was amused.  so my diet is in check and i should be fine there.  the workouts though…yeah i could barely move on wednesday so my exercise consisted of rolling over in bed.  and yesterday i still didn’t feel well enough to hit the gym so I went for an hour-long walk on the beach.  the sand-walking is great for your legs and it was at least some form of cardio…it’s still hard to breathe so i just didn’t want to overdo it.  i woke up this morning and went for a jog in the sand for about a half-hour and then went for another half-hour walk in the sand…bright and early at 7am.  it’s so beautiful here early in the morning.  a little later i’ll do some resistance band exercises (total body) and work my little abs.  although I must say this coughing is giving my abs quite the little workout! 

so it’s literally 8am and i’m sitting in my hotel room listening to the ocean waves and drinking a cup of coffee.  Heaven.  i’m just so thankful that i feel good enough to enjoy just how beautiful it is here.  the first picture (above) is the view from my hotel room…ok well the view straight out is just of water (not complaining here!)…but if you lean out to the left this is the view.  and then the other pic is one I took at sunset on my walk last night.  yesterday was actually overcast and it rained a few times so I didn’t feel quite as bad that I didn’t make it to the beach.  but now, i’m headed down to lay on the beach and read and/or sleep, then I have to get my pedicure and my first coat of paint tonight!  we have to do height check-in tonight at 6pm and the show is tomorrow – agghhh!  i think that just sunk in just now…now i’m nervous!  oh well.  i’m just going to have fun! 

so that’s the Hawaii update – all is well in waikiki…thank goodness!  as long as i don’t have a coughing fit on stage tomorrow, we’re good to go!  wish me luck…mahalo!!

nifty low-cal tweaks + treats

so out of desperation really i’ve figured out a few tweaks to make here and there to make my recipes better – so i wanted to share my latest one!   my protein pancakes are super yummy – but as you know, when you make any protein pancakes, they are runny and are very thin!  well – i’ve been adding psyllium husks to my protein pudding at night for a long time now because it adds fiber and if you let them sit a bit, they expand…so you feel more full!  so i thought i’d try adding just a tablespoon of those to my protein pancake recipe and sure enough…it made them nice and fluffy!  you can buy the psyllium husks at any health foods store (whole foods, trader joes) or at a supplement store too.  they add a ton of fiber to whatever you add them to and 1 tablespoon only adds 20 calories!  just make sure you’re drinking enough water when using these in your diet.  oh but they made my protein pancakes about 10 times better – so exciting!

another treat that i just discovered (to add to my list of cinnamon and splenda creations) is when watching calories, it’s hard to include peanut or almond butter in your diet because they’re so calorie dense.  so – that leaves me eating a plain apple all alone and it’s just boring.  SO i took 1/4 cup non-fat greek yogurt (which is MUCH creamier than regular yogurt – plus super high in protein) and i added a teaspoon each of splenda and cinnamon!  it seriously tastes like cinnomon cream cheese frosting!  so i dip my apple slices in that and i’ve got me a sub-100-calorie treat with 14g of protein!

lastly, i wanted to share my chocolate protein souffle recipe that i have about an hour before bed every night!  i’ve had 3+ months to perfect this so it’s a great way to curb my sugar cravings and also keep me full through the night!  it’s using this new protein (i may have mentioned it before!) from fasttracktofatloss.com called protein freeze.  the idea behind is it is to literally use this protein powder to make ice cream…but there are recipes for all kinds of yummy stuff. the reason i love it is that it’s really low-calorie (only 130 cal per scoop).   so here is my chocolate protein souffle:  i take a scoop of the chocolate protein freeze, added 1/4 c chocolate almond milk (unsweetened so it’s only45cal), and then 1 tbsp psyllium husks and mix thoroughly.  let it sit for about a minute to let the psyllium husks expand.  microwave for 25s, take it out and stir it…then microwave another 20-25s and it forms this super yummy brownie-like yummy goodness around the edges with a still gooey inside like a souffle!  the entire yummy treat is only 150 calories but has 22 g of protein per serving.  SOOOOO good!

that’s it for now!  more to come later…

MIA + 2 weeks out!

yes….i realize i’ve been M.I.A lately…but here i am!   i convinced myself that no one would really notice – until i started getting emails from people saying they’ve missed my blogging!  not only that – but emails of support as i near my next competition.  so first of all – thank you…1/2 of you i’ve never met and you’re so supportive of my little endeavors.  honestly – i’ve been slacking on my blogging for a few reasons:

1) i’ve been super busy.  i’m so happy to report that fitlosophy is doing so well and it’s kept me running around in circles.  i will be blogging about that shortly as soon as the deals get a little closer to being final…so keep your fingers crossed!  so that’s a good thing – i’ve been busy and just working to grow this little company that i love oh-so-much. 

2) another reason i’ve been busy is that i’ve started to train a few select clients so that is taking up quite a bit of time, but i must say that i absolute love it!  one of my guys has lost 12 lbs in 4 weeks and i’m not sure who’s happier – him or me!  i just realize i have an absolute passion for helping people and that combined with my love for fitness and health makes training a no-brainer for me.  i originally got certified so i looked ‘legit’ for fitlosophy, but i didn’t know i’d love training so much! 

3) and finally – i have to admit that this competition is just SUPER TOUGH to commit to like the last one.  since that was my first one there was just the element of newness and excitement and that, coupled with all the support i had behind me made it easier to stay focused.  now – i’m just tired…hungry…and tired of being hungry!  so i just haven’t been as excited to blog when i’m not as ‘in it’ and as motivated as i think i should be.

all that said – i’m blogging now because it’s important to express everything…not just the good.  as i stated before, the weeks after the competition were tough.  and having to jump back into training for this next competition was really hard.  it was easy in that i could go back to my ‘structure’ that i thought was what i needed, but it wasn’t exactly fun to go back to those hours-on-end on the stepmill, or eating sub-1300 calories.  it’s tough…and without the energy around it being my ‘first competition!!!’  – well i’m just getting through each day.  moreso, i think i’m just craving (pun intended!) getting back to life.  while i love the competition – the goal – and the process of achieving something…i also miss my life being more about what my body looks like or what i’m eating.  while i am proud of myself for taking my body to the extreme and achieving a great goal, i’ve also come to realize that i have so much more to offer than just what my body looks like…and that i have to accept that i looked just pretty damn good before i started competing too!  it’s this whole body dysmorphic thing that you go through – where after you’ve been so fit, so lean, it’s hard to go back to just normal.  and normal for me is pretty darn fit!  that’s going to my challenge post-hawaii is getting back to being me…both physically and mentally.  i’m SO ready to enjoy the summer and all that that entails.   anyone that knows me knows that i’m a health nut anyway – but i also enjoy most anything in moderation.  that means golden spoon on saturday afternoon with my girlfriends, a glass of wine at a nice dinner, sharing dessert with friends, or even (heaven forbid) skipping  a hard-core workout at the gym to go enjoy a day at the beach.  

so that’s where my head is at.  but i must stay focused.  only 2 weeks until hawaii and my reward: HAWAII!  i can do this for 2 more weeks…i’m just hoping my body reacts to my workouts and diet and is where it needs to be.  i still have about 5lbs to lose and i’m sure i can do it and will be ready for the competition…but either way, i’m going to be proud of myself just for doing it and will reward myself by laying on the beach and reading for hours on end.  oh i can’t wait!  i just got done planning out what i need to do to get ready before i leave.  as of tomorrow i have to start tanning at the tanning beds again and then at 1-week-out the fun begins: painting, exfoliating, manis and pedis, and oh the joy of asparagus!  should be interesting with the diet and everything while also traveling to hawaii.  i will have to board my flight with a little cooler of asparagus, brown rice, tuna, and oats!  i have to prepare the week before like crazy…but i’m not going to worry about that now.  i still have work to do before that! 

lastly – i thoroughly enjoyed my off day after 6 straight days at the gym and for my active rest i went rollerblading at the beach….beautiful day and just what my mind/body needed.  so i must go prep my food for the next week and get things done…then after i finish my gallon of water, it’s off to bed by 10!  and thanks to those of you who reached out to me via email – so sweet and so appreciated.  i promise to not go 2 weeks again…i’ll be giving a play-by-play up to hawaii!  13 days…and counting!

4 weeks…to compete or not to compete?

funny how much i always looked forward to blogging whenever i was doing well – but i seem to phase out a bit when the going gets tough.  humans are so predictable!  so i’m checking in because 1) it’s good for me and 2) it will get me focused and energized.  the good news is that i’m officially out of my funkity funk and have a lot more clarity on what i’m doing and where i’m going.  the question i’ve been struggling with lately is whether or not i’m going to compete in hawaii in 4 weeks.  my close friends and family have posed this question, and rightfully so, given the roller coaster of emotion following the last show.  i know that whatever my decision they will support me 100%, but i know they just have my best interest at heart.  i’ve had a lot going on in my life and so their thought is that i just need some stability and possibly just go to hawaii, enjoy some downtime, but without the pressure of competing.  it was suggested that i might learn more about myself from NOT competing than going ahead and competing.  and i have no doubt that this is true.  for someone as bull-headed as me to set a goal and then not put my all into accomplishing it – that just seems unfathomable (is that a word?).  but what i also realized is that i am who i am and i have to make a decision that i’m comfortable with – that makes me happy.

which is why i’ve decided to go ahead and compete.  there’s definitely part of me that is now just yearning to get back to normal life…enjoy that glass of wine or have dessert, and like i mentioned in my last blog session…just live life.  summer is here and i don’t want to spend it being so structured!  that said – it’s 4 weeks…only 4 weeks. i want to prove to myself  not that i can get to competition shape – i know i can because i already did it once…but more so, i want to prove to myself that i can do it and then get through to the otherside without the crash.  i know there will still be some sort of let down after it’s over, but i’ll be prepared this time.  and i’ve planned for other events AFTER the competition so i have something to look forward to instead of just having everything coming to a screeching halt after it’s over.  and honestly – i’m not doing it as much to prove anything – but because i set this goal and i can’t think of anything better than going to hawaii and competing – and then rewarding myself with 3 days doing nothing but laying on the beach…with a mai tai! 

you’d be surprised how accountable this blog and those weekly pics kept me…knowing that your pics are going to be taken every week definitely keep you focused!  so i’m not taking weekly pics to hawaii because that was just part of my 12 week countdown to my first show…but i will update you on my stats.  so last week i happily shed 3 of the lbs i had gained after the show which was pretty much mostly water weight and carbs.  my body is still craving carbs like no other but at 4 weeks out i’ve gotta buckle down.  i’m at about 112 right now and ideally i’ll be back at my show weight of 105-106…and kim says it’s possible but i have to work my butt off.  so this week i’m doing the same workout but for cardio i’m doing 3 days of interval training for 45m and then 3 days of steady state cardio (140bpm) for 1 hour.  oh how i’ve missed those hour-long cardio sessions (not!).  then for my nutrition i’m at 1300-1400 calories per day.  it’s a natural temptation to want to cut more calories to lose the weight but 1) i don’t want to lose muscle so i have to feed the little guys and 2) it backfires every time even if i try because my body needs fuel!  once i flipped the switch in my head from my food being an emotional fix to giving my body what it needs to perform optimally, i’ve been right on track.  so 4 weeks to hawaii…i’m in this 100% until then.  if you have any questions or comments let me know…i love reading the comments and answering any questions!
aloha for now!

live life…

obviously i haven’t written in awhile.  it’s been more than a week really when i happily wrote that i was back in the game and ready to prep for hawaii.  well there’s a reason that i haven’t blogged.  honestly, it’s because i didn’t know what to write.  i feel as though my blog should be inspirational, motivational – but at the same time real.  but when i’m not even feeling inspired or motivated myself, then anything i would write would be anything but real.  to be completely honest – the weeks following the competition have just been super tough for me.  it’s so true that when you experience the highest of highs – you should be prepared for the soon-to-follow lowest of lows.  my body has just been in some funky state since the competition and my head has been all over the place.  one thing that i thankfully have through all of this is a sense of humor which continues to get me through most things with a smile on my face.  the past few weeks i’ve definitely been going to the gym – that never changed – but because i wasn’t following the same nutrition plan i felt so weak and had absolutely no energy at the gym – which made it dreadful.  and nutrition? yeah.  i wish i could sit here and tell you i’ve been enjoying some great food, wine, ice cream…oh but no.  no i haven’t been eating anything fun, but craving and overeating the strangest things: oatmeal, almonds, honey.  so after sitting on the couch literally just dipping almonds straight into the honey (rather amusing really) – i really started to question my sanity because i honestly felt like i couldn’t stop eating!  my mind started to get the best of me and drove me nuts – and all the while i was thinking about the fact that i need to be ‘on it’ for hawaii…and yet i continued to eat.  so fast forward and after 3 weeks of doing this i defintely put weight on – which of course i expected somewhat since i was so lean. and given that my body was completed depleted of carbs and water – about 1/2 of what i gained would be easy to lose.  but combine the low that followed the competition being over with gaining about 7 lbs in 3 weeks…yeah, not good.  after hibernating for awhile i finally reached out to my girlfriend and trainer who i must confess completely and utterly snapped me out of it…and i’m so grateful.

here’s what snapped me out of it:  while i may think that i’m eating too much because of the mental side of things – it’s actually my body craving to be healthy.  11% body fat is not normal, or even healthy for that matter, so after i allowed myself to eat food – instead of craving all those things that i thought i would, my body was just trying to get anything it could in it to bring up my body fat to a healthy range (for my height that’s 15-20%).  the fastest way to do that? carbs (oatmeal), fat (almonds), and sugar (honey).  that was quite an ‘ah ha!’ moment for me i guess because instead of feeling so guilty – like i was failing, i could understand that my body was just doin’ it’s thang and i wasn’t going crazy!!   then the other thing that really gave me the ‘oomph’ that i needed was hearing that i have the power to make choices everyday for my life and for my body – and that even if i mess up one day, i always have tomorrow to start over and determine the course of my life.  these are things i know – and often will tell my girlfriends when they’re going through hard times – but when you’re in the midst of it, often times God puts just the right person in your life to say just the right thing.  and that’s what i needed.

so after that i stopped feeling sorry for myself and everything i was going through and it’s been amazing how my outlook has changed.  i went back and read my blog throughout the 12 weeks as a reminder of just how great i felt when i was working out and eating the way i was…and as of yesterday i’m completely focused on just taking care of me and being healthy.  i think the only thing i would do differently the next time around is prepare and plan for the few weeks following the competition to avoid the ‘crash’.  i’m sure it can’t be avoided all together, but the truth is that i have to learn to transition back to ‘normal life’ – either that or i’ll always be in contest-prep mode and that’s not realistic.  one thing that struck me yesterday when i was on the stepmill (sidenote: i always get these little epiphanies on that thing!) was this: i started fitlosophy because i wanted to redefine how people integrate fitness into their life…and my tagline ‘live life fit’ is indicative of the role i think fitness should play in our lives.  but what i realized yesterday is that i’m not practicing what i preach.  fitness should be a PART of your life, but not BE your life.  it’s a bit funny because i originally wanted to do a fitness competition to set a higher goal for myself and push myself.   what i didn’t anticipate was how it would change my mental state.  to do well in a figure competition you have to commit 100% mind, body, and soul because it takes all of you. trust me – anybody can do the physical part of the competitions…the eating and nutrition – but the true test is the mental dedication that it takes.  so i dedicated myself 100% – and that mindset and focused served me well…but in the process,it also altered my thinking.  what happened to balance? enjoying life? i always preached that the reason i work out is to enjoy a glass of wine with dinner… have a steak if i feel like it…or grub on chocolate souffle.  but yet i found myself obsessing in a way that i realized is not me…it’s not at all my ‘fitlosophy’ (sorry – pun intended) on life.  so my epiphany was this yesterday (memorial day).  it was 6:30pm, there were like 5 other people in the gym and i’d done my lifting.  my cousin invited me to a bbq to watch the lakers/nuggets game and i still had 45m of cardio to go.  and at that moment i just decided that this was not what being ‘fit’ is all about…sacraficing other areas of your life for the sake of getting that workout in no matter what.  so even though it sounds like a small thing, i made the decision to do 20m of sprints and i can do my 45m on saturday instead….and i got out of there.  at that moment i just decided that regardless of whether i’m competing or not – everyday i need to first live my life.  i personally struggle with this ‘all or nothing’ mentality across all areas of my life and i’m seeing that now so i’ve committed to doing one thing every day that is a little outside the norm for me….out of my routine.  because what is the point in being fit and healthy if you can’t enjoy this life we’re given?

pretty deep today huh?  that’s what happens when i don’t blog for a week!  don’t worry – i’ll start blogging more and be back to just updating on my workouts and food in no time!
until then…
live life fit!

i’m back…and 6 weeks out from hawaii!

to my few loyal followers…i’m back!   it’s been 3 weeks since the figure competition and what a 3 weeks it’s been.  as you saw on the last blog post a few weeks ago, i kinda hit a wall after the competition and it’s taken me a few weeks to get my feet underneath me.  it was just so hard to have the one thing that was driving me for the past 3 months suddenly be gone!  but i’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on things and have learned a lot about myself.  i crave that structure that the competition provided.  after a few weeks of wandering around aimlessly at the gym, eating whatever i wanted, drinking almost no water, and getting no sleep…let’s just say, i actually miss how amazing i felt before and want and need to be focused on a goal.  so my goal is to go to hawaii and compete on june 27th and hopefully do better this time around!  like i’ve said before – i’m always in it to win it…but now that i have my first show under my belt (or should i say bikini!), i know what to expect and want to win my division!

so as of today i’m back on track and am exactly 6 weeks out from hawaii.  i’m SO looking forward to the competition – but more than that…5 days in hawaii!  this will be a much-needed little getaway, an escape from reality.  granted, i will be all painted up and will be focused on the competition the first part of the trip – but it’s actually a ton of fun and i’m looking forward to doing it again.  then after the competition i will be happily laying by the pool, reading a book, sipping a mojito, and enjoying a little vacay! 

so what, you might ask, do i need to do to prep for this?  based on the feedback from the pro/judge at the last show, i need to develop my shoulders and back a bit more.  so while my overall workout will be fairly simliar to what i was doing before, i’m going to double up on back and shoulders, so my workout splits will look like this:

monday: back/chest
tuesday: bis/shoulders
wednesday: active rest
thursday: legs
friday: shoulders
saturday: tris/back

i’ll also add in the hella-hard walking lunge routine 3 times a week, plus cardio 2 days at 30m, 1 day at 45 and then my 2 favorite 20m workouts: treadclimbers + sprints.  for my eating i jumped back into the eating plan where i was at before when i was at 6 weeks out: 1300-1400 cals per day.  i’ve got a few extra pounds to lose as a result of my fun little 3 weeks off…but a lot of it is water weight too so i should have no problem jumping back into the program and being competition-ready in 6 weeks.  so i’m being pretty strict…but after feeling like i had no structure whatsoever i’m welcoming the routine!  seriously – i’m an all-or-nothing person…it’s hilarious.  annoying at times, but hey – i am who i am.  not good in the grey!

so i’m back to blogging as i’ve missed it more than you know.  it’s so darn therapeutic for me.  i suppose i could just type in a word doc and get the same effect, but NO…i like to put all my thoughts on the internet so anyone at all can read them.  go figure.  oh…be watching for an update on fitlosophy too…fun and exciting things happening that i can’t wait to share.  well – i guess i can wait because i’m not writing about it tonight.  it’s 10:15 and i’m off to bed with my hot tea in 15m.   so here i am (again)…happy as a little bug with my water bottle finishing off my last 28oz of my gallon for the day and happily typing my thoughts…it’s good to be back!