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Sacrifices

As much as the diet part of training is difficult, I have no problems with it when I'm home. However, I'm finding it such a challenge to stick to it if I'm away from home for hours and especially if I go out of town for a few days.

This weekend I'm out of town visiting with my husband's friends and family. I'm experiencing how much life revolves around food. Obviously food is essential because it is sustenance, however the issue are the choices and options available, as well as the factor of convenience. I understand its all about planning/packing meals but its so difficult when your constantly on-the-go and you don't have all the time in the world to prepare. And then there's the issue of going out to eat with people and looking like a party-pooper always having to count calories and request a special order instead of join in on the festivities and the joy of ordering whatever is delicious on the menu.

Last night we went to my husbands best friend's birthday party. Needless to say there was a lot of alcohol and drinking. We never drink by choice, and we rarely even have the chance to go out simply because we are parents to a 6 month old and rarely have a babysitter in the evening. However, because we never have the opportunity to drink or go out without our son, I chose to drink last night. It really all boiled down to my poor decision. I should've been determined not to drink ahead of time but I felt like since I didn't stick to my schedule of eating and I already picked at the birthday cookie cake I had the mind frame of "why not? I already messed up today." Such a bad mind frame and so many excuses I know!

Well all I can do now, instead of beat myself up, is move forward and realize training is just about discipline and sacrifices. I've got to constantly remind myself how much I want to do well in the competition in April. Training isn't always fun or easy, but I believe my will-power will only get stronger the closer I get to The Big Day.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Keep these in mind (anonymous quotes)

"The pain you feel today will be the strength you feel tomorrow."

"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will."

Officially 18wks out

I originally had a local figure event in mind to compete. However, my trainer suggested that I stick to NPC events because they are "more legit" and the judges are a little more methodical about how they judge. My trainer said that it would be a shame for me to compete in a small town contest and be judged unfairly, making my hard work a waste. So we looked up upcoming NPC Texas events and found one that is being held on April 14, 2012. Now we have an official target date and we can begin an official COUNTDOWN! Am I more nervous now?... heck yeah! lol. But I definitely have my head in the game and am more motivated to make every workout and every bite of food count.
Here are some present pics... currently at 124lbs and 16% body fat. Sometimes when I look at my pictures I wonder if my goal to compete in a figure competition is a pipe dream, since I feel that I'm too small and have so much work to do as far as developing my body. But, I just remind myself that this is my very first competition and I'm training in order to challenge myself and be an example to others. Plus, my trainer likes to remind me that conditioning is more important that size.
So here are my 18wks out pics O_O :





Besides my size, I know I really need to work on developing my upper body and learn how to really flare out my lats.

Lunch

6oz jumbo shrimp, brown rice, and green beans

Meal before bed

6oz tilapia fillet and asparagus

Takes the guess work out

Today was my first day working out with my trainer. Had a great back and shoulders workout; we focused a lot on my rear delts.
He also gave me my diet plan. It's a little under 1500 calories breaking down into 47% protein, 31% carbs, and 22% fat. I especially like his food plan for me because it's just an overall clean diet and the protein is primarily from food. My diet before was well balanced but most of my protein came from supplements/shakes. Supplements aren't horrible BUT you just have to be careful because most have extra unknown fillers. I'd rather feed my body with natural foods instead of over doing it with the supplements. My diet plan does consist of one scoop of protein post workout; my trainer wants me to take only Isopure protein because it's a lot "cleaner" than most other protein brands.

Working out is not my God

One thing I've noticed in myself is how easily one can become obsessed with working out and consumed with training. Just recently I've started to incorporate early morning fasted cardio. I now have the discipline to go to bed at a decent time so I can wake up pretty early to do my cardio.
I became convicted about how I make such an effort for my workouts but I seemed to have been lenient with the time I devote to God. So I decided to make sure I periodically evaluate myself and how I manage my time so that God and my spiritual health remains priority. I read my Bible and spend quality quiet time with God in the morning even before I get ready to go to the gym. It works out very well since in the early morning it's so quiet and I'm the only one awake so there is very little distraction from the noises of the rest of the day and my family. I also choose to listen to Christian music during my cardio sessions. I feel great starting my day with cardio but I feel even greater starting the day positively with the Lord.

As much as fitness is important in my life, I refuse to make it my idol.
God is number one in my life :)

Fasted cardio

My trainer told me I need to start doing cardio in the morning before I eat breakfast. So this morning, regardless of the time crunch, I finally pushed myself to wake up early and get to the gym as soon as it opened (7am). I was on the stair climber for just 30 minutes, since I had to rush back to get ready for my last day of the ACSM workshop, but I loved it! I felt so energized afterwards and now I look forward to my morning cardio :)

Here are some pics from this morning. I look somewhat bigger and more defined (bc the sweat lol). I can only imagine how I'll look when I'm conditioned and prepped to go on stage a couple months from now!

It looks like my traps are starting to pop out a little. I told my trainer I wanted to focus on widening my back and rounding out my shoulders more.

Pics

Here are some present pics. Next time I will post older pics of my body from way before I had a baby, after having a baby, and I guess pics that show how my body is changing. Keep in mind that right now I'm in a conditioning phase. The comp date is yet to be announced/official, but the general date is in April. So right now, I'm roughly under 20wks away from the event. I need to focus on leaning out/dropping my body fat so I don't feel completely overwhelmed when I'm down to the final weeks and days of the event.

Direction... Less weight on my shoulders

I'm so glad I decided to work with a trainer. My first day actually working out with him will be on Tuesday. I'm looking forward to the specific diet plan he is making up for me too.
I feel like I've wreaked enough havoc on my body trying. I don't know EVERYTHING and I have to admit I can't do it all alone. I made some mistakes with the route I was taking to achieve my goals to get a "winning" body. For example, I thought I needed to gain some more weight before I started cutting but apparently that will only take me further from my goals. I need to focus on conditioning my body. My trainer says condition will always beat out size alone. I have to start training with that in mind. Also, my cardio program I was working with wasn't nearly enough. My trainer has advised me to up my cardio, and instead of high intensity I will be switching gears to more strenuous cardio for a longer period of time and with higher frequency.
I feel that having a trainer will take the guess work out of my training and allow me to have more peace of mind that I'm getting closer to my goals instead of further. I was wishy-washy with my training but now I can have someone help me stay on a clear track towards a WIN ;)

Oh, and I also realize that I need to suck it up and post more progress pics... even though I feel like it only shows how much work I need to do : / It's going to be a long road, but I expect that I will only learn and get better day by day and gain experience and wisdom for future competitions down the road.

Figure... or Bikini?????

When I got my posing suit fitted the designer had so many questions for me about my training/diet. I felt clueless and pretty dumb because I didn't know how to answer half of her questions. She's a veteran competitor and her questions showed me just how much work I needed to do. She asked who my trainer or coach was and was shocked to hear that I had no one directing me. She suggested a trainer she personally liked working with and today I checked him out.

First of all, I was not too happy with the drive. The Gold's I normally workout at is a little more than 5 minutes away from my home. The Gold's that this trainer works at is located almost 30 minutes away. Aside from the distance, I was impressed with the guy. He has experience training other competitors and he also has experience in competing. When I told him I wanted to condition for a figure competition he immediately asked if I ever considered bikini. He said that my body size and my "look" screams bikini potential more than figure. I was a little upset hearing that but he reassured me that he only feels I'd excel in bikini versus just place in figure.
My heart leans towards figure. However, I am open to competing in both bikini and figure for my first competition for the sake of experience and more time to get comfortable with being on stage. My trainer said that I don't have to make my decision right now, because a few weeks from now when my body is more conditioned I will be more sure about which division I would do best in. Ultimately, I want to WIN (and have fun of course :D ).

GAME ON

I feel like my competition is just around the corner (in April) and everything is becoming more and more real.

I've been doing a lot of online research for my competition suit. It was actually my dad who suggested I look into a local designer for the sake of convenience. I'm glad I took his advice because I had the advantage of trying on colors and styles for my frame and skin tone. I've already put a deposit on it and I will try my custom made suit February... for further alterations since my body will change.

It was nice trying on suits to see how my body is right now and also to get feedback (from the designer). Apparently I'm fat and need to stop eating and gaining weight. Ok KIDDING lol... but she did suggest I need to cut my carbs and focus on cutting and toning up. All of my life I've always thought that I was too skinny and I thought I needed to gain weight before I seriously start cutting my calories for this competition. I guess I am at a good and healthy weight and I can "afford" to starting eating less so I can focus on cutting down my body fat.

The suit I am wearing is just the sample design. My suit will be very similar but with a little more beading. The camera doesn't do the suit justice... in person its a brilliant royal blue. I can't to see it on stage under all the lights. Figure is all about illusion... tanning, lights, and posing makes such a difference in how the body is presented. I think I look kind of thick and fluffy in the picture but now I at least have a visual starting point to work from. GAME ON!

Presentation suit; Thanksgiving; ACSM CPT

So lately I've been doing some research on my competition suit. Goodness... nice suits are a tad bit pricey (to say the least!). On average, a good custom suit is about $400 and UP. I'm narrowing down my search for a designer and when I've finally decided on one and have received my suit, I will post pics. Note: I'm glad I can network and get tips from friendly peeps/fellow 1st-time-figure gals/figure pros on Twitter ^_^. Follow ME @maey825.
I also ordered my shoes today (5" heels) and am excited to receive them in a few days so I can practice with them on.

Training has been going well. Eating has been going "ok"... news flash: I'm human and I wasn't as strict with my diet on Thanksgiving :x *gasp* I know that isn't a good enough excuse, but hey, it's the truth, it's what happened. I won't lie and say I turned down the stuffing, mashed potatoes, and candied yams. In fact, I ate all those things and then some! But bottom line, I'm grateful that it's still early enough that I can enjoy the holidays and time with my fam-- n o t indulge or be a glutton. Besides one day of slipping, I've stayed on track with my period of gain and strategic eating. In fact, I've gained about 4 solid lbs, and I'm already looking forward to January when I'll be switching gears to leaning out and getting more cut and defined.

Besides my figure comp prep, I'm looking forward to my ACSM CPT workshop this weekend coming up. I praise God for my oh-so-supportive husband who took it upon himself to pay for it <3 It was an incredibly nice gesture from him. I'd like to take the CPT test by February '12.

Ok ok... I need to get back to writing my final paper for my psych class (due Monday >_<) *busy*busy*bee*

Posing; +/- support

Today I was so happy to get the Tanji Johnson posing video I ordered through the mail. As a first time aspiring figuring competitor (and WINNER :p) it was important for me to get step-by-step instruction on how to pose and present myself on stage. Posing and posture makes such a difference in presenting a solid muscular body. I brought my full length mirror into the living room as I was practicing posing and I felt like I was looking at a completely different person in the mirror. Proper posing to emphasize strengths and minimize weak areas really is an art.
I will be just as concerned with practicing my presentation and poses as I am concerned with working out hard and eating well.

On a side note, I'd like to remind everyone of the importance of drowning out negativity and amplifying positive support. Since I've made known my aspiration to compete in a figure competition, I've received mixed feedback. My husband has been consistently supportive of me and all my goals (which I am truly thankful for). However, my mother does not take me seriously. She also has misconceptions of what a figure athlete is. She assumes that bodybuilding and figure is the same thing. She does not want me to get too muscular and "ugly." I had to educate her as well as brush off any discouraging words from her. I showed her my poses and she laughed and pretty much said I couldn't and shouldn't do it. I have to admit, I was a little hurt that she offered veeeery little support, I even shed a tear or two. But then soon after, I made the decision to brush it off and use her attitude towards my goals as fuel. I need to push myself even harder to prove to her (and myself) that I can do well.

Overall, I'm going strong and enjoying the process towards my big day.
"God, give me the grace to balance everything. My ultimate goal is to give You all the glory, Father. You are first."

Dinner time

Rice, chicken, green beans, protein shake. Desert will be cottage cheese and almond butter on a rice cake.
When I am closer to the big day (about 12 weeks out), carbs will be cut down.

Errors to learn from

Error #1: Saving all of your calories for the end of the day.
What I'm trying to say is to eat an equal amount of calories in each of your meals (at least 6; or meals 2-3 hours apart from first meal to last). Today I ate well, however I ate smaller meals through out the day and found myself having to catch up and eat over 1000 calories for dinner. I can correct this by making sure my meals average out to be about 500 calories so that I am not overwhelmed by the end of the day. Plus, its never a good day to eat such a large heavy meal before bedtime when your activity level is at its lowest.

Error #2: Avoiding excessive cardio.
Life, even training, is all about balance. I think you either like cardio or you don't. I have to admit, I'm not the biggest fan of cardio or I don't like it as much as weight training at least. Once I get into the groove I'm able to tolerate it and even find satisfaction in an intense cardio session. When you start training for a competition there's no room for preferences. I'm learning to suck it up for the sake of placing well. I'm used to eating relatively blan foods-- *food is fuel* *eat plain, for an exciting body*. So yeah, my point (especially to myself) is make cardio equally as important as weight lifting. Muscle is great but it would be a shame if a bunch of fat is hiding it!

First day of focused training

So this is the first day that I will be training WITH the mindset that I am preparing for my competition.

I have no problem with working out hard and consistently for strength. However, I do find the aspect of eating enough of the right calories a bit more challenging. I am used to eating healthy and even counting my calories, but eating enough of it all can be a little bit annoying. I think I am small so I would be comfortable with gaining more lean muscle mass to work with in the gym, especially when I am closer to my competition date and will have to increase my intensity level to burn more body fat. I don't want to wither away to just skin and bones so I have to make sure I have enough weight to spare... makes sense right? To achieve my goals, I will increase my calorie intake for the rest of this month and December. From January on I will lower my calorie intake slightly so that I am losing body fat but not losing too much of the muscle I am working hard for. As far as weight training, the first half of my training is to gain size and then the last half of my prep time will be to train for definition and the appearance of looking solid.

Right now I am eating breakfast which consists of: 1 scoop whey protein drink (w/ water), 1 rice cake with 1 tbsp almond butter, 1/2 c egg whites, and 1/2 c plain oatmeal = 485 calories, 36% protein, 42% carb, and 22% fat.
I am shooting for at least 6 meals a day, 2-3 hrs apart, and a total of about 2700 calories (30% fat, 35% protein, 35% carb). When I am about 16 weeks out from my competition date, I will reconfigure my caloric and nutrition goals.

In Stone

One habit that I am actively working to replace is the use of the weak words "try" or "we'll see." I have always believed in the power of confession and I have found that saying the words "I will" makes a world of difference. So instead of being wishy-washy about "if" I will train to compete in a figure competition "one day" I will say here and now that I WILL compete in April of 2012... I'll even go as far as saying I WILL place in the top 5 for my first competition experience. I've spent the majority of this day looking into the specifics of competition events and even ordered a posing video. I looked into my 2 piece suit for presentation and gosh, the prices for a good quality show suit already made my wallet ache (lol). April is about 5 months away and I've already come up with a game plan. From now until the end of December I will focus on gaining more lean weight. And from January until showtime, I will work towards major definition, cutting my body fat, and just appearing more solid. I am pretty excited to train specifically for a show and having an actual target date only further motivates me.

Full plate-- call me a glutton

Did you make assumptions with that title? Well, it was figurative. I'm actually just a little 5'5" 125lb woman who is juggling quite a bit of activities and endeavors: I am a wife, mom of a 6 month old baby, student, and I am in the process of prepping for the ACSM Certified Personal Trainer exam and a figure competition. Some might say that I am biting off more than I can chew, but I find personal satisfaction in trying at least and it's even better when I can surprise myself with success. I blog occasionally and privately but I figured it would be beneficial to me (and maybe others) if I have a public account of my journey. I will use this blog to keep me accountable to my goals and be an example of how a real woman attempts to juggle all the things in life while maintaining her sanity. I will try to periodically post pictures of the progress I make for my figure competition as well as keep you updated with my prep for the ACSM Certified Personal Trainer exam.