A Tina Bit More Out of Life

Hasta Luego

2010-01-20T09:11:00.000-05:00

Well, I did it! When Peter got home last night I had him help me fiddle with the Wordpress world and it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be to switch things over. I was able to relatively easily (once we sorted it out) transfer this blog there and get things set up. So, what's done is done! I really really hope all my fabulous buddies will meet me over there. I would hate to lose any of you gals. I truly appreciate the support from each and every one of you.

With that being said - come check me out now!

Faith Fitness Fun!!!

Blogger's Remorse?

2010-01-19T08:06:00.000-05:00

This seems so silly, but lately I have been having some blogger's remorse. I am getting increasingly annoyed with the features of Blogger when compared to Wordpress and sometimes wish I could just redo my blog and start it over with Wordpress. I love the organization of their blogs - the pages, the layout, how you can easily reply to an individual's comment, even the smilies. LOL I had no idea there were other blog formats out there when I started, so I went with what I knew. I know that if I had looked more into it, I would have been a wordpress blog. *le sigh*

What to do? What to do? Suck it up and enjoy my blog? Let it be enough? Or take the time to start fresh? I don't want to lose readers though and maybe Wordpress has its own perils?

Shout Outs!

2010-01-18T19:39:00.000-05:00

Shout Out #1 - I have to give a shout out to another lovely blogger who was so kind as to give me another blogger award. Cherish at the blog Southern Soulmates. Check her out. She is the real deal. A genuine, super kind person and a true southern lady. Thanks for the recognition, girl!

Shout Out #2 - This shout out goes to an awesome blogger, having an awesome giveaway. Danica's Daily is a blog that is truly about healthy living. Love reading it! You will too. Give her a visit and look into what her yummy giveaway is.

Shout Out #3 - Now the blogger shout outs sadly stop here. But, there are still a few different things I want to recognize. Sound good? First off, a shout out for an author I am really really digging lately. Sue Grafton. She is the author of the Kinsey Millhone mystery series. I'm sure you have seen the books. The "alphabet series". A is for Alibi, B is for Burglar, C is for Corpse, etc. books. I just started this one...

And I am already in love with it. These books are quick to read and I love love love the whodunit suspense of the novels. They aren't too intense to freak you out either. Perfect balance! And the first ones even have some humor since the first few are copyrighted in the mid 80s and its fun to think back to some of the things she mentions in the novels. Big, plastic jewelry used to describe part of a nice outfit? Gotta love it! LOL

Shout Out #4 - Jennie-O!! Her ready to cook, seasoned turkey burger patties are delish. They were a lifesaver tonight since neither Peter or I were much in the mood to cook. I had just finished tutoring and he had worked on the house all day so we knew it needed to be an easy dinner. We had some of these in the freezer...

...and went for it. Yum yum. Served on an Arnold Thin with some roasted broccoli on the side was perfection. Quick, easy, delicious.

Shout Out #5 - The most important shout out. To each and every one of my readers. Knowing you all are out there listening to my ramblings, supporting me, leaving me comments that seriously make my day, and entertaining me with your blogs as well is so awesome. Thank you to every one of you!!!

Time to enjoy some trashiness a'la ze Bachelor. If I wasn't married, I think I would have tried out for the show. I'm loving the Jake man

Love, Tina

Goodlife (Belated) Sunday

2010-01-18T16:12:00.001-05:00

As I mentioned in my previous post, I am loving the series we are currently doing in our Sunday group. I figured it was time to bring back my Goodlife Sunday posts to share a bit about what we're studying. Disclaimer: I do not intend to force my beliefs on anyone, but I do believe it is part of my "job" as a Christian to share what I can. Each of you can take what you want from anything I write. Fortunately, the Bible and the topics it covers are very relative to everyone. Plus, I know some of you reading may not get to church as regularly as you might like or be wondering what there is to being a "Jesus lover" and what exactly faith is all about. It's not always the stereotype you might think of.

Currently we are studying a video series by Ray Vander Laan called Faith Lessons on the Promised Land.

This series focuses on different historical facts about the time period and events in which important people such as Abraham, Moses, and Joshua lived. The concept behind the study is the more we are able to understand the context in which the events of the Bible occurred, the more we will be able to accurately apply them to our lives and use the lessons to strengthen our own faith and understanding of who God is and all He can do. And I would have to agree with this. I have never been big into history, but the things I have been learning in this study are so helpful and have certainly worked to aide my understanding of the Bible and things I am expected and desired to do in order to more fully live the walk of a believer.

The thing that stuck out to me the most from this past Sunday's lesson was how God can and will use even the meekest and seemingly unworthy of people. We looked at the genealogy of Jesus that is listed in Matthew 1:1-16. In the genealogy there are 42 generations. Of those, not including Mary, only four of them list the mother. You would probably think that the women listed were mighty believers, women of an immense faith who had done no wrong, who were "worthy" of God's grace and being included in such a masterful plan. Ummm.....wrong!! Let's take a quick run down of who these women are. Tamar = pretended to be a prostitute and slept with her father-in-law to pay him back for not marrying her to his other son when her husband died. Rahab = actually was a prostitute for her living. Ruth = worshiped other gods and was part of a people who God despised. Bathsheba = committed adultery with a king (king David in fact) and didn't get too upset when her lover murdered her husband. Sounds like these ladies should be The Real Housewives of the Bible instead of the women Jesus would eventually come from, eh?

Now, have you ever thought poorly of yourself? Come on! We're ladies here. Of course we all have!! I think it's 100% in our nature to think something negative about ourselves or doubt ourselves on a daily basis. Why do we do this? If we consider that God can turn around the lives of women like Ruth, Rahab, Bathsheba, and Tamar (come on - sleeping with your hubby's daddy??!!?)....then why can we not accept that we are loved by the most important man EVER? God CREATED us, carefully and with pure love. He allowed his one and only son to DIE for us, so he could save us. He wants you to be fulfilled more than any person could ever do so. You are worthy. You are so worthy that the creator of the universe is always by your side, whispering to your heart that He loves you and will do great things for you. So, lift up your chin....pull those shoulders back....stand up straight....smile big....and know that no matter what your past looks like. No matter what you are struggling with now. No matter what anyone else tells you. You are special. You are worthy. Amazing, huh? Who doesn't want to hear a message like that? Right on sister!!! Be beautiful! Be strong! Be who God created you to be....100% YOU!

Catching Up to Do

2010-01-18T11:21:00.000-05:00

This weekend was a whirlwind! Where exactly did it go? Thank goodness it is a three day one for the hubs. Which I guess doesn't mean a ton for a stay at home mommy like me. But just having the hubs around helps out...even if he is busy occupying himself with the various household projects on his annoyingly never ending ambitious list.

Back to the point. What have I been up to the past two days? I know you all are just yeah whatever positively dying to know. Right? Right! Well, Saturday started off with a nice cardio sweat session. 10 minutes on the crosstrainer plus a 45 minute spin class. Awesomeness. Canceled out the cardio with a nice serving of homemade blueberry waffles. Yum! Note: those are not all mine. I did have three of those bad boys, though.

After that, some plans changed with Peter's family, which opened up my afternoon. It was a nice change because I was able to finish my book which I was anxious to do.

Although predictable, it was a sweet story that just made me feel good. If you're looking for a good chick book that is easy reading, give it a shot. Now time to devour another.

Saturday night, we headed out to drop M off at my parents' place and visit for a few before heading out for a fun evening.

Why does that dress look like a tent on me? Sorry...moving on. Peter's best friend is getting married in about 2 weeks and they had a couple's shower going on. It was a nice time catching up. Some wine was enjoyed - 2 glasses of some uh-maz-ing Spanish wine. I soooo wish I had taken more note of specifics of it because I would have a bottle in my fridge regularly if I did. And if it was cheap. I'm not afraid to admit I can be a "three buck chuck" kind of vino gal. Sometimes it is good stuff! Who knows how much this kind was. My guess would be $$$$$. The host's place was fancy schmancy. Like a $5000 chair that you can't even sit on kind of schmancy. For the record - it wasn't made of gold. The night ended because we were lame and tired at 10 o'clock had to pick Makenzie up, so we headed out and crashed at home.

Sunday was yet another eventful day. Started off right with some Sunday school teaching action. I always feel odd calling myself a Sunday school leader or teacher. I'm not teaching kiddos. I'm "teaching" my peers....most of whom are older than me. I guess it is more just facilitating discussion and figuring out/organizing topics for different series. Well, Sunday school was a goodie. I'm loving the series we are currently in (post on that coming soon). Unfortunately, after class, we did have to dip out of the worship and sermon service to drive an hour for some family celebration with Peter's side. It was our niece's 7th birthday this past week and we had a gathering of gluttony craziness to celebrate.

It was lots of fun watching all the kiddos play and laughing with family. Also, I didn't mind the ice cream cake. Although, oddly I think I would have preferred normal cake with gobs of yummy icing. I used to always be a cookie cake or ice cream cake lover, but then being preggo changed all that. Makenzie made me a fat kid at heart. Aw, heck! Who am I kidding? I've always been a fat kid at heart. Now, there are just more things to love.

The weekend eventually ended with the hour drive back home, then plopping on the couch for a movie. The Taking of Pelham 123 with John Travolta & Denzel Washington - not bad, but not great either. The end.

What good movies have you seen recently?
What is your favorite type of cake?
Do you ever drink or like the cheap-o stuff?

How It Went Down

2010-01-15T19:47:00.003-05:00

Here's how my Friday went down. Not that it was too thrilling. Woke up, did the Bible/prayer thing, got the little stinker darling up from bed and downed some breakfast. Peanut butter protein oats for me, peanut butter waffle for the doll. After food, it was time to have a tea party.

Other mommyhood activities occurred. Like kicking the ball and waving our hands above our heads. Do I belong in something like this???

Maybe, if it wasn't for a certain blue eyed tot. Or perhaps she is what will send me to such a room? I kid, I kid!! That girl is the light of my life and I would do anything for her. Including watching another episode of these guys...

During morning naptime, I got in another one of my new Cathe DVD's. Athletic Step. Check it out. It was hardcore, tough stuff. Don't think step workouts are always super duper fancy choreography. This was a bunch of athletic, plyo style drills. And just when I thought she had killed me enough, NOPE! There was more. That woman is evil I tell ya. And it always amazes me how much new workouts will work you in ways you couldn't imagine. Yowza!

The remainder of the day included another walk, lunch (arnold thin ham & swiss sandwich, gala apple, 100 cal popcorn), more fun with the little girl, and my favorite part...food! Grocery shopping. I love love love stocking up for the week. There were no super interesting food finds or buys this week though. Bummer.

One thing that was of interest today, however, was trying to decide whether or not to enjoy a local Moms Group. It would be to meet other moms, socialize with people in the area, let M meet new friends, and find more ways to get out and about and do different activities. The only thing that would keep me back is I am unsure how many of the activities would be extra money, which we are trying to manage closely. Do you think it would be worth it? Should I check it out?

It's a busy day tomorrow so I will have to update on later this weekend. Hopefully with some pictures for you lovely ladies. Anyhoo. I'll leave you off there since I've rambled on plenty already. Night!

Special Visitor

2010-01-14T19:40:00.002-05:00

Well, today started off not on the best of feet. I woke up exhausted and I know just what to blame. I'm not so sure you would call it a special visitor, rather than a monthly one....but nevertheless, I was still relatively happy to have my visit from Auntie Flo to know that things are still in working order in my body. Although, she is a pain! Yesterday it was tummy ailments and today it was that hit by a bus exhaustion that plagued me. I think I looked like this until about noon...

Just sub the beer for coffee and the remote for my book. Which, by the way, I finished It was one of the Sookie Stackhouse novels and was as entertaining as always. The Sookie Stackhouse series is the series that the TV show True Blood is based off of. It's about a girl (Sookie) who gets involved in all sorts of crazy antics in the supernatural world and it is a very fun, easy read. There are 3 more for me to read and I'm looking forward to them. But to take a break and get something different in the mix, I am now reading The Accidental Mother by Rowan Coleman. So far I am enjoying it. It's a predicatble storyline of a working lady who is left with her best friend who died's 2 little girls and the battles she faces with it. As you can probably tell, I am not one for serious themes in my reading.

All that book talk reminds me to get back to my day. Oops! Well, I was a lazy bunch until around 11 in the morning when M woke up from her morning nap (she was sleepy too and napped a total of 4.5 hours today!). Then, we got dressed and headed out to the library for a visit. I picked up 4 books to read, including the one I mentioned above. Then, since it was nice out and not too cold when we got home, we headed out for a 30 minute walk around the neighborhood. It's a nice stroll and works well for a mini workout since our neighborhood consists of one hill after another like this...

And when you're pushing 40 or so pounds of baby, stroller, library haul, etc it is quite effective for getting the heart rate up. And it's fun when you have a face like this looking at you half the time like a goober.

After the walk, it was lunch, torture the dog play time, etc with Makenzie until her next nap. That was when I got a bit productive and tackled 1/3 of my book and cleaned some. The productivity continued upon hubby's arrival home as we headed out to the gym. Full body weights + 20 minutes on the treadmill = quick, to the point, but effective and just challenging enough workout. Perfection. And we finish off the night with some pork chops, sweet potato, blogging, and reading. I would like to watch Grey's Anatomy but staying up until 11 just won't happen so it will be DVR'ed for tomorrow night's viewing pleasure.

Before you leave - please check out this awesome blog and her cool giveaway. Finding Happiness & Health

A Day in Pictures

2010-01-13T16:29:00.000-05:00

To play off the common "Wordless Wednesday" posts I love, here is a fairly basic day of my life in photo form

Woke up & spent some quality time with the #1 Book

Whipped up some yums for M's tum (and mine too of course)

Chased Makenzie, who was chasing our dog with her push toy

Traded in this book...

for this book and some delicious coffee during naptime

Had a tea party and got annoyed watched an episode of these guys

During naptime 2, attempted this

But ended up with tummy issues and instead did this

and this

I also watched a video to finish Sunday's lesson (no joke folks - VHS!!)

And made some of these plus practice work for tutoring

When Peter gets home we will be going here for this month's shower & wedding gifts

Then chilling with some meatloaf and either...

or...

Catch up with you all latah!!!!

Please Have Mercy

2010-01-12T10:38:00.001-05:00

Hello my dear dear friends! I promise that you all are still very dear to me and I hope that you will have mercy on my absence the past month or so. It all started off with me wanting to take time away from the computer to spend more time with loved ones during the holidays and then it was just one thing after the other with keeping me away. The biggest thing that kept me off the computer since the New Year was my darling Makenzie was sick with some sort of virus. It was not pretty in our household and I believe I spent every one of her waking moments snuggled up on the couch with books, coloring, and on occasion some of her favorite show The Imagination Movers (think the new school Wiggles - I got some very annoying songs stuck in my head that week LOL). Now things have calmed down and I got just the kick in the butt I needed to start back up to blogging.

I received a Beautiful Blogger award from a very wonderful gal and inspiring mother, Krystal from the blog Musings from Mom School. How can I not accept such a recognition, despite the fact that I haven't been the best of a blogger recently. So, thank you Krys! And I want you all to know that her blog is so great. She has tons of useful information and product reviews on things ranging from mommy and children items to healthy eats and workouts, interesting stories about her family and life as a mom, and very genuine insights into life in general. Her blog is always a pleasure to read so be sure to check her out HERE!

So some things you may be wondering about...what I've been up to...here's a real quick recap...

Faith = Really, really wanting to put this at the forefront of my life. I'm starting each day with some Bible and prayer time and trying to talk to God as much as possible during the day. This has got to be number one in my life, and usually it is, but I am human and the diligence it takes to keep God first can slip. In the Sunday school class which I lead discussion we are doing a series that looks at some of the historical facts of the Bible and how it applies to help better understand the context and how it can be applied to our lives as well. I am enjoying it and what it is teaching.
Family = Spending lots of time watching Makenzie grown and learn. She amazes me every day! I can hardly believe how smart she is (who cares if I am biased)! I hope that whatever sickies were ailing her have passed now. I love love love my family and we are hoping to be working on adding to it by the end of this year. No, that does not mean I am pregnant already before inquiring minds start putting words in my mouth ;)
Friends = We have had some fun times with friends over the holidays, from different Christmas and NYE parties to visits with good friends who were home for the holidays and just little quick get-togethers. I feel blessed for all the support and fellowship I have. I am also excited that this year we will be traveling to Indiana to visit one of my closest friends (Mandy) and also traveling to the Philadelphia area for my oldest friend's wedding (Thomas) to a wonderful woman (Jen).
Fitness = Nothing exciting here, folks! I'm doing regular workouts that aren't anything major at all. Not even an hour a day usually. I'm doing 3 cardio workout DVDs at home per week since they are fun and make it easy to not have to haul M out to the gym in the cold and flu weather. I'm also doing 2 full body workouts a week with some walking or elliptical thrown in, and 1 cycle class per week. It's pretty different than normal since I'm not really focusing on weight workouts as much. I just have been over them lately and I'm not going to force myself to do workouts I don't enjoy. It is pretty unlike me to not care for weight workouts but I've learned to go with the flow.
Body Image = I am feeling really really great! I feel healthy and have a normal, balanced mindset with food and working out again. I still have occasional times where I feel a bit blah, but they are minimal and it's more just adjusting to the changes. I was advised to put on about 15 lbs from show weight so that way when we are ready for baby #2 I am at a good place physically. I am there now and knowing that it is the best interest of my health and the pursuit to get pregnant (when that time comes) makes it worthwhile, even if sometimes it is uncomfortable and I wonder if other people think I've let myself go. I know those thoughts are silly because I know I haven't let myself go and that I am caring for myself, so I try to slap myself out of them quickly. Fortunately, I don't have to do so very often these days. I know my body is back in working order and that is fabulous to me.

I guess that about wraps it up. As for today - I am going to do some reading (both for our Sunday school class and enjoyment), some bathroom cleaning, playing with Makenzie, perhaps a bundled up walk around the neighborhood, and then dinner and The Biggest Loser tonight with my sister and hubs.

To finish off this post - I must finish up the requirements for the blogger award I received. So I will list 7 random facts about me and 7 other blogs I wish to give this award to :) Thanks again Krys!!!

7 Random Truths

I tend to eat the same things almost every day, week after week. I am a creature of habit, don't have time to figure out what to have for lunch with a 15 month old pulling on my legs, and just get on food kicks where I want a certain food every day.
I was a cheerleader and gymnast growing up, but have never in my life been flexible and despite my wishes to be more flexible, I never ever have the dedication to do yoga or anything beyond simple stretching that could improve it
I was hit by a car going 55 mph (yes, myself...not me in a car) when I was 16 years old. I ended up with a big gash across my bum, a gash in my head, a hole where my elbow should have been, and sever road rash. Surprisingly, the road rash hurt the worst. The butt cut just made me laugh and I told all the doctors they were lucky to see my butt and I was screaming "I have two holes in my butt" to everyone in the hospital. I still have a dent in my head and a tiny bald spot from it.
Besides my husband, my sister is my best friend because she gets me like no one else. I wish we could see each other every day like we used to.
I am so bad at talking on the phone and keeping up with people more regularly. I find it much easier to stay in touch via the computer, which saddens me a bit because the true interaction from talking is so much more real.
I wish I could really know how a certain someone of my past really felt about me. It is no doubt we were completely wrong for each other and I never would want to be with anyone else besides Peter, but I can't help but sometimes wonder about him. I completely blame it on the lack of closure from the 7-8 years of on again/off again madness we had and never knowing if he cared as much as I did. It's not often, but very randomly when things remind me of him/us I hate having to wonder.
I spend most days in sweats or workout clothes, especially now that it is cold. I hate being uncomfortable and if I'm not going anywhere then I wonder what the point is? I should probably make more of an effort to look nice for Peter. But he says he doesn't mind and I stay clean so it's okay...right? LOL

Now the 7 Blogs I wish to award!

Julie at Peanut Butter Fingers - She is so great about updating on the fun things in her life, her wedding plans, and fun food finds.
Lindsey at The Balanced Way - She is a true example to balanced, healthy living. She has great workout tips and recipes.
Faith Food & Fitness - Another great example of balanced living. She is funny, gorgeous, and a wonderful person.
Genie at Third Wish - She is inspiring with what she can do with her determination. She is going to be an amazing national level figure competitor one day!
Jessica at How Sweet It Is - I love her writing style, her recipes (YUM!), her workout ideas, and her love of life.
Marcia at Mission: Possible - This lady is amazing with her workout intensity.
Heather at The Long & Winding Road - She is one of the most genuine, sweetest, amazing women I have known and what she shares is so worth reading. Her journey is inspiring and her heart is full.

One of these days...

2009-12-08T22:33:00.001-05:00

...I will get better about staying on top of posting here. I too easily get distracted on the computer with other sites and sometimes wonder what the point of keeping up things here is if most of my readers already know what's going on with me - or at least who I think is actually reading this thing ;)

Anywho - let me get you up to speed on my weekend and the past couple of days.

Saturday - Went to the gym in the morning for a full body workout and some cardio. Went to our town's Christmas parade in the afternoon. It was so cute and fun. Ate candy that they tossed out to everyone. Hehe. Got Subway for dinner and watched a movie that night.

Sunday - Church in the morning. Continued our Sunday school lesson on how to manage stress God's way. Yesterday's two points were taking time to rest (after all He rested after creating everything even though He didn't need to) and the other point was having a positive attitude in your work and focusing on doing things in His glory. After church, I did some errands (library, store, bank) and tutored the neighborhood kid. Then, we went to dinner for Mexican that night since all we had for dinner was a roast that I forgot to put in the crock pot that morning and we had nothing else to make. Plus, we had both been having cravings for this restaurant Cheeky. Came home, put M to bed, and chilled with some Desperate Housewives. Man! Cliffhanger, much? LOL

Yesterday - Gym for a spin class and some abs. Laundry, dishes, cleaning kitchen. Play time with Makenzie. Bible reading. Usual day. Enjoyed some healthy baked "chicken parm" and peas for dinner. Makenzie's antic of the day = "helping" me with laundry.

Today - Gym for a full body workout and 30 min treadmill run. Cleaned bathrooms. Played with Makenzie. Her antic today was trying to climb into her doll's stroller (see pic below). Bible reading. Fun reading. Still on track with eating balanced but enjoying treats. I had some ice-cream tonight to top off a delish dinner of some slow cooked roast and roasted brussel sprouts. Right now my focus is on being consistent with workouts and eating more to give myself a break. I do plan to tighten things up after the holiday season, like everyone else, eh? Now that doesn't mean I'm going crazy and overindulging but I am indulging a reasonable portion most days. Yum :)

BOOK REVIEW - 18 Seconds by George D. Shuman: It is about a blind woman who can see the last 18 seconds of a dead person's life by touching their hand. She is called in on a wave of crimes happening to young girls in a beach town. I really enjoyed it. It was the perfect amount of suspense and had other interesting stories to accompany the main plot. The only thing I don't like is knowing who the killer is. I love love love suspense novels where you are guessing whodunit. Does anyone have any good recommendations for me??? I am now re-reading Eclipse aka #3 in the Twilight series so no review for that one. I can sum it up easily enough without a real review. READ THEM!!!! LOL

Cool Beans! Check out this CarbaNada giveaway at my friend Lisa's blog :D Go...HERE!

A Friday Friday

2009-12-04T20:00:00.000-05:00

Today was a nice day that actually felt like a Friday with fun activities, instead of just any old day. I woke up well-rested after a wonderful 10 hours of sleep, shared some delicious oats with baby M for breakfast, and then we danced to holiday music and played with Pig and Bear (two of her favorite stuffed toys). I also spent part of the morning chatting on GMail Chat with hubby and he mentioned something about grabbing lunch together since we haven't done that in so long. Let me think about it for all of 2 seconds. Heck yeah! So during M's nap I skipped my home cardio workout showered up for lunch.

Around noon, met up with my wonderful man and enjoyed a grilled BBQ chicken wrap and hubby and I shared some salad and fries for our sides, while the baby girl devoured some mac'n'cheese. It never ceases to amaze me how much that girl can eat. She must get it from her momma ;) One day I will need to get a picture of her full belly. Anyhoo - after lunch, I hit up Toys R Us for some Christmas shopping. I knocked out all nieces, nephews, and M's gifts for $120. Score!! They had lots of things 50-66% off that were good gifts.

The rest of the afternoon was grocery shopping and reading my book. I'll do a review of it in the next day or two once I finish. Although, who knows if I will finish this weekend. Tomorrow will be busy with the gym and our town's Christmas parade and Sundays are always busy with church, tutoring, etc. Have great weekends all!!!

PS - I promise one of these days to get better about getting more pictures. I love seeing pictures in other blogs and want to spice my entries up some.

Just Because....

2009-12-03T14:17:00.000-05:00

....she cracks me up and I love her so much I can't contain it!!!!

My Silly Baby M

Sleeeeeppppyyyyy

2009-12-03T13:47:00.002-05:00

Look what I was surprised with after my post last night:

Awww! Although not from the hubs. They were brought to me by the neighborhood kid I tutor in Spanish. He got 100's on his last two tests/quizzes and wanted to show his appreciation. Roses are a bit of an awkward choice for a teacher, but hey - they look perfect on our mantel with our other Christmas decorations so I ain't complaining.

The night ended with watching last night's The Biggest Loser as well as the results show for So You Think You Can Dance. Both good episodes, but nothing too surprising/exciting. Then it was time for bed....or so I thought. My body had different plans.

For some reason, I had a serious case of insomnia last night. I couldn't fall asleep and then by the time I was starting to drift off, hubs was deep in snore land and there was no way I was going to be able to ignore it. So I packed up a blanket and my book and headed to the couch. I planned to read some of my book to help me get tired again. NOPE! Somehow, reading only woke me more, which never happens. And I had just started the book so it wasn't anything particularly suspenseful making me excited to keep reading. I finally started drifting off after 3 - and then awoke at 4:30 with an intense crick in my neck. Laid around again for an hour, before heading up to bed since hubs was up for work at this point. And leave it to Makenzie to choose this day to wake up at 6:30 instead of her usual 7:30. So I have downed 3 cups of coffee and been a bum today. My neck is in pain and my head is throbbing due to lack of sleep. No gym and no dancing with baby M. Boring day. At least my new book is good!

Random Truths

2009-12-02T18:44:00.000-05:00

For today's post, I will list out a few random things that came to me throughout the day today....enjoy my ADD thoughts :D

1) Pink Lady Apples = MMMMM .... I had my first pink lady today. I am normally a gala gal, but they didn't have any spiffy galas this week at the store so I opted for the pink ladies. Quite yum! Tasted kind of like a pink starburst at times.

2) I want odd gifts this year for Christmas. The main gift I will be getting will be from Peter's mom since she has me for his family's gift exchange since my side of the family and Peter & I decided not to do gifts this year except for Makenzie. So I have been brainstorming what to ask for since it is my one gift so I want to make it useful. You know what I came up with? A book light, some bigger/nicer coffee mugs, or a calendar. Wow. Haha!

3) Makenzie has inherited my weirdness. She is an odd little girl. She was running around with a clear plastic bucket that normally holds her blocks on her head. All. Afternoon. And was very amuzed. Works for me. She also adores green beans and was begging for more, more, more green beans at lunch with an almost complete grilled cheese sandwich cut up waiting to be eaten. I would have chosen the sandwich.

4) She is also so smart! Maybe just a little biased...but...She can say please when she wants something by clasping her hands together. She will say "Teddy" when she is ready for bed/naptime. She knows where her hands/feet/nose/mouth/eyes/ears/belly are. And she will play with books all day long...well, minus when running with buckets on her head. And getting mischevious. See #5.

5) 3 Hours is how long you can go with an unharmed Christmas tree and a 13 month old in the same house. Yep, 3 hours after getting the decorations up (aka 1 hour after naptime, 30 minutes into playtime) we had our first casualty. Luckily it was just a silver bulb. I thought I had all the breakable ones out of her reach. But apparently the little goober is able to reach higher than I thought.

6) People who gripe about Christmas music playing irk me. It's cheery. It's fun. It's one month a year. Now stop whining! Sounds like you need it the most!

7) All the Whey protein powder is by far the best protein powder ever! Cake batter and chocolate. Strawberry is quite decadent too. And the cinnamon is perfection for protein pancakes. AND I am looowwwww. Must get on restocking ASAP! If Peter's mom knew how to handle ordering things online I would ask for this for Christmas. LOL

Now I will close you out with some Christmas tree photos :)

Some favorite ornaments - Makenzie's 1st Ornament, UGA (my alma mater), a mini photo of my 1st Christmas, and a beautiful cross...plus M's casualty.

Productive Start

2009-12-02T11:52:00.000-05:00

Quick morning post, since I was fortunate enough to get my workout groove on early. Yippee skippy!!! I trained back/bis/tris this am and then rocked it out in a spin class. This is the first chance I have had to do spin in almost a month! GAH! It is normally my cardio of choice so it was weird to be away from it due to crazy holiday schedules and snotty noses. I enjoyed my workout, but did have one sad moment. I tried to warm up with a set of pullups, but my stamina for those has disappeared. Well, dang!!! I never had energy for them during competition prep, and so it just goes to show --- don't use it, ya lose it. I was rocking out sets of 8 for a time there. Today I got one. Hrmph. So, I'll just make this positive and say my new goal is to build up my pullup reps again. *thumbs up*

After the gym, I went by the grocery store to pick up a few essentials we were out of. Then it was home to have my big morning breakfast and do my devotional reading. Now, I need to get my caboose moving and start crack'a'lacking on decorating our tree, a load of laundry, and some cleaning. Also, I have to get some things organized for my tutoring session this afternoon (this boy is going to pass Spanish if it's the last thing I do!!!) and also get working on Sunday's church group lesson/discussion. Busy day ahead...ciao!!!

My Morning Workout
Cardio = 45 min Spin Class = sweaty mess
Training = Back/Bis/Tris
underhand bb row - 65# x 12, 75# x 10, 85# x 8, 95# x 6 x 2sets
lat pulldown = 90# x 8 x 2 sets, 100# x 8 x 2 sets
wide grip machine row = 70# x 8 x 2 sets, 75# x 8 x 2 sets
machine preacher curl = 45# x 10 x 3 sets
1 arm overhead db extension = 15# x 12 x 2 sets/side, 20# x 8/side

I Gots Me Some Strong Boobies!

2009-12-01T20:43:00.000-05:00

Howdy fellow bloggies! :D I hope you all are having great Tuesdays. Mine was pretty standard, but good.

I started the day with a lovely bowl of oats/dried fruit/All the Whey cake batter protein powder and an egg white/veggie sausage omelet. Yum! One of these days I will get better about the whole food picture thing. It would be helpful if I had a nice camera though. The one I have is very basic and takes food pictures for crap. Moving on....

Then I spent most of the day playing with my baby girl. She is still fighting the congestion junk and I wanted to keep her out of the gym daycare again. We headed to the doctor this afternoon to check and be sure she wasn't getting any sort of ear infection from her recurring snot issues. Luckily, she isn't. The doc just said "it's that time of year". Thanks. So insightful. I am hoping so hard that she wakes up better tomorrow. I miss going to the gym in the morning!

I did still get my workout in today by going this afternoon/early evening. Had a decent enough workout. I trained chest and shoulders and did some stepmill madness. Hit a PR on barbell bench, or at least post baby PR since I can't really remember what I was lifting before then. I was hoping for a PR on incline dumbbell bench too, but I still can't get those dang 40's up! GAR! I know I could get 4-5 reps out of it if I could only get them up to start. Yea, yea, yea. Ask someone for a spot. I'll see if I reach that point, but for the time being I don't really know/like/trust many of the people at this new gym. I like the gym, just haven't really buddied with any of the fellow members. I also was a little bummed with my shoulders weight. Before I did shoulders with legs and was getting 30's for overhead presses. Today since they were done after working my chest some I could notice the fatigue and was only able to get 25's. Overall, though, I liked having solely legs yesterday and will keep my split this way.

Bummer about having to makeup my workout this afternoon was I didn't get the chance to decorate our tree like I hoped. It's (not really) beginning to look a lot like Christmas in our house. *tear* Thank goodness for holiday music to satisfy my festive mood. I WILL get that tree decorated tomorrow. Okay, I guess that is enough of my rambling for tonight ;) Time to wait for So You Think You Can Dance or The Biggest Loser to come on. I prefer not to watch Obama and just read about his speeches.

Recap Day 4
Cardio = 30 min Stepmill
Fat Burner Level 12
Training = Chest/Shoulders
BB Bench = 75# x 12, 85# x 10, 95# x 8, 100# x 6, 105# (!!) x 5
Incline DB Bench = 35's x 8 x 4 sets
Cable Crossover = 17.5#/side x 8 x 3 sets
Overhead DB Press = 25's x 8 x 4 sets
Side Lateral Cable Raise = 7.5#/side x 8 x 3 sets

Diet = healthy, balanced, good portions - check!
Water = 3.5 Liters

Prayer/Devotional Time = check! Being more regular with this is SO making a difference. Tomorrow, though, I need to be sure my devotional time includes some preparing for Sunday's class lesson and discussion.

Lost Symbol, Hidden Meaning??

2009-12-01T11:06:00.000-05:00

***If you have not read Dan Brown's new book and want to, I suggest you skip over this post***

I just finished up my morning devotional Bible reading time and a very odd and interesting thought struck me. Dan Brown's book The Lost Symbol. I know, weird, right? I read this book a couple of weeks ago and had some issues with it while I was reading it. I thought it was a great story, filled with lots of good suspense and wanting to know what would happen next. What was behind the story, however, not so to my liking. Like The DaVinci Code, this book is a chase to figuring out a mystery that will unlock some incredible knowledge. The Lost Symbol's chase was to find some hiding place that contained the knowledge of the "ancient mysteries", which is the knowledge that will make man equal to God. This is where things got a little irksome for me as I was reading. Despite enjoying the suspense of the novel, I found myself constantly being distracted by thoughts of "Come ON! We can never be equal to God!!! And how can you promote such insanity, Dan Brown?? *hiss*".

But then came today. As I was reading the Bible and learning new things to help me grow into a better person and have a more fulfilling life, it hit me. In Dan Brown's book, Robert Langdon (the main character) and his partners in crime do find the "lost symbol" aka "the word" that will bring man godly knowledge. Guess what they found? That special godly knowledge was in The Bible. While I don't really agree with how the book claims that there is all sorts of secret meaning to the gospels that will make man some powerful person that can change the universe's matter and do all sort of crazy science stuff, I do have to agree that The Bible is a powerful source to godly knowledge. And even though it is impossible, as we are all sinners and cannot completely remove that part of our nature, we are in fact meant to be equal to God. Yes. God wants us to be like Jesus. Jesus IS God. The Bible teaches us how. There you have it. The Bible IS in fact a book to hidden knowledge that can help us learn and grow to be like God, although not so secret since it is perpetually the top selling book in the world. And while I know that no matter how much I study that book I will never fully understand it and be able to apply it to my life 100%, I do know that its' worth giving a shot because it will undoubtedly teach me things that will only do good in my life. You know what? I didn't even have to go on a deadly, scary hunt through a bunch of symbolic puzzles to figure that one out either. Sorry, Robert Langdon. ;)

Excuses are Easy, Resolve is Rewarding

2009-11-30T20:26:00.002-05:00

Today started off a bit on the unexpected side. Well, not totally unexpected, but not what I was hoping for. After waking up, getting dressed in my gym wear, downing my pre-workout NO Xplode shake (which, for the record, works well but tastes nasty in lemonade flavor), and being pumped to keep rolling with my "better habits" motivation....found a sick, super congested, coughing baby girl in her crib when I went to get her up. *sigh* My poor girl!! She has been battling off and on congestion for a few weeks. Without fail, 2 days a week she is snotty and fussy. We do the humidifier, saline spray, sucking the junk out, juice/fluids bit and then she is fine and back to normal. Only for it to return a week later. Well. Hmmmm? What to do? I can tell you what I did would have done in the past few weeks - use it as an excuse to not be able to get in my workout and laze around and boredom snack all day. Easy, peasy, right???

NO!!!! Well, yes. It would be easy. No, I would not have been happy and would have felt disappointed in myself for taking the easy way out. Now, now, now. Don't fret. I did not pack up my sick baby and head to the gym anyways to pass germs to other innocent children. I snuggled and played with my happy, albeit sick, sweetheart. Then, when she went down for her nap, I headed down to the basement and did some cardio. I pulled out an old Cathe DVD I haven't done in quite some time - IMAX 2. This workout totally and completely kicked my butt....and sent my heart racing. It's 10 step intervals with lots of plyometric drills. It was fun, effective, and passed by super fast. See a clip and description of the workout HERE.

After that, Makenzie & I had lunch and put on some music to dance around the living room. That girl loves to shake her booty. She quite likes the Black Eyed Peas song "Boom Boom Boom" (not sure if that's the right name). During her afternoon nap, I did a bit more reading, chatted online with a good friend, and did my daily devotional Bible reading. You would think the day would die down there, huh?

NOPE! Once hubs got home, I was off to the gym. That's right. My workout plan was to do legs and some cardio today. I am a determined lady right now and had to get my leg session in dagnabit. Can I just say how happy I am that I did? WOW! I killed, I mean killed, my legs. I got my squat weight back up. I was shaking at the end. And all with a much shorter and effective workout. After that, it was home to gobble up some dinner (steamed chicken spring rolls, sugar snap peas) and type this up while chilling on the couch. Another rewarding day, thanks to my resolve. Here's to day 3!

RECAP - DAY 3
Training = Legs
*warm up first*
1) BB Squat - 95# x15, 115# x10, 125# x8 x2sets, 135# (!!!!) x7, 135# x5
2) Bulgarian Split Squat - 20's x 12 x 2sets, 25's x 10, 30's x 8
3A) Walking Lunge w/ Pulses @ Bottom - 20's x 10/leg x 3sets
3B) Leg Extension - 85# x 10 x 3sets

Cardio = Cathe IMAX 2 DVD

Diet = Healthy, balanced, and delicious
Water = 4 Liters + a cup of decaf peppermint tea I'm about to enjoy

Time with God = Prayer time and Bible time. I can definitely tell a difference in my approach to situations, happiness, life in general with more focused time spent with God. I would like to extend this part of my challenge to others as well. Even just 15 minutes of time spent with God is amazing and refreshing. And if that's not in your beliefs, then meditation or something similar could work for you :) Do you take time for daily prayer or meditation? Does it make a difference for YOU?

Hoppin' on the Bandwagon

2009-11-29T18:15:00.000-05:00

The holiday self-challenge bandwagon, that is. As I mentioned yesterday, I want to get back into my better habits since I have allowed many things to throw me a bit off track the past few weeks. I don't have very specific, measurable goals. Simply to make each day count. I consider my body to be my temple given to me by God and I know I need to honor my body. Heck, how can I not, when considering what all has been given to me so graciously by Him? So each day I want to eat well and be active. The holidays are a notorious time for over-indulgence and I will not deny that many, many times I have succumbed. I don't want to do that this year. Yes, I plan to enjoy, but I have to keep things in check. This is my Day 2 of my "Better Habits" self-challenge. And this is a challenge that will not end. It is not for X amount of weeks or until I reach X weight or something arbitrary like that. It is a continued desire to living a healthy and balanced lifestyle.

Anyone care to hop on with me?? :)

Today was an atypical Sunday. Normally, a large part of our Sundays involves church. I lead group discussion for a Sunday school group called The Goodlife at 9:30 and we go to the sermon at 11:00. We didn't make it to church at all today because Makenzie was pretty under the weather this morning (this girl has a stuffy head that just won't quit!). Since we weren't having class due to the holiday, we decided it would be best to hang back and let the baby girl rest.

So, what was today like? Did I care for myself and fulfill my better habits? YEP! I started the day with a cardio session in our basement. Cathe's LowMax DVD fit the bill for that. It was a great way to start the day and a fabulous cardio session. Better habit #1...check! Normally, Sundays are also a day of rest for me, but since I took Wed-Fri off of workouts with the holidays I knew I could handle fitting something in today. Then, I ate a delicious breakfast of Kashi blueberry waffles with some sugar free syrup, strawberries, and a egg white omelet with peppers/onions/veggie sausage/lf cheese. Along with my breakfast, I spent some quality time with my all time favorite book - The Bible. It is amazing how no matter how many times you read through it, there is always something special to get out of it every single time. Better habit #2...check!!

The remainder of the day was low key. I spent a fair amount of time snuggling my sweetie pie - minus the trip to chasing her from the stairs, which she has figured out how to climb now. I also tutored the neighborhood kid and read some of my current book (An Isolated Incident by Susan Sloan - so good and one of my favorites that I am re-reading). Now, it is about time to cook up some dinner. I will be making some sauteed zucchini, squash, and onions to toss with some Italian turkey sausage, light tomato sauce, and a small serving of whole wheat pasta. So Better Habit #3 will be a check! Balanced, healthy meals have most certainly filled my belly today.

Check, check, check!! I like those days. Now, if only those checks could be deposited at the bank. ;)

Disappearing Act

2009-11-28T10:16:00.000-05:00

Okay, okay. I know I disappeared for awhile there. Oops! I am going to get back into the swing of blogging because I like the mental outlet. I want to share my thoughts with friends & family without it having to be in a solely fitness realm. I am planning to focus more on using this as a place to discuss my life in general and not so much focus on the fitness aspect of it all. AKA live up to the title of getting more out of LIFE and not just a competition life. Obviously, since that part of my life I have fully decided no longer exists and will not exist again in the future.

So, let's get started with that. I hope everyone here in the US had a fabulous Thanksgiving. Ours was nice. We had my parents, sister, and uncle over at our house for a Thanksgiving lunch. Then, we went to hubby's parents house for dinner and dessert. I was quite the stuffed one after that. I believe Makenzie has decided that Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday. She sampled all the delicious foods and definitely enjoyed her share. It was so funny - when we pulled up her shirt to look at and blow on her full little belly, she started patting it like a satisfied grandpa. LOL Although the diapers that followed on Friday morning were not quite that cute. Ewwww.....

In other news - my sister and I went to see New Moon yesterday. I loved it! I think it was done much better than Twilight and I really like how the movie follows the book well, besides a few very minor discrepancies. I am very excited for the 3rd and 4th in the series, as those books are by far my favorites. And, for the record, I am team Edward all the way. That devotion and intensity just can't be beat. Although, Jacob wins in the hot body department. Call me a teenage schoolgirl - I don't care! I love the books and the movies.

Today, I woke up and finally got a workout in. I haven't worked out since Tuesday. I've just been too busy with the holiday. Perhaps lazy too. I did a 1 hour kickbox DVD here at home. It felt wonderful to get moving again. I really, really need to get back into the habit of working out more regularly. Since the competition, I have worked out I think 6 times total. That is due to battling illness, Makenzie battling illness, going back too hard at first and being too sore to move for almost a week, and then busy with the holiday. I know that since this is the holiday season, I cannot allow myself to get out of the habits of taking care of myself. That is all too easy for me. I want to be healthy and happy. I want to honor the body and health I have been blessed with. I honored it with rest, but now I have to honor it with a healthy dose of regular activity. My body is my temple and I will take care of it here on out. Now, with that being said. I will close this post and go do my daily devotional reading - another thing I have to get back into better habits with. Geez, I have quite a bit of room for improvement these days, huh?

Show Recap

2009-11-08T14:37:00.000-05:00

I want to start off by saying I feel super accomplished for having made it to the stage and finishing what I set out to do. Yesterday was a lot of fun, as well as exhausting. The girls were all sooooo nice and funny and it was an all around good time backstage. Everyone is so supportive of each other and it's great. I felt happy with how I looked and the progress I made and for being up there, even if I was super nervous the 1st round and literally shaking in my heels. I'm perfectly happy with the results. Now onto that...I got 4th place.....out of 4 girls.....

I'm not gonna lie. When my name was the first called out I was bummed and had a moment of griping when first getting to Peter and my family offstage. But I quickly recovered and remembered how strong and wonderful I felt earlier in the day and not because I thought I was going to win (I didn't) or anything like that. But because I felt like I did a good job, I was having fun, and I had made it. So I've decided to take that - the good - away from the show and be happy for it all and move on to the next part of my life. So onto a normal, balanced way of living again. Basically, on with LIFE.

Okay, moving on - treats!! I actually haven't even been in the mood for much of anything! Last night, I had one icing cookie, a handful of candy corn, and a few pieces of Halloween candy and was done. We went to dinner at Steak and Shake with my family bec they were all starving from the FOREVER long show...I got a burger and choked it down and didn't really eat any fries and no shake either.

Today - all I've had is a couple of cookies and a few more pieces of candy (nothing much at all) and had a Subway 6 inch. NO IHOP like planned. NO COLDSTONE like I wanted. Heck, I'm not even super thrilled for going to The Cheesecake Factory (my favorite favorite favorite restaurant) tonight. I'm excited to hang out with my friends but I'm not excited about the food at all. So strange. I'm seriously ready to get back in the gym lightly and just to normal tomorrow. I will probably still take tomorrow easy and off though to rest because I know I need it.

Now for some pictures....

Show Opening Shot

Suit Picture

Sportswear Picture

My Class

Placings from Left to Right = 4th/2nd/1st/3rd

One Day Out

2009-11-06T10:01:00.000-05:00

Real quickly - a picture after one coat of tanner this morning (hands/feet will get a coat with the final 1-2 coats and face will of course be makeup tomorrow so please excuse that look).

Today will be busy packing things up, going to the store, tanning more, polygraph appointment for drug testing of the federation, and other errands just to prepare for tomorrow. I'm feeling good!

And the Glamour Begins

2009-11-05T20:31:00.000-05:00

Today was super packed, as will tomorrow be. But it will mostly be filled with final touches and the more glam part of competition prep. Today I finished my last workout (!!!!!!!!!), then spent most of the early afternoon getting things done around the house to straighten up. Towards the end of the afternoon, I went to get my french mani/pedi done and it was so delectable to sit back and relax. Came home, helped get poor sick Makenzie into bed (yes, that's right - I have a sick 1 year old the last days of prep!), and then ventured into the shower with hubs for a 1 hour shaving session. Let me tell you what - having to shave everywhere is a true eye opener that you aren't as smooth and feminine as you might think. LOL Now it's relaxation time watching Grey's Anatomy in a few and reading some more Twilight. :)

Tomorrow. Ummm, where do I begin? I'll be coating on the tanner throughout the day with Peter's help. Needless to say he's thrilled I'll be strolling the house naked for extended periods of time tomorrow. Also, I'll be packing up Makenzie's stuff for her weekend stay with grandma and also packing up as much as I can of my show day bag. I'll have to go get tested for the federation to prove I am drug free. We'll have to go to the store to stock up on last minute needs and some goodies. And I think that's it. Oh! And getting in a nice short family walk. Hopefully we'll have time for it all! Oh, yea....we will....since I'll suddenly have a couple extra hours to my day ;)

I'll try to post up some one day out pics tomorrow.

Last Legs of the Race :)

2009-11-04T19:41:00.000-05:00

Another day down and almost done. 'Twas a good one and was literally the "last leg" - leg training day, that is. I was super happy to be done with that one. And even though it was a much lighter load than a normal leg workout, I was struggling. Let me be clear. I loathe separate leg days. But, for prep, I did what I had to do and did an upper/lower split to be able to really focus on my upper more and keeping muscle there. So, today when I finished I was thinking how I don't have to do a solely leg workout again. EVER!

Enough about that silliness though. I had a wonderful day today. My sister came over to keep me company all day. We went to the mall and strolled around. I bought 2 pairs of jeans from Express (buy one get one 50% yea!!) that are very nice and I foresee them having no problems fitting post show because there is some spare room...in flippin' size 0s! What in the world?! I blame vanity sizing, but that's another tangent for another time. We also had lunch in the food court. Well, more like plopped ourselves at a foodcourt table and pulled out our tupperware containers of salad to eat. After getting home and putting miss Makenzie down for her nap, we even did some Turbo Kick together for a fun cardio workout to keep my energy and motivation up :) Now, I'm about to dig into some tuna sashimi and watch last night's The Biggest Loser since I chose to watch So You Think You Can Dance live last night.

The next couple of days will be extremely busy with lots of prep stuff. I'll try to update about it all each day. 2 more days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sugar High????

2009-11-03T18:28:00.000-05:00

I promise I'm not on a sugar high, but good gracious I sure do feel like it! LOL I'm not complaining in the least bit, but where....oh WHERE am I getting this energy? Especially considering I am super hungry and my body is thoroughly telling me that I haven't really, fully, truly fed it in about 3 months. Also considering I got maybe 3 hours of sleep last night - because of waking up from the said hunger and not falling back asleep thanks to hubby's beautiful musical nose. And considering my precious daughter has been going through a rotten not quite as precious stage - where she is starting to throw temper tantrums when I won't let her beat our dog over the head with books and then she's refusing to take full naps even though she is very obviously tired.

But somehow, some way I have energy to spare! I have been coasting through my last workouts since I decided to drop the cardio a smidge and lower the intensity of my weight workouts to save energy and strength for show day and the unending posing. And it will only get easier from here. The biggest battle has been the midafternoon munchy monsters that try to throw me off track (notice I said TRY so all is still well). Distracting myself from the hunger is the toughest thing. I've been playing with Makenzie bunches, going on low key neighborhood walks, re-reading Twilight (love that book btw!), chatting online, anything and everything. But now I will have company the next 3 days. My sister will be hanging out with me all day tomorrow and then Peter (hubs) will be working from home to be with me on Thursday and Friday.

Basically - all is well in this neighborhood!

And here's a pic of my abs I took this afternoon. I am one of those unfortunate ones that no matter how lean/flat my stomach gets I don't get the popping 6-pack look. Boo. But I know it isn't the be all, end all so I'm not concerned.

One Week Out Pics

2009-11-01T15:48:00.000-05:00

Not sure how I feel about how I look relative to what other competitors will bring, which I guess is normal for most everyone at this stage of prep. But still proud of how far I've come and having a blast the final bit of prep since it's almost over!

GAH!!!!!!!!!

2009-10-31T19:49:00.001-04:00

Scream of excitement!!!!!!!! One week from right now I will be probably on stage or close to being on stage for finals. Pre-judging will be done. The hard part will be over. Oh I am sooooo excited! This past week I have been feeling MUCH stronger and at peace with everything. I am only feeling joy as the day approaches. The nervous tummy twisting jitters have yet to hit...we'll see how long they stay away as I'm sure they will come out at some point. I have this overwhelming feeling inside that I can't even describe. It's so hard to grasp that it's almost here. A goal I have always dreamed of but never thought quite possible. I'm doing it and I'm *thisclose* to being able to say I DID it. And all not even 13 months after having a baby. I'm so psyched! And I even made it through Halloween (since I'm pooped and will be lame and heading to bead shortly) without a single thought or hesitation of having a piece of candy. Go me! Go me! Thank you Lord for the strength, willpower, energy, peace , contentment, etc the past week and I pray you continue to provide it to me in the remaining SIX days. Can you believe it? SIX! Okay...my neurotic bubbly self is signing off now.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-28T13:55:00.002-04:00

10 Days Out - Pic of Sportswear

I had to take a picture of my sportswear to send to the promoters...so I decided to be nice and post it on the blog too. ;)

Click Goes the Lightbulb

2009-10-27T11:48:00.000-04:00

Ya know? Like in the cartoons where the bulb clicks on over someone's head in that AHA! moment? Well, that is the feeling I had this morning while watching a Joyce Meyer message during my am cardio session. During her message, she said something along the lines of it is impossible for her to be happy in life while being a selfish person. Ding ding ding!! We have a winner! FINALLY - a way to sum up why this whole competition prep thing has me in some sort of identity crisis the past few weeks.

Competing is a very selfish sport. The time it takes to plan and prep meals, fit in all the workouts, practice posing, get things organized for the show is a lot. Then, there is the lack of energy leftover for the people in your life due to the extra effort that goes into all I just mentioned - only compounded by the lack of food and extra energy expenditure in workouts. I want to live love. I want my life to revolve around showing love and support to my family, friends, and others instead of all the effort that is going into reaching this goal. Now, that doesn't mean we shouldn't have goals or that we shouldn't take time for ourselves. Those are things that are important to everyone and need to be a part of each individual's life.

However, sometimes certain goals become apparent that they are not best suited to living a truly fulfilling life, the most fulfilling of which is one that God would want for you. I firmly believe that God put it on my heart to work towards this show so that I could learn and grow in the process. So that I could grow to trust Him to get me through something I want to give up on at times. So that I could learn what is really worth my time/energy/etc in life and make those things the focus after all is said and done. I am taking these lessons and I can't wait to run with them - in just 11 short days.

I will say that I am super excited for the show. I am very happy to have continued down this path and achieved something in the process....not allowing the possibility for "what-ifs" and regrets in the future. The end is near and it makes the overwhelming frustration of the process more of a tiny niggling in the back of my mind. I am doing much better, but still look forward to the freedom that will come with making it to the other side of this competition. I have felt more like my normal self recently - like this past weekend where I focused on just having a good time and lots of fun with my daughter for her 1st birthday party. Things are looking up :)

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-21T21:23:00.000-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY PRECIOUS MAKENZIE!!!

2009-10-20T12:07:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone. I have a LOT to get off my chest right now....so please bear with me and it will explain my MIA moments from my blog.

My heart is just not in it. Don't worry - I am still doing the show. I have done too much to not get on with the rest of it these last 2.5 weeks. And getting on stage is still something I want to accomplish and am psyched that I am going to finish. I don't want any regrets in my life and I know that if I didn't do this then I would have a regret and always have that "what if" pondering in the back of my mind. But still - I'm not into it. I have my moments where it is thrilling but for the most part, I am so over it you wouldn't believe how frustrating it is. And no it's not just because I am tired, hungry, stressed, etc. It is because I have gotten to where a lot of the time I feel like "What is the point?!?" I can understand goals and how doing shows is a focus that some people enjoy but I have certainly realized during this prep and especially in the last week or so that it is NOT ME. I miss the days of working out for the sake of it making me feel good, strong, happy, and healthy. I long for the days where I could eat healthy, balanced meals of what I want without thinking about measuring/weighing/calculating/fitting etc. I want to go back to the times when there was no guilt accompanied by wanting to enjoy a vacation, date, or my daughter's birthday. I can't wait to do things for ME and the fact that I enjoy it instead of for a date looming over my head like a dark raincloud.

Yes - I do plan to keep working hard. Yes - I do plan to do the show and make the best of it. But yes - I also am counting down the days and am in tears at times wishing it was over so I can go back to my LIFE! This is not how I live my life...I thrive to live with enjoying my family, friends, work in the church, taking care of myself, etc at the center and I don't feel like working to get on stage meshes well with what matters to me. I was talking to Peter last night about how sad I am that I won't be able to fully enjoy Makenzie's first birthday party. He said, "eating cake and icecream doesn't equal enjoying her party so you're fine". I told him its not about the eating. It's about the fact that on the day of her birthday party I will have to be thinking about being sure to get my workout in in the morning, then rushing to get things ready, then no matter how you cut it it will SUCK watching everyone else enjoy some treats while I can't and I resent the feeling of I can't instead of if I chose not to at that time (not I chose not to when deciding to compete so don't throw that BS at me bec I get that)....and its about that the stress of the show coming up, will I be ready, I have to be sure I am taking the time to get my meals prepped and eaten instead of spending time with company, etc etc etc, the neverendingness of it all. And that's just one DAY! I feel like even though I am still doing things with my family, leading my church group, taking care of my motherly/wifely responsibilities the passion and love for those things that used to encompass me is being edged out by the competing. Don't tell me - "oh don't feel that way" or "oh you are worrying too much". I really am not "worrying" too much. I could give two shits these days about it honestly. But I am not a quitter so I keep on. I have already paid the money for the entry fee and tickets for my family to come watch - so doing the show is a done deal. I just want it over and to check it off my list of I did something I've always wondered about and then be able to walk away and never look back.

I haven't been posting much here because when I'm here or on my blog or wherever the show talk feels like the focus of what I need to talk about and such and I am just avoiding it. I do what needs to be done with workouts/meals/etc and then I walk away and prefer to spend my free time busy with things around the house, with Peter, with Makenzie, with a good book, with a tv show, basically anything but fitness talk. I hope this rambling makes sense. And please please please don't respond with some condescending oh it will be ok message. I know it will be - which is why I look forward to it being over. Or telling me it will be worth it - I know it will be bec I set out to accomplish this and I WILL be DAMN proud to have done it...doesn't mean I have to be excited about what it's doing to my life at the moement. Don't tell me its only a little bit left - I know that and when you want it to just be over and done with, time stretches out indefinitely. Don't tell me I am letting it get to me too much - you be in my shoes and feel as though life is passing you by when it doesn't have to and its bec of some decision you made 12 weeks ago and not something that just happened to you and see how easy it is to not let it bother you. Sorry for the rant but I just have to clear it all. Do I know that I know you all love and support me TONS. And I do appreciate it immensely. There are just some things I can't stand hearing or talking about right now and I hope you understand and respect that with me not being around much and being a bit cranky about the whole show thing and what I'm feeling. Love you all!

Mixed Bag of Emotions

2009-10-18T18:58:00.001-04:00

The past few days things have been up, down, side to side, backwards, forwards, and everywhere in between. My mind has gone in circles and it has all just been dizzying and a lot to handle. The emotions and mental games of competition prep are something else! It's interesting to feel as though things are harder than ever but easier all at the same time. The workouts, continued deficit food intake (sounds nicer than dieting, huh? haha), the planning. etc are all harder than ever to get through. But then, at the same moment, I can think I am only 19 days away from the finish line so everything seems brighter and more manageable too. Knowing that I only have so many days left of the limited eats and intense cardio makes it bearable to go through the motions. Knowing that in a week I will be getting my hair done, a few days after that having my wax, a few days after that my nails, and then getting glammed up for the show is exciting. Thinking about how FAST less than three weeks will go by is exhilarating.

BUT there is anxiety mixed in there as well. For example, last night was the 2nd time in the past week I have had a very very very realistic and intense dream where it was show day and I was at the venue, expected to go on stage in like 20 minutes.....with NO suit, tanner, makeup, hair, ANYTHING done. I wake up freaked and upset thinking all my effort was wasted. Come on now! And there is the feeling of isn't this all done YET!??? It's overwhelming all the time that goes into it and I just want to be intuitive again with what I eat, when I eat, etc and not having to schedule things around workouts and the more limited time I have these last days. Even though I don't let this competition prep stuff rule my life and am still a mother, wife, friend, etc first....I still miss the freedoms and ease of my life from a few short months ago and another few weeks when thinking about it that way seems like forever away.

So - I guess the point of this post is just to share that its weird. I am excited, pumped, and sooooo ready to have fun with the show and bust out 100% these last few weeks and the other half is just DONE! I know the first of the two sides will be victorious and carry me through these weeks with hopefully minimal disruptions from the exhausted side. But it is there. It is a struggle. It is hard. I guess that's what makes it worth it.......and worth it oh it will be. No doubt about that.

Wordless Wednesday Pictures & Special Email

2009-10-14T13:06:00.000-04:00

I forgot to post some pictures of my big girl walking!

And also I got an email from a friend that lists 45 truths a woman of 90 discovered through her life. I think they are very good and something we can all try to apply. Enjoy!

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie.

Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ''In five years, will this matter?".

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

4 1. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Trucking Along

2009-10-14T11:28:00.000-04:00

I received an email from the show directors last night with information on things we are expected to do prior to show - such as scheduling our polygraph testing (its a natural show with all competitors tested), taking a picture of myself in my sportswear to send in (they have strict dresscode on this outfit), having music on CD, etc etc. It was surreal to receive that email and know that this will all be here in only a few more short weeks. I am so excited for it! I am doing what I have set out to do. It is amazing to realize that a goal I have had for years will be achieved soon. Until that day comes, though, I will just keep on trucking along and doing my absolute best. I still have some things to figure out with how I want to approach peak week. I do not plan to do sodium/water manipulation that week as I don't think it's necessary after seeing some of my wonderful friends and mentors compete without it and do extraordinarily well. The main thing I will be having to tweak is my macros and deciding what will fill me out the best. I am not too stressed about it though because this prep is all a learning process. The next one will be about growing and developing a better prep with what I get out of this round. And at this moment - I think I do foresee myself doing another competition in spring of next year before hanging up the hooker shoes to work on baby #2. As you can see, I have had a lot of thoughts going through my mind. I am embracing them, not stressing myself, enjoying the process of the final stretch, and working hard with a smile on my face. Now time to get a move on this day - my sister should be here shortly. We will be watching last night's The Biggest Loser since she missed it (I've already watched and MAN!!! I could throttle Tracy!) and we will also be relaxing, talking, and the like. I will update more later of my training/cardio/etc. Have wonderful days!

Thanks

2009-10-12T20:54:00.000-04:00

I would just like to start off by saying thank you to those of you who left comments, sent emails, and gave me your support. It really helps a lot to know that others understand and can recognize that I am working hard, but not letting it control me. So, thank you.

Now an update of today....

Woke up, trained shoulders & abs, did some laundry and dishes/cleaning throughout the day, watched Makenzie chase our dog around all day long, food prepped veggies/ground turkey/chicken, went to the gym for afternoon cycle, and now am watching some DVR'd Greys Anatomy and Desperate Housewives. Overall, a successful day.

Training: Shoulders
Cardio: 60 min Spin Class
Extra: Abs, Routine Practice
Diet: On (low day)
meal 1 = coffee/whey shake
meal 2 = oats/raisins/All the Whey pp, egg beaters, strawberries
meal 3 = ground turkey/salsa/Josephs Lavash wrap, salad (spinach, romaine, tomato, cucumber, onion, lite Caesar dressing)
meal 4 = All the Whey pp/almond mik, apple/pb
meal 5 = chicken, broccoli

Have You Ever.....

2009-10-12T12:31:00.000-04:00

.....just felt like THIS?!

Well, that is about how I felt a few moments ago. I am back from a wonderful weekend away with Peter and some of our closest friends. We had a fabulous time relaxing, talking, laughing, enjoying each other's company, etc. And over the course of the vacation I decided that I wasn't going to be as extremely strict for competition prep purposes as I had anticipated. It was a vacation. It was not a time to be stressing myself out but instead a time to let loose a bit. So, I did. I didn't do any of the cardio I planned to do or my weight workout when we got home on Sunday. I took a full 3 days of rest besides a couple of easy walks with my husband. I didn't measure out every morsel of food, ate some easier things (like extra fruit and snacks, less chicken & veggies), and even had some cheats with a delicious dinner out and an extra treat with my husband one night.

I did not feel guilty in the least about any of this. Is it the smartest thing for someone 4 weeks out from a figure competition? No, probably not. Is it a good decision for someone who wants to put living her life first above anything else? Yes, most definitely. Which is why I didn't feel guilty. I knew that my #1 goal in this process is to accomplish doing the show and looking the part on that stage. My #1 goal is not to win, or even place. Would it be nice? Of course. But that is still not the point of this show. So, with that in mind, and knowing I want to live my life and enjoy special moments with my friends and husband I took a more laid back approach to this weekend away. I am feeling the effects of it by feeling a lot more bloated and a lot less defined, as well as a decent scale bump but even that didn't get me down.

So, what sent me to feeling like just screaming at the top of my lungs? The feeling that I would have to JUSTIFY what I felt comfortable doing and what was best for my mindset and where I am at right now. The fact that I truly believe there are people out there who would hear of my weekend and think "Yep. I knew she couldn't handle this. She's not doing it like she should and it's going to show. She is not a true competitor." Why would I feel like that? Because I have attempted doing a show before and had to leave it behind. And when I made it known I was going after that goal again there were quite a few people who seemed shocked that I was attempting this again and not shocked in a "Wow, thats awesome!" way but shocked in a "Huh? Are you sure thats a good idea? I don't know if its right for you" kind of way. I am doing this show to have no regrets and to finish something I started before. And the fact that I'm not doing it by the textbook leaves me feeling defensive in some situations. And THAT is what irks me beyond belief and has me wanting to hit something while screaming at the top of my lungs. I should NOT feel that way.

I went to post an update on a fitness forum and felt like I had screwed up, like I was going to be judged, and like I was a failure. And for WHAT?! For enjoying my life, while doing things that although may not be perfect are in fact still not going to keep me from achieving what I have set out to do? I should feel no shame. And I don't as I finish typing this post. But I do feel frustration. That there are people out there who I know expect me to fail, expect me to not do this as "perfectly" as they might. But you know what? I have more to my life than this whole competition thing. It is a HOBBY and I'm proud to say it did not interfere with me being who I am and what I stand by. So for all of you doubters - I'm still setting out to do what I intended. I'm still going to get on that stage. I may not be as defined/lean/etc as I could have been if I took the prep diet and all more seriously...but you know what? I'm smiling and loving life too. Nothing can take that from me. Nothing.

And for the record - I do plan on sticking to things 100% the remainder of prep. And if I do another show, then that prep will be more about improving what I bring to the stage and taking things more seriously. And I do NOT feel guilty about this weekend. Things will still fall into place just fine for what I'm working so hard for.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-07T21:22:00.000-04:00

My Hooker Stage Make-Up Trial Run - I love the colors I found....but know that I will probably have to layer them on even more so will keep on practicing. Ha! I'm off now. Won't be back around until sometime Sunday or Monday due to being out of town.

Can I Get A Moment Please???

2009-10-07T07:08:00.000-04:00

Happy Wednesday morning! Sheesh this week is flying by. I can't believe that I leave for the beach tomorrow afternoon - for what shall probably be a very interesting vacation. At least I have good friends who support my goals and won't let me stray off track...even if it does mean going against everything I've ever felt about vacations and not being anal on them. I KNOW it will be worth it though and I am sure there will be good memories made along the way.

Anyways - yesterday was ridiculously busy as always and today will be even more so. Yesterday was spending time with M and trying to get some things done to get ready for the trip. Then back & bi training with a tough cardio session at the gym late afternoon. After that = home to get dinner ready, lil sis came over to watch TBL together, and bed. Exhausted!

Today I will be going to spin this morning early and then, after I get home and get my big breakfast in me (YAY pumpkin protein pancakes and high day!!) and Makenzie naps, my sister and I will be heading out to pick out some makeup for the show. I ended up going with MAC Studio Tech for the foundation but am just going to go to CVS and get some stuff for eyes/lips/etc bec they have the 100% money back guarantee so I can mess around with lots of different things, return what doesn't work out, and not pay a super TON for every bit of my stage makeup. I hope to get to play around with my hooker look today too with my sister. Also for today is probably getting some laundry out of the way so it isnt piled up after we get home and then of course the gym tonight to train legs. I will top off the night like normal with my dinner (mmmm....sweet potato!) and watching 2 episodes of So You Think You Can Dance.

Well, that's all I got for you all now. Hope you all are well. Bye for now!

Yesterday
Training: Back & Bis (already sore!)

pullups - 7,6,5,5,4
bb row SS bb bi curl - 5x6-8 / 4x8
narrow lat pulldown SS concentration curl - 5x6-8 / 4x10
hammerstrength wide low row - 5x6-8
wide grip (w/ handles) lat pulldown - 5x10
seated incline hammer db curl - 4x10

Cardio: 60 min total
20 min elliptical intervals - 30sec ~5.0rpm / 60sec ~11.0rpm @ level 10
20 min treadmill incline jog - 5.8mph @ 4.0 incline
20 min stepmill - aerobic mode level 10-12

Extra Stuff: does practicing hair count? LOL

Meals: 100% ON baby!

Busy Busy Busy

2009-10-05T19:30:00.000-04:00

Well, today has once again been incredibly busy. I trained shoulders and did some abs quickly at the gym this morning, which was a very good session. Then, it was home to play with Makenzie before her nap. During her nap, I got some food prep done and finally finished the laundry from this weekend. In the afternoon, it was off to the grocery store for our weekly shopping and also Dick's Sporting Goods to get some different shorts for my sportswear outfit for the competition. The federation has a pretty strict no butt showing rule for the sportswear round and mine were border-line. After watching the show this weekend and seeing what other girls wore, I decided to be safe and get some different shorts. Hey - works for me because my butt is my weak point and a bit extra coverage there is a good thing in my book. Haha!

After Peter got home, it was off to the gym again for a cycle class with my beloved instructor. I was sure to get there early this time to reserve my bike! Yowza was it a killer class. She called it her "Wipeout" class. Every 3rd song she played the "Wipeout" song (you know - the duhduhduhduhduhduhduhduhduhduh...WIPEOUUUTTTT" one") and during that song you had to go as fast as possible with moderate resistance the entire 2 minutes. Then the other 2 songs between each wipeout were different drills of breakaways, hill sprints, heavy resistance, jumps, etc. The goal is for us all to look like we went through a wipe-out dripping in sweat and to physically be wiped out when we leave. Yeah - she succeeded! Felt gooood!

Now I will top off another successful day with some chicken and roasted veggies for dinner and watching last night's episode of Desperate Housewives with the most supportive man ever, while enjoying my tbsp of peanut butter for dessert! It's the little things in life. G'night everyone!!!

Meals: 100% ON ON ON (low day)
Training: Shoulders
db overhead press - 5x6-8
db side raise - 4x8-10
bb upright row - 5x10
bb front raise w/ rear delt pull - 4x8
machine rear delt - 4x10
cable side raise - 3x8
Cardio: 60 min Spin Class
Extra Stuff: Abs & a bit of routine practice
Bench Crunch - 3x20
Planks 3x60sec
Bicycles - 3x25/side

Missing: Blogger

2009-10-04T15:43:00.000-04:00

Things have been insanely too busy for me recently! I have been trying to get some show things in order, doing all the training/cardio/etc that goes with show prep, among other life plans. For example - here is how this weekend went.

Friday = laundry/dishes/cleaning house/being with Makenzie all day, training & cardio in the afternoon, spend some time with hubby at night after finishing things around home.

Saturday = training & cycle in the morning, more house stuff, out for errands such as ordering Makenzie's 1st Bday cake, checking out show makeup, park for family time, getting my suit pinned and cut to fit perfectly, drive 1 hr to watch another SNBF show to see what mine will be like, home at 1 am after picking the baby girl up from grandma's.

Sunday = teach Sunday school, church service, discuss plans with our friends for our vacation this upcoming week, gym for training. And still the rest of the afternoon I have to tutor a neighborhood kid and go bowling with one of my friends and meet her new boyfriend. Before coming home to food prep for the week and get dinner going.

This week will be cramming all of my weights in Mon-Thur since I will be out of town and won't be able to weight train on Fri or Sat, when I will focus on cardio with runs/walks on the beach. That of course also means this week will be getting everything in order for the trip - mostly things at home since my mom is coming to stay here to watch Makenzie for us while we are gone. So, yea, I am a busy woman these days. And do not foresee it calming down anytime soon...at all. Good thing I thrive on GO GO GO!

To close this post and show my apology for my lack of posting these few days I will give a shot of me in my suit. It's not the best by any means because it was late afternoon of a high day so I was a bit bloated and soft looking. Lovely. Blah! At least it will give you an idea and sometime in the next couple of weeks I know I will have to get proper updated progress pictures. Ciao for now!

Better Late Than Never

2009-10-02T07:58:00.000-04:00

Wordless (a day late) Wednesday ;)

Thanks Be to God

2009-09-30T21:18:00.000-04:00

The rest of the day went as planned. I got some cleaning done, play time, the gym, and relaxed with dinner and So You Think You Can Dance after some devotional reading with Peter. Makenzie and I even got out for a quick, light 20 min stroll before lunch. It is absolutely beautiful out right now and I adore fall so I couldn't pass up a light walk, even if my body is a little on the tired side. While strolling this afternoon, my mind wandered to prayerful time and I spent it all just thanking God immensely. It was nice to see that drop this morning and while I want to say "thank you" to everyone for the compliments and virtual high-fives I realize that I most need to say thanks to the Big Man. Without Him I am nothing, but with my faith in Him I can do or be ANYTHING. In reality - He is the only reason I am making the progress I need to make. Consider the things that go into prep -

TIME - he blesses me with the opportunity to stay at home and not have the added time/stress of work so I can continue to focus on the important things and fit in the workouts for prep
SUPPORT - he blesses me with a caring husband who is there for me doing whatever it takes to help me get what needs to be done done, with friends who understand my endeavor and don't try to hinder my goals, with family who will be there rooting for me on show day
HEALTH - if He wanted to He could incapacitate me physically, but instead God chooses to give me the physical strength to do all of my workouts
FINANCES - we are able to afford the healthy meals for our family, the suits, the gym memberships, the tanner/makeup/waxing/etc that goes into a good prep...in this economy Peter finding his new job with better pay is truly a miracle and blessing done by Him
DETERMINATION - it is said over and over in the Bible that God is your strength and will lift you up...my will power can't carry me through, only knowing that when I am weak there is someone backing me up gives me the motivation and strength to keep on keeping on

So, while yes I am the one doing the workouts, eating the right things, putting in the sweat and growling tummies, it is still not my complete doing. So give credit where credit is due. Thank you Lord for ALL you do in my life!

Today's Stuff

Training: Chest & Back - all 4x8-10

lat pulldown

incline bb bench

one arm db row

db bench

underhand bb row

flat db flyes

cable row

hammerstrength bench

Cardio: 50 min SS elliptical

Extra Prep Stuff: None

Macros - 253 C / 41 F / 151 P

HIGH DAY YUMMY YUMMY

meal 1 = pumpkin protein pancakes (1sc All the Whey cinnamon PP, 50g eggbeaters, .5c pumpkin) w/ .25c SF syrup & pumpkin pie spice

meal 2 = 1c Kashi GoLean/1c Frosted MiniWheats/10oz unsweet vanilla almond milk, omelet (100g southwestern eggbeaters/1 TJs apple chicken sausage)

meal 3 = wrap (Joseph's Lavash wrap, 3oz chicken, .5T light mayo, .5T dijon, 20g lettuce, 20g red onion), 115g apple, 100g cucumbers

meal 4 = 8oz unsweet chocolate almond milk/1sc All the Whey chocolate PP, luna bar

meal 5 = 4oz chicken/50g red bell pepper/100g sugar snap peas/.5c brown rice stirfry

meal 6 = skinny cow icecream sandwich

2009-09-30T08:14:00.001-04:00

GOOOOD MORNING! Sorry I didnt get a chance to update last night.Instead I killed my workout. I am SO loving training in the afternoons! I came home just in time for dinner and to hang out with my sister and watch The Biggest Loser. Which, wow....what an ANNOYING episode that was. We have officially found the new Joelle of the season in Tracy. What a *$@#&!!!! She has totally screwed her chances of staying after backstabbing sooooo many people. I understand its a game and you want to play it to your advantage, but wow. That was a bit extreme though. I give serious credit to the trainers, the pink team, and a few others for telling her how awful what all she did was and even more credit to the red team for sacrificing themselves so that Shay could stay longer and then doing SUCH a GREAT job after going home. Anyways....

This morning was a crazy surprise. I've hit a new low weight for prep - 116.6! Wow! From 12 to 8 weeks out I basically maintained around 120 due to the hospital stay, Mandy's visit, being sick, etc. Well, the last 2 weeks it wasnt going down much again (like 1.5 lbs total, which I was still ok with) because I was feeling bloated and backed up. Well - enter higher high day Saturday and WHOOSH....poopy issues GONE (sorry if TMI but deal with it haha), peeing like a racehorse after carbs were dropped back down the past 2-3 days, etc etc. So before my higher carb day again this morning I decided to check things and I had totally bypassed 117 completely. I'll take it! So, yes, body, you can say a big fat "I TOLD YOU SO!!!"

Today's plans are to go the grocery store (AGAIN!) for a couple of things this morning when M is done with bfast (which btw she is MUCH MUCH better! yay!), do a few things around the house during her nap, hope my suit arrives, enjoy a high day of eats (woot!), maybe take a walk in this gorgeous weather, train back & chest and do cardio this afternoon, watch So You Think You Can Dance tonight, and chill with a book in between. Perfection. I hope everyone else has fabulous days too!

Yesterday's Stuff -

Training: Legs & Shoulders with Plyo Fun
BB Squat - 12, 10, 3x8
Bosu PopSquats - 4x10/side
BB Overhead Press - 2x12, 2x8

BB Stationary Lunge - 4x10/side
Jumping Lunges - 4x10/side
Side Cable Raise - 10, 3x5dropset5

Hammerstrength VSquat - 12, 3x10
Lying Leg Curl - 4x8
Front DB Raise - 4x10

DB Bulgarian Split Squat - 4x10
Burpees - 4x10

Plie BB Squat - 12, 3x10
Rear Delt DB Raise - 4x10

Cardio: 60 min Spin Class

Extra Prep Stuff: Posing Practice & Tanning

Macros = 123 C / 30 F / 141 P
meal 1 = 1sc Dymatize Toffee PP, coffee, 4oz unsweet vanilla almond milk
meal 2 = oats/20g dried fruit/.5sc All the Whey cake batter PP, 100g "french toast" eggbeaters w/ 2T sf syrup, 100g strawberries
meal 3 = ground turkey/35g salsa/15g ff cheese, 100g cucumbers, 4oz greek yogurt/1T pb
meal 4 = 1sc All the Whey strawberry PP/8oz unsweet vanilla almond milk, 120g apple w/ 20g strawberry spread
meal 5 = 4oz grilled shrimp, 100g cauliflower/carrot mix with herbs

Poor Baby!

2009-09-28T20:26:00.000-04:00

Today has been a ROUGH day! And no, it's surprisingly not even related to comp prep. My poor little Makenzie has a serious serious BAD BAD BAD diaper rash. She has been battling one off and on since she was on antibiotics those 2 weeks. The pediatrician keeps giving us these various creams of different strengths and the rash will appear to go away and then come back a day or two later. And even worse off than before. We are doing everything we can to help it - letting her roam naked almost all of her awake time, applying the antifungal/yeast creams, feeding her tons of yogurt, not using wipes, etc etc etc. And she continues to be in super pain :( Even to the point where she is waking up in the middle of the night numerous times (which she never ever does - and mommy is hating) and when I go to the changing table she screams and shakes her little head NO. The pediatrician says if it doesn't improve (they just gave us another stronger cream) she will need to go on probiotics because it is possible her system was disturbed too much with the 2+ weeks she had to be on the antibiotics. One of the toughest parts of being a momma is without a doubt watching your child suffer and not being able to take it away.

In other news - today has gone very well with prep and with my new plan. I just had cardio this afternoon and it was nice to be able to eat less in the morning when I am naturally not AS hungry and save my food for the afternoon around my workout and when I am more hungry. Spin was supposed to be on the plan for cardio but when I got to the gym for the class it was already booked. I was even there almost 20 minutes early. Yikes! So, I made the best of it and did tomorrow's cardio plan instead and will try to sub in a spin class tomorrow...which tonight's killer instructor teaches tomorrow too so that should work out fine. The remainder of the day I went grocery shopping (extremely fast to keep M in her diaper the shortest time possible), laundry/dishes/kitchen cleaning (never ending jobs they are), read a little bit, and played with Makenzie. It's amazing how much burn you can get through a workout and daily activity. As of 8 PM, I had already burned close to 2500 calories! Not too shabby :) Its so fun seeing all the numbers and charts and all with the Go Wear Fit. Thanks sooooooooo much again, Mandy!!!!! BTW - she has an awesome blog that you should check out HERE ;)

Training: Off
Cardio: 50 min Total
20 min incline run - 6.5mph @ 4.0 incline
15 min incline walk - 3.8mph @ 10.0 incline
15 min crosstrainer - incline 10, resistance 8
Extra Prep Stuff: Abs - 4 sets of each
60 second plank holds
20/side bicycles
25 froggy crunches

Macros: 110 C / 30 F / 153 P
meal 1 = 1sc Dymatize Toffee PP, coffee, 4oz unsweet vanilla almond milk
meal 2 = oats/.5sc All the Whey PP/20g dried fruit, 100g eggbeaters w/ 2T sf maple syrup, 100g strawberries
meal 3 = 3.25oz ground turkey/2T salsa/15g ff cheese, 100g cucumber, 4oz greek yogurt/1T pb
meal 4 = 1sc All the Whey PP/8oz unsweet choc almond milk, 120g apple/20g strawberry spread
meal 5 = 4oz chicken/50g red pepper that I roasted/50g cucumber/3oz steamed broccoli slaw/2T light sesame ginger dressing all tossed together and served in romaine lettuce leaves for Asian lettuce wraps - oh so so so so good!!!!!!!

Notes/Reflection: Super happy that I didn't let spin being thrown out of my workout mess me up and send me home doing nothing. I still got in a great workout and will be able to adjust the week as needed. I really enjoyed having my meals set up with more in the afternoon. Also, if you notice, my carbs are lower than before. I've decided I want to make my high days a lot higher than my low days. So, I dropped the low days back on carbs and upped protein a bit to have a bit more of a serious cycle this last bit of prep. It worked just fine!

Quick Recap

2009-09-27T19:28:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! I have been SUPER DUPER busy this weekend (hence the lack of posting). Ive been busy chasing around Makenzie (who is walking now) and then I helped throw a couples baby shower for all of our church group and friends last night. So Saturday was spin, train back & bis, then getting organized for the shower which basically took all afternoon/night. It was lots of fun hanging out with everyone...minus watching them all eat cake and lasagna while I had my chicken and salad and a grumbly tummy. But it is what it is and I choose this path. Then, today was teaching Sunday school, church service, train chest & tris, tutoring, and chasing after M some more. Ive gotten all my workouts in, meals have been good, hitting macros, all that jazz.

In other exciting news - Mandy let me borrow her Go Wear Fit so all I had to do was pay for the software to upload it. Yay! Today is the first full day I've been wearing it since it came in the mail yesterday afternoon. I'm excited to see what all my body is doing. Oh! And exciting news #2....I should be getting my suit sometime this week!!!!! It gets shipped tomorrow!!!!!!!

Spin with...SEINFELD???

2009-09-24T20:10:00.000-04:00

So, I went to cycle tonight for my cardio and there was a sub in for one of my usual favorite spin gals. Oh boy! This sub was the WEIRDEST one yet...well almost, as one time the sub was literally a woman whose alter ego is a small Southern town Baptist preacher and was yelling at us that we could "do it-EH" the whole time. Anyways. This sub totally reminded me of Jerry Seinfeld - a dorkier, less-amusing version. He had the same nose, same dark hair with receding hairline, and just overall goofy appearance. He was wearing white knee-high socks with high-tops. Shorts that came mid-thigh in that old-school swishy material all track outfits were made of in the 90s. He had his handle bars all the way down, not adjusted properly at all. AND kept calling the seat a "chair". I thought I was in trouble and in for a TERRIBLE class. But it ended up not being too bad. I'm almost wondering if he is some dorky friend of the typical instructor who got suckered into covering her class last minute. The music and drills were similar to what she uses just a lot more basic. It was one song = climb, next song = quick steady pace, lather, rinse, repeat with an occasional sprint and breakaway. Luckily, it still made for a decent endurance ride and got the job done for sufficient carido for the day - and a good laugh in the process. Don't worry, I was nice and kept the giggles in my head.

Time to log off and hang with Peter....and watch the season premiere of Greys Anatomy tonight!

Training = Off
Cardio = 60 min spin class
Extra Prep Stuff = none, meant to do abs but forgot - oops!
Macros = 129 C / 30 F / 139 P
meal 1 = oats, dried fruit, cake batter pp
meal 2 = eggbeaters french toast (just the eggs cooked thin - no bread), sf syrup, TJs chicken sausage, apple
meal 3 = ground turkey/taco season/salsa/ff cheese, strawberries, cucumbers
meal 4 = choc pp, choc unsweet almond milk, luna bar
meal 5 = turkey burger w/ pickles, mustard, onion, lettuce on Lavash bread (1/2 pc), green beans

Gotta New Plan, Stan!

2009-09-24T11:56:00.001-04:00

After battling SERIOUS hunger alllll day yesterday (like the "painful feel sick" hunger, not the "crap I wish I could eat" hunger), I ended up feeling very weak and woozy/lightheaded around 9 or so last night. From previous experiences, that scared me, and I knew I had to get something in me. So, I turned to my trusty "help my blood sugar is dropping" snack, cereal. Don't worry - it was measured out, counted, and not an emotional spur of the moment decision such as last week was. But health first and I had to eat! After I started feeling better I thought about how last week the same thing happened. And every Wednesday. I think it is because I try to have so many lower cal days in a row and after a few days it starts affecting me physically in a bad bad way, especially considering my past hypoglycemic issues and what all happened my last attempt at prep.

In my meal plan I set Sat & Sun to be a bit higher days out of convenience and to fit in more enjoyable things on the weekends. I decided I am going to have to change that to having my high days on Wed & Sat and doing a low day on Sunday instead - which will be a bit of an inconvenience on Sunday with church and figuring out lower meals that work with my long breaks between meals on Sundays due to my schedule. But I can make that work and it will be better for me to have the week broken up a bit more. So thats the new diet plan. I will also probably do Wed as high as Sat or close to it to be on the safe side - after all, cals on those days are still at a deficit, just not as big so no harm done. We'll see what happens with my progress with the changes and increases, but better safe than sorry in my book.

Anyhoo - I also will be switching up my training schedule because I don't want to be taking Makenzie to the gym daycare as often anymore now that flu season is here and she seems to be getting sick more easily since the hospital. My split will be odd but it will still fit in my workouts and allow me to go more in the afternoons and still do cycle on days I enjoy it, etc. So that means today will be just cycle this afternoon and no weights and then I will train legs & shoulders tomorrow. I ended up doing a lot of cleaning, reading, playing with M this morning instead. Oh - and another good thing about doing my training later is I can put more of the bulk of my meals in the afternoon around training and that's when I am hungriest. It's easier for me to eat lighter in the AM but before I was trying to eat more bec of pre/post workout nutrition. So another bonus that will hopefully leave me feeling less hunger and better in general! Enough rambling now....BBL!

Another Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

2009-09-23T19:29:00.000-04:00

Today was another fabulous day. The weather was nice, workouts were grooving, meals were spot on, and life was filled with love. I don't have much more to add to that for my life!

As for The Biggest Loser last night, I enjoyed watching the teams have to work together towards a goal and I am proud that they achieved it. Helping each other reach our goals is so important and when you help others, you feel better, and have the mutual support to help yourself in the process. Hopefully we can all learn to support each others dreams in our everyday lives instead of tearing each other down and trying to get ahead - which I know will be the name of TBL game soon enough. Something else that stuck out to me was that I had NO clue on the soda question of their mini-challenge. Why? Because I don't ever drink regular soda. That ignorance is bliss to me ;)

Training = Chest & Back

BB row
12x65# / 10x75# / 8x85# / 6x95# / dropset 6x95#, 9x75#
BB bench
12x75# / 10x85# / 8x95# / 6x100# / dropset 6x100#, 9x85#

Hammerstrength High Row (weight/side)
12x45# / 8x55# / 2sets 6x55# / dropset 5x55#, 5x45#, 5x35#
Hammerstrength Decline (weight/side)
12x30# / 8x35# / 2sets 6x40# / dropset 5x40#, 5x30#, 5x20#

Cable Row
10x90# / 8x95# / 7x100# / dropset 6x100#, 5x85#, 5x70#
Incline DB Flyes (weight/side)
10x20# / 8x25# / 7x25# / dropset 5x25#, 10x15#

DB One Arm Row
10x30# / 10x35# / 8x35#
DB Bench (weight/side)
10x30# / 2sets 7x35#

Cardio = 35 min total
20 min treadmill incline walk - 3.7mph @ 10.0 incline
15 min elliptical intervals - level 10 - 30sec 50rpm / 60sec 90rpm

Macros = 133 C / 32 F / 140 P
meal 1 = oats, 16g dried mixed fruit, 1sc cupcake batter All the Whey
meal 2 = TJs maple apple chicken sausage, 120g apple, 100g southwestern eggbeaters w/ 40g mushrooms, coffee w/ 2oz unsweet vanilla almond milk
meal 3 = 3.25 oz ground turkey/taco season/15g ff cheese/35g salsa, 100g strawberries, 100g cucumber
meal 4 = 1sc strawberry All the Whey/8oz unsweet vanilla almond milk, 16g peanut butter
meal 5 = 4oz cod with low sugar tomato sauce & basil topping, 100g peas
meal 6 = dessert! Iced Oatmeal Cookie Luna Bar

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-23T11:43:00.001-04:00

My two nephews (Enzo & new baby Cooper)

The Two Loves of My Life

Could it Be?!

2009-09-22T20:19:00.001-04:00

We had SUN today! Oh, thank goodness. Our pool was overflowing last night and decided to visit our basement. What joy that is to clean up.

And today is a good day because it is Tuesday again! Biggest Loser day! I tell you - I look forward to this show every week. And my greek yogurt & peanut butter "icecream" to go along with it (yummers). Tuesday nights are a perfect night for this show because now that I've realized Wednesdays are my "tough-diet-day-of-the-week", I can use TBL to motivate me to get through it. As well as reporting and sharing thoughts about progress and the show on Heather's blog on Wednesdays. I will be watching as soon as I log off here. Thank goodness for DVR so I can fast forward through commercials.

Today I was super motivated again. I've been adding some quotes/Bible verses to a poster I have on my fridge that I read off of every day as many times as I can. It also has my God letter on it that I read as well. These cheesy inspiring tidbits added to my day are really making a difference. And motivation is important in the comp-prep game. So what all did I do today? I woke up, hit the gym for cardio/tan/stretch/abs, played with the baby girl, ate on plan, cleaned cleaned cleaned, spent a tiny bit of time with Harry Potter, and that's about it. Told you it was nothing exciting - but it was still GOOD. Even GREAT! Looking forward to another game on day tomorrow, pushed along by the knowledge that 100+ lb overweight people can do it and so can I. ;)

Training = Off
Cardio = 45 min
15 min treadmill incline jog 6.0mph @ 3.0 incline
20 min stepmill fat burner mode @ level 10
10 min elliptical level 5 @ 70-80rpm
Extra Prep = Abs, Tan, Posing Practice
3x20 captain chair leg raises
3x15,side bicycles
3x15 decline bench crunches w/ 10# medball

Macros = 128 C / 33 F / 144 P
meal 1 = coffee, 4oz unsweet choc almond milk, 1sc Dymatize toffee pp, 120g apple
meal 2 = omelet (100g southwest eggbeaters, 1 TJs jalapeno chicken sausage, 30g mushrooms), 100g strawberries, coffee
meal 3 = 3oz ground turkey/taco season/35g salsa/15g ff cheese, 100g cucumbers
meal 4 = pumpkin protein pancakes from Julie's delicious blog (1sc All the Whey cinnamon pp, 1ew, .5c pumpkin) - I just HAD to make these!!!! and I am soooo glad I did!
meal 5 = 3 oz chicken, 85g sugar snap peas, 80g broccoli slaw stirfry
meal 6 = 4oz greek yogurt mixed w/ 16g pb and frozen into "icecream" YUM!

Rain, Rain Go Away

2009-09-21T20:07:00.000-04:00

It has been raining like crazy here in the Atlanta area for the past week, and today has gotten even worse. There have been multiple cases of flooding, roads and schools being closed, and, sadly, even drownings because of the rain. It would be nice if it passed soon, but it doesn't appear to be so - or at least not for another couple of days. Fortunately the worst the rain has impacted me is it being a total pain to go out in twice for the gym and to the grocery store with Makenzie. I will really be praying for those it is hitting harder though.

In other news for today, I have been asked to tutor a neighbor's son in Spanish 2x/week starting this Sunday. She asked how much I charged and I don't know! The only students I ever tutored before would have been my own that I couldn't ask money from. I am hoping this will be an easy way to help earn some extra cash for our family. Any ideas on what to ask for payment? It would be nice to get a couple hundred extra a month for our family :) Although it does stink that it will be on my only spare afternoons each week, at least until prep is over. Do what you gotta do though!

Training = Legs & Shoulders (lighter for my back)
Cardio = 60 min Spin Class
Extra Prep = none
Macros = 125 C / 34 F / 135 P
meal 1 = oats, dried tropical fruit, All the Whey cake batter pp
meal 2 = omelet (eggbeaters & mushrooms), TJs apple chicken sasuage, apple, coffee w/ almond milk
meal 3 = ground turkey/salsa/ff cheese/taco season, cucumbers, strawberries
meal 4 = All the Whey strawberry pp, almond milk, larabar
meal 5 = chicken, broccoli, ketchup

Circuit 1
BB Squat
12x90# / 4sets 10x100#
Stationary BB Lunge
12x40# / 3sets 12x60#
Overhead Shoulder Press
4sets 10x25#,side

Circuit 2
V-Squat
4sets 10x110#
Bulgarian Split Squat
4sets 10x25#,side
Side Cable Raise
3sets 8x20#,side

Circuit 3
Plie Squat
4sets 15x75#
Lying Hamstring Curl
4sets 8x55#
Front Plate Raise
3sets 8x25# plate
Rear Delt DB Raise
3sets 12x12.5#,side

Goodlife Sunday

2009-09-20T18:45:00.000-04:00

As previously mentioned, each Sunday I will devote a post to what was discussed in the Sunday class I lead called The Goodlife. Continuing with the series based on Max Lucado's book Just Like Jesus and how our hearts should be aligned to be in Jesus' example, we looked at the importance of worship and being "God-intoxicated" in our lives. What perfect timing for this lesson after all my realizations this week, huh? ;)

We started looking at worship? What does it mean to you to worship? Is there one certain way to worship? We all agreed that there is no prescription for the "right" way to worship, as long as it is done with a pure heart and joy and is honoring God. Things got tricky though when we delved into what do you hope to get from going to church, reading the Bible, studying religion, praying, communing with fellow believers....worship? Many of us will go to a church service, listen to an inspirational song, read a few Bible verses, talk about our faith with the expectation of feeling "nice". Thinking we have done our part, checked it off the list, etc. Max Lucado made a strong point that we should be worship hungry. We should be LONGING for our time to worship. We should approach each Sunday morning (or Friday night or Saturday afternoon or Wednesday evening...whenever you worship) with true passion. We SHOULD be coming to worship like a child awaiting Christmas morning, like a bride awaiting her walk down the aisle, like a competitor ticking off the days til show with excitement (yes, guilty as charged here). We SHOULD be excited about worship and seek more than just "nice". And NO - that doesn't mean we should be going in with expectations to get new revelations, guidance, etc. Worship is to GIVE TO God....not GET from a pastor, verse, etc. Yes, it can help us grow and open our eyes but that is not the purpose. After all, our number one purpose on this Earth is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength (Matthew 22:37)....in sense, to WORSHIP! That is a whole new way of looking at worship - to go excited, with a heart ready to give instead of receive, and to let your passion for God just flow from within you and in the process be renewed with His love.

How do we approach worship in such a way? How do we carry this passion into our everyday lives? By becoming "God-intoxicated". By believing that God is with us all the time and that we are in constant communion with Him. Our relationship with Him is compared to branches on a vine (John 15:5-7), us a heavenly temple He resides in (1 Corinthians 6:19), and a marriage (Revelation 21:2). We work TOGETHER. He is by our side, connected to us, and we have the power to tap into that and use it in our lives. To be strong, determined, and steadfast in His love. Know that you are connected to God. Know that you are close to Him and He is always there for you....and thank Him for that security and never-ceasing support. Worship Him for it.

A Not So Eventful Weekend

2009-09-20T18:28:00.001-04:00

This weekend was one of the only downtime weekends we have coming up and I fully enjoyed it. I spent the time getting back on track with my workouts through a good spin session yesterday and a pumped up weights session today. I watched some good SEC football - wishing Florida lost but happy my Dawgs won. I did a lot of reading as well. I finished the Sophie Kinsella book Twenties Girl which I really, really enjoyed after getting into it. I even cried at the end even though it is a completely silly storyline! I recommend the book though. Now I am 1/3 into the final Harry Potter. I'm excited to see what happens - don't spoil it for me! The rest of the time was spent relaxing, waxing, and enjoying a dinner out with the hubs. I enjoyed some steamed shrimp and vegetables at a favorite Chinese restaurant last night and it was nice. Although I will admit to hankering for some delicious sushi rolls that I will have to wait a bit longer for. 'Twas a nice, chill weekend. The last for awhile. Here is what is going on all the upcoming weekends up until my show:

Sep 26 = friend's baby shower I am helping throw
Oct 3 = going to watch a SNBF show to see what my show will be like
Oct 8-11 = go to Florida with friends
Oct 17 = ONE weekend with NO plans! although Peter already has an idea he wants to do
Oct 24 = Makenzie's 1st Birthday party
Oct 31 = UGA vs Florida game (biggest game of the season) & M's "1st" Halloween
Nov 7 = SHOW DAY!!!!

Looking at that it is hitting me that my show will be here in the blink of an eye. Wow! Gotta stay focused!!! And now I'll wrap-up this post with the weekend's fitness wrap ;)

Saturday

Training = OFF

Cardio = 60 min Spin Class

Extra Prep = OFF (unless you count the wax)

Macros = 210 C / 40 F / 125 P

1 - coffee/Dymatize whey shake

2 - Kashi & Cinnamon Special K mix w/ unsweet vanilla almond milk

3 - Joseph's Lavash wrap/turkey/lettuce/tomato/onion/pickles/mustard, cucumber, strawberries

4 - Muscle Milk Light Chocolate RTD, Clif Z Kids bar (while out running errands and before my appt)

5 - steamed shrimp and vegetables (NO sauce BOO!)

6 - skinny cow icecream while watching the UGA game

Sunday

Training = Upper

Cardio = OFF

Extra Prep = OFF

Macros = 145 C / 38 F / 125 P

1 - Joseph's Lavash French Toast (1/2 wrap cooked in .5c eggbeaters), omelet (.5c eggbeaters & mushrooms), apple

2 - Joseph's Lavash wrap/turkey/lettuce/tomato/onion/pickles/mustard, cucumber, strawberries

3 - chocolate All the Whey, unsweet choc almond milk

4 - homemade roasted veggies, turkey tossed in tom sauce, ww pasta

5 - greek yogurt, pb, chocolate All the Whey frozen as "icecream"

TRAINING
Circuit 1 - 4sets
Wide Lat Pulldown
12x85# / 3sets 8x100#
Incline BB Bench
12x65# / 3sets 8x80#
Narrow Lat Pulldown
12x75# / 3sets 8x85#
Incline DB Bench
12x30#,side / 3sets 8x35#,side

Circuit 2 - 4sets
Underhand BB Row
2sets 10x75#, 2sets 8x80#
Flat Flyes
4sets 10x20#,side
Wide Cable Row
10x60#, 3sets 8x70#
PecDeck
10x60#, 3sets 8x70#

Smooth Sailing

2009-09-19T17:47:00.000-04:00

Happy weekend! And happy carb-up day to me! Even if I probably "shouldn't" be taking it after doing an extra one earlier this week with my mini-meltdown. Oh well - I just know to get right back into the swing of things and my plan so I won't try to make up for my negligence a couple days ago. Things are going so much better again. I feel so refreshed and have noticed a BIG change in my attitude and how I am handling prep after refocusing my thoughts on the bigger parts of life ;) I am going to write out my God letter and post it on the fridge with some motivational Bible verses as well to keep this shift in thinking front and center.

In other news, after a complete day of rest yesterday along with LOTS of foam rolling, deep massage, and stretching I am a new woman today and feel so so so much better. I was even able to hit up spin this morning and get a good sweat on. It felt oh so good. Then, this afternoon, I continued to smooth things out -and quite literally. I did my Brazilian trial run! I was SO nervous and afraid it was going to be gruesome pain. But.....it wasn't! At all. It hurt, yeah. But just like waxing eyebrows it was a brief sharp sting that went away immediately. I may consider these being more regular even because it wasn't half bad. So, things are going smoothly here. Pun - intended! Time to keep on grooving.....

Refocusing

2009-09-18T08:03:00.000-04:00

Good morning all! I firstly want to thank you wonderful women for all the support :) It truly means a lot. And while I know the cereal won't kill my progress (as was visible this morning when I could still see all my abs ;) hehe), the thing that concerned me the most is that I was blindly eating and more than I knew was necessary (we are talking a BIG bowl here, with 2nds of that monster to follow). The way I was eating reminded me of how I felt and ate when I used to binge. The amount may have been MUCH less, but still the attitude and approach and thought processes that went into it are what scared the (you know what) out of me. I have not done something so self-sabotaging in so long. Even in times this past year I have eaten a bit more than I should have or eaten something extra/"off-plan" it was never in such a secretive, guilty, spiteful, negative manner. I do NOT want to go back there. I REFUSE to go back there.

So, what now? I realized a few things yesterday after sharing what happened with Peter and talking out my thoughts, hurts, etc. with him. The past couple of months I have been very driven by this competition. No one can deny that planning the food, organizing the details, getting the workouts in, taking time to practice posing/research online/etc etc etc takes a lot out of a person. Despite all that, I have not let this all get in the way of my responsibilities as a wife and mother. Peter says that he doesn't see a difference in attitude or how I treat him, he doesn't see an excessive change in my time with him and M, and overall doesn't notice a change in those general aspects of my life. But deep down, I knew something wasn't right. I knew something wasn't aligned right with my life. And when taking a closer look - it hit me smack hard across the face that what I claim is the most valuable part of my life is what was slipping into the very spare moments I could grab in a day instead of the focus of my day. My relationship with God - my faith.

Now to some that may seem cheesy or superficial. But I can't ignore the fact that every tough time in my life I was only able to come through it by putting it in God's hands and turning my focus back to Him. From small things such as stresses of school or work, to big things like a changing relationship with my father, He has been the only true help I could count on and that would suddenly help everything seem right and manageable. I have to get that part of my life in order so that I can get through the remainder of prep. Otherwise I very well could end up back in a very dark place, which would in the process be spitting in God's face after He has already helped me out of said "dark place". So here goes -

God,
50 days left in this prep. 50. That's it. Right here, right now, I recommit these next 50 days to spending more time growing my faith and getting back to my solid habits that sustain me there. I put my focus on YOU the next 50 days, knowing that by doing so I will make it to that stage fulfilled, happy, with more to my life than pride. These next 50 days will be a whole lot less about me me me and what I can do and whole lot more about YOU and knowing it is only through YOUR will, support, and guidance that I can do anything. I am going to try refocusing how I look at each day. I will begin each day a few minutes earlier so I can have some time to be with You in prayer and get my thoughts aligned with You for the day. I will pray before workouts, before meals, at night after devotional reading with Peter, all day - every chance I get. After all - we are commanded to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17). I will turn my radio to 104.7 (sidenote to readers: the popular Christian station - and no it isn't all gospely crazy music like you may think - I actually enjoy this music a LOT and its my 1st preprogrammed station anyways - even if I have found myself slipping off it more recently). I will focus more on the lessons I prepare for each Sunday's lesson, instead of just going through the motions to get it done. I give these next 50 days to You, God. Help me use them as a way to honor You. And knowing your great love for me, that You will bless me and honor me in return by putting me on that stage on November 7th strong, confident, happy, and beaming with the love you have for me.
Love, your daughter,
Christina

This may seem tedious to some, but I can guarantee you that if you gave realigning your focus a shot, once you got into the habit it would be seamless and so incredibly worth it. That is the truth for me and that is what I must do now. 50 Days. It's a gift. I must use it wisely. Which even includes resting my back today ;)

Super Bad

2009-09-17T13:56:00.000-04:00

No, not the movie. No, not bad as in cool. Yes, bad as in BAD! I am in excruciating pain right now :( I have done something (really no clue what) to my lower back and it is KILLING me. Top that all off with today being another one of those days of me not being in the best of moods and it isn't pretty.

My back started hurting last night on the way to the hospital. It was raining, in the afternoon, in Atlanta...all 3 of which equal serious traffic and it taking way, way, way too long to get to the hospital. We brought our nephew with us so he could see his new baby brother (who is so cute btw!!) and his carseat was behind where I was sitting. In my little Corolla, that left me sitting at a very odd angle and pushed up to the dashboard. I was very uncomfortable and couldn't adjust for the over hour drive. We finally made it and then visited with our family for a bit before heading home. Heading home took just as long because for some reason traffic was going until 9 last night?!!? I was sick to my stomach from a lack of food at this point and just overall felt awful. So headed to bed after gobbling up my salad and watching our DVR'd So You Think You Can Dance.

This morning I woke on the wrong side of the bed again (obviously) but once again forced myself to the gym for legs & shoulders. It was a beyond irritating morning there. I had someone come and take over the machine I was using with my supersets not once, but TWICE...even with my TOWEL AND WEIGHTS racked up ON the equipment!! What in the world people!? And then, me trying to be patient decided to scratch the superset and try to come back to the move later. Well, one time it was the leg press that was taken from me and I had to wait forever to get to it because the dude who stole it (that is seriously what he did - tossed my towel on the floor and everything) he SAT on the machine TALKING for 30 minutes! And then the squat rack when it was stolen left me to use the Smith Machine for my front squats which wasn't so bad, except for the trainer standing in my way so her client could do lunges right on top of where I was working out. Right after telling another man that she was stealing the equipment he was using even though he said politely he still had 2 sets left. Oh, wow! And it didn't help that with each rep my back was hurting more and more.

After the gym, we headed quickly (or what was supposed to be quickly) to a consignment sale to get a few extra sized 18months things for Makenzie this winter/early spring just to be sure she has some warmer clothes in a bigger size. The lines there took forever and Makenzie decided to be needy and have me hold her, so by the time we finished there I was about in tears in pain. I came home and put her down for a nap, actually took one myself hoping to feel better, and woke up even worse - go figure. Sadly, at this point, I found myself in the kitchen eating a very very big bowl of cereal :( There, I said it. I was honest. I know I could do worse - much, much worse - but I still know that I HAVE to do better. And I will. No more of this! Time to pick myself up by the bootstraps and move forward. Even if it's hard knowing you feel like a bloated mess from all the diet coke you drank yesterday trying to overcome your crazy cravings, then topping it off with cereal, all the while needing to take at least off from spin tonight to rest your back. *sigh* I'm still going to make it to stage....I'm still going to make it to stage....I can do better...I will do better....don't look back...move forward....I'm still going to make it!

Happy Birthday Baby Michael Cooper

2009-09-16T15:44:00.003-04:00

Time to post up my wrap-up for the day. I am having to do it earlier than usual since I will be gone until later tonight. Anyhoo - I woke up this morning to rain, a general groggy feeling, a VERY hungry tummy.....and minimal motivation. Uh-oh!! Not a good combination by any means. I found myself considering how "bad" a bowl of cereal and a rest day would be for me after I finished my morning oats and while feeding Makenzie. Then, I really took the time to THINK about how I was feeling and knew it was something that could be pushed through. So, I took a moment of prayer, asking for strength and was able to find it and get myself to the gym and away from the kitchen cupboard. I did a chest and back training session and it went very well. Topped that off with some cardio. And have now been going through the rest of the day as normal.

The day wasn't 100% normal though. My sister-in-law went into labor late last night/early this morning, and my nephew Michael Cooper was born this afternoon. So I will be heading out once Peter gets home from work to go and visit them all in the hospital. She delivered at the same place I did, so I imagine it will be sort of surreal going back there, considering it was already basically a YEAR ago that I was there giving birth to my doll Makenzie. Due to this excursion I will have to be getting dinner on the road. I am opting for a ChickFilA grilled chicken salad with no cheese and bringing my own dressing already measured out to the gram. ;) Still fits perfectly in my macros so all is good there. I am ON and plan on staying ON!!!

Macros - 131 Carbs / 138 Protein / 34 Fat
meal 1 = oats, dried mixed fruit, All the Whey cinnamon bun protein
meal 2 = southwest eggbeater & mushroom scramble, apple, maple TJ's sausage
meal 3 = ground turkey/salsa/ff cheese/taco season, cucumbers, strawberries
meal 4 = All the Whey chocolate protein & 8oz chocolate unsweet almond milk, pb
meal 5 = CFA Grilled Chicken Salad, 2T Newmans Own Honey Mustard dressing
meal 6 (dessert!) = oatmeal iced cookie Lunabar

Superset 1
BB Row
12x65# / 10x75# / 3sets 8x85#
BB Bench
12x75# / 10x85# / 3sets 8x95#

Superset 2
Hammerstrength High Row
10x40#,side / 3sets 10x45#,side
Hammerstrength Decline Press
12x30#,side / 8x35#,side / 2sets 6x40#,side

Superset 3
Cable Row
10x85# / 10x90# / 8x95# / 6x100#
Incline DB Flyes
4sets 10x20#,side

Superset 4
DB Row
3sets 12x30#,side
DB Bench
3sets 10x30#,side

Cardio - 15min uphill intervals & 15min steady state
intervals = 30sec @ 3.5 / 60sec @ 7.5 all with 5.5 incline
steady state = elliptical 60-70 rpm level 5

TBL Wednesday Morning :)

2009-09-16T11:18:00.001-04:00

First off, the rest of yesterday went just as planned. My sister came over and we enjoyed dinner together and watching The Biggest Loser. I can already tell this season is going to bring lots of change for the individuals involved - Abby and her family loss, Shay and her tough childhood, etc. I think seeing the physical changes throughout the season is really cool, but the mental and emotional changes the contestants make is even more inspiring. They are finally taking control and starting the fight to a better life. Some people found it discouraging to watch the contestants be put up to walking a mile last night right off the bat. Some people found it ridiculous that Bob & Jillian were yelling at the contestants during the workouts (which I do agree the CUSSING was unnecessary and drove me batty). Some are frustrated that such large contestants are allowed on the show. In my opinion - good for it! All! These people NEED a change in their lives and making such a drastic change will most definitely entail being thrown out of one's comfort zone. Waaayyyyyy out of it. That tough love can go a long way towards getting these people a better life....and providing these people with a better life is love, right down to it. Tough, sure. But still love.

I will admit, however, there are some things that I wish were different about the show and how its presented. I wish there were disclaimers for those at home watching of what more realistic approaches/weight losses/etc are so viewers truly believe they can make the change too. I wish that every contestant was allowed to stay at least a full 2-3 weeks before eliminations begin so that everyone can gain more knowledge, see what they can do, and really start changing habits before being sent home. I am glad that Alexandra appears to be continuing good progress even after leaving so early. But imagine how much stronger she would have felt with more time on the show. Okay - thats all my thoughts from last night's show. I told you it would spark lots of rambles from me ;) What did YOU think?

PS - For the record, the pumpkin cottage cheese "icecream" was NOT good! I apparently still do absolutely DESPISE cottage cheese and could taste it way too much. I plan to re-try this concoction again though, but using vanilla greek yogurt I have left over from when the fabulous Mandy came to visit ;)

Yay for TBL Tuesday!!!

2009-09-15T15:43:00.001-04:00

I am really, really happy it is Tuesday. I absolutely LOVE watching The Biggest Loser (aka TBL) and it starts a new season tonight. Watching the changes these people make is so inspiring and I am always thrilled to see people taking control of their lives to become healthier. Given, I don't necessarily agree with all of the ways the show goes about getting progress for these people with such extreme measures, I still am an avid watcher to see the transformations these people make. I am sure there will be quite a few times something on that show sparks a discussion here - so be prepared. ;) Another GREAT thing about TBL Tuesdays is my sister will be coming over to watch them with me every week (hopefully). She should be coming tonight and I look forward to it because she is one of my very best friends and I always enjoy spending time with her.

In other news - today was a pretty basic day. Nothing too eventful at all. I got up and had my coffee/whey shake before hitting the gym for a cardio only workout (LOVE days where I only have to worry about ONE thing). During the day, I did some playing with Makenzie, cleaning, food prep, reading, eating (all ON plan of course), and fiddling with the blog so I could add some link pages to pictures/about me/workouts/etc (found at the top of my blog), and that's about it. I wish it wasn't so icky here because it would have been nice to get out for a stroll around the neighborhood now that fall weather is starting to creep in - which I am so so thrilled about. Fall has become my favorite season over the past few years because of the numerous fun and comforting activities during such a beautiful season. So that's all I have to report now. I hope you all have had Terrific Tuesdays as well :)

Macros - 132 Carbs / 142 Protein / 34 Fat
meal 1 = coffee, Dymatize toffee pp, 4oz unsweetened chocolate almond milk
meal 2 = omelet (southwestern eggbeaters/mushrooms/TJ's jalapeno chicken sausage), strawberries, small plum, coffee
meal 3 = ground turkey/taco season/salsa/ff cheese, cucumbers, carrots
meal 4 = All The Whey chocolate pp w/ 8oz unsweetened chocolate almond milk, apple & pb
meal 5 will be = chicken & chinese veggie stir fry
meal 6 (dessert during TBL) will be = pumpkin pie "icecream" (see below)

Im trying a new concoction that I am hoping tastes yummy!
1/2c cottage cheese, 1/4c pumpkin, 4g SF/FF cheesecake pudding mix, tiny bit vanilla extract blended and frozen for pumpkin "icecream" & topped with 1/4 sheet low fat graham cracker

Training - OFF
..........
Cardio - 45 min total
15 min treadmill jog 5.5mph @ 5.0 incline
20 min stepmill fat burner mode level 10
10 min treadmill incline walk 3.5mph @ 7.5 incline
.........
Extra Stuff - another long stretch, abs (getting better about doing these!)
3x20 captain chair leg raises
3x20/side bicycle (tried to go slooowww)
3x15 decline bench crunch w/ 10# med ball

Just Another Manic Monday

2009-09-14T20:32:00.001-04:00

Today has been a fairly busy, but great day. I am feeling strong and motivated and every day that I have that going for me is a good one. I woke up this morning to eat my breakfast and get things going with Makenzie before heading to the gym for my weight session. I really, really, really focused on form and making the absolute most of each movement today. And boy did I feel it. There were points where I didn't know how I was going to be able to push through another set or rep, but I did. Whew! This whole upper/lower split training with legs on a separate day is finally starting to grow on me.

After that, we came home and I got Makenzie down for her nap so I could make my post workout big breakfast (utter deliciousness meal) and then shower, get dressed, play on the computer, do a few things around the house (like clean the kitchen), etc during her nap. And oh - I tried the new exfoliator I got and LOVED it. It's St. Ives Oatmeal Shea Butter In Shower Body Polish (find it here). Once Makenzie woke from her nap we headed out for some errands - the grocery store and the library. I had to return a book I just finished called The Wednesday Sisters. I enjoyed it. It was a very peaceful read, although slow-moving at parts. My next read was going to be the first House of Night vampire novel. Yes, I love the teeny-bopper vampire stories and like getting lost in them for pure enjoyment. Don't judge! BUT I accidentally picked up the 2nd book instead of the 1st. Once again, don't judge - I AM blonde. LOL So my next book will be Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella. I usually like the light-heartedness of her books and hope this will be the same.

After errands it was home to devour my measly enjoyable lunch before playing with Makenzie before her next nap. She is just growing and growing and it amazes me every day. She still is afraid to walk though. She wants to, she tries to, but then decides crawling is easier and gives it up. LOL I'm not rushing it though. Later in the afternoon, after Peter got home (and told me M's hospital visit is going to cost us almost $2500), I ate my snack and then headed back out to my old gym for a killer spin class. This instructor is insane and I love the torture she puts us through. *insert evil laugh here* Came home and gobbled up dinner and topped off the night with some relaxation and Bible study with Peter whilst enjoying a delicious Larabar.

may not = but still dang good!

Macros - 128 Carb / 135 Protein / 34 Fat
meal 1 = oats, dried fruit, cake batter protein powder
meal 2 = southwestern eggbeaters & mushrooms, apple & strawberry spread, trader joes maple chicken sausage
meal 3 = ground turkey/taco season/salsa/ff cheese, cucumber, strawberries
meal 4 = strawberry protein powder & unsweet vanilla almond milk, pb
meal 5 = chicken, broccoli
meal 6 (dessert) = banana bread larabar

Training - Legs & Shoulders
Cardio - spin class (with the BEST instructor...finally back to her class)
Extra Stuff - really really good stretch!!!

Circuit 1
squat (really focused on form and going low)
15x90# / 10x100# / 2sets 10x110# / 8x110#
reverse db lunge (reps/leg - weight/hand)
2 sets 12x30# / 3 sets 12x35#
overhead db shoulder press (weight/hand)
2sets 10x25# / 8x30# / 6x30#

Circuit 2
v-squat
12x110# / 3sets 10x130#
bulgarian split squat (reps/leg - weight/hand)
4sets 10x25#
cable side raise (reps & weight/side)
4sets 10x20#

Circuit 3
bb plie squat
12x80# / 3sets 10x90#
lying hamstring curl
4sets 8x60#
front raise (weigh/hand)
3sets 10x10#
rear delt db raise (weight/hand)
3sets 10x15#

Mmmmmm.....Food!

2009-09-13T19:16:00.000-04:00

I love Saturdays and Sundays. Even though I know my diet isn't as super restrictive as most competition diets, by ANY means, I still get pretty stark raving hungry living off approximately 1300 cals/day by the end of the week. And am always always always excited for my carb-up/refeed day. I consider myself lucky that my body responds very well to carbs. If I restrict them to much, things aren't pretty and, after going moderately low all week, when I up the cals and carbs for a day each week I come out of it all renewed, refreshed, and feeling tighter and leaner to boot. Currently, on Monday-Friday I eat in the neighborhood of 1300 calories with 120-130g carbs each day. Then, on Saturday I go up to 1800 cals with 200g carbs. Ahhhhhhh......sigh of satisfaction that was. ;) And on Sunday, I drop the cals back to 1300 range but keep the carbs up a bit more again at 150g. This approach has really been working well so far to keep me satisfied, seeing progress, and having the energy to keep up some intense workouts. I also like the fact that if my progress starts to slow down (which I have every expectation it will closer and closer to show - just a fact of dieting) I have LOTS of room to tweak things and drop carbs a bit here or there, as well as tightening up food choices, etc. But until then, I will enjoy my yummies.

Saturday's Update
Macros - 206C / 46F / 134P
pre-cardio = coffee & 1sc Dymatize toffee protein powder
post-cardio = bowl of cereal (mix Kashi & Cinnamon Special K) w/ almond milk
lunch = chicken/lettuce/onion/mustard/pickles on sandwich thin, cucumber, strawberries
snack = apple, pb
dinner = sirloin, sweet potato, steamed broccoli
dessert = skinny cow icecream sandwich

Training - off
Cardio - another awesome spin class
Extra stuff - did some abs
.......
3x15/side oblique twists
3x20 hip thrusts
3x15 stability ball cable crunch 30#
3x60sec hold bosu planks - thanks Mandy for the ab recs ;)

Sunday's Update
Macros - 146 C / 31 F / 120 P
meal 1 = kashi waffles/sf syrup, chicken sausage, eggbeater omelet
meal 2 = ground turkey/taco season/ff cheese/salsa, cucumber, strawberries
meal 3 = pumpkin cheesecake loaf inspired by Kristin's Eat Oxygen Blog :) Thanks!
meal 4 = greek yogurt & pb "icecream" (4oz yogurt mixed w/ 1T pb frozen)
meal 5 = homemade roasted veggie pizza (low carb tortilla, tom sauce, vegs, lf cheese)

Training - Chest and Back (killed it!)
Cardio - off
Extra stuff - none
............
Circuit 1
wide grip latpulldown
12x85# / 2sets 8x100# / 6x100#dropset6x85#
incline bb bench
15x65# / 2sets 8x80# / 7x80#dropset8x65#
narrow grip latpulldown
12x75# / 2sets 8x85# / 7x85#dropset5x70#
incline db bench (weight/hand)
15x30# / 10x35# / 8x35# / 10x35#dropset5x25#

Circuit 2
underhand bb row
12x65# / 9x75# / 8x75# / 8x75#dropset7x65#
flat db flyes (weight/hand)
12x15# / 2sets8x20# / 7x20#dropset8x15#
wide grip cable row
12x55# / 3sets 8x60#
pecdeck
10x55# / 3sets 8x60#

Notes and Thoughts:

I had fun trying new concoctions today to be able to add to my diet repertoire. Kristin's blog has lots of great ideas. And I have discovered that I do, in fact, like cottage cheese. I always used to HATE it!!!
I bought some exfoliator at the store today so I can start getting into that habit. I have to be sure my skin is smooth for the tanner. Which leads me to my other dilemma - use Jan Tana or Extreme Tan??? I know I need to get on ordering those supplies.
I also need to start thinking about hair and makeup. For makeup should I go to a MAC counter and have them do a trial run for me. I know I was recommended a lot of MAC products the last time I prepped. For hair - I am clueless!
I made an appointment for a brazilian next week. EEEEKKKK!!! It will be my first and I know a trial run before having to get it done for the show will be a good move. So I'm doing it next week.
I have redone my workout schedule where it leaves me without a full rest day each week - BUT I end up feeling MORE rested and refreshed. Since I enjoy splitting up my cardio and training as much as possible to get quality workouts in each time, this works well for me. It is NOT something I recommend by any means for typical living, but to get it all in these next 8 weeks and not feel overwhelmed on a daily basis I am going with it for now. I like having days where I have to worry about JUST cardio or JUST training. :)
I'm PUMPED for the next 8 weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Goodlife Sunday

2009-09-13T15:22:00.000-04:00

Since I lead a Sunday school adult bible study class and am always inspired by the discussions we have there, I decided that I would share some of that here with you all. Our class is called The Goodlife and I truly believe that by applying the things we learn in that class and growing the friendships we make through the class my life has really become a good one. So why not share the love here, too?

Well, our series discussion the past few weeks and for the upcoming month or so is based on a book by Max Lucado called Just Like Jesus. Each week, we look at a different quality Jesus displayed in his life and how and why we should strive to do the same in ours. Now, I don't want to get "preachy" here....but no matter what way you look at it Jesus is a real man in our history who lived a pretty exemplary life. You may not believe he's the resurrected Son of God, or that he performed miracles, or anything of that nature about him and that is fine - it's your beliefs and I don't judge what beliefs bring peace, hope, happiness, etc to others. Even if you don't believe all the things Jesus is in a Christian religion, the way he lived is still something to be admired. For example, who can deny that living with a compassionate heart is something we, as well as others in our lives, could all benefit from. That was today's discussion - a compassionate heart.

What is compassion? Webster's English Dictionary describes compassion as "a sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it". So compassion is not only feeling for the person, but also doing something to relieve the problem. I think there are many of us who are sympathetic to others. We see others in need, feel bad about it, and then don't physically DO anything to change it. WHY?

We talked about this a lot today in class. Why is it so HARD to readily show compassion to others? Well, there is the cynicism of whether or not we are being taken advantage of, the fear that our caring will not be well received, the fact that (we think) there isn't a way for us to help or that we don't have the time, money, knowledge, etc to do what is necessary. You know what Jesus did? He kept on giving! That doesn't mean you have to extend yourself beyond your means or continue to support harmful behaviors/decisions in the name of compassion. Even Jesus left healing the sick to go and help his dear friend Mary and her sick brother Lazarus. And even Jesus was angry with the Pharisees and religious powers of that time and didn't extend his hand to them for the sake of knowing they were only trying to bring his demise.

The point is to not hold back your compassion where you can give it. Everyone has something they can give to others - from the biggest acts of kindness like a stranger giving $100,000 to a homeless man, to the basic ones like cooking a meal for someone who is injured/has a new baby/lost a loved one, to the smallest ones like having an actual conversation with your cashier at the grocery store. There is no act of compassion too small. All you have to do is open your eyes and your heart and extend your hand, smile, shoulder, timetable, (fill in the blank here) to help make a difference in this world. I challenge you, as well as I am challenging myself, to find a way to show compassion to someone this week, every day if possible. How do you plan to show your compassion this week? Also, share your experience - has anyone showed compassion to you once that you remember and cherish?

8 Weeks Out

2009-09-12T13:26:00.001-04:00

I'm 8 weeks out today....and feeling pretty good about where I am at. Yes, there is still progress to be made, things to gradually tighten up in the diet, etc. but overall I am happy with this prep so far. I will admit that I haven't made a TON of change over the past few weeks due to a few things that were out of my control. For those of you who don't know - one week I was very sick and had to focus on regaining my health, then the next week my daughter was in the HOSPITAL for 4 days where I had no gym access or complete prep food (and Im not about to leave my 10 month old baby to worry about competition stuff of course), and then we had friends from out of town and I refused to be super anal with them here. My goals for this competition are simply to grace that stage and learn in the process. Yes, I want to do my best, but I will not sacrifice my health or happiness in the process and do not expect to be the best up there this first time around. So, with that in mind, I am a'liking what I see considering the past few weeks. 8 weeks is still a good amount of time, I don't feel like I'm behind really, and I plan to bring things 100% from here on out. Let's do this!

Note: 12 Weeks Out shots are to the left and 8 Weeks Out shots are to the right. I decided to start doing my pictures outside in natural light because inside the light always screws things up. Please excuse the lack of tan and how it washes me out! LOL Of course any comments, advice, etc is always always welcome :)

Left Side Shot & Model Pose

Back Shot - obviously needs the most work

Right Side Shot

NEW Front Pose shot for federation

A "Tannified" Version that Peter did for fun LOL

And to show that its possible for anyone...where I came from

~2 Months Postpartum (Jan '09)

~7 Months Postpartum (June '09)

2 More Days of Prep Fun

2009-09-11T20:29:00.002-04:00

Thursday's Info
Training - Legs & Shoulders
Cardio - Spin Class (AWESOME class!!)
Stuff - did a quick 10 minutes of posing practice
Macros - 128 Carbs / 138 Protein / 31 Fat

Thursday's Training
Superset 1
Deadlift
12x95# / 8x105# / 3sets 8x115#
Leg Press
12x140# / 10x160# / 3sets 8x180#
Hammerstrength Overhead Press (weight/hand)
15x35# / 10x40# / 2sets 8x45#

Superset 2
Front Squat
4sets 10x70#
Kneeling Hamstring Curl
4sets/leg 8x30#/side
Machine Rear Delt
3sets 10x50#

Superset 3
High Stepups (weight/hand)
4sets/leg 12x20#
Quad Extensions
4 sets 10x90#
Cable Side Raise
3sets 10x20#/side

Friday's Info
Training - Arms
Cardio - Turbojam Cardio Party 1
Stuff - none
Macros - 126 Carbs / 134 Protein / 32 Fat

Friday's Training
warm up of pushups & pullups
7, 5, 5 unassisted pullups
20, 20, 15 pushups

Superset 1
BB bicep curl
4sets 10x40#
tricep kickbacks (weight/hand)
2sets 12x15# / 2sets 8x20#

Superset 2
Hammerstrength preacher curl
12x50# / 2sets 8x55#
Hammerstrength tricep dip
15x70# / 12x80# / 10x90#

Superset 3
seated incline hammer curl (wt/hand)
12x15# / 6x20# / 6x20#dropset8x10#
1 arm cable pushdown
10x20# / 8x30# / 8x30#dropset6x20#

Superset 4
concentration curl
3sets 8x15#/hand
overhead extension
3sets 10x15#/hand

Some notes/thoughts of the previous prep week - I need to get more organized with my posing practice and ab work. Those are two things that are very easy for me to neglect and that I need to incorporate more now that I am 8 weeks out. So, this upcoming week, it will be a goal of mine to make those 2 things a regular part of my plan. I am feeling great as far as the training, cardio, and diet all go. I really really enjoy my workouts and like pushing hard on the weights. Well, as hard as I can with dieting since my strength is already dropping a little on various things (especially legs!). My cardio isn't killing me either since I am doing things I enjoy, like spin. And I am enjoying my spin even more now. I have recently switched to a closer gym that does not have near as good spin classes as my old gym which was bumming me out because I NEED the hard core spin cardio during prep more than ever. So, my old gym was very nice after I spoke to them and they are allowing me to be a "member" until mid November so I can still go there the few times a week I want to spin. Yippee!!!!

Last, but certainly not least, I heard from my suit designer that she is hoping to send out my suit by Wednesday of next week. I cannot wait to see it! Too bad I won't have it in time for my 8 weeks out progress pictures coming to a post near you tomorrow ;)

What Freedom Has To Offer

2009-09-11T15:08:00.000-04:00

Many of us today are reflecting on that day 8 years ago that for likely the first time had us questioning the stability of our freedoms. That day that showed us things are not always as safe as they seem. That bad things can happen without warning. It also reminded us of something we inherently value above many things - our freedom. What is freedom to you? I hope you took a moment today to ponder all that your freedom has offered you. I know I am thankful to have the freedom to my faith, to be a strong woman in pursuit of her goals, to have options and choices for what I feel is best for my family, among many other things. Consider your freedom today, be thankful for those who have fought to preserve it, remember those who suffered, died, or lost on that fateful 9/11/01, and refuse to take for granted the blessings in your everyday life.

Get in My Belly!!! - My Rebel Comp Diet

2009-09-10T21:26:00.001-04:00

I am not your typical competition prep dieter. In my opinion, having a list only 10 foods long to choose from is not the only way to go. You know what I'm talking about. The green beans, asparagus, broccoli, spinach, chicken, fish, sweet potato, oatmeal, and oils for fats competition diet. Well, I've been there, done that......and in the process completely screwed myself. Let me go back a bit here and tell you about my last attempt at a competition.

I had an online trainer, and while the program is a good program that provides great results for people, it was not for me. AT. ALL. I have had hypoglycemia since my senior year of high school, although it is much less of an issue these days (which I attribute to my more lenient approach to my eats). Well, combine hypoglycemia with super intense cardio and training, as well as the 10-food-list diet and I was a wreck. I passed out a few times from it, including in the middle of an intense track workout at a local high school. I had serious migraines at least 2-3 times a week. I constantly felt weak and irritable and just plain sick. About 3 weeks out from my show I went to my doctor (after the track incident) and the results were not good. He basically told me to either quit or risk messing up my already sensitive blood sugar to a level in need of daily monitoring and meds. He was very concerned about the final week "hell week" I described to him with even greater restrictions on food, carbs, water, etc. I knew after that visit I couldn't go through with the show. Health was, and always will be, the most important. So I dropped out with the understanding that competing was something I would never be able to do.

Enter some friends from a fitness forum who showed me the light and that there is a different way to prep. That fitting into your target macros the foods you want (yes still healthy, wholesome) will still give you results and still work at getting you to stage. What?! How is this possible?? Well, these friends followed this approach and had even better results with it, enjoyed their preps, and didn't have any drastic effects post show. Like I did post drop-out where I suddenly found myself battling binges and a very unhealthy relationship with food that I overcame over the past 2 years - another post for another time. I always felt bad about not fulfilling that goal in the past and it was always nagging me in the back of my head that I wanted to do a show. Now, after the enlightening experience of being able fit in what you want and as long as you see results the food still being safe thrilled me. I could do that. And I am doing that. And, yep, it's working. So when you see my competition eats don't be (too) surprised at the variety. Variety is the spice of life after all. And no goal should be pure torture to reach.

Breakfast Pre Workout

oats w/ 15g dried fruit & 30g All The Whey protein powder

Post Workout - Favorite aka BIG Meal

100g Southwest Eggbeaters

Trader Joe's Mango chicken sausage

130g apple w/ 20g ff strawberry spread

coffee w/ 2oz unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Lunch

3.25oz ground turkey w/ 35g salsa, 2tsp taco season, 15g ff cheese

100g strawberries sliced

18g natural peanut butter

Pre-Cardio Snack - mmmm chocolate

All the Whey chocolate pp w/ 1c unsweetened choc almond milk

Cookies & Cream Luna bar (thats right!)

Dinner

4oz grilled shrimp in cajun seasoning

125g french style green beans

So there you have it. A day in the life of my eats. And for the record that all adds up to 128 Carbs / 31 Fat / 138 Protein ;)

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-09T20:33:00.000-04:00

Yes, I know I have already posted an update of my workout so it's not entirely "Wordless Wednesday" but I figured I would wrap up the night with a shot of my dinner - something I will have to get VERY used to eating over the next 8.5 weeks! Delicious romaine, spinach, onion, cucumber, carrot, grilled chicken in a light dressing. Now time to watch So You Think You Can Dance!!!!

Soreness A'Coming.....

2009-09-09T12:22:00.001-04:00

After this morning's chest & back workout I will be surprised if I am not feeling it tomorrow. It was a great workout! I added in a bit more chest and back work and removed the couple of arm exercises. I will do arms on a separate day now, since they aren't something I need to focus on as much anyways. Plus, there is the bonus of they naturally get worked with good back and chest moves anyways. I was even super energized and added in some plyometric drills in between sets. Yep, I am nuts! So here was today's madness - enjoy reading my pain!

Superset 1
barbell bench
12x75# / 10x85# / 3sets 8x90#
barbell overhand row
12x65# / 10x75# / 3sets 8x85#
bench jumpsquat -4x10 reps

Superset 2 (weight/side)
hammer strength decline press
12x25# / 3sets 7x35#
hammer strength hi-row
12x35# / 3sets 8x45#
burpees - 4x8 reps

Superset 3
incline db fly
4sets 8x20#/side
cable row
4 sets 8x85#
speedskaters - 3x15/leg

Superset 4
db pullover
3sets 10x25#
db bench (weight/hand)
10x30# / 8x30# / 10x25#
plyo lunge - 3x10/leg

Cardio
intervals on treadmill
30sec walk @ 3.6mph
60sec run @ 8.2mph
repeated for 15 min total

followed by 15 min elliptical
level 8-10 / speed 6.0-7.0

Daily Prep Update - 60 Days Out

2009-09-08T20:41:00.003-04:00

First off, I have to say WOW! Only 60 days?!?! And really, not even that, since that count included today. EEK! It's nerve wracking and super exciting at the same time. I am so pumped to give 100% and work very hard these last 8.5 weeks. I plan to kill those workouts, stick my macros (dieting numbers for those new to competition lingo) perfectly, and just make every single day the absolute best I can with full focus and determination. With that being said - here is an update of what I've been up to yesterday and today to accomplish those goals.

Yesterday's Workout - Legs & Shoulders
grouped exercises = supersets done one right after the other
sets x reps x weight listed for each set

bb squat - 15x95# / 10x115# / 3sets 8x125#
reverse db lunge (weight/hand) - 12x25# / 2 sets 12x30# / 2sets 10x35#
overhead press (weight/hand) - 15x20# / 3 sets 8x25#

hacksquat (weight=total) - 4 sets 12x110#
bulgarian split squat (weight/hand) - 4 sets 10x25#
rear delt raise (weight/hand) - 3 sets 8x15#

bb plie squat - 15x70# / 12x90# / 2 sets 10x100#
lying hamstring curl - 12x50# / 8x60# / 2 sets 8x65#
front raise (weight/hand) - 3 sets 10x12.5#

Yesterday's Cardio - 60 min spin class

Yesterday's Macros (protein, fat, carbohydrate breakdown) -123g Carbs / 135g Protein / 37g Fat - ended up a little over in fat...oops!

Today's Workout - Off Day besides some abs
Today's Cardio - 50 min Turbokick
Today's Macros - 123 Carbs / 131 Protein / 31 Fat

So I have definitely been on my game the past couple of days and am ready to keep it going! My motivation probably won't always be so high, so be prepared to offer a helping hand throughout this process ;)

The Many Faces of Friendship

2009-09-08T12:43:00.000-04:00

This past weekend has left me contemplating a lot about friendships and the many different forms they take. Now, you may be wondering, what could possibly set off such thoughts. Well, I spent this past weekend with someone I have been very good friends with for a few years. We started off by gaining fitness and nutrition knowledge from each other, then went through our first pregnancies together, learned how to be moms together, and saw each other through a number of different life experiences. Yea, so what? You're thinking that's not all that uncommon, right? Well, the odd thing about this past weekend get-together is it was our FIRST meeting...EVER! You heard right. We had never met in person until last Thursday. We met online through a fitness forum and our friendship grew exponentially over that time. I would now, without hesitation, consider her one of my very very closest friends. Heck, she probably knows more about the going ons in my life than some of my close friends that live 30 minutes or less away from me and that I see on a semi-regular basis. So that is where my rambling thoughts originated. I consider myself very blessed with the friendships I have. I am lucky to have all sorts of friends that I know support me and that I can count on. Each friend brings something special to my life.

There are the friends who have known me for years and years and years. The ones that even though we don't talk as often as we used to, it always feels like nothing has changed since the last time we met. My "old" friends are the ones who know my past, share my present, and who without a doubt will still be there in the future. They have known me in some of my not-so-proud moments of life and were having some wild and crazy times right beside me. There will be memories with them that I will never forget and will always laugh about when thinking back. They are the friends who I could never let go and don't want to ever lose. No matter how different our life paths lead us or how many miles they put between us, these friendships will be there and be the chocolate chip cookies comfort food of my friend life.

Then I have the newer friendships I have recently acquired through becoming more involved with my church. These people are ones that I know the good Lord brought to me to help me grow. A couple of years ago, when my life was changing due to marriage and growing up, I was feeling a bit lost and as though I was losing the closeness of some of my other relationships. Fortunately, Peter & I were involved in a Sunday school class called The Goodlife Group for 20s and 30s through our church, Sugarloaf United Methodist. Formal churchgroup classes and social gatherings gradually led to getting to know members of the group more and more, which led to more intimate friendships and spending more regular time together outside of Sunday mornings. It was nice to grow closer to people in similar stages of life and with similar interests. And to this day, I look forward to our weekend dinner gatherings, visits to the lake, and our weekly Sunday morning class just as much as when we first getting to know them all. I foresee continued growth in these frienships and watching each other grow in our faith and our families grow together.

And then, aside from all that, I have my friends that I have met through a fitness forum. It is unbelievable how close you can grow to someone through a computer, but the friendships I have gained there are so important to me. A shared passion of fitness is not something common in my day-to-day life, so I value being able to share it with these fabulous women. After all, that is how I met Mandy - one of my best friends. Now, hopefully, I will find other friendships growing through this blog as well. The face of friendship is constantly changing. Embrace all of the love and support you can get from others. There is no such thing as too many friends. So make a new one today. I know I would be honored to be your friend :)

Some Photos

2009-09-07T18:20:00.000-04:00

OUR WEDDING DAY

PETER & I AT THE LAKE

MAKENZIE - 3 DAYS OLD

MAKENZIE - 10 MONTHS OLD

ME - 12 WEEKS OUT FROM FIGURE COMPETITION

Gettin' This Party Started.....

2009-09-07T18:07:00.000-04:00

Well, here I am. Ready to begin my first blog. I have always enjoyed expressing myself and sharing my thoughts and feelings through writing. After having an online fitness journal, playing around on Facebook, etc. I decided it was about time to start a blog where I can easily combine all of my interests into one place and make it easier for others to follow along with my ramblings. You will come to see I can ramble a lot. Haha!

I figure in this first post it will be best to share a little bit about me. Here's the brief version - I am a wife and mother, I am a Christian, I am a fitness enthusiast, I am a book lover, an outdoor girl, a UGA fan and alumna, and so much more. Now for the longer version....

I graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Spanish Education and went on to teach high school Spanish for a few years. During that time, I got married to my husband Peter. We have been married since June of 2007 and I am thankful every day for being blessed with such a caring, supportive, and determined man. In February of 2008, we found out that I was pregnant and was due to have a baby girl in early November. With that news, we decided as a family that I would become a stay at home mother to raise our daughter. Well, I had my precious little Makenzie on October 21, 2008 and she has been the light of our lives since then. She is a very fun, happy baby and we have loved every moment of watching her grow. She is now 10.5 months old and is learning new things daily it seems. Her current "tricks" are waving bye bye, blowing kisses, blowing raspberries (her FAVORITE), clapping, and doing a big big smile with her face all scrunched up.

A few other things about me. I am a big believer in the Christian faith and do not know what I would do without it in my life. I will share thoughts related to that here but I promise not to be preachy. I just enjoy the hope and peace that my faith brings me throughout even the most difficult times. I like to learn and grow and have recently taken up leading a Sunday school adult Bible study to do so.

My other big passion is fitness. I have been avidly working out for about 6 or 7 years now...and yes, I even did so during my pregnancy. I like how it feels to go into the gym and bust out a great cardio session (spin is by far my favorite) and a high quality weight workout. Bring on the heavy stuff - no pink dumbbells for me! I love to share my passion for fitness and am always willing to give advice and support on anything pertaining to it. I am not a certified expert....yet. I do plan to go into the personal training field when I am ready to return to work. And while I am really into working out, I am motivated by being healthy and accomplishing new goals. It is honestly fun to me and I do not promote unhealthy approaches to dieting and training. I like to workout and eat healthy because I feel good, not to see the scale drop or something trivial like that. I am a firm believer that if you eat moderately and do exercise you enjoy then you can love your body and look and feel great. That doesn't mean you can't have goals though. After all, I am currently working towards a big one for me - my first figure competition! It is on November 7, 2009 in Marietta, GA. I am really looking forward to it!! And then of course after it, since my diet and workouts do have to be more intense than my typical right now.

Other interests of mine are reading. I read at least a book each week - usually a chick lit, suspense, or vampire inspired novel. I like to read for pleasure so it isn't often that you will see me reading something serious. I also like to get lost in a good TV show or UGA football game. Or go on a hike or to the lake with my family. Honestly, anything with friends or family is great in my book.

So I have rambled on enough now.....I look forward to sharing more in depth through the weeks, months, and who knows, maybe years. Thanks for stopping by! And let me know where I can come find you :)

Tina

My Current Workouts

2008-10-21T13:38:00.050-04:00

MONDAY
Cardio - Spin Class
Training - Off
TUESDAY
Cardio - 45 minutes Turbo DVD
Training - Legs & Shoulders
WEDNESDAY
Cardio - 15 minutes intervals / 15 minutes steady state
Training - Chest & Back
THURSDAY

Cardio - Spin Class
Training - Off
FRIDAY
Cardio - 30 min SS (varied elliptical/treadmill/stepmill/etc)
Training - Legs & Shoulders
SATURDAY
Cardio - Spin Class
Training - Back & Bis
SUNDAY
Cardio - OFF
Training - Chest & Tris

Family Pictures

2008-10-21T13:13:00.001-04:00