Personal Training
Fitness Update
Hey friends!
Today has been a great day thus far.
Woke up–>breakfast, coffee–> emails, some work–> go into work (LOVE)
I am getting into the swing of things at my new job. It hasn’t even been a week but I am thoroughly enjoying it so far! The people are great, the atmosphere is great, I am learning new things each and everyday and of course I love being downtown Boston.
Fitness Front
Well, I am 12 days away from my 2nd bikini fitness competition. You can read about my first competition here. I bet you are all wondering how the 2nd prep is going, right? Maybe not but I guess I’ll share with you anyway. The 2nd prep for show is actually going in some ways much easier and in some ways more difficult than the prep for my first show. Let me break it down
For my first show, the goal for me was to actually get up on that stage. From August 2010-April 2011 I had dropped a total of 19lbs which was another HUGE accomplishment of mine. I didn’t even really go into my first show with the idea that it was a ‘competition’ I simply went into it with a personal goal of getting on stage and showing off my hard work in whatever capacity that may be. No, I didn’t place that well, but that made no difference in my mind. I won in my mind because I accomplished a personal goal (which I think is so much more important)
This was my very first picture “Progress picture” that I took of myself before my entire journey began back in August 2010
This was the last “check in” picture before my first competition in April 2011
And this was on stage at my first show, April 30th, 2011
Yes, I lost weight and completely transformed my body but this was a personal goal for me. Not for anyone else. I had always had a dream of competing in a fitness competition and I did it. I achieved my goal. I was so incredibly happy I had tears of joy on that day. I took somewhat of a strict approach going into show because I was so incredibly focused. I listened to my body, followed my nutrition to a “T” and made it happen.
I am the type of person who can listen and do anything that someone such as a ‘coach’ tells me to do when it comes to achieving a goal. 10 days out from my show, I had a big family event with amazing food, desserts, drinks all out on the table 5 inches away. I sat there, engaging, smiling, having fun, but still sticking to my plan and I didn’t even bat an eye when offered cakes, cookies or indulgent food. I was FOCUSED.
So, how did I go into my 2nd show? Well I took a few months off to give my body a little break from the strict nutrition. You can see from my past posts this summer, I enjoyed food, more food, wine, cocktails, desserts, cooking and trying new foods Even though I was taking months off from competing, I knew that going into my 2nd show, I wanted to really focus on a bit more muscle on my body and really go into this show with a “I want to win” approach.
To build muscle, you HAVE TO EAT, So that is just what I did. When you have a goal of fat loss and building muscle, this combination just isn’t achievable because they are contradicting goals. I wanted to build muscle over the summer especially in my legs. It again, was another personal goal of mine. I really kicked up my leg workouts and played around with some differenent approaches that I didn’t do going into my first show. I incorporated some different routines, splitting up my legs into 2 seperate leg days, played around with plyometrics, and also realized that my legs respond better with higher rep and lighter weight.
This picture was taken a few weeks ago and I have to say I really am proud of my body and where it is at for this show. Like I said, I took a different approach going into this show, already having my body somewhat prepped. I didn’t need to focus so much on ‘weight loss’ but rather focus on ‘muscle building’ This was my personal goal. I want to place. Heck, I want to win!
I really kicked butt this summer and again for no one else but ME. No one should ever try to change something about themselves or their body unless it is YOUR DOING. Never let anyone tell you to change something about yourself. Trust me, I’ve heard it and it is by far one of the most hurtful things I have ever dealt with. Ever.
Whatever your goal is, focus on it and make it happen. Reach out for support, find what works for you. Anything is achievable.
As far as my nurition goes, I am acutally eating quite a bit more food because my body has transformed into a fat burning maching and I seem to guzzle through food. I acutally upped my food intake this week because we know my body can handle it and I need it to help me recovery. Right now I am trying to maintain the muscle I have worked hard to achieve without losing too much. These last 12 days are all about nutrition rather than the workouts. My body is ready, I feel good, and now I just need to let the nutrition take its course these last 12 days.
I hope you all enjoyed this post and if you take anything away from it, I want you to realize we are ALL DIFFERENT. Our bodies respond differently to food, workouts, carbs, protein, fat, reps, sets etc. Never try to ‘follow’ what works for one person because in all honesty, why are you trying to follow someone else? YOU set the tone for what works for you. Try different things…Of course I share workouts and also love to steal workouts from others, but that is just a workout. I give it a shot and incorporate into my routine if I like it! I love sharing tips, tricks, workouts, recipes with you all but just know that these are just TOOLS to help you achieve your goals, or just have a great workout! It is all about feeling good, healthy, strong and fit!
So with that said, I hope you all have a GREAT day and keep doing what you are all doing because we are all unique and bring something extraordinary to the world.
Questions
What makes you unique?
What goal have you reached recently?
