GROWTH PHASE PROGRESS

Helllllllooooo everyone!!! How have your past couple of weeks gone? Mine, I've got to say have been very productive....I've updated my website, finished all my reading for my first mid term (have some loose ends to study still) and planned my meals for the last week and this week, and had many many KICK ARSE workouts!!! You've gotta love EXTRA clean food when it gives you energy results in the gym!!

So here is my update!! If you ready my last post, you know that I'm re-starting my favourite program MI40X , and it's going WAY BETTER than it did the first time. This is a MUSCLE BUILDING program, but the first time around I was in a caloric deficit because I was slowly increasing my calories after my competition...THIS time I'm following the meal plan guidelines as well, in a caloric surplus and hoping for some lean mass gains over the next 40 days of HARD WORK!!!

Love Warming up with my girls!! Do you look fwd to seeing certain people at the gym?? That's what gets me there on days that I just "don't want to"

The first week I planned 2050 Calories daily with 40%p/20%c/40$f. This is a great breakdown for me right now, 1. Because I LOOOOVE fats
and            2. Because I feel that I have become somewhat insulin resistant (carbs react by making me                  feel bloated, sluggish and I lose mental focus.)
                  3. Because the addition of extra fats keeps me feeling more satiated throughout the whole     day, no energy slumps.

My program was 6 days/week. Body part type split, with extra shoulder sessions over other body parts. One the 7 day (my day off) I ate an additional 600 Calories in Carbohydrates...you can say a cheat meal, or treat, however I ALWAYS choose healthy low glycemic foods!

My diet was uploaded on my newly updated website OPERATIONLEAN for any of you to download and use yourselves. I have yet to upload my next meal plan, but I will be adding it soon!!! Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss any new diet updates!!! There's going to be LOTS of FREE meal plans and workouts added in the near future!! I just have to find some time to write them!!! For now, I'll just share mine :)

Here is one of my FAVORITE recipes for hitting my fat intake....this was added to my meal plan this week.

DECADENT CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CUPS

It's made with coconut oil, PB2, cocoa and stevia to taste!!! SO EASY...if you need even MORE fats, you can use natural peanut butter instead of the PB2 :) Just finished a couple before I started writing this post!!! So delicious!

I was also doing warmups on the bike, and two higher intensity cardio sessions to keep the fat gain at bay and get the blood flowing.

Week 1 Results : Other than the fact that I felt great over my first week, I didn't gain any weight :( I WANT to be gaining a little bit of weight, sooooo

Changes for this week:
1. Increased my calories to 2200 with the same macro breakdown.
2. Kept my warmups daily, but eliminated my cardio sessions.
3. I have to do better with my water intake...it's starting to get chilly here in Calgary, so I'm not craving it like I normally do in the summer. This Hydrate Bottle is helping me get back on track!!!

Want your own Hydrate Water Bottle?? Be sure to check them out on Facebook!! HYDR-8 WATER BOTTLES

At this point I'm really happy with my diet. I don't have any cravings and I'm satisfied throughout the whole day! I always have a yummy meal to look fwd to, so I see no need to change much there. I do have to be expending fewer calories though, as I'm not seeing a weight gain. This is why I eliminated some cardio! I guess I have more time to study now ;)

Here are some things to keep in mind when working toward your own goals :
1. Make sure you have a way to track progress, so you know when to make changes.
2. EVERYONE is different, and there are NO COOKIE CUTTER ways to do things. It's about trial and error. If your results aren't what you want, something has to change
3. If you are wanting to gain, and you don't, you either have to BURN FEWER Calories, or EAT MORE Calories, it's as simple as that!!! The challenge comes from consistency. If you aren't consistent, you will have no idea what to change. AND patience. You may be lucky and hit the nail on the head the first week...you may continue to see progress for weeks (more common for people new to exercise and good nutrition) BUT
4. You will EVENTUALLY hit a plateau and need to use outcome based decision making to change things, and BUST THRU it!!

Good luck with your goals this week, and I will chat with you soon!!!

"you can't do what you've always done and expect a different outcome"

Carb Cycling-What is it and how does it work??

So you've heard all about it, but it sounds so confusing, where do you even start!!!???

I get questions about carb cycling ALL THE TIME...there are many different ways to plan a carb cycle, so like ALWAYS, it's about figuring out what works for you and your body....in this blog post, I'm going to tell When, Why and How I do my carb cycling...

I only follow a carb cycle when my calories are in a deficit, to lose that little extra bodyfat, that just doesn't seem to want to let go!!! Many follow when they are in a growth phase, to keep fat gains at bay, and others use this method all the time, just because it works well for them!!! It's up to you to decide how you want to use this method :)

So now to the why....the benefit of carb cycling is mostly, improved nutrient partitioning, (taking advantage of your body being more insulin sensitive on workout days) hormonal balance (balancing ghrelin and leptin levels which are effected by being in an energy deficit for too long) and hopefully improved performance in the gym while you are on a deficit in calories!

You will set your protein the same everyday..This will usually be set at 1-1.5g/lb bodyweight. Protein does become more important as a percentage of your daily macros, as your calorie intake goes down!!! Make sure you are getting that 1g/lb bodyweight to spare that hard earned muscle as much as possible.

The only two macros you adjust are your carbs and your fats....so here is an example....

for myself, my lagging body parts are my legs and my shoulders!!! So when I'm preparing a program for myself, I have those workouts at the beginning of my workout week!

Lets say my split is : Monday (quads), Tuesday (hams), Wednesday (shoulders and Calves), Thursday (Arms) Friday (Chest and Back) Sat (off), Sunday (off/active rest, exercise with the family)

ON LARGE (legs, chest, back) body parts days I'm going to pair with my HIGH carb days for extra fuel, and those extra carbs will be with my post workout nutrition, (shake and banana, or rice cakes, etc) and again in the whole food meal following my post workout meal. If I am having trouble sleeping, I find that carbs before bed can help too, so I may put some there depending on how I'm feeling..

ON SMALLER (arms, shoulders) body part days, and off days, I will pair with my LOW carb days :) All you have to do, is remove those carbs, added on your high carb days!....

So pair these together and you'll have: Monday (High), Tuesday (High), Wednesday (Low), Thursday (Low), Friday (High), Saturday (Low), Sunday (Low)

***NOTE: You can do this by keeping calories the same (replacing the high carb days with higher fat days) OR you can keep the Proteins and Fat's fairly consistent, and just manipulating your carb intake, which would cause a calorie cycle as well! I.E You would be left with Low Carb/Calorie days, and High Carb/Calorie days (this is great if you want a reprieve from being in a deficit all the time, and this works great for me!)

Some don't even worry about the body parts or days, and just do three days low, one high...and rotate.....some use low, med and high days, which I find to be WAY TOO MUCH planning and a chaotic meal prep. I'm not organized enough for that!

So how do you set this up??? Well, it definitely depends on what method you decide to use....calorie cycle, or just a carb cycle, but this is basically what I do!!!

When I'm wanting to lose, I first set my calories to 12xBW(bodyweight) and NEVER go below 10XBW (I just find the cravings get the best of me, and I get too cranky on less that that, not to mention, it's not healthy.) Bring on the Intermittent Fasting Critics now ;) I just can't do it! HAHA

Then I set my High Carb days to 40/40/20 (P,C,F)
and I set my   Low Carb days to 40/20/40  (P,C,F)

If you want to Calorie cycle as well, you would just have to adjust the macros, to fit the daily calories! I really do feel that this easiest for planning, prep and organization in general.

Lastly, with ANYTHING physique related....just get started with a method, and adjust based on results! (outcome based decision making) If you aren't seeing the progress that you want, first be honest with yourself about whether you are following the plan close enough, if so, you will have to re-evaluate and adjust something :)

NOW GO GET YOUR CARB CYCLING ON!!!

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5 Weeks out from UFE Halloween Mayhem

I gotta say, this prep has been a lot harder than my first and I'm trying to pinpoint the reasons why?? I've come up with a few ideas....

1. The first one had a lot of excitement and uncertainty behind it. I didn't have any idea what to expect, I didn't have any expectations of myself other than to get on stage and I was just excited that I had FINALLY followed thru with one of my bucket list items!!! Now that that initial excitement is out of the way, I'm finding that I'm a lot tougher on myself. I don't have that EXCUSE, that its just my first time. I expect myself to do well which isn't the way I should go into it. I should still be viewing it as wanting to do better than my last time competing...NOT competing with others. It's when I start to feel competitive that all the fun is taken out of the event!

2. When I started prepping for my first competition I had a LOT of room for improvement! I had just recovered from a C-Section and had a lot of weight to lose!! I found my motivation was fuelled by seeing so much change week to week! The more weight you have to lose to begin with the more changes you'll see! So now, I only gained 5Lbs back after my last competition (hopefully a couple of those is lean mass after all this work!) and it's been REALLY hard to see the changes! When you only have 5 lbs-10Lbs to lose instead of 30-40, it just doesn't seem like you're making any progress and that makes it hard to stay motivated!

This being said, I'm really excited/and worried about doing my first OUT OF TOWN competition. Getting everything organized (tan/makeup/food prep/travel/accomodations/etc) is a lot more stressful! I'm so glad that I will have local friends there to spend the weekend with! It's going to be so much fun, and that's is what is keeping me going on the rough days!

This week I'm starting a carb/calorie cycle. I started tuesday with a low day, today was med, thurs and fri are going to be low, and Saturday high....I will decide from there what to do based on results. I woke up this morning with a nice defined six pack after my low day....which really fuelled my workout today! I just love to see how much change a day can make, and to see my abs come in is my ABsolute favourite! ;) I don't usually do the cycling, so hopefully it will shock my system into doing something amazing!! HAHA

I promise I will get more pictures up soon. I have a horrible replacement phone since my last one died...it takes blurry pictures so my social media has been suffering :( I also have a new MAC so I don't have the programs that I used to use for my collages, but I'm working on it! I want to see if there has been changes over the past month, so I HAVE to get organized here soon! If you have any suggestions on programs that I can make collages with AND add text that would be awesome! (You can post here or on my facebook page) I can't seem to find anything that will do both.

It's been a few weeks since I have done a blog, so I will insert my last few vlogs here too just in case you missed them!

WEEK 6 (Diet and Supplements)

WEEK 7 (Training, Fridge and Freezer)

WEEK 8 (Competing Lifestyle)

One MAJOR motivation I've had this past week was meeting with Melissa Leigh Morrisson (WBFF Pro) for help with my posing! I left with blisters and made many more from practicing throughout the week, but I feel so much better and she left me feeling excited and motivated for my time on stage again! :) I highly recommend investing in some help when it comes to stage presence. I didn't the first time, and really didn't feel confident on stage. I'm sure I'll feel like a shaking leaf again this time, but I do feel better prepared! Now I just have to make the extra time to practice, practice, practice!

Hopefully this week will bring great progress that I can share with you next week!!


Steph :)

Week 5 of Adventures in Competing-How to select which show you want to do!!!

So here is my week 5 vlog on Youtube!!! This past week I had a LOT of trouble with energy and motivation! I think I threw too much at myself all at once! I chat about that a little in my vlog as well! To re-energize myself, I had a mega treat meal on Saturday! Myself, Husband and BABY went to AUCE Sushi and I TOTALLY refuelled! :) I was feeling much better when Monday came around and I'm ready to get back at it!!!!!

One of the other aspects that got me down this week were the progress pics I took on Friday! They were a month after my last pics, and I've been working my ARSE off since then! I've been eating in a calorie surplus and have been feeling great while doing my exercises. Looking at my quads while doing squats, I was SO IMPRESSED with the development I was seeing!! .....

This was until I saw my pics last week :( I don't see a change AT ALL and it really got me down :( I REALLY didn't want to share this pic with you all, but I figure, I shouldn't only be showing the successes...I should show the struggles too!!! So be kind ;)

ANYWAY, here is my vlog describing how I've decided so far which federations I wanted to compete with and why! I'm gonna keep on trucking....and I got some good advice from Erica Willick.....I have to pick a STRONG "WHY" for the reason I'm competing this time. It can't be to get my body back anymore because I've already surpassed that goal! I need a different motivation this time! Other than visiting with AMAZING friends in Ontario and wanting to look my best for that visit.....I'm not quite sure what my WHY is yet! I have to put my thinking cap on, HAHA

Adventures in Competing-Month1 Week 4 (fitting it all into your lifestyle)

So here is Week 4!!! I have started a cardio plan already since I have to give myself more time to lean out this time :( I HATE cardio, but it's gotta be done, and before you know it, the big day will be here and I'll be able to slowly wean myself off again! HAHA It's a bit of give and take when it comes to competition prep...you're not gonna love every aspect and that's why not EVERYONE is doing it! It takes a lot of focus, and yes, sometimes sacrifice!!! In my opinion though, it gives back 10fold! The experience is amazing, the friendships are inspiring, and what can I say, the whole process pushes you farther than you ever though possible which is AWESOME knowledge to have about yourself!

Whatever you put your mind to, if you stay focused, have a great plan AND hopefully support, you WILL accomplish! :)

Diet starts tomorrow for me, so we'll be talking about that a little more in upcoming episodes! I'm also going to be starting to take progress pics again. I'm scared to see what I look like now as compared to my last competition....but hopefully I managed to put on a LITTLE muscle mass. My measurements are saying, YES, I have!!! :) I've gained 4 lbs since my last competition, which isn't too shabby!!

So here it is!!! Week 4 :)

Adventures in Competing Month 1 Week 3-Exercise

Welcome to week 3 everyone!!! So far so good on the prep!!! This past couple of weeks have been amazing and really scary for me at the same time! I'm a typical female who HATES seeing the scale go up!!! It has been my goal to put on some lean mass in this last month before I start cutting 8 weeks out and I'm achieving it!!! I was super bummed when I saw the scale going up even though that was my goal......but when I got the calipers out and I was still measuring the same I was SUPER stoked!!! This is just what I want!!! Proof that you really have to let that number on the scale go!! I KNOW I KNOW, it's so hard to do!!! ;)

I hope you guys are really enjoying the other girls vlogs so far! I know I am!!! :) Erica is a little behind but will be posting two this week and I will link you to them here! She took some video at the gym so I'm excited to see what she came up with!!!!

Here's my exercise vlog for this week

He is a link to Rose's vlog this week....Coming Soon




Here is a link to Erica's vlog this week....Coming Soon!!!


Enjoy all the new info, and please share and comment if you have anything to add!!!

Steph :)

Adventures in Competing! Month 1 Week 2 (Nutrition)

Here's Month 1 Week 2 of MY episodes in "Adventures in Competing"!!! This week I discuss some of my current nutrition :) Everything I'm doing all in one episode would be WAY TOO long, so you'll have to wait till next month week 2 for the rest of the deets!! ;) I was also taking a road trip in the Semi-Truck and talk about how I stayed on tract!!! Make sure to check out Erica and Rose's blogs as well!!!

Next week I'll be discussing my workouts for this month and last....and maybe a little about what I'm doing for workout supplementation if there's time!! ;) I hope you enjoy!! Please share and comment!!!

Adventures in Competing Vlog #1 12 Weeks Out

Hey all!!! So I know I have been a little quiet lately, but I'm ready to start prep for my next competition, and that means MORE BLOGGING!!! Woop Woop!! I'm currently 12 Weeks out from UFE Halloween Mayhem in Hamilton Ontario. It's October 26th, 2013 :)

This competition will be a lot more fun for me, as I'm going to be entering along side a couple other girls from "sisters in shape"www.sisinshape.com. It's the first time out of three competitions that I won't basically be alone back stage :) I'm seeing it as more of a "girls weekend" rather than a huge competition! Myself and about 10 others are also doing a photoshoot with Paul Buceta www.paulbuceta.com the day before the competition which will be a BLAST!!!!

I'm going to be staying in a surplus (nutrition wise) for another 4 weeks as a last effort to build some muscle...then I will start to lean out at 8 weeks out!!! Wish me luck!!!

ANYWAY....for the next 12 weeks, myself, Erica Willick and Rose Blackman from sisters in shape, will be doing weekly vlogs about our prep!!! We'd LOVE for you all to follow our journey describing our plans....and notice how different each of us prepare!!! I'm aiming to have each vlog up before Wednesday of each week!! If you don't see it here, check it out on my facebook page www.facebook.com/operationcompetitionlean

Here is my first VLOG, I hope you enjoy!!!

How to Eat Clean while on Vacation

Due to popular demand, I'm going to write a little bit about how I stay on track, with diet and exercise while on vacation. I DID do a video on this subject before I left on my current vacation this week, but it's part of a project I'm doing with a couple of other people (one that I'm pretty excited about, so keep your eyes peeled) and can't be uploaded till the beginning of August!!

So, I'll give you the plan I had for this vacation first followed by how I prepare for more strict vacations.  I was a little more lax planning for this vacation because I don't have a photoshoot or competition for a couple more weeks AND I'm staying with my parents, so have access to car and kitchen....then I will tell you how I planned for a trip where I had a photoshoot that weekend, and was staying in a hotel without a vehicle.

First and foremost I should say, if it's a VACATION and not business or a short getaway etc, don't stress too much about it!!! I'd bring some items for the flight/drive, but once you are there, enjoy yourself!!! Go out to eat, but just make the best choices you can. There are ALWAYS options, and don't be shy with your server. They are there to serve you, and should be responsive to requests to leave items off, or put dressings on the side etc.

So for this trip, I brought lots with me because I don't like to be cooking and running to the grocery store AS SOON as my parents pick us up from the airport!!! I want to be social for a few minutes at least! HAHA, JK.

Items that I packed:

1. Pre-portioned oatmeal- I measure into baggies exactly how I like it, with pb2, cocoa and sweetner already mixed in so I just have to dump into a bowl, and water and cook in the microwave. Since I don't want to be doing a lot of cooking, and I LOVE oatmeal, I don't do yams while I'm away and just eat extra oatmeal. Keep it simple!

NOTE: in the past when I've been in a hotel, I just brew coffee (without the coffee) so you end up with hot water, and either mix my oatmeal right in the pot, or in two seperate servings in the small mugs that they always have....I have also packed a couple glass tupperware containers that I use over and over. This way the container can be put in the microwave as well. ( usually you can get a microwave on request if they don't already have one in the room!)

2. I pack my liquid and powder stevia and PB2 so I don't have to buy more while away, or have to search for it!!!

3. For a last resort, grab and go, I pack QUEST protein Bars www.questnutrition.com PURE HEAVEN. Put in the microwave for 10 seconds before eating (if you have one around) and you won't miss dessert, I guarantee!!! I've found even gas stations turn a blind eye to using their microwave or hot water as long as you're buying gas or something ;)

4. Rice Cakes

5. Almond butter

6. I precook a bulk package of chicken breast and freeze. I freeze them so I can put them in my checked luggage without worrying about any leakage. By the time I make it to my destination they are pretty much thawed and ready to go. If you are going to be gone for a long time, separate into more than one bag so you can keep one if the fridge to thaw and put the others in the freezer to keep till needed.

7. Those tuna packets in the vacuum sealed bags work well also. You can usually find mustard and relish in airport and mall food courts. I use those condiments to mix into my tuna so it's not so bland.

8. Whey powder and shaker cup.

With all this packed, once we got to Winnipeg I was able to relax for a bit and didn't REALLY have to go for groceries for a day or so. When I did get to the store, I got cottage cheese, more chicken, some bulk bags of vegetables, egg whites etc. Everything I would normally eat at home!! :)

As for my workouts....I volunteer at the YMCA in Calgary (in the preschool dept) so this gives me a free membership :) It's a LOT easier to make it to they gym everyday while on vacay when it doesn't cost you 10$+ every visit!!! The YMCA also has free childcare up to 18 months, so even if my babies grandparents weren't able to watch her, I'd be able to bring her with me :) If your kids are older, there is always a drop in fee ( I know, that can add up!!!)

Now, things are a little more complicated when you are travelling on your own, in a hotel and without a car. When I went to FEM Camp www.femcamp.com in the spring I had to be a little more organized, but it was a shorter trip, so also do-able!!! Since I was going back and forth to camp during the day, I had tupperware meals packed. I know I know, not everyone can do it, but I ate everything cold. Pretty much every meal was the same as I'm used to, but cold.

Since I didn't have a car to go to the grocery store I brought all the same things as above, and in addition:

1. I didn't want to bring cartons of egg whites, so I hard boiled a bunch of eggs and sealed them up really well so they wouldn't smell.

2. I had to purchase bulk bags of broccoli and spinach in advance and bring them with me.

3. I like to rotate my protein sources though, so I precook and freeze lean beef as well.

NOTE : A great extra to bring along would be the Jamie Eason-Middleton muffins that I have on this blog in the "what I eat" section. http://www.operationcompetitionlean.blogspot.ca/p/recipes.html (Scroll down to Turkey Meatloaf Muffins) They are just as good made without the oatmeal depending on what your macro demands are at the time.

I wasn't able to get cottage cheese or greek yogurt, but I don't usually eat dairy before a photoshoot anyway :)

I booked a hotel that had a kitchenette. They are VERY common now, and usually not any more expensive than hotels without!!!

In regard to exercise, I ALWAYS do my research on hotel gyms. I've almost never been unable to find a hotel with a fully equipped gym AND a kitchenette! Worst case scenario, strap on the runners and find a childrens park nearby and make something up on the fly!!!

You could always keep a MOST FIT STRAP in your bag for a bring anywhere workout!!! It doesn't even take up the space of your makeup kit in your bag and can be attached pretty much anywhere for a kick arse workout!!! http://www.most-fit.com ( I'll will be doing a blog on this strap very soon as well!

So there you have it!!! This is how I stay on track!!! I'm probably missing something!! I'll post in the comments if I think of anything else!!!

Please, If you have any other ideas that I can add to my repetoire or that you would like to share, that would be awesome!!! Either post on my Facebook page www.facebook.com/operationcompetitionlean OR right here. I'd love to hear some new tips to help me out!!!

First Fitness Competition Recap! :)

Sorry for the delay on my recap!!! I've been waiting to get some pictures to share along with my blog!! :) I'm still waiting...so I think I'll just go ahead an post before too much time goes by!

Well deserved treat
at our favorite restaurant!

Now that I've been able to add cottage cheese and greek yogurt back into my diet, and replaced fish with chicken, I'm a SUPER happy camper....and it's SO NICE to not have to hold my breath while peeing anymore! HAHA (if you've ever eaten large amounts of asparagus, you'll know what I mean!)....I've had a couple weeks on a more lax diet, but still super clean. No need to get those sugar cravings back after taking so long to kick them to the curb! I had a giant AUCE sushi meal after my competition, and headed to the grocery store after to get more clean food and start prepping for the following week! One free meal was certainly enough for me! Now, I'm three weeks out POSSIBLY, from my next competition. I haven't signed up yet, but I'm 99.99% sure I'm going to go ahead with it! If money wasn't a factor, I would be going full steam ahead! I loved the experience and I'm DEFINITELY hooked.

Peak Week went really well for me, but I THINK it could have gone better. Now to figure out how to change it up for the next one!!! I did two days of low carb, with High Water intake, Followed by two days of high carb paired with low water intake before the competition. The day of, I really didn't have any water...I didn't want to have to pee once I had my suit and tan all done anyway! HAHA On the day of the competition, water depleted and all, I was 110lbs...Monday morning after water and cheats I was 111.8 and now, a week later I was 113, now this morning back to 11.8. I'm pretty happy with the minimal rebound! I thought it would be much worse! This is what makes me thing I could have done better with my depletion. I figured I would lose a lot more than two lbs of water??! Who knows I guess! :)

The entire week was SO BUSY! Getting the last workouts in, posing practice, fitting cardio in between hair, nails, and tan...and all those things you need to do, but have to wait till the last minute to do it, like hair, makeup and touch ups! It kinda leaves you in limbo, like the calm before the storm, and there isn't anything you can do to make it easier! My husband was out of town for work so I was doing all this with a 10mth old in tow, which is always fun!!! I was SO LUCKY to have a good friend arrive on the Thursday from my hometown to watch the competition! She was SO HELPFUL watching Haley while I had my tanning appts and athletes meeting, practiced my posing, etc! THANKYOU CHANTALE!!!!

Athlete's meeting, number 76!! Woop Woop

Hair and Makeup Complete!

My biggest stress was the tan! ARGH I'm not looking forward to doing this part again! I had to get one tan on Friday, and another on Saturday! After the Saturday tan, I wasn't allowed to shower again, and I was TOTALLY stressed out about messing it up, getting it wet, etc. The following morning my husband and I were up at 4am putting the dream tan (kinda like thick tan color paint) on top...deciding whether to wear the suit, and cover it in saran wrap, putting on the tan and waiting for the suit till later...etc seemed like the biggest decision ever! I decided to wear my suit, and won't do that again! I don't think!?? LOL We just finished on time for my hair and makeup artist to arrive. (she did an AMAZING JOB, I was SO happy with her work https://www.facebook.com/ArtistryByBobi  No time to eat..ARGH again! HAHA, Should have woke earlier!

I got to the show, what I thought was early, but the rooms provided to prepare were already PACKED! The girls were awesome though, and made room for me immediately. I was still stressed about my tan, and that went tenfold when I put the muscle sheen on! It seemed to smudge my tan so I stopped after one leg and was worried that it would show when I was on stage but it didn't! Thank goodness!! I don't think I'd use the muscle sheen again, but we'll see I guess! I expected to feel like I was sitting backstage for hours, twiddling my thumbs waiting to get on stage but that was SO NOT the case! The organization was impeccable and since I was in two categories (bikini model and fitness model) I was basically called up to get in lineups backstage within 30 minutes of arriving!!!  We were standing in our lineups for a long time in our heels though. Now that I know how long we were waiting in line, I'd leave the shoes off for a while! Once I was off stage from the first category, I got straight into lineups for the next category! It was total amazing craziness!! HAHA I was running back and forth to my change room to stuff sweet potatoes down the shoot when I could, but I'll have to have a better plan in place next time for meals so my muscles are looking as full as possible! I don't know if this is why so many fitness competitors bring junk food to snack on as their carbs, but it makes total sense to me now!! There just wasn't time to have carb meals at this event. I would have been much better off to grab a couple handfuls of ju-jubes and enjoy them while standing in line rather than stuffing my face! HAHA

My mirror Buddies

First Time on Stage

In regard to the competition, it went awesome! I felt fairly relaxed until I had to walk pass that curtain, at which point I started shaking like a leaf!! (apparently that wasn't visible from the audience either, but I find that hard to believe) There were 12 girls in fitness class and 14 in bikini so we got a LOT of time on stage :) After all the concern of not achieving the amount of muscle I had wanted, I ended up placing second in the fitness model category which was awesome!!!!! The stage was smaller than I expected so I had to do a lot of improvisation at the last minute, but everything worked out in the long run, and I had a blast!!! I wasn't thinking straight when I went up for bikini, and rather than relaxing, I was flexed the whole time, which I think hurt my placing! I ended up with 7th place in Bikini Model.

2nd Place!! With Papa and Baby Haley, Love you guys!

What's next....well, that's for another post because this one has been getting a little longer than I like!!! I'll be writing up my goals for the summer and fall soon, and will definitely be sharing with you all!

Thankyou again for all the support, I couldn't have stayed as focused without feeling accountable to all of you! ;) YOU ROCK!!!!

7 Weeks out, and Prep for Photoshoot next week!

This week, I did low carb Monday-Saturday and included a high carb and higher calorie day on Sunday. Last week pictures were looking so flat that I was hoping the carb load on Sunday would make for better pics this week, and it appears it worked!! I am much happier with these pics...progress is still humming along! I'm still panicked that I won't get lean enough on time, but I'm continuing to go strong! My knees have been treating me pretty good this week during cardio, and long as I keep it really low impact, so I'll continue with that next week too! I've been working so hard in the gym, I've had a couple of "why am I doing this again?" moments...but there have been more good days than bad! I'm determined to stay motivated!

My plan for this week is the same as I've been doing the last couple of weeks! I'm going to be eating low carb till Saturday where I will start to introduce carbs back into my diet. This will HOPEFULLY fill out my muscles nicely by the time I have the photoshoot on Sunday. The beginning of the week, I'll be ingesting AT LEAST a gallon of water/day. Come saturday I'll be just drinking what I need, and after dinner on Saturday I'll just be sipping water when really needed! After tomorrow I won't be working legs for the rest of the week, it's said to retain water when you work legs...(I'll go easy on myself when we are doing legs at FEM Camp) I'm going to be going lighter on the weights, higher reps. Taking a bit of a break you could say.

There's lots to do this week!! I have to start making a diet plan so that I can prep all my food for the trip by Thursday. (I booked a hotel with a kitchen, so that's eased my mind a little about prep!) I have to pick out some outfits for the shoot, get a manicure and pedicure, figure out what I want to do with my hair, etc...I have no idea what I want to do there, I'm a ponytail girl! I have a spray tanned booked in Toronto to hopefully make those muscles pop a bit more too...not to mention hide my cellulite ;) I'm pretty darned EXCITED about FEM CAMP!! I wish it was closer to competition time so my body would have looked better, but what can ya do!!! I'm ACTUALLY getting to meet a few people there, that I have only chatted with so far through my page. They have helped me so much along the way! I can't wait! Oh, and I guess Monica Brant is kinda a big deal too ;) ;)

Anyway, I will be kinda MIA over the weekend, but will be taking LOTS of pictures to post when I get back!!! Wish my husband luck with the baby by himself for 4 days!!!! AHHHHHH LOL

#FITFAMFEB How are you keeping your family and friends involved in your Healthy Lifestyle??

Myself and the #mompowerteam have dedicated February to #fitfamfeb. Our goal is to spend the month encouraging our direct family members, and "friend" family members to jump on board with the healthy lifestyles that we are creating for ourselves!! :)

We have been posting pics online of families exercising and eating healthy together. Seeing others participating shows how much fun it can be!! If you want to participate, include the hashtag #mompowerteam and #fitfamfeb, so we can see your pics as well!!! :) Here is the pic I took of me and my daughter trying to do chinups in the basement!! :) I couldn't complete one with the added 15lbs on my back, but instead I worked on trying to hold myself in position as long as I could!!! LOL Pushups were easy and fun...I think my daughter was confused at what we were doing more than enjoying it, but if you start them young it can't be bad!! HAHA

What do you do to keep your family active??

Here is another pic of my family on Vacation! We took the weekend off from the gym, but that didn't mean that we didn't stay active! Here we are on a hike, enjoying the scenery and fresh air in Palm Springs! Not to mention LOTS OF SHOPPING!!! New runners to invigorate my workouts when we get home??? I say "YES PLEASE!!!"

Do you participate in a bookclub?? I'm hosting this month, and this was my idea to get my "friends" family interested in Clean Eating and Working out!!! (Not to mention, giving me time to catch up on the future readings;) Instead of choosing a novel, I instructed everyone to read a fitness magazine and come to bookclub ready to discuss one healthy habit they learned!! :) We always do a food theme...because who are we kidding, bookclubs aren't about reading, they are about friends and FOOD!!! Everyone this month will be bringing a recipe found in the magazines :) YAY, I will be able to eat the majority of the food at bookclub!! FINALLY! HAHA

 

So far, this is how I've embraced #fitfamfeb!!! I encourage you all to jump on board...there's nothing better than having a happy, healthy family!!! Making small changes and keeping it fun is the key!!! :)

14 Weeks out!!!

I missed progress pics last week since I was so sick and didn't work out. I'm was feeling MUCH better this week, and I was working REALLY hard at the gym!! I'm noticing that I have to focus a lot more on my triceps. My diet this past week was 1900 Calories and a 40/40/20 Macro Split. I've noticed just looking in the mirror at the gym that I'm looking better, but these pics don't really reflect that?? I seem to have lost all definition in my abs (could be as simple as what I ate yesterday I guess) And I had to take the pics by myself this morning because my photographer is out of town ;) Did a lot of running back and forth from the camera to my spot trying to get the positioning as close to the last pics as possible!!

I spent a lot of time this week emailing Hair/MakeUp for quotes, and shopping around for tanning! I think I've settled on using Cherry Dolls for my Tan (they seem to be the most hassle free) and I'm pretty sure I've pick my hair and makeup professional as well :) I was originally planning on doing all this stuff myself, but I see myself being SO NERVOUS that I want to have as little to worry about as possible.  For future competitions (if there's a future competition) I will be more comfortable trying to do these things on my own!

I haven't been practicing posing, but I HAVE been walking all over the place in my heels just getting used to them!! They are slowly but surely getting more comfortable! THANK GOODNESS!!! HAHA I have a couple of workshops coming up, and hopefully I'll get tips there to REALLY start practicing my posing routine!

I have to get even MORE focused on the food intake this week. I'm going to do 1800 Cals a day and stick with my 40/40/20. I just realized that I do have a photoshoot the first week of April, so I should be counting that as my focus for now!!! This means, I have half the time I thought I did!! HAHA I want to look a little more "Natural" for the photoshoot though, so it should be good timing!!

Until Next week's Progress Pics!!! Have a great Week!!!

Week 23, 16 Weeks to Go!!!

This past week, I changed up my program a bit, just to spice things up a little. It was a 5 day split from Fitness RX Magazine. There weren't any active rests so my total caloric burn for the week was less than normal....the only day I got a CRAZY burn was the lowerbody circuit on Saturday!! I burned double what I normally do, and felt for the first time in a long time, that I had to barf! HAHA It's now Monday and I still can't sit down without pain! LOL

As for pics and weigh in today I gained a bit :( Which means, I'm gonna change my diet again this week. 100 calories less per day. So my plan this week will be to eat 2000 calories a day and stick with this 5 day split for another week. We will see what happens next Monday and work from there!! I'm not crazy concerned that things aren't going in a downward trend just yet. I will get really focused on that 10-12 weeks out! I'm sure you are getting sick of collage after collage of pics that look pretty much exactly the same, but I'm going to keep posting for accountability!! LOL

I'm going to be playing a bit of catch up too, as I'm REALLY feeling under the weather today, so I stayed home from the gym today. My daughter had the flu shot on Friday, and has a runny nose and such, so I'm assuming I'm getting something from her :(

Happy Workouts and Clean Eating Everyone!!! Keep up the hard work!!!

Week 22 Progress and 17 Weeks to go till Competition!!!

I'm back from family vacay just over two pounds lighter...oooops. I knew that I wasn't getting in my whole 2100 calories per day but was hoping the fact that I wasn't working out at all, would balance everything out! Ah well, lesson learned.  At least I know now, with little changes in intake it'll start coming off easily!! (for a while anyway)  I missed progress photo's and weigh in last week because we were away, but I won't be missing any updates from here on out!!!

(Aug 1st, Jan 7, Jan 21)

I just finished the 12 week James Wilson Body Earned Program (without cardio) and it was recommended to take a full week off before going on to something else! I'm glad that landed while I was on vacation because it was SO HARD to take time away from the gym!! I did end up going the day after we got back for a speedy "sanity circuit". I know I know, I have to learn to rest!!! Other than that, I took the entire week off ( it sure did a body good!!!) and I'm READY to get back at it today!! :)

As for the plan this week....

I'm sticking with 2100 Calories as I seem to be losing little by little with that. I don't want to get too ahead of myself! I will REALLY evaluate at 12 weeks out! I'm going for a VERY slow lean out as I want to keep as much of my muscle as possible!!! I'm not to worried that I won't be able to get lean, I'm more worried that I will look scrawny once I do! I've found it SO HARD to put on good muscle!!!

It's funny!! As a woman, I've always wanted to be lean..and I was so excited for this upcoming leanout phase, but now that I'm saying goodbye, all I can think about is, after this competition is over I CAN'T WAIT to get back to trying to gain more muscle mass!!!

I've been reading more and more about protein consumption. I've been eating 40%protein, and at this higher calorie intake I'm pretty much consuming really expensive carbs. I don't need that much!!! However over the past few months, I've noticed my body doesn't react well to a higher carb diet either! (or I feel bloated on it at least) The solution?? I'm going to try increasing fats instead and see what happens! So my breakdown this week will be 30% Pro, 40% Carb, and 30% Fat.

On another note, I started sleep training with my daughter and she's in her own crib and doing great!!! More sleep for me should REALLY help things out as well!!! :)

So I'm Signing out till Wednesday!! A little birdy tells me that there will be an awesome giveaway announcement that I WISH I could have gotten in on!!! Keep your eyes peeled because you won't want to miss it!!! :) Hopefully it will be ready to start by Wednesday!!!

Week 20 Progress

Well, another week down!!! I gained a pound this week...a little more than I had planned, but my BF went up much less so at least some of that was lean mass!!! :) I hate seeing the scale go up, but I love feeling stronger, and thinking how much better leaning out will look with some more muscle!!!

This Friday, we are going on a family vacation to Palm Springs. I've planned ahead to stay within my calorie range, but not worry so much about my macro's being perfect. I've worked my rest days into the vacay so we will only have to work out a couple of times while away, but we'll be getting lots of active days with all day shopping, hikes and swimming :)

When we get back from Vacation I will be 17 weeks out, so competition prep will REALLY start!! I`m looking fwd to it, but I`m also worried that it won`t all come together on time!!!