Tweaking Side Poses

Alarm clock went off at 6:15 am this morning. I was not ready to get out of bed. Last night I took a natural sleep aid because I have been feeling a little anxiety and nervousness. I wanted to get a good nights sleep. I finally woke up about an hour later, fixed a little bit of coffee to kickstart me, changed into workout clothes to get a good sweat during cardio (sweat pants, t-shirt, hoodie). I headed to the gym and weighed, just slightly under 114lbs. I may break my plateau by the end of the week. We'll see! Not going to let it get me down if I don't lose a couple more pounds, pictures show how lean I am. At the gym I climbed on the elliptical with intentions of staying on for 20 minutes but I just didn't have the energy for it. So I warmed up on it for about 5 minutes and jumped on the treadmill. Set incline really high and speed around 45. After 10-15 minutes at incline, I dropped it down and ran intervals. On days when I'm feeling fatigued, intervals seem to give the best results. I spent about 15 more minutes doing them. Took more photos last night in really good lighting. I am happy with the way I am besides losing 1 or 2 more pounds won't make a lot of difference. Deke changed my training style and I am now using HITT because my strength suffers by the end of my weight lifting routine. I tried it for the first time yesterday on legs. I think it will be very effective as I try to maintain muscle mass the next couple of weeks. I am in maintenance mode now, not worried about gaining muscle size right now due to lack of food and calories. It takes fuel to grow muscles and right now I'm not taking in very much.

The picture above is the new Ms. Olympia 2009 Nicole Wilkins. I think she looks great, very natural, not too put together and looks very relaxed.

I've been on the computer checking out You Tube footage of competitions and posing. I have printed out several pictures of side poses because this is the one that seems to be giving me the most trouble. This I think is my weakest pose so I am going to work hard on correcting it. Wish me luck! Posing is really important. I want the judges to see that I know what I am doing, that I've done my research.

Hanging Out and Hanging On

The follies which a man regrets most in his life are those which he didn't commit when he had the opportunity. ~Helen Rowland

Today has been a pretty good day. My mood has been pretty positive and compliments given to me throughout the day really makes all my hard work and effort worth it. Classmates commented I was "getting ripped", guys at the gym said my arms were getting cut and someone at the grocery store when I was buying my sweet potatoes for carb meal night said, "I don't know how you do it." Opportunities pass us by everyday as we flow through our circles of life. This just happened to be a great time in mine to take hold and achieve a great goal. I haven't very many, finish college, get my education degree, earn my masters, start a family, compete in another show (maybe). Just the typical things everyone does. But this one opportunity to show I can achieve the best physique I have ever had will be one of the ones I am most proud of. It has taken many hours at the gym (when there were days that I really wanted to avoid it) and tons of sacrafice when it comes to food and going out to dinner for social time. It's best to eat at home on the diets we live off of. Too many restaurants don't have healthy menus.

As these next couple of weeks pass by I will be focusing alot on the future, my dieting habits, my workouts. I haven't come up with a plan yet for post-competition, a little too soon for that. I don't want to rush all the excitement I prepared so long for.

Tonight I had my carb load meal. I love eating everything fresh so I make a trip to the grocery store to get sweet potato, asparagus or zucchini and a fresh banana. I douse everything with cinnamon and splenda. It's so good. I look forward to carb load nights on Monday and Thursday. I am really bloated right now though. Feel like my bellies gonna burst.

So, tonight I'm just hanging out. Probably read some other blogs or visit some fitness/figure websites to see what more I can learn. Seriously, there is always something new happening in the figure world and I've found some new websites. Reading helps keep me motivated. I have pictures on my fridge too of figure girls. Gosh, their gorgeous!

Happy Fall! Three Weeks to Go!

There is no question that I am getting excited about the competition being 20 days away! I will be posting some new pictures too in a few days. I've been so busy with work, school, home life, making arrangements for the weekend of the show and all that fun stuff. I made a flyer to hang in the gym with information about tickets and location so our supporters can come. I ordered my track suit and having it embroidered with my name and logo. This will make it easier to meet people while hanging out backstage. I think people are more willing to approach you if they know your name. I reserved the rooms in the hotel we will be staying in and my finished suit came in the mail. It's is totally awesome. I thought it was gorgeous before the stone work was applied but now Holy Cow, it's fantastic! I haven't even had time to try it on yet. And I got my stage lipstick, a dark reddish, purple called Hydrocurrant, a Merle Norman product. Love Merle Norman! Hi, Crystal!

I had a good leg workout at home today. Had to make up for yesterday. I went to the gym with good intentions to work legs but my energy was way down and strength sucked. I felt like I would be wasting my time if I tried so I grabbed my shoes and practiced posing. The gym mirrors and lighting are so much better than homes. My advice is to practice where the lighting makes you look good. It'll make a world of difference. Trust me. I still need to remember to relax and smile. I'm focusing to hard on hitting the poses right. The next three weeks I'm going to really concentrate on enjoying these last moments and smile and relax and hope for the best. I'm getting used to the new diet which changed a couple of weeks ago.

The scale hasn't dropped from 114lbs. but I am still leaning out. Deke says you can only lose so much weight. At least I'm keeping muscle. I added a new supplement to my diet liver tabs, a rich source of protein that comes from beef. It also contains B vitamins and iron which is great for low calories dieting while working out. I seem to like it so far. Today I'm feeling pretty good although I didn't sleep very well last night. Nightmares!

I meet with Deke tomorrow evening to find out if we need to make any changes to diet, training or workout. If anything, probably a little more cardio to burn off the last bit of fat. I nearly skin and water right now. I'm carrying most of the fat in my bottom. Hoping it will go bye, bye!

I have been regularly getting massages about once a week. The benefits are great for muscle recovery and stress. It helps relieve muscle pain, stretches weak muscles, helps recover from workouts, increases joint flexibility, relaxes over used muscles and helps relieve cramps. I love getting them but sometimes working those neck, hip, and back knots out really hurts. The most important thing-take care of your body!

Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did. ~Newt Gingrich

Today I had a quick shoulder workout but they still burn after one hour and a half. I get weak as my workout flows from each exercise but I have to keep telling myself to push hard. Sometimes I wish I had a personal trainer to yell in my ear or to tell me I'm wimping out. I desperately need to regroup and find some new motivation to get me through the last couple of weeks. At this point, I want to be done with cardio and training and watching what I eat. The hype just isn't there today but had some things happen that really pissed me off with work and scheduling. So I'm not in a very good mood. This not being in a very good mood situation seems to be happening more frequently. I almost feel like I have PMS. I could bite someones head off at the snap of a finger and I have to tackle the grocery store and checkout line later too. Ummmph!! I haven't lost a pound in two weeks, still at 114 but really I am pretty lean and if I didn't lose anymore weight I will probably still be lean enough for the competition. My body fat two weeks ago was about 12% which is normal for stage readiness. I continue to do cardio in the morning on an empty stomach which is easier now than my weight training. My goal weight was 110 but I'm not sure if I'll make it there. My body is really fighting to lose anymore. I figured this would happen around 114 because several years ago when I was dieting and training that's as low as I got and I didn't stay there long. I would teeter between 116-118. That's one reason it's hard to stay motivated. I feel like doing all this cardio is just a waste of time because I'm not seeing the scale fall. I have to remember though, appearance not just numbers is the most important. I do think, though, that my tush is getting smaller and lifting a little more. That is one noticeable difference. I am all about having to see differences and changes but the changes are becoming less visible. For me, it's the big changes that keep me motivated and now that I'm almost near my peak they are becoming less visible. At the beginning and throughout the year I could keep track of my progress with pictures, seeing my muscles grow and the pounds dropping, finding my clothes fit bigger, that I could wear things I hadn't been able to wear for years. Those were exciting times. Now all those things are past and the improvements are now more subtle. I'm already thinking about body parts I need to improve if I am to compete again. Right now, I think I'll leave you with that and take it one day at a time!

One Month Away!

It's really hard to imagine my competition is one month away from today. We all know how a month can fly by and I'm feeling nervous today. I had another hard workout, though not as bad as yesterday. Today was arm day and I failed to complete my total number of reps with some exercises. I usually try to meet or beat the numbers from the week before. Tried increasing weight on tricep extensions but I couldn't handle it so I backed down to my current weight and tried not to feel defeated. The lack of calories this week sucks. I haven't really felt tired or hungry just a little fatigued by the end of my weight training. My morning cardio workout is going pretty well. I have the stamina and strength to do my 35 minutes and sometimes do a few minutes more. I'm keeping track of how I feel after every workout so that adequate adjustments can be made next week if needed. I will probably add an extra weight training session on the weekends if I don't get good workouts through the week. I'm scared about losing muscle mass. I don't have a whole lot of size on me but you don't have to be big for figure but I do want the slight degree of muscularity and definition the judges are looking for. I don't care about winning but I'd rather not end up at the bottom either. I don't want to set my expectations too high. I like to stay grounded and enjoy the experience. I need to stay focused and not worry so much at this point. Still four weeks to go and alot of work ahead of me. It's raining outside, kind of matches my gloomy mood. I need a rainbow and clear, sunny skies or maybe a vacation to the Caribbean. Ha!

Dieting and Workout Struggles

Today's workout was really disappointing. My new diet, high in protein and veggies and a very low carb intake definitely affected my endurance and strength today. Deke said that was to be expected and normal due to the type of diet. I don't mind functioning on so little food but when it affects my weight training, it really affects my mood. I work and train hard, do as much weight as possible, always try beat my number of reps and always finish my sets. Today, I had to have help finishing the last two reps on set two and three of my chest routine. Mrs. Independent that I am, took an ego hit because I lacked the strength to get a good pump on those last two reps. If the diet continues affecting my workout I'll have to change my routine somewhat. Volume of training will decrease but not weight. Lifting heavy is what helps muscle break down and grow. I am working on posing tonight too. I don't like posing at home, the lighting is awful and it doesn't make me look very well. The lighting makes me look pale and my muscles look flat but that could also be because I am carb depleted to night too. Nonetheless, I am giving it my best shot at posing practice. I'm finally getting used to the 5" heels.

My new diet which I started Saturday is a rotational diet. Monday and Thursday are the low carb/ moderate calories/ carb meal days. Tuesday and Friday are low carb and low calorie. Wednesday-Saturday-Sunday are moderate carbs/ moderate calorie days. My supplementation has not changed since about seven weeks ago accept that I will start taking amino acids before cardio first thing in the morning. I have about three more hard weeks of training left before the competition weekend because the final week we won't be doing much as far as weight training. The main focus will be dieting, water and sodium depletion. I have no idea how any of that works. It will be more of those learn it as you go moments with Deke instructing me on what to do. I'll let you know more about that phase later.

Suit Preview

My suit arrived by mail for a fitting on Friday and I was totally excited. It was like the energy we all have on Christmas morning anxious to open our presents. I was nervous about putting it on, I asked, "Is my physique in good enough form?" Despite my doubts, I managed to get the teeny-tiny suit on and loved how it looked. I wanted to share a picture so here it is. The suit is unfinished with safety pins holding it together and the stones haven't been put on it yet but I can't wait to see it finished. Let me know what you think!!