NPC Emerald Cup - 5 days out

So I'm 5 days out. Today I did legs. Just a few supersets, 3 x 20 major exercises to burn out the glycogen. No carbs in my diet now aside from what's in all the asparagus I'm eating to drop water. I've made some HUGE changes and progress and I'm super excited about that. It's funny people's interpretations or views on that. Some people think that people who make changes like that are on steroids or other things. Ignorance. Jealousy because they are not making their own progress. Probly eating way too many carbs and/or drinking. But also everyone has their own opinions. Yesterday a friend told me that the big buff tatted dude at the booth next to us said I was 'jacked'. haha SuhWEET! I don't always see it. I mean I do in the selfies when I'm posing but never sure how I look to others. Today I saw a colleague who hadn't seen me in months, since like 20lbs ago, and she was like 'you got skinny! what' going on?" And I told her I had a show on Friday lol. So as if you're not already going back and forth in your own head, you have all these different opinions being thrown at you.

I'm also chugging a TON of water! 1-2 gallons a day. And I'm still THIRSTY!!! This is the effect different foods and ratios have on the body. I wouldn't recommend trying it, just take my word for it ;) 

This is me a few days ago. Lots of progress. My back is my best feature and its starting to show. The lighting in this locker room is horrible and has not reflecting what I and others have actually seen in my progress but it is what it is. Quad separation is good, shoulders are more capped then before. I'm still crooked, yes I AM, not the suit or how I'm standing. Chest has more definition,...I've really been working on that and finally have a pec separation. Also a lot less boobs, HAHHA! They are 'manageable' now.  

So everyone thinks I look Awesome and I'm 'gonna win'. It's really hard to be nice and take a compliment when you know it's not true. THIS is my weak spot. And despite all my progress, and how lean everything else is getting, THIS CRAP is still there. I am embarrassed by these photos. 'Normal people' don't know how ROUGH the competition is, and yes, every little line needs to be where it should. So do I feel confident? lol nope.  

 

This is not the bootie of a Figure Competitor. Again, the lighting is awful and I'm not tanned, but still. Yes, there will be improvement as I drop my water and dry out. I will tighten up, but not to the extent I need to. But I have to remember my approach this time. Although I REALLY wanted this show, I also wanted BALANCE. I allowed cheat meals. I had a little flexibility. Because I KNOW I can diet like crazy. But I also know I can balloon back up quickly. And I do not want that. I don't want the mental struggle and rebound I usually have. So the loss of over 20lbs was almost painless to me. I dieted, yes. But I feel like when I made changes the weight came off. And I enjoyed my food. I'd rather be a lower trophy and be able to maintain it all year round than to win one show and gain 30lbs back after that.

It's ok. The work is done, the final stages are in place. I'm getting caught up on rest these next few days and prepping and packing. Sara and I will enjoy this adventure to WA together and then hang out in Seattle and enjoy food like normal people lol. I'm already thinking to my diet and training for the next two months as NPC San Jose is on June 29th. All I really need to do is tighten up and drop a few more lbs or gain a lil muscle. I can come in very lean. And I have  few special events planned already for my cheat meals. If I keep it tight I should be able to allow them and then I will have something that I can start to live with as a normal life.

NPC Emerald Cup - 8 weeks out

Well, we're at 8 weeks out! This week I took some progress pics finally and also sent them to Sara. She asked if I was still having fruit which I am. 1/2 banana on my hard days and 6 or so strawberries on my lighter days. She told me no more cheat days except for my Birthday. Which I needed her to tell me. This is going to be a BIG show and I want to present at my best EVER. So as of today, I am down to 131lbs, approximately 17.7% BF so down about 1%. My goal is approximately 12% at 125lbs. (Lower % if possible, my first year I was 9% so I'd like to see what I look like there.)

 
March 5th 2013                                                                   March 8th 2013

So I need to KILL myself the next few weeks because I have a fitness conference Thursday - Sunday. So instead of my normal 2 days rest, I need to start RIGHT OVER tomorrow to get all 5 lifts in before the 4 day conference(which is all workouts) and then RIGHT back into Day 1 lift on Monday. So about 19 days straight. Right now my back is locking up and I should be going to the chiropractor. When it locks up I can feel my spine, it cracks a lot, and my low back is tight. I can't move my neck/head that much. I am in pain around T4(thoracic) and my neck. I don't like to take meds, but I'm taking some now. I try to stretch a lot, hang to decompress my spine and roll on my foam roller.

 
Our Mantra                                                                             This week's food

So I did my lift...it was short, and hey, I'm not stupid so I didn't do my Cleans or Jump Rope. My back was trying to give out on the BB Front Squats and I tried one clean and I could hear my back crunching. I did a nice 30mins on the stairs instead of the treadmill.


Makin' it happen

< 9 Weeks out - NPC Emerald Cup

So the last time I checked, I was 132lbs and about 18% BF. STILL. Ok, I did drop a bit last week finally after cutting the carbs our of meal 5. But it was a ROUGH week, and I got fed up. So, I kinda acted like a "normal" person this weekend. :O Like my bad day is probly someone else's good day but in the Bodybuilding World, and in prep mode, it was HORRIBLE. Of course, I actually filled out and felt like I looked better. LOL. So I am all back on track and KILLING it this week! Today I taught my 2 Aqua classes, then subbed PowerFlex, then did my own lift. (Cycle I taught off bike as the class is just so packed I give up mine).

So, now I am feeling my back. Today, lying on the bench teaching class I could FEEL my right shoulder blade was farther back as it was pushing into the bench. Every movement was finding knots and my shoulders kept wanting to slip out. (They sublux/partially dislocate). My low spine is acting funny...even doing a plank, I can feel my vertebrae clicking as I breathe. My low back, everything is TIGHT and off. Basically, I'm totally twisted. Time for an adjustment but I'm worried how/if this will continue and if it will affect/impede my workouts.

  

Meal 5: Changing the veggies, stir fry mix from #safeway with chicken.
Meal 3: trying to like turkey again using the 15% for my fatty protein. With brown rice. Used minced garlic and onions with garlic salt.
The rest pretty much the same. Pre-workout #bodyfortress NOS blast or #bsn no-xplode, post-workout #isagenix Isalean Pro and #vitargo

So, I'm not perfect. I've done this for 10 years on and off. I've dieted myself like crazy, I've been super strict, and I've had to lose the same 20lbs (25 this time) over and over again. I know my body. I know it stopped responding last year. This is MY journey and I can choose my own goals and approach. I'm already way ahead of where I was last year. I let myself cheat and now I'm happy to be back on track. I have 7 more pounds to drop in the next 9 weeks. Not counting what I drop the last week with water. I wish the numbers would go down more, but I can see the difference. And so can everyone else.

12 Weeks Out Emerald Cup - Diet

Ok, so here's my new diet. Mostly similar, just a few slight changes.

Meal #1 is the same: 1/2c Lana's Egg Whites, 1 whole egg, 1/2c Oatmeal, (I changed the fruit) 1/2 banana 4 frozen strawberries. I made a double-batch so I can use the whole banana, it has good consistency for the pancakes but wanted the strawberry flavor. It's actually a LITTLE more fruit but that's ok to me because I am working out a TON and I can burn that off in my AM workouts.

Meal #2 is my Post-workout shake. Still using my IsaLean Pro but now added in the 1 scoop(that's a half serving) of the Vitargo so that I can have a better carb:protein ration. (2:1).

Meal #3 is 4oz Salmon and 6oz Butternut Squash. I took out my fat serving(almonds/avocado) in lieu of having a fatty protein source. So I still have my carbs with the squash, and the fat and protein are in the salmon. I may change this with meal #5 depending on how my day is going.

 

Meal #4 I just swapped the chicken for Tilapia. 4oz Tilapia, 1/2c brown rice, 4 asparagus(they are fat), 10 almonds. (a lil les fat as the salmon had a bit more)

Meal #5 Is my IsaLean Shake with Ionix (for combatting the effects of stress). I like this meal here as I can down it in-between clients/class at night.

Meal #6 is the same. My omelet: 1c egg whites, spinach(2c or handfuls), 1/2 avocado.
  
If I feel like it either I need it mentally or I had a heavy workout day I will have my IsaDelight as a treat. It's a little chocolate square infused with green tea. That's not a daily thing though.

This is for my training days which are Mon - Fri. I lift 5 days a week and teach 8 classes, but don't do all the classes depending on their capacity. My plan is about 1933 calories: 51g fat, 177g protein, 187g carbs, 29g fiber. I aim to drink 1 gallon of water a day. I also added CLA with some of my meals each day.
 

Training Weeks 3 - 5

Sooooo,.....I got a little behind! I've been eating pretty much the same thing/meals as I showed you previously. I dropped to approximately 133lbs and 19% Body Fat. I let myself have a few cheats on the weekends...gave up my bike a few times in my Cycle class so participates could join. Now....I'm at 12 weeks out! (More on that in the next blog!) Here's a summary of my progress:

  
  
  

    

Why Isagenix?

First let me say, that I have a LOT of friends that use/represent different product lines, and I in no way want to say anything about their products. We all do what we feel is best, using a product we feel good about, to help people. Furthermore, those people who say 'it's a scam' or 'they got burned' clearly don't understand you are running a business. Just as much as you don't get a job in sales, or memberships, and just sit at your desk all day wondering why no one is just walking in throwing cash at you so you can earn commission. You need to WORK! It is education, sales, etc. It's is a full business, not a "get rich quick scheme". Although that's a possibility. I also know people who have quit their jobs by joining one of these teams and helping others. Plus, you shouldn't be 'buying a product so you can sell it and make money'. You should be referring people to the product because you LOVE the product. If you feel you should be paid to use it, you're just not a very good spokesmodel.

So me. I have been on other teams, and met some amazing people. I've never been a salesy person. If someone tells me they are looking for something, I can take it from there. But I just won't go up to someone and try to convince them of something. Back in July, my former coach Cathy Savage mentioned Isagenix to me. She said it could be a great way to help my business and raved about the product. I had seen it in some of the girls' meal prep photos on Facebook. I was shocked because Cathy would NEVER tell us to use any sort of supplement. Real food. If we asked her about protein shakes, she would say "whatever you can stomach will be the best one for you". So I tried it. 3 months, and I was training hard and making pretty awesome gains. I actually realized that from the year before, I went up from teaching 3 classes/week to 8, and from 3 lifts/week to 5...and did not have nearly the pain from my back and neck that I had before. I almost was afraid to stop using it.
 
I ran out, I wasn't sure I could 'do this'. It's money and I had done this before. But I called up a few of my old teammates...and they had used Isagenix for years! I got great feedback from them and it really just sealed it for me. I told Cathy to sign me up as an Associate! In the 2 weeks that I did not have product I was using other shakes I had previously in my cabinet. NOT the same! I didn't feel full, they didn't taste good, I just didn't feel the same. That old run-down feeling came back. My junk food cravings came back. They say it takes 4 days to feel a difference. Sure enough I was feeling great again by that 4th day. And I run myself RAGGED! There are lots of other stories you can read. There are hundreds of Cathy's competitors and many others I've heard from that use it. So to me, it was a done deal. My old teammates and coach, competitors, great product and it just feels right.
 
I love the shakes. They are organic whey with no added artificial sweeteners. I really love the Ionix, Want More Energy and IsaGreens to mix in the shakes to give them all different flavors. My dad is using the shakes and the bars.

So my goal is to build my business, and get about 4 good strong people with me that I can help on this journey. To help them build and make money and be healthy and reach their goals. Then, once they are set up help them with their teams or find more people, but really concentrate on helping my friends. The product is great, you don't need to run the business aspect. You can sign up as a Preferred Customer. I highly recommend checking it out. Just give it 4 days.  ;)

FREE Coaching by me. www.coachnict.isagenix.com

Training for October, Weeks 1&2

I have really been debating which direction to take my training in for October. I definitely need some structure back. I have been getting in about 3x/wk splits. I've been getting sore, which is nice ;) I had a full work shop last weekend with my co-workers from various other clubs for kettlebell training on one day and 'suspension training' (think TRX) the next. Let me tell you I WAS SORE!! Sunday night, many things were uncomfortable to do, lol. It hurt to sneeze! Of course I'm pretty Bad ass, so I pick the most cocky guy there and try to take him on. ahhhh....I hold my own.

Anyhow, I'm still at a pretty heavy weight for me, but I really want to start lifting heavy and building some more muscle. I can see it starting to bounce back, but do I really want to up my calories and get...bigger? I was looking at my numbers for 'building' vs. 'leaning', and I've decided to create my meal plans in-between the two. I will be using the workouts from the M&F Workout Trainer which consist of 5 lifting days; lower body shoulders, upper body, lower body shoulders and full body, with abs each day. I am on Advanced Muscle Tone & Firm, based on the information I have provided to the program. I felt a huge difference and built muscle pretty quick when I started it before. I just have to MAKE the time each day.

I am starting at 144lbs, 22% BF. EEK! Yes, this is my absolute HIGHEST weight! I feel huge. Which is funny since the zone I target my regular clients for is 18-25% for health. (Of course, athletes and competitors are usually between 9% - 15% for females)

My food for the first 2 weeks is below. I am great during the week, but not so great on the weekends. 

    

   

I put myself on a 2,200 cal meal plan. At first, I was almost sick to my stomach because I was SO full! By the end of the week, I was hungry waiting for my next meal. Also, not only did I maintain my weight, but my scale would blink between my weight and the number below. I found out through my metabolic testing earlier this year that my body does much better at fat utilization at lower levels of HR or intervals such as lifting. 

   
I was VERY happy with my gains in these two weeks. All the definition is popping back. My weights are going up each week. Feeling pretty badass, not gonna lie! ;)


 
Here are some of the set-ups for the M&F Trainer workouts. LOVE 'em!

Now I will be working on my next food plan for the week and getting ready for the next lifts and takin' it up a notch!