Ok, so it's been a while since I've blogged, but I'm back and just about 5 weeks out from NPC Nationals held in Atlanta, Georgia on November 10th. My last show was in July, my first national show, and I felt really good going in to it and had a great time. I tied for 16th place with a handful of other girls, which didn't disappoint me because that was all I expected. I had fun and just took in the experience.
That being said, now I really want to start climbing the ladder of the national ranks and be competitve. I know I need to bring my physique in leaner and tighter while still maintaining balance and shape if I want to do that, so I'm on a mission to get leaner and be better than I ever have before. I'm just about in the same condition as I was going into Team Universe so I am confident I can greatly improve over the next 5 weeks and show up in Atlanta at my best!!
Follow me along as I transform my body once again to step on stage on November 10th.
My team of support is growing and I just want to thank a few people helping me achieve my goals.
Kevin Myles
Tyler Electric
Pinkus Family Chiropractic
Melissa Champine Massage Therapy
Merryl Hazelton
Michael & Anne Himmel
Thank you all so much!
Friday, October 5, 2012
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Hamstrings, Glutes & Protein Mocha Frappe
Today I worked hamstrings and glutes followed by 30 minutes of cardio. I changed things up a little today for hamstrings. The past few weeks I've been doing stiff legged deadlifts, single leg cable curls prone on the ball, elevated DB plie squats, and hip abductions.
Today I did the following:
1) Wide stance romanian deadlifts: 2 warms up sets @ 45 & 65 lbs, 5 working sets @ 95lbs x 12 reps
*I focus on going very slow with this exercise and really feeling the stretch on the way down and a good contraction in the hamstrings on the way up.
2) Lying TRX hamstring curls: 4 x 12 reps
*Focusing on the upper hamstrings and glutes, keeping the hips high.
3a) Seated machine hamstring curls: 4 x 10-12 reps
superset
3b) Reverse hyperextensions on bench 4 x 20 reps
Followed by 30 minutes of high intensity steady state cardio on the arc trainer, I had a successful workout, drenched in sweat. I put my headphones in and let the fast beat of the music drive me through each minute of heart pounding cardio, focusing on keeping my stomach tight and stepping on stage in less than 5 weeks.
My recent kick for breakfast has been what I'll call a protein mocha frappe....it's delicious!
1 cup brewed coffee
1- 1 1/2 scoops of chocolate whey protein powder
1 scoop Emerald Balance Plus (chocolate superfood powder)
1 tray of ice cubes
2 packets stevia/purvia
Cinnamon (Tbsp or so)
coconut milk to desired consistency (1/4 cup or so)
Blend well and voila....Since my carbs are lowered at this point, I use this as a protein only meal with the Emerald Balance filling the spot of vegetables and giving me lots of nutrients in the absence of carbs and fats. It's also a way for me to have coffee without adding cream.
Tip: A good blender is KEY to making this excellent. Thanks to some very wonderful clients of mine (you know who you are) who gave me a Ninja blender for Christmas, I am able to make these perfect every morning. If you want to make an investment in your blending future consider getting one of these top notch blenders.
Today I did the following:
1) Wide stance romanian deadlifts: 2 warms up sets @ 45 & 65 lbs, 5 working sets @ 95lbs x 12 reps
*I focus on going very slow with this exercise and really feeling the stretch on the way down and a good contraction in the hamstrings on the way up.
2) Lying TRX hamstring curls: 4 x 12 reps
*Focusing on the upper hamstrings and glutes, keeping the hips high.
3a) Seated machine hamstring curls: 4 x 10-12 reps
superset
3b) Reverse hyperextensions on bench 4 x 20 reps
Followed by 30 minutes of high intensity steady state cardio on the arc trainer, I had a successful workout, drenched in sweat. I put my headphones in and let the fast beat of the music drive me through each minute of heart pounding cardio, focusing on keeping my stomach tight and stepping on stage in less than 5 weeks.
My recent kick for breakfast has been what I'll call a protein mocha frappe....it's delicious!
1 cup brewed coffee
1- 1 1/2 scoops of chocolate whey protein powder
1 scoop Emerald Balance Plus (chocolate superfood powder)
1 tray of ice cubes
2 packets stevia/purvia
Cinnamon (Tbsp or so)
coconut milk to desired consistency (1/4 cup or so)
Blend well and voila....Since my carbs are lowered at this point, I use this as a protein only meal with the Emerald Balance filling the spot of vegetables and giving me lots of nutrients in the absence of carbs and fats. It's also a way for me to have coffee without adding cream.
Tip: A good blender is KEY to making this excellent. Thanks to some very wonderful clients of mine (you know who you are) who gave me a Ninja blender for Christmas, I am able to make these perfect every morning. If you want to make an investment in your blending future consider getting one of these top notch blenders.
Friday, June 1, 2012
Every Bite Counts
Tomorrow marks the 5 week out mark! My weight is holding steady at about 130 pounds, now it's time to coax it to get leaner.
Summer is quickly approaching, sun, warm weather, bbq's...my favorite time of year. It's nice to be able to get outside to do my sprints and some cardio for a change. Take advantage of the grilling season by grilling lots of vegetables and lean meats. It's all about experimenting with different clean foods to keep things interesting and satisfying. Asparagus and zucchini fresh off the grill are some of my favorite vegetables. You can even slice sweet potatoes and grill those, a light spray of olive oil, salt and you're golden.
I've noticed over the past couple weeks I've been a little "loose" with my picking habits. I have a bad habit of picking at food, especially when I am bored or cooking. I will take a bite here and a bite there without even thinking about it. Sometimes it's chicken, which a little extra protein won't hurt; sometimes it's vegetables, which I try to go to first since they are fibrous carbs with very little calories; but sometimes it's extra sweet potatoes, which add up quickly, and even worse something like peanut butter, very calorie dense. These are all healthy foods, but without realizing it a bite here and there and a finger full of peanut butter throughout the course of the day can add up to a few hundred extra calories, possibly just enough to knock you out of the calorie deficit needed for fat loss. For most people this isn't a big deal and probably not what's preventing them from fat loss, but for me I think it makes a bigger difference than I realize.
I am really trying to focus on eliminating any extra bites and just sticking to my portioned meals, living by the motto "every bite counts".
Summer is quickly approaching, sun, warm weather, bbq's...my favorite time of year. It's nice to be able to get outside to do my sprints and some cardio for a change. Take advantage of the grilling season by grilling lots of vegetables and lean meats. It's all about experimenting with different clean foods to keep things interesting and satisfying. Asparagus and zucchini fresh off the grill are some of my favorite vegetables. You can even slice sweet potatoes and grill those, a light spray of olive oil, salt and you're golden.
I've noticed over the past couple weeks I've been a little "loose" with my picking habits. I have a bad habit of picking at food, especially when I am bored or cooking. I will take a bite here and a bite there without even thinking about it. Sometimes it's chicken, which a little extra protein won't hurt; sometimes it's vegetables, which I try to go to first since they are fibrous carbs with very little calories; but sometimes it's extra sweet potatoes, which add up quickly, and even worse something like peanut butter, very calorie dense. These are all healthy foods, but without realizing it a bite here and there and a finger full of peanut butter throughout the course of the day can add up to a few hundred extra calories, possibly just enough to knock you out of the calorie deficit needed for fat loss. For most people this isn't a big deal and probably not what's preventing them from fat loss, but for me I think it makes a bigger difference than I realize.
I am really trying to focus on eliminating any extra bites and just sticking to my portioned meals, living by the motto "every bite counts".
Friday, May 18, 2012
I love training shoulders....
Today's workout:
Seated DB shoulder press- did 5 working sets total, 4 with 35's 9-12 reps, and managed to get the 40's up without a spotter for 6 or 7 reps on the second set
Upright rows with EZ bar- 4 sets, 8 reps wide grip plus 6 reps shoulder width grip
High cable rear delt crossovers- 4 sets, 10-12 reps
DB lateral raises- 4 sets with 20's, 15 reps each...last 3-5 reps were forced with a spotter
-double drop set on the last one- 20's, 15's, 10's to burn them out
Abs: 4 sets each of 2 exercises: weighted straight leg double crunch on edge of bench and ball crunches
One of my favorite ways to eat oatmeal:
1/3 cup uncooked oats
1/4 scoop protein powder
1 Tbsp. chia or flaxseeds
1/4 cup Walden Farms calorie free maple syrup
1 packet stevia
6oz. container plain lowfat greek yogurt
1/4 cup frozen raspberries
Basically I mix all these ingredient together until the raspberries are mashed up (you can also use fresh fruit instead) and I let it sit over night or for a couple of hours before I eat it. Chia seeds are a thickener, so the less liquid you add the thicker the consistency will be after it absorbs. If you want it thinner, add some water or coconut/almond milk when you make it.
You can play with this recipe in so many ways. Try adding different spices like cinnamon, or jazz it up with some canned pumpkin, natural peanut butter, walnuts or pecans, shredded coconut. I've eaten it many different ways, just make sure you account for all the stuff you add!
Train hard!
Seated DB shoulder press- did 5 working sets total, 4 with 35's 9-12 reps, and managed to get the 40's up without a spotter for 6 or 7 reps on the second set
Upright rows with EZ bar- 4 sets, 8 reps wide grip plus 6 reps shoulder width grip
High cable rear delt crossovers- 4 sets, 10-12 reps
DB lateral raises- 4 sets with 20's, 15 reps each...last 3-5 reps were forced with a spotter
-double drop set on the last one- 20's, 15's, 10's to burn them out
Abs: 4 sets each of 2 exercises: weighted straight leg double crunch on edge of bench and ball crunches
One of my favorite ways to eat oatmeal:
1/3 cup uncooked oats
1/4 scoop protein powder
1 Tbsp. chia or flaxseeds
1/4 cup Walden Farms calorie free maple syrup
1 packet stevia
6oz. container plain lowfat greek yogurt
1/4 cup frozen raspberries
Basically I mix all these ingredient together until the raspberries are mashed up (you can also use fresh fruit instead) and I let it sit over night or for a couple of hours before I eat it. Chia seeds are a thickener, so the less liquid you add the thicker the consistency will be after it absorbs. If you want it thinner, add some water or coconut/almond milk when you make it.
You can play with this recipe in so many ways. Try adding different spices like cinnamon, or jazz it up with some canned pumpkin, natural peanut butter, walnuts or pecans, shredded coconut. I've eaten it many different ways, just make sure you account for all the stuff you add!
Train hard!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
8 Weeks Out
It's been way too long since my last blog post, so I thought I should give you an update about where I'm at. Since then, I did my first two competitions of the season with success. In Burlington I placed 2nd and in Boston I placed 4th. Even though I was already qualified for Team Universe from last year, I requalified by placing 4th at the Jay Cutler Classic. I was not as lean as I need to be for the stage, but now I have 8 weeks until the big show to tighten up while keeping my muscles full, it's all about balance.
After the Jay Cutler Classic in Boston, I had a fabulous meal at the Cheesecake factory, but didn't go crazy. I had a small greek salad and crab cake bites as an appetizer...
tuna carpaccio for an entree...
and of course cheesecake for dessert...YUM!
I was perfectly full and satisfied without completely gorging myself and eating everything I "couldn't" have for last few months leading up to the show. Flashback to a few years ago, I was so deprived before my show I would stock up on junk food to bring with me to binge on after it was over. This opened the flood gates for weeks of endless eating anything and everything I wanted. Along with it came 20-30 extra pounds that seemed to stick to me like glue. My whole approach is totally different now. It's healthy, long term, a true lifestyle. I am not hyper focused on food like I used to be. I actually enjoy the clean foods I eat every day and focus on making the small changes and improvements I need to get better for the stage. I don't have cravings, I don't feel deprived, I don't feel like I will lose complete control after a competition. My whole experience with metabolic burnout, weight fluctuations, and recovering from it is a story for another time, but I thank my coach Kevin Myles for helping me through it and getting me to where I am now.
Right now my cardio is lowered to four 20 minute sessions per week to reset my metabolism, and I'm hitting the weights hard as usual, allowing more rest time between sets. Diet is the same with slightly lowered carbs since I'm not expending as much energy with cardio.
I did a heavy back workout yesterday and this morning I am SORE!! I love it! I really focused on going as heavy as possible, while also doing very slow, controlled reps. Wide grip lat pulldowns, single arm DB rows with 60lbs, underhand pulldowns, straight arm pulldown, finishing with a couple sets of a cable lat isolation wide pull in and some external rotations for healthy rotator cuffs, since I had some time to kill.
On Monday during my chest workout, I managed to lift the 50lb dumbbells for 6 reps by myself, no spotter, which I have never done before, so that was a new record for me, next week I'll go for 7!
I've got my sights set on Team Universe...less than 8 weeks out!
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
You Can't Out Train A Bad Diet
I've read the saying "you can't out train a bad diet" many times before in articles, books, and words from very successful athletes. It's very true. Five hundred calories of refined sugar, trans fats, food colorings, and who knows what else, is going to effect your body in many more ways than burning off 500 calories from exercise will fix.
Food is a big part of my life. Not only because I LOVE to eat, I need it to survive, and I've studied nutrition, but because as a figure athlete it determines at least 80% of the way I look. What food does to your body, whether good or bad, is grossly overlook in today's world. Not enough people realize the importance of what you put in your mouth and unfortunately a lot of people end up paying with their health many years down the road after eating the wrong stuff for too long. Food should make us feel good, look good, give us energy, feel positive emotions towards it. Food should make us THRIVE, not give us cancer and make us fat and unhappy.
I am always seeking out new challenges for myself. One of them for this week is to not step on the scale until next Sunday. Obsessing over the numbers is only adding to my stress levels and preventing fat loss further. My other challenge is to try incorporating different kinds of vegetables in my diet, and more of them.
Last week I pulverized and bunch of red cabbage in my food processor and added it to a lot of my meals.
I was amazed by the gorgeous purple color of this pure cabbage and every time I took a fork full of it, I thought about how much good I was doing for my body.
Something else I tried was mashed cauliflower. I have read several times that it tastes like mashed potatoes and is a great substitute, but never actually tried it. So I did, and it really does taste like mashed potatoes! I chose to buy frozen cauliflower, steamed it and threw it in the food processor with some garlic powder and salt...wonderful!
One of my staple vegetables is broccoli, and my favorite way to make it is roasted in the oven. Super simple and super delicious. I wash and chop the broccoli into small "trees" leaving the stems as long as I can, pile them on a baking sheet with parchment paper, spray lightly with olive oil cooking spray, season with garlic powder, crushed red pepper flakes, and sea salt, throw it in the oven at 400 degrees until done to my liking, stirring half way through. I don't time anything when I cook, but I like roasted veggies on the well done side, but not burnt. They probably roast for about 45 minutes.
Get creative and learn to love your veggies! The choice is yours.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Monday Workout
I'm sitting outside right now, March 19th in Vermont, and it's 66 degrees out with a high of 75 today. Not the norm for Vermont weather in March, but I LOVE it! Seeing the sun the past couple days and feeling the warm breeze instantly makes me happy.
I had a great workout this morning, felt focused, determined, and motivated, and took advantage of the nice weather. Today's workout was chest, abs, and intervals. Here's a recap....
Chest
1) Flat bench press (I don't do this very often, usually incline dumbbell presses first). After a couple warm up sets I did 115lbs for 5 sets of 8-10 reps (8 on the last one), with a spotter assisting the last couple reps. The last 2 sets I did drop sets.
2) Incline Dumbbell (DB) Flyes- 5 sets of 12 reps with 25 lb DB's.
3) Walk over push-ups on a short step (one hand on the step, one hand on the floor)- 1 set of 14 reps followed by 3 more sets of 12.
Abs
1a) Bosu crunches with heels on a bench- 4 sets of 50 reps
1b) Decline leg raises on a bench- 4 sets of 50 reps
I decided to superset these exercises today, one right after the other followed by a 60 second rest for 4 total sets.
Intervals
So in spite of the warm weather, I decided to run sprints for my intervals outside. Not only will this help me burn up the fat on my body, but it will also help me sculpt my glutes and hamstrings. I always think of those sprinters with great glutes when it starts to get hard. This was a nice change of pace today, being outside and using my body differently. I'm sure I will feel the effects of this workout tomorrow :)
Less than 6 weeks until stage time...let's DO THIS!!
I had a great workout this morning, felt focused, determined, and motivated, and took advantage of the nice weather. Today's workout was chest, abs, and intervals. Here's a recap....
Chest
1) Flat bench press (I don't do this very often, usually incline dumbbell presses first). After a couple warm up sets I did 115lbs for 5 sets of 8-10 reps (8 on the last one), with a spotter assisting the last couple reps. The last 2 sets I did drop sets.
2) Incline Dumbbell (DB) Flyes- 5 sets of 12 reps with 25 lb DB's.
3) Walk over push-ups on a short step (one hand on the step, one hand on the floor)- 1 set of 14 reps followed by 3 more sets of 12.
Abs
1a) Bosu crunches with heels on a bench- 4 sets of 50 reps
1b) Decline leg raises on a bench- 4 sets of 50 reps
I decided to superset these exercises today, one right after the other followed by a 60 second rest for 4 total sets.
Intervals
So in spite of the warm weather, I decided to run sprints for my intervals outside. Not only will this help me burn up the fat on my body, but it will also help me sculpt my glutes and hamstrings. I always think of those sprinters with great glutes when it starts to get hard. This was a nice change of pace today, being outside and using my body differently. I'm sure I will feel the effects of this workout tomorrow :)
Less than 6 weeks until stage time...let's DO THIS!!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Motivation & Self Talk
So I'm less than 8 weeks out now from the Burlington show. I'm adding a third interval cardio session to my week so hopefully I will start to lean out a little more with that. Speaking of intervals, they are probably one of the hardest types of cardio training you can do. The goal is to push yourself as hard as you possibly can for short bursts and then recover, like sprinting. My interval ratio is usually 1 minute high, 1 minute low and usually done on the arc trainer at the gym. I've also been trying to keep in incline sprints on the treadmill to change it up and work my legs differently.
The thing about high intensity intervals is that you have to go outside your comfort zone during that "high" interval. You have to get your heart rate up close to your max, (I usually get over 200 bpm) and dig inside yourself to push through those last 20 seconds without backing down, and it's not easy and doesn't feel very good at the time. But you CAN get through it, one interval at a time, and you will feel very accomplished when it's over.
Everyone has different ways to get motivated and stay motivated. Just like I talk my clients through each rep, each set, each workout, I do the same thing for myself. Everyone has "off days", low energy, bad mood, discouragement...what ever it is, those are the times when you really need to dig deep and pull motivation from somewhere and just talk yourself through the workout. I had one of those days yesterday. Mondays seem to be hard for me. Maybe it's because it's the beginning of the week and I get into a slump on Sundays sometimes with very slow progress and that just carries over into Monday. My workout on Mondays is chest, abs, and interval cardio. I love lifting weights, so once I get started it's not hard for me to push myself to the max on every set. When I know I have a hard session of intervals ahead of me I sometimes make it so daunting and think about it so much, I almost fear them. Mind set it EVERYTHING. Don't let negative thinking get the best of you, JUST DO IT!
Some things I do to stay motivated and push myself to the max on every interval are having upbeat music, something to focus on (usually a magazine or affirmations and pictures), self talk, and visualization. Yesterday I pushed through my bad mood, thought about my goals, how I want to look, what my competition is doing, and had a great workout. During each sprint interval I would close my eyes and picture myself on stage, looking fabulous, and winning 1st place. I tell myself to train like a champion, don't back down, visualize my abs, push, push, push....and soon enough the minute is over and I'm that much closer to the finish line.
Self talk will effect you, whether positive or negative, so push those negative thoughts aside and get it done. You'll be happy you did.
The thing about high intensity intervals is that you have to go outside your comfort zone during that "high" interval. You have to get your heart rate up close to your max, (I usually get over 200 bpm) and dig inside yourself to push through those last 20 seconds without backing down, and it's not easy and doesn't feel very good at the time. But you CAN get through it, one interval at a time, and you will feel very accomplished when it's over.
Everyone has different ways to get motivated and stay motivated. Just like I talk my clients through each rep, each set, each workout, I do the same thing for myself. Everyone has "off days", low energy, bad mood, discouragement...what ever it is, those are the times when you really need to dig deep and pull motivation from somewhere and just talk yourself through the workout. I had one of those days yesterday. Mondays seem to be hard for me. Maybe it's because it's the beginning of the week and I get into a slump on Sundays sometimes with very slow progress and that just carries over into Monday. My workout on Mondays is chest, abs, and interval cardio. I love lifting weights, so once I get started it's not hard for me to push myself to the max on every set. When I know I have a hard session of intervals ahead of me I sometimes make it so daunting and think about it so much, I almost fear them. Mind set it EVERYTHING. Don't let negative thinking get the best of you, JUST DO IT!
Some things I do to stay motivated and push myself to the max on every interval are having upbeat music, something to focus on (usually a magazine or affirmations and pictures), self talk, and visualization. Yesterday I pushed through my bad mood, thought about my goals, how I want to look, what my competition is doing, and had a great workout. During each sprint interval I would close my eyes and picture myself on stage, looking fabulous, and winning 1st place. I tell myself to train like a champion, don't back down, visualize my abs, push, push, push....and soon enough the minute is over and I'm that much closer to the finish line.
Self talk will effect you, whether positive or negative, so push those negative thoughts aside and get it done. You'll be happy you did.
Friday, March 2, 2012
9 Weeks Out
So I am officially 9 weeks out from my first contest of 2012: The NPC Vermont held in Burlington, Vermont, April 28th. The following week, May 6th, I will compete at the Jay Cutler Classic in Boston, MA. These two shows will be "warm-up" shows for Team Universe following 2 months later.
My training is going well, cardio is not excessive at this point, so I can really focus on pushing myself as hard as I am capable on that day. One of my biggest challenges at this point is continuing to trust the process as it happens, to be confident that I will be ready for the stage 9 weeks from now. This is when having a coach becomes very important and helpful.
I find myself constantly analyzing my physique every day hoping to see changes, hoping to see the scale go down (just like everyone else), waiting for the fat to just disappear....which obviously will not happen over night. Everyone's body responds differently to training and nutrition, mine seems to be very stubborn when it comes to fat loss, but all I can do is keep pushing and work with what I've got until I reach my goal. I will not stop.
Taking it one day at a time...
My training is going well, cardio is not excessive at this point, so I can really focus on pushing myself as hard as I am capable on that day. One of my biggest challenges at this point is continuing to trust the process as it happens, to be confident that I will be ready for the stage 9 weeks from now. This is when having a coach becomes very important and helpful.
I find myself constantly analyzing my physique every day hoping to see changes, hoping to see the scale go down (just like everyone else), waiting for the fat to just disappear....which obviously will not happen over night. Everyone's body responds differently to training and nutrition, mine seems to be very stubborn when it comes to fat loss, but all I can do is keep pushing and work with what I've got until I reach my goal. I will not stop.
Taking it one day at a time...
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