Ready for 2014...

Well I am sure there is alot of negative talk about the new years resolutions...the gym folks and oh its going to be crowded etc etc....but the bottom line is we all started into what was a "crowded" place, now we have adapted and are part of that....sometimes when we try something new we feel right back to where we started in the beginning...shoot I still get embarrassed sometimes when I do it wrong or when I cant get through an exercise....but its part of the learning process right...

I say bring on the new folks...they are willing to start something and have courage to try a new experience..why not do it that way...its always talk about obesity in america etc etc...so how about the positive thinking about people coming to the gym ready to make changes?

if anything "we" as the experienced of overcoming that can help those new folks...but if we are tearing them down before they get in there..how are we bettering them...how are we bettering ourselves..dont forget you used to be them...you were them...some times you still are them...pay it forward..


For me, using 2014 as a year to just get better, help others....i feel like it was why I was put there...shoot my hubby went back to the gym today..we didnt work out together but its been almost 2 years since he hit the weights...I am very proud of him...so I encourage...I push because he even feels like its starting over...

have you pushed somebody today in a positive light?

Sundays..... bleh

Tommorow will be my first day back at work since vacation...ahhh the suspense lol... but the upside is that I only have a 1 month and a half till we move to Hawaii! So its the down hill with a lot of moving packing, selling our stuff...arguing (as me and hubby dont move well ) so I am awaiting the good times. Although it makes me sad since I have grown close to folks but it really tests your friendships once you leave do you really have a good friendship or was it just one of those things..like " i have to work with you so..." probably the latter but I have made good friendships since I been here learned alot about myself, my relationships with people and my husband, so all is not lost. I got a chance to experience the Okinawan/Japanese culture and got to do things many people cant say they have done so overall positive experience and time to transition..not yet..

Anywho, going to start my gym time tommorow gradually slow probably be sore as I have worked out in 2 weeks so i look forward to just getting some good sweat and not try to over do it...
Looking at weights 5 times a week, try some differnt exercises, 1 leg day, bi's/tris, chest and shoulders, 1 or 2 back days with some abs. Cardio 3 x a week with a mix of sprints long distance run, spin whatever the case..maybe circuits...

I still have no period...kind of worried but I will wait her out...much as I enjoyed not having one, hormones are out of wack and when your hubby says you are nicer when you are on your period lol..you are one crazy beech lol..so lets see if she will show her ugly self here soon..

In other news, i did my skydive, it was definitely an experience and killed my fear of heights..no joke lol...i was fine up until we got inside the plane and when the parachute/landing happened where my stomach couldnt handle the "excitement" and i immediately puked my guts out on landing. However I am not afraid anymore and checked it off. Hubby did it 2x , 1 with  me and 1 alone, he is looking to be certified smh...well more power to him lol..

 

so my next goal is learning to swim...people keep teasing "muscle sinks it doesnt float blah blah", I am going to do it and now that I am not so obsessive about getting my hair wet.. (stereotype but true) since I am natural then it should be all the better...before it was like oil and vinegar, get my feet wet thats it but you betta not dunk me in the water...them is fighting words lol....
Some pics of Guam, a good vacay, but the day before work after a vacay mannnn dreading the return to work but it will keep me busy and then back to clean eating!

Also made a recipe for Spicy Ground Turkey Muffins

1 lb ground turkey breast
1/2 c each of green pepper onions spinach red pepper chopped
Dash Cayenne pepper
Salt to taste
... Pepper to taste
Dash Parsley flakes
Dash of Chilli powder
Splash of egg whites
Splash of oats
Jalapeños as many as u like

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and put into foil muffin cups

Bake at 375 for 30 mins

Top with salsa or green sauce

Enjoy!

 

Post Competition Vacation and a Way Forward

Well,

I went on Vacation to Guam with the hubby, it was MUCHHHH Needed, we definitely needed that time, he has endured my shenanigans for 6 months all good but still a break was in store for both of us. We did a week which was good enough, went to the beach, jet skis SKYDIVING, yea I said it..lol..

Here are some pics for your viewing pleasure..

Tarzan Falls Hike

My first skydive

 

At the Hyatt swimming

Great experience much needed....

So now the way forward...i do have some lessons learned...

I definitely can say what I wanted last year is different than what I want now but I dont forget the lessons or trials, I am sure I will go through phases, and to expect to be all knowing is unrealistic but its human nature on some things...we want the results right away not realizing even when we meet are goal you still want to maintain and get better over all...

So I see things like this, I see that I completed another phase and look forward to just enjoying the gym as I always have from the beginning! I love training first and foremost well out of the process!

Overall having healthy balance of my foods, training, friends, family without feeling like I am being pulled in 8 different directions! I believe it is possible as long as you dont try to overload one thing out of the other. i admit, it felt weird to not be in the gym for over a week and a half but I know that it NEEDED TO HAPPEN. I needed that pause out of all the craziness for the past 6 months to stop and focus more on things at hand. My husband needed me! He expressed it and this doesnt happen too often, a man of few emotions as most men are well, expressing them! So in turn, I saw his beautiful smile on vacation, the natural joy he felt being with me, it brought us closer and the appreciation i have for him has grew a million times more! On top of him pushing me to face my fears this past week! I went on the jet ski and I skydived! Amazing the strength from your partner and what you already have been instilled, I have cheated death lol...but I digress...I guess I am speaking out of the knowledge I have gained and the experiences and lessons learned...

There is life with all the joys and healthy living. My hubby is changing his perspective as he has seen me change mine! So all in all, I know i will be ok, I have the tools, i know what I need to do, take a deep breath, step forward and find that balance!

Here are my goals as well -


1) be happy and fulfilled in all aspects mentally physically spiritually with family friends etc give them love as much as I can

2) maintain my work physically and of course improve, my love for weights has never left

3) maintain eating habits (I will still do my regime, have a cheat or so but nothing has changed just not as intense)

4) help others meet their fitness goal or find out what that is

5) work on my certifications for nutrition and personal training

6) lastly enjoy life and update my blog I have folks that read I need to vent and write!

Competition Recap!

Wow, well I made it, I met my goal, exceeded my expectations, I took to the next level. I beat myself in my own way but for the better… I am still on that high and low (tired, need water etc, had lots of sweets tummy hurt, etc etc) but for the most part I feel like I have accomplished what seemed unattainable. I felt like I didn’t give myself enough credit for what I accomplished so I am saying it here.. I finished strong, I built more CONFIDENCE in my abilities, I persevered and when shit was hitting the fan I stayed…I endured and built on the obstacles that tried to stand in my way.

Prejudging

 

\

My Promotion Friday

All I could remember thinking on Sunday was that “I know this, I know the poses, I have done this before…I need to show people the work I have put in,..etc etc”  I woke that morning feeling good, and maybe the difference between this year and last year is that I knew what to expect and that I could prepare myself ahead of time. I got my sleep, I listened to my coach I did ALL my cardio and ALL my lifting and drank ALL my water as my coach told me to do. I got my makeup done that morning and did my bronzing with my friend DJ, she has helped me 2^nd year in a row with this so we knew the drill… the other girls were competing in figure and BB. I did BB and only that, I felt my passion was there..i loved it…I do love it. Backstage I enjoyed so much, most of the females were from Zoa’s coaching, we supported each other, we cheered each other on..and it was such a great experience. Everyone came into their own and developed and found themselves to be at a new point in their lives. You could see that they were happy to have made it as I was and that the evening show was just fun. I was in lightweight division this go, and it was 4 other ladies with me, all different looks body style..we all were under Zoa and worked hard.. I admit I felt like I wasn’t going to be any good but I kept saying in my mind “just show them the goods, give them all of you, if they want a lat spread give them leg abs whatever…it doesn’t hurt right?” so that’s what I did , we were out there for 9 min LOL…yes that felt like a really long time to me… and we did practice for long periods but the comparisons are always tuff..i went from the end towards the middle beside another lady. Zoa was in front talking to us at prejudging, I posed like my life depended on it..everything ached, felt tight but it was with confidence… I gave it everything I got… so after prejudging was done I went home to try to sleep. I just laid there…thinking about how I did… but it was done..whatever happened happened.. I went to the evening show and just had a good time…a lot of friends and family came..my hubby was there proud of me..I could hear him yelling at me “lock it in lock it in lol” and everyone else… results came 2^nd place lightweight division, last year I was a heavyweight (126# and up against 2 other ladies)..i improved hella better than my last show….i know this and I have 0 regret… there is another show in August, the one I competed in last year but that is up in the air..lots of factors

I have to consider that my husband has been supporting me on this for 6 months and we are moving in Aug the month of the show to Hawaii… its feasible but is it worth it…the odds aren’t looking good..I am not going to worry so much right now until I know for sure , I will just enjoy the here and now and be with my husband and give him the time he wants and needs from me…if he deployed it would be different but I have to think if the tables were turned would I be so hasty to be ok with taking a backseat to the gym etc etc… I would say no…. but the acceptance part may be the tough thing for me… to step away and just lift not so much compete but just maintain the body I have been working hard for… and not to take a step back from what I have accomplished. I think sometimes humans forget the positive things that occur and want more, we never are truly satisfied, we always want more…I am satisfied but its always the what if’s, and how and maybe just maybe but I feel that it may be time for something different. In the meantime I am enjoying my victory, my success..my journey continues..

Blow the dust off this thing..

Well Its been a minute, I obviously havent wrote since March...I was in competion mode then, still am...and now I am 12 days out!

Yea I know you say what the heck? How? Whatever? But I hope you didnt expect me to give up! or at least go through with it..I will say that much...

Anywho, I have my suit, I have my photo shoot friday and I am just rolling..cardio is cardio with mixture of intervals and circuits...posing practice constant...working on my mandatories to be a lot more fluid on top of the routine...lifting is lifting..

I have been using Godiva coffee as pre workout for a bit like a week or so...omg its amazing..obviously black no cream 2 packets of truvia..I prolly dont even need that...but try it! I love chocolate truffle!

 

I did meal prep Sunday, it is work but i never took time to actually step back and look at what I was doing ...for 3 days its was about 2 hrs worth of work to include cooking the food had food been already prepared i would be inclined to take less time but I like all my food fresh...here it is..

 

 

lots of nice neat containers to keep the portions, lots of color and all that fun stuff...not boring!

I also recieved my suit from Competiton Couture, the amazing thing is that she skyped with me the whole way and it came out how I wanted it! Yay..check her out on FB for your needs

here is the pic

 

Lastly here is a little pic of me...nothing special but lets just say my progress has come a long way

 

 

End of the Week.....

Yall ever drag through the week and Friday you suddenly wake the hell up?? lol...I feel that way today...all of sudden its a great day lol but the other 4 I have been grumpy pants....

Hit heavy weights this am...and it felt good...back, shoulders and abs....

I been having issues with my birth control patch....started messing with my moods and I am bloated and holding water...it sucks...I stopped immediately..never had this issue before but its not worth it...I havent even weighed myself cuz I know I am carrying water! but I am going to let my body readjust back to whatever NORMAL is...but right now I am having a "period" for the 2nd time this month...RAWRRRR

I will go to the doc for lower dose but I prolly wont get see for at least 2-3 weeks at the clinic cuz of how long the waiting is...no rush just need to eliminate things that make my progress go the opposite direction lol....

Anyway diet on point and I have a new found love for spinach...been making these killer salads with ground turkey, onions, green pepper a bit of soy sauce and balsalmic vinegar oh and cucumbers.... I get excited about spinach these days lol....cant help it ...

On another note having to budget myself, these supplements are costing me some dough on top of food, i spent 60 bucks on food that may last me 2-3 days! lol....so looks like no SHOE SHOPPING  for a bit...which is fine because all i wear is my combat boots, running shoes or merrells... shame aint it...oh well least i know what I am wearing these days no question.....


anyway off to start my day, got a final for my class coming and then on to the next class...

Freakin Busy

Hey yall

so trying to catch up my blog man....its almost to the bottom so many wonderful ladies and journals in here I cant read them all or update my own! But I am trying....anyway things are busy...been playing superwoman here but so far so good....

My workouts changed to alternate from light weight high reps and heavy weight low reps...I just did legs today for the 1st time this week and it felt good..pushed to the point of vomiting with almost successful....lots of lovely walking lunges, front squats and leg extensions....there is definitely some soreness in the building tommorow...lol

I feel small, real small and i been eating lots of greens (spinach)in my meals....so I know there is definitely some change coming. This weekend one of my friends is a professional photographer thats her job and she offered to take photos..very excited...so that way we can measure progress versus the camera phone and not asking my husband to take photos as he acts all annoyed lol...

I am taking a macroeconomics class which is kicking my butt literally, so glad its over because of the training and its online I been slacking but after the exam next week I am backing off.....I cant juggle everything... gotta know my limits....

Also been volunteering my time to this place on base called the "wired bean" its a place for younger miltary folks to come and we as "seasoned" military people volunteer and cook and kind of mentor i guess so me and hubby been doing it and its pretty awesome... I like seeing the young folks..whats interesting is alot of them say they want to go out in the civilian world and make more money without a degree nothing....uhh okkk lol... I dunno just seems they may be a bit misguided and right now is not the time to be making those moves...especially with sequestration. I am glad this year military isnt at risk , i know last year we almost were which was really frustrating because we take a bullet and yet we wont get paid...sheeeettt lol..but alot of our non military follks who work with us may be at risk and get furloughed so it kind of shifts the work to us...i hope that doesnt happen and for the sake of their own households...

Anywho we have a really good group of girls with Zoa this year, feels like my extended family....first show for most, shit im not a pro im an amateur its only my 2nd time..but im more excited for just being around them at the show it was really fun....

I also bought more socks...freakin hooked! lol... and after 3 months of waiting I finally got my isolator bag...man its a life saver....shit sucked tho to wait, they had preorders back since november and it took a week to get here once my order was filled??? lol wtf...

 

anyway thats my day, hope to journal more often I will do my best but man life gets busy and you forget... i need to vent sometimes and my hubby is always around lol..

About to do cardio before eating my last meal... talk to yall soon

14 weeks....

Hey yall,


 I am up early this morning...YES on a saturday and HIGH DAY YAY...so I figured I would write while hubby is in bed...

Week has been busy and now I am going into my 14th week...my weight has been fighting to go down but my appearance is saying otherwise...so I am going to roll with it.. only so many battles you can fight and the less I put on that the more I can focus on other things and have that balance...

I did my legs yesterday and it felt good, I find my back starts to hurt so I need to wear my PINK weight belt...love that thing.. I watch WWE wrestling so sometimes I imagine it a championship belt..WEIRD lol..dont judge me but when I finish a workout Im like " weee are the champiionnns my frienndsss"

So anyway been moody a bit, only had sex once in 3 weeks...lol but i think its just days wearing on us...my hubby is trying to quit smoking and I am dieting so we just bear it. He finds golf to be his outlet so it gives me the day to myself ...

My workouts just changed to high reps low weight and alternate with HEAVY Shit...time to build on my little foundation ... I am excited but this year its all me lol so I gotta self motivate...I been buying alot of shirts lately...got my DLB FNF shirt yesterday

Made an IG collage with it....

 

My new favorite energy drank....pre workout/ just because I am tired lol...getting grape and chewables today...

 

egg white scramble with potatoes

 

My soxbox.com socks and my legworkout ...

 

ground turkey patties

Got posing practice today with my friend DJ, she was in the show with me..
Should be a good time..anyway thats my mini speel off to eat and start the day..

Finding Balance...

Wow, this blog has been empty for a bit..but there is a reasoning behind it…

It was to find my “Balance” or footing as one would call it…. I started this prep well I did the “warm up” at 24 weeks around Christmas time lol…took a vacation had a blast! Gained some “vacation weight” lol very worth it and lost the weight and here we are…. then at the beginning of this month is the 16 week count which is flying because it is getting ready to go into the end of the 14^th week… for the longest I been hearing the word “Balance” when people ask about what it takes to be successful, in all aspects not just competition….how can you be happy when you have other shit weighing down on from other directions? how can I focus when my household is not in “check” and how can I keep bring home the “bacon” (I wish) when I am not performing at work… and I woke up this morning feeling like I had found my balance, yesterday I was able to do my cardio and feed my husband before bed time, while eating my meal 5 and later meal 6 in between our “tv time” and it just felt RIGHT.. I made his lunch for work and I woke up to make him breakfast, well hand him the muffins and make his coffee and it was like “AHHHHHHHH” relief…. I been hydrating like I should, sticking to the plan which was a bit hard to eliminate even the things that are good for me in moderation…but once I eliminated those along with “adjusting” my timelines to what was in line with important things in my life…. My faith, family, work, and contest prep …. Nothing else matters at this time. It is not to say that my friends don’t matter or anything else but that is the focus…. And you cant focus without having BALANCE period…when you have a happy medium then that 300 lb weight on your shoulders becomes lighter… and everyone can be happy lol…well for the most part .. I made adjustments to my training schedule, I go at lunch time since im always eating any dayum way….and cardio right after work then that leaves me to be able to cook dinner and have my qt with the hubby and puppy . In the morning I do cardio if permited but I do it at home so I can see hubby off before work….. BALANCE! Yes everybody wins ! lol… the weekends are ours and lately we have been doing volunteer work together so its been kind of cool…Sunday morning is for Zoa and posing stuff along with some training…I feel like the work will speak for itself… no goal is met without having balance and I am glad I learned versus giving it up but you don’t learn unless you make an attempt then assess the situation which I did ..i feel so much better .. and I just wanted to share that with you guys… because its amazing a difference it can make when you function better… your body tells on you when you are stressed out! So why put yourself through it….there are things we can’t control and then there are things that we can… I am learning with fitness it is a lifestyle change..it is a balance, it is one not all will agree with but it is one that YOU need to agree with because it is YOUR LIFE! .. Therefore balance includes making sure you are on track…and that is why I feel like that my hard work here is going to pay off in about 14 weeks from now…. A force to be reckoned with … I cant wait to see where I go from here….

A Letter to myself....

Dear Andrea,

                                As of this week you are about head into 16 weeks of mental, physical and emotional journey to your 2^nd Bodybuilding Competition. This is not unfamiliar ground; you have succeeded in this once by being fearless, overcome many obstacles and go against everything that is normal in your life to only get better. Now it is time to find that same courage and fearlessness to embark on the same journey again, but it is not the same journey, it is another journey of familiar ground that you decided to walk again, even run again. There will be exhaustion, blood, sweat, there will be times you want to cry or melt down but you need to remind yourself that you will accomplish this, you did ACCOMPLISH THIS better and what’s better is that you have hubby by your side to help you through those rough times where you want to quit or burn out. You know what else, you got a great coach that wouldn’t put you through anything you couldn’t bear.. put you at risk for any reason, trust in her, lean on her…she has been down this road and she wouldn’t steer you wrong…  Find that balance! When you find that balance, pushing to that last limit will seem like you want it more… and you will push yourself to do more… that is when it counts.. you will crave more food than ever before but it is not worth sabotaging, and if you decide to , confess your sin and move on..But the greatest strength is WILL POWER.. no one can do this for you, is going to do it for you but you!  Now you must dig deeper, develop mental toughness and push through… this is what you were born to do….its what feels right, its what makes you happy and there is nothing greater than that..

 

Drea

Its go time...but i dont wanna lol...

Hey yall,

yesterday was a great day, got a nice tan in sun doing circuits in my front yard..

 

 

been bored with cardio for a bit so now i have something that i like doing that doesnt really require me to leave the house and I live next to a big hill..where cars chase me up and down it since there is no sidewalk LOL

 

 

Here is what I did

1 sprint up the hill 30 secs
front lat raises -resistance bands
burpees- on the mat
oblique twists- with the exercises ball
shoulder press- dumbells

1st cycle 3x

1 sprint up the hill 25 secs
bicep curls- resistance bands
flutter kicks- mat
ab crunches- exercises ball
jabs/hook punches -dumbells

cycle 3 x

1 sprint up the hill 25 secs

tricep kickback-resistance bands
scissor kicks- mat
jumps squats with exercise ball
bear crawls to one side of the yard


cycle 2x

jump rope 30 seconds

wall pushups
ab crunches
suicide sprints/football runs
v ups- exercises ball

2x

anndd i am done lol


So diet changed, NO MORE CHEAT MEALS GAH very sad but coach say its go time so Ima do my thing but man its a sad day lol...anyway one high day, rest low days... trying to get mentally ready. I warned my husband not going to be pretty..but I dont think he "understands" what that really means... so I will let yall know what goes down lol... barley wanna do hanky panky I be tired but I will give him his day... got my workout clothes..beast mode shirts and some work or die shorts...they get here like molasses to APO so EVENTUALLY you will see me in them..

We (my husband) is excited for the super bowl and since we are overseas it shows Mon our time so we get the day off! YAY ... I plan on being sleep but we shall see when they won the nfc championship he was jumping and screaming like a banshee at 8am since it shows in the morning for us...lol..its all in fun whatever makes him happy being a die hard niners fan...


Anyway in other news doing my macroeconomics class which I am learning some good stuff but more excited for it to be over than for it to start...its online so I proscratinate a bit but so far so good for my grade.. teacher has some good materials... they had one assignment i found interesting is

if we thought it we be better instead of free transplants turn it into a buisness and charge folks.... alot of people said yea but IMO like any other buisness rich will prosper....but anyway thats microeconomics..

I also been experimenting with some breakfast blending and using the waffle iron not so success ful with apple pancakes it burnt to hell..one thing at a time I gues..but i did have protein pancakes yesterday and OMG they were amazing! lol..

 

 

oh forgot to add they had a military muscle page and i submitted photos and got featured! pretty freaking sweet..

look at me!

 

 

Know when its Time to recharge the batteries!

Week has been pretty long....glads its ended I need to rest! I will do some HITT ( High intensity Training) but thats it! I am staying home to do home work and that will be it...I havent really been sleeping, or just sitting down somewhere. I been in a 2 1/2 day class at work where I still
"squeezed" my workouts in and felt like just blinking would make me fall asleep! Thats a shame huh! lol.... I also start thinking negative and being hard on myself for not trying the workouts harder or making myself sore ...i did one chest workout in the evening and just was not feeling it like I did it but I didnt like "kill" it...sometimes you have one of those days where you are physically there but you just go through the motions....

Although this morning my legs are saying "ouch!" so there is something to that..just a bit sore...did posing with Zoa and the girls competiting and or practicing to compete in the future. its fun seeing them and learning with them, refreshing my mind...I kind of jumped in last year and it all depends who you click with...but I find myself really having fun. We got to see Zoa demonstrate legs and exercises... so that was my night...

I am up this morning early to eat then back in bed for a bit....dog woke me up... Anyway got a back shot of progress....

I have never done this but when you work it hard and cant see the shit every day ..... sometimes its motivating!

Well....

Wow I really enjoy blogging when I get to sit down and do it but lately its been on the fly...anyway enough small talk... its getting to the end of the month and Feb 1 is tomorrow! This month has been flying! I came back from Australia slow to start and back into my fitness thing. Lately I have been tired, feeling at the end of the day I am going for my 3rd win. I am trying to balance so many things right now... Work, diets, workouts (cardio and strength), the hubby, school work, fun for me to stay motivated, volunteer work... I feel like Superwoman but without any sleep! LOL... and I know the difference between when I get sleep and when I don't...I am a morning person when I am rested and a Beech when I am not lol.. and most of my co workers know it... sorry in advance and when I am hungry watch out now! I am trying to get all my workouts done through out the day so hubby can have time in the evening.. this will be his first time with me from Day 1 and I don't want this to turn into me vs him. He has expressed he needs his time with me so that is what he is going to get! I also need to learn when I have to re shuffle my schedule... I swear I inhale my food most of the time just to get the nutrition in and when I think about cheat foods man they are on my brain..i had a dream about pizza lol... that's what I dream about hahaha.. So here is where I am at...

Training- Great 90% of the time, last night I did shoulders/calves and didn't feel like it was as killer as it normally is but it was because I tried evening workouts and only cardio is good for evenings, first thing in the morning strength training at Tori is good since its empty and I know the machines... most of my logbook is from those machines..
I got a new weight belt too, pretty pink Love it! ... I look like a midget powerlifter lol... its fun and I am ordering some dana bailey shirts and Traci S apparel stuff . I freakin love buying workout clothes, I went from shoe addict to workout clothes addict... so when I get paid tonight I will be on line hahhaa..

Diet- Good, I crave freakin brownies and pizza and all the stuff I cant have...but I will kill a rice cake in a heart beat with some almond butter...no joke lol

This weekend is posing practice! Yay! and hubby will be golfing so I will get quiet to do my homework and chill out after spin class of course..
I got frustrated this week because of so many misconceptions of female BB and how people are more "disgusted" by them then admiring them. I just can't wrap my head around it... I always tell folks what I do and I get the "oh I can't do that" or "that's too much muscle" ....its strong, its empowering, its an art and unfortunately its one of those things only people who do it understand... I love it though..

Ok brain is shutting down. I am going to call this it lol..need to eat...

Approaching 17 weeks to go....

It is the close of the week, well tomorrow Japan time, it will be Friday...this week has been rough and only because everyday i am challenging my body to wake up, lift weight and do cardio, work 8-10 hrs and come home to spend time with hubby, on top of taking a class and whatever else comes to mind... but I am surviving.. As of Wed I am 133.6, feel pretty good, and hope to see decrease this week but the scale is what it is... I am looking at myself on the outside and going by what i see, my observation is that upper body will not be an issue..last year i developed pretty well with upper body, lower body is what needs work...calves and those quads that hold most of the body fat...and my glutes, genetically my lower body has the most fat but I can push a good amount of weight... last year I managed to hit a max pr of 800+ lbs on the leg press, with my trainer. This time I'm solo but so far i have been good with the mental push but legs i get paranoid. I don't wanna injure myself and i don't want to exhaust myself, the good thing is time is on my side and i can slowly develop my quads slow and healthy...tomorrow is leg day and i am squatting it out, so excited! Hurt so good!

Diet is on point, eating clean all week, ready for a my treat meal! Got a special rice cake from my supervisors wife who is a baker extraordinaire, it made me feel really good... posing practice with some of the girls and Zoa tomorrow then to the cherry blossom festival on sat with the girls should be   fun

keep yall posted on leg day! train hard people!

Today is awesome!

woke up this morning feeling not so good for a bit until I ate something and had my supergreens...hubby woke up saying the niners won and I was ready to choke him out lol...but anyway motivated him to come out and work out , not together as I am in my own zone but he was doing his thing and I was doing mine. I destroyed it...blocked out the people that dont matter, focused on what I had to do...which was back and bi's. Clearly destruction is completed, made this photo with IG collage, love playing with the lighting and stuff... but I sent this to Zoa and she was happy! SO I am happy... it is first part of the day, of course cardio later but in the meantime I am happy with back workout...

Check it out...

Only I can be my worst enemy.....

So yesterdays post frustrated me ALOT more than a bit, it really got UNDERNEATH my skin to the point where I had that shit on my mind all day...now of course doesnt help my emotions are  multiplied by 1,000 cuz of my Time of the month but just the fact that seeing those numbers almost made me well no I did question my hardwork.... I almost questioned going to Austrailia and why I did it!?? WTH??? So you clearly see it was  self destructive criticism a bit. None of this I shared with husband which he already thinks I am completely nuts this week as every month I am this way but less neurotic lol ... but I think with the return to dieting AND Aunt Flow it just backs him into a corner lol... so I leave him alone a bit....so I had some time to think... and the conclusion I came to is this...

- The only person that can keep me from being successful is me

Not that I will fail but if I decide to feed into the negativity I fight so hard to stay from it could become self destructive and instead of positive patty I become Negative Nancy ( I dont care for those kind of people!). Its not punishment type of deal but it is contagious....I gained weight fine...does it matter how? Not really at this point because I do know how to get this shit off, I do have someone ZOA to freakin help me out or is helping me out, and I have conquered this beast before. It doesnt take back the show and the hard work, the emotional ride for the past few months prior and it doesnt change me as a person well it does but it makes me better. I looked at my body constantly all day trying to "look" for this extra weight but for what.....make myself crazy and shit it just doesnt make sense....It is a start of this process for this show that I wanna look better than I was last year and truthfully I already do in the aspect of my way of thinking... last year I just wanted to get their..this year I just want to give it my FREAKIN all...

Zoa is not upset which I know when and if she would get upset I would know it (and honestly I dont think she would because she is that kind of person, its not about scolding its about showing the direction to go in...)... so now it is only my mind and emotions playing with me...

I write this to myself as I am sure I may get to this point again and if I need to read it so be it..but I can be my worst enemy but I refuse to get sucked in... I am better than that, can be better , will be better .... and I will just leave it at that....

Frustrated a bit.....

Hey yall,

so my coach wanted to do starting weight today Sat, I havent weighed myself since before I left vacation to which even almost a month ago because I stopped holding myself "prisoner" to it and just went on to be happy with it I was at 132 a month ago...anyway here it is on record

Starting weight: 139

Off Season Weight 132

Goal Weight: whatever I can get to , 115ish


I am on my period which may play a role in my frustration and being a little bloated but my reaction is always gotta go do something RIGHT NOW..5AM uhh no DREA! lol.... thats what the oher voice says...so this is what I am going to do....just using this frustration, not gonna kill myself, just gonna put it into the workout and challenge myself ....I also am going to work on different forms of cardio because I tend to get bored easy and not wanna do it....CARDIO is just not fun for me unless Im sprinting or something but after work just havent been in the mood reallly..but regardless of the mood, my mindset needs to be "get er done".... starting to feel an expectation rising to the next level , and even tho my coach never puts pressure on me, I do it for her lol...I want to make her proud of me...and do my best...just need to get over this hump right here..

I always have the fear of gaining all the weight I lost back but it needs to be out of sight out of mind because I am better than this right? Right...

I just hated seeing that number this morning.... le sigh....


In other news hitting legs today for the first time in 2-3 weeks so its something interesting....but ready to feel something in that area..take all this frustration and put it into the squat machine RAWR!

Putting things back in Perspective!

So the Goals I set in August here is where I am at with it-



1. Maintain more Positive Thinking/Energy Spiritually and Mentally

-I am getting there, I am a morning person these days which is unheard of lol! I am learning to embrace my "enemies" and let things roll of my back vs hold onto things!



2. Marriage (only can get better, married 3 years together for 1..work in progress)

Still up and down, what can you do...there is more work to be done..commuication is getting there but ehhh..may take a bit lol...


3. Develop an independence as a woman/athlete (train harder, better for off season/next year)

YES! Definitely felt and see more gains, made coach proud and I plan to bring the pain this year for June and Aug show! No excuses! Train like my life depended on it!

4. Pay it forward (Inspire others how others inspired me, I have many role models not just in athletic capacity but women in particular etc...)

Developed a FB page for fitness motivation and lots of people say they like it, I have also had many women approach me on wanting to change their lives, so excited! I wanna do more, always room to improve!


5. Stay the course as much as possible ( with the positive thinking hope to be less of this, but I know me...so I want to keep moving forward and if i do set back then I just pick it up and let it roll off)

I have been moving forward and havent look back since! It feels great but I still make sure I remeber where I came from

6. Improve Leadership Capabilites (more in my job, i move up the ranks, i want to continue to be a better leader as more folks rely on me to do my job)

Still work but I find more confide in me, and have that respect mutually
7. Score 100 on my fitness test... ( what feels impossible to most ...and based on my appearance some assume it cant be done because I dont "appear to be a runner" and of course more the challenge for me)

got a 97 better than last but I still improved! next year go for the bext level!


8. Bachelors Degree (work in progress)

In an economics class right now so yes and yes!


9. Community Service( sort of like paying it forward but more paying it forward to any and everyone, I have done it in the past but want to get out more)

Neglected, i have yet to do this! I will work on it!

)10. Take a vacation. ( Planned one for Australia and just let go...feel free

Check!

As yall can see...

so just wanted to add

10. Being Fearless.

Getting Back into the Routine...

So few days after vacation, yesterday was first gym day back...it was great! Not sore ...yet but I felt back in it... I been feeling a bit tired lately, sort of dizzy in the past week and a little bit of neck pressure. I went to the doc yesterday and he gave me muscle relaxer but I somewhat feel like its anemia since I have had low iron before..but who knows? I am on my period so that doesnt help and I have been traveling alot, had a prescription change in my glasses within the last month or so. It is a compilation of things.. not pregnant definitely not, always the first question I get asked which most of the time its true for most women. Anyway hope to hear back things are ok and its just stress.. I am on my period  but not feeling as beechy as yesterday so I am able to  go work out. I got a new workout partner starting next week, one of my friends Kerry wants to start working out with me. We shall see how it goes, I hope to motivate her and help her put a fire of motivation to get things done we shall see
When I went to austrailia I bought a FITBOOK from the Goodlife Fitness Health CLub in the hotel. It has logs for food, workouts, your goals and truthfully I didnt write down anything since I been working out but I saw it and felt like I should. Barley remeber one day to the next as far as reps, weights whatever..and it even has something to write down for a reward so for this week I am going to buy some clothes from DLB's website FLAGNORFLAIL. I am sure most know her and the clothes, they are too cute and I love buying clothes that have cool saying...I especially like this one:

Here is the Fitbook:

Yesterday I hit arms it felt pretty good,  and saw Zoa there later training with a lady. I really want to make her proud of me and my family. I always look forward to praise from her and it makes me feel good like I am doing the right thing you know. So there is this guy there and I think he feels intimidated by me, he will like go workout and start like grunting loud as shyt and looking right at me while he is doing his thing..and I just started laughing...I put my weight on the leg press and started screaming like a banshee lol....he may have been weirded but its fun... no need to make it sound like you are mutating into a gremlin or something...hard work vs ignorance I guess...

So I am up this morning to hit chest and hammies...I go back to work tommorow BOO..but truthfully hubby needs alone time, we spend too much time together starts to get irritating lol...
oh btw here are more pics from Austrailia-

At the Opera House

on the boat

at the winery


Oh i forgot to add that I have Competition Couture making my posing suit! So excited its going to turn out great and Shawn clearly knows her shit! I cant wait!

Sydney Vacation Recap Pt 1

Hey yall,

Been a few days just got back last night...up early for no reason well to run at the gym but other than that and dont have to work so I figured I would write my little recap....

First I want to say this has been the best vacation ever..me and my husband truly needed this ...and I dont regret saving the money for this..totally worth every penny spent and we already talking about going to China...so shoot we are like in that "mode"...

So SYDNEY! So beautiful..I was more excited just to be going to a place I never been but more excited it was with the Aussies....

So we left last week and of course My hubby and I we DONT fly well together..we are "that couple" that argues over who holds the passports...who carries this..who takes the ipads..what we gonna eat???...seems like it shouldnt be so complicated...but when you combine exhaustion and the millions yea..millions of checks through security, ticket counters, PEOPLE ...and then some you get pretty heated so anyway we were having those issues but taking it in stride...I tried not to pack my whole front yard which was hard with my shoe collection but I managed to get one bag down when we thought we could only take 1 and a carry on..turn out 2 which worked to our favor...

So I am currently in prep right now and yes even on vacation I still do what I need to do but I will admit I did induldge, but I brough my lunchbox which got flagged through every security check we went through! Its just freakin rice cakes..well chicken got taken but I didnt know they were gonna do that..but the tuna oatmeal, grits and rice cakes I could keep along with the chocolate protein bars I froze and took with me...

here is the infamous lunchbox

I prolly was about 65% clean on vacation but I knew what was going to happen and no regrets!

We got through the airport and passed through Shanghai where we tried Dim Sum...not for me..but I tried it and hubby who was tired already had it as well...we didnt leave the airport to fly out until 1130 and we got their at like 5 so we were trying not to kill each other and keep busy since internet was not free....

Us on the plane from Shanghai...btw it was 32 degrees there when we got off the plane and wind chill some may say thats not bad but when you come from an Island...hell ..thats freezing your ass off no joke lol...

 

Peace out Okinawa!

 

 

Dim Sum- I asked for veggies in mine...not for me tho bleh...

Hubby happy to eat... :)

I had my rice cakes in Shanghai especially when the hungry monster came...i was good!




About 9-11 uncomfortable plane ride hrs later we arrive in Sydney..tired irritable..fighting through security and customs..they took my chicken I was mad but oh welll...and we are staying in the nicest hotel every.... The Westin Sydney..it was part of our travel package and it was beautiful as ever...granted we felt like we were honored guests, they treated us very well...

 

Our Flat Screen TV says hello...

 

 

view from the window..

 

Our bathroom


The room was amazing and we didnt go out too much the first day as we were tired as hell but the next day we hit the streets...

 

Kings Wharf

 

On the tour bus around sydney

So I am going to break this up into 2 since their are so many pictures well..I still have to upload the good shots so I will end right here...
Oh in other news start back training today and prolly end up getting a massage traveling makes you stiff...but 100% clean today...no excuses and definitely food shopping as we have nothing in the fridge right now!

 

Happy New Year !

Wk 22 almost ending and havent lost focus...vacation starts today

Hope you enjoyed new years!
It was exciting for me got to spend it with the hubs nothing special...anyhoo today I am flying to Austrailia! So excited... just beaming but of course I am gonna prepare an assload of the protein brownies and chicken and pack....but this morning going to the gym and hitting the weights...I drpped my dog off last night..kind of sad...but she is in good hands... I get frustrated at myself sometimes when I forget to prepare my food, but I eventually learned to take what you got and make it happen...I even went in our typhoon kit to grab tuna...granted we will replace it but I remeber last year I got so upset when I wasnt prepared so instead of getting frustrated even though I do out of hunger sometimes, ready to go HULK on folks lol...I find what I can and make it happen...now this vacation I am bringing some food and tasting some stuff I never had before..may hit the hotel gym once or twice but not gonna turn it into a "regular day" I am going to make it fun for hubby and me...I am so excited..our first travel together and not going home..just a vacation...I will tell yall about it later...

I got a call last night from one of my friends and she asked me to workout with her...she said I was the first person she thought of that is in the zone when it comes to working out..I cant wait to help her get her feet wet! This year while prepping, I am going to help as many as I can , no personal gain or money just pure time and energy and most of the energy will be from them busting their butt to get it....but enough about that... going to get 5 am workout in and try not to pack all my shoe collection in one bag!