Trip to Fort Lauderdale: Inspiration/Motivation Found

I haven't written a post in a few weeks because law school is rudely interrupting my blogging career. But I'm still working my butt off in both school and my contest prep program. Here are some updates:

Trip to Florida (& the Resulting Inspiration!)

Last weekend I flew to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Florida is my team's (Team Bombshell) "base". During this trip, I got to meet my coaches (Shannon Dey and Gennifer Strobo) as well as several of my Bombshell teammates. This was very exciting for me for 2 reasons: first, it's hard to really feel like you're truly part of a team when you haven't met your coaches or teammates in person. Second, I really look up to Shannon and Gennifer because they're experts in preparing for competitions. They are role models for me and I loved getting to know them in person.

I also got to help out backstage with the Fort Lauderdale Cup (a bikini, figure & fitness competition held annually in Ft. Lauderdale). I originally planned to compete in this show, but since I switched from the bikini division to figure, I couldn't be ready in time (oh, and that little obstacle called "the first year of law school" slowed me down as well). Here's a picture of some of the gorgeous figure competitors onstage from Flex online:

I helped out backstage and had a great time meeting people and watching the competitors onstage. Here's a picture of me with one of my favorite competitors, Jaime Baird. She's incredibly beautiful inside and out. Additionally, her husband, Eddie, is a pro competitor and an attorney! So he and I talked about law school while assisting backstage.

I left Florida feeling inspired and motivated again. It suddenly seemed a little easier to stick to my strict diet, because I had met other women who did the same thing with incredible results. The best part about the whole trip was how nice everybody was. Every single one of the pro competitors I met was kind, gracious and willing to give me tips & advice.

Progress Update

I told my best friend out loud that I wanted to compete on March 17 in San Diego for my first figure competition. As I said this, it suddenly became real. My coach told me last night that she thinks I can definitely be ready by then (as long as I quit my "nibbling" habit - I'm workin' on it!). Here is the flyer for the competition:

Also, I got my first figure competition suit! It's not a fancy one because I'm mostly using it just to take weekly progress pictures (believe it or not, the top professional competitors purchase custom-made suits that cost hundreds or even THOUSANDS of dollars!)

Those Last 2 Reps...

Training in the gym has been going well. I've recently learned the vital importance of those last 1 or 2 reps of each exercise. When my coaches told me months ago to "push harder" in the weight room, I thought to myself, "I don't know how!" But recently, I've learned that I must push beyond the point where my body said, "Ok, this hurts now... time to quit." And I've been seeing better results (and feeling more sore!) because of this.

The point is, don't be afraid to push your body to it's absolute limit (*without injuring yourself!). You are probably capable of more than you thought.

Personal trainer certification?

Lastly, I have realized that at some point in the future, I want to share my love for fitness and training with others. I know firsthand how confusing all the information available can be, and I want to help people figure out what works for them and see results.

I bought a book about personal training certification (for Dummies... ha ha!) and will hopefully find time over winter break to start looking into it.

Things That Help Me Survive My Fitness Journey

Today I'm writing about the things I use to help me along my fitness journey. Maybe they will be helpful to other people as well.

1. Extra Dessert Delights Sugarfree Gum

This gum comes in several flavors. My absolute favorite is Apple Pie, with Key Lime Pie coming in second place. Some people are grossed out by the concept of dessert-flavored gum, but I think it's awesome! I have a major sweet tooth, so whenever I feel a craving for something sugary, I immediately grab a piece of this gum. It satisfies my craving and keeps me from reaching for a cookie or other treat.

2. Tea and Truvia

As I mentioned earlier, I have a raging sweet tooth. Along with the gum, I use tea with Truvia to keep me satisfied if I'm hungry before my next scheduled meal (my favorite flavors are Vanilla Chai and Vanilla Caramel; you can find them in most grocery stores.)

Regarding the Truvia: I've tried a million different sweeteners and this is my favorite. I love the taste of Splenda but I like using a more natural product. Truvia is made from stevia, which is a leaf.

3. Lululemon workout gear

Lululemon = best workout gear ever.

Sometimes I use Lululemon purchases as "rewards", for example: I tell myself if I complete all the scheduled workouts for 2 full weeks, I get to buy a new workout top. Creating "mini-goals" can be very helpful.

4. Muscle & Fitness Hers magazine subscription

This is my favorite magazine of all time. It is filled with useful articles about workouts and nutrition, as well as coverage of the latest figure, bikini & fitness competitions. I find it extremely inspirational. Just about any time I'm doing cardio on a machine, I bring an issue of M&F Hers solely for motivation.

4. A cooler, food scale, and tupperware

Most competitors eat about 6-7 meals per day every 2-3 hours. If you do this, it can be hard to stay on track and always have your scheduled meals ready. Thus, I spend a few hours every weekend cooking mass quantities of food and portioning them out into tupperware containers (or plastic bags). I freeze them, and then they are ready to be grabbed and eaten throughout the week.

I use a food scale because it's really tough to guess quantities. 4 ounces of tilapia doesn't look the same size at 4 ounces of steak. I rely on my scale to keep me on point with my diet plan. My scale was about $25 from Amazon and it's been awesome.

5. Visualization Board

If you don't know where you want to go, how are you going to get there?

A visualization board is the answer to this question. It's a board with pictures of people I look up to in the fitness industry, as well as some motivational quotes. I also have a dry-erase board where I write down my goals.

On your own visualization board, you can put up pictures of anything you want for your life. They don't have to be fitness related. Put it somewhere where you'll see it often as a reminder of why you're working so hard.

Consistency + Patience = Results

I struggled this week with school and figure competition training. I've reflected on that for the last couple of hours (during a pedicure which my gross, callused feet desperately needed), and I can see that the universe has been trying to teach me 2 important lessons: faith and patience.

Struggles in School...

Regarding law school, the first few weeks were pretty exciting because it was a brand new endeavor. But now I'm realizing that the pace and workload are going to increase significantly as we get closer to December. Final exams will be here before I know it, and on top of that everyone will be trying to secure a great 1L summer job. Because of these reasons, it would not be wise to let myself start getting behind in my reading. I've got to keep reading cases until my eyes fall out of my head. Is the end result of all this work going to be worth it?

... And in the Weight Room

In terms of my figure competition training, I've been getting a little discouraged about how long it takes to see results in my body. When you work SO hard for something, it's natural to want to see overnight results. I want Nicole Wilkins' muscles right NOW! Bodies, however, do not change overnight. One of my awesome Team Bombshell coaches, Gen Strobo (who is competing at the Figure Olympia as I write this! GO GEN!) reminded me of this as I complained in an email to her that I'd been struggling. She insisted that with consistency in my diet and workouts, day in & day out, I WILL see results.

But It'll All Work Out...

The struggles I've had this week both in the classroom and the weight room have illustrated that, first of all, nothing worth having is easy, nor does it come instantly. Second, in order to stay motivated and focused on my goals, I must keep reminding myself to have faith in my everyday efforts, even though they seem small. Sure, individual court cases in my textbooks can seem unimportant and boring ... but every single case counts toward learning the law & ultimately becoming a great lawyer. And every time I curl a dumbbell or do a lat pulldown or a squat, my body is a little bit closer to the awesome figure competitor shape that I want. All the effort counts.

"...What are you training for? What is a figure competition?"

The title of this post sums up many of the questions I get about why the heck I'm working out so much and following such a strict diet. I'm going to try to answer these questions here...

First: What is a Figure Competition?

I am training for a figure competition. What is that, you ask? It's a female body competition that includes less heavy muscle mass than bodybuilding, but more muscle mass than the bikini division. The easiest way to understand is by comparing pictures, so I included some below. The first picture is of Nicole Wilkins, a figure competitor & one of my biggest fitness idols.

This next picture is Nicole Nagrani, a bikini competitor. In bikini, the poses are different and there is less muscle mass.

And this photo is Iris Kyle, a bodybuilder. Can you now see the difference between the three divisions?

The division I have chosen is figure. Figure competitors are judged on muscular symmetry and tone, and muscle size is downplayed. In the competition, the women stand onstage in front of judges, wearing a special swimsuit designed for these competitions, and clear high-heels. They stand side-by-side and make quarter-turns so the judges can compare them in terms of symmetry, conditioning, leanness, muscularity, femininity, presentation, and even skin tone, makeup & hair.

Next question ... Why are you doing this?

Now that I've shown you what my ultimate goal looks like, the next question might be ... why? Well, because I LOVE the fitness lifestyle. It's certainly not cut out for everybody, but I love it for a long list of reasons, including:

- I love setting high goals and working toward them
- I love the regimented, planned-out lifestyle (it's the "Type A" in me)
- I love being able to eat 6 times per day (no starvation!)
- I love lifting weights and the empowering feeling that comes with that
- I love watching my body change from month to month
... I could go on and on!

When I tell people about certain elements of my fitness lifestyle (the strict diet, the 5AM cardio sessions, the early bedtime, etc), I get some raised eyebrows. This is understandable. The way I have chosen to live is certainly not considered "normal", and it's definitely not easy. But I love it, and will never "go back" to my old ways, which included...

- Obsessive amounts of boring cardio with a constant focus on calories burned
- Practically starving myself and struggling to find the "right" diet (Vegan/vegetarian? Raw food only? Juicing? Counting every calorie? I tried 'em all.)
- Never being skinny enough. Hating my body and punishing it every day.

Today, I feel strong physically and emotionally. I finally found my sport, and I hope to pursue it for many years. My goal is to eventually become an "IFBB Pro" (IFBB stands for "International Federation of Bodybuilders"). In order to do this, I must first earn my IFBB Pro Card by winning some upper-level competitions! This might take me a couple of years, but I have no doubt in my mind that I'll do it!

11 Days Until First Bikini Contest

I'm 11 days out from my bikini competition, and my life has pretty much been absorbed by thinking, planning for, worrying about, getting excited about, etc., the big day! I have had moments where I am a complete grumpy monster and I can't stand to even LOOK at another human being, let alone speak to them. But today, at this moment, I feel calm. I am confused by this, since yesterday morning I was definitely "The Monster". Maybe my calmness comes from the fact that I just ate Meal #3 of 6 (and I LOVE TO EAT), or maybe it's because I spent extra time this morning focusing on taking deep, conscious breaths ... or maybe this last week prior to the show won't actually be as bad as I'd expected!

On Saturday, I did a fun photo shoot with a photographer named Paul Folk. He was great, very professional but also very kind. We shot at my local gym, so I felt "at home". We used issues of Oxygen and Muscle & Fitness Hers magazines for pose inspiration. Paul has put a bunch of the final (i.e. Photoshopped) images on his website, and I really like them!

Being my typical perfectionist self, I don't think my body is PERFECT in these images... I'd like my waist to shrink a little and my body fat to drop a bit, but overall, I am proud of how far I've come. But with some hard work these next couple weeks, I think I can at least look like I belong on the bikini competition stage, even if I likely won't place.

*Update Post-Competition*

Here are some pictures from my May 24 competition, the Fitness New Mexico.

Here is my competitor number, which is pinned to your bikini.

Here is me with hair and makeup done by the professionals! I did look and feel a bit drag-queen-ish. But it looks good onstage under the bright lights. Next time I don't think I'll wear hair extensions; I'll go for a more natural, "me" look.

Here I am in my suit! As you can see, I needed to be leaner for this competition. I didn't really understand this reality until post-competition. For next time, I'll be more prepared. I am just happy to have survived my first show!

2.5 Weeks Out! Haven't Completely Fallen Off Deep End Yet...

Like I said in the title of this post, I have not COMPLETELY fallen off the deep end (i.e. lost my mind / had a major breakdown), but I've come pretty close. Competition prep is HARD. There is no denying that. It's hard mentally, it's hard physically, and it's hard on the people close to you.

Workout routine:

- Fasted cardio (on empty stomach) first thing in the morning every day for 35-45 minutes. I switch around between the stepmill, elliptical and treadmill to avoid boredom and injury.

- Weights: After work I hit the weight room for 45-60 minutes hitting various bodyparts with various intensities. Sometimes I do only 10-12 reps with heavier weight; sometimes I do 20 reps with less weight (particularly for glutes. Come on butt, perk up!)

- Weekends: I have not been taking breaks on weekends. In fact, I have been doing twice daily cardio sessions on Saturday and Sunday, plus a plyometric workout on Saturday.

- Supplements added: I am afraid of injuring myself and losing muscle mass from all this exercise combined with a low-carb, relatively low-calorie diet. So I added glutamine and BCAA supplements to my diet. They do seem to be helping; I feel like I SHOULD be more sore than I actually am. And, it hasn't been all that hard getting up at 4:40 AM for cardio. My body is now used to being awake that early.

DIET

This is definitely the hardest part for me. I don't mind exercising all day long, but when it comes to SAYING NO to that jar of peanut butter, especially at 11 PM when I'm practically sleepwalking, it takes every ounce of willpower I have.

My diet hasn't changed much from the last time I wrote about it. But I am following it more closely than I used to. A big part of success with the diet is preparation. Here's what that involves:

- Grocery store: I'm here a couple of times a week, stocking up on the same foods repeatedly. Cucumbers, asparagus, tilapia, salmon, 93% lean ground beef, chicken breasts, balsamic vinegar, vanilla extract (I put it on my baked asparagus!), eggs, grapefruit ... these are some of the "staple" items. I go through them pretty fast, but fortunately none of them are very expensive.

- My beloved cooler: I tote my cooler with my every day now (they have cute ones at Target, for those who need one), even on weekends. It just makes me feel better to be prepared. I get tired of rinsing my tupperware containers over and over, but as the saying goes, nothing that's worth having is easy.

- Eating out: This happens rarely, if ever, during my contest prep. I did have a nice dinner with my boyfriend last weekend and it was a bit of a cheat, but for my sanity, I really needed it. If I do have to eat out for some reason, I plan ahead: I eat a small meal beforehand at home, and at the restaurant I generally just order a salad with dressing on the side and most of the "fun stuff" (cheese, nuts, etc) removed.


TEAM BOMBSHELL

I am very excited to report that today I signed up to join TEAM BOMBSHELL!

Their website is located at http://www.bombshellfitness.com

This is a team of competitors led by coach Shannon Dey. I kept hearing about them over and over while following coverage of the Olympia, the Arnold, and other major figure/bikini competitions. I filled out my application and submitted my payment today, so I should be receiving my nutrition and workout plans from them very soon. I will be sad to say goodbye to my current trainer, but excited to venture down this new path.

Trying Out Some New Supplements

Hello!

Happy Easter. It's a happy holiday, but I kind of wish my gym still opened up at it's normal time. I've been antsy all morning to get in there and do some cardio. My trainer Julie told me to do 40 minutes of high-intensity cardio 6 times per week, plus four 30-minute sessions separately from that. Sounds like a lot, but it's doable. I'm getting increasingly excited for my competition as the days pass by.

I am still needing to cut down on body fat and drop a few pounds in these last four weeks. I was reading the new issue of Muscle & Fitness Hers magazine yesterday, and I came upon an article called "Kiss Fat Goodbye". It examines several fat-loss supplements, including caffeine, green tea extract, yohimbine, capsaicin (the stuff that makes peppers spicy), and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). The article recommended that people looking to drop fat (i.e. ME!) should take ALL of these supplements daily, and they explained when & how much to take.

I already consume caffeine, of course (what competitor doesn't??), but I do not currently use the other supplements. But with only four weeks til showtime, I took this article seriously and ordered a couple of the supplements from Bodybuilding.com (green tea extract and yohimbine). I will begin taking them when they arrive in the next few days and report back the results.

One thing that had me raise my eyebrows a little in the article was the amount of caffeine that M&F Hers recommended consuming. Most resources online recommend 200-300 mg of caffeine per day. So I've been trying very hard not to exceed that. But the section on caffeine in the article recommends "200-400 milligrams of a caffeine supplement between meals two or three times a day with one of those doses 30-60 minutes before workouts on training days." Hm. That adds up to a lot more than 200-300 mg. I will have to do some more investigation into the caffeine question.

Off to the elliptical machine! :-)