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.

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.