I Didn't Fall Off The Wagon... I Dove.

Any blog you read, any story you hear, and any coaches wisdom will warn you... You just have to stay with it. We’ve all heard the stories and the warnings a millions times, yet we seem to forget in the midst of all the daily chaos. If you never have, good for you… But I didn’t fall off the wagon, I took a running dive.

            In the weeks leading up to my show both my nutrition coach and my trainer told me that the hardest part of competing was staying in shape after. My thoughts – “I worked this hard, no way am I going to throw it away right in time for bikini season.” The day of my show, my nutrition coach kindly reminded me to not go crazy that night… Enjoy myself, but my body was so used to my eating habits that if I went and drank and ate myself to oblivion it wasn’t going to be good. So, I obviously went and ate and drank myself into oblivion which resulted with my being in a curled up ball of pain on the floor.

            In the weeks to come I fell somewhere in between having one foot in and one foot out of the fitness world before I took a swan dive in to the Dorito bag and rumpleminz frenzy.

Top left: Middle of training. Top right: one week out. Bottom left: day of show. Bottom right: today.

            I tell you this long story for one reason: to admit to myself that I’m human. We all like to go out and eat and have a drink and relax. That is okay.. In moderation. I let my habits slide, didn’t track my macros for weeks which resulted in lack of energy because I either wasn’t eating enough or I wasn’t eating food as fuel and nutrients and enjoyment. I was eating it for pure enjoyment and anything that looks good needs to be in my belly. All of this made for crappy workouts – if there was a workout at all. The MOST frustrating part is that all of that work – has backslid. My one goal after my show was to get strong… Kind of hard to get strong when you are eating pizza and laying on the couch. Since that has happened, my brand new bathing suit fits a little more snug and I pretty much break a sweat warming up in the gym – but that’s okay. It’s time to get to work.

            Starting over isn’t always a bad thing. You’ve been through the experience before and you know what works and you have an opportunity to try some new things so that the end result turns out even better than before!

Step 1:

Get eating back on track. For me, meal prep is essential. I run a busy life most of the time (I’ve had a solid easy schedule lately so there is literally no excuse) so meal prep takes away the excuses and is always fun to try out new recipes. If you suck at cooking – start with the basics. Meal prep with a friend, buy a better crocker book – Anything. Just DO IT.

Step 2:

Let people know what you are doing. You don’t have to necessarily explain it to them, but when people know what you are doing, it saves you from having to make excuses – they understand you have goals.

Step 3:

Talk to and hang out with like minded people. If you  are around a bunch of lushes 5 nights a week who like to throw back cocktails and make midnight taco runs… Chances are you are going to give in. Make friends at the gym, convert a pizza enthusiast, workout with your boyfriend/girlfriend/sister/cousin.. Whatever you have to do.  Working in pairs makes it less easy to give up.

Step 4:

Remember your why. From my first blog and forward, this will always be a common factor. Remembering your why when you lose enthusiasm will remotivate you.

Step 5:

Rome wasn’t built in a day – and neither was your six pack. It took you a while to earn it, it’s going to take you a while to get it back. Don’t get discouraged. Take progress pictures from RESTART day 1 – stop referencing what happened before you covered your face in peanut butter.

Step 6:

HAVE FUN! If you dread working out and eating the right things for your body – you’re doing it wrong.

I Crossed The Finish Line... Now What?

When we set goals for ourselves, we spend so much time looking for that finish line to appear. We spend minutes, hours, days waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel… And then it flies by. Be it graduating from college, finishing a big project at work, traveling cross country in a van, or in my case, competing in an NPC competition. As I was training, people would ask me why I was doing it, or what my end goal was. I have various reasons on why I chose to compete, but as for my end goal… What do you mean what is my end goal? What is your end goal? My point that I’m trying to get to is that once we cross one finish line, I think it is crucial to at least outline where the next one might lead you. My next one… Was brunch.

            I’m serious when I say that. I am a HUGE breakfast person. There is a place down where I live where there is brunch on the weekends buffet style… Bottomless food and mimosas for super cheap. In other words, it’s like heaven. As soon as I got home from church the Sunday after my show I was headed for brunch and nothing was going to stop me. That is, until I ate and drank myself into a food coma (exactly what my nutrition coach told me NOT to do), and spent the remainder of the day feeling as though my insides were trying to turn outward.

            Now that that is over, what are my plans? My coaches wanted to know, my family, my friends, but most importantly – me. I want you all to realize the importance of knowing what your own, individual, self-motivated, goals are. I had set all of my energy on competing. My friends, my job, regrettably even school and family dinners were set on the back burner because I was essentially dealing with an over flowing plate the entire duration of training. Once things got a little quieter, I took some time for self reflection.

            After reaching that finish line that seemed so far away, self-reflection is crucial. I recommend giving yourself time to answer these questions:

1.     What affairs do I need to put in order before I set any new goals?

2.     What are some things I have wanted to accomplish for a long time?

3.     Do I have the necessary tools to start heading towards these accomplishments? If not, how do I attain them?

4.     Think BABY STEPS. You have to crawl before you can walk (unless you are my niece who is totally uninterested in anything that has to do with crawling… She get’s it from her auntie ;))

5.     Will my new goals cause me to backslide from my last huge accomplishment?

6.     Do I have the support that I need, and can I return the favor?

7.     Am I too busy setting goals that I am forgetting to have fun?

We all get so caught up smashing deadline after deadline that oftentimes we forget to have fun. It’s summertime, the weather is beautiful outside, and if nothing else, take a 15 minute breather to enjoy the scenery. Make a lunch date, sleep in with your significant other, spend 45 minutes catching some rays, call your parents.

Stay tuned for my next blog post: Thin Culture.

Attitude is Everything

Attitude is everything, and I know – I used to have a chronic bad one. It’s amazing the ways that my life has changed and the roads that God has guided me down once I lifted my head out of you know where. I can remember exactly when my perspective and attitude on life events changed, and how dramatically up my life seemed to go after.  I started talking to someone who became and will probably remain a great friend in my life. Remembering his amazing optimism and kindness helps me when I get it in one of my ruts. “No one likes a negative facebooker!,” I heard him say once. It’s funny, we all get so tied up in social media and I don’t think we realize that even though we aren’t consciously absorbing the negativity always, we are allowing it to be brought to our attention. Be sure to not let it effect you.

We all have those days. The – this really sucks, why me, I deserve better kind of days. And good for you for realizing that very fact... YOU DESERVE BETTER, so go out there and get it. Pity parties are sometimes necessary… With a pint of ben and jerrys, a bottle of wine, and a romantic comedy – but then get up, get dressed, and get over it.

If you’ve ever played a sport or been to a seminar on attitude, you’ve probably heard these famous words by Charles Swindoll, but kindly let me reiterate:

I’m not perfect. I sat down to do a workout circuit yesterday with a piss-poor attitude. Going in to it, my trainer told me to stop psyching myself out and I was going to do great… I was talking about how I wasn’t going to be able to finish, I was going to throw up, I was going to make a fool of myself… Welp! I finished, I wanted to die, and I could have done way better. Attitude is everything. I am doing that same circuit tomorrow and I am absolutely going to KILL IT!

If you've never watched the Ted talk by Shawn Achor, you need to (http://www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work). Less than 15 minutes and it can change your life. Shawn studied happiness at Harvard University and has been speaking at companies in countries around the world to increase positivity and productivity in classrooms and companies alike. In this Ted talk, he talks about how "it's not really the reality that shapes us, but the lens through which your brain views the world that shapes your reality." I love that. It speaks volumes to attitude and perspective and the importance of how we view our lives.

In addition to having an outstanding attitude and perspective yourself, it is important to surround yourself with positive people who want to see you succeed. You are the five most people you spend time with – choose wisely. Don’t be trapped by dogma, get out and see the world through a positive lens. Spend a day with a 5 year old, you’ll see how much beauty there really is.

Traveling While Training

Traveling is something that we all love to do (unless you don’t, in which case I think you are a little crazy). As a bit of a wanderlust myself, I often find myself in battle with how to stay in my routine of healthy habits while spending hours in the airport, driving in the car, or catching up with friends while indulging in a delicious glass of Cabernet. Not only that, but I am probably one of the biggest over packers that you will ever meet. The last few weeks have been so busy and life is only about to speed up. Atlanta last weekend, home in Dallas this weekend, and back to the PNW next weekend (GO SEAHAWKS!) So not only do I have to worry about what I am going to eat, where I am going to fit gym time in, but what am I going to even do about packing gym clothes?! Where is the happy medium? Well, from one experienced traveler to another, here is my solution.

            For starters, you have to go in to your travels with the mindset that you are going to continue to hold your dedication in your training. If you go in optimistic, it will ensure success in keeping on track.

            Next comes the packing. Like I said before, I am an extreme over packer. For my last trip to Atlanta, I was allowed a single backpack. Not a carry-on suitcase, a backpack. For someone who checks a bag for a three day weekend, you can imagine my dismay at my luggage shortage for my four day trip where there was a possibility of storming. I packed one pair of nikes and stuffed them in my waterbottle holders. I rolled all of my workout clothes the smallest they could possibly go and layed them on the bottom of my backpack and I brought just enough for each day. Next… The supplements. There was absolutely no way I was going to fit all those bottles in my bag so I resorted to baggies. The following picture shows my small luggage and my supplements all bagged up. The important thing to remember in this situation is serving size. 

I threw in all the scoops with the corresponding powders (protein, UCAN, and bcaas) and put all my multi-vitamins together. I just labeled the baggie what capules were so that I didn’t get my am/pm/glutamine mixed up. I can not stress enough that you have an accurate way of measuring what you are taking in. Humans are terrible at guessing. I thought that ¼ cup was way more than it actually is by eyeballing. If you have a suitcase, your food scale fits perfectly in between two shirts. If not, wherever you are staying should have portion sizes weighed out (at restaurants). If you have ever gotten a job at a restaurant you know that they portion EVERYTHING. If you ask them, someone will know how much of what you are taking in. If you have neither your scale or someone with knowledge, Walmart and Target carry super cheap scales – include that in your travel budget.

            The next important thing is to know your area. If you know someone where you are going or have been there before this is a huge help, if not; there’s google. Look up where you are going to be ahead of time so you know the scene. Learn what restaurants are in the area so when discussing where to eat you know what you can fit in to your daily caloric/macro intake. Find a grocery store. The first thing I did when I got to Atlanta was take note of where the grocery store’s were and googled gyms in the area. The awesome thing about gym’s is that if you can’t find one that you belong to, most of them offer free week trail passes… PERFECT for the weekend traveler. You have to plan. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. 

            Know what you are going to workout ahead of time. Just because you are out of town doesn’t mean that you have to alter your routine. You can still workout the normal body parts on the normal days, it might just take you a little longer because you don’t know exactly where each station in the gym is. Once you get there, familiarize yourself so that you can maximize time each day. You are obviously traveling for a reason, you don’t want to waste time every gym trip walking in circles to find the dumbbells.

            PLAN your timing. If you are going to breakfast with someone and lunch with another, make sure that you allow yourself adequate time and know where you are going so you don’t carb load at breakfast and then hit up Olive Garden for pasta at lunch. Be smart, plan. Know your general activites for the day as well. I have a love for the outdoors. When I travel during the summer, if I'm around the mountain... I'm on it. What a great way to workout AND enjoy the scenery where you are traveling to. And if you don't think climbing a mountain is a workout, you aren't doing it right.

 Above: My sister and I at Heather Lake in WA.

Below: Me on top a mtn in Snoqualmie, WA.

            My last note is just as important as the first… Remember that you are human. I am 30 days out from competing and I am heading to Seattle in a week to watch two amazing people get married. I’m not going to go all crazy but I am going to wake up early that day to get the gym session in, and then I’m going to relax. I’m going to socialize, I’m going to see people I haven’t seen in months, I’m going to snuggle with my amazing neice Olivia, dance the jig on the dancefloor with the bride, and have a glass of champagne. A (as in single, or one) glass.  Yes, I’m training and very close to the finish line, but I’m still human. I have to make time for it. A glass of wine, a shot of whiskey isn’t going to kill me. I am SO excited for my travels (this is the longest time I haven’t made a trip back home since I first moved away). And the next day, I am going to kill it in the gym a little extra. And I am going to love every minute!

RECAP for Traveling while training:

1.     Think success

2.     Pack accordingly

3.     Know the area

4.     Have a timeframe

5.     Indulge - be a person

6.     Kill it in the gym