Back to Square One

Not sure where I fell off the wagon exactly. Could it be the job I loathe, the one-hour-each-way commute, the holidays, or some combination of all of the above? I was doing so well and staying focused. Then suddenly, I threw caution to the wind and began stress- and binge-eating. Some baklava here, some dark chocolate truffles there. It's no wonder how I gained 7 pounds! UGH!

I need help stat! I'm supposed to be starting my competition diet very soon. My trainer, Jodi, is going out on her own so the cost of her services have gone up. I really want to stick with her since she's grown to know me and how my body reacts to food and workouts. The uncertainty with my job makes me a little wishy-washy.

*Sigh* So I broke out my Fighter Diet ebooks and I'm in detox mode. In a nutshell, the Fighter Diet is all about veggies. If you're hungry, eat veggies. But you do have to track everything. I'm hoping to drop a few pounds before I meet up with Jodi. Since the show I want to do is May 10, my goal is to start my diet no later than Jan. 5. That means I have 10 days to get into some resemblance of shape. LOL!

That said, I'm still working out like a fiend, lifting heavy and limiting my cardio. I definitely feel like I added muscle. The question is: how much? Did I gain 7 pounds of fat, muscle or some combination. I'm hoping at least half is muscle!

Stay tuned as I once again embark on this crazy journey...

How did you do with your eating and working out program during the holidays?

Holiday Gift Ideas for Fit Moms

Wondering what to ask for this holiday season? Many times our husbands and other loved ones need some (or a lot) of guidance when it comes to shopping. Don't forget to include some items to add to your workout, whether it's attire, equipment, inspiration or a cutting-edge gadget.

In the spirit of the 12 Days of Christmas, here are the 12 items to wow a Fit Mom:

1. Polar FT4 Women's Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Bronze)
2. Personal trainer sessions
3. Gym membership
4. P90X Extreme Home Fitness Workout Program - 13 DVDs, Nutrition Guide, Exercise Planner
5. New workout outfit
6. Gift certificate for a massage (okay, not exactly a workout...but who couldn't use a massage?)
7. Nike+ iPod accessories -- Apple MA365LL/D Nike+ iPod Sport Kit
8. Set of kettlebells -- Kathy Smith's Kettlebell Solution
9. PowerBlock SportBlock 24 Adjustable 3 to 24-Pounds per Dumbbell Set
10. Tosca Reno's Your Best Body Now: Look and Feel Fabulous at Any Age the Eat-Clean Way book (currently reading it and plan to do a review shortly)
11. Supplements, like your favorite protein powder
12. A quiet afternoon :)

What are you wishing for this holiday season?





 
Get 10% off sitewide when you shop at www.AccessHydro.com. Valid until December 31, 2013.

Here Come the Holidays...

With Thanksgiving coming this week, it can be tough to stay focused on eating clean and training hard.

I'm just a few weeks away from officially starting my next competition diet. I'm going to get my official eating plan on Dec. 27 and kick it into high gear on Jan. 2. The show is scheduled for May 10, which gives me 17 weeks.

I've been trying to stick with my off-season plan, so hopefully I'll be around 18% bodyfat. That gives me plenty of time to get my bodyfat well below 10%.

Excited doesn't even begin to describe how I'm feeling! It will be interesting to see how my body responds this time around. I'm planning on getting a new suit and want to take a posing class. I'll be outlining my progress and how my eating and training changes week by week. Stay tuned...

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!!

Did You Turn Your Clocks Back? I Forgot One...

The first thing I do when I get up and it's Daylight Savings Time is spring into action fixing every clock in the house, my watch, the clock in the car...I was fairly sure I updated them all. I forgot one important one. My alarm clock. That would be why I'm writing a post at 3:30am on a Monday morning. I'm still trying to get past the fact that I just lost an hour of precious sleep in my cozy bed.

I'm not sure how two months quickly escaped since my last post. Not too much has changed. I'm still trying my best to eat clean and train consistently. I visited with Jodi about two weeks ago to check on my bodyfat level and get some direction for my off-season training.

I was thrilled to be at 17.6% bodyfat, which means I'm maintaining (last time I was 17.4%, which was in July). My weight is up 5 pounds. I'm hoping it's muscle, but it could be some water weight. My period is still screwed up from coming off the pill and the creatine I'm taking is known to cause water retention. Jodi pulled back on my cardio and had me add Ezekiel bread at lunchtime. Here is my current diet:

Breakfast -- 5 egg whites, 1/3 cup oatmeal, 1/4 cup berries
AM snack -- 1.5 scoops Core Post-Workout protein powder
Lunch -- 3oz protein, 1 slice Ezekiel bread, 1 cup veggies
PM snack -- 1 scoop protein, 1 Tbsp peanut butter (or 10-12 almonds)
Dinner -- 3 oz protein, 2 cups veggies, 1/3 cup rice
Evening snack -- 1 scoop protein, 1 Tbsp peanut butter (or 10-12 almonds)

Cardio -- 20 min. 4x per week
Weights -- 5 exercises per bodypart, 3-4 sets, 8-12 reps
Supplements -- added 1 scoop creatine back into my glutamine drink during my workout. I'm taking a multi-vitamin, CLA, BCAAs, biotin, calcium, and fish oil.

My goal right now is to add muscle. The plan is to do the same show I did last year, which is on May 10. I'm about 6 months out. The competition diet will start right after the holidays on Jan. 5.

Here's to an easier adjustment to the time change! Do you have any Daylight Savings stories to share? I'm all ears. ;)

Taking an Unexpected Step Back

Don't you hate when you're going along your merry way and something unexpected happens that turns your world upside down. That basically describes this past weekend.

I was just getting back into my workout groove and did a nice, hard leg workout on Wed. One of those workouts that leaves you sore by lunchtime. I thought nothing of it...until my calf and achilles tendon really began to hurt. I shrugged it off as nothing more than a strain from overuse. On Thurs. I worked out in the morning and by the evening my calf hurt even more and I asked my husband if it looked swollen. He immediately said it did and I should go to the dr. Nah, I'll just elevate, ice and cut back on working out since I was convinced it was a muscle and/or tendon injury.

By Sat. morning I could barely walk on it; I was in such pain. But we were heading to Atlantic City that night to see a show. I wasn't going to let my leg ruin my weekend plans. Finally, I couldn't take the pain anymore and let my husband take me to a walk-in doctor clinic since we were already down the shore. My blood pressure was very low (hence why I felt so woozy) and the dr. sent me to the hospital for an ultrasound. He was fairly certain I had a blood clot. Now in my mind I found this laughable. Only the elderly get blood clots. I just turned 40, eat clean, work out six days a week...I'm sure it's just a muscle.

After five hours in the ER, I come to find out I have a blood clot behind my left knee and was immediately put on blood thinners. WHAT?!?!? I was ordered to be on bed rest at home for three days and wasn't allowed to leave the hospital until I provided my primary doctor's info. Now this is beginning to sound serious. I had to learn how to give myself shots of Lovenox in my stomach and was also put on Warfarin (the generic form of Cumadin). I was given a laundry list of symptoms that warranted immediately going to the hospital. I had to have my blood checked every five days to ensure the blood thinners were at the right levels. Is your head spinning yet? Mine certainly was!

I was hot mess when I woke up the next day (leg still in a whole lotta pain) and thought about all the things I potentially couldn't do anymore. No more supplements for fear of how they may interact with my meds. No more crazy races, like the Tough Mudder or Warrior Dash. I can't so much as shave my legs with a razor. No pedicures.

All that said, I'm so incredibly grateful for where I am today and what I can do. I have a loving husband who made me realize I couldn't just ignore the situation. Once my leg pain is gone, I can go back to the gym. I just purchased a fancy new electric razor. Most importantly, my blood clot (also known as deep vein thrombosis, DVT) didn't turn into a pulmonary embolism, which means it could've traveled to my lungs and killed me.

My public service announcement (PSA) to everyone is this: if you take long trips, either by car or plane, get up and walk around. That is the leading cause of DVT. If you're on birth control, such as Yaz, be very careful since one of the leading side effects is blood clots. I didn't realize that not only did I take a long trip (Napa in July), I was on the generic form of Yaz, and I have a family history of blood clots. Good odds, right?

It's hard to take a step back, but sometimes what's going on inside your body is most important than what's going on outside.

Have you ever had to take a step back and readjust your goals? I've love to hear about it!

Where Did the Summer Go?

How on earth are there only two weeks before Labor Day and the official end of summer? While I've had an amazing summer, it always seems to go by so fast!!

So what's happened since my last post about a month ago? A whole lot! Let's see, after returning from Napa, I received a job offer. I took a week off between jobs and spent it in Cape May with the family. It was wonderful, to say the least. Then I about two weeks ago, I started a new job, which is always stressful. Between another vacation and a big life change, I was nervous about meeting with Jodi for a weight and body fat check-in. I can honestly say I've been 95% clean in my eating habits.

I weighed in at 134 lbs. (no change) and 17.9% (a half percent increase). I was over the moon!!!! Granted being near 18% isn't my personal ideal (I'd rather be closer to 15%). Given how crazy the summer was, I'm very happy with where things stand.

I have one more training session with Jodi before I'm officially in off-season mode. In preparation for my April 2014 show, I won't start dieting down and meeting up with Jodi again until around October or November.

I've been dying to the try the Fighter Diet, so for the next two weeks that's what I'll be doing. Here's what a typical day looks like:

Breakfast
1 cup wheat bran
1 scoop protein
2 tbsp flax seed
2 tbsp Truvia
1 tbsp cinnamon
(add water and mix together)

AM Snack
1.5 scoops protein powder
10 almonds

Lunch
5 egg whites
1 pound broccoli
PM Snack
4 oz. canned chicken
1 pound green beans
Dinner
3 oz. chicken
1 bag shirataki noodles
1 pound veggies:
   2 cups broccoli slaw
   2 tomatoes
   1 cucumber


Evening Snack
6 oz. Greek yogurt
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp Truvia

With this plan, there are no carbs. Vegetables are considered your carbs. Then after 1-2 weeks, you have a re-feed day that consists solely of carbs. You may be wondering why on earth I would do this. I'm just interested to see what the impact will be (fat loss, muscle gains, etc.) Plus, this diet is known to curb cravings. I'm always hungry at night. Stay tuned for updates -- not sure how one pound of veggies at every meal will go.

In regards to exercise, I'll be doing 25 minutes of cardio 5 days a week and lifting like a crazy woman!

Any training or diet tips you picked up this summer that you'd like to share? I'm all ears!

Summer is All About Trying to Stay Focused...and Having FUN!

I'm soooo sorry it's been way too long since I've posted an update. It always amazes me how life just seems to go in so many different directions. It's all good, though. Since my April show, I've been super busy (haven't we all) between the kids finishing up their school year, me celebrating my 40th birthday *gasp*, traveling, and most importantly, trying to maintain my leanness and keep working out like crazy.

I've been meeting regularly with Jodi, and at our last meeting I was at 17%. Mind you, that was after a week in Napa Valley (my hubby's 40th present to me). I tried to enjoy myself, while also being cognizant of what I was taking in and burning off. Needless to say, I was over the moon over gaining just 1% bodyfat. Whew!

But now I'm taking an entire month off from working out and clean eating is my only solace. Those close to me know why I made this decision. I'll restart my gym workouts very soon. But it feels good to come back from vacation and dive right into structured, clean eating. I'll be challenged again in a week when we head to Cape May for a family vacation with the kids (we didn't take them to Napa....yes, it was a true vacation. LOL!) I plan on preparing ahead and making as many of my own meals as I can. Luckily we're renting a cottage, so I have access to a kitchen.

I think it's so incredibly important to find a balance between staying in shape and enjoying life. For me, I love having the confidence to look good in a bikini, which makes summer less stressful. That alone motivates me to eat clean. Plus, the summer offers an abundance of veggies to try out different recipes. Between my husband's garden and the farm share we belong to, I've had the chance to try vegetables I've never even heard of, let alone eaten. For example, kohlrabi came in our farm delivery. It's a cross between a turnip and cabbage. It has the consistency of a turnip and tastes like cabbage. My husband found a great cucumber/kohlrabi recipe that was so refreshing and perfect for summer. (I'm trying to hunt it down and will share it as soon as I find it.)

Now I want to know how the summer affects your workout and diets. Do you go completely off and just enjoy all the summer has to offer, or are you more focused than ever on making sure your bikini looks fabulous?

Until next time, eat clean and train dirty!

Pack and Plan to Keep Your Family Eating Healthy

We Fit Mommas want our families to eat clean right along with us. That's why I think you'll enjoy this guest post from Dave and Carrie Woodward of BodyEvolution.com:

One of the challenges we all face is how to keep our kids and family eating healthy, especially for those of us always on the go. Here are some tips we have found that can make staying fit and healthy fun and convenient:

1.     Start the day right. When you know you are going to be on the go all day, be sure to start with a healthy breakfast. Avoid sugary cereals. Eggs with an additional protein are great. Try cooking up the ingredients for breakfast burritos the night before. This way you can just warm up the tortillas and put them together first thing in the morning. Ideally, be sure everyone has at least 20 grams of protein for breakfast before they head out the door. The protein will help family members feel full longer and avoid morning sugar spikes and cravings.

2.     Pack healthy snacks to take with you. Keep a cooler in the car filled with bottles of water, protein bars, nuts, carrots, peppers or other healthy vegetables. Bring along sandwiches so you can have a picnic on the go. Families get hungry, especially running from place to place, so make it fun and have pre-made snacks with you. It will cut down on fast food and save you money.

3.     Don’t over-schedule yourself or the kids.  It is okay to say, “We just can’t make it.” Too often we get caught up in trying to do everything. Reduce the stress by saying no to some activities so you can enjoy the activities that you do choose.

4.     Have your kids help with the cooking. At first you may feel this will add more stress. Yet cooking with your kids gives you a great opportunity to teach them how to make healthy substitutions to lower the calories and fat in some of their favorite foods. Try using skim milk instead of whole milk, chicken broth instead of oil and egg whites instead of whole eggs.

5.     Eat until you’re satisfied, not stuffed. Too often we overeat because we are not sure when the next meal will come. Teach your kids about portion control. And enjoy the social aspect of eating together without overindulging.

Following these tips can help make planning and preparing meals and snacks a family activity. Your kids will remember these times together, and they will learn skills they can use to stay healthy and share with their own families when they grow up.

--

About the Authors: Husband and wife fitness experts Dave and Carrie Woodward are creators of BodyEvolution.com, a holistic system available for $37 online to help people make lifestyle changes to lose weight and keep it off. Carrie, 40, is an Elite marathon runner who has run in the Boston and New York marathons. As a group exercise instructor she teaches everything from Yoga to kick boxing, step cardio, spinning classes and a host of others. She holds a degree in Exercise Science and Health Promotion. Dave has a master's degree in Exercise Physiology. He completed his master's thesis on hydrostatic weighing and body composition, minored in psychology and loves to teach. He has taught everything from college level courses in anatomy and physiology to working with youth football and soccer teams teaching the fundamentals of the sports and the importance of sportsmanship. A self-described "adrenaline junkie" Dave enjoys skydiving, scuba diving, rock climbing and anything fast or exhilarating. Dave and Carrie are the parents of four boys and live in Southern California. Learn more at www.BodyEvolution.com.

Summer's Almost Here...Maintenance Plan Time

My apologies for slacking off and not keeping you up-to-date on what's been going on.

One of my goals this year was to maintain my leanness and not fall back into back habits (i.e., regain all the bodyfat I worked so hard to lose). Right after my show, I took one day off from working out, but kept my diet plan going. I signed up with Jodi for another 12 weeks with the goal of getting to 14-15% bodyfat and maintaining it until I was ready for the next show. (At this point, I'm not sure if it will be Oct. 2013 or April 2014). Regardless, I need someone to hold me accountable when it comes to eating.

Well, it's June 20, and I've successfully maintained 14% bodyfat and approx. 130 pounds. Each week, Jodi adds food and takes away cardio. Here is my current diet and workout routine:

Breakfast (pre-workout): 5 egg whites + 1/3 cup oatmeal + 1/4 cup berries
Morning Snack (post-workout): 1.5 scoops protein powder
Lunch: 3oz. protein + 1/2 cup brown rice (or other whole grain) + 4 oz. veggies
Afternoon Snack: 1 scoop protein + 1 tbsp peanut butter
Dinner: 3 oz. protein + 1/2 cup brown rice + 8 oz. veggies

Evening snack: 1 scoop protein powder

The beauty of this maintenance plan is the ability to substitute a variety of foods. I'm at around 1,600 calories. Each snack or meal is 200-300 calories. So I can have a protein bar, rice cake w/ peanut butter, or other combinations that keep me in that calorie range and similar type of food (protein, carb, fat).

In terms of working out, I'm now doing 35 minutes of steady-state cardio 5x per week. I work one muscle group each day, 6 days per week. She'll continue to decrease my cardio until I'm closer to 20 minutes per day.

When it comes to supplements, I'm pretty much still taking what I always have, minus the fat burners. I take everything with breakfast. (Yes, I know I should be taking them throughout the day. I try to be stricter when I'm training for a show.) Here is the list:

- Pre-workout (Jack'd)
- Glutamine + BCAAs (Beverly Int'l)
- BCAAs (Optimum Nutrition)
- Fish Oil
- CLA
- Vitamin C
- B-12
- Hair, Skin & Nails supplement
- Multivitamin

I'm trying a new protein powder called Core Nutritionals. According to Jodi, it's high quality and great for making muscle gains. I've already gained 1.5 pounds of muscle since my show, and the chocolate Core post-workout protein is soooo yummy!!

That's all for now. Here's to eating clean and training dirty!

Post-Contest -- What Happens Now?

If you remember my show last year, I couldn't wait to go back to "normal" eating. Well, that eating led me right back to 25% bodyfat. I was so thrilled with my bodyfat level and how good I looked, I just couldn't bear the thought of going back.

Needless to say, I signed back up with Jodi for another 12 weeks. My goal -- get back to 15% bodyfat and maintain it. I'm also looking at doing another show in October in the Bikini Division. Since that category is a bit softer than Figure, I most likely wouldn't have to diet down so hard.

Mondays are my Jodi days, so here's this week's update:

I weigh 126.4 (less than show time) and 11.8% bodyfat. Here is my diet:

Diet
Pre-workout/Breakfast -- 5 egg whites + 3 oz. sweet pot
Post-workout/AM Snack -- protein shake
Lunch -- 5 oz. tilapia + 2 cups veggies (can be anything like cauli, brocc, zucch, etc)
PM Snack -- 3oz. chicken + 3 oz. sweet pot
Dinner -- 3 oz. chicken + 2 cups veggies
Night Snack -- 3 oz. chicken

Workouts
Cardio -- 60 min./ 6x week (no plyos, no intervals -- steady state only)
Weights -- back to going heavy

I'm contemplating joining a proper gym. While I adore the gym in my basement, I'm running out of weights/plates. I also belong to a gym where I work, but they literally have three leg machines -- leg press, leg extension and leg curl. I want access to a variety of exercises so I can really up my game.

I asked Jodi for her feedback as a judge (and I'll be getting the other judges' feedback since the show promoter sent me their email addresses). She wants me to gain 10 pounds of muscle. Not sure how I feel about that. I definitely need more muscle mass, but as a woman, it's difficult to think about gaining weight.

I just received my official show photos, so as promised, here you go:

One Week Out & Final Show

My apologies for skipping a week. I had all these great intentions of posting, but between work, workouts, kids sports, and a host of other things, it was like I had monkey wrenches flying at my head all week. On top of depleting, I'm surprised I even know my name anymore. LOL!!

One Week Out
I met with Jodi the Monday before the Saturday, April 27 show, so it was actually less than a week. I weighed in at 128.8 lbs. (down 1.2 lbs.) and bodyfat was 10.1% (down almost 2%!!!!) She tweaked my diet, and my workouts were ending:

Diet

• Monday's night snack changed from 3 oz. of chicken to 3 egg whites.
• Wednesday's breakfast was now 4 oz. tilapia (no more egg whites...buh-bye favorite pancakes).
• No condiments, spices or gum (i.e., the start of Allison's 72-hour hell...you can take my food, but don't take my gum!!!

Workouts

• The Friday before (Apr. 17, 10 days out) was my last leg workout.
• Continued one-minute plyometrics in between sets.
• Wednesday, April 24, was my last workout (weights and cardio)

I began taking Expel (i.e., depleting) on Wednesday, which also meant drinking one gallon of distilled water Wed. and Thurs., and half a gallon on Friday. Friday at 5pm, I stopped drinking anything.

Friday
I definitely tried to pack too many things into the day before the show (note to self). I really wanted to take the day off, but things were so crazy at work that I couldn't. I had a mani/pedi scheduled, still needed to pack, practice posing, and, most importantly, get hand-tanned by Jodi and check in one last time. Jodi won't weigh or measure the day before a show. Most of the weight lost is water and she doesn't like to get caught up in the numbers. She can read bodyfat by just looking. She guessed me at "high 8s", so I'm going with 8.8%. LOL! It's definitely lower than last time when I came in at 9.5%.

My instructions for Friday and Saturday included some unexpected treats. Friday dinner was 3 oz. chicken and 8 oz. asparagus. My evening snack was 2 oz. of cooked lean beef (or 3 oz. raw). WOOHOO!!! I did weight myelf when I got home out of curiosity, and I was at 126.5. I think that's the lowest I've been since 11th grade. LOL!! My weight measured 26 inches.

Saturday -- Show Time
Boy, did I miss coffee on Saurday morning!! Good thing I packed lots of Excedrin and Advil.

Here's what I ate the day of the show (although the pre-judging and finals timing threw me for a loop):

• 4 oz. tilapia, 4 oz. sweet potato
• 4 egg whites, 4 oz. asparagus
• 2 oz. beef, 4 oz. asparagus, 2 oz. sweet potato
• 3 oz. chicken, 3 oz. sweet potato

As I mentioned, the show was in Burlington, NJ. My good friend, Janine, who graciously joined me as my trainer backstage, trekked over 90 minutes to attend. It was such an organized, well-run show -- what a nice surprise. You knew what time you were going on, no surprises. Lots of room backstage. I loved every aspect.

I entered two categories -- Novice and Open. Drum roll please...I won 4th place in the Novice group!!! I was on cloud nine all weekend. Even the T-walk, which I was so nervous about, was easy-peasy. I just loved every minute of it.
 
Final Thoughts
I honestly can't believe I placed. It was a very large show, and the other girls blew me away. They were gorgeous with bodies to match. But everyone is so friendly and approachable. I love the sportmanship of the sport and I'm really excited to do it again. And yes, I am thinking about doing another show. I may test out the bikini category, even though I just love the muscular look.

One important lesson I learned, there is no off season. You have to embrace this as a lifestyle, not I'm on/off my competition diet. It was incredibly hard for me to get to this point, much harder than last time. And I'll be damned if DQ is going to mess it up. LOL!!

That said, I did go out for a celebratory meal afterwards. Janine, my parents, my mother-in-law and I all went to Friendly's. I had an awesome burger and an even better Oreo ice cream treat. Plus, my family insisted the staff sing "The Trophy Song." What a great way to end an awesome day!!!!

NOTE: Having some technical issues. I promise to post pictures very soon!

Figure Competition 2 Weeks & Counting

With the first competition originally scheduled on April 13th cancelled due to lack of participation, all of my focus is on the 27th.

Just two short weeks left, here are this week's changes:

Bodyfat -- 11.9 % -- Down 1.3%!! Can I get a woot-woot?? Very excited to be nearing single digit country. Fingers crossed that I can bust through 10% before April 27.

Weight is now 130.0 lbs even -- down 1.4 lbs!! Yippee!

Diet Changes
- Morning snack is now 4 egg whites instead of tilapia (did I mention how tired I am of tilapia??)
- Lunch tilapia is now 5oz. (down from 6oz.) and no more green beans, now it's 8oz. asparagus
- Dinner tilapia is also now 5oz. (down from 6oz.)

Check out my new green bikini.

Evening snack is now 3oz. chicken (no tilapia -- woohoo!!)

Workout Changes
- Cardio is now 80 min. 7x per week
- 1 min. of plyos between sets
- Bleachers & sprints as much as possible
- Wed. is my last leg day (10 days out from the show)
- Fri. is my last day of walking lunges and deadlifts

This Week's Focus
- More tanning
- More practice -- need to focus on the walks and turns
- Create my pack list and start gathering
- Make a mani/pedi appt. and take a half day off work on April 26
- Mentally start prepping...lots of visualization :)

Until next time, eat meticulous and train ridiculous...

3 Weeks "til April 27th Figure Competition

Sadly, the April 13th figure competition was cancelled due to a lack of participation. Somewhat of a bummer, but also sort of glad since I don't feel quite ready.

I had a great visit with Jodi this week, and the progress -- and changes -- continue...

I weighed in at 131.4% (down 1 lb.) and bodyfat was 13.2% (down 1.2%). Woohoo!! Jodi and I were both very happy with these numbers.

This week's diet and workout changes:

Diet

• Morning snack is now 5 oz. tilapia and 4 oz. asparagus (buh-buh chicken, hello morning fish -- blech)
• Afternoon snack, the almonds go away (boo!!)

Workout

• Cardio is now 75 min., 7x per week
• 45 seconds of plyos stay put
• Try to do as many bleachers/sprints as possible this week. 

This week is Spring Break, so I'll be off Wednesday through Friday. With the warm weather finally here, I'll hopefully be able to get 3-4 times in. We're heading to Great Wolf Lodge with the kids, so the Thursday workout will be interesting. I may split my cardio into 3x on that day (25 min., 25 min., 25 min.). I'm hoping the gym is more impressive than what it looks like online.

I posed for Jodi with my new green sparkly bikini. It's growing on me and I think I may end up using that one after all.

Also, I found out the show has a dedicated photographer, so hopefully I will get some great pics to share!

It's hard to believe only 19 more days, 2 more appts. with Jodi and it's go-time.

Until next time, eat clean and train dirty, Fit Mommas!!

Figure Competition Countdown -- 4 Weeks Out

After having a run-in with my kids' Easter candy, I was nervous to see what today's weigh & measure appointment would bring...

Bodyfat
14.4% (down 0.5%)

Weight
132.4lbs. (up 3.2 lbs.)

I'm glad my bodyfat went down, not happy about my weight going up. I could be retaining water from my little candy splurge. Back to the drawing board. Here are this week's changes (there are a lot of them): 

Diet Changes
Morning snack is now 3 oz. chicken and 4 oz. asparagus (sweet potato is gone)
Lunch is now 8 oz. green beans (vs. 4 oz.); sweet potato is gone
Afternoon snack now includes 3 oz. sweet potato

Workout Changes
Cardio 70 min. 7x per week
Keep 45 seconds of plyometrics between sets

There were so many change to my diet, I need to repost what the whole looks like again. I can't keep track! Here's what my diet now looks like:

Current Daily Diet

Breakfast - 5 egg whites, 4 oz. sweet potato

Post-workout - 3 oz. chicken, 4 oz. asparagus

Lunch - 6 oz. tilapia, 8 oz. green beans

Afternoon snack - 3 oz. chicken, 12 almonds, 3 oz. sweet potato

Dinner - 6 oz. tilapia, 8 oz. (2 cups) asparagus

Evening snack - 4 oz. tilapia

Whew! Let's see what these changes bring. I'm still working on my tan lines. I ordered my Expel (diuretic for the last few days before show). I need to order Jan Tana tanning gel and see if I can find foundation to use on competition day. I was contemplating hiring a make-up artist, but the one recommended by the show is booked solid.

I thought it would be interesting to see how much food I'm consuming in a week. Food shopping is a regular occurrence -- at least 2x per week. Here's what I need to buy and consume in a typical week (7 days):

• Tilapia -- 14 pounds
• Chicken -- 2.6 pounds
• Sweet potato -- 3 pounds
• Green beans -- 3.5 pounds
• Asparagus -- 5.25 pounds
• Egg whites -- 3 dozen eggs
• Almonds -- 84 almonds

As promised, here is an update pic. I'm on the fence about the new green bikini. I'm feeling a bit self-conscious in it. It will really depend on what I look like closer to the show. I'll work on posting a pic so you can tell me what you think.

Until next time, eat clean and train dirty!

3 Weeks 'Til Figure Competition -- Yikes!

We're getting down to the wire and I'm happy to report this week's results:

Bodyfat
14.9% (down 1.3%)

Weight
129.2 lbs. (down 5.0 lbs.)

Diet Changes
Morning snack is now 3 oz. chicken and 2 oz. sweet potato

Workout Changes
Cardio 65 min. 7x per week
Keep 45 seconds of plyometrics between sets

Here's what my diet now looks like:

Current Daily Diet

Breakfast (eaten before workout at 4:45am)- 5 egg whites, 4 oz. sweet potato

Post-workout (approx. 7am): - 3 oz. chicken, 2 oz. sweet potato

Lunch (noon-ish) - 6 oz. tilapia, 1 cup green veggies, 4 oz. sweet potato

Afternoon snack (3:30ish) - 3 oz. chicken, 12 almonds

Dinner (6pm)- 6 oz. tilapia, 8 oz. (2 cups) asparagus

Evening snack (9pm) - 4 oz. tilapia

I submitted my entry forms and fees for the April 27th show, and I'll finish the April 13th paperwork this weekend. Now it's starting to feel real.

After I even out my tan lines from my tanning booth mishap, I promise to post some pics. Until then, eat clean and train dirty!

4 Weeks and Counting...

I just realized that I never posted this week. Ooops!!! Work was a bit crazy, so my apologies.

I made some progress, but not as much as I'd hoped. While I was visualizing 15%, my measurements came in at:

• Bodyfat -- 16.2% (down 0.9%)
• Weight -- 134.2 lbs (up 1.2 lbs.)

Jodi was nervous that I hadn't lost more with just four weeks to go, but then she took a look at me. For some reason I'm carrying the extra bodyfat differently. I should be at 12-13% right now. She wants to focus less on the numbers (easier said than done for me) and more on how I look.

With that, here are this week's changes:

Diet
Lunch -- 1 cup green beans
Dinner -- 8oz. (2 cups) asparagus

Workout
60 min. 7x per week
45 seconds plyometrics between sets

Other things I need to focus on this week are:

• Get comfortable in my new bikini -- I provided a sneak peek of my new posing suit. I'm a little self-conscious of my butt in it. There's a lot less fabric than my other suit. Luckily, I'm glued in!
  
• Practice posing and t-walk -- I think I've picked the song I want to use, which is Nicki Minaj's Starships. Not sure why, but that tune just makes me happy.
  
• Tanning -- I accidentally fried myself this week. In trying to even out my color, I went in a more powerful stand-up booth. I'm fried from my armpits to my butt cheeks. Oops!
  
• Nail appt. -- I had a Groupon for a mani/pedi, so I scheduled it the day before my first show.
  
• Hair & Make-up -- I'm going to do my own hair and make-up (*gulp*). I have a good idea from last year on how I need to look. I also chopped my hair, so there's not much styling to do, other than flat-ironing the heck out of it.
  
• Need to submit entry forms -- I consulted with Jodi on which categories I should enter -- essentially, all of them. She said the more categories, the more chances to win. So I'll be entering Novice, Masters and Open for both shows.

Until next time -- eat clean and train dirty! ;)

5 Weeks to the Tri-Cities Figure Competition

I'm still chugging along as the time winds down. This week my bodyfat was 17.1% (down 0.8%) and my weight 133lbs. (up 0.6). While I'm always secretly wishing for at least a drop of 2%, I'm just glad that I'm going down.

To come in at around 9-10% bodyfat, I still have a good 7+% to go! EEK! I should also note that I'm bigtime PMSing. Jodi thinks I'm retaining water, which is why my weight is slightly up. It could also be why I didn't drop more bodyfat. With that, here are this week's changes:

Diet
My evening snack is now 4 oz. of tilapia, and the nuts are gone. (My only source of fat now are the almonds during my afternoon snack.)

Workout
Weight training stays the same. Still doing plyometrics between sets.

Cardio is now 55 min., 7 days a week. Still doing walk/run intervals. Currently, I run 4.0 mph and then 8.0 mph. If I start to drag, I change the 8.0 mph to 7.0 mph.

I also ordered a new posing bikini, which should be arriving any day. I'm very excited!! It's emerald green and has more bling than my current suit.

I began tanning this week, too. It helps to get a solid base tan before they make you super-dark before the show.

This week, I'm going to be gathering forms, practice posing, finalizing my music for the T-walk, and nailing down the T-walk. It's been awhile since I've sported those 5-inch heels, so I need to get comfortable walking around in those again.

While I'll be doing the 2013 Tri-Cities Bodybuilding, Figure & Bikini Competition on April 13, 2103 in West Nyack, NY, I'm also planning on doing another show two weeks later. The OCB Jersey Natural Open is being held in Burlington, NJ on April 27th. I figure if I can get even leaner by that time -- all the better! This show is also a IFPA Pro & Masters Qualifier. Woohoo!

Stay tuned for next week's update. I'm hoping to post a pic of my new suit!

6 Weeks to Competition Time

Tonight was judgment night -- another reason to hate Mondays. Only kidding, I actually had a great meeting with Jodi. I'm making progress, but just wish it was a bit faster.

I'm now 132.4lbs. (down 1.5 from last week) and my bodyfat is now 17.9% (down 1.3%). This is all great news, however when I prepped for my last contest, I was at 14% six weeks out. I can either let it get me down, or I can let it get me fired up and fight even harder. I'm choosing the later.

Needless to say, to keep things moving, this week brings lots of changes to both diet and workout:

Diet

• Breakfast is now 4 oz. sweet potato (instead of oatmeal)
• Afternoon snack is now 3 oz. chicken and 12 almonds (instead of protein shake)
• No more berries with shake

Workout

• Cardio -- 50 min. 7x/ week (I talked Jodi out of 55 min. 6x/week...which will probably be next week)
• No more steady state cardio -- interval running everyday (0 incline, 1 min. hard/ 1 min. easy)

I also need to start tanning. As a refresher (and to help me keep it straight), here's my daily diet:

Current Daily Diet

Breakfast (eaten before workout at 5am)- 5 egg whites, 4 oz. sweet potato

Post-workout (approx. 7am): - protein shake

Lunch (noon-ish) - 6 oz. tilapia, 1 cup green veggies, 4 oz. sweet potato

Afternoon snack (3pm) - 3 oz. chicken, 12 almonds


Dinner (6pm)- 6 oz. tilapia, 2.5 cups green veggies

Evening snack (9pm) - protein shake, 12 almonds

I think all of these changes will really start moving the bodyfat. Now I need to focus on getting a new bikini, picking my music and practicing my T-walk.

Have any tips or tricks you'd like to add? I'm all ears!! :)

7 Weeks to Go & My First CrossFit Workout

Late is better than never, which is what this update is. It was a crazy week, but here I am!

I met with Jodi on Monday. Somehow I dropped down to 133.8 lbs and 19.2% bodyfat. I lost 4.6 pounds and 0.9% fat! I wish it was lost one pound and dropped 4.6% bodyfat. But losing is losing and I'll take it.

That said, Jodi is concerned that I may be burning through muscle with such a large weight loss. Minimal changes for this week:

Diet
Begin taking a fat burner again. I've been using Oxyelite. I also switched back to Jack3D from 1MR. Every few days, the 1MR gave me a weird diaper rash on my face and neck (great look) and made my skin crawl.

Workout
No changes -- keep cardio at 50 minutes 5x, plyos between sets, etc.

I've added shirataki noodles to my diet on the weekends. If you haven't tried the "Miracle Noodle" yet, I highly recommend it. It has no calories and essentially takes on the flavor of whatever you cook it in. Follow me on Pinterest (allisonrjackson) for some great recipes, including chocolate cookies that are only 10 calories each. I have to forewarn you that since shirataki noodles are plant-based, it could upset your belly.

My First CrossFit Workout
I absolutely love trying new exercise classes. On my New Year's Resolution list this year was to take a CrossFit class (an aerial yoga class is on there, too). I finally got my chance today...and I loved it!!!

My Fit Mom friend (I should say ripped Mom friend) joined me for this new adventure. We trekked over to CrossFit Ignite in Park Ridge to try their 9:30am Saturday class. From the coaches to the others in class, this place rocked!! The workout was intense, but a welcomed change:

100 sit-ups
 5 burpees
10 kettlebell swings
20 kettlebell thrusters
30 lunges w/ plate overhead
40 down unders (jump rope double-time)
30 lunges w/ plate overhead
20 kettlebell thrusters
10 kettlebell swings
5 burpees
400 meter run

As I'm sitting here at 9pm, I can begin to feel my muscles ache. Love that! The great part about this "box" (CrossFit lingo for their gym) is how no frills it is. There is literally nothing shiny and new. It's as if you're working out in someone's garage. Music blaring "Highway to Hell," you have this awesome coach pushing you to lift more, dig deeper and move yourself further.

Here's a sample:


I definitely think I'll be making more visits to CrossFit Ignite, but not before I check out the other nearest CrossFit location to me, which is CrossFit (201). I'm interested to see if there is the same camaraderie and community. Regardless, now I finally know what the fuss and muss is about. Good stuff!!

I'm meeting with Jodi on Monday. In the mean time, I really need to pick a song for this T-Walk (the 90-second strut and pose) and see if a new bikini is in my future. Stay tuned...

Have you tried CrossFit? What did you think? (Give me your likes and dislikes.)

8 Weeks and Counting...

I was sorely disappointed this week. I thought having tilapia at lunch and dinner, plus doing 50 minutes of cardio five times a week would definitely move my bodyfat -- not so much. I met with Jodi on Monday. She took a look at me in a bikini to see what she was working with and then we hit the scale and calipers. I lost 0.6 pounds and my bodyfat was pretty much flat (down 0.1%). It's hard to stay motivated when things aren't progressing.

Here are this week's changes:

Diet
- I have to eat breakfast before I workout. This is a huge change for me. I love breakfast; it's my favorite meal. Now I have to scarf my egg whites and oatmeal at 5am.
- My "morning snake" is now a shake + 3 strawberries after my workout, at around 7am. I have to say I'm soooo hungry by noon, with a five-hour span between meals.

Workout
- Between each set, I do 30 seconds of plyometrics
- Every day, I must do four sets of 15 reps of walking lunges and stiff-legged deadlifts
(This combo is awesome for perking up the butt.)
- Cardio is now 50 min. / 6x per week

To put things in perspective, I need to lose 10-12% bodyfat in 8 weeks. As Jodi says, now is "when the magic happens." I'm also beginning to start posing and practicing walking in my heels for 10-20 minutes each day. This is key to ensuring posing and walking are seamless on competition day. Last year, at the NPC show, I just had to do my poses and quarter turns. This time around, I must do what's called a "T-Walk." This involves walking to music and doing poses at different points. Needless to say, I need to figure out what music I want to use. Jodi recommends "whatever gets you pumped." I just need to make sure it doesn't make me dance, which most of my favorite music does.

As promised here is an update photo. I'm hitting the tanning salon this week, which always helps with looking leaner.

Motivation
 Lots of people ask how I stay motivated. Sometimes it's hard and I want to give in. But there are a few things I do:

• Posing practice -- helps to see how far I've gone and areas that still need improving
• New bikini -- checking out new bikinis always helps. I'm contemplating getting a new one.
• Old pics -- Looking at last year's photos helps remind me that I can do this and I can do better.

What keeps you motivated?

9 Weeks and Counting 'Til Fitness Competition Time

I'm all off schedule this week. I was supposed to meet with my trainer, Jodi, on Saturday. If you live in the Northeast, you got to enjoy the lovely blizzard we had to kickoff the weekend. With nearly a foot of snow on the ground, Premier Fitness in Nanuet, NY wouldn't be opening until 11am. Given my appointment was at 10:40am, I was out of luck. So I rescheduled for this past Monday. I was sooo nervous given my huge setback at my last meeting with Jodi.

I'm pleased to say that I lost bodyfat (20.2% -- woohoo!!!), but I gained some weight (139 lbs -- boo!!) Since it's that time of the month, Jodi chalked it up to bloating and water weight. But since I'm coming up on the last eight weeks before showtime, I need to buckle down!

Here are this week's changes:

• This weekend is my last cheat meal (wah!) When I prepped last year, she pulled the cheat meals at four weeks out. Since I have more than 10% bodyfat to lose, the dirty food has to go.

Diet
- My oatmeal is not 1/3 cup (vs. 1/2 cup)
- Lunch is now 6 oz. of tilapia

Workout
- Continue to do intervals on the stairmaster every other day.
- Cardio is now 5x week for 50 minutes

I broke out the 5-inch heels and competition bikini to give me a boost of motivation. I'm definitely starting to make progress, but I need to put my mojo into full gear if I want to do well at this show.

My next meeting with Jodi is Monday, February 18. I promise to post a picture to show my progress. First I need to schedule some tanning appointments.

Until next time, eat clean and train dirty!

10 Weeks to Go

I feel like I've been having a good run -- steadily losing weight and body fat. That is, until this week.

Sadly, my father-in-law passed away. He had been sick for a few weeks and we knew the inevitable was coming. It still doesn't prepare you. From trying to console my husband, to explaining it to our two children, having a dear family member pass away is an emotional, physical and spiritually draining event. Add the token unnecessary family drama, and you can probably tell how my check-in with Jodi went this week. I don't believe in excuses, but I do believe in cutting myself some slack.

Without further ado, I gained weight (1.2 lbs) and I gained body fat (1.7%). It made me sad to slide backwards, especially since it wasn't like I was dining on cake every night. I was trying really hard to be good. I did all of my workouts, but it just goes to show what stress and a not-so-tight diet can do in just a few days.

As she pinched me with the calipers, Jodi said "I can feel your stress. You're retaining water big-time." Back to the drawing board...

Here are this week's changes:

Diet
Lunch is now 4 oz. of sweet potato (weighed raw) instead of brown rice

Dinner is now 6 oz. of tilapia instead of chicken

Workout
Cardio is now 5 times per week for 45 minutes.

I think these changes will show drastic improvement. I'm just hoping it's enough to make up for last week and then some.

Cheat Meal
I felt so guilty about even having a cheat meal since I didn't lose. But I know the indulgences will go away in the next week or so.

- 3 Coronas (I can't even remember the last time I had beer. Needless to say, they tasted soooo good.)
- spinach & artichoke dips with tortilla chips
- flat iron steak with sauteed mushrooms
- 1/2 baked potato
- expresso milkshake (don't ask...)

It's so true that making changes to your body is 80% diet, 10% workout and 10% genetics. I could work out for hours a day and be perfectly happy. It's just so hard to control my hunger and cravings. I constantly need to be drinking, chewing or eating. I think that's why gum is such a crutch for me. I need to refocus on how great I looked and felt when I prepped for last year's show.

What's your trick to get (and stay) motivated???

11 Weeks to Go Until Contest Time

I had a slight monkey wrench thrown into this week. I went home early from work on Friday because I felt so sick. My head felt like it was in a fish bowl, and it was a struggle to keep my eyes open and focus. I was supposed to do my stairmaster intervals at lunch. I battled to stay on track with my diet and headed home to bed. I slept for two hours on top of sleeping 10 hours that night.

Guilt set in Sat. morning and I willed myself onto the treadmill to get my 5th cardio workout of the week. The rest of Saturday was mostly spent on the couch watching movies with the kids, dozing in and out most of the day.

I did get to meet up with Jodi on Sat. morning. Feeling like crap started messing with my mind and I was convinced I hadn't made any progress. I was pleasantly surprised to learn my bodyfat was down 0.7% to 19.7% and my weight was up to 137.4 lbs. Jodi was fine with the weight gain since my fat was down. Hopefully it's muscle given the ridiculous weight I've been lifting. The four sets to failure definitely makes a difference in terms of workout intensity.

Diet Changes
Jodi wants me taking a pre- and post-workout protein shake. I began taking half a scoop of Beverly International Muscle Builder before and after. This has really upset my stomach. Since it's fairly low in carbs (3g), I also have to add either 1/2 cup of blueberries or 3 strawberries to my post-workout drink. The sugar in the fruit will help get the protein to my muscles faster.

The other change in diet is taking out the peanut butter at breakfast and replacing it with 12 almonds.

As a reminder, here is what my diet currently looks like:

Breakfast -- 5 egg whites, 1/2 cup oatmeal, 12 almonds
AM snack -- 1 scoop protein powder
Lunch -- 4oz. chicken, 1/2 cup brown rice, 1 cup broccoli (or other green veggie)
PM snack -- 1 scoop protein powder
Dinner -- 4 oz. chicken, 2 1/2 cups veggies
Evening snack -- 1 scoop protein powder, 12 almonds

Workout
Weight training stays the same -- 4 exercises per bodyfat, 4 sets to failure as heavy as I can go.

Cardio is now 5x per week for 40min. with stairmaster intervals every other day.

Cheat Meal
I may feel like crap, but there was no way I was missing my cheat meal! I headed to Smashburger for the "New Jersey" (I highly recommend it -- fried onions, blue cheese, bacon), sweet potato fries and their Haagen-Daz Oreo milkshake. Then I chased it with some leftover ice cream cake from my daughter's birthday last weekend. It's been torture watching everyone eat it every night. It's a Baskin Robbins, chocolate cake on the bottom with vanilla ice cream on top. It was delish!

In three short weeks, Jodi will begin judging my diet and workout changes by looking at me in a bikini, which means I need to start tanning. I'm so pasty, it's not even funny. I'll try to get an updated pic next week when I'm feeling better. I'm almost completely back to normal -- thank goodness!!!

I bought a Groupon for Snap Fitness, which is open 24 hours a day. So I'm going to try and get over there to switch things up. Any insight into Snap? 

Until next week...

12 Weeks and Counting 'Til Fitness Competition Time

I met with Jodi yesterday and I'm down a little over half a percent (20.4%) and my weight is down 1.2 lbs (135.6). I'm happy that I'm still making progress.

The change in weight training (4 exercises per bodypart, 4 sets to failure) has made a huge difference in terms of intensity.

My motivation: pre-contest 6/30/12

This week's changes:

Diet
Evening snack is now 1 scoop of protein with 12 almonds (no more Greek yogurt)

I need to take my morning snack and divvy it into a pre- and post-workout snack. Since I need a combo of carbs and protein, I'm going to order Beverly International's Muscle Provider. It had more carbss and is more easily and quickly digestible than my Ultimate Muscle Provider, which I use as my daily protein source.

Workout
Weight training stays the same

Cardio is now 35 minutes, 5 times per week

Stairmill -- every other day with intervals -- 2 min. hard, 1 min. easy

I bought a Groupon for Snap Fitness and finally registered, so I'll really be able to go super-heavy in my training. Stay tuned for more details on how that goes.

I also talked to Jodi about another contest two weeks after April 13. Since I'm already contest ready, why not do two shows?! It sounds good in theory. We'll see how that pans out.

It's been a crazy month and tougher than every to stick with my diet and workouts. We've been having some family health issues with my father-in-law and my dad. All the more reason it's so important to eat clean and train dirty!

Cheat Meal
My cheat meal ended up being lunch on Sat. We were visiting my father-in-law at Jersey Shore Medical and stopped by one of our favorite restaurants -- 10th Avenue Burrito in Belmar, NJ, which was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives. Here's what I indulged in:

- Homemade tortilla chips and homemade guacamole (YUM!)
- Lobster quesadillas
- Chocolate flautas with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce

This wasn't half as bad as some past cheat meals. But boy did I feel like sh*t the rest of the day. We had lunch at 2pm and by 7pm, I could barely eat my evening snack. Blech. I was more than ready to go back to my clean eating plan.

I'd love to hear what you think about this diet and exercise program. Too restrictive, not restrictive enough? Any tips you'd like share.

Until next time...

13 Weeks Until Figure Contest

Drum roll, please...

I met with my trainer on Thursday, January 10th and the verdict is...I lost 2.2 lbs (136.8) and 2.1% bodyfat (21.0%). I'm soooooo happy, especially after having that Rice Krispie treat to cope with some unexpected family-related stress.

I'm really excited about the progress and I'm interested to see how this compares to training last year...

Last year at this time I had a plateau week. I was doing cardio 5x/week for 30 min. I was still eating bread, which isn't included at all this time around.


Jodi didn't change anything in the cardio/diet area. But she did change my weight training. She likes that I'm separating out my legs and butt training on two separate days. I have to do 4 exercises per bodypart, 4 sets, as heavy as I can go -- to failure. She doesn't care if I can only do 6 reps or 10 reps. This will be interesting...

No photos this week, but my next meeting is Sat., Jan. 19. This is also the 12-week mark -- how did that happen????

Bring On the New Year -- 14 Weeks Until Contest

Between Christmas and New Year's, I didn't really have a cheat meal (nor did I want one). I had a few Christmas cookies and a red velvet cupcake. Eating clean has seemed to stunted my hunger. I have to just about force myself to eat snacks and meals.

As I prep for my next competition, I'll be sure to provide weekly photo updates, measurements, diet changes and workouts. I know when I read articles or check out other blogs, these key metrics are incredibly helpful.

Here's a photo from today and one from last year (Feb. 2011) as I began my journey:

Jan. 2013

Feb. 2012

I do think my body came back slightly different, although now I know how to pose properly (that's according to my husband).

I met with Jodi on Wed., Jan. 2. My schedule has been off since the holidays. I'll hopefully go back to weekly check-ins this week. To start off, I lost 2% bodyfat and gained one pound. Woohoo! Off to a strong start, now let's see if we can keep the momentum.

Diet/workout changes this week:

• No banana during the morning snack.

• Cardio is now 35 min. 4x/week

I'll try to post my workouts. I'm going to try some workouts from Fighter Diet  to mix things up. If you haven't checked out Pauline Nordin, I highly recommend you see this shredded woman. She is beyond intense.

Let me know if you have questions about anything. Until next time, eat clean and train dirty! ;)