Great Post Competition Thread

Body Sport (company owned by husband and wife photographer and Pro figure athlete Terry and Elaine Goodlad) just launched a forum on their website. They are very specific and clear that the forum is positive and a place of support for girls in the industry.

Here is an awesome thread on Post Competition blues. Very good information about the psychological affects of competing.

Click here:
Body Sport Thread on Post Competition Blues

Happy Monday!
Jess

Weekly Recap and Recipe of the Week

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

I had a pretty good weekend. Started to get my voice back on Saturday morning and it is not 100% back to normal but it is almost there! Yeah!

I had a great workout yesterday - great from a standpoint of it felt so good to hit it again! Although I had worked out a few times this week, Saturday was the first workout that had some intensity to it. My endorphins were super high when I finished up. I think I even annoyed the DH.

Going to start dropping recipes in weekly for you guys as I do love to find healthy ways to cook. And I will try to take a picture of the recipe and someday even do a VLOG during food prep! :)

Healthy Buffalo Chicken Salad
Half a bag of 50/50 Salad Mix
4 oz. shredded chicken breast (I usually grill mine and cut off any excess fat and then tear it up into pieces)
1/4 cup fat free feta cheese
1 TBS bacon bits
1 TBS blue cheese dressing
1 tsp Frank's Red Hot Sauce

Put salad greens, bacon bits, feta and blue cheese dressing into a large Tupperware container or a pot with a lid and shake vigorously until dressing covers greens.

Put chicken is a smaller container with the Franks Red Hot Sauce and shake vigorously.

Top salad with chicken and wa-la! Top with some whole grain croutons if you want some additional carbs. Hands down my favorite salad EVER. I eat it once a week at least.

Approximate value: 300 calories - 30 to 35 grams protein, 11 grams fat and roughly 10-15 grams carbs. And pretty yummy in my opinion! :)

Weekly Workout Recap

Monday:
Off - sick and pink eye! RATS!
Tuesday:
Off - still sick...double RATS! Back at it tomorrow!
Wednesday:
Light chest, back and biceps, abs.
Pull ups super setted with flat bench.
Pull downs super setted with chest flyes.
Reverse pull up w/smith machine super setted with barbell bicep curls.
Hammer curls super setted with twisting curls.
Thursday:
Shoulders
Standing overhead barbell press
Lateral raises
Upright rows
Front raises
Friday:
Off
Saturday:
Shoulders (again, I know, my favorite exercise)
Seated shoulder press
24 rep shoulder drill - arnold presses, w's and around the worlds
Front raises
Bulgarian split squats
Triple foot position squats
Abs
Pull ups
Sunday:
Chest Workout
Flat bench, incline bench, flyes and dips

I go to the doc tomorrow morning for tests and will keep you guys posted.

My goal this week is to get to the gym over lunch a minimum of three days! And to make a list of all the things that are emotionally draining me and come up with a plan to address each of them. :)

Talk to you guys soon!
Jess

First VLOG Ever!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alright guys....I did it...I vlogged using my treo. Be patient as I am ramping up to vlog hood plus my treo is terrible for sound and video but I still VLOGGED! :) Yeah!

Let the comments come! :)


Have a good one! ;)
Jess

P.S. SORRY for the inner nose shot at the end. That's what happens when you film yourself with a Treo. I will keep my head down from now on! :)

Doc Update, Vlogging and Shout Out to Debbie

Happy Saturday my friends!

First and foremost thanks to all of your for your input and kind words on my last two posts. I have been so aggravated with this whole sickness thing - I even cried on the way in to work on Friday....and I rarely cry. Like never. My DH asked me after we dated for six months: "Do you have to have your legs chopped off before you will cry or what??" Little did he know (he found out later of course) that I turn into Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer when I cry so I try to avoid public crying because I am pretty much a splotchy red goon for four hours.

Secondly, I love the blog. It allows me to easily search back over all my posts to track how many times I have been sick. Check it out:

Since October.....I have been sick 8 times. Not just a little cough, cough cold but like bronchitis, strep, flu, CRAZY sickness.

Friggin 8.

EIGHT times in FIVE months. WwwwwwwwwwwwwOAH!

Holy crap. I don't even know what to say to that other than holy crap. Good news is, I am not losing my mind. Bad news is, something is seriously up.

Went to the doc on Friday and since I wasn't told to fast for all the tests, I am going in on Monday morning (fasted) so they can run a bunch of tests. I am not really sure what I am looking for from these tests but am open to all possibilities. Maybe I have Epstein, maybe I have mono, maybe I have an Iron deficiency, maybe nothing is wrong with me other than I have been exposed and succumbed to a massive number of viruses in the last five months. Maybe anything. He put me on prednisone to help with the laryngitis - luckily it is only a 7 day dose. I am taking lots of potassium to supplement since is leaches it from your body.

What I do know it that it is affecting my overall state of well being. It is definitely one of the reasons I haven't been training at the level I need to or want to and one of the reasons my body fat is now at the level it is which affects how I feel in my clothes, out of my clothes, etc. So getting this checked out and digging deep to see if I can learn more about myself is important. I didn't work out yesterday but am going to try to workout today and tomorrow both - lift and some slow, laid back cardio.

I ordered my video camera today (thanks Krissa for hooking me up with the name of your camera) so I will start vlogging as soon as I receive. Hopefully my voice will be back by then! :)

And finally, I want to give a shout out to my girl Debbie. I saw her last night for the first time in a long time and she told me how worried she has been about me. I'm sorry I didn't communicate better with you Debbie to let you know I am ok...I AM ok and your thoughts and blog messages to me mean the world. Keep sending the positive energy my way chica! :) I will be back with you before you know it!

Hope everyone is having a good weekend. It is crappy here - rainy and cold. Yuck...yuck.
Keep on keeping on!
Jess

Mangitis

P.S. I lost my voice today around 10am. I sounded like Kathleen Turner going through a sex change for about two hours and then lost my voice completely. I call it my Mangina voice...like Gina from the 40 year old virgin. :) My DH is happy for a break in silence. :)) Hee hee.

If only I could RECORD my sexy voice for you guys..... :) Krissa, I posted on your blog asking for the exact model number of your video camera. No more excuses! :))

Jess

P.P.S: I removed my countdown to Figure Nationals. And I felt good about it. I'm not ready to put a date out there yet....if at all. :)

What the H-E-Double Hockey Sticks?????

Ok guys, I am going to see my doc on Friday to find out if I have some kind of immune system disorder and have them run some tests because...wait for it, wait for it....I am sick again - strep throat. I got sick on Sunday afternoon around the same time that I started getting pink eye. It was like my body started attacking me. I had a fever and MASSIVE chills. With all of my sickness as of late, I was totally trying to play it down but the ONLY other time I have felt that way was when I had strep throat.

When I went to the doc on Monday (with cyclops eye) he asked me how I was feeling in other areas and I said oh, head hurts, throat hurts and general crappy but I don't think it is anything big. Mostly I said this because my eye looked like I had stolen it from a zombie person from 28 Days Later and I didn't really care about the rest of me. When he looked at my throat he said "it is pretty red" and I said "it's fine - i am all good - just hook me up with the eye." Then on Monday night my throat was KILLING me, so I broke out the flash light and had the DH take al look. What did he find? WHITE puss pockets. A clear indicator of the streptococcus virus.

Luckily, my doc gave me an oral antibiotic for my pink eye because it had gotten into my under eye and cheek area. The antibiotic is also addressing the pink eye. AWESOME!

My DH was sick last week - Thursday through...well, yesterday but hasn't been as sick and didn't get strep. So I am thoroughly perplexed. I have never in my life been this sick. In fact, if you added up the total number of times I've been sick in my life and THEN added up how many times I have been sick in the last year, they would equal each other OR the last year could possibly be HIGHER than my whole life. No joke. I just don't get sick. It is NUTS.

So, I have a couple of rational theories:
1. I have been exposed to more airborne viruses than I ever have been in my entire life.
2. Our two year old house has black mold.
3. I have an auto-immune disorder.

I also have a continued list of less rational theories:
4. I am waking up in the middle of the night and eating all kinds of terrible foods for me that is tearing down my immune system.
5. My DH is feeding me Draino in hopes of killing me an cashing in on my measly life insurance policy.
6. I am allergic to Northwest Arkansas.
7. I have suddenly become possessed by some sickness demon.
8. There is an old voodoo woman in Louisiana with a Jessica doll poking needles in my throat and lungs.

Would love any and all thoughts/opinions/feedback from all of my bloggers. Especially those of you who are in the medical field. What in the heck is going on with me? To rule out other things, keep in mind that:

• I have worked more/longer hours before in a different job.
• I have gotten less sleep in a previous life.
• I have been WAY more stressed at work in a previous life.
• I eat good and take vitamins.
  

Bueller? Bueller? Anyone? Anyone experienced anything similar?

Workouts this week are spotty at best. Food is ok. Attitude is cranky. :)
Jess

Cyclops, Vlogging and Weekly Recap

Happy Monday all! I hope you are all having a great start to your week!

First and foremost, congrats and PROPS to my girl Em for finally vlogging! YOU ROCK!! :) I think I am the last one to vlog. BUT the good news is I just figured out how to record video and transfer to my computer from my Treo so watch out. Vlogging to come! :) I cannot however vlog until I get rid of the pink eye I have. Yes, you heard me right - pink eye. Not fun and not cool. I literally looked like cyclops today because when I woke up I could only open one eye. HOT, I tell you - HOT. My hubby yesterday was like: "Babe, I don't think you have pink eye" and then this morning he was like: "WHOA! Holy Crap!! You TOTALLY have pink eye!" Ya think?????

So, this is a picture of me this morning after I hot compressed to get the goo off:

Took a picture - even tried to find a good one online but it is just too gross to post. Really. Nasty. And in case one of you was eating while reading my blog, I wouldn't want you to toss your hard earned food!

Ok guys, I am posting my link to my daily food journal on Fit Day that I will start tomorrow. Today was pretty terrible for me b/c of being sick - I just didn't eat enough. I struggle with eating when I am sick. You can find the link to my Fit Day log in two places - in the "This Week's Workout" section as well as in my Favorite Links section. Check it out and let me know your thoughts and suggestions.

Overall, I achieved 100% of my cardio goals but didn't lift enough. I should have lifted a minimum of 5 and only did 3 lifts. My diet was also spot on - I had two cheats - one at my friend Maya's party and the other at a meal out with some friends. As for my lifting, its ok - I am cutting myself some slack b/c I am getting back into it. I am thrilled that I kept to most of my goals and had fun doing it! And Visionquester - isn't that what it is all about??? :) For this week, I would like to achieve the same goals I set for myself last week - but REALLY hit the lifting goals.

Weekly Recap for week of March 17th through 23rd:
Monday:
AM Empty Stomach Intervals - 2:1 Incline walking at 10% grade, 11 min/mile and running for 1 minute at 2% grade, 7.5 min/mile. Burned 400 calories in 35 mins.
Tuesday:
AM Empty Stomach Intervals - 2:1 on bike w/140 bpm for 2 mins and 165-170bpm for 1 minute for 40 minutes. 400 calories.
PM Upper Body Workout -
Pull ups supersetted w/push ups
Flat bench supersetted with underhand rows
Shoulder press supersetted with hammer curls
Kettlebell French press supersetted with tight bicep curls
Wednesday:
Day Off (unplanned)
Thursday:
AM Empty Stomach Intervals - 2:1 Incline walking at 10% grade, 11 min/mile and 20lb kettlebell squat toss (switching hands) for 1 minute - approx. 30 reps. Burned 400 calories in 35 mins. LOVE THIS!
PM - Leg Workout -
Triset smith machine squats w/25lbs each side, 15 reps without stopping in three foot positions - regular stance, close leg, sumo - 4 sets (total of 180 squats!)
Pull ups - 5 reps each - 4 reps
Bulgarian split squat - 15 reps each leg (same weight as above) - 4 sets
Straight legged dead lift - 70lbs - 15 reps, 4 sets
PLUS 30 minutes biking at 150 bpm
Friday:
6 mile lake run - 650 calories in an hour
Saturday:
AM Empty Stomach Intervals - 2:1 on bike w/140 bpm for 2 mins and 165-170bpm for 1 minute for 38 minutes. 417 calories.
PM - Shoulders
Overhead press, lateral raises, front raises, W presses, rear flye and rows. 12-15 reps.
Sunday:
Off (sick and beginning of the pink eye)

Have a great week everyone! Can't wait to see what happens in vlog land this week! :)
Jess

Happy Easter!

You guys know that on special days like today, I like to show my gratitude and be thankful for all the wonderful things in my life. And of course, that means all of you!

So first, HAPPY EASTER!!! I hope each of you are doing something fun like hanging out with your families and enjoying an Easter service or home cooked meal.

For me this week, my gratitude is HIGH! I am always thankful everyday for all the wonderful things in my life, but holidays increase my gratitude. This week I am especially grateful for discipline and goal setting as I was able to set fitness goals and stick to them NO MATTER WHAT. :) Had a long talk with the hubby last night and I am just not sure if the competition life is for me but I am also not sure if I am ready to hang up the heels. Until I achieve my recent body fat goal and get a sense of maintaining that I won't be ready to talk about competing again.

I haven't taken my stats this week and won't until tomorrow (will post of course). My suspicion is that I haven't lost any weight but that my body comp has changed and I am fine with that! I would rather have a shift in body comp any day over losing muscle and fat.

You can see my workouts on the right. I have also decided that I will start an online fitday log so you guys can check out my eats. I will do that today or tonight and post a link.

Have a wonderful easter!

Jess

Affirmations and My Schwetty's Gym :))

FIRST of all, I apologize for how large the new picture is on the right. When I check the box to make the image fit the screen it is like an inch tall so I figured either an inch tall or 12 inches tall so I went with the 12 inches. ;) I do love the picture because it was my first contest and I got first and I couldn't stop smiling. And I was waving at my hubby. Love that guy. I do.

I'm having a great workout week. It's like once I let go of what I thought I HAD to do, it is coming so easily for me. I took yesterday off because my hubby was sick and I wanted to spend some QT with my hubby. And I was really sore from jumping back into it as well. Today was my third AM cardio day this week and it has been a LONG time since I have done cardio so often in the mornings. I am so excited to see how my body reacts. That is one of my favorite things about working out - that feeling of your body changing and improving.

So, I posted on Visionquester's blog on a comment about my daily affirmation cards and I wanted to share some with you. Yes, this is a cheesy way for me to put a picture on my blog because I have been slacking but watch out, I have more pics to come! :)

My affirmation cards are just on 3.5 x 5 inch note cards and I have the following statements on them:

• I love my body.
• I am healthy and my immune system is strong.
• My abs are lean and toned.
• My lower body is lean and toned.
• Exercise comes first in my life.
• My body fat is 16%.
• I am sexy and confident.
  

Now, I read these while I am doing my morning cardio. I focus on each card and then I visualize each of the affirmations. And I know some of you may think affirmations are silly but I think they are key to success. If you don't believe that you are the things you want to be, you will never get there. I like them so much that I am going to make a second set and keep at work. I have other cards that have other, non-fitness related affirmations but when I read them I literally get happier and feel better. You should try it. And speak in the affirmative - the active - NOT the passive. So instead of saying "I will be 16% body fat" say "My body fat IS 16%." Try it. Believe it. Visualize it. See it.

I also wanted each of you to see my workout room. These pics are tough because it is hard to take a picture since the room is small and it is hard to get a good vantage point to take the picture. But, as you can see, I have a pretty good gym set up. The Body Solid gym we have has an olympic bar and a smith rack (which I LOVE for legs). I also have attachments for leg extension and hamstring curls. And I also have a preacher curl attachment. LOVE IT. I have a trainer for my road bike so that is how I do cycling cardio at home. The ONLY additional gym equipment I would want it a step mill cause it is my favorite cardio equipment.

This is the Body Solid gym we have. My treadmill is over in the corner on the right (it is a space saver and is currently in space saving position).

These are just my dumbbells, medicine ball and ab wheel. Above the bookcase is a TV.

As I mentioned earlier in the week, I am experimenting with food/exercise software to track food and workouts. I may do the fitday log online like Visionquester but I also am testing this Weighmainia software (google it) because I can keep it on my Treo and then it all links together. The key is for me to log it in.

But for now, I am going to post my daily meals for today so you can get an idea of my food:

• 7am: Protein shake w/6oz. Enhanced Soy Milk (4 carbs); Vanilla protein powder; 1 scoop super food, 1TBS flax seed oil.
• 10am: 4 egg whites, 1 whole egg; 2 oz ground turkey w/taco seasoning, 1 TBS low fat ricotta cheese mixed together.
• 1pm: 1 piece of canadian bacon pizza (work meeting) w/side salad and light Italian dressing. 4pm: Egg white waffle - 3 egg whites, 1 whole egg; 1TBS milled flax seed; 1tsp cinnamon; 1/2 scoop vanilla protein.
• 6:30pm: 1 small apple, 1TBS Naturally More PB w/1/2 scoop protein powder mixed together for dipping.
• 9pm: 1/2 banana, 4 egg whites and salad with vinaigrette.
  

So far, that is it. I am doing legs tonight and 1/2 hour of cardio after. I will have some of fast digesting protein after (probably egg whites) along with a salad and some veggies.

Would love to hear everyone's thoughts. Will post my leg workout later. :)) Have a great week and visualize, visualize, visualize. Eventually what you visualize will happen.
Jess

Rolling with Life

One of the things I have found most challenging over the last few months is rolling with what life throws at me in terms of busyness and scheduling. If I don't make my lunch workout, I just skip it all together. My attitude now is that I workout no matter what - if not over lunch, at home that night in my incredible home gym. That way, I don't feel like a failure if I don't make it at lunch. I still know and trust that I will get it done! So simple, yet so liberating.

This is a quick one! A big congratulations to Visionquester for losing 5lbs! NICE JOB! So proud of you chica!

And check out my workouts on the right side of the blog - I have two days behind me! WOO HOO!
Jess

Weekend Recap and Plan for the Week

First off, I just want to give a shout out to my girl Krissa who wrote down some serious goals for herself and I LOVE IT. They are real, measurable and achievable.

My goal is to achieve 17% body fat by April 30th which gives me 7 or so weeks and approximately 6 lbs to lose. Sounds easy but we all know what goes into that. And yes C, ultimately I just want to look better and feel better about myself but I also know that feeling better about myself means knowing I can reach a goal and get into my clothes and feel good about it.

I asked my hubby to help me with the math on how much I needed to lose to get to to 17% BF and he gave me the "I don't know the math on that stuff babe, I just go out and do it. If I want to run a 20 min 5k, I just go run and know I will be better." This is a point of irritation for him (always has been :) peetie, I love you - you know I do!). So I said to him: "Yeah, but you are still going to look at the time to see if you can run faster at the end of a race - how else would you know if you finished faster?" And BAM - I got him. He smiled, nodded his head and conceded.

I am not 100% sure of my lean body mass at the moment but my guess is it is around 100-1o3lbs and I currently weigh 126-127. I am not sure on lean body mass because I do think I added some muscle this fall but lost some with my lack of activity last few months. At 21-22% body fat, I need to lose about 6-7lbs to hit 17%. I am shooting for 7lbs or 1lb of fat loss per week. Doable and reasonable.

How will I get there?

Cardio: 5 cardio sessions a week, empty stomach workouts - 4 HIIT sessions and 1 LSD cardio. My HIIT sessions will last about 30 minutes and LSD will be around 45-50.
Weights: 5-6x per week focusing on high reps and lower weights. 2x per week, cardio after weights.
Diet: Clean during the week and then two cheat meals on the weekend.

I am excited. I feel this is a very doable plan. After I get there, I will focus on gaining lean muscle tissue. I read that JL has 114lbs of lean muscle. WOW. That's 11+ more than me. Crazy.

Oh, and by the way - I also made a decision that IF, just IF, I can't get to the gym during the day for a workout over lunch I will workout at home - no matter what. Period. Even if it is just a half hour.

Today I had a great workout at the park - burned 850 calories in about 90 minutes at the park. Amber and I brought the EZ Bar and a bunch of plates, kettlebells, a medicine ball, etc. Rode the lake and then did a leg/ab workout.

Saturday we went to the gym and had a great upper body/ab workout. 720 calories in 80 minutes.

I hope everyone had a great weekend! Krissa I do think you are right - this is going to be a great year for all of us! We are all having the same epiphanies!!!
Jess

Here is the previous week's workouts copied from the right hand side of my blog - I will do this weekly to summarize and track workouts:
Monday:
Intervals
Upper body workout
Tuesday-Thursday:
Off (did a few small 20 minute workouts here and there)
Friday:
Bicep/tricep workout at home
Saturday:
Amber and Jessica workout reunion!
Chest press supersetted w/overhead press
Kettlebell squats
Tricep presses supersetted w/shoulder raises
Kettlebell lunges
Forward moving kettlebell walk (w/20lb KB)
Abs
Sunday:
5.5 Mountain Bike - 40 minutes (450 calories)
4 supersets of walking lunges with 20lb kettlebells each hand w/four = one lunges and squats to 16
4 supersets of deadlifts w/100lbs to 12 w/straight legged deadlifts to 20
Medicine ball toss
1 minute planks

How to Look Great Naked and Next Steps

My DH had a poker game on Thursday night...which I was thrilled about. My first night home alone in a long, long time. Well, as we all know, everything happens for a reason and in addition to getting caught up on some of my personal conversations I was also able to watch a little TV - specifically re-runs of Oprah. Which I love. I think Oprah has taught women to know themselves better and to take care of themselves emotionally.

Anyhoo, one of the episodes was all about Lifetime's newest show "How to Look Great Naked w/Carson Kressley. And LET ME TELL YOU, I couldn't have watched a better show. Now clearly this show is focused on women who are overweight but the the KEY to this show is how deeply rooted body images are in our society. The show they focused on was a woman who was a former model who had a few children and was so depressed about her body that she stays in bed at night and on the weekends and doesn't go to any social events because of how frightened she is of what other women think of her. It was so sad and so touching and so emotional for me to watch.

Here is a preview of the show:



You can watch the actual show on Lifetime's site at the link below. Cynthia and Krissa, if you haven't seen this show you MUST watch it. It is truly amazing to see what self care and learning to love yourself can do for your body image. I won't do it justice but what I will tell you is that in addition to helping women dress to their body type he digs DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP into their hearts and souls and takes them to the spa for facials and massages and allows them to love themselves.

By the way, it is Lifetime's number one reality show EVER in the history of Lifetime television. Go figure. Maybe all of America has issues with their body image. Duh.

Click this link to see the episodes: How to Look Great Naked!

This is a show that will force you to think about your genes not your jeans. :)

Ok, so - on to next steps. Made a couple of decisions this week about how I am going to workout going forward. I will use the extra time I have on the weekends to focus on my workouts and then manage my work schedule to workout during the week. Not rocket science but my problem was that if I didn't workout for 2 hours on Monday and Tuesday I made myself feel like I had failed for the week already. Silly, silly.

Today's plan:

Go to the gym this afternoon and get in a great upper body workout and some post lifting cardio. Simple, basic.

Hope everyone is well. No go watch "How to Look Great Naked".

Jess

Epiphany and Announcement! It's a Long One!

First of all, you guys are all awesome! Thanks for checking up on me! I have had a crazy week with work and worked about 43 hours Mon - Wed. Which is awesome since I have two more days left in the week! Regardless, you guys have been in my thoughts and when I have a spare moment or second in my day, I hop on Cynthia, Krissa or Cathy's blog sites to see what's happening but haven't had time to blog (much less sleep!).

I remember when I read Krissa's post from the MWA forum where she "came clean" about how she was feeling about her body, her eating habits and her decision to not compete. What she shared was the deepest part of her and was completely honest. I hope the following will be viewed the same. Krissa and Cynthia - you guys are such a great example of being true to yourself and listening to your psyche and your body.

As most of you know, I just got married in August and am just about to hit my one year anniversary with my job. When I started my job, I was still ramping up and didn't really feel the full level of work that would be required of me until around October or November. My hours picked up dramatically and then I got sick...got better...got sick a couple more times....had an injury and was still working crazy hours. While all of this was happening, I was continuing to work toward my goal of competing in a national show in September knowing full well that I would need to add some serious mass (hence the continued mention of the bulking plan). Over the last few months by body fat has gone up, my tone has gone on vacation :) and my attitude about myself has gone way down. My negative self talk and frustration is something I deal with multiple times throughout the day and it has probably bordered on depression. I had essentially taken off 3 months from training!!! My eating is at about 80-90% - I pack clean food every day but I wouldn't make as healthy choices while eating out.

Well.....I was walking my dog the other morning thinking about competing in November (the last pro qualifier of the year) instead of September to give myself those three months back. And then I started thinking through bulking plan and then I started to beat myself up over not getting to the gym and how yucky I felt trying on clothes, etc.

And then it hit me.

Why am I doing this to myself? I don't HAVE to compete this year. WHOA. Big thought there. What I do HAVE to do is feel better about myself. And to do that I need to cut myself some slack and let go of the last three months. I need to focus on getting to the gym and not letting work get in the way of my training or my health (mental and physical!). I need to focus on feeling better about my body image.

So then I started thinking about the obstacles and barriers I have had recently:

1. Work: My busiest days are Monday and Tuesdays - why not take one of those as my day off and the other workout early am or at night and not try to go over lunch. Wed - Friday my schedule frees up tremendously as I don't have hardly any pre-scheduled meetings.
2. Training w/Debbie: I was training with Debbie at 5am which means I have to get up at 4am and means I usually get very little sleep the night before and feel exhausted for the next two days - sometimes even getting sick after a few days of training like that. Why not find another time of the day to train with Debbie?
3. Self Image/Attitude: Eliminate negative self talk. Period.
4. Adding Mass: I was struggling SO much with this - feeling like if I added mass I would become thicker and bigger than I already was and therefore be even MORE frustrated with how I felt about myself. I think this was actually the biggest reason I was struggling to get into the gym - I didn't want to add mass at 21-22% body fat. When I had the epiphany that I didn't HAVE to do anything but feel better about myself, it was like 1,000 pounds lifted off me.
5. Marriage: It is definitely important for me to spend quality time with my hubby and make our marriage as solid as possible. I am not sure I want to make those sacrifices so soon in our marriage.
   

I contacted the NPC and also asked Jenny Lynn and found out that I have two years to compete in a national show - actually until the end of 2009. This will give me an entire year to focus on getting my body fat to a level I feel good about myself.

Goals:

• Feel better about myself and my body.
• Get body fat to 16% by end of April. Will do the math later and share what that means for weight in fat lbs and lean mass.
• Determine by end of May what show to do.
• Be open to the possibility of not competing but STILL having fitness be an integral part of my life.
• Continue to blog to share my journey and lean on my blogger support system.
  

So my friends, there it is. I have talked through this with a couple of my friends and they all feel 100% on board with my thought process. Would love all of your thoughts.

Missed you guys.
Jess

P.S. And who knows - maybe I will still want to compete in November!! The point is - why paint myself in a corner??? The world should be my Oyster!!

Still Fired Up - WANT MY HOUR BACK!

Hey guys....didn't want the day to go by without posting. I was so fired up on Sunday and then got SLAMMED with work today! SLAMMED. I am still working (yes, it is 11:15 and I got up at 5:30am and am getting up tomorrow at 5:30) and will have a crazy day tomorrow too.

But I am dedicated to my ladies!! :)

Cathy - you ROCK on starting your own blog. Visited it BRIEFLY and will go back for more tomorrow.

As for bulking plan, I promise it is coming tomorrow.....and I also promise that this week you will see me with a new post every day! Something - anything! :)

Intervals this morning with treadmill and kettlebell - 30 minutes - 2 minutes walking uphill on treadmill with 1 minute kettlebell squats (450 calories). Was SO HAPPY to workout in the am.

More tomorrow LADIES! :)

C - you are a BAD ASS!
Jess

Figure DVD's for Sale

My fellow competitors and future competitors, I just listed five of my figure competition posing DVD's (total of 8 dvd's) on Ebay for sale (three are two-disc sets). These are awesome DVD's to help you become a figure professional!! I wouldn't ever try to "sell" anything on my blog if I didn't think it was absolutely relevant and if any of you are considering competing in figure or are new to figure, these DVD's are awesome. Two are Cathy Savage DVD's and six are The Figure Coach. They all cover training, nutrition, posing, the compeition itself, backstage tips, etc. Here is the link to the ebay listing. Let me know if you have any questions! And I would totally be willing to cut one of you guys a deal if you are interested! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MESE:IT&ih=014 And get ready for a FOOT LONG post tomorrow! I am fired up! :) Jess

Bulking Plan........

...............coming soon! :)

Ha ha! I knew that would get some of you!

So, I threw my back out on Monday's workout and have been in serious pain since I woke up in the middle of the night on Monday night to pee and when my feet hit the floor my back gave out and I fell on the floor. Like literally, fell. Kinda funny. So, it felt ok once I was up for awhile and had it warmed up. Went to the chiro today and am PRAYING that when I wake up tomorrow, all will be right with the world. Definitely afraid I will send up looking like this:



Ok, I thought that was mildly funny. Anyhoozle, I am sitting on the couch and have an icepack on my back. Cross your fingers that I will be back to normal tomorrow. Because if I am back to normal I can start working out again!

Saw Dr. Oz on Oprah and in case I haven't mentioned it before, I LOVE Dr. Oz. Love him. Love Oprah and Dr. Oz. Love Oprah for bringing Dr. Oz into our lives. He did an experiment on people on detox diets - those on a detox diet for 10 days and those eating balanced meals for the same period of time. They did urine, blood and saliva analysis and the results:

• NADA.
• Zilch.
• Nothing.
• ZIP.
• Temporary weight loss (very temporary - came back within days after the end of the detox).

When I look back on the Isagenix detox thing me and the DH did a few months ago (10 days of torture), I pretty much think it was a waste of time and money. For all of you out there considering a detox, juice diets, etc. DON'T DO IT.

But do DO the following:

• Eat clean 90% of the time.
• Treat yourself 10% of the time knowing you deserve it.
• Workout consistently.
• BE PATIENT.
  
• BE CONSISTENT.

Happy Friday EVE!
Jess

Tuna Boat Haters: Don't Hate the Tuna - Hate the Boat! :)

I heard a nasty rumor that some of you out there hate the tuna boat. For me, I LOVE the tuna boat. Love it. But I also LOVE green peppers (eat at least one every day - most days two). So, I wanted to throw a few alternative snacks/meals out there. :)

Drum roll please............Top ten alternatives to the tuna boat (protein and fibrous veggie):

10. Apple and Naturally More Peanut Butter (regular serving size)
9. Celery and Naturally More PB
8. 1/2 cup non-fat cottage cheese and an apple or 1/2 cup strawberries
7. 1/2 cup non-fat yogurt w/a 1/2 scoop protein powder and an apple or 1/2 cup strawberries
6. Two pieces low fat string cheese and an apple or orange
5. Dinner salad with a scoop of tuna with ranch mixed in on top!
4. Dinner salad with 4 oz. chicken and 1 tsp balsamic vinaigrette on side
3. Dinner salad with 4 oz. smoked salmon and 1 tsp balsamic vinaigrette on side
2. Chicken boat - same concept as tuna boat, just with chicken.

And the number one substitute for a tuna boat.................





1. A TUNA BOAT! :) There really is no substitute for me!

More later! Have a great day everyone!
Jess

Don't Leave Home Without It!!!

Your food, that is... :) American Express' old advertising campaign was "Don't leave home without it" and it also happens to be my own personal slogan. Every day, even on the weekends, I don't leave home without my food for the day. This is THE most critical factor in your success with maintaining your fitness goals!!

Leaving the house without your food for the day is like...

....going to the gym without your gym clothes.
....going on a trip without a map or an address.
....taking a test without knowing the subject.
....going to work without knowing your position.

Ok, you get the idea. DON'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT YOUR FOOD! When you are trying to achieve your fitness and nutritional goals you MUST have a plan. First of all, you should be eating between 5 and 6 meals a day - about 3 hours apart. So, if you work a full time job, you should eat at least three of your meals away from home. If this is the case, leave with at least four meals. And if you are leaving your house for more than two hours - take a small snack. If you don't, you will make BAD choices and therefore compromise your goals.

I take two bags with me to the office - my lunch bad and my briefcase. My lunch bag acts as my purse. I shove my wallet in the side pocked of my insulated lunch bag and keep all my food and necessities in that one bag. Here are two super cute lunch bags from Target:


How cute are those lunch bags????? CUTE! And less than $15! You can find them in the sporting goods section. Pack your bag with a powdered baby formula holder full of your favorite protein powder and a formula mixer ($3.00) for mixing protein on the run. These baby formula containers are awesome - they have dividers and carry three scoops of protein! Awesome!! The battery operated formula mixer makes nasty clumpy protein powders taste awesome.


That way, NO MATTER WHAT, you have a meal on the road. :)

I usually spend a half hour at night or in the morning preparing mine and my hubby's food for the day. We walk out of the house with all our healthy meals on us. :)

Have a great day everyone!
Jess

P.S. Bulking plan tomorrow - I PROMISE!

P.P.S. I am back on the workout track - just like I knew I would be after four days of skiing! :) WOO HOO!

Friday night I did a super heavy upper body circuit and abs. Saturday I ran the lake - 5.5 mile trail run and did the same run on Sunday. Was still sore from the Friday workout so just ran both days. Tonight I did chest and some pull ups then was planning on doing cardio but bike wasn't cooperating so I did 10 sets of 10 of the following: push ups, split squats (10 each leg), body weight squats and sit ups. Felt great! I am back! :) And I mean it this time!