Back Home and Sicky :(

Hey y'all! I hope by now you have all put your Thanksgiving guilt behind you and you are focusing on your plans for this week! I am doing exactly that....but first a recap of the holiday week. :)

• Thursday: Turkey Trot and relaxation with the family
• Friday: Recovering from Turkey Trot (good GOD my legs were toast from those hills)
• Saturday: Running around, movie, shopping, bowling, karaoke and DANCING! Hours of dancing
• Sunday: Drive home - and not feeling so hot at the moment

So, as you can see, not so many workouts during my holiday break. In fact, I would say just one good one - the run.

And I also ate Taco Pizza. Has anyone else ever had Taco Pizza from Happy Joes? It is WONDERFUL! And very bad for you but it is one of those things that is SOOOOOO worth it. Imagine, thick and yummy crust, a marinara/bean pizza sauce base, Italian sausage and ground beef, cheese - baked until piping hot. Then, once out of the oven, lettuce and tomato's are sprinkled on top. AND THEN crushed Doritos are sprinked on top of all that. It is SOOOO good. Really. Trust me. So, I had that on Friday night and it was fantastical.

Right now, I am planning my week - workouts, food, etc. And shortly after I wrap that I up I will be heading to the grocery store to purchase all my food for the week and do some quick food prep. I will do the majority of it tomorrow night.

I feel like dukie - literally started feeling very mucusy on the ride home and when I stepped in the house I started aching. So, might have a little bug I am fighting off. I am confident it has to do with the fact that I have been eating like crap. I never do well with refined sugar - my immune system takes a poop when I eat sugar. So tonight it is all about hot tea, vitamin c and a bath.

Oh, and planning my week. :) I can't stress enough to each of you how important it is to review your goals and incorporate them into your daily to-do list. Make sure that each of those items relates back to your goals. Remember there is only one way to eat an elephant - one bite at a time. :)

Have a great week everyone and I will vlog soon. Promise.

Oh, and check out the pregnancy time line lapse video I was telling you guys about. It is pretty cool huh?? We just ordered a new camera that should be here this week and we will start creating our own time line. Fun times.

Jess

Gobble Gobble - LOTS of Gratitude

Hello my little turkey's.....HAPPY THANKSGIVING! My absolute, most favorite, most wonderful holiday of the year! Why??? Because it is a time to JUST give thanks - no gifts, no expectations, no awkward thanks for a gift you didn't ask for :) just time with family and friends. WONDERFUL!

And I am SO very grateful for all of you. I have such a wonderful and special group of supporters on this journey and I can't thank you enough for all you give to me! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Yesterday we drove to Iowa, where my family is from. It was about 8.5 hours and Pablo (our doggie did great). I was super psyched to get in two workouts before we hit the road! Made me feel great about the rest of the day. For road food, I ate an Egg McMuffin post workout (we hit the road right after I lifted) and it really is one of the best fast food eats. 300 calories for an Egg McMuffin (that is if you INCLUDE cheese), 18 grams of protein, 30 grams of carbs and 12 grams of fat and yummy. Not "clean" but after a kick ass workout it was perfect. Then had a 99 cent chili from Wendy's (another GREAT fast food food - 190 calories, high protein, beans and low in fat) and just the chicken breast (no bun). I also had pork rinds and an apple at our final stop before we got to mom's house. The pork rinds are a FAR stretch from "clean" eating but they are low carb, low fat and high protein. And yummy. Although they WILL stink up a car. :) But wanted to show you some options when you are on the road. You CAN eat ok at fast food restaurants. But you have to be smart and make good choices.

This morning we got up at 7am and drove about an hour from my mom's to run a Turkey Trot in Dubuque, Iowa. It was 7.5 miles of BRUTAL hills. About 7 of them. And I gotta tell you, my running has been crap lately. And I did hamstrings on Tuesday night and then ran HIIT intervals yesterday morning so it was a TOUGH run. Finished in 66 minutes. My goal was 70 minutes or less (because I knew there would be hills). Jody finished in 57 minute - yeah piddle! :) It was so much fun! While we didn't run together, we love to do that stuff and create more memories. And I think it was the baby's first race! :)

All right guys, I have to go make my famous Pumpkin Chiffon Pie (super light, yummy pumpkin pie that isn't super heavy). Graham cracker crust and I add Splenda to make it a bit healthier. :) After that I am going to try to do shoulders quick (my mom has a bunch of dumbbells). Have a wonderful, healthy and happy holiday. You guys are awesome!

Love you guys!
Jess

Weekly Recap, Dr. Appt and House Guest

Happy hump day all! The lovely and talented Cynthia Herndon above whom I have to pay hommage to for her bad assness. :)

But I guess today isn't really a "hump" day since tomorrow is a holiday. :) Technically Tuesday was the hump day. Sweet. I actually only have 17 more days of work until my 12 day staycation. How awesome is that??? :) I love the staycation and this year it is all about organizing every room of the house - going through everything to get myself as organized as possible before baby.

Anyhoo, on to more important things. Michelle Anderson emailed me!! How cool is that? I sent her an email and asked her what her training schedule was like when she was preggers and she sent me a long email in response. Awesome, just awesome. But her story is so amazing - had a really hard time with high blood pressure and diabetes in her 3rd trimester so she had to take it super easy but she worked out up until 6 months. She weighed like 188lbs when she delivered. And now look at her. Wow is all I can say.

We have had a very "interesting" house guest since Friday night, a friend of the hubby's from college. He actually left yesterday but let me just put it to you this way he talks NON-STOP. Lke not just chatty but everything he was thinking he would say. Anyhoo, he was supposed to leave Sunday morning early but lost his keys and didn't leave until yesterday morning - that would be Tuesday. So Jody and I pretty much felt like we were prisoners in our own home. And I couldn't workout in my workout room b/c the spare bedroom is right next to exercise room. Grrr. Oh well, it is over. We had a wonderful night last night just the two of us before we head to Iowa for the holiday.

I had my first doc appointment yesterday. But it was really just to run tests - not to actually SEE the doc. Which sucks because I was hoping she could check me out more fully. :) But I will be 11 weeks when she sees me so we will get to hear the baby's heart beat (or beats) and she can give me the full scope out in case I got two little critters in there. :) My hcGG hormone (the one you get when you are preggers) is through the roof - when the lab did my pregnancy test she dropped urine on the tester and literally 1.5 seconds later it turned positive. She said it was one of the fastest positive results she has seen. I think that means my Native American name right now would be "Stands with Strong Hormones". :) Kidding. I asked about exercising again (Cynthia this is for you) and the nurse practitioner asked what my current routine is like so I told her and she said keep it up - it is great for me. She just said to listen to my body and adjust as needed.

The biggest change outside of the newly increased size of my boobs is the sleepiness at night. It went away for a couple weeks and it is back again. I am totally going to have to commit to workouts in the morning because I don't think I can muster the eveining workouts like I used to - or maybe over lunch too. But how lucky am I that I don't have an ounce of morning sickness? Lucky, I tell ya.

Below is my workout recap for last week and I just want to give a HUGE shout out to Krissa who last week when I was complaining about my 4 measly workout days, she said: HEY! That is FOUR days you DID workout!! And that is absolutely right! Thank you Krissa!

I will post a Thanksgiving Day post tomorrow - might even do a VLOG with my family. :) Love you guys! Jess

Week of November 17th

Monday: Leg workout - 90 minutes
Tuesday: HIIT 30 minutes AM; 45 minute shoulder workout PM
Wednesday: OFF :( Just 2 fast paced doggie walks
Thursday: OFF :( Just 2 fast paced doggie walks
Friday: OFF :( Just 2 fast paced doggie walks
Saturday: Legs - 90 minutes AM; Shoulders/Tris - 60 mins PM
Sunday: 5.5 mile trail run with Amber - AM; abs PM

Fleece is Heaven

Hey kiddies! An early Turkey Day vlog featuring my new zippie jacket. Heaven, glorious heaven.



Love you guys!
Jess

Double Day and Twins?

Hey y'all! Happy Saturday! I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend! :) Pic above is of Noel Clark from Lean Bodies Fitness at Nationals today. I haven't seen final results but don't think they are up yet. Best of luck to all our girls out there!

I gotta be honest, I had a crappy workout week. I CHOSE to take off three days. I will do an assessment tomorrow (with an accompanying VLOG on the assessment) but mentally I have struggled to get there. I know, I know - I have a lot on my mind - new baby and all that crap but I think having my goal of competing in Kentucky threw me off. I like to have a plan. I had a plan and my hubby knocked me up. Hee hee.

So, it is time for a new plan. One I can adhere to. And to Cynthia's blog about bad habits, one of mine is putting off my workout. Not accceptable. I do think my energy level has dipped a bit but that could just be from not working out as much. I have always had this problem - unless I am organized and have a plan, I just put it off. Silly, silly, silly.

Today, to make up for this week, I did two workouts. The first was an hour of high intensity leg circuits: squats, burpees, step ups, lunges, kick backs, hack squats, romanian split squats, steps ups again, speed skaters. It was awesome. Then later I did shoulders and tris. I took a nap today too - gave body and baby lots of recovery time.

Tomorrow will be back and biceps and a run at the lake along with some core and abs. And I will work my plan. It is kind of tough because my body wasn't where I wanted it to be before I got pregnant (which is probably also WHY I was able to get pregnant - higher bf percentage) so it is weird to train: am I training to lose fat? to gain muscle? to maintain muscle? to get leaner in the areas I can? I don't know. But putting a plan in place is key. And obviously making sure I do everything to take care of little one.

I have my first doc appt on Tuesday although I have talked to my doc already about exercise. It is encouraged. Yeah! But I am curious to find out more. One of my friends who I think is mildly psychic (?) said she thinks we are having twins. WHOA! Now I have that crazy thought running around in my head. :)

All right ladies...I hope all those girls at Muscle in the City are ROCKIN the HOUSE! And more tomorrow!

Love you guys!
Jess

Role Model # 2 and Pregnancy Musings

Hello my little friends! :)

Hope everyone is awesome! And I know you are cause you are all AWESOME inside and out! Thank you so much for all the kind words of support for Jody! He is super excited and is going to kill Ironman Louisville!

A HUGE shout out to all the girls competing in the Muscle in the City compeition - April, Stacey and Angela - and anyone else I am missing!! You guys all look awesome and you are going to have so much fun!! We will be cheering you along!

Most of you saw the pics of Julie - truly an inspiration to ALL pregnant women! I have found another role model....role model #2! :) Her name is Michelle Anderson and some of you may have seen her You Tube on Cynthia's site. If you haven't, check out her blog - you can find it on my blog roll on the right. Her blog is: http://michellefit-journal.blogspot.com/

Anyhoo, she gained a lot of weight during her pregnancy - got up to 182lbs and 49 inch hips!!!! After the baby she weighed 155lbs and competed just 7 months after the baby at 123lbs and 7% body fat!! Is that not amazing????? Crazy. Here is a pic of her from that show:

Wow, huh? She is my 2nd role model - and I am sure you can see why! So, I will assess where I'm at after baby and look at shows and set my goal! :) I know, I am jumping the gun but you gotta understand I had JUST made the decision to compete so I was fired up! :) But the baby is such an awesome detour! Amazing blessing!

Speaking of baby, Julie left a comment on yesterday's blog about NOT feeling like I am preggers and YES! that is exactly what it feels like - NORMAL. Completely normal. I am maybe a little more tired at night and even the frequent peeing has subsided. My boobs hurt - and I can tell I am adding weight in the boobal region but that's about it. It is pretty awesome so far. We will see what the next couple of months bring! :)

Love you guys! Keep on rockin EVERY workout and staying on your meal plan! I have been rocking mine and eating so awesome - giving the baby the nutrients we both need! :) Good thing I was already eating good....well, for the most part! Hee hee.

Later!
Jess

Ironman and My Weekly Recap

You guys...I am SOOOOO freakin excited to post today I can hardly stand it.

Yesterday something AMAZING happened! Jody signed up for his THIRD (yes, THIRD) Ironman Triathlon. He has been talking about doing another one and missed the sign up for Ironman Florida and thought his window had closed for his goal but ALAS, it has not! Ironman Kentucky - perhaps slightly less well known, still has availability and he SIGNED UP! Here is the link to the Ironman Louiville (Kentucky) website: http://ironman.com/louisville

For those of you who don't know, an Ironman is a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and a 26.2 mile run! It takes place on August 30th (we will have a 6 week old - WHOA!) and I am so proud of Jody I could almost burst! It is awesome. Did I mention this will be his THIRD Ironman??? So cool.

Please go to his blog: http://jody-slowtwitch.blogspot.com/ and wish him luck on his new goal!

Below is my weekly workout recap! Check it. ;)

Week of November 10th

Monday: HIIT 30 minutes AM
Tuesday: AM: Cardio - 20 minutes; PM: 70 minute leg circuits + heavy shoulder workout and abs
Wednesday: Day Off (tired)
Thursday: HIIT 30 minutes AM; 30 minute back workout
Friday: Day Off
Saturday: Shoulders/Triceps - 20 minute jog with doggie
Sunday: 6 mile trail run

Have a great day you guys!
Jess

P.S. Nothing happening in baby land. I feel great. I keep waiting to like throw up spontaneously or something. :)

I See Pregnant People

Here's the deal...you know how when you started working out really hard, you started to notice buff or in shape people more? Like you noticed them before or admired them but then when you first decided to compete you started REALLY noticing - looking at shoulder width, back spread, quad sweep, bicep vein....small butts etc.

Well, I SEE PREGNANT PEOPLE and babies. It is kinda crazy. It is mostly pregnant people but I also see a lot of babies that I didn't see before.

I see them at the grocery store, at the mall, EVERYWHERE. It is funny. At Coldplay there were a bunch of really pregnant girls and that made me so happy - hells yeah I would be at a concert pregnant. The baby can ROCK out. Jody laughs at me...but he is starting to see pregnant people too. And he is being so awesome! Really. Supportive and excited and very sensitive to how my body might be changing. I am a lucky girl.

Workouts this week were pretty good - I took two days off mostly just because we were busy and out of town. I know more than ever I have to get my workouts in in the morning or else I might miss it that day. And I also think my energy level is higher when I workout in the morning - just in general.

That's all I got for today.

Oh, hubby ran a 20:20 5k yesterday. He is SO close to breaking 20 minutes and I just KNOW it is right around the corner! :)

I ran the lake this morning with Amber and the doggie - 6 trail miles and it was glorious. Glorious. Feel great.

Have a great Sunday y'all!
Jess

Coldplay and More Later

Hey y'all!!

Sorry I have been MIA on the blog front since Wednesday. Everything is fine - me and the baby. We went to see Coldplay last minute in KC and had a wonderful time! If you ever get to see them live - GO FOR IT!

Even had a celebratory baby dinner at Capital Grille - amazing.


More later - going to watch Jody run a 5k. It is too fricken cold for me to run - 34 degrees but feels like 25 with wind chill. YUCK!

Jess

New Blog Look - Time to Talk Baby!

Ok guys, it is time to talk baby. :) I am about 5 weeks along (see the baby ticker on the right hand side of my blog). I actually know the exact date of conception - October 23rd (5 years and 2 days after Jody told me he loved me for the very first time) but they count it as starting from your the first day of your last period (sorry Fikenator and any other boys reading this! :)). Here is what has happened so far:

• I was slightly nauseous the first two weeks (this was the same time I was convincing the DH I was preggers and he was telling me I was being paranoid - ha, showed him! :)) but no morning sickness and now it has pretty much gone away (how awesome would it be if that is all I had for morning sickness???? I know, I am probably being VERY unrealistic but you can't blame a girl for trying!
• Boobs are starting to get a little sore but if I have gained any weight (and I don't think I really have - maybe a half a pound or a pound) it is in my boobs. They are starting to come out of the bra. Yes Cynthia, this is gonna be funny for you!
• My workouts were not very good last week - I really already knew I was preggers and it was really distracting me. Hard to put all your energy and effort into a hard workout when you are totally preoccupied with weather or not you are pregnant. And I was really tired the first two weeks.

So, here is the scoop - I am absolutely positively thrilled to be preggers. We had been casually talking about it for a year or so but had never really come to a decision...just chatted about it. We are a super active couple and just never slowed down to really consider it. I guess that is why we actually GOT preggers - it was meant to be and someone had to make the decision for us. :)

While I am thrilled to be pregnant, I also want to take really good care of my body. I have worked hard over the last few years to build muscle, keep my body fat in a range that is reasonable and have endurance and strength. I want to maintain my muscle, stay as fit as possible and gain a healthy/reasonable amount of weight.

Am I freaked out about blowing up? YES!! Hello! But I also know I can be healthy during this pregnancy and not gain more than my body needs. In the first 5 weeks I have eaten 5-6 meals a day - all well balanced. I have had a few cheat meals...nothing crazy.

Here is my inspiration...her name is Julie and the first two pics are her at 8 months and the last one is her at 9 months (THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU JULIE for sharing your pics and info!). Can you believe that???? Her blog is listed on the right and she is truly an inspiration. Here is her training routine while preggers: 45 minutes steady state cardio (treadmill incline walking for 45 minutes) and weight lifting 3x a week. Her nutrition was Body for Life style but with more food overall at each meal depending on appetite.



How AWESOME does she look???? AMAZING! Great job Julie!

I can't WAIT to post MY pics. No no, I WILL post my own fit pics at 9 months!

For those of you worried about me working out while pregnant, I have done a lot of reading and research: the don't get your heart rate over 140 bpm is out of date and there is lots of evidence that women who exercise their entire pregnancy. Any of you reading this who have had your own experience, please share.

The key is that you shouldn't START a new training program while pregnant but you can keep exercising at the same level - especially in the first trimester. Moving into the 2nd and 3rd I just have to be careful and pay attention to what my body is telling me.

So what have I done since I have had a bun in the oven:

• That KILLER leg workout with Amber
• A bunch of other workouts - running, lifting, sprinting, etc.
• Abs

I will keep posting my workouts on the right hand side of the screen and do weekly recaps. My plan is to workout at my regular level for first trimester and then start to scale back intensity in 2nd trimester. So first trimester, some short HIIT sessions (like 15-20 minutes), lifting 5-6 days a week, some steady state cardio. Definitely abs (can do them for the whole first tri) because the abs will be such an important part of giving birth. Remember, there will be a few months where I will really have to scale back so I want to take advantage of the ease of first trimester.

What else do you guys want to know??? TALK TO ME! :)

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! I am going to have a baby! Whoa.

Love you guys!
Jess

P.S. Tell me what you think of the new layout - I am not sure what I think about it. :)

Democracy and 7 Things (You Got Me Kelly :))

This is a democracy, so after all your comments and input, I will be keeping the same blog! You guys are already following this one and I think Jacey said it best: it WILL be the Juice is Worth the Squeeze when I give birth to something the size of a bowling ball! :) I will probably start another one with baby only updates for friends and family - great idea Lynnde. :)

So, Kelly tagged me and I am supposed to give you the 7 random things that you might not know about me. :)

1. I was on the cover of Parenting magazine when I was like 8 or 9. My dad submitted a photo of me and he won the contest and I was on the front cover. I do not have the picture (will see if I can get it next time I see him).
2. I hate centipedes. Hate them. Best way to kill them is to spray them with Lysol - because they are fast, the Lysol eventually kills them no matter what crack or crevice they get into! :)
3. I love magazines - love them. And when I get them, I have to be the first person to flip through every page - if someone else does it in front of me, it really bothers me. And I don't really look at every page but I go through every page.
4. I love old 80's 90's movies - Breakfast Club, Pretty In Pink, Legend, Neverending Story, Night of the Comet (awesome B movie). And further, I love the 80's.
5. On Saturday and Sunday mornings, I LIVE for sitting on the couch and having coffee with my hubby (that's gonna change huh??).
6. I eat a fresh cut green bell pepper every day.
7. I have asthma.

That's all I have! :)

Soon to come, the first buff baby blog. :)

Jess

Thanks So Much and Need Your Help :)

You guys are amazing! Amazing!Thank you all so much for your kind and loving comments! We are so excited! SO excited. And each of you has genuine excitement for us which is beyond what I could ask for! Such a warm and positive environment here in blog land....

I thought I would answer some questions that might be floating around out there and then I have a question for you guys! ;)

Q. How did you get pregnant?
A: Well, besides the obvious birds and the bees thing...I am not on the pill and our normally carefully planned physical expression of love for each other happened to not be so careful. It only takes once! :)

Q: How far along are you and when are you due?
A: About four weeks. Middle of July.

Q: Will you workout while preggers?
A: Hells yeah! Ran 4 miles yesterday morning and did legs this morning. I have been doing a lot of digging and reading and talked to my gyno and because I was working out consistently and intensely before I got preggers, I can keep on working out. Yeah!

Q: How will you eat?
A: I will keep eating clean...and probably a lot better now that I know I am taking care of another little person. I am eating 5-6 meals a day. Whole foods. My food right now is the same since my body doesn't really need more food until I am further along. :)

Q: Why tell everyone before you are past your first tri-mester?
A: I am only telling you guys (no one at work knows I have a blog to decrease weirdness in the work place) and our family and a few friends. I know there is some risk in telling people before we are out of the first trimester but you guys are my people and if something happens (god forbid) to the baby, I will need you guys to lean on too. You are all my family!

So, here is what i need to know from you guys:

Should I just keep this blog and post my baby status updates on this blog or should I start a new blog and then come back to this one after the baby? The reason I would start a new one would be so that once the baby is here I can get back to the JWS (juice worth squeeze) blog and then people who were interested in healthy baby body health could check in on it...

What do you guys think? Post your thoughts in comments please. :)
Jess

Thoughts?

Vlog: Withdrawing from March Comp

Hey guys,

I am not going to compete in March....just too much. It is a little longer than my usual vlog but wanted to let you guys know the whys....

The Cardio Question: Part II

Well, I think outside of announcing I am competing, I think this post has gotten the most comments ever! :) Yeah! I LIKE it.

Most of your questions/comments surround the following questions Cynthia asked in her comment so let me clarify. :)

Q: Can you clarify why you were doing that much cardio that far out?
A: I did two shows back to back - one in early June and one six weeks later. So the 12 weeks I was doing was in between the two shows (6 weeks) and 6 weeks prior to (so not far off of what you guys were doing).

Q: Was it your diet?
A: No, my diet was good - I was carb cycling and started at 1800, then went to around 1500 calories about 6 weeks out (from the first show) and then 4 weeks out I was down to around 1200.

Q: Was it that you had adapted?
A: Might have been.

Q: Were you in starvation mode?
A: I am assuming during the last four weeks I was....tired, crabby, cranky and poopy.

Q: Were you instructed to do it?
A: I, like many of you, read a ton for about three years before I started competing. Oxygen used to print training routines and diets for any competitor they featured. So, I literally have pages and pages of what Jenny Lynn, Jenny Hendershott, Gina Aliotti, Mary Lado, Davina Medina, etc. While I didn't hire a trainer, I did a bunch of research and I based my training around my progress and biofeedback.

Ok, so all that being said...the one thing I want to point out is that I don't know what would have happened if I would have done it ANOTHER way. That's the rub right - what would have happened if I WOULDN"T have trained that way. For me, I added the additional cardio when I still wasn't seeing the results I wanted to see. Part of it is hard b/c you have to TRUST it will happen. You just never know. :)

In fact you never know WHAT life will bring you.

I think doing two shows back to back like that was a bad idea. I was over trained and it affected so much of my daily life.

More later. BIG VLOG to come tomorrow. :) Stop back in - it will be a REALLY good one. I promise.

Jess

The Cardio Question

We are having QUITE a discussion around extreme cardio and I just wanted to post an official blog on the subject and my thoughts. :)

First of all, I speak about cardio from my own personal experience and come from a place of love and concern for my fellow athlete's/competitors/women who love iron. :) I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings or talk down to anyone. I want to share the information and knowledge that I have from my experience and my years of training along with what I have learned from the hours and hours of reading and sharing others experiences.

Please, please, please know that this is my opinion from my experiences and knowledge coming from a place of love. Did I say that already?? :)

I did the two hours of cardio. I did it for 14 weeks and did two back to back competitions. And then I pretty much stopped working out consistently, completely fell off a consistent eating plan and was sick for about 6 months. Literally. I lost my desire to workout and I struggled with intensity.

Now, did I have other things going on in my life like a very rigorous work schedule? YES! Wedding? YES! But, I feel strongly that the 3 hours a day of training (cardio and lifting) and then another hour of food prep put me in a place of extreme over training - mentally and physically.

Further, I was TRAINING my body to store fat once I went back to a normal life. Training it - think about it - your body is surviving on like 1100 calories a day and you are doing tons of cardio and then you start eating normally and training regularly and your body is freaking out - thinking it has to store up for the next starvation so pack it on, pack it on, pack it on.

And it took ME (again this is my story and my perspective) a long time to get back into it. In fact, at one point I said I would never compete again and even said I regretted it. Now I am in a wonderful place.....I know what I need to eat. I know how I need to train. I know I need to dial it in at certain intervals out from the contest. I know I can do it with mental and physical commitment but NOT 2 hours of cardio a day.

And you know what - AFTER this next competition I KNOW what to expect and my body will adjust - not drastically like the last time.

So, that is why I feel the way I do. That COMBINED with tons of articles and scientific info about how your body responds to extreme dieting and cardio. Show me scientific data that supports the long term benefits of 2 hours a day cardio on low calories? Your not going to find it. What you will find is scientific, imperial and experience (lots of competitors) based data that says High Intensity Interval training for 30 minutes and intense weight training workouts and a consistent diet (even adding re-feeds) over a long period of time allow you to achieve your goals AND not rebound.

That's all I got. I hope those of you who have an opinion chime in....to each their own I ALWAYS say and I feel that way as well. Everyone has to go on their own journey and I hope each of you finds the journey that is healthiest and happiest.

Peace.
Jess

Adjustments

Hey y'all!

Poppin in on hump day to apologize for my MIA status. :) Have had a lot of things going on at work that have kept me tied up and have been keeping my efforts focused on eating right and getting my workouts in....those are key to achieving my goals.

A lot of the blogs I follow have been focusing on goal setting and I wanted to share with you one of the systems that works for me and perhaps it will translate to something that works for you as well. I do love the fact that we all support and help each other. I couldn't do it without you guys!

So, here is what I do...I set my goals - and I make sure I have a clear understanding of what those goals are at different milestones. Then on Sunday's (or Monday's) I fill out my Weekly Compass which is a proprietary tool Franklin Covey uses but it is basically a 8.5x3.5 inch card that has seven roles listed out and the big rocks you want to achieve every week. That probably sounds like Spanish to you (the big rocks part) but here is how it works. If you want to fill up a jar with rocks, you would start with big rocks and then fill in with little rocks right? Otherwise you have to throw in a bunch of little rocks which takes twice as long. So, you set your goals and then WEEKLY you review your goals and make sure each week you are achieving a goal toward your bigger goals.

THEN (and here is where it gets REALLY important), you must review your weekly goals when you plan your day. Make sure that every day you are doing something that will allow you to reach your weekly goals which should all roll up to your overall goals. Here is what it looks like:

The Compass card breaks your "big rocks" down by life role. So, for example, my roles are the following (with weekly goal examples):

• Wife - date night, hall closet project
• Competitor - 90% meal compliance, 100% workout compliance, research new suit options
• Account Director/Leader - blah, blah, blah
• Manager - blah, blah, blah
• Team Leader - blah, blah, blah
• Dr. Me - Make eye appt, make OB/GYN appt

You get the idea. I guess I just want to REITERATE that to achieve your goals you must think about them every day and incorporate them into you daily planning.

Reach for it. Plan for it.

MAKE IT HAPPEN!

Hope this helps! Jess

P.S. I found this article on the big rocks concept this morning and wanted to post as part of this blog. Here is a great explanation of why you need to have your big rocks figured out FIRST before you start going through the details of your day. :)

“Scheduling is how we manifest our intent on the world”
- Stephen Covey

Those of you familiar with Stephen Covey’s great read, “First Things First” will recognize the reference to placing your big rocks first. The story goes:

I attended a seminar once where the instructor was lecturing on time. At one point, he said, “Okay, it’s time for a quiz.” He reached under the table and pulled out a wide-mouth gallon jar. He set it on the table next to a platter with some fist sized rocks on it. “How many of these rocks do you think we can get in the jar?” he asked.

After we made our guess, he said, “Okay, let’s find out.” He set one rock in the jar… then another….then another. I don’t remember how many he got in, but he got the jar full. Then he asked “is the jar full?”

Everybody looked at the rocks and said “yes”.

Then he said, “Ahhh”. He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar and the gravel went in the little spaces left by the big rocks. Then he grinned and asked once more “Is the jar full?”

By this time we were onto him. “Probably not,” we said.

“Good!” He replied. And he reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went in all the little spaces left by the rocks and gravel. Once more, he looked at us and said, “Is the jar full?”

“No!” we all roared.

He said, “Good!” and he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in. He got something like a quart of water in that jar. Then he said, “Well, what’s the point?”

Somebody said, “Well, there are gaps, and if you really work at it, you can always fit more into your life.”

“No,” he said, “that’s not the point. The point is if you hadn’t put the big rocks in first would you ever have gotten any of them in?”

Two Great Recipies with a Small Twist

Amber and I made BOTH of these recipies on Saturday and we HIGHLY recommend them. By the way, my new favorite fake mashed potato recipe is mashed sweet potato and brocoli mashed up together with salt and pepepr! Yummy!

And I can personally attest that BOTH of these are awesome! And good for you!

Shepherd's Pie

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 large sweet potato - peeled and boiled
• One large head of broccoli, boiled until soft
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 pounds ground turkey
• 1 large carrot, shredded
• 1 (4.5 ounce) can sliced mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mash sweet potato with broccoli, butter or margarine and milk. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
2. Saute onion in olive oil until soft. Stir in ground turkey, carrot, mushrooms, parsley, thyme, garlic, and chicken bouillon. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook and stir until meat is broken up and cooked through. Drain. Stir in flour.
3. Transfer meat mixture to a deep dish pie pan or casserole. Spread potato/broccoli mixture over meat like a topping crust and then spread Parmesan cheese on top.
4. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 30 minutes, or until top is lightly browned.

Nutrition (approx 8 servings):

Calories: 268

Total Fat: 8g

Cholesterol: 43mg

Sodium: 212mg

Total Carbs: 24g

Dietary Fiber: 3.4g

Protein: 25g

Maggie's Granola Chocolate Chip Protein Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups rolled oats, dry, uncooked (Old fashioned, not quick oats)
• .5 cup Fiber One
• 3/4 cup trail mix with the following: Sunflower seeds, raisins, cashews, almonds, pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup Chips, chocolate, semisweet, large
• 4 scoops Cytosport Cookie's N' Cream protein powder
• 1/2 tsp Salt, table, 1/5 oz per teaspoon
• 1/4 tsp Vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar free Maple Syrup

Directions:

1. In a large bowl combine the oats, trail mix, chocolate chips, and whey.
2. Add the syrup, vanilla, and salt. Stir until everything is thoroughly mixed. At first, it will seem too dry, but continue stirring and it will eventually blend.
3. Spray two non-stick 12-compartment muffin tins with cooking spray, then press the mixture into the bottom of each cup firmly. Alternately, spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray, then drop 24 equal blobs of the mixture onto the sheet, squashing each down slightly into a cookie-like thickness.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 6 minutes.

Nutrition (per 2 cookies):
140 Calories
5 g. fat
15.5g carb
3.2 g fiber
11g protein

Need a Wheelchair

Seriously, I need a wheelchair big time.

Amber and I had a BRUTAL leg workout this morning. Just so you can get a sense of how painful and challenging it was I am posting it for you below.

Right now, my legs feel like this:


But this hard work should result in this:

:)

Here is what we did.... Jogged for 10 minutes for a warm up and then did the following four sets, four times through (workout took us about 2 hours total) - OWWWW!

• One legged burpees - 10 each leg
• Step ups - 30 each leg - no weight - for speed
• Hill repeat (and if you haven't heard me talk about Amber's hill, it is like suicide hill - the grade is like 40% and it is about 1/8 of a mile)
• Inch worm superman holds (5 second hold)

• Deep squats with EZ bar and 30lbs (55 total) - 25 squats
• Step ups with weight (15lbs) - 20
• Romanian lunges - 20lb Kettlebells in each hand - 15 total
• Hill repeat

• Stiff legged deadlifts (same EZ bar weight) - 20 reps
• Lying leg curls with stability ball - 20 reps
• One legged reaching lunges w/15lb dumbbell - 20 reps each leg
• Side lunges - 25 each leg down the hill Walking lunges up the hill (about 40 lunges each leg)

• Split lunges with 20lb kettlebell - 15 reps
• Sumo squats with EZ bar - 15 reps
• Single leg deadlifts - no weight - focusing on glute - 15 reps
• Lying side leg lifts - 15 each leg

Did I mention we did each set of four exercise FOUR times??? It was awesome. Loved it.

Gonna post a vlog later so look for it! Hope you guys are having a GREAT weekend!
Jess