Happy New Year's Eve! 2009 Goals and Lots of Pics!

Hey friends! I wanted to share some pics with you! Finally! :)


A pic of me and then me and the DH on our way out one night. I wanted to show you guys what I look like with my hair done and make up on as opposed to my usual no make up, sweaty vlogs. :)


A pic of me and DH from the summer...how handsome IS he???? This is my own manjoyment moment. The cool thing is, I am married to him! :)

This is from our Christmas celebration with his family. We broke out the karaoke machine at his parents house and got crazy! Me and the hubby doing a duet to Bust a Move. Jody did the wrap and I sang "If you want it, you got it. If you want it, baby you got it." :)

My aunt Dixie (on left) and my mom (on right) singing something (I can't remember). Aren't they adorable! :)


Me and the hubby on at outlook overlooking his home town in Russellville, Arkansas. This park is called Mt. Nebo and it is beautiful! Please note my zippie and matching hat. :)

Ok, enough of the photo show. I know you are waiting for a pregnant belly picture but the last picture we took had some really bad shadows so you can't really tell what my belly looks like because of the shadowing. So, I will have the hubby take another one today and see if we can get a better image. I can't tell if I am starting to show a little or if I have just had too much good food over Thanksgiving and Christmas. ;)

We are having a HUGE New Year's Eve party tonight and I am so excited! We had one last year and it is called: Pro's Night In! versus Amatuer's Night Out! :) We were getting frustrated because our only options for New Year's Eve were to go to the bars or a hotel. The challenge is driving while drinking (although this year is not an issue :)) and all the idiots who go out on New Year's Eve. It is SO packed! So, we decided to have a party. We have poker (high and low stakes), karaoke in our garage which we completely clean out and heat - set up tables and a drink station and this year we are having Rock Band in our living room. We always have tons of food and our friend Doon makes tons of shots for everyone! It is a BLAST!! I wish you all lived closer so you could come! I will have lots of party pics to share and I am sure lots of stories....most of which I am sure will involve my hubby!

As I mentioned the other day, Jody and I did our Goals for 2009. I am still looking for our 2008 goals and haven't had any luck yet....but I probably met about half of them...I know one I did NOT meet was to get my body fat to 16% so as I look at Goals for 2009 I need to make sure I consider my obstacles and challenges for not acheiving it in 2008. I will say a HUGE piece was mental. I was burnt out and not committed.

Note: We prefer to do GOALS versus resolutions. Goals focus more on the positive and achievement versus NOT doing something or removing a negative behavior. To each their own but this is how WE roll. :)

Here are my 2009 Goals:

General:

• Participate in monthly bill paying and savings/investment review with the DH. He manages most all of this currently and I want to become more involved so I can help make better decisions about what I spend money on.
• Keep our house more organized and clean.
• Remember and acknowledge birthdays and anniversaries consistently.
• Focus on non-draining friendships. I think there are some relationships that drain you...the energy you put into the person or relationship isn't balanced by what you receive. Friendships are like any other relationship, they have to be a two way street. I have a few friendships that mean a lot to me that I didn't give the attention to in 2008. I am going to focus on those in 2009 and repair where I wasn't a good friend.
  

Physical:

• Gain less than 30 total pounds with the baby, weight at 155 max.
• Have a baby. :)
• Decrease body fat to 15% by end of year (6 months after baby). This will equate to about 120 lbs if my lean mass is 105. I know it is aggressive but hey, goals are goals. :)
• Find a food tracking system that works for me and track food daily.

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe New Year's Eve! Remember, you CAN ACHIEVE whatever you set your mind to! The mind body connection makes everything possible! Be PATIENT and CONSISTENT and you will achieve your goals!

Jess

Sorry Guys - Internet Lock Down

Hey y'all and happy Monday! I hope each and every one of you had a wonderful Christmas holiday!

We drove to Jody's parents on Friday night and came home yesterday evening. I was TRAPPED in blogger he$$ because a friend of theirs who apparently is an amateur IT person put a security code on their wireless modem and set it up so that wireless users can't get on even WITH the WEP key. And they have TWO modems, a regular and a wireless and I wasn't able to figure out how to get into the wireless modem setting to turn off the WEP key. Let me tell you I was NOT happy! I spent about an HOUR trying to figure it out and could never get on. GRRRRR. So apologies for not getting on and checking out all your blogs over those three days. I was trapped in NON internet purgatory!

Anyhoo, my goal for last week was to increase my cardio. I did five days of cardio this week which was awesome however my lifts sacrificed as a result. I got some great runs in with my hubby (three total for almost 20 miles!!!) which is always nice and makes us feel closer to each other. Whle I am super pumped I got in my cardio, I am bummed I missed out on my lifts. So, this week will be all about balancing BOTH. :)

Jody and I did our goals for the year in the car on the way home last night (an annual tradition for us). I need to look up our goals from last year and then I will share with you along with our new goals. One of my goals is just "have a baby" :).

Love you all and hope you have a wonderful week! More later (and pics of the family).

Jessica

Merry Christmas and Peace to All!

I found this quote for peace and I hope it resonates with all of you. :) It certainly did with me. We will never have a life without challenges, obstacles, heartache or sadness however we do have 100% control over how we react to those things and being calm in our hearts is the best give we can give to ourselves.

Merry Christmas everyone! You are each very, very special to me and I can't imagine a world without my blog family. I hope each of you has a wonderful and joy filled holiday with your families and friends and I hope you are able to relax, enjoy the skin you are in (even if it is just on Christmas) and remember all the things you are grateful for in life.

*******************************

I had a great leg workout at the gym last night....this is what it looked like:

• Hack squat, 15 reps, 5 sets, 200lbs
• Leg press with close foot position, 15 reps, 4 sets, 170 lbs
• Hamstring curls, 15 reps, 4 sets, 90 lbs
• Split squats on smith rack, slow and controlled, 10 reps each leg, 4 sets, 40lbs
• Back extension, focus on glutes, 30lb kettle bell, 15 reps, 4 sets
• Quad extension, 15 reps, 4 sets, 90lbs
• Calves, 125 lbs donkey machine, 12 reps, 3 sets
  

Felt great and my legs were shaking when I was done!

I am probably going to do back and biceps today along with a couple cardio sessions. I find that if I split into two 30 minute sessions, I feel MUCH better!

Have a wonderful Christmas Eve everyone! Love you guys!
Jess

Forming Habits and SAD

Hey y'all! Happy Monday!

Had a great weekend....although it was freezing! I much prefer cold AND snow as opposed to just frigid cold. This morning when I walked Pablo it was a balmy 6 degrees and -3 degrees with the wind chill. I looked like the kid from A Christmas Story with the number of layers I had on...I could barely put my arms down. :)

So, I have to be really honest guys, if you look at the right hand side of my blog, you will see my workout schedule for the month. I am doing monthly recaps now instead of weekly but I update it frequently. The point here is that I have not been good about my cardio workouts...I have been getting in a couple, maybe three a week. And weak cardio workouts too. Yes, I know, I am pregnant but I am only 11 weeks for goodness sakes. I should still be getting in plenty of good cardio. And the body is reflecting the lack of cardio. I can tell my comp has changed, probably more so a result of slacking off on cardio and not eating perfect versus being preggers.

Now, I am not going to beat myself up over it because I am preggers but I do need to get back to focusing on cardio. Keeping my heart healthy and making sure I am in good physical shape during this pregnancy is key. My lifting has been awesome but the cardio...just not so good.

This morning I got up and although I really didn't want to (and by the way, you trick yourself into excuses NOT to workout b/c of pregnancy which is a total cop out) I hopped on the treadmill for a 30 minute power walk at 10% incline (that's all mine will go to) and it felt great. Read a book, burned almost 400 calories. Gotta remember that feeling. And planning on going to a spin class tonight after work to get in another cardio session. Jody's mom is in town so I don't want to take too much time away from her but definitely want to get in another lifting session.

The plan is to use the next 14 days (including today) to develop a habit of doing morning cardio again. I always feel so much better when I get in my morning cardio but lately I haven't made the CHOICE to do it. That is a changin! :) Everyone forms habits differently...some people may form a habit in 14 days, some in 21. I am going to focus on the 14 days and see how ingrained it feels and reassess.

There is a great article in Clean Eating this month on SAD (Seasonal Affected Disorder) and so I wanted to share some thoughts on it in case any of you are having issues with the dreary winter weather. Wikepedia defines SAD as the following:

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), also known as winter depression or winter blues, is a mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the winter or, less frequently, in the summer,^[1] repeatedly, year after year. The US National Library of Medicine notes that "some people experience a serious mood change when the seasons change. They may sleep too much, have little energy, and crave sweets and starchy foods. They may also feel depressed. Though symptoms can be severe, they usually clear up."^[2] The condition in the summer is often referred to as Reverse Seasonal Affective Disorder, and can also include heightened anxiety.^[3]

Can you relate to any of these symptoms? What should you do to address them?

• Light therapy is the best therapy. There are light boxes you can purchase that simulate natural light and with a few weeks treatment. Here is a location I found online.
• Vitamin D! Vitamin D is actually what your body produces with sunlight. You can supplement with Vitamin D or fortified milk or food products to increase the VD in your body. 1000 IU is the recommended dosage for treating SAD. Vitamin D was actually proven to work BETTER than light therapy for some SAD sufferers.
• Get outside! Even if it is chilly, taking a walk in the sun is well worth the benefit of the increased mood that can result in that short trip outside. Bundle up and enjoy the sun!

Have a great Monday everyone!

Had Doc Appt and It's a......

....BABY!!! :)

Happy Friday you guys! I can honestly say this day will go down as one of the most special in my life! I won't bore you with ALL the details but let's just say the first ultra sound which was NOT through my stomach did not show a baby so I was a little freaked out. Turns out I have a tipped uterus so my uterus is actually closer to the outside of my body that most women. So she used the ultrasound on my belly and behold....our little bundle of joy:



You will need to click on the image to see where I have circled in red where the fetus is if you can't see it from this view. It was so amazing to see him in there! I teared up and was so emotional just seeing that little body inside my body. And then we heard the heartbeat...so cool. I teared up on that one too. And then while she was looking at the little person, he/she moved a bunch! She said "whoa, they normally don't move that much so soon" and I told the doc that the baby was waving at us. Flipping us a gang sign - letting us know he/she is all good. :) I grabbed Jody's hand and was pretty veclempt knowing WE did that. Jody is going to be such a wonderful Dad....I can't wait to see him chillin with his offspring. :)

So cool guys. I have gained 2lbs which she said was totally normal especially since I haven't had any morning sickness. I told her it was all in my bra! :)

Have a great Friday night guys! Had to get this up for you all!

More this weekend!
Jess

Feelin Better!

Yeah! Last night was my first night since Friday NOT using nose spray (remember, no worries - it is baby approved) and I could breathe! Yeah! So awesome. So, clearly I am feeling better except for the fact that I had to play dodge ball today at a team off site. And although I really didn't want to play it was pretty darn fun! At first I thought I probably shouldn't play for fear of getting whacked in the belly. Would be a little trouble explaining THAT to the doc. ;) I haven't gone public about the pregnancy at work yet...will do so next Tuesday! So exciting!

My workouts are pretty consistent from a lifting perspective. And I am trying to really work in my lower back and abs. I can still lay on my back so I am trying to take advantage of those types of ab workouts as much as I possibly can. Last night I did abs in between back and bicep sets. I am really enjoying working out with the hubby again. Lifting with him definitely helps push me on going heavier.

I have GOT to get my cardio amped up again. I am just not getting it in and I can feel it in my energy levels. I am running a couple three times a week and getting in some treadmill walks but not getting in the length or time I would like to. I want a strong and healthy body to help bring the baby into the world.

Oooooo.....and we took our first baby belly photo. No difference in my belly, I gotta tell ya. Maybe just a LITTLE rounding of the belly. But I don't think anyone notices but me...not even the hubber.

Doc appt Friday guys so hopefully I will have a ultrasound image to share!! WOO HOO!

Sorry for the boring post guys....will have more to share soon!
Jess

What a Week! Snotty....and I heart Puffs w/Vicks!

Oy vey! What a week!! All day conference on Wednesday, Leadership meeting all day Thursday. Christmas party Wednesday and Thursday nights. It was a brutal week so it's no wonder I got under the weather again.

I had gotten rid of whatever I had a couple weeks ago, but with my long days this week, inconsistent sleep, lack of exercise and lack of good eats, I have a nasty cold. Very congested and a lot of snot. Not fun. Called my practitioner Friday to make sure it is ok to use nasal spray so I could breathe while sleeping. Man that stuff is a miracle. Thank goodness the doc gave me the ok on it....I would have slobbered all over myself trying to sleep. I know, SEXY!

Had planned on running the lake with Amber Saturday morning but just didn't feel up to it. Sorry for the gross out but when I have so much extra snot I really struggle with my breathing it is really hard to get enough air for good cardio. And I am also a firm believer that when you are sick, taking care of your body is key for healing. So healing is what I focused on on Saturday. I started a blog post but felt like dukie so decided not to force one out.

I DO heart Puffs w/Vicks. If you haven't tried them and you like the smell of Vicks when you are sick and congested, you HAVE to check them out. They have a little lotion on them as well so they are super moisturizing. But when you blow your nose you get this awesome whiff of Vicks. And I usually just put them up to my nose and inhale which is awesome. I feel like I have a crack problem but it is just Vicks not real crack.

Amber told me that one of her friends at her office had pregnancy rhinitis for most of per pregnancy. Basically it means that your mucous membranes are swollen and you have a cold for the duration of the pregnancy. I am hoping and praying I just have a bug because I do NOT want to feel like this for long.

My workouts were fairly dismal this week...a couple good workouts on Monday, Tuesday and little one on Thursday morning but outside of that I didn't get in all I wanted to. Regardless I got in a few! So that is good! I had a great shoulder workout this morning....great considering how I feel! :) Did the following:

• Alternating front shoulder raises w/10 lb dumbbells - 15 reps each side, 4 sets
• Lateral raises with extra extension w/15lb dumbbells - 15 reps, 4 sets
• German volume training, behind the head press w/smith rack - 30 lbs, 10 reps, 10 sets (last rep should be almost impossible to complete (and it was!)
  

Jody and I may go do legs later and I might try to take Pabs for a little jog afterward. It is 66 degrees here and I would hate to miss an opportunity for us to both get some fresh air.

All is well with the baby....have our first doc appt on Friday!!! I am so excited I can barely stand it!!! Hopefully we will hear the heart beat and see the ultrasound....I can't wait to see the little guy or girl. Outside of my cold, I feel awesome. I am really so lucky to not have the morning sickness so many women go through. Who knows...maybe I will have some at some point but for now I am thankful.

Next week my focus will be on getting in some form of exercise every day - even if it is just a walk on the treadmill to get my cardio back up. And Jody and I are really enjoying the gym at night together....such a great way to talk and catch up. I caught up on Oprah yesterday during my couch sick fest and watched the episode about why men cheat. The doctor she had on there said that the average couple talks for 12 minutes a day!! TWELVE MINUTES! How terrible is that????? So sad. Another reason I am so grateful for my cherub.

Hope you all are having a great weekend! With Monday right around the corner I hope all of you are thinking about what you want to accomplish this week!

Love you guys!
Jess

P.S. I just got back from the gym and a great leg workout considering how I am feeling. I was pretty much in O2 debt the whole time.

Four sets of:

• Smith machine squats, 50lbs, 15 reps
• Hamstring curls on machine, 90lbs, 15 reps
• Quad extensions, 90lbs, 15 reps
  

Four sets of:

• Sumo squats, 50lbs 15 reps
• Walking lunges w/30lb Kettlebells (60lbs total), 20 reps each leg
• Calf press, 100lbs, 15 reps

Good stuff.

'Tis the Season

Hey y'all!

What a WEEK I tell ya! Started out relatively normal with Monday and Tuesday and then the crap hit the fan....yesterday I was in an all day session starting at 8 am and ending at 530. Then we let someone go in a very high level position and so I was running around dealing with that fallout until about 6:30. Then had to speed home to get ready for the leadership holiday party. So I changed and we got back in the car and drove to the party where we stayed until 11pm. And I am not getting ready to go to an all day off site. Arghh! And then TONIGHT we have Jody's holiday party. 'Tis the season. :)

The good news is I lifted on Monday and Tuesday hard and got in a couple of low cardio sessions. I took yesterday completely off but am hoping to squeeze in a workout either before our holiday party tonight or when I get home (party starts early). That is one of the joys of being preggers, I am not drinking so working out after a party is never a problem. :)

Just wanted to pop in quick and tell you guys to keep on bustin it and working hard! The holidays are SUCH a difficult time to manage the extra social activities, food around the office or at people's houses and manage your time to get in workouts while shopping and doing all the other extra things the holidays require. Just remember even a little workout is better than none at all. And you can control what goes in your body. Garbage in, garbage out. :)

Hope you are all having a great week and more this weekend!
Jess

P.S. Our new camera arrived yesterday so get ready for baby belly pics (although I got nothin yet :)).

Going to Booty School

Is that not an awesome hiney?? Holy cow. Maria Kudla and the awesome roundness of her glutes.

So, the DH and I were working out the other day (our return to the gym together) having a pretty awesome upper body workout (can't remember which one) and he is giving me major props for how my arms look. He hasn't "witnessed" me working out for awhile and so wasn't expecting me to really look like I had been working out. :)

Anyway, we were talking about how I want to make sure my arms are still shapely and toned while preggers and he was like: "heck yeah, just keep blowing up on your upper body" and then I had an epiphany. Insert angels singing noise here.

My lower body has always been my challenge area. I cannot lose fat right now....I can lessen the amount of fat I put on by making healthy choices and eating good food but I cannot lose fat at the risk of harming the little baby I carry in my belly. When you get pregnant (for those of you who DON'T know) you gain fat stores so that your body can access them if you go too long without food or if the baby needs additional nourishment. I hope to provide a steady stream of food every 2.5 to 3 hours so that my body doesn't feel the starvation factor often and puts on minimal amounts of fat. Regardless, my focus right now is maintaining my muscle mass (if I put on a little bit of extra mass during 1st and 2nd trimester bonus but I am not counting on it) and staying healthy.

Anyway, back to the original story...my epiphany is that I need to use this time to really work on my lower body. Now, as I stated already, I can't lose any fat right now but I can keep the muscle in my legs, work on shaping the muscle that is there and keep my legs toned and tight. And yes, still keep focused on my upper but really focus on the lower. I came home from the gym and went immediately to my huge 3 ring binder of workouts I have pulled from years and years of collecting magazines and tabbed to the lower body section. It was there I found: Booty School with Carla Sanchez. For those of you who don't know Carla, she is with Performance Ready and she is pretty awesome. The article was in the Oxygen Glutes issue from Spring of 2007 and her permise is basically this: women carry fat in hips and thighs and therefore have to work extra hard to keep it tight and toned. She said that women should make sure that their cardio is very glute specific and work legs more often than upper body. Anyone else remember this article?

For contest prep she recommends 6-7 days of booty work. Here's how it works:

• Monday: Glute Focused Cardio
• Tuesday: Strength & Conditioning Circuit
• Wednesday: Glute Focused Cardio Thursday: Strength & Conditioning Circuit
• Friday: Glute Focused Cardio
• Saturday: Strength & Conditioning Circuit
• Sunday: Optional Cardio
  

She doesn't think women can truly get over trained doing these 30-45 minute workouts once you work up to them. Her recommendation is to start with three a week and then add one a week as long as you aren't overly sore.

Last night I did my first Booty School Workout....I am going to post it because it is search and reapply and it was publicly printed. :)

I warmed up with 3 sets of 25 reps on the smith machine - 80lbs racked

Three rounds of the following (I did the following straight through and then repeated twice):

• 50 reverse lunges each leg off of a step with one riser (with or w/out weights) - 15lb dumbbells
• Step Mill - 200 quick steps (I don't have a step mill at the house - YET :) - so I just walked on the treadmill at the highest incline
• Hamstring curls - stability ball - 20 reps
• Jump split squats - 20 reps each leg
• Sumo squat - 20 reps - 60lbs
• Straight leg dead lifts - 15 reps holding 20lb dumbbells
• Jumping jack squats - 20 reps

Then I ran Pablo for 30 minutes. Great workout!

I will post other booty school workouts as I do them. My plan is to do three this week. The cardio workout is basically a combination of jump rope, step mill, treadmill, etc.

Hope you all had a great weekend!! I have no baby updates other than I got nothin. Everything is totally normal and I feel great. Boobs are bigger, have gained about a pound, maybe a pound and a half and clothes fit fine. I am a little paranoid b/c I haven't made the official announcement at work and I DO feel like I have a little pooch.

Have a great week everyone! Keep your goals and your dreams in your sights!
Jess

P.S. I ran the lake today with Amber and Pabs - awesome!

My List of Top Tips

Front Back

Hey y'all! Hope you are having a wonderful weekend! Found this tank top on Performance Ready the other day and I am ordering immediately. :) Hee hee. Cute, huh? Hopefully it won't offend anyone if they just see the front! :)

Today I have a few small goals: get in a kick ass leg workout and catch up on all my blogs. I was SLAMMED at work this week and didn't have many opportunities to catch up on my blog peeps so today will be a big one. May also vlog later today or tomorrow got some stuff to say, yo!

Cynthia (Visionquester) posted a list on her subscriber only blog (a definite MUST subscribe if you don't already) with her "best dieting tips" and I was inspired to share my tips with you guys and perhaps ALL of us can share our tips! Hint, hint. :) I do have one caveat, MOST of you know all this stuff so forgive me if it is boring...what I hope is that there will be a nugget or two that each of you find helpful. :)

So...without further ado, here are my top tips for eating right and working out:

1.Be prepared! Always.

Being prepared applies to both eating AND to working out. With eating, you should never leave your house if you plan to be gone for more than an hour without food. It is as simple as bringing a bar or RTD shake or throwing a tupperware with cottage cheese and an apple in your bag. Start your day or end your day getting all your food ready for the following day. Even if you do food prep on the weekends, you obviously will need to do some daily prep.

Make sure you have a food storage system that works for you. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Stax System. It comes with an ice pack, containers for your food and it all fits together is a super smart way. Even comes with a timer so you can remind yourself (if your tummy doesn't) to eat.

Also be prepard for your workouts! Don't walk into the gym without knwoing what you are goign to do. Write out your workouts.

2. Begin With the End in Mind

Set your goals for the year, break them down into monthly and weekly goals and then make sure that EVERY day you are reviewing your goals and incorporating little daily steps towards achieving your goals. This is KEY to success.

3. Turkey Burgers Are Awesome!

On Sundays, I take 2lbs of ground white turkey breast, 1/2 cup oats, 2 egg whites and a packet of powdered ranch dressing and mix it all up. I break out the George Foreman and cook up about 15 or so 3.5 OZ turkey burgers. I throw them in a zip lock and they are consistenly one of my favorite things to eat throughout the week. They are also super portable and not bad cold. So if I am in a rush or pinched on time, I just eat one cold with my fingers. They are great with a slice of pepper jack cheese or with Frank's Red Hot hot sauce.

4. Hardboiled Eggs are Great Snacks

On Sundays while I am working my mojo on turkey breasts, I also boil a huge pot of hard boiled eggs. My friend Amber got me a hard boiled egg maker for my bday and so now I use it but regardless by end of food prep on Sunday, I have 30 hard boiled eggs. I usually put them in a huge tupperware (not peeled - I find they peel better after being refridgerated) and then when I get home from work and am starving - reaching for some type of snacky, I grab 3 or 4 hard boiled eggs, spray them with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray and I am all set! Yummy.

5. Magic Bullets, George Foreman, Egg Makers, Crock Pots and Steamers and More are Your Friends!

All of these tools will make life easier and food taste better. Why torture yourself with nasty chicken breast and all of the hassles of steaming veggies when there all all these tools out there to help make your life easier. I love the Magic Bullet - it is great for making shakes or oatmeal/egg white pancakes.

6. Order Appetizers when Eating Out

There is a restuarant we go to usually twice a month and I am not in love with anything on their menu (except the $37 Fillet) and so I order two appetizers and a side salad. It is probably about 400 calories and I am never overly full. Plus when you get your bill, you will be much happier.

7. Workout in the Mornings

Unless you are 100%, absolutely, dilligently committed to working out at night and have no problem making your workouts, I recommend the early mroning workout. A couple of things happen when you workout in the morning...first you give your metabolism a SUPER awesome jump start. When you wake up, your metabolism is at its lowest from you sleeping all night. Working out kicks it in gear. Secondly, your workout is DONE for the day. Done. Unless you want to do abs or more cardio or whatever later (which is all just a bonus). And your energy level is super high all day long.

This is more for people who have full time jobs or just a lot on their plate during the day but for me it is a lifesaver.

8. Be Good to Yourself

Reward yourself for acheiving a goal. Buy yourself that _______ you have been wanting. But more importantly - TALK TO YOURSELF LIKE YOU WOULD YOUR CLOSEST FRIEND. Be encouraging, give yourself credit for what you DO not what you DON'T do. Call out your assets. Focus on your positives.

9. Track Your Stats and Take Pictures!

I can't stress enough how much I recommend this! It isn't fun in the beginning of the process but it is SO much fun in the end or when you are ready to go back and do it all over again. Trust me, you will want to know what your waist measured 6 weeks into contest prep the next time you go through it. And you will want to see that your biceps have grown 1.25 inches in a year. But don't obsess - weigh or measure yourself once a week - don't become obsessive with daily measurements - losing 3lb in two days can simply be water weight.

10. BE CONSISTENT!

You can't do something for a week and expect results. Commit to something - a new workout plan, a new diet or a new program for AT LEAST a month. If you give up after a week you will never really know if it worked of if you just gave up too soon. Remember how long it takes for a farmer to get his field ready, for corn to grow and crops to be harvested - a long time.

11. Wiegh Your Food/Know Portions

Cynthia also mentioned this one and it is so important. People overeat all the time.

12. Keep a Log Book for Food and Workouts

See #9, when you go to do this again, you will want to know what you ate and how you worked out. Trust me on this one....it's like being a scientist. You can't expect to repeat an experiement if you didn't write down what you did the first time.

13. You CAN Eat at Fast Food Restaurants

Look, there are healthy food choices at almost every fast food restaurant out there. Period. So, if you have left your house without rule #1, don't go five or six hours without eating just because you are freaked out about clean food. Get familiar with fast food restaurant menus so you KNOW the stats of the healthy stuff. Buy the Eat This, Not That book and know what a healthy choice looks like. Order it here.



And if you don't know what to order because you haven't checked out menus or read something, order a grilled chicken breast or a salad with grilled chicken breast. You can make smart choices. You are in control of you.

14. Tell Everyone You Know Your Goals

My hubby kind of made fun of me when I decided to compete because I told so many people. But I did that because I wanted everyone to know so I they would hold me accountable and wouldn't be offended if I didn't go to brunch and stayed home to workout instead. When everyone knows your goals, they give you support and drive you to reach your goals. You also inspire people when they see you working towards a goal.

15. Don't Be a Perfectionist

This is one that I used to struggle with OFTEN. I usually like to have about 75 to 90 minutes for a workout - that is an ideal situation. So often times if I don't have a full 75 or 90 minutes I would just bail on the workout. Now I get in what I can when I can. Maybe I only have 20 minutes in the morning, 30 minutes over lunch and 20 minutes when I get one. I will do a body part in the morning, cardio over lunch and a body part at night. Make it work. Fit it in. Even little bursts of activity make a difference. Make it a part of what you do. Walking my dog has always felt like a burden to me - wasted time - but know I make it a leg toning exercise. Eat step I take is a hard core isometric move. I squeeze my butt and hamstrings and quads - I make the 20 minute walk work for me (and the doggie!). Trust me on this...once you let go and just make it a part of everything you do, you will notice how easy it becomes.

Allright guys, time for me to go blow up. I do help my list was helpful in some small way for some of you. I know we probably all know all this stuff but sometimes seeing it written out helps. Who will be the next blogger to make their list???? That's a CHALLENGE folks!

I am doing my first true cardio session later today with Amber - doggie run around the lake so wish me luck! :)

Love you guys!
Jess

Quickie & Workout

Just a quick post guys but wanted to share my workout tonight with you guys! Hubby and I went back to the gym again and had a great workout!

Shoulders:

• Overhead press on Cybex Machine (started out at 45lbs), 6 sets of 10-15 reps increasing to 60lbs
• Lateral raises 15lb dumbbells - high raises, 4 sets of 12-15 reps, slow and controlled
• Front raise with curly bar - forehead level, 4 sets of 10-12, slow and controlled

Legs:

• Kettle bell swings with 25lb KB - 15 reps followed by 40lb smith rack squats - 15 regular squats, 15 sumo squats and 15 close legged squats - 3 times through (I am doing very light weight right now b/c doc said to wait until full examination as sometimes squats can put too much pressure depending on the shape or position of my uterus)

Then I did three sets of abs on a crazy ab machine they have at the new club. It is called the Ab Coaster (www.abcoaster.com) and it is actually kind of cool - definitely effective if you engage your abs and don't use your legs to pull you in). It will be great for the pregnancy because I am not laying on my back at all and uses full range of motion for upper and lower abs. :)


Cardio is crap this week b/c of my cold - my asthma is always terrible when I have a cold b/c of all the extra mucus so I am just focusing on lifting and eating good. I imagine in have this little bird in my belly with his mouth open and I need to feed him. :) Funny huh?

Have a great night kids! Love you guys! Hope your week is awesome!
Jess

Weekly Recap and Family Workout

WHOA! Can you say contest day photo shoot? Holy cow!!

Below is my weekly recap for the week of the 24th. As I mentioned in my last post, I definitely was "off" but I am not beating myself up over it - in fact, I am going to take the Krissa mentality and give myself props for the 3 workouts I DID get in! ;) Thank you Krissa!

Week of November 24th

Monday: Off
Tuesday: Hamstrings and biceps - PM
Wednesday: HIIT 30 minutes AM followed by a meal, 45 minute rest and back/bis for 45 mins
Thursday: 7.3 mile Turkey Trot - LOTS of hills - 66 minutes
Friday: Off
Saturday: Dancing 1 hour (hey! it counts)
Sunday: Off

Since we moved here 2.5 years ago, there has been a sign up saying the new World's Gym is coming....and every time you would call one of their other locations they would literally tell you it was opening in six months...then another six months....then another...you get the idea. But it FINALLY opened up yesterday and it is bad to the bone! A really nice facility with 3 smith racks (one of my biggest complaints about most gyms), tons of great machines and racks, lots of dumbbells, tons of cardio equipment and much more. So we joined last night and we went tonight for our first gym workout in awhile. Working out at the country club is a mini-gym - like a super bad ass hotel gym - but working out at a regular gym again was nice.

BUT that wasn't the best part about the workout...it was working out with my hubby. We used to workout together every day but haven't in awhile so it was awesome to get back in there and workout with my cherub. We did back and biceps. :)

• 5 sets of assisted pull ups (I am not a bad ass like Cynthia)
• Seated rows - 4 sets at 50lbs (remember, trying to keep my weight lower than normal)
• Bicep curls wth olympic bar - no weight 12 reps 2 sets and 10lbs 10 reps 2 sets
• Hammer curls with 20lb dumbbells

Not a long workout, just a shorty once we smoked our back and biceps. But I loved it. :)

I am feeling really good about my pregnancy workouts. And my eating. I ate perfect yesterday and today and it felt so good. I have added a lot more veggies and fruit into my diet to give little man (or woman) what they need.

Hope you guys are rocking it out! Drink your water, eat for fuel and workout with intensity!!

Jess

P.S. Still have a cold which is NOT fun when you are eating 6 meals a day b/c I can't breathe through my nose when I eat which means if I want to eat with my mouth closed I SUFFOCATE. Not cool. Hoping the nose clears up for sleep tonight so I can get some rest. Can't take anything b/c of the baby in my belly. :)