"Fat Loss Is Easy....Once You Realize How Hard It Is"

Happy Wednesday y'all!! I told ya I would be blogging everyday and HERE I am! :)

The above quote is a Craig Ballantyne special and I heard it this morning while listening to an episode of The Fit Cast and it really struck a chord with me. "Fat Loss is Easy....Once You Know How Hard It Is"....think about it....really, once you know how hard it is and how much work it will really take, it IS easy because you know what to expect and you know what it is going to take. You must recognize and appreciate how hard it is before it will become easy.

The other thing he says that if you want advanced results you must take advanced measures. Another awesome quote/idea. Think about it - there are no short cuts. This is life.

Couple things I have (I am into bullet points at the moment to bear with me :)):

• Worried about my family in Iowa who is getting pounded with tornadoes and flooding.
  
• My hubby is ROCKING it on his training for the Ozark Valley Triathlon in 11 days - he is really kicking it up a notch and even eating super good to lean up so he will be lighter and faster.
  
• This week I have been 100% on with my eating. I know, it is only Wednesday but it feels good.
  
• I need to incorporate weights more - I am getting in my runs, just not the lifts.
  
• Cynthia looks AMAZING and needs to keep working hard towards her goal.
  
• I am taking tomorrow off and I am FIRED UP! :)
  

Ran half mile sprints tonight - 7 rounds - 3.5 miles.

Happy hump day!
Jess

AHHHHH...End of Week

Thank goodness today was the end of the week. Now I can actually workout! :)

This week was a complete bust for me from a workout stand point. How many times did I work out Mon - Fri? That would be a BIG goose egg. Zero. Zip. Zilch. A totally crazy, insane week - probably easy 70 hours of work in after today. Yuck.

I think I am going to have to start working out in the mornings again just to ensure I get them in - which is ok, I will just have to plan my day differently.

Food was not ON so double whammy. But the good news is I have the weekend to make better choices and get back on track. Will do a VLOG tomorrow with the hubby who is doing the Xterra triathlon in Eureka Springs tomorrow. I am so excited for him and know he will kick ass. I am going to bring my running clothes and some weights and workout while he is off at the race. :) Gotta make the best of it!

On a sad and TRAGIC note, Amanda Savell has passed away in what appears to be a murder/suicide. There is more information on the Body Sport forums however I just wanted to drop a note about how tragic and wrong this is....and my thoughts and prayers are with Amanda's family. More information can be found here: http://www.bodysport.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=236

Have a great weekend everyone and if you aren't already, be grateful and thankful of all that you have!
Jess

Goals and Ode to Jenny Lynn

Over the last few weeks - oh heck, I mean since my competition (in June) - I have struggled with body fat, adding mass, etc, etc. My good friend Jason (the Fikenator) has to constantly remind me that my goals are to add body mass and lean out in such a way that I keep my hard earned muscle. Duh. Still tough to do. Sometimes it feels like there is an echo in here! :)

So, as I was struggling with the whole muffin top issue and kicking myself for taking time off from clean eating and consistent workouts and I really started thinking about stepping on that national stage. For those of you who don't know about it....go to www.musculardevelopment.com and click on Contest Pics for all kinds of great pics from NPC and IFBB shows. When I look at the girls from past national contests who have received their pro cards, I know that is where to set the bar.

So I looked back at a couple of Jenny Lynn thoughts to get motivated..........

On her weight/body fat off and on season:
"Off season I generally run around at about 135-138lbs at about 15-16% body fat. For a contest I'm around 122lbs at roughly 7%. About half way through my contest prep my period stops and it comes right back the month after my contest. I'd like to see you add 5-6 pounds of muscle during these 12 weeks. It takes time, patience and consistency to add muscle mass."

Then I also found the email she had sent me in response to my first contest pics....and this is what she said (I deleted the stuff she said about my suit, hair and make up for the purposes of this blog):

"OK, had a chance to check out your pictures. 1st show...great work! You have beautiful structure so it's just a matter of adding some muscle and leaning out more.

OK, here are the changes I'd like to see you make not necessarily immediately but in time:

· Posing needs some improvement...really practice is key here. Do it 30 minutes every night! Be able to pull lats out better, relax hands and look more comfortable.

· Muscle Development: back, hamstrings, calves, abs. Your shoulders look good!

· Conditioning: Overall need to be leaner…If you were 14% here I’d say 10-11% would be good. Probably about 6-7 pounds. Definitely need to bring your glutes in tighter but if you get leaner it will happen. Track workouts are the best way for me to get my lower body in shape. I carry much more weight on my lower body too…we all do as women..lucky us! Also for the immediate future I’d go to super sets and giant sets for your legs to help get them leaner. After this contest split your quads and hams.

I hope this helps! If you have any other questions..let me know. And if I can help you in the future, let me know.

Love,
Jenny"

A) How sweet is she? Providing so many great comments while also giving me specifics about what needs to be changed.

2) HOLY CRAP! 6-7lbs of fat. Yeah, she is right. :(

In talking with Fikenator (you like how I bring it all back together??? You know you do!) we came up with the following:

Jenny Lynn is about 1.91 lbs of lean muscle (no fat) per inch while her weight fluctuates due to fat pre/post contest. Amazing. So, that means I have a lot of muscle to add - like 10 lbs or more really. I will have to wait till tomorrow to post Fikenator's exact mathal (new word, learn it - love it) equation...but basically, I need to pack on the lbs. I should be around 130 in my off season at 16% BF.

And my ode to Cynthia....I LOVE LOVE LOVE your blog/vlog today on focusing the daily activities that you know will get you to your result instead of your result. Now that I know what I want the result to be, I just have to make decisions and choices every day to get the RESULT I want.

This is going to be fun times. Jody and I are doing pics in the AM (he is asleep already (yes, I know it is 9:45) AND I will also give you guys an update on the week last week.

Keep squeezing to get the juice - it is worth it!
Jessica

The Busy Days

Today I was slammed with work...NON-STOP worked for 2 hours before bed last night and then another 1.75 hours in the am (got up at 5am) BEFORE I got to the office and didn't leave until 7pm tonight. I only got in a lunch lift so today will be my planned rest day - no cardio. I am also going to carb up before I go to bed tonight with oats and a half a sweet potato. I have been feeling really lethargic and it feels like my body is reacting more negatively to the low calories than I had originally thought. So by adding a couple carb up meals a week and supplementing with flax seed oil and omega -3's my body should release some fat. Now, while I am bummed I didn't do cardio today, I also have to be realistic and allow my body to rest. I did eat clean all day (maybe not enough but clean).


Here is a pic of Jenny Lynn - my hero. She is amazing. This is her back stage before her victory (again) at the Olympia. I have pictures of her all over my house (pantry, computer, etc.) and they help me stay motivated on my ultimate goal. I subscribe to her forum and she is so dedicated to her ultimate goal. She is taking off a full year before the Olympia in 2008. Most competitors do multiple shows but she doesn't want to take a chance at losing mass.


This weekend will be full of cardio and lifts! Can't wait (wow, did I say that out loud).
Peace out y'all!
Jess

Fikenator

My good friend Jason Fike - who I refer to as the Fikenator - and you would know why I call him by said nick name if you saw how humongous he is (like 325 lbs of muscle and benches around 500 give or take) - sent me an email yesterday giving me props (thank you Jason) for my blog but also pushing me answer the tough questions (double thanks). Here are his questions along with my answers:

Q1:

Between your first season and now your coming up second season, what differences do you notice now that you were oblivious to the first go around?
How big my hips and butt are...and I mean that in the nicest way possible to me. My hips measure around 35.5 inches during competition however for most professional girls, their hips range around 34 inches. In case you are bad at math, that is a 1.5 inch difference - significant! Jenny Lynn (the baddest figure girl around) measures 33.5 about a month out from competition....that is somewhat daunting but at the same time I know what I need to do. In terms of differences I know I have a LOT more time this time to get big upstairs while getting smaller in my lower half. Track workouts and running will be key to this as will be consistent leg lifts. Jenny's measurements go a little bit like this:Waist: 24.5; Hips: 33.5; Arm: 12; Quad 21; Shoulder circumference: 43. She is 5'5". She weighs 138 off season and 125 contest day.

Q2:

Motivation, You have analyzed your metal game is not where you would like it to be. So what do you need to do get this set straight. I didn't see anything to correct this currently on your BLOG. You mention physical attributes causing a stress mentally. Also you have other stressors... How do you focus for that 1.5 hour period, also set your mind straight to do this daily. Do you need a short term coach?
One of the things that helps me TREMENDOUSLY is setting weekly goals and then parlaying those goals into my daily to-do list. This also needs to take place on my workouts. And I need to get my cardio in (on days I am doing cardio) as early as possible so it doesn't take a back seat. This BLOG will be my short term coach and between you, Jody, Cynthia and this BLOG - I have a great accountability team!

All that being said, I am in the process as I type this of doing my workout schedule for week and for remainder of month. :)

Now, off me Fikenator!