Beginning of Week and NEW VLOG!

Hey y'all! Hope you are all doing awesome!

Yes, long, long LONG weekend and we recorded a VLOG but for some reason none of my computers are recognizing the USB device. So instead of posting vlogs or blogs, I was jacking around with my computer trying to show you the VLOG we did. UPDATE: Got it to work!! Check it!



Hope that was slightly entertaining - had no idea he was going to record it so totally had to wing it! And check out his walking while filming technique! ;)

As I said in my post on Friday, last week was a complete and absolute BUST. I didn't workout once. And this weekend I participated in the 48 Hour Film Festival project which is where you have 48 hours to produce a film. You can check it out at this link:48 Hour Film Link You are given the genre, a prop and a line you must use. Ours was a suspense/thriller, a pencil and the line: "What did he say? Tell me." I am not an actress, have never been an actress, but the lead creative guy thinks I look like a tough bit## so he cast me as the lead of a bank robber ring in the movie. So I got called in at 7am on Saturday and was there until MIDNIGHT! Holy crap. It was a LONG day. And I missed Jody's race which I felt TERRIBLE about. Terrible. But I had a blast on the shoot and the film ended up being pretty funny and campy.

Here is a couple of pics from the shoot of me in my "costume" and with the gun :) and check out the tattoo on my boob. Keep it classy bloggers. :)

Times Up! Charlie's Angels Pose

Check out the TATT!!!

Below is the log of my workouts from two weeks ago and since last week was a big goose egg I am just going to skip that recap. :)

Jody and I had a long talk this weekend and I am going to start running again. It is something I enjoy doing, I can do it anywhere and it is something we love to do together. That being said, I ran 9 miles tonight. NINE miles. WHOA! And I am wiped out. Legs pretty tight too - I am not sure if running 9 miles was the smartest thing in the whole world but I am shooting for 30 miles this week and I wanted to get a good chunk underneath me starting with Monday. So, Jody and I strapped on the running shoes.

Also, since I ate so crappy on Tuesday of last week (off site) and Saturday/Sunday weren't great either, I spent about 3 hours last night cooking food for both Jody and me. I cooked all my egg white waffles, measured my cereal, cut green peppers, measured broccoli. It actually worked AWESOME b/c when I got up this AM, I just threw everything in my lunch bag and was out of there. It was AWESOME!!! :)

I am not sure how to work the UFP into my running program. My guess is Scott would scoff at me doing any type of running AND UFP but oh, well. I am going to see how this week goes with running and some upper body UFP workouts and see what happens. My eating will be ON and sleep should be good.

Oh, and I am taking a day off this week - it has been so crazy lately, I have to put myself first. :) So, I will take Thursday off - and I am re-committing to blogging more frequently. I have a loyal following out there (I think :)) and I don't want you guys to give up.

Have a great Tuesday - I am gonna ROCK it. ;)

Jess

Week of May 26th through June 1st:

Monday:
Track Workout - 1 mile warm up, 5 quarter mile sprints
Day 1 of UFP - Lower Body Focus - 90 minutes
Tuesday:
Day of 2 UFP - Upper Body Focus - 85 minutes
Wednesday:
Day 3 UFP - Upper Body - Back Focus 90 minutes
Thursday:
OFF
Friday:
AM HIIT Intervals - 30 minutes - 400 calories
Saturday:
Day 4 UFP
Sunday:
Off

DON'T MISS OUT ON THE VLOG BELOW!

Hello friends!

For those of you just tuning in, there is a pretty silly VLOG of me and the hubby below. So check it out if you haven't already.

Big shout out to the mama's out there - HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! And another super huge shout out to Cynthia - congrats on your new job. You are gonna rock it!

Had a pretty good weekend...worked today for about 3 hours trying to get ahead of the week (which will be nuts by the way). I got another client last week in addition to my current client (work at an agency). This means more responsibility but it doesn't necessarily mean I have to work harder or more - just smarter! Right EM? :) And EM, thanks for your post earlier - I am going to ATTACK Tuesday. It isn't going to run me - I am going to run it. What a change of perspective! :)

Goals for the week are as follows:

1. Stagger calories 1350 to 1600 with 40/30/30 macro ratio. Monday is 1350 day.
2. Track all food on Fit Day.
3. Complete UFP Monday through Sunday as schedule outlines (3 days on, 2 days off, repeat).
4. Add in 3-4 HIIT sessions (20-30 mins) in mornings.

Weekly recap is below. Feeling pretty good about the workouts - just gotta get the food nailed down.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK EVERYONE! Remember, your body = the only thing you will have with you your whole life so TAKE CARE OF IT!

Jess

Monday:
Day Off
Tuesday:
Day 1 of UFP - w/leg/glute emphasis - 80 minutes/1000 calories
Wednesday:
Day 2 of UFP - w/upper body emphasis -70 minutes (no HR monitor)
Thursday:
Off - I had narcolepsy
Friday:
Day 3 UFP - w/upper body emphasis - 75 minutes
Saturday:
Day 4 UFP - w/upper body emphasis - 65 minutes
Sunday:
Day 5 UFP - cardio - 65
Plus a lot of house work - whew

Gettin' Scientific

I realized the other day that I need to get scientific....plan out my workouts, my diet, my progression, map it out, track it. I know, basic but apparently during my kind-of-depression late-on-set-post-workout-blues, I forgot those basics.

I am not in love with the Turbulence Training workouts - FOR ME. There, I said it. I think they are a little too short for what I enjoy intensity wise. Now, does that mean I don't like how core and overall strength based they are -absolutely not. I think they are awesome for that and for someone newer to lifting, it is a good start. But now that I am back to being me, I have to be honest that I don't think it is the right fit to be the ONLY part of my training. Fair? (BTW, I revised that a little bit from my first post - not sure I was being fair to TT).

On Thursday last week I spent a lot of time thinking through what I did during contest prep last time b/c it worked. :) And here is what I came up with:

1. Lunch workouts work for me. While I can't get uber (one of my favorite words ever) sweaty and spend two hours at the gym, I love my lunch time posse and I love the feeling of going back to the office with my biceps/triceps/back/chest/shoulders blown up. I am lucky enough that my gym is literally 7 minutes from the office so it is easy for me to get there, workout and be back to my office in an hour and 15 minutes. Need to get back to those. Also, the lunch time workouts have triple benefits:

• Workout.
• Eat clean.
• Don't spend any money.
  

2. AM cardio. I love AM cardio b/c no matter what happens I feel like I have done something for the day. The challenge with AM cardio is that when I was in contest prep I had to get up at 5 to get it in and that meant going to bed at 10 for just 7 hours of sleep. I think my body needs more sleep than that and has responded well to additional sleep the last few weeks. So, instead of 45 - 60 minutes, just get in 20-30 HIIT workout as many days as possible.

3. Food prep on Sundays. My DH pointed this out to me the other day about how I would do all this food prep on Sundays - cook a whole bunch of fish, a whole bunch of burgers, chicken, etc. I do food prep every day in the AM but that takes up more time. So food prep on Sundays and then be ready to go for the week.

4, Keep a paper log of food, workouts, mood, weight, etc. I haven't found a system I like yet online and while it is super easy for me to blog, fit day online is kind of a pain. But when I keep a paper log, for some reason I can do it better. I have a great log that I use that tracks all kinds of stuff.

Another thing: My DH loves to run races. He loves me to run races with him. I need to do more running and speed work (which will also help the booty) so I can run with him. It is the little things that will make him a happier hubby.

Oh, and meet my personal hero....I official have a girl crush on her. Which by the way is not a lesbo crush - I also have a girl crush on Jennifer Garner cause I used to watch Alias and she is also a bad a$$. But regardless, Noel C is amazing. Definitely girl crush which means I have a INCREDIBLE amount of admiration for her and love her body. Can you say BAD A$$? Look at her friggin shoulders: WHOA!



Today I write out the plan. I will share as I go. I'm back. It feels good.
Jess

Props to Hubby, Weekly Recap and Revised Goal Measurement (thanks EM!)

First and foremost, I have to give mad props to my hubby who ran a half marathon today in 1:48minutes. A full 3 minutes under his time for last year! Congrats babe! You're awesome! I'm so proud of you!

All right guys...had a pretty good week...below is a summary:

Monday:
Off - fasted in AM before blood tests
Tuesday:
Back and Bi's
Pull ups - wide grip, assisted
Seated row pulley (was pumped I could still pull 100lbs on this)
Reverse pull ups on smith rack
Standing bicep curls with straight bar
Reverse curls
Twisting seated curls
Wednesday:
Shoulders
Overhead press
Lateral raises
Front raises
Reverse flye
Thursday:
First Turbulence Workout=
Warm up (bw squats, core planks, push ups, rows - 10reps, 2sets)
Chest press super set w/bent over row
Reverse pull downs super set w/reverse flye
Close grip chest press super set w/incline bicep curls super set w/face pulls
23 minutes of intervals - 5 minute warm up w/1:1 intervals 7 times through w/5 minute cool down
Friday:
Legs w/Olympic bar (no additional weight) on all exercises - did the following 4 times through with no rest in between:
Squats - 25 reps
Split squats - 15 reps each leg
Straight leg deadlift - 20 reps
Side lunge - 15 reps each leg
Bike for 20 minutes immediately after
Saturday:
Turbulence Training - Workout 2
Split squat w/6 inch raise, super set w/romanian deadlift -3x8
Reverse lunge super set w/elevated push up
Bicycle sit ups (3x30) super set w/jackknifes on ball (3x15)
Wasn't supposed to do intervals but jogged five minutes to a hill by my house and did 6 hill repeats
Sunday:
Ran the lake with my doggie who got VERY tired half way through and I had to walk most of way. Poor little fella. But I still got in a good 70 minutes of steady state. And ENJOYED the sunshine. :))

Overall, food for the week went like this (you can check out details at my fit day log by clicking on link on right):
1377 average calories - I am gonna go to 1500 b/c of small food items I might not have written down
On average, macro breakdown went like this for p/c/f: 43%/24%/32% (I had 1% for a glass of wine). I have found that I am very carb sensitive but I am also wondering if I am not seeing results perhaps I need make some changes to my food intake. I definitely know I need to increase my fresh veggies. But I definitely need to do more experimenting. Maybe a carb up day or two during the week.

My legs are officially over trained from leg intervals, light legs Friday night, TT legs on Saturday and my run today. Need to lay off of them for a few days and let them recover.

Will weigh in tomorrow morning although I have to tell you....my scale has been saying the same weight for like the last 6 days so I think it may be off (weighs me the same no matter morning, noon or night within the tenth of a pound). Although I will use weight as a measurement tool, I will be more so focused on body fat and inches. My dear friend Em reminded me that it is about body comp and not about weight. So wise she is (sorry, watching Star Wars and had to break out some yoda talk).

Peace out all and a WONDERFUL Sunday night you have I hope. :)) Hee hee.
This is going to be an awesome week - I just know it! :)
Jess
P.S. Always open to comments/suggestions on workouts and nutrition.

Failed Experiment and Sphere of Influence

My 100% Turbulence Training experiment is officially over. Aw come on, I gave it a good 24 hours! :) I am not giving up on my April experiment, just modifying it slightly. :) And it isn't for the reason you think - and technically I am still a petri dish.

First off, I took measurements yesterday and before pictures and I am going to try really hard (C, this is thanks to you) to use positive self talk in this post because I had an epiphany of sorts last night. That said - here is the one negative thing I will say: the pictures I took last night were the most motivating thing I could have done - I was shocked and disgusted with how far I have let my body go during this last five to six months. WOW, talk about eye opening. and although they are terrible (too terrible to post) - I just didn't really think things were as bad as they are...even after looking at my stats and knowing those were high - the pics did me in. I promise I will post the entire before pics at the end of my 30 day experiment. For now, I am just posting my belly button. :) I could always tell I was losing weight based on how my belly button ring fit.
June 07 (left) vs. April 08 (right)


As you can see, there is a HUGE difference.

The good news is I made a decision last night: I am getting to 16% body fat. I know how hard I will have to work - I have done it before. I know what I must do. Something clicked last night and now, it's on.

My DH knows that when I set my mind to something - watch out. Here is an example: when I told him I was going to compete in December of 06, he literally laughed - he didn't mean it mean, he just knows people who have competed before and knows the will power and dilligence required and was skeptical I would do it. But I did. I looked back in my fit day log and here is how my weight decreased after setting my goal:

12/18/06: 127
1/2/06: 124.5
1/15/07: 123.5
3/12/07: 122

So over four months I dropped 5 lb but more than that I changed my body comp significantly going from 23% to 17% so my lean mass increased too. Looking back over my weight log last night gave me lots of confidence that I know what to do to make this happen.

And my attitude is the first thing that has to change. I have to love my body and appreciate it while doing everything in my sphere of influence to change it.

As for Turbulence Training, I am going to continue to do the program however I am going to add in a few more cardio interval sessions and perhaps even some regular 30minute post weight training workouts. I may even add in a shoulder workout and a straight leg workout a couple days a week. See last nights workout for more info on how I modify.

Here are my stats as of 4/3/08:
Weight: 127.8
BF: 21.6% (based on hand held)
Lean body mass: 100.2
Fat lbs: 27.6
Waist: 27
Hips: 37.5
Bicep: 10.75
Thigh: 22

30 days from Thursday will be my goal date and review. I think in 30 days I can lose 4-5 lbs however that won't get me to goal so I look for the month of May to be the completion of that goal. It will take lots of hard work but I am up for it! And I will be tracking my good in my online journal.

In this month's Women's Health there is an article called: "Head Strong" and it is all about your mind and its power when you workout. C-this is for you from your out of body experiment post:

"When you work out harder than you're used to, your brain thinks, We have no data on whether an extra set of deadlifts will damage her body. I better make her pretty uncomfortable by reducing electrical output to the muscles so she'll quit this nonsense....But you can recalibrate your brain to chill - whether you're strength training or trying to shave a few minutes off your half-marathon pace. The key is to train it to think 'been there, done that'. "

Pretty interesting stuff eh??

Have a great weekend guys!
Jess
P.S. I had my company meeting on Friday morning (8 to 12) and the doc called to talk results when I was in the meeting and their office closes at noon on Friday so I will have to wait till Monday.
P.P.S. Look for a VLOG this weekend - our video camera arrived yesterday.

Me as A Petri Dish

I realized after having near bouts of narcolepsy on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday that Prednisone (took for the laryngitis) makes me very, very sleepy. Not sure why - just does. I am finally feeling like I have energy again. And overall, I am feeling better. Tired of not feeling good and moving on!

I am a BIG time noodler (thinker). Not that everyone else isn't a thinker too but I am always thinking about how to do this better/differently, etc. Most of my thinking lately has been around/about my health and getting back into a routine - any routine. :) Last night, I started reviewing my notebooks, programs, journals, etc. of workouts/nutrition and made a decision to follow in the footsteps of the great Cynthia Herndon and do an experiment on myself for the month of April. While this is partially contingent upon learning what the doc says from the test results, for the most part it won't have anything to do with those results unless they tell me I am dying. :) I know, I know - bad joke.

One of the programs I reviewed last night was a 30 day maximum fat loss Turbulence Training program I had downloaded it about 6 months ago. It requires four days a week for training and 2-3 additional days of HIIT (can also be added to the four days). The concept is non-competing supersets of a variety of different exercises followed by a 20-30 minute HIIT session. Turbulence Training has a variety of programs - regular, women specific, mass building (I will do this one next if the fat loss one passes my experiment) and the 30 day max fat loss (my April experiment).

Since one of my challenges over the last few months has been the length of time required to workout - TT offers a solution in that the time required is much smaller than my normal "perception" of how much time I need to workout. The reason I want to do this as an experiment is b/ c I am skeptical that my body comp changes will be as drastic as they claim they can be with such little time commitment. Or at least a time commitment I perceive as light. The experiment will be: what changes can I make to my body comp in 30 days with a 4 day training program (strength) and two to three interval training sessions. Ultimately my goal would be to achieve 16% BF since that has been my most recent goal however I think I am at 21% now and that may be unrealistic. Thoughts?

My fellow bloggers - has anyone out there DONE the TT program?

Thoughts? Feedback?

I will post before pics tonight along with body comp and measurements of key body parts and you can follow along with me. I will start the program tonight. I am really just looking for something to kick me in the butt and get me re-motivated!! :) Cynthia - you prompted me for this one...:)

AND the video camera gets here TOMORROW so watch out!
Peace out guys and have a happy Thursday!
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

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

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

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!!

Goal Setting 101 and Fitness News

Let's face it, goal setting isn't fun. Often times when people set goals they don't map out what it takes to get to that goal. For example, today I had to sit down (again because of being sick on and off over the last few months) and map out my goal of acheiving my pro card. This is somewhat difficult because I know I need to add muscle mass and know when I need to start dieting down but there are a lot of other factors involved like how many shows I need to do to show the judges I am serious as well as how much weight I can reasonably add during that period of time.

I know I have about 30 weeks until show time. 12 of those weeks need to be for dieting down. So essentially I have 18 weeks for mass building. So I broke down my routines and my goals during that 18 weeks and then goals for that last 12 weeks. I have to then translate those weekly goals when I plan out my day. I started my goal setting today and will finish up tomorrow with a detailed plan that I will share here on the blog. A couple things I can tell you that WILL have to change - can't miss workouts. :)

Some fitness news....the season started today with the Ironman Pro in LA. You can check out the figure replay for this mornings replay here:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/2008im_wcr.htm and go to the figure replay. You can watch the finals tonight LIVE! :)

I worked out today and did a full body core workout.

• Squats w/65 pound squat rack super setted with T push ups (push up and then raise arm to ceiling and twist in between push ups) - 20 reps, 3 sets though
• Step ups w/body weight on 23" step super setted with Olympic bar rows - 20 reps each leg, 20 total rows, 3 sets
• Hamstring curls on ball super setted with sit ups on ball

Pretty basic but I torched 450 calories. Also did 30 minute run. Slow and easy.

I am tired of having negative thoughts about how I look or feel - this is a process for me in reaching my goals - that may mean I have to gain some weight in the interim. Weight gaining is good.

More on specific goals tomorrow. Will keep you updated on other figure news.
Jessica

Re-Motivational Techniques

At this point I am not even sure what the point of posting is....all I am going to say is...I don't feel well, again. Do you sense my sarcasm?? Have been on the mend from bronchitis...feeling lots better and then Jody started to get stuffy head, sore throat, headache thing on Tuesday...and it got worse. Tonight I started to feel the same symptoms. Now, I will tell you I am fighting this with everything I have...even more so than before. Took lots of vitamin c, my wellness caps, probiotics...etc...and took a bath....As you can see, boxing gloves are on. I will wake up tomorrow and will feel 100% back to normal - I am healthy and strong! :)

On the training front, I have to get back to the level of intensity I was at before I got sick (again). I am enlisting Amber's help....it has been almost two weeks since one of our kick ass A&J workouts....just for me, Amber has been continuing to rock the house (of course).

I have lifted three days so far (feels good!) and have done three days of mild cardio...will hit cardio again tomorrow and will do two super intense workouts on Sat and Sunday. Because I am officially about 9 months from my next show, I need to start mapping out the plan of attack both training and nutritionally.

Today I was feeling completely unmotivated and it occurred to me that a huge reason for my lack of motivation was that I haven't revisited my goals lately. I haven't sat down and gone through my goals, visualized where I will be and reviewed why I am here and why this is important to me. Anytime I lose sight of those things I feel my motivation fading. I have to re-motivate by reconnecting with myself.

Will post workouts soon!
Jess

I Got Two Words for Ya: BRON CHITIS!

It's true. First time in my life I have ever had bronchitis and soooooooo not fun for someone with asthma. Here is the quick rundown (for those of you that stop by to actually see fitness posts and not sick posts :)):
Sick on Monday in the head/nose region. Woke up Tuesday and it have moved to my chest. Wednesday was really in my chest and Wednesday night I had to use my inhaler about once an hour throughout the night and slept about 2 hours. :( Went to the doc on Thursday morning and he was super freaked out at how bad my breathing sounded - immediately put me on a nebulizer (I have never had to do one in the past). Apparently, having asthma and bronchitis is not good and can be very dangerous. I had gone to work on Thursday morning but knew I was in trouble when I got out of breath just walking between conference rooms. Couldn't catch my breath. :(
He put me on an antibiotic and prednisone (a non-muscle building steroid AHHHHH) and gave me a nebulizer to use at home and although I am sick to my stomach being on so many meds, I gotta tell ya, I feel so much better! The breathing treatments are amazing and last night I finally slept. I can feel a good sleep and possible sleep in for tomorrow too!
On the frustrating side: I had just gotten my workouts in gear and had taken the intensity to a whole different level. Amber and I were working out consistently together and coming up with some awesome workouts. When I get sick after making so much progress I get so mad and upset and really sad to have to take two steps back. But, I know everything happens for a reason...keep reading...

What have I learned from this:
1. Take my Vitamin C religiously - daily.
2. Incorporate Green Super Foods every day.
3. Get my sleep!

I know me getting sick is my body screaming: "TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF! STOP WORKING SO MUCH! GET SLEEP!". I didn't listen so it made me listen.I am also going to add in greens and veggies with every meal. This will not happen again - a sinus infection and bronchitis all within the two months that happened to be the craziest two months of work for me in a long, long time....partner that with not enough sleep and not the bets eating and here I am.

The plan:
1. Get better!!
2. Figure out a schedule that allows me to workout, work and still get 7+ hours of sleep a night!
3. Get into the best shape of my life through a balanced program of weights, cardio, conditioning and a great nutrition program.

I am giving myself 2 weeks to kick it! But I bet I can do it sooner! :)

When you read this post, think about how you are taking care of YOU. If you aren't healthy you can't take care of others. True dat!

Jessica

Grrrrrrr....Too Mad to Come Up With a Title :)

Well....I clearly need to find a better work/life/workout balance because....(wait for it, wait for it) I am FRIGGIN SICK AGAIN!!!! Not happy. At all.

Started on Sunday night and has just gotten progressively worse...the worst part about it? It is the same exact thing I had at the end of November - sinus infection. Today (last night actually) it moved from my head/nose to my chest which is GOOD because it means it is moving out of my body but bad b/c my asthma is terrible....inhaler doesn't even work and I get out of breath walking the dog around our neighborhood.

So, you know the drill...I am pissed that I can't workout...pissed that I can't lift (really, I tried and got immediately out of breath).

Reasons I am continuing to get sick:

• Sensitivity/decrease in immune system as a result of cats. An update on that in case I haven't said it yet - I was able to give the kitties to one of my BF's from North Carolina. They are doing great. Need to get carpet deep cleaned and furniture too.
• Not getting enough sleep over New Year's (about 3 days worth of 6 hour nights).
  
• Eating terribly over New Year's (same 3 days).
  
• Drinking over New Year's (yes, you got it - same 3 days).
• Going back to work and it being complete and utter madness!

After this round is over I vow to:

• Get 7 hours a night - no matter what!
• Take my vitamin c daily.
  
• Use my nettie pot for the sinuses.
  
• Start supplementing with a super food.
• Make sure my health comes above everything else.
  

I can't wait to get back to my workouts...I am going to attempt a workout tomorrow night...attempt being the key word - I don't want to push my body so hard that it can't continue to recover.

I will update you guys tomorrow and hopefully have a successful workout to report!

Remember...the body comes 1st!

Does anyone have a good super food they recommend?

Jess

Staycation Over....11 Day Cleanse

Greetings all! Now, you didn't think you were gonna hear from me every day AFTER staycation did you?? :) It has been nuts!

A couple quick updates from final days of staycation:

My best friend Leanne and her daughter Victoria came to visit for a few days (4 to be exact) and it was wonderful to spend time with her and Victoria - who has turned into a beautiful, wonderful girl. Leanne has been wanting a pet to replace her dog who passed away a while back and after meeting my two wonderful cats, Dallas & Westies, she decided to take them home with her! Which is so absolutely positively wonderful! They are truly in a great home and outside of not having Pablo around, they are going to be better cared for and loved more! I am so happy they went to Leanne and although I cried when they left, I am so happy that my asthma will hopefully return to a level of non-existence for I have truly struggled.

I accomplished about 75% of the stuff I had on my Christmas list and I am happy to say that I am going to attack the rest of them over the next few weekends! It was just nice to get down the stuff I need to do on paper.

Ok, so for the much awaited and anticipated goals for 2008 (not resolutions, but goals):
1. Body fat at 16% for the year after end of March (3 months to drop 3%).
2. Get a minimum of 7 hours of sleep at night.
3. Get my pro card.

More on how that will happen later but for now, I want to fill you in on the Isagenix 11 day cleanse me and the hubby are doing right now....I was perusing Monica Brant's website and found an 11 day fasting/cleansing program she does after a bad bout of eating or when she is getting ready to kick off a new diet. It is by Isagenix and here is how it works - it feeds your body cleansing nutrients like aloe, herbal teas, vitamins, and ionic trace minerals and then helps kick-start your metabolism to burn fat naturally. The 11 days go like this:

Pre-Cleanse Days (2 Days)
IsaLean Shake or Soup—Two servings a day as meal replacements (preferably in place of your morning and evening meals). Mix two scoops with 8 oz. of purified water and blend.
One sensible meal (400-600 calories)
Water—As a general guideline, drink at least eight 8-oz. glasses of purified water daily. For a truer approach, drink at least half your body weight in ounces daily.
Exercise—At least 20 minutes daily.
Days 1-2 (Cleanse Days)
Cleanse for Life—Take 4 oz. (=8 tablespoons, or 1/2 cup) combined with 8 oz. of cold purified water four times daily.
Isagenix Snacks—As needed, up to six per day. Take up to two every few hours between your Cleanse for Life servings. If you must eat a little with each Snack, try low-calorie whole foods.
Days 3-7 (Shake and/or Soup Days)
IsaLean Shake or Soup—two servings a day as meal replacements (preferably in place of your morning and evening meals). Mix two scoops with 8 oz. of purified water and blend.
One sensible meal (400-600 calories)—Choose low-fat, high-fiber meals.
Isagenix Snacks—As needed, up to six per day.
Days 8-9 (Cleanse Days)
Repeat Days 1-2

We also had a friend who did this cleanse and loved it. Lost his pooch he had been holding onto for years.

I am on day 2 of the pre-cleanse and I gotta tell you, it is NOT fun. I am starving and very tired and spacey. It reminds me of when you water deplete for a show....I am very fuzzy in the head. Tomorrow and Saturday are no food days - only the Cleanse for Life product which is basically a high vitamin and mineral supplement to help flush your body of impurities.

I weighed myself this morning (128) and took measurements. I will post all measurements and information on the cleanse as we go. Went to the gym today and did chest and tris and had no energy. Only made it about 7-8 reps through each exercise which is pretty unusual for me.

I hope the new year is treating all of you well! I am so fortunate to have all of you in my life - even those people who happen to stumble across my blog and stay awake after reading it! You guys are my support system and such an important part of my life!

Remember you can accomplish whatever you set out to achieve but WRITE IT DOWN! :)
Jessica

Intuitive Living + STAYCATION

My friend and fellow blogger Cynthia has discovered a new eating program focused on intuitive eating....meaning you eat when you are hungry until you are full and eat the things you want and that your body craves. Eventually, you will get to a point where you know your body well enough that you don't over eat.

I am going to try Intuitive Living. This involves listening to your body and responding to it appropriately. Right now I am working too much and too many hours...not getting enough sleep....and not eating enough or at proper intervals....as a result, I am starting to get sick again. Woke up in the middle of the night last night with a headache and sore throat and when I started to really think about why I was feeling bad again, I recognized that I am not listening to my body. I am not living intuitively. I KNOW that if I do not get enough sleep and am too stressed out - I will get sick. This 4 or 5 hours of sleep a night and long, stressful days is just not healthy - not good at all. This turns into missed workouts, crankiness and bad eating. Not good.

I am making a commitment to live intuitively from this day forward. I am listening to my body and listening to the choices I make to not go to bed earlier, not prepare my food or drink enough water because I am too "busy". By body is my temple and I have to respect that temple.

Sorry guys - I know this isn't a super fitness related post but is all interrelated. If I don't take care of my mental health and my overall well being my fitness suffers and so do my muscles. It is a vicious cycle and one I am breaking now.

As for STAYCATION (a vacation where you STAY at home...Stay-cation :))...starts tomorrow! Woo hoo! 12 glorious days off! Well, 11 glorious days completely off and whatever time I choose to work! :) I cannot wait to start my STAYCATION! I am going to wake up smiling tomorrow. And it will be wonderful! What do I plan to do? WORKOUT! Lots. And while I have been working out - mostly in the mornings, I haven't been consistent...and my lifts have suffered. So, lots of workouts, eating consistently and clean. The usual. I actually have three sheets of large post-it easel paper with lists of things I am going to accomplish during the staycation - I can't wait!

Working out with Debbie has truly been life changing. I have a completely different perspective on how I will work out from now on...now, I will still lift heavy on body parts however when I train it will be conditioning and abs focused. She is such an amazing trainer - her goals are to SHOW you how to lift and workout with proper form so you can do it on your own. This way you aren't dependent upon her as the trainer - she truly believe in the philosophy: give a man a fish, feed him for a day - teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime. Debbie - thanks for peeling back the layer and showing me I am an athlete!

While I have been slacking on frequent blogging, you better watch out! I'm gonna blog every day on the staycation! :) Tune in!

Jess

P.S. AND I promise picture posts at least twice during staycation. YIPPEE!

RATS! Bad at Math!

Today I was getting organized at work and planning out workouts and getting all my crap together. Pretty much whistling at my desk...happy as could be and I printed off a new calendar to write down and map out my 42 weeks. It is the same calendar I used to count my weeks. Well, they overflow onto three pages and so there are 2 weeks repeated so I only have 40 weeks! HOLY BAD COUNTING BATMAN!

Revised plan:

Gaining/conditioning cycles: 3 weeks conditioning (don't need as much time on initial conditioning cycle b/c haven't been lifting heavy) starting today/12 weeks mass building/4 weeks conditioning & heavy lifting recovery/12 weeks MASS/9 weeks final conditioning. 12 week diet down will correspond with last 3 weeks of 12 week mass. I will be comfortable with a shorter diet down if I am at 16% bf and I can actually start dieting at 12 weeks out even if 2 of those weeks are still in mass building. The last 9 weeks will be exclusively conditioning while I diet down.

Ok, not as bad as I thought - glad I found that mistake now as opposed to 39 weeks in! :)
Jess

Fitness Love Letter to Debbie

Debbie,

After much fear and trepidation, I am contacting you to formally request that you get my a&& into shape.

If you are on my blog read the post directly below this that summarizes my 42 week plan you will have a good idea of what I need you for...basically just getting in the best shape of my life and going to a figure national show in Sept in New York. I want to rock the house! And it is with your help I know I will do it!

I am thinking Wednesday and Friday this coming week if I can bum along with Ambers group at 5am...and if you want us to just have a one on one session prior to that is cool too! Amber has a real good sense of where I am....we have worked out a handful of times over the last few weeks. Just let me know. I am just so excited to be given this opportunity and let me say, you are the bomb!

Can't wait!!!
Jess

Note to those who are not Debbie:

Debbie is the baddest personal trainer at our gym and dare I say all of NW Arkansas. Heck, I would even go so far as to say in all of Arkansas. Anyhoo, she is amazing - her body reflects that she knows what she is doing and she would whoop most people on stage even at the national level. NO JOKE! I won a lot of personal training sessions with her last month and I am so pumped about working out with her!!! Amazing! If she will let me, I will take a pic of her bad ass kicking my butt! :) Anyhoo, I have no doubt my body will transform b/c or working out with her which is motivating me to take before pictures (insert peer pressure comment here).
Hope everyone had a great weekend!!! Rock it!!
Jess

42 Week Plan - Part 1

Ok...I've been talking about it...you've been waiting for it...you have been checking back to see it...and here it is:

Currently, I am at 125lbs and around 18% BF (I know, I know - not good). That means that at 125 I have 22.5lbs fat. Ultimately, I want to get to 16% BF during my off season so I don't have so far to go. When I read about the pros, they all stay around 14-16% off season. And I need to add a lot of lean muscle - 8lbs min/10lbs max to be exact. Disclaimer: I know this is UBER aggressive. Gonna take a lot of hard work but I will do it. So plan is: reduce fat and add muscle.

Specific Goals:

1. Get to 16% off season body fat (I need to lose about 3lbs fat)

2. Gain 8-10lbs of muscle (in 42 weeks = .20-.40 lbs a week) - off season weight should be around 131-133.

3. Going to trade between gaining/conditioning cycles: 4 weeks conditioning (starting Monday)/12 weeks mass building/4 weeks conditioning/12 weeks MASS/10 weeks diet down. I will be comfortable with a shorter diet down if I am at 16% bf and I can actually start dieting at 12 weeks out even if 2 of those weeks are still in mass building. The last 10 weeks will be exclusively conditioning while I diet down.

4. Diet for conditioning weeks will be 1500-1800; 3 days low carb, 1 day high carb (refuel and shock metabolism); 1 cheat day; diet for mass building will be approx 1800-2000 calories w/ carb cycling 1 day low/2 days med/2 days high – repeat – additional protein/additional fat. Then 12 week diet is low calories 1200-1500 w/3 low car/1 high carb.

Part 2 of the plan will be to detail out my workouts....I am going to use my Outlook calendar to actually map it out. While I know 42 weeks is a LOOOOOOOOOOOONG time, I need to transform my frame. Change my body. Slap a pound on each shoulder, a pound on each arm, a pound and a half on each leg/glute and the rest on my back. I will do this.

Week 1 of 4 week conditioning starts Monday. Woo hoo!

Can you tell I am feeling better???? OH YEAH! :)
Jess

Memory Lane...Two Weeks Out + Bad Blogger

I know, I know - it's been almost a whole week since I blogged. I am such a bad, bad girl! Work was crazy again last week (third week in a row) and then we went out of town last weekend to visit some friends. We left Thursday night and planned on taking Friday off but ended up working all day. Planned on working out while out of town - not so much!. The cool thing though....is that I am still gaining mass. I was checking myself out in the mirror at the gym and my shoulders are getting bigger - more dense. My quads are definitely showing more definition and biceps are bigger. This is a good thing....and yes, my fire is back as well although it is not a full fire yet but just a mini-fire....like the fire that is in the fireplace right after you light the paper and the wood - there is that big burst of flames and then smolders down a bit...I am smoldering.

Great leg workout today (Fike - my back is better - off me). I did 8 different exercises...all on my home gym (which is bad ass by the way)....laid on floor and used my feet to push up on the smith rack, sumo squats with heels up, forward facing hack squats, good mornings, lunges, quad extension, hamstring extension and a deep sumo squat. Awesome. Did 20 reps using both legs, did 15 on single...kept heart rate up for the full 75 minutes...did three super sets.

I had an epiphany about my body last week...I was looking at one of the guys in the gym who has "Annoying-Gym-Rat-Syndrome" or AGRS. This syndrome is characterized by a large, over sized upper body and itty bitty legs. It is clear this person spends hours in the gym....but he only focuses on his upper body because that is where is sees the most change. Then I thought to myself...what are you getting so annoyed with? You are doing the same thing! You complain about your hips and glutes and abs and yes you focus primarily on upper body. I have AGRS. Rats! Not cool.

In Oxygen's Glutes issue earlier in the year Carla Sanchez had a training program called Booty School. Basically it is 3 days of glute focused cardio and 3 days of glute/leg, high rep training. Her argument is that women carry their fat in glutes and legs and therefore women have to work harder to keep it off and keep it tight. Duh. I am avoiding training this area because I know it is the hardest to change. As a result, I am sending myself to Booty School!

And to make Krissa happy, I am including pics from last year when I was two weeks out. Which just goes to show you the body is an amazing thing during that last two weeks of manipulation!

OH! And I got my heart rate monitor back so that is super cool! I can tell my workouts have already gone up a notch!

Check back often over the next couple days...I will be posting daily through the weekends! Accountability! I found a direct correlation to blogging and workouts as well as keeping my workout journal and working out! Go figure! :)

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!
Jessica