Peak Week

Well, we're 7 days out here and entering what is affectionately (or not!) referred to as "peak week". This is the week for last chance workouts, final diet tweaks, and the time to take care of any remaining beautification needs before hitting the stage.

I received my peak week diet and workout plan from my coach earlier this week and as expected there will be some major changes. Peak week is all about reducing and/or eliminating carbs and sodium, reducing fluid intake, and burning as many calories as possible under these diet restrictions (i.e. energy depletion) in order to tighten up as much as possible and avoid bloat for the show. The foods I will eat are no different from what I already eat except that my carbs will be decreased from 4 to 2 servings, fat reduced from 2 to 1 servings, and fruit reduced from 3 to 2 servings (No change in protein and veggies servings other than slightly smaller servings of protein which is now limited to only lean poultry and white fish). Now, before you say to yourself; "Oh, that's not so bad!", keep in mind that 1 serving on this plan is only 1/4 cup. I'm sure I'll get some flak for saying this but it's basically a structure eating disorder.  Luckily, come Saturday night I will be able to indulge in a few goodies plus a healthy carb load for a few days before tapering it down again for my 2nd show, the OCB Spirit of America. I don't want to overwhelm myself too much right now though, especially with low-carb brain, so let's just tackle one show at a time. Overall, restrictive but doable.

Sidenote: Ever heard a pregnant lady describe her sudden cluelessness as "baby-brain"? Well, similarly to baby-brain, low-carb brain is the result of restricting carbs for so long that you become at times lethargic, exhausted, forgetful, paranoid, frustrated, and overly-emotional. I'm anticipating major issues with this come Wednesday as my peak week diet starts on Monday and by Wednesday I'm sure my body will be crying out for any form of carb within sight. Warning: Do not eat food near me this week or you may get hurt LOL

I was also given three new workouts to do Monday-Wednesday and then told not to workout at all on Thursday and Friday. The workouts however are increased cardio length from 30-45 minutes of high-intensity plus crazy weight training drills that I'm guessing are going to take another 90 minutes on top of that. I can tell you right now this is not going to happen. Even if I were eating like a normal person I would not have the energy to embark on this ridiculousness. My plan is to do cardio and weights Monday through Wednesday, focusing on my most doughy areas, cardio only on Thursday and then take Friday off to ensure that I am refreshed and not experiencing any muscle soreness on the stage. I continue to be very frustrated with the cookie-cutter approach of CSF and feel that it's always in my best interest to do what I feel is best for my body. I've come a long way taking this stance so I doubt it will hurt me now!

On another note, I purchased a digital body fat caliper this week as I haven't had any luck finding someone at World's to test me on a regular basis. I don't recall whether I mentioned this or not in an earlier post but I was tested back in January pre-vacation and came in at 19.5%. Then a month later someone else tested me and I was 15%. Standard bikini body fat percent is typically between 12-15% so my personal goal was to be at 12% for this show and if I didn't feel like I was tight enough on stage then I would strive for 11% for the SOA. I know testing yourself is not the most accurate way to measure so I did it 10x and took the average...which was 10%! Of course, they say body fat % can be off +/- 2% depending on who is testing and where on the body you pinch but even so, looks like I'm at my goal for the show! It's funny how even though my composition has changed so drastically, I have only dropped 4 pounds since I began to cut carbs back in November. While I do not wish to drop any more this week (other than the necessary tightening that comes with sodium/fluid reduction), I thought this pic was funny and would certainly love to get my remaining ass fat sucked out and injected into my boobs LOL!

Speaking of which, I think the one thing hurting my stage confidence right now is that based on the bikini girls who I know for sure are competing, I am the only girl who isn't either naturally well-endowed or who has implants. I know I shouldn't worry about such things but when you look at the national pros not one of them has small boobies. It's kind of hypocritical when you think about it though. I mean, it's supposed to be a "natural" show but since when is silicone natural?! Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against implants and I think most of the time they look fantastic. I just hope not having them doesn't doc me any points from a symmetry standpoint :/

Anyway, it's a gorgeous day here. Springtime is finally here! Unfortunately that also means that my seasonal allergies are starting to act up. Cue the watery eyes, runny nose, and itchy throat. I don't feel sick though which is a damn good thing! Many of the other competitors are battling colds right now. It's so hard to stay healthy when your calories are so drastically restricted. I've just been downing the Airborne, Emergen-c, green tea, and trying to get as much sleep as possible. I refuse to get sick. It simply will not happen. Saying it is makes it so.

It's kind of hard to believe that the day I have been training and dieting for for the past 3+ months is finally one week away. People keep asking me if I'm nervous. I don't even know anymore. I mean, yes I'm nervous. Okay, I'm scared shit-less. But I'm kind of okay with it at this point. I know I'm bringing my best physique to the stage and I've done as much to prepare as I possibly can so whatever happens happens. As long as I don't fall on stage I'll be happy. I've learned so much during this whole process about willpower, nutrition, training, and met so many great people, I wouldn't give this experience up for anything. Okay, starting to get emotional here...go away low-carb brain LOL! Really though, it's been an amazing learning experience and that's all I could ever ask for. It would be really nice to place though :)

In case I don't write again before the show, good luck to all the other competitors! May you all bring your best to the stage and stay healthy! 'Til next time Gym Rats, happy gymming!

Nobody Can Take My Sparkle Away

Unlike Tierra, no one ever told me as a child that I had a sparkle. At least not athletically anyway. Rather, it seems I am just discovering my sparkle it now. Cheesy Bachelor reference aside, I feel like I've finally found a sport I can thrive at. Way back when I started writing this blog I talked about how I grew up hating sports, accepting that I wasn't remotely athletic, and would find any excuse under the sun to get out of gym class. Well, the problem was never that I wasn't fit enough or didn't have the drive, rather the problem was that no one ever introduced me to a sport I liked until I discovered the gym rat life back in University. I can't believe it but it's been 10 years now since I began to hit the gym on a regular basis and I'm just now about to step foot on stage for my first ever competition. I can't imagine where I'd be now if I had begun my stage training all those years ago! Better late than never though. And so it begins...14 days out!

Double-sessions today. Being Saturday I of course was up bright and early (a little too early I might add; the combination of excitement and caffeine keeping me overly energized these days) and hit up World's for some Stair Master and a shoulders routine. While my mental energy continues to be through the roof, my body needs a break again from the weight training so tomorrow is going to be a weight-free core and light cardio day. My muscles simply would not lift heavy today :/

I've decided I'm not actually a fan of the flavor of the all-natural whey I mentioned in my last post but it does seem to be helpful from the bloating aspect. Every Saturday I check-in with my CSF coach and include my week's food log and pics. I made sure to take my pics the second I got out of bed this morning so that I was completely bloat-free. Here's the latest and greatest:

Yes, that is my stage suit, but I plan to adorn myself with additional sparkle for the big day :P While my coach does not allow any sort of carb-loading or carb-cycling I have found over the past two weeks that after a week of normal carb depletion, doing a carb-load with dinner Friday night makes me wake up with much better muscle fullness. I was looking pretty flat in the gym last night!  I'm thinking this is probably a good plan to stick to since both of my shows are on Saturdays. When it comes down to it, I know my body a lot better than someone who only sees weekly cellphone pics does so if I feel like it's working then I think I should stick with it!

Post-workout I downed my yucky shake and a protein bar (which I'm also not allowed to have but again, it doesn't seem to be hurting me so I give myself one weekly "treat" LOL), did my weekly grocery order, came home for a bit to take care of a couple chores, and then went back to World's to meet a friend and fellow bikini competitor for some posing practice. I'm feeling much more confident with my walk now and I think we are going to try to practice several more times over the next two weeks so I should be an expert by the time show-day arrives! Here's a clip from practice:

There are definitely a few areas I need to improve but I'm certainly not going to point out my flaws on here haha. Felt a little weird trying to hold a smile at a pretend audience with all the passers-by staring in through the doors but oh well, at least there were two of us! I'm finally home again and done with the gym for the day. I'm being a serious procrastinator right now as Mugsy is begging me for a walk but the wind chill is about negative 50 outside...and it's supposedly Spring?! Brrrr

Well anyway, I hope all you gym rats enjoyed today's update and got in a good workout yourself. Remember, everyone has a sparkle so if you haven't found it yet, just keep on searching. Once you do, don't let anyone take it away!

This Girl Is On Fire

I feel like the Energizer bunny this week. I don't know why but I'm the complete opposite of how I was a week ago. I've had killer workouts all week, slept well, haven't been starving (by competition standards anyway), and have managed to keep both physically strong and mentally focused. I just hope I can keep it like this from here on out! Twenty-one days to go...

Today I woke up and had my usual favourite start-to-my-weekend workout with a bicep & tricep routine followed by spin class with my favourite instructor who was subbing again. My spin membership ran out today so I'm going to take a break from spin for the next 5 weeks so I can focus on lower body weight days. I can't do both on the same day so spinning always seems to ruin my weight training schedule. It was so wonderfully quiet when I arrived at 7:30 this morning. Even the old-man usuals weren't there! Thus, I got in a nice hour+ distraction-free routine that consisted of the following:
-DB bicep curls standing on the bosu
-Tricep overhead extensions (rope on cable)
-Bicep curls (dual cables)
-Weighted tricep bench dips on a bosu
-DB hammer curls, 1-legged on the bosu
-Tricep pushups on a medicine ball
-Incline side-to-side crunches (to kill time as I finished a bit early)

Spin class was especially awesome today due to my increased energy level and the great music being played. Today she had a lot more heavy metal type music as well as some Eminem and Nickelback, artists that always make me work harder! Speaking of which, on my last leg day which was Tuesday (legs are due again tomorrow) I decided to use my iPhone for music while I worked out. Now, I know I've said how I hate wearing it because the wires are always in the way but it's not so bad for a leg workout. Well, let me tell you, best leg sesh I've had in a long time! I had my Pandora on the Eminem station and didn't have to skip over a song the whole time! And better yet...no one bothered me!!! I think I'm going to have to break it out again for tomorrow's workout.

The only minor changes I've made in my diet this week have been a) adding in an extra Calcium vitamin in the morning because I noticed that my multi does not include calcium and I'm definitely not getting enough in my diet due to it's restriction on most dairy products and b) as of today I have switched over to an all-natural whey protein as opposed to my favourite Syntrax varieties. I bought the About Time peanut butter flavour at PNC and it's not that bad. One scoop has 103 calories, 25 g protein and no carbs or fat. Since I refused to buy into the whole CSF-recommended Isagenix line, my coach advised that I at least go for an all-natural variety to avoid bloating pre-contest and it supposedly absorbs into your system better. I figure it can't hurt to try, at least for the next 5 weeks anyway. The stuff sure is pricey though! I swear if I added-up all that I have spent on CSF, supplements, groceries, stage outfit & accessories, tanning, show and organization registrations, and posing classes (am I missing anything?) I think I might have a heart attack. No wonder I make a decent living, am exceptionally good at saving my pennies, yet am still always broke!

Anyway, just a nice quiet Saturday here. Typical afternoon of chores, dog walking and relaxing (well, trying to add that word into my vocabulary anyway LOL). Tomorrow is St. Patty's Day and I am so happy to not be going out. After the fiasco that was last year (still trying to permanently bury that memory deep into my subconscious), I have no intention of stepping foot in the Old Port tomorrow. I'll wake, have a nice breakfast, massacre my legs, and then hit up my last scheduled posing class. For all of you that are going out to celebrate though, have a splendid time, don't get too drunk, and please please please don't all show up at World's at 5:00 pm on Monday trying to burn off all that Guinness.

Earlier in the week I thought a good blog post title at this stage in the game would be "Resisting Panic" but I just feel so much better now and want to get to stage-day ASAP! I dunno, I feel pretty ready at this point. Maybe I have my head in the clouds but I'm not coming down. This girls is on fire... 

Sunday: Day of Rest (for real!)

Twenty-seven days out! I figure I should start counting down the days now rather than weeks since I know they are going to fly by in no time. Today is the first day that I've felt like Springtime is finally on it's way. It also happens to be Daylight Savings so the fact that it's late afternoon and still bright and sunny outside is definitely a plus. I decided to make today somewhat of a Sunday Funday and change up my routine a bit. I ended up taking Friday off from work as a much needed day of mental and physical recuperation. I will not get sick. I will not get sick. I repeat, I will not get sick! It definitely helped as I am feeling much better today. It's still hard to say whether I just feel down from my waning nutrition plan or some other factor but I took things very easy this weekend, drank a ton of fluids, loaded up on vitamin C, and avoided people as much as possible. 

Not having work and being able to work out in the morning when I'm much more alert and energized, I had two great gym workouts on Friday (shoulders & core) and Saturday (StairMaster, biceps & triceps).  I contemplated doing spin yesterday but a) I didn't want to push it if I am battling a cold and b) World's still hasn't set a permanent spin instructor for the 9:00 am class and I didn't want to risk having a shitty instructor. I do need to get in at least one more spin class before my monthly membership runs out so perhaps I'll hit it up Monday or Tuesday of this week. 

Today I actually skipped the gym, purposely, if you can believe it or not! And get this, I don't even feel guilty! It was supposed to be a legs day but my shins have really been aching lately despite not having done a run in over a week so I thought it best to lay off them another day or so. Tomorrow I'll either do them or alter my CSF schedule some more and hit up back and chest instead. So anyway, this morning I got up, fueled-up on my favourite cinnamon roll oatmeal (see recipes tab) and coffee and drove out to Obie's Fitness in Westbrook to meet a fellow Savage Girl who also does posing lessons. It was very odd showing up at quarter to 9:00 and having a completely empty gym! It was a small but very organized and clean facility. If it wasn't so far, I'd contemplate switching things up for a while to escape Tool Central! I spent the next half hour getting a 1:1 posing lesson which I think helped a lot. The hooker heels are becoming easier to walk in and she gave me some good pointers to help me keep my fake smile plastered on my face the whole time hahaha. Next weekend is the last of the 3 group posing classes I purchased back in January...last chance to soak up the knowledge then I'm on my own! 

While fun and in a gym setting, posing is certainly not a workout so after the lesson I headed home and met a girlfriend for some mid-day cross-country skiing at Smiling Hill Farm in Westbrook. It wasn't peak skiing conditions but the sun was shining and it was a great way to get my butt outside this time of year. The birds were chirping and there was a stream running among the trails; sure signs that Spring is on it's way! Skiing usually works muscles I don't hit in the gym so who knows, maybe tomorrow I'll be be limping like I had that leg workout after all! When I got home I made lunch and took Mugsy for a long walk down Ocean Avenue, something we haven't been able to do in a while with all the icky snow covering up the sidewalks. He's sitting in the sun zonked out right now so I'd say he got in some good cardio today too :) 

Now I'm just sitting here drinking my green tea and putting the final touches on www.fitfiercefun.com before I start broadcasting my services over Facebook and Twitter. You can click the link here and it should work - there are just some minor changes I need to make and can't seem to get the template to allow them to happen urghhh! Eventually this blog will be incorporated into that site but it's staying separate for now because I haven't the slightest idea how to a) create archives in the 1and1 template and b) move all of my material over from one site to another. I really have a love/hate relationship with technology! Anyway, back to the grind tomorrow. I'm trying to stay positive and tell myself it's going to be a good week but honestly the thought of sitting in my cubicle tomorrow for 9 hours makes me want to poke my eyes out with my ski poles! We'll see how much coffee it takes me to make it to 5:00 pm. Goal of the day: avoid human contact as much as possible. Happy Sunday everyone and get after it in the gym this week...just not when I'm there LOL!   

RUNnin' DOWN A Dream

Four weeks out. My entire body aches right now. The best way I can describe it is to compare it to the complete lack of physical strength you experience at a certain stage of the flu. This has been a rough week for me. At the start of the week I found myself ending my weight sessions before they were complete because I literally did not have the energy to finish them. It wasn't even a matter of "digging deep" to find the energy as some competitors told me to do. It literally wasn't there to dig for. I chalked it up to my lack of allowed carbs in my nutrition plan and complained to my coach about this as well as the "too skinny" comments I had gotten from a couple gym regulars late last week. Luckily she agreed and told me to increase my carbs ever so slightly this week. Of course I did, and actually I'm not as starving right now as I was a week ago. However, a couple of days ago the exhaustion I was feeling went from hunger/mental exhaustion to muscle/joint exhaustion. Way worse in my opinion. I honestly don't know if it's from over-training, carb-depleting, time-of-the-month (TMI?), or maybe I am battling the onset of a sickness which is highly possible since I work in a germ-infested nightmare 8-5 every day. My guess is it's a combination of all four. You know it's bad when I actually allow myself to take a day off. Today was that day. Well, sort of. I did show up at World's after work but only for a light cardio/stretch sesh. Back & chest was on the original agenda today and that was simply not happening.

I've also found myself more easily irritable than normal (not possible, eh?! LOL) and forcibly holding back some much-needed temper tantrums on a regular basis. Work people annoy me. Gym-goers annoy me (mostly the former PF ones though LOL). Slow drivers annoy me. Random pedestrians and passers-by on the street annoy me. My neighbors annoy me. Even Mugsy annoys me. Poor guy :(  I'd like to think I will get to bed early tonight and wake up refreshed but honestly I've been sleeping 8-10 hours a night and it doesn't make any difference. Basically I'm a mental and physical mess right now. This about sums it up...

Well, at least I know I'm not the only one who feels this way! I found this funny on a friend's Facebook page the other day and had to share it. Underneath the caption another friend joked that there should be a bodybuilder support group. This is not a bad idea at all! If I put myself through this torture again I am soooo starting one up! Speaking of bodybuilding, I have to say, I hate using that word. It's true, what I am doing is a form of bodybuilding but I feel like every time people ask me what I'm training for and I say a "bodybuilding competition", they take a step back to look at me, scrunch up their faces, and in their politest way possible tell me that I don't look like a bodybuilder. I get what they are saying but to me this is a huge insult. So, for all of you who still just don't get it, here is a clear breakdown of the major physique categories:

Get it now??? Hopefully I look somewhat like the bikini girl on the left 4 weeks from now. Well, minus the boobs anyway LOL! Anyway, that is my rant for the night. Just having a really off week. I have some fun things planned this weekend including another posing class and some cross-country skiing so hopefully come Monday I'll be back to normal both mentally and physically. On my way to work this morning in my run-down channel-surfing daze I stopped on Tom Petty's "Runnin' Down a Dream". The lyrics couldn't be more perfect:

I felt so good like anything was possible

I hit cruise control and rubbed my eyes

The last three days the rain was un-stoppable

It was always cold, no sunshine

Yeah runnin' down a dream

That never would come to me

Workin' on a mystery, goin' wherever it leads

Runnin' down a dream

I rolled on as the sky grew dark

I put the pedal down to make some time

There's something good waitin' down this road

I'm pickin' up whatever's mine