Suns Out, Guns Out!

Good Morning, gym rats, and happy Sunday Funday! It's a gorgeous Summer morning here in Portland and I'm feeling energized and excited to take on the day ahead! I'm now officially less than 3 weeks out from the Yankee Classic and the motivation I was lacking a week ago has come back in full force (thank goodness!). I think having a cold for a week straight was the main cause of my motivational issues. Luckily, aside from an annoying cough that seems to arise at the most inopportune of times, my health is back to normal now.

After struggling through a long workout yesterday and going to bed feeling over-trained and exhausted last night I was planning on skipping the gym today. I have another 3 hour maXtreme photo shoot this afternoon and wanted to be sure I had preserved my energy as much as possible. However, when I awoke at 5:19 am this morning I felt game for some sort of exercise to get my body going so I got up, made one of my go-to breakfasts of scrambled eggs, coffee, and an Ezekiel english muffin with almond butter, walked my dog, and then headed over to the gym for a half-hour on the arc trainer. I'm not a huge fan of this piece of equipment as it always feels awkward for me, like it's made for someone with much longer limbs, but increasing my cardio to 4 days/week is starting to tire my legs out so I wanted something low impact and different. After my speedy workout I gave myself a good stretch and then came back home to shower and start the rest of my day. I'm now sitting here on the coach drinking a delicious protein shake that I made in the blender with 3 ice cubes, 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk, 1 scoop of About Time all-natural cinnamon swirl whey, and 1/2 cup of fresh strawberries which I picked yesterday. Delicious! I try to go strawberry picking every year and usually consume them in massive quantities the following week; however, this time I behaved and froze the majority of them for future use. It's crunch time and there will be no cheating going on here!

From Sunday through Wednesday of this past week I did my version of mini peak-week where I cut my carbs down to only 2 starchy servings per day. As expected, the first 3 days were a breeze but come Wednesday night I was dying. I can only hope that this pre-show carb cycling works for me the same way it did in April. It did wonders for the look of my muscles when I woke up on Thursday and my abs were more defined than they've looked in a long time. However, I did not drop any weight this week as I thought I would, having done the carb-cut and then also facing my regularly scheduled 1-month-out diet cut. Hmmm things like that are a little disgruntling but then again, perhaps weighing myself the morning after a semi-cheat sushi dinner wasn't the best idea ever. So many things can factor into weight loss that it's really just trial and error. It could be something as simple as the fact that I've been getting up so early lately that I've been unintentionally getting less sleep than usual and we've all heard time and again that a minimum of 7 hours of sleep is recommended for maximum health - which includes weight loss and muscle recovery. Then there's the fact that I have a million overwhelming things going on in both my work and personal life right now and really just want this month, which hasn't even begun yet, to be over with so I can calm down and get my life back on track.

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Shit. Fast-forward 4 hours. Right as I finished that sentence I received a text from Kingsley saying he was running a few minutes late. Late for what? Ahhhh somehow despite the fact that I did write down the time correctly in my calendar, I mixed up the shoot time in my head and I was actually scheduled for 9-12 this morning! Good thing a) I was up and at it early this morning and b) he was running late as well! I threw a water bottle in my bag and off I went to Portland's East End for my photo shoot, arriving just as Kingsley was parking. Phew!

Talk about a brutal shoot. My diet cut was beyond evident as my lack of body strength combined with the sun beating down on me peaked my muscle attention span (if that's not a term then I just coined it LOL) after about an hour. I felt bad as I know my form was sloppy toward the end and I wasn't able to do some of the explosive jumping moves he wanted. At least he had a guy scheduled right after me so hopefully he was able to get those moves out of him. Luckily this was my last scheduled shoot for this Summer unless there's an impromptu shoot set-up to cover anything missing once he has a chance to review the hundreds of pics and videos taken over the past month or so.

I was feeling dizzy, weak and over-heated on my walk back to my car so I stopped into Whole Foods and got an iced coffee for the ride home. That always does the trick! I need to ask them what brand of coffee they use in their cafe as it is always brewed to the perfect strength and tastes like liquid perfection :) Now I'm back home sitting in a sweaty mess while re-fueling on coffee and lunch; baby spinach salad with carrotts, snap peas, almonds, chicken, and Annie's Asian sesame dressing. Yum!

I'm pretty much spent now. I may take the pup for a walk later when the sun goes down but I think that's it for the day. I know once I put my feet up I'm toast. Ahhh well anyway, the sun is out, the guns are definitely out, and I've gotten a day's worth of activities done by only 1:00 pm. Not bad! How are you all spending your Sunday Funday? Hopefully getting some sunshine and relaxation as tomorrow it's back to the corporate grind. Oye.... Happy Sunday! 

4 Weeks to Shred

Happy Sunday everyone! I'm now 4 weeks out from my next show and making some big changes to my program in order to ensure I come in lean and chiseled on the OCB stage. My workouts over the past week were unfortunately sub-par as my lovely summer cold felt the need to linger all week long! Under normal non-prepping circumstances I would have taken a few days off from the gym and loaded myself up with chicken soup and ice cream to both help me breathe and sooth my throat but there was no way I was going to let this obstacle derail my progress. Thus, I stuck to my diet while cutting back on my cardio so as not to completely destroy what little energy I had and did only light-ish weight workouts all week. This seems to have worked as now 9 days later I'm feeling 90% back to normal and no longer feel the need to down cold medicine every 3 hours. Phew! Moving on...

I awoke this morning and started my Sunday with a solid breakfast, a dog walk, and then hit the gym for 30 mins of HIIT on the elliptical. No weights for me today as I am scheduled for a 3 hour maXtreme shoot this afternoon which I'm praying doesn't get cancelled due to the mid-morning rainstorm that decided to settle in on Portland. Tomorrow I will start the work week out with the 4th of my MMA classes (which I did end up having to skip last week) and some additional cardio. Then, the rest of the week will be wrapping-up the last of my June workout plan and then time to re-design for July! For July I'm going to decrease from 6 to 5 days per week of weight training and increase from 3 to 4 days of cardio. The Stair Master will again be my pre-show best friend!

Today begins my next and probably last diet cut prior to peak week. Carbs are being reduced from 6 to 4 servings per day, fats from 3 to 2 servings, and veggies from 4 to 3 servings. I'm keeping protein nice and high at 6 servings and fruits at 4 servings. Last time around I dropped fruit down at this time but like I said before, it's Summer and being limited to only 1 cup of fresh delicious fruit per day is beyond depressing and I feel that at this point it's the little things like that keeping me going so I don't want to push my motivational button. I'm also starting this week with another mini version of peak week where I am cutting my carbs down to only 2 servings for the first 3-4 days (depending on how bad low-carb brain gets) in an effort to re-charge my metabolism and hopefully see some extra definition appear this coming weekend. This cycling seems to have worked in the past so I'm praying that by doing it now, my stage physique will look better than in both of my April shows. We'll see though, it's all just a game!

Speaking of motivation I am seriously lacking motivation for this show. I mean, I'm going through all the motions, sticking to my diet and not cheating in any manner but I'm just not mentally focused the way I was before. To be honest I think doing a summer show was a bad idea as I really just want a break. Is a massive bowl of fruit salad and a margarita really so much for a girl to ask for? My plans for the rest of the year are up in the air (which I will explain IF some behind-the-scenes things I am working on actually pan out) so I guess I just felt like I had to do a summer show because I wanted to do at least one more this year and have no idea if I will be around this fall to do another one. Anyway, I need to snap myself out of this slump because I know the next 4 weeks will go by fast and I'll be happy I committed once it's over. If I am around this fall, I have no idea if I'll do another show or just take the rest of the year off to build. It's way too early to predict that far ahead!

Anyway, it looks like the rain has subsided for now so I better go get packed, prepped and beautified for 3 hours of filming. What are some ways you keep yourself motivated when you really just want a break? I'd love to hear your ideas! Have a happy and active Sunday Funday, gym rats! 

Gym Rat On Hold

It's Monday and rather than sitting in my frigid office I'm sitting at home in a cold medicine induced daze unable to appreciate the warm breeze flowing through my windows. I knew I shouldn't have gone to work on Friday when I woke up feeling lousy but I pushed through thinking it was more of a mental sickness due to having to spend another dreaded day in the office than an actual physical sickness. Bad move on my part however as my exhaustion worsened throughout the day and my voice rapidly diminished. I honestly don't know how I got sick. I don't know anyone that is sick, my diet hasn't been cut back too drastically yet, and I've been perfectly healthy all year through the ups and downs of training and dieting. Plus, who gets sick in June?! I'm now just under 5 weeks out from the Yankee Classic so I guess if I'm going to get sick, I'd rather it be now when I should have plenty of time to recover than any closer to show-time.

Speaking of the show, my new suit arrived on Friday! It's beyond scandalous and I LOVE it! I call it my bikini version of '80's hair metal (obviously the best music ever made!) complete with double-chain straps, zebra printed sequined fabric and an extra tiny bottom. It's also a one-of-a-kind as I used the fabric I liked from one website, the design I liked from another website, and then had my original bikini designer (a third website) make it for me. Here's a few snapshots I took while trying it on. Obviously it will look better once I'm all tanned-up, cut-up, and made-up on stage but you get the idea:

Knowing I had a maXtreme shoot scheduled for Sunday morning which would take the place of my weight routine, I re-designed my Saturday morning workout to create a combined glutes / chest / triceps routine so as not to mess up my training schedule for the rest of the week. Unfortunately I woke up feeling even lousier than the day prior and I pushed through a dizzying workout which probably set me back even more on my road to recovery. The rest of the day was spent bundled-up in a fleece blanket on the couch, intermittently napping and watching reruns of Cheers on the TV Guide channel.

Sunday morning came and while I felt mildly better, my body was still too weak to embark on any lifting so I had to cancel my maXtreme shoot. What a bummer as it was perfect weather for it! Luckily I was able to reschedule it for next Sunday so I won't be out any $$$. No gym day #3 was killing me mentally so I loaded my pup into the car and we went over to Macworth island for a walk. It was a beautiful, quiet morning for an island walk but despite it being only about a mile around, I was seriously pooped afterward. I pretty much vegged the rest of the day until my parents came home from their weekend away in Canada where they picked-up a new addition to the family. Meet Annie!


Me, Annie & Mugsy

Such a sweet little pup! I hope I didn't cough any sick germs on her :/

Now of course it is Day #4 of being sick and I am DIEING to get back into the gym. The worse part is that today is my scheduled MMA class which I so don't want to miss out on. I have 5 hours to get better... I told the instructor I may not make it. I know for my body's sake I shouldn't go but I'm beginning to feel like a tub of lard that is getting softer by the second. I dunno, I guess I'll decide by 5:00 whether I will go or not. Maybe I'll go and half-ass it or maybe I'll go and stay for only part of the class. The boxing portion I feel like I could probably do; the cardio portion not so much. Blahhh being sick sucks! Tomorrow I'm going to the gym no matter what. I don't care if I pass out in the weight room! Maybe I'll get lucky and some stud will catch my fall LOL. 

Anyway, it's time for my next meal so I must sign off. One thing I will say is that whatever your reason for not being able to workout, whether you are sick or overloaded at work or just need a break, it's so important to stick to your clean-eating diet. Adjust your calories down slightly to offset the reduction in exercise and you won't experience any weight fluctuations so long as you get back on schedule as soon as possible. Bodybuilding really comes down to the diet anyway. It's a game, really. Anyone can train like a machine but knowing how to alter your intake based on your level of training (or lack thereof) divides the winners in the end. That's my gym rat tip of the day! Train hard, diet hard, and be a hardbody! Happy gymming everyone :)

I’d Rather Feel Pain Than Nothing At All

The sun is trying to peak its way through the clouds this morning and I’m desperately hoping it succeeds despite the weather lady’s dismal prediction for the day. My legs feel like they are going to fall off today and this dreary, damp, and sticky weather is not helping my aches and pains in the least. Yesterday was Tuesday and thus legs day. You’d think that I’d be used to the exercises by now and need to at least increase my weight but I swear those genie presses get me every time! The DOMS of course started to hit me half-way through the night so my sleep was sub-par and I’m now on my 2^nd Ibuprophen and coffee of the day and its only 8:00 am. Oye! Anyway, at least it’s a good pain, a “growing pain”, and that’s always preferred over feeling nothing at all!

I had a friend in-town for a few days that joined me at World’s last night. She’s predominantly a runner so while I did my leg routine, she did a run and then joined me for some core work. I swear she ran for an hour straight with no water breaks and barely broke a sweat! I still don’t understand how that’s possible but certainly impressive. Sounds like complete torture to me LOL. Last night’s core selection was 1) SB toe taps where you roll out into a plank with your toes on the SB and alternate taping each toe to the ground on each side; 2) SB weighted leg lifts which I had her substitute with lying bench leg lifts after realizing I can’t just throw someone into the hardest exercise to start with LOL; and 3) Ball-throw crunches on a SB. I love showing people my favourite core moves! Now I just pray she is hurting today since I told her that if she was using proper form she’ll be “in fucking serious pain” today (insert evil laugh) :P

After the gym we stopped into Whole Foods and I found these delicious quinoa, sweet potato and cranberry patties in their salad bar area that I decided to try out. I’m usually not a quinoa fan but the sweetness of the potato and the tartness of the cranberries was a delightful combination! I baked one with salmon and asparagus for dinner…soooo good! My show-prep diet is going well thus far. I’m just over 5 weeks out and am at the point where I’ve eliminated any processed foods like protein bars (thus experiencing a slight calorie reduction) and have been keeping my protein intake even higher than last time by adding in a post-lunch shake rather than my usual fruit or veggie snack. I’m still on the Creatine which I had eliminated much earlier in my prep last time around but I figure I may as well finish off the container as I do think it is helping me with muscle growth and I’ll be out of it well in advance of my show so bloat won’t be an issue. The only diet issue I am struggling with right now is going to bed hungry. Even though I usually don’t have dinner until at least 7pm, around 8 or so I get some serious munchies. Luckily my willpower is too strong to let me cave but having a grumbling, empty tummy makes it hard to get to sleep or go back to sleep if I happen to wake during the night (which I always do, due to drinking so much fluid!). I’m sure my body will adapt in a week or so as it always takes a while to adjust to a new cut, but for now I am one ravenous girl!

Today I’ll be back at it solo and hitting my shoulders; still my favourite workout of the week! I should also do cardio but my legs are begging for a break and my ankles have been bothering me lately so I’ll probably save it for before tomorrow’s back and biceps workout instead. Hopefully there’s an influx of studs like there was last night to keep me motivated to push hard throughout my routine hehehe ;) I’ve also discovered that the Buckcherry channel on Pandora has the best workout mix so I’ve been blasting it on my headphone days. Crazy Bitch always seems to get a few extra reps out of me! Sometimes I find myself humming along; I just pray I don’t start singing aloud one day and look up to find people staring at me oddly LOL. Anyway, back to work here (aka corporate misery). Have a good day Gym Rats and get in a serious burn!

Warrior Princess

Do you ever feel like you are stuck in a workout rut? Maybe you are going through the same routines day after day and no longer seeing results or perhaps you are seeing results but you are simply bored with your program. You might be a weight lifter, a cardio junkie, a group class addict or prefer at-home workouts like Insanity or P90x. Whatever your workout method of choice is though, there always comes a time when you get bored and need to venture out a bit to spice things up. This is what I did yesterday when I took the first of 6 MMA-style boxing boot camp classes I signed up for at World’s.

Now, you all know that I change-up my weight training program monthly and depending on my show prep schedule, adjust my cardio upward or downward, but I felt that with the onset of Summer (changing seasons always seems to warrant some kind of life change for me) and not feeling like my upper body (predominantly shoulders) was being targeted sufficiently in my weight lifting routines, it was time to try something new. Years ago when all I did for workouts were daily group exercise classes, kickboxing (or aeroboxing depending on the gym) was always my favourite class so I did already have a little background knowledge on the various techniques required. This particular class however is a small group training class with one of my favourite trainers so I knew by signing up it would be a seriously kickass workout (pun intended)!

When I arrived to class there were 4 bags set-up for the 4 people who had signed up. Perfect class size! We were nestled in a tiny dungeon-like room in the back of the gym that was about a gagillion degress but it was perfect because no one could witness my pussy punches from the weight room LOL. I told the instructor that she needed to be extra mean to me since my entire body was sore from Sunday’s 3-hour maXtreme Fitness photo shoot and I was lacking the motivation to move. Luckily, she’s got a “no excuses”, “train insane or remain the same” approach to training so she was happy to oblige. She got the music blasting, air flow going (after realizing there was a door that opened to the parking lot) and had us off doing a variety of jacks, punches, kicks, slams and even some core work. It was extremely fun and I left feeling like I had gotten a great workout. Since I had added a little pre-workout to my shaker I still had a decent amount of energy in me post-class so I topped off my workout with 30 mins on the elliptical. Then I was spent J I can’t wait for next Monday’s class. I’m going to buy some new boxing gloves today that will cover my knuckles (I’m still sporting scabs from the combination boxing/cardio boot camp class I took at Fournier’s Fitness a week or so ago). Yesterday I borrowed some cute pink ones so I’m hoping to find something similar. Whilst laughing at my “girlie” punching technique I was told that I was a princess which I argued until we settled on warrior princess. I like that much better. Now I’m thinking Xena for Halloween :P

Today my back is killing me and I’m swallowing Ibuprophen like candy but I think it’s a result of being forced to lift way too heavy kettlebells during Sunday’s shoot rather than a class-related injury. Good thing it’s leg day! It’s the first day of my new June weight training program and I am prepared to cripple myself. Here’s the breakdown of the new modified routine:

-Calf raises

-Weighted genie presses

-DB skater lunges

-BB wide stance squats

-SB leg pull-ins

-SB bench weighted leg lifts

-SB toe taps

It’s gonna be a bitch to say the least but I’m looking forward to it. Plus, leg day means headphones can be worn so I’ll be blasting something raunchy to keep me motivated LOL!

That’s all I can think of for today’s confession. I’m using today’s lunch as my weekly cheat meal because we are having Portland Pie at work and I haven’t had my precious Harbour Master pizza pie (chicken, bacon & carmelized onions) since I think January and I’m salivating just thinking about it. I’ve worked it into my diet plan for the day though so it shouldn’t mess me up too badly, aside from probably giving me a stomach ache to have to workout through haha. Anyway, have a happy day, Gym Rats! Love, your warrior princess J