I hate that it has taken me so long to update you all. I am sure you are dying to know how life is going in the bikini/housewife world. 😉
Well, I am super busy but I am actually having fun. I look back to how life was a year ago and realize how blessed I am to be doing this, to be training and competing in a fitness competition. Remember when I was struggling with my GI issues. I was so tired that I didn’t workout hardly at all. I struggled to get out of bed, keep up with the house and kids. Well, I workout about 3 hours a day, plan each meal like my life depends on it, keep up with the kids, animals & extra scheduled stuff and my house actually isn’t in too bad of shape.
The food plan my coach has me on is perfect!! I could eat like this forever! (well, with little nibbles here and there like I already do) It’s basically meat, vegetables and healthy fats. This is what my holistic dr would want me to be eating anyway. So the fact that it’s good for my gut AND it’s helping me with my show is PERFECT! When I was having more carbohydrates a couple months ago I was not only not progressing like my coach wanted me to but I was soooo tired and I was craving food like a mad woman. I was for sure HANGRY (hungry + angry). Most people training for the competition are getting hangry now, right before the show, because their carbs are being cut and their body wants the carbs. Thank heavens this carb cutting stuff is helping me stay more on track.
I didn’t tell you I went to the Arnold a few weeks ago. My husband is such a trooper! He wanted to get out of town and relax. He has been taking care of the kids so much!! If it wasn’t for him there is no way I could do this. He gives them baths, feeds them, takes them to town with him, does his house construction with them. He has seriously been husband of the year! Anyway, he wanted to leave town. I was apprehensive because I knew leaving town meant temptations. I do really well in a controlled environment but when I don’t know what to expect or how to plan then I don’t do so hot. I suggested to him that we go to the Arnold. I would be motivated. I would be more likely to stay on track there than anywhere else. And he could get out of town and relax. HE AGREED TO GO!
We left for Ohio on a Friday and stayed in a hotel, relaxed, slept in (well, he slept in while I went down and did my fasted cardio). I carried chicken and veggies in my purse and he ate yummy food. We had such a good time. I saw amazing bodies that inspired me and was able to see bikini competitors take the stage that looked gorgeous! We saw all kinds of different athletic competitions and we were able to visit and relax.
So I said my husband has been fantastic, well while we were out of town we went to the food court that was just down from the Arnold Expo. It was crazy busy so I had my husband find a seat while I stood in line at Subway. He wanted a sandwich and I ordered a salad, all veggies, then I added my own meat. Since he had been so supportive and accommodating that weekend, and well, all the time, I also ordered him 2 chocolate chip cookies. Subway cookies are one of him favorite kinds of cookies. We sat down and this is what I saw……
Without saying much after he saw the cookies, he thanked me, waited a bit then slid the cookies out of the bag and tried to hid them behind the drinks. What a nice guy!!!
While we were at the Arnold we saw some competitors that used the same posing coach as me!! It was so cool! I hired one of the best posing coaches in the industry. And you know what, it was the best money I have spent on this show. He has been amazing and has given me a world of confidence!! Remember how I was so nervous about getting on stage? That was what had held me back all these years! I know I will still be nervous but I am confident I won’t get stage fright. I feel like I can go up there and show my best!
Here is my current plan:
2.5 weeks out (but pretty much this has been the plan for awhile now)
7 days a week I wake up and do 45 minutes of fasted steady cardio at a slow(er) pace with an incline. I still usually wake up at 5:00am for this. If I am feeling good then I do a slow jog, maybe 4.5 MPH but most of the time I walk. I like to walk because this is the time I have started using to get in my Bible reading. I love that I can kill 2 birds with 1 stone! So by 6:00am I have 30-45 minutes of Bible reading in and 45 minutes of cardio done.
6 days a week I am lifting with 2 or 3 of the days legs. My lifting plan is to deplete my body. It is higher paced and higher reps. Thank goodness it doesn’t unusually take as long as my previous lifting plan but it can sometimes be, well, depleting! I also try to throw in extra glutes a few days a week.
30 minutes of stair master at a moderate pace right after lifting
7 days a week of HIIT cardio, 15 minutes of work time, don’t count rest in work time. I started changing this up this week. I have been trying 45 seconds of work, 15 seconds of recovery. It’s hard but it gets it done faster. I love to do sprints but it’s best to change things up every day. So lately I have been doing it with the kids. They have seen me do so many workouts that they know moves or can make up their own. So we set the interval timer and the kids take turns making up a plyometric move. Sometimes I modify their moves but we all still have so much fun!!!
I was going in weekly for a body analysis and it was messing with my head so I stopped doing that. I need to go off of my progress pictures. Again, that’s the whole reason for the progress pictures!!!
I only have 17 days left!! Sheesh, that’s so hard to believe!!