Saturday, January 24, 2015

13 weeks out... Maybe

This isn't the post I wanted to be posted right now. We did measurements this week after a month and my body fat only dropped 0.5%. It's not at all what we were hoping for. I was diligent with my diet, in fact I was too diligent. No cheats for 3 weeks and my progress halted. At this point we are still working toward the show in April but we also have a back up plan for one 4 weeks after that. So here is my 13 week/possibly 17 week photo.
 I've been doing a ton of research on diet and HIIT cardio and prep. Reading anything and everything I can find. I wish there was a one size fits all plan that I could follow so I know I'm doing the right things but life doesn't work like that. Everyone is different and so the experiment continues trying to see what my body needs to take my fat loss to the next level. Quitting is not an option I will keep pushing forward

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Q&A Sexy Arm workouts

I get a lot of questions on Instagram about my arms.

 I think every woman wants to feel comfortable showing off lean sexy arms. But a lot of us suffer from the dreaded arm "wing."  I have good news and bad news related to ridding yourself of the wing. The bad news is, you can't spot reduce fat. I can't choose to focus on my arms and lose fat JUST from there. To reduce fat you need to have good nutrition and reduce overall body fat and it should get to your trouble area (eventually). 
The good news is, weight lifting and targeting your shoulders, biceps and triceps will give your arms a sexy shape and they are much less likely to be flabby weak spaghetti arms. 
So what types of exercises should you do to get lean sexy arms?  Here's some examples of some exercises I do for my arms. 

If you have any questions on these you can check out bodybuilding.com or even YouTube for examples. Form is important when lifting to avoid injury, so take care to make sure you're lifting properly. 

Biceps:
1. Cable curl - I use a straight bar to do mine. 
2. Alternating Dumb Bell curl - I prefer alternating as I feel I am more controlled
3. Dumb bell hammer curls - can be done on the cable machine using the rope too. 
4. Dumb bell incline curls - great stretch and range of motion on these!! 

Triceps:
1. Barbell skull crusher - keep your elbows in close 
2. Rope push down - push your arms all the way straight with each rep 
3. Lying dumb bell extension - I do these each arm individually for better control
4. Dips - can be modified for any fitness level.

Shoulders: 
1. Dumb bell shoulder press - basic but effective. This is one I do almost every shoulder day. 
2. Rear delt fly - controlled movements, no swinging weights 
3. Lateral raise - again don't swing the weights 
4. Cable high row - pull toward your face which targets the back part of the shoulder

For ALL of these exercises you should choose a weight where the last few weights burn and you are close to failure with the last rep. You want to change your body, you must challenge yourself.  And of course follow a good nutrition plan to lose that layer of fat and show off those sexy sculpted arms. 

Happy lifting. 
 

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Resisting temptation

So we are 15 weeks out today. I'll post my progress picture at the end of this post. A huge part of this process is sticking to your nutrition plan and resisting temptation. First let me say I have a HUGE sweet tooth. I love candy, pastries, chocolate. I might be part Elf (candy, candy canes, candy corn and syrup) I also enjoy baking. I've honestly quit baking because along with baking comes eating. Eventually I plan on making healthier yet still delicious baked goods. For now, I try not to tempt myself. It's not easy. I don't live alone. I have 2 kids and a husband who aren't preparing for a figure competition. There are cookies and frozen pizzas in my house. Today my husband made grilled cheese for him and the kids for lunch and they smelled AMAZING. It's no exaggeration to say I am tempted to deviate on a daily basis. It's a struggle to say no. Here are a few pointers to dealing with temptations.

1. Find healthy alternatives to your cravings. 
Fruit is a great alternative to other sweets. Just be mindful that fruit has sugar too so stick to a serving. 

2. Gum 
I chew gum often. I eat when I am bored. So chewing the gum keeps mouth busy and my stomach quiet. 

3. Eat frequent small healthy meals during the day. 
If you've eaten something recently you will be less likely to be tempted by evil naughty sweets that want to derail your progress. 

4. Give in, a little. 
If you're craving chocolate have a small piece. And choose dark chocolate over milk chocolate. But 1 Hershey kiss or 1 small peanut butter cup might help take the edge off. Just beware of this option if you're likely to go back for more. I sometimes keep some mini size candy bars or Hershey kisses in the freezer for a treat. But this takes will power. 

The most important though is 
5. Be prepared 
Plan ahead. Prep your meals and have them ready to go. Snacks too. It's so much easier to eat healthy when it's right there. It's easy for me to avoid eating out at work when my snacks and lunch are easy to grab and go in the morning. 

And finally 
6. Indulge. 
Be smart. Plan your cheat. Make sure it's worth it. If you follow your plan all week. One reasonable treat will not distroy your progress. 

I stuck to my plan all week and brought my own dinner to my nieces birthday party so I could have this amazing ice cream cake. It was delicious. 

It's good to cheat occasionally. Your body can't continue at a calorie deficit indefinitely. Just don't let that cheat turn into a daily habit. Try not to go nuts with your cheat either. I didn't have the same food as everyone else at the party AND cake. Just cake. So I can stay on track.  

Also, if you aren't preparing for some kind of competition. Don't be too hard on yourself. 90% healthy eating and 10% indulging is a good rule to follow when living a healthy lifestyle. You don't need to miss out on fun or family gatherings to live healthy. You just need to make smart choices and plan ahead.

So here's my update pic. 15 weeks to go! A little less fluffy than last week. ;) 


Thursday, January 8, 2015

The truth about eating healthy

The thing about eating healthy is, it takes work. It requires effort. It's not as easy as fast food or prepackaged meals (though you can pay for prepared healthy meals now). It seems so easy when people ask how I lost weight and I respond with "diet and exercise." But the truth is, eating healthy takes work. It takes research. I still research when I'm putting meals together. What are the macros in a serving of green beans? How does that compare with a serving of spinach? What about chicken instead of beef? All foods aren't created equal and it requires efforts to calculate what you need to fuel your body and meet your daily goals. 
But there are tools that help. And it doesn't require an unreasonable amount of effort. If you really have a goal in mind and you're focused on that, the effort will be well worth it when you achieve that goal.  I plan on blogging an entire day of food soon. But for now here is my typical dinner (presently) 
We have here 3 oz baked salmon
1 cup raw mustard greens (sautéed in 1 tablespoon coconut oil and garlic)
1/2 cup diced avocado 

I typically have been eating green beans for dinner (and also lunch) it took a bit of playing around in myfitnesspal to find some exchanges for the green beans. But it's worth having the variety. I was getting a bit sick of eating green beans. I was being a little lazy in finding alternatives. But in all honesty it probably took me 15 minutes to find 3 alternatives. Which will be well worth it over the next 15 weeks. It'll help me stick to my plan and reach my goals. Yes, It takes some planning. Spontaneous meals generally tend to be less healthy. But while it's not super easy, it's not that hard to eat healthy. And you don't have to eat weird stuff. 
And you're going to eat unhealthy once and a while. That's ok. Eating healthy doesn't mean you never indulge or treat yourself. Just that you don't do that at every meal. Or even most meals :) Everything in moderation. 

Sunday, January 4, 2015

16 weeks out

So.. Part of why I started this blog was to document my journey to the stage. As with many things in life we look back and wish we would've done more. I wish I had more thoroughly documented my whole weight loss journey. I can't go back, only forward. So, here we go.
Here I sit. 16 weeks out. Not exactly where I had hoped to be at this point but closer than I was before. 
I'm at about 25% body fat. A little fluffy from the holidays. (not too bad though) My trainers goal for me for my show is 12-14%. I have a long was to go. This is only the beginning.  This process will test me mentally as well as physically. We are officially in crunch time. I'm not sure how often I will post regarding my show. I will be taking photos weekly to track my progress and will likely post most of them.
This whole experience will be a learning one. I plan on soaking it all in so I can come out stronger and wiser on the other side. I'm excited to see the changes that happen over the next 16 weeks.