Just a quick post on my progress….Just took these this morning and sent them to my coach. 🙂
Progress Pics
Tag: training
The Buddy System…plus pics
This made me laugh because I know there are people out there that could CARE LESS about what I did today for my workout. And guess what? That’s exactly why I rarely post what workouts I do.
However, there are other women (mainly) that DO want to know what I’m doing in the gym and vice versa for me…which is why I joined a couple forums (yes, they still exist in internet-land) specifically for potential figure competitors and current competitors as well. What a great way to get information and share and VENT about this whole process!
For those who are interested the two forums are SiouxCountry and Precision Nutrition. The latter is more of a nutrition message board but you have to purchase the program in order to enjoy the forum. You can still look at the blog and the articles I believe as a non-paying member.
What I’ve been doing lately is taking my meal plan from my coach and just making the tiniest modifications to it. My main modification? Adding more veggies. That’s the only thing I feel is truly lacking.
I also got a text from one of my friends who would like to workout with me. This is a first! I don’t think I’ve worked out WITH or alongside someone in….ummm…ever? Unfortunately my schedule is kinda goofy so looks like Sundays are our only options. It’ll be nice to workout with someone for once instead of alone. Most days I enjoy being in my own zone doing my own thing but once in a while I get a yearning for some sort of contact from someone. Social media and electronic forms of communication get old after awhile.
As for pics, I was an idiot and took updated pics but neglected to take the FRONT of myself. Just side and back. I blame the fact that it was literally first thing in the morning.
So I thought I would just post the side as a BEFORE from October and an AFTER from yesterday. You can definitely see some baby abs forming. 🙂 And this is also for those peeps who thought “I can’t believe you had 16lbs and 20inches to lose!” Well, yeah you can see where most of it was storing itself. Pics really do help to see the difference!
I’ll be sure to post better, full body shots next week.
Until next time!
-Michelle
Random Tweet: “Stop the presses! Faster Pussycat House of Pain is playing on WMMS. I’m rockin out in my car…#notashamed“
Unchartered Territory
“Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness.” By: Edward Stanley
This quote popped up on an app I have just moments after speaking to someone who insisted that he did not have any time to devote to exercise. This person works very long hours and claims he does not have any time left in the day do get on his treadmill at home for even a quick 20 minute walk.
After hearing his complaints and then seeing this quote I thought, “There HAS to be a way to help this person.” Because it’s so true isn’t it? If we don’t take care of our bodies and MOVE a little more everyday during our sedentary life, (I’m standing as I type this because I refuse to sit during my desk job all day) we WILL be plagued with illness.
I’ve heard it so many times from many people that they wish they would have started getting on the path to health ages ago or “right after I had kids” or “before I turned 40” and now it’s so much harder for them to create that habit. And maybe now they do have diabetes or an injury or something that prevents them from really working out to their full potential.
It’s one of the most frustrating parts of being a Personal Trainer; I want to help as many people as I can and even if financially, there is no problem, it’s still the BEHAVIOR that has to be implemented. And THAT is probably the hardest part.
Dr. John Berardi from Precision Nutrition posted his blog today about this subject with regards to coaches/personal trainers. I found one of his quotes very interesting:
“Yet “dieting” or embarking on a new fitness plan in the 21st century means purposely enduring discomfort, restricting activities and foods that soothe us (or give us a “high”), and/or adding more demands or stimulation to an already busy schedule.
If you think about it, why would any client ever eat less and go to a gym with bright lights, loud music, and unfamiliar equipment, in order to expend excess energy?”
Wow. I mean, he’s right! As a coach/trainer I’m telling the average person with a 9-5 job: “I want you to get up in the morning and come to a place you aren’t too familiar with yet and wear clothes that you can sweat in so I can watch you exercise and instruct you on what to do and then I want you to go home and make yourself a meal that’s healthy, oh and if you go to work and there are donuts at the office avoid those at all costs,…etc”
It shouldn’t be a surprise that many folks are afraid of exercising and dieting. They have that fear of the unknown. They’ve never done this before and asking them to completely change their daily routine is extremely unnerving.
I began on this figure journey in a similar way; I’ve never done anything like this before and it was uncomfortable and I was fearful. I continue to be fearful of what is to come! But it’s more of an exciting, anxiousness than actual fear. Because I gave myself such a long-term goal, there really isn’t any pressure on me. And there shouldn’t be pressure on anyone with a desire for change. You put that pressure on yourself but you have the ability to make it easy or hard on yourself everyday. I think once people realize THEY are in control and the coach or personal trainer you hire is just a GUIDE, you can get much better results. You have the guidance, you have the tools, now it’s up to you to use them.
So my challenge of the day/week/month/year for anyone out there is to not let fear stand in your way of your fitness goals – This is more than just saying “If you want something bad enough, just do it.” That’s all well and good but I think it’s much deeper than that. If you have always wanted to do something that challenges your body and your mind, you should do research first and figure out the best approach. And if you’re looking for the quick fix, then unfortunately you will fail because it doesn’t exist. And you will be back to where you started. So make up your mind today if you’re doing to lose weight and get fit the RIGHT way or the STUPID way.
Here’s a hint: If you’re finding things to be difficult challenging and frustrating slow-going and telling yourself “I thought this would be easy!” “This is hard, I don’t know if I can do this!” then you probably chose the RIGHT way. 🙂
-Michelle
Hurry up and Wait
There’s a little saying in the production world where I used to work that if you were on the crew you would say to one another as a joke: “Hurry up and wait.” I have no idea where this saying came from, perhaps it’s applicable to your job.
The reason behind it is the rush of trying to get things done, only to have to wait for certain things to happen first. When I worked as a production coordinator, you would hurry up and get everyone in place ready to shoot a scene, only to have to wait for someone else to make things happen. Maybe the actor that was hired is still in wardrobe or makeup, maybe the lighting still isn’t quite right, maybe the teleprompter won’t start up (that last one is from personal experience). Talk about a panic attack as everyone sits there and just waits and stares at you to solve the problem so they can get through the day. Glad those days are behind me!
I thought of this saying today as I was frantically emailing and messaging various people online asking all kinds of questions about my figure competition goal. I recently opened up and sent some pictures of myself to a very well known trainer who told me I was way too thin to even think about competing this year. Granted she made it clear it was her own opinion and she is just looking at pictures of me but it threw me off a little bit.
I did ask for her advice so I brought that on myself. And I knew she would be honest. After thinking about it for awhile I realized she’s only saying I need to train 3 months longer than I had originally planned. No big deal right?
See the problem with being surrounded by other trainers and being a trainer myself as well as having a fair amount of knowledge about nutrition, I am constantly researching what the best method is for training for this competition. At the same time I’m getting all kinds of advice. So with this advice and research, the self-doubt kicks in.
All of a sudden I thought to myself “Maybe I’m doing too much cardio. Maybe I should do what that woman is doing…maybe I should eat like that guy is telling people. Shouldn’t I be seeing muscle gains by now? How come I’m not losing the fat quicker? How long is this going to take?!”
I worked my brain into a frenzy. But worst of all, I didn’t trust my coach. I hired this man for a reason and I realized I need to stick with the plan. There is no rushing this process. It’s going to take time. A year? Well, maybe. But after I got some great advice from two competitors that I contacted, I understand that I can still do my show as intended in October this year as a “warm-up.” Then, if I choose to, do another show as the “real deal” in the Spring of 2014.
I also took a step back this week to remind myself why I started this whole thing: For myself; to change my body; to see how far I could take this body and my fitness level and to essentially show off all my hard work. I’m not doing this for a trophy, for a prize, for anything more than to say “I did this.” So back to the drawing board, although I never really left the board. I just took a temporary leave to get my mind straight.
Now that it’s on straight, I can say this:
“It doesn’t matter how slow you go, as long as you do not stop.”
I’m not stopping. I will keep going. I can do this.
-Michelle
“My food is my fuel…my food is my fuel…”
This mantra has been on repeat in my head all day today. Why? Because today started meal plan #2 from Coach Davies.
Before I go into what Coach has in store for me this month let me just boast that today, FINALLY, I was able to break through my plateau. I weighed myself this morning after not getting on the scale for a week, to find that I’m down to 125lbs. What a relief!
I was somewhat concerned I would never see it budge ever again. And although I am well aware that it’s not really about the scale at all, I do like to at least know what kind of a range I’m in right now. Plus, today was the weigh out for my little bet I had going with my friend Craig. I proudly exclaimed on Facebook that he owes me $20…
Yes Virginia, it IS possible to lose weight over the holidays: 9lbs down from Thanksgiving until today. The only rule we set out from this bet was that I would not do any diet pills (as if) weight loss shakes or anything like that. I promise I stood by these rules.
I can also add that a FB friend of mine from high school, ALSO took on the challenge of losing weight during the holidays and she lost 5lbs too! So yes, it can happen.
I tallied up the amount of cookies I had from Thanksgiving until Christmas Day and it totaled 20. I can even remember exactly what I ate (is this normal?)
Thanksgiving: 2 Chocolate chip cookies
The Dessert Party on December 9th: Already posted about this but just to repeat: 1 triple layer cookie, a piece of angel food cake, a small bite of pumpkin pie (really don’t need to count this do I?) 1 of those sugary icing deliciousness cookies.
Christmas Day (for us was Sunday the 23rd): 6 chocolate balls, 3 buckeyes (This is Ohio ya know) 1 homemade cut out cookie.
Christmas Eve: 4 cookies at work of various types, 1 sugar cookie at dinner.
So for anyone who thinks I just avoided all sugar, you are sorely mistaken. I definitely enjoyed my fill.
I would say this may have been part of the reason I plateaued almost the whole month of December. Maybe not, but I think it’s interesting that all of a sudden I lose 2lbs the second I stop eating the junk? Hmmmm…
As for my meal plans and getting back on track (although I didn’t really get off track, did I?) last month my Coach had me eating alot of egg whites, chicken, and flank steak. This month, even MORE egg whites, 
asparagus, 
tilapia 
or cod (yum!) and green beans, 
among other things. Besides the meal plan becoming more of a challenge, the workouts are much more intense as well. Sprints, plyometrics, walking backwards on the treadmill and stairmaster (I have yet to master this. I am convinced I will fall and make myself look like an idiot.)
The mantra “My food is my fuel” came into my brain after reading a woman’s FB post recently. Her name is Amy Jo Horvath and she’s a National Physique Committee competitor. Here’s her FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/AmyJoHorvathNpcFigureCompetitor
She’s also a mom and wife and is in full contest prep mode. This means she basically has to find time to train and eat clean still be a full time mommy and wife. I must say, at least on the surface of her FB page, she is on top of it!
A few weeks ago she posted how she had to eat her prepared food in her car. She ended the post with “Food is fuel!” It stuck with me as I downed cold Cream of Rice and egg whites this morning, literally fork in right hand, driving with the left. This wasn’t as difficult as it sounds (although I do not suggest doing it).
The second meal of the day proved more challenging to stomach: Tuna, egg white and diced asparagus. Perhaps it was the lack of flavor…perhaps just the sloppiness of trying to get tuna and asparagus on the fork…but it was by far the hardest part of my day. (I know how silly that sounds considering the hardest part of the day for most people is probably way worse)
But THAT’s when the mantra kicked in. And in the end I ate it all. I didn’t puke, I didn’t feel sick…lo and behold I actually felt full and energetic.
Wow, who would have thought? Good food = good things. What a concept!
The only downside to this new meal plan? It’s true what they say about asparagus. I will let the reader figure that one out.
Time to get sleep…because as awesome as food is, it’s equally important to rest and recover for the day that comes tomorrow.
-Michelle
Random tweet: I burned 97,611 calories in 2012. But sadly, I didn’t log all my workouts. So it’s probably more. #random #exercise #workoutfreak
The Anti-New Years Resolution
I’m officially sick and tired of the “New Year New You!” mantra plastered over Fitness and Health Magazines every January. Gyms and health clubs are guilty of these slogans and promotions too. You walk into any gym for that matter in the month of December and January and there are specials and deals going on usually meant to entice that vulnerable gym newbie who wants to accomplish the usual for the new year: lose weight.
This time I’m going to do it. This time I won’t give up and I won’t give in and I’ll diet and I’ll workout everyday and I won’t stop.
But every year, usually in mid February, they do stop. They slack off . They don’t have support at home. They get caught up at work. They stop coming to the gym. They fall off the wagon. They give up and they feel like they failed.
This vicious cycle creates a sort of animosity I have noticed among the frequent gym freaks patrons. Comments are made, looks are exchanged and gestures are made. Granted of course, not everyone does this. I am generalizing here. But speaking from the standpoint of a trainer, I can assure you there are people out there who really look down on those people coming to the gym for the first time and treat them like the plague. I have witnessed this juvenile behavior from adults more times than I care to remember.
This time around, how about we make a resolution to leave the NYE’ers (New Years Resolutioners, yeah I just made up that word) alone and let them be. No approach. No pouncing. Just letting people do their own thing with no judgement.
For those looking to lose weight, you can start January 1st but why set yourself up for failure? I had repeatedly told my consultations “I highly recommend you start out really slow with this long term goal” in the beginning of January. They wanted no part of that. They wanted results and they wanted them quickly. I’ve heard from many people “Oh no, I’m going to come here everyday for this entire month. Otherwise I won’t come at all!”
Pretty sure you can guess what happened. They came in for about a week straight and then POOF! they were gone. What a waste of time, money and effort.
If you have tried to lose weight every January unsuccessfully, then perhaps a new approach is needed. My best advice is baby steps. Break it out into phases. And don’t call it a resolution. That word itself carries with it such a stigma of “Ugh, not THIS time of year again!” Just call it what it is: a goal.
Ask yourself: Have you ever MET anyone who actually stuck to their Resolution? I mean really stuck with it? Maybe I’m in the minority but I have found people stick with their goals when they start them when the TIME is right, and usually, it’s not January 1st. Start when the time is right for you. Don’t let any of these magazines, tv shows, (ahem Biggest Loser), co-workers, family, friends, social media..tell you that “The Time to start is January 1st!! ”
No, the time to do it is when YOU decide. When YOU are in a good place mentally and financially (yes its going to be an investment) to do it YOUR way.
Oh and in case you were wondering, the best month to make your new years resolution? August. According BusinessWeek.com here http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-12-25/how-to-keep-new-years-resolutions-make-them-in-august
Mini Update on Me, because, lets just admit this is all about me: Currently awaiting my new meal plan since it’s been almost a month since hiring my Coach.
The “Lose 5bls between Thanksgiving and January 3rd” bet I have going with my friend Craig is in the bag. That’s $20 is as good as mine since I’ve actually lost 7lbs.
Aiming to lose 1 more by the 3rd since I hate odd numbers.
Probably one more post coming before the end of 2012.
-Michelle
Progress Pics
I don’t even want to make a big deal out of this even though this is probably one of the more difficult things I have posted. It’s not like anyone is forcing me to do this of course but if you have a goal you better make sure you note a starting point. And with weight loss, pictures are pretty much the best route to go.
I didn’t manipulate these photos in any way EXCEPT brightness and contrast because some turned out so bright and some not so bright. It took me a second to understand how to add text to a picture as you can see from one of the December pics. I never figured out how to delete the text so….you are left with this. Photoshop smart I AM NOT.
Left: October Center: November Right: December
I’m at 137.5lbs in the October pics, 133lbs in the November pics and 127 in the December 10th pic.
Thanks to Danielle for stitching these all together for me!!
Weekend Challenge
I’m going to go out on a limb and say the holidays are upon us…as in people have started to crowd the malls doing their shopping, the stores have their sales and advertisements plastered everywhere, the carols are playing on the radio and holiday parties are taking place.
Well, I can also tell you I can always tell the holidays are here because the gyms aren’t as full as they usually are. Or as full as they should be. I should know, I spend about 99% of my time in a gym of some sort everyday. It’s pathetic awesome! I hear from friends and co-workers that clients are canceling or just not showing up for their personal training sessions. THAT’s how I know the holidays are here.
So here’s a quick little boost to those of you who are suffocating in the hustle and bustle of the holidays and you can’t quite seem to fit your workout in:
This has been circulating around the internet lately and I thought it was appropriate for this time of year for all of us.
As for my weekend challenge, and in line with the holiday spirit, I’ll be attending my friend and former client Lina’s Dessert Party. Yes that’s right a party with JUST DESSERTS. All homemade as far as I know? And all very delicious.
I’ve searched and searched my nutrition plan from my coach and lo and behold I don’t see desserts listed. Hmmm…
Well, looks like I need a plan. Remember my Holiday Pledge? I’m sure there’s a way to copy my old post in here but I am not savvy enough to figure that out so here’s the picture again:
Notice #4. I will not be anti-social. I will attend this party because it’s been awhile since I’ve seen my friend Lina and her husband Jeff and we have a lot to catch up on. I’m treating the desserts like part of the background. They’ll be there but almost like I’m at a museum. I can look but not touch. Ha! I will most likely cheat indulge in a couple of the smaller desserts without going absolutely nuts. I’m also planning on eating just like my plan suggests with nothing changing. Most importantly I’ll be arriving on a full stomach. There will not be an entrée in sight (hence the point of coming after dinner anyways) so I feel as long as I have eaten my protein beforehand. I should be okay.
This will be my first real challenge since taking on this goal. I’ll be happy to post the outcome on Sunday morning! 🙂
Also, I am definitely posting progress pics right before Christmas. I can finally see a difference from October to now in pictures and I’m really jazzed to show them to everyone believe it or not!
Happy Weekend Everyone!
-Michelle
And the madness begins…
I can see from my page views here that I’m flatlining these past few days because I haven’t posted anything….and I haven’t posted because my competition training has taken over! This is both a good and not so good thing. Good for me but bad as far as keeping my blog going.
While I have some time, I thought I’d write a quick update on my progress as well as some funny little anecdotes that you will hopefully appreciate.
So Sunday night my Plan arrived in my inbox from my coach, Mike Davies. It included pretty much everything you could ask for in a plan; what to eat and when to eat, how long to workout for and what specifically to do with regards to training/cardio.
It was slightly overwhelming at first to see all these emails and instructions. But more than apprehension, I felt excitement about finally getting on a specific plan.
Monday morning after cardio was a visit to the store to stock up on some key proteins that I was lacking, mainly flank steak and salmon. I opted for just flank steak for now since one high priced protein is enough per week for this cheapass low budget gal.
Without getting into every detail, I’m absolutely thrilled with this plan! The foods I’m told to eat are already foods I like, although I had never had flank before. I’ll be working out twice a day (cardio in the AM and weights and other cardio in the PM).
Since I just started Monday, I’m already feeling the effects. Maybe it’s just psychological but I don’t care. I feel a great amount of energy and I’m not starving. I have no desire to eat anything sweet despite the fact that my Mom is making a new Christmas cookie/pastry/ everyday this week. She offers me some but she understands why I’m saying No…for now. Coach Mike said I can have a cheat day on Christmas as well as New Years. Since we celebrate Christmas on the 22nd this year, I’m saving my Christmas cheat for the 26th when I’m traveling to Chicago to see my friends. As for New Years Eve, well…this year I won’t be on crutches like last year (let’s not talk about that) I might actually go out but I’m not a huge drinker. I’d rather EAT my cheats than drink. So we’ll see about that.
Maybe I’m talking crazy but I don’t WANT to be able to cheat. I think just the fact that I was told that I COULD, makes me not want to. Why undo what I’ve worked already so hard for?
What else has happened since my last post? My mood has improved like, a thousand percent. 🙂
I was telling someone just the other day that I’m extremely happy lately. Like, goofy can’t wipe this grin off my face content happy. At first I thought it was because I’m downing Fish Oil like it’s candy once again. And I know from past experience that stuff improves your mood. I would also say the fact that I’m working out twice a day now and that I’m finally seeing results, is probably a huge reason for my sudden joyfulness.
I’m actually kind of upset I didn’t get myself on a real plan like this sooner. It’s so nice to have someone telling me what to eat and when to eat it. I never understood why my clients wouldn’t follow a meal plan. I followed one when I had a trainer 10 years ago (wow really? unreal that I’m this old ha!) and the results were awesome! And I didn’t even think I needed a trainer back then. (I totally did). Maybe it helps that my goal is so lofty. Maybe I’m celebrating way too soon. Maybe I’m being naive about how difficult the holidays are going to be.
I’m choosing to put those maybe’s aside and all the negative thoughts and just enjoy this journey.
As for some little funny stories, here are a few:
- I texted my friend Ronnie on day 1 (yes day 1) of this plan to say that I was sorry for ever thinking drinking egg whites out of the carton was gross and abnormal. 🙂 I haven’t gotten that desperate yet but I can completely relate to why I might have to do this.
- I’m really appreciating the fact that I asked for a Costco membership for Christmas.
- I told my former co-workers at the gym I used to work at that “I’ve lost 10lbs since leaving this place!!” Probably not the best incentive for working there, ha!
- I’m officially a gym rat as I now belong to 2 gyms and work at 2 other studios.
- I’m scheduled to go on the Polar Express tonight (those who don’t have kids or are unaware of this, just google it) and I actually am already figuring out a way to pack my food on the train. Perhaps asking for Tupperware for Christmas would have been a better gift to myself?
- Drinking 2 gallons of water a day has been…interesting. Ha! I feel like I’m training for my half/full marathons again!
This is all for now…More stories to come this weekend!
Happy HumpDay!!!
-Michelle
5lb Challenge…it’s on!
Thanksgiving was the official start of a bet my friend Craig had challenged me to: Lose 5lbs between Thanksgiving and January 3rd.
The premise being that hardly anyone can actually LOSE weight over the holidays.
I wanted to prove him wrong hence the bet. We bet a whole $20! 🙂
So I weighed in at 134lbs Thursday morning after breakfast. (Picture below)
I must say having a bet like this, albeit for very little money, is actually proving to be more motivating for me than the Figure competition goal! Probably because its short-term, I get a reward in the end, and in my eyes, this won’t be too hard for me to accomplish.
I already did great on Thanksgiving by avoiding the pumpkin pie but didn’t completely neglect my sweet tooth having 2 (yes 2) homemade chocolate chip cookies. No depriving, just careful choosing.
Next week starts the final two weeks of the Fighter Diet workouts I’ve been doing. It should prove to be the most challenging of all the workouts (I think she has me doing pull-ups, yikes!)
I’m actually looking forward to THAT challenge as well.
All in all I’m hoping for one of my most productive weeks to date!
And I promise to post progress pics…soon. 🙂
The Joyful Celibate 