Week 2...

Well this week didn't start off like I had hoped as by week two the ball has starting rolling,right?  Well not this week!! I began my week with what, I thought had been the worst weekend as a mother to date.... We had all come down with the dreaded stomach bug, one by one, the vomiting was like a vicious storm. It ripped thru my home like a puke filled tornado. Three of my kids and my husband spent the entire Saturday night from 7pm until Sunday early morning, throwing up,one by one every 35-45 minutes!!!I just went from room to room emptying their bowls, washing them out, spraying them with Lysol and giving the bowls back only to repeat over and over again. By morning I had succumbed to the same nasty bug. This was supposed to be my week where I was to pick up the pace and start preparing for my upcoming competition. As I am quite the planner and tend to plan in advance for everything I do.  By Wednesday, I began feeling frustrated and somewhat irritated as we all still weren't 100% yet. To relieve my disappointment I decided to get on my elliptical and  get a quick 35 min cardio session in, sweating had made my mood improve. Later that afternoon I received an email from a friend I had met at my last competition. I hadn't heard from her in a few months. Her email made me realize that the beginning of my week was a mere traffic jam in comparison to what she had gone through in the past few months. Her son had become ill with an infection surrounding his heart and had to endure lots of testing to find out what had gotten him so sick. This quickly made understand that my situation over the weekend was just a bump in the road. You just have to do what you can day by day. She herself had been in her own "traffic jam" waiting for answers, worrying and put herself on the back burner....I would have done the same. I can't even imagine what she had to go through. I'm very happy to hear that she herself is now getting back on the fitness track.

With my competition  a little more than 13 weeks away (which by the way- is plenty of time to get show ready, as it takes most competitors about 12 weeks) This is when you start eating clean. I "try"to eat clean year round and my goal this year is to maintain the clean eating lifestyle year round!

Now onto clean eating. "Clean Eating" is basically eating foods that are the way nature intended.
Absolutely nothing processed and always wholesome single ingredient items. You will be eating
every 2-3 hours, including lean proteins at every meal. You will also be eating lots of fruits and
veggies along with healthy carbs. (My carbs, include Oatmeal, brown rice, sweet potatoes, quinoa,
and Ezekiel bread) It's important to know that every body responds differently to all different foods.
To give you an example brown rice works for me but may not for others. It may make them feel
bloated. It is also important to drink lots of water. I drink about a gallon a day. Alcohol is completely
out of the equation during competition prep anyway. Look for a sample of my diet above on my clean eating page. Stay tuned for next week, where I will begin posting my weekly progress pictures. I'm pumped for week 3!

Week 1-

Ok so am I really about to call this week 1? Considering this is my fourth time preparing for a future competition at the end of April...I guess I am, ... as we all need to start somewhere, right? Although with the New Year ahead not only do I want to improve my body and stage presence, this year I want to be able to maintain and not find myself in those little ruts like I have in the past. You see after my very first competition, even though I was "on top of the world" I found myself in a "now what "
situation...I went from eating clean 5-6 times a day to eating just healthy maybe 3 times a day. Sometimes even giving in to snacking on the kids snacks and before I knew it there I was again, back at square one! Ouch, I had undone all my hard work and sort of let myself go. Or at least my own idea of letting myself go. Most people would say I looked fine, but deep down I knew I could do better!

Well, that was until, I found myself at Week 1 again. My amazing husband realized how frustrated I was  and surprised me by hiring a "figure coach" to help me get back on track. This was the best Christmas present as it was exactly what I needed.
I realized, I needed someone to keep me in check and I also realized that it was just as important for me to keep up with my workouts and eating clean as ,in turn -it did ultimately make me a better Mom.  I really believe that!!!By making time for myself ,it gave me a happy, positive and more patient outlook on everything.
After beginning my fitness journey yet again, I found myself stumped, as the coach my husband found for me online was having me eat way too many calories. ...I was frustrated and couldn't figure out why my body wasn't reacting the way it should or the way I had really hoped.  I began thinking "is my body changing because I'm getting older?"
I decided at that moment I would begin to figure things out on my own. Three months in and no physical changes!!!! I  then began learning about what I was putting in my body and doing the caloric math. I also made an appointment with my OBGYN and had my blood workout done to get more answers.


Long story short, I had no issues with hormone levels, or thyroid issues for that matter. I was simply
just eating way to much...and so that became another lessened learned. 
I worked really hard, adjusted my own diet and competed yet again for the second time. I did three rounds and placed 2nd in Figure Short, 3rd in Figure Classic & 3rd in Bikini Classic. I found myself at the "top of the world" yet again...Amazing- it really is true that you can achieve anything you set your mind on!! Now maintaining it -That's another thing!!!
This next journey I will be posting weekly photos and examples of how I will get my self show 
ready. Most Importantly, I'm hoping that this experience on sharing my own journey will help me with the maintaining that fit healthy lifestyle year round. 

" Setting Goals is a must do and once you reach that goal it's impossible to stop!" I'm always setting new goals, some small, some big...

Ok so here's a little info about me and the beginning of my fitness journey. I'm a 38 year old mother of four young children. I started working out seriously after my 3rd child was born, mostly running, doing Yoga and Pilates. This continued throughout my fourth pregnancy..Once she was born I was ready for a challenge. Determined to take this passion to the next level and push harder than I ever had before, I began training for my first Bikini Competion in 2011. By the following year I also began competing in Figure and haven't looked back. I 'm always looking to improve my body and have enjoyed meeting other women and helping them with the knowledge I've learned thus far. I'm also teaching my children about setting goals, reaching them and showing them that a healthy lifestyle is very posssible.

Here's my family! Xoxoxo xoxoxo I love them all so much!