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!