"I will hold Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year." - Charles Dickens

Merry Christmas!
Feliz Navidad!
Joyeux Noel!
Kala Christouyenna!
Buone Feste Natalizie!
Feliz Natal!

Nutritional Consistency!

I am not sure why, but during the Christmas season, I get into the baking mood. This is probably because, as a child my mother often baked cakes and I always helped her. Last weekend I baked a coconut rum cake (from scratch of course) and on Friday night I baked Belgian cookies. My husband wanted to go to the store to buy cookies and since I never buy cookies and we had none in the house, I told him I would make some instead. The rum cake was really, really delicious but the cookies were not as good (they weren't sweet enough for my husbands pallet).
So what does all this have to do with healthy eating? Rum cake and Belgian cookies isn't exactly healthy, and although I added less sugar than the recipe required for my rum cake, I wouldn't really consider it healthy eating. Also did I mention that my husband and in-laws do not like desserts that are not excessively (what I call head-rush) sweet. I made a cake once that had less sugar, and now every time I am making a dessert my husband's comment is that it will not be sweet enough. His family believes that you are suppose to add more sugar than the recipe calls for. Unfortunately my desserts are not exactly healthy choices (if they were, they would not be eaten). As a result, during this Christmas season, I have to practice "Nutritional Consistency", this is expecially important during this time of year .

In the book "The New Rules of Lifting for Women, there is a chapter about "Nutritional Consistency". One of the principles of "Nutritional Consistency" involves practicing moderation. Basically eating a piece of cake instead of the entire cake, having a scoop of ice cream instead of eating the entire container. Okay, some of that is a bit extreme, but the next time you are about to take a slice of cake maybe you can downsize to a smaller piece!
Enjoy the holidays and healthy eating!

A goal is a dream with a deadline. - Napoleon Hill

It’s almost the start of a new year and it’s time for me to start thinking about my goals. I don’t call them New Year’s Resolutions because I want to be able to set my goals all throughout the year. I don’t want to set a resolution or goal and then a month or two later realize that I am off the mark and then just forget about it. I see these goal-setters every January at the gym. You know the people who set a resolution to workout and then a month later because they missed a few days just fall off the band wagon. I don’t totally mind, since the gym gets empty again and then I can get the equipment when I want it. But I digress and must get back to my point…
I must confess, I have not been as disciplined as I should be right now. There are all these temptation around me, Christmas parties, vendors sending you cookies, brownies and chocolate and it is difficult to resist. My excuse to myself right now is that some of my clothes are still too big and I want to fit into them so I have been indulging. But I am going to start thinking about my goals for next year because I don’t want 2009 to sneak up on me and I haven’t even thought about what I want to accomplish.

First and foremost, I have to write down my goals, just thinking about them isn’t good enough. Since my competition I’ve been saying that I want to gain muscle but I have not actually written this goal down so I don’t feel that I am getting anywhere.

Second, my goals are going to be specific and measurable. Just saying that I want to gain muscle is pointless since this is not specific enough. I am going to have to start taking my measurements again and decide how much muscle I want to gain and in what time period.

Third, my goal needs to be realistic. If I stated that I want to gain 10 pounds of muscle in 2 months that would not be realistic. I often hear people set unrealistic goals which just causes them to fail. For example, someone will state that they would like to lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks. This may be unrealistic for fat loss, a good rule of thumb is to expect 0.5 to 1 pound of fat loss per week.

Fourth, both short-term and long-term components should be used when setting goals. So if my long term goal is gain 10 pounds of muscle by Jun,e then I will have to break it down and create a short-term component/goal. My short-term component will be gain 2 pounds a month.

Finally, tell someone about the goal. Once you set specific goals that you’re committed to sticking to, tell someone about them. If a goal is a secret, it’s easy to blow it off. For example, during my last contest preparation I thought about cancelling, postponing, basically quitting, because I didn't feel like I was ready. I basically couldn't because I told so many people and even had my contest prep on this Blog. So now my next goal is out there and I have to be accountable!

5 Keys for Healthy Eating

Okay I admit, I did not create these rules but I do follow them as best as I can.

Rule #1. Eat every 2-3 hours.
Now, you don’t need to eat a full meal every 2-3 hours – some of them can be smaller snacks. That may seem like a lot, but understand that each meal will be smaller than the ones most people eat, and that eating this way can help prevent storing excess calories as body fat.
Rule # 2. Include lean protein in each meal and snack.
I find that including protein in each meal keeps me full longer. Before I started following this rule, I just used to eat a salad and then 30 minutes later I would be hungry again. Now I know better and including lean protein helps me to control my appetite a bit longer.
Rule # 3. Include vegetables or fruits in at least 3 of your meals or snacks.
Yes I said it, eat our vegetables! I know this can be really, really difficult and I will usually include vegetables in 3 of my meals. So for my first meal of the day I will include a fruit (the best time to eat fruit is first thing in the morning), and the rest of my meals except for my post workout shake I will try to include vegetables. I am always surprised when people don’t like vegetable. I know someone who was a vegetarian and didn’t like vegetables! How is that possible? Needless to say, she is no longer a vegetarian.
Rule #4. Save carb-heavy meals for after exercise.
Research shows that the best time to eat carbs (rice, pasta, potatoes) is right after exercise, apparently your body is better able to process carbohydrates in the 3 hour period after intense exercise. On non-workout days, then it’s best to eat carbs earlier in the day.
Rule #5. Include a good balance of healthy fat in your diet.
There are 3 types of fat: saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. Eating all three kinds in a healthy balance can dramatically improve your health, and actually help you lose fat.
Saturated: Most foods containing lean protein also contain some saturated fat, so you probably don’t have to worry about getting saturated fat.
Some of the best sources of Monounsaturated fat include nuts (almonds, walnuts etc), and olive oil.
Sources of Polyunsaturated fat include flax seed oil, fish oil, and mixed nuts.

Voila, here it is. It’s not easy but it certainly helps to plan your meals in advance. I usually know exactly what I will be eating for each meal the next day.

New Phase

Yeah, I started working out again and I am starting a New Phase. This phase will last for the entire month of December and I will change things up a bit in January. I am going to focus on really working on my upper body, particularly my shoulders. I know it's going to be really difficult during this holiday season to eat clean. There are goodies everywhere. I am going to limit my cheats to twice a week. Wish me luck!
My workout today was plyometrics and cardio. I did 20 minutes of cardio and did stuff like box jumps, air squats, Turkish Getups, mountain climbers and some core work.
I did receive my book, New Rules of Lifting for Women and I am only on the third chapter but so far I like it. The author is entertaining and it's an easy read. The book begins with Rule #1 and I am only at Rule #10 which I really like. Rule #10 is "Endurance Exercise is an Option, not a Necessity for fat loss"! That's my favourite so far considering that I don't like doing lots of cardio.
Maybe when I am done, I'll do a book review!

How to Lift Like a Woman

I haven't worked out since last Thursday, and it seems like a lifetime. I had oral surgery and I was told that I could workout again in a couple of days. So I took last weekend off and started working out again last Monday. I was doing lighter, less intense workouts (using mainly the machines) but I had a minor setback so I had to stop. I don't usually use the weight machines when I workout. I usually use free weights, squat racks etc, but last week I did a leg workout using only machines. Needless to say, I didn't feel like I got much of a workout but I felt it was better than doing nothing. I've got nothing against machines, and I would encourage beginners to use them. Personally, I feel that I get a better workout with free weights.

Some of my gym pet peeves is people who monopolize the machines and decide to chit chat when they are working out. Seriously, if I can hold a conversation while doing a rep, then I am definitely not working out hard enough. First off, how can you count your reps if you are talking? So last Thursday, this girl was using this glute machine for over 15 minutes and I wanted to use it. She was taking forever because she was more like socializing than working out. She finally finishes using it, but continues her conversation right in front it, so I could not help overhearing her conversation. During the conversation she saids to the guy she is talking to "am pretty cut"! I am sorry, but I just looked at her and thought where? What part of you is "pretty cut" because I can't see it. Her toes maybe? Okay, perhaps she has made a lot of progress from where she was but she was not cut! My other thought was, if you are at the gym and have to tell someone that you are pretty cut, then there is a problem. You would think that they should be able to just look at you and see that you are cut. I also did notice that when she said that she looked over at me. I am not sure why? Maybe she meant that she just got a haircut?

Tomorrow I am going to start working out again, using free weights, no machines! I am waiting on a book I recently ordered. The book is entitled "The New Rules of Lifting for Women: How to lift like a man. This book received great reviews and I like the training styles of the authors. I can't wait to receive it, apparently it has several weeks of workouts using squats, deadlifts, pullups, my favourite types of exercises! I have been creating my own workouts since I stopped training with Tony and I really don't mind but it's really time consuming.

Happy training, train hard, soon it will be Thanksgiving aka Turkey Day!

Joy in not in things; it is in us,

I haven't worked out since Thursday and I cannot wait to get back to the gym. I had minor oral surgery on Friday and as a result, my doctor gave me orders not to workout. It's a nice rest but I do need to get back at it. So my husband has been going to the gym without me. He was once a couch potato and now he is hooked. He wasn't well last week and I told him that he should rest so that he could get better and I cannot believe it, he said "it's not possible, I have to workout"! My thought is that I created a "workout monster". I really cannot complain because for years I went to the gym all my myself and often encouraged him to go and it was like beating a dead horse. I am happy that my hubby is no longer a couch potato. Most of all, he seems to be happier that he is no longer a couch potato!

Some of the best things in life are free. Attached is a link to another issue of Natural Muscle Magazine. Click on link below:

http://webcast.bodybuilding.com/fitshow/other/nmjune08web.pdf

Mind, Body & Spirit Connection

I recently returned from the Caribbean, my husband and I visited St Kitts for about a week and believe it or not, we worked out while on vacation. Okay, not everyday, but we got a few workouts in. The resort had a gym that was decent so we worked out at the gym a few days and I also did a few Plyometrics workouts. I am going to incorporate at least 1 day of Plyometrics in my weekly workout routine. Plyometrics is a type of training designed to produce fast, powerful movements, and improve the functions of the nervous system. Plyometric exercises enable a muscle to reach maximum force in the shortest possible time. The great thing about plyometrics is that you can use your own body weight and therefore don’t need to go to a gym to workout. You can do it in your living room. Also, since I don’t like doing cardio, it’s a good way to increase your heart rate and get cardiovascular benefits. I am not training with the same intensity that I did before my competition and I’ve been focusing a bit more on exercises I like doing. I am going to focus more on strengthening my core (in my relentless goal to get a six pack) and I am going to start using Kettlebells. I have not ever worked out with Kettlebells but I will let you know how it goes.

On a different note. I was listening to a radio interview with Terrell Owens this morning and he was promoting his new book and exercise video. Apparently his video focuses on working out with exercise bands. He made a really good point during the interview. He said “don’t expect to follow the principles of his book/video and 2 weeks later expect to get a body like his”. Looking at Terrell’s physique it doesn’t look like he got that way using exercises bands. He can perhaps maintain using exercise bands but come on. Have you seen Terrell shirtless? Terrell has a phenomenal physique and some of it is genetics, but I am sure he also worked hard to look like that. I am not at all promoting Terrell Owens book (I don’t even watch football, unless my husband calls me to watch what he thinks is an amazing play), but I do find the title of his book interesting Finding Fitness – Making the Mind, Body, and Spirit Connection for Total Health. I do believe that making mind, body and spirit connection is important. Maybe I’ll read it one day. I wouldn’t mind an autographed copy!

Eat well and get up off that couch!

Should Obese People Pay More?

Should people who weigh more pay more?

Some airlines are charging overweight people more for their airfares. Now the Alabama’s State Employees’ Insurance Board thinks that over weight people should pay more for health insurance. The board will begin charging state workers with a body mass index greater than 35, $25 a month for health insurance. The insurance is now free for all state employees. It makes sense to charge overweight people more for airfare if they take up more than one seat. Some may agree with charging overweight people more for insurance. The one issue is that it some studies have shown that overweight active people may be in better cardiovascular health than sedentary normal-weight people. In addition, body mass index is not a complete measure of fitness.

Although my husband often calls me a zealot, I don't think I am a zealot. You can't automatically assume that skinny is healthy and overweight is not. I think it's important to be healthy, live healthy, eat healthy and most importantly be active. One of my mom's favourite phrase is "you'll lose it if you don't use it"!

What Is Physical Fitness

I was watching Dancing with the Stars and Toni Braxton mentioned that she was (physically) fit. Toni was also recently diagnosed with heart disease. She doesn't fit the profile of someone with heart disease. She is thin, but the question is...is she fit? Just because she is thin does not mean she is physically fit. She has heart disease and high blood pressure (which was reduced since starting with Dancing with the Stars), therefore in my opinion she is not fit.

What does physically fitness mean?
Overall fitness is made up of five main components: -- Cardiorespiratory endurance -- Muscular strength -- Muscular endurance -- Body composition -- Flexibility. To access your fitness you have to look at all 5 factors. I recently joined a new gym and was tested in all of those areas and I did a VO2 Max test (it's considered the best test to measure cardiorespiratory endurance). This test was extremely useful to me because it showed me the best zone I should train in order to burn the most fat. Considering I don't like doing cardio this really helps me so that I don't have to do as much (hopefully).
For all those people who ask thin people why they are going to they gym or that they don't need to exercise, think again. Just because you are skinny does not mean that you are healthy!

What Motivates You?

Motivation is different for everyone. Sometimes I need to get motivated to workout. So what motivates me? Some of the things that motivate me to workout include: my belly bulging out of my clothes, but the best motivation for me is setting a goal. I try to set a realistic goal and will keep at it until I attain it.

The health department recently determined that 2.5 hours of exercise is required weekly; this is the minimum amount required for "good health". So what does this mean? The reality is that with today's hectic schedule not everyone can exercise 2.5 hours a week and people will always find excuses for not exercising. But getting in some exercise is better than nothing. What is comes down to is getting motivated and finding what it is that motivates you? What is really preventing you from exercising 30 minutes, 3 days a week? What fits your busy schedule better, exercising one hour a day or being dead 24 hours a day? Lol!

Free Copy of Natural Muscle Magazine

I am often told by women that they only do cardio in the gym because they do not know how to lift weights. I used a variety of sources to learn the proper techniques for lifting. This is really important to prevent any injuries. I purchased magazines, VHS tapes and practiced lifting looking in the mirror. Finally, when I thought I knew what I was doing, I hired a trainer for a few weeks to confirm that I was lifting properly. Finding a good trainer is difficult and I was lucky to be informed enough so that when I got a crappy trainer and knew not to continue with him/her. For example, one trainer looked at me and actually said to me "why do you need to workout/go to the gym"? I guess she didn't want my money. Needless to say, I did not select this individual to be my trainer.

Download a free copy of Natural Muscle magazine below. This magazine is full of recipes, training and workout tips to help you get started and help you reach your goal and be informed. Click on link below for your free copy:

http://webcast.bodybuilding.com/fitshow/other/nmmay08web.pdf

Healthy Eating on a Budget

With the current economic crisis in the world today there is a lot of talk about saving and budgeting. Economic crisis or not, I am always thinking of ways to save (it’s my hobby)! So we have all heard that healthy eating is expensive so here are some ways to eat healthily on a budget:

Coupons, coupons, coupons! I’ll be honest, I clip coupons. I have at times saved as much as $15 from coupons. I am selective and I only clip coupons that are $1 or more, I also only clip coupons for products I use. The trick is remembering that I have them and not letting them expire.
Use a Grocery List. I find that if I have a grocery list I buy the items on the list and I don’t buy on impulse. A list also helps me get out of the grocery store faster (I am not a fan of grocery shopping).
Buy Generic. There are few things where I have brand loyalty (automobiles is one). I like trying new stuff and I am always doing so. You won’t know until you try. I will definitely try generic brands and if I don’t like them, then I will buy the brand name (hopefully with a coupon).
Buy in Bulk. It is not always wise to buy in bulk if you are going to use it all, so I stick with items that don’t perish easily. I’ll go to Costco and buy oats, tuna and items that I know won’t waste because it spoils or gets stale. I really, really, really hate going to Costco and try to get out as quickly as possible. One of my pet peeves is people who leave their carts in the middle of the aisle and are busy sampling! I also hate paying for the annual membership $50 for a membership to get a discount on food is expensive in my opinion.
Buy Fruits & Vegetable on Sale. We all know that fruits and vegetable are full of vitamins and minerals and are better than processed foods so you are not wasting your money on empty calories. I find that when they are on sale they more likely to be fresher. My mother takes this to an extreme; she only buys whatever fruit is on sale. So if grapes are on sale this week at the grocery store, she will buy grapes and next week if it’s pineapples, she will buy pineapples. Since she will eat almost any fruit known to man, she buys whatever is on sale!
Shop the “Outer” Ring. Grocery stores keep the junk food in the middle aisle and you are most likely to find the fresh produce, meats and diary around the perimeter. Stay way from the aisles with the processed and junk foods!
Eat out Less. Enough said about this. Eating out is more expensive!

Breakfast - The Most Important Meal of the Day!

We have all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day therefore it is important to eat breakfast. Breakfast provides fuel that your body needs after a night of fasting. I try to eat breakfast within 30 minutes after waking up, I will be lucky if I can make it an hour. I usually wake up extremely hungry and after brushing my teeth I must eat. I didn’t always eat breakfast, when I was in high school I rarely ate breakfast unless my mom made porridge or an omelet for us. I started eating breakfast when I was in college because I started getting major stomach cramps when I didn’t eat enough food. Breakfast foods that were common in my family included porridge (oatmeal, cream of wheat, cornmeal), fruit, an omelet, raisin bran cereal and occasionally bakes with salt (cod) fish (typical Dominican breakfast).

Below is my list of worst breakfast choices”
Steak & Eggs. One of the oddest breakfast choices in my opinion is Steak and Eggs. Now why would anyone want to eat steak and eggs for breakfast? Just think of all of the cholesterol and fat in steak and eggs.

French Toast. Sorry, I am not too interested in eating a slice of bread coated with egg yolk (yuck!) and drenched with syrup. Denny's French toast has over 1,200 calories, 79 grams of fat, and 141 percent of your daily value of cholesterol. Not sure what is in it for the caloric content to be so high?

Doughnuts. I ate my first Krispy Kreme donut when I moved to the US about 7 years ago and it was also the last time I ate it. These donuts melted in my mouth like cotton candy and I hate cotton candy. I got sick eating cotton candy as a child and never ate it again. The Krispy Kreme Chocolate Iced Kreme Filled doughnut has 350 calories, 20 grams of fat, and 23 grams of sugar per doughnut.

Bagels. I am not sure why people think that bagels are healthy? Really now, it’s just bread with a hole in the middle. White bread isn’t the healthiest choice so I am not sure why a bagel would be? The average bagel will provide you with four servings of bread, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Sugary Cereals. Just because a cereal uses the word fruit in its name doesn't make it healthy. Some of the worst cereal culprits include Fruity Pebbles (9 grams of sugar) and Fruit Loops (12 grams of sugar).

While breakfast is important, it is just as important to make the right choices and the five choices above would not it.

7 Reasons Not to Drink Soda Pop!

Honestly, I've never liked soda, even as a child. I stopped drinking soda when I was in the 8th grade when my science teacher told us that if a cockroach fell into a bottle of coke it would disintegrate. I still don't know if that is actually true but I am terrified of insects. Just the thought of that made me sick. If the coachroach story doesn't scare you like it did me, below are 7 more reasons not to drink soda pop:

1. It can cause weight gain. According to a study drinking one to two cans of soda a day increases a person’s risk of being overweight or obese by 32.8 percent. The researchers found that those who drank one to two cans of diet soda per day were at an even higher risk (54.5 percent) of being overweight or obese.
2. It puts you at risk for diabetes and heart disease. Another study found that people who drink soda every day, whether regular or diet, were 44 percent more likely to develop metabolic syndrome—a condition that greatly increases your risk for heart disease and diabetes.
3. It may cause digestion difficulties. Some experts believe the phosphoric acid that is in soda may disturb the acid-alkaline balance of the stomach. As a result, soda drinkers may develop digestional distress, acid reflux, stomach inflammation, and intestinal erosion.
4 It’s addictive. A 2000 study revealed that soft-drink manufacturers add caffeine to soda for one reason only: to get consumers hooked. Once you’re addicted, going cold turkey can create withdrawal symptoms, including fatigue, depression, irritability, tremors, sleep deprivation, and headaches.
5. It does not contain any nutrients. A 20-ounce bottle of cola contains nearly 250 calories, but take a look at the label, and you’ll see that it has virtually no vitamins or minerals. In fact, the only things soda is packed with are sugar and caffeine—
6. It’s harmful to your teeth and bones. According to a recent Tufts University study, women who drank three 12-ounce colas a day had 5 percent less bone density than women who drink less than a serving a day. The phosphoric acid in cola prevents calcium from being absorbed by the body. Soda is also damaging for teeth:
7. It’s expensive. Compared to fruit juice or milk, soft drinks may seem cheap, but when you consider the lack of nutritional value, soda seems like a rip-off. The average 12-ounce can of soda costs about $1 from the vending machine, so if you drank two a day for a year, you’d spend a whopping $730 on pop every year.

I am sure there are several more reasons not to drink soda, but those are my top 7 (in addition to the coachroach story which I dare not to test)!

Is eating healthy foods more expensive than eating junk food?

Someone was complaining to me that their doctor told them to eat more healthy foods and include fruits and vegetables in their diet, but healthy eating is so much more expensive. I’ve heard complaints from people who started eating more healthily that, as a result, their grocery bills increased significantly. But, we don’t know if their “dining out” costs were reduced. Eating out is definitely more expensive than cooking your own meals. If you were to compare healthy snacks to junk food snacks, for example, eating an orange instead of a bag of potato chips, it would probably be the same cost. Although a bag of potato chips would keep me full longer, but it would be mostly empty calories. In the long run, I think eating healthily would be cheaper since it would mean avoiding the high costs of medical care as a result of heart disease, hypertension and all of those diseases associated with an unhealthy diet!

Remember, you are what you eat!

To Supplement or Not to Supplement!

Okay, I take supplements and lots of supplements. The day before my competition I had to take a polygraph test, in most natural shows you have to take a polygraph test to ensure that you are not using a banned substance (steroids, diuretics, some fat burners etc). I had to tell the polygraph tester the supplements I taken in the past 5 years. Wow, there were so many supplements I take and had taken, it took a while for me to remember all of them. Some of them included: a multi-vitamin, plus additional vitamin C and E, MSM, glutamine, Omega 3, flax seed oil, apple-cider vinegar, creatine (cycle on and off) and vitamins for my hair.

I have taken supplements for as along as I remember. As a child, my grandmother gave me cod liver oil (yuck) and my mother also gave us vitamins she purchased from the health food store (I think my mother knew of every health food store in the Toronto area, and the owners all knew her). When I was in university, I stopped taking vitamins for a while because I was trying to cut back on expenses, I thought it might be something I may not really need and maybe those doctors who felt that we didn't need supplements were correct. After a few months I started to take my vitamins again because my skin looked better and my energy level was higher when I took them. I should have known better! I was pretty versed on the topic of herbal remedies since I had read several of my mom's herbal remedy books. I guess I believed in supplementation and herbal remedies because I grew up seeing its benefits. I remember as a child that my grandmother had a herbal cure for so many things and that they seemed to work. For example, if I had stomach pain she would make me spearmint tea using fresh spearmint from her backyard. Also, she would make us drink senna tea when she felt we needed a cleansing. BTW, senna tea tastes really, really nasty! I always read and do my research about supplements, and herbal remedies before taking them. 1. I don't want to waste my money (on snake oil supplements). 2. It can be dangerous to take too much supplements. For example, there are some vitamins that are water soluble therefore you can't really have a serious overdose but others are not water soluble and can build up in your system and cause other problems.

Personally, my preference is to take supplements that I believe are good for me particularly if I've witnessed its positive results. I prefer this option than the other option of getting ill than to take prescription drugs that may get rid of my illness (temporarily, since I read somewhere, that the last medicine invented that was a cure was penicillin) but may cause several other side effects.
Live healthy and train hard!

A healthy body is the guest chamber of the soul ~ Francis Bacon

Recently I was in the kitchen at work washing some cherry tomatoes. I found these delicious cherry tomatoes at the grocery store and I have been eating them like grapes. They are really sweet and fresh. I offered some to my coworker, who is at the soda dispenser getting Coke. Her response was “oh no, tomatoes are not good for me because they are too acidic”. My thought, was you have got to be kidding, you are about to drink a Coke, what can be more acidic than Coke? I am often surprised when people say that they cannot eat fruit because it’s too acidic? I eat lots of fruits and vegetables and have never had a problem with acidity but that’s just me! But regarding acidity in food, foods are acid or alkaline forming. A food’s acid or alkaline forming tendency in the body has nothing to do with the actual pH (potential of Hydrogen). For example, lemons are very acidic before digestion but after digestion are alkaline, whereas beef is alkaline before digestion but it leaves acidic residue in the body. I am a bit more concerned about foods leaving acidic residue in my body rather than if it is acidic while I eat it.
It is important that your dietary intake of food acts to balance your body pH because too much acid in the body (acidosis) can cause health problems.
Acidosis can cause such problems as:

Weight gain, obesity and diabetes, aching muscles and lactic acid buildup, mouth and stomach ulcers, excess stomach acid, dull hair with split ends and falls out, dry skin, leg cramps and spasms, etc, etc, etc.

This is why your diet should consist of alkaline forming foods (about 60%) and acid forming foods (40%). Here is a link to an Alkaline Food List:
http://www.betterbones.com/alkaline/articles/chart%20p12.pdf

Is Skinny the New Happy?

A thread was started on the Oxygen forum "Are you happy with your body?". This thread was started by a member because quote "A lot of people I know that are not into fitness usually think I head to the gym every day and make healthy food choices because I suffer from low self-esteem or that I am unhappy with my body." She went on to say that she is happy with her body and she likes to workout!

I, of course stated my opinion on this thread and it was as follows: "I am happy with my body. With that being said, I can still strive to improve it, but that does not mean I am not happy with it. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest and the most happy, I am not at a 10. I would say I am at an 8. There is no one I look at and say "this person has a perfect body" who I would rate a 10, and I would want her body. Now I would say that I wouldn't mind having abs like Gina Aliotti (pro figure competitor), but I would not want her body because I am happy with mine. I think it's just natural to try to be better and improve, whether it's with fitness or other aspects of your life. I think about it as an athlete and my sport is Figure Competitions. I am competing to better myself. Of course I want to win first place, but the sport is so subjective that I am happy when I see from year to year I make improvements. Great athletes like Tiger Woods, Michael Phelps or Michael Jordon don't stop practicing and say "well I am the best and there is no room for improvement".
Maybe it's the people with the low self esteem who feel that they cannot attain a goal (losing weight or whatever) who do give up and then try to make people who are trying to better themselves give up on their goals?
Finally, I love working out, and I feel great after working out, so even if I wasn't competing I would workout. I've workout my entire and I have eaten healthy my entire life and I don't feel that I am missing out on anything!

Several other members responded, and it was alarming to find some women who were not only unhappy with their bodies, but envied the anorexic skinny bodies of celebrities. Someone actually posted that she thought Allegra Versace had a nice figure. I had no idea what Allegra Versace looked liked but for those like me who don't know, I've attached is a pic.

It's unfortunate when someone can see this picture and say that they wouldn't mind looking like that! I've met too many women who have told me that at they had an eating disorder. My mom's friend's daughter died recently of anorexia and it's so sad to see someone die this way.

I am lucky to state that I have never had an eating disorder, I've always appreciated the more athletic physique with muscle tone, maybe one of the reasons is when I was growing up, I hated when people told me I was skinny. I've met several people who when I've mentioned that I lift weights their comments often are "you don't want too much muscles, you will look like a man"! I never known how to respond to this? I have been lifting weights for years (yes more than 5 pound dumbbells), and I don't think I look manly. Isn't it interesting that it's perfectly okay for someone to say "you look too muscular and like a man" yet when someone is so skinny to the point that they look anorexia or obese that no one says a thing to them?

Goal Setting

Now that my competition is over it's time to set a new goal. My new goal will be to gain 10 pounds of lean muscle mass. This isn't easy for me since I don't put on muscle easily (most women don't). I am going to have to increase my calories to at least 2000 calories a day. My basal metabolic rate (BMR) is about 1200 calories. That is the amount of calories I need to eat each day just to maintain my weight. This does not include an additional activity such as working out. Now when I include activity, I figured I will need to be at about 2000 calories to allow me to gain weight. I am going to see if I can gain half a pound a week. The good news is I get to eat lots of food and I very little cardio. I am going to try hard not to gain a lot of fat.

During the last 2 weeks of my competition I was asked some really weird questions. Some of which include:

What are you taking? Mmm, not sure what they are referring to, but if they are referring to steroids that is one of the most ridiculous questions I've ever been asked. Let me tell you, if I was taking any type of steroids or growth hormones I wouldn't look like this, I would be way bigger. Now why do I have to be taking something? There is no magic pill people, just working out and eating the right foods!

Do you workout a lot (like twice a day)? Hell no! Unless I was getting paid in endorsements or something and I had a contract stating that I had to maintain a particular level of fitness, why the heck would anyone want to workout twice a day or more? Nothing else to do? Nope working out once a day is enough and doing a million sit ups isn't necessary either.

Do you eat? I really could not believe that question! I was getting my nails done and the manicurist asked me if I eat. Now, I know I was extremely lean because this was the day before my competition, and I am generally not usually this lean, but what a dumbass question. I mean I don't look anorexic (I hope)!

What happens when you stop? Okay, my sister was asked this question and I am not sure what this person was referring to? Stop what...working out? Not sure. If I was asked this question, I would have said "I don't know, what do you think would happen if you stopped working out?" Actually, I had someone tell me that I shouldn't workout and lift weights because once I stop my muscles will turn into fat! She actually believed that! Muscles do not turn into fat. If I stopped working out, I would most likely lose my muscles (and it doesn't take long), and I would gain weight in the form of fat, instead of lean muscle mass (which is generally my goal when I workout) but muscles do not turn into fat and fat does not turn into muscle.

Enough with the dumb questions!

The Olympia is on September 25 this year and I just added a link with a live web cast. I am really interested in the Figure and Fitness category, of course. I am not as much interested in the Bodybuilding. Those guys/gals are just way too big (my opinion anyway). I want to see if Jenny Lynn will win for the 3rd time in a row. It looks like Monica Brant will not be competing.

I am taking it easy with training this week, I am a bit under the weather, my throat is sore and I really need to rest before I start training towards my next goal. My husband and I joined a new gym, so goodbye to Golds Gym. We are now at Lifetime Fitness. They just opened a brand new club in our neighborhood and all the equipment is new and I can't wait to get started.

The Day After

Well it's a day after my competition and the good new is I had lots of fun but the bad new is I didn't win. I am waiting for pictures from the photographer because although my husband took lots of picture, they didn't come out very well. They were too dark and I tried to photoshop them and it still didn't help. My husband isn't very good at taking pictures.

The OCB was a huge show, I competed in 2 classes, women over 35, there were 12 women in this class and extremely competitive. Some of the girls had won 1st place in other federations. I also competed in the Novice Short class, also a large group, with 10 women. I think I looked better the night before, my muscles were more full and defined. The show was an extremely well run show. After the show they had chocolate cake with white icing for us backstage. The cake was shaped like the Whitehouse, which was appropriate for the OCB Presidential. I didn't really pig out after the show, my husband and I went to a sushi restaurant and I had a few pieces of sushi but most importantly I ordered the grilled sea bass with sweet potato chips. You would think that I would be sick of sweet potatoes, but it was sweet potatoes chips and they weren't greasy. This restaurant also has great salads so we also shared a tofu salad. I know, most people were going to IHop or places to eat hamburgers, but we had sushi and seafood. Okay, I lived in California for so long that we are sushi lovers and I love fish if it is seasoned properly. Finally, we had to have dessert. We went to Cafe Deluxe and I wanted the Brownie a la mode but they were out so we had the Apple Crisp with ice cream. I really liked it because it wasn't too sweet. I don't like desserts that are so sweet that I get a head rush with all the sweetness.

Here is pic from last yesterday, I will post more as I get them from the photographer.

Tomorrow is almost here - I Believe

Yeah it's my last day and I cannot wait for tomorrow! There are several reasons...the best of all is that I can finally stop eating this boring, no tasting, no flavour food! Generally my theory is if I can put seasonings on food, I can make anything taste good! Seriously, I have every seasoning known to man in my kitchen cabinet, stuff my husband has never even heard of (like cloves, no kidding). This past week, Tony had me stop all my seasonings, even cinnamon. Oatmeal isn't oatmeal without cinnamon, so he allowed me to put cinnamon but not nutmeg! Right now I am eating breakfast and I am extremely happy that I am putting the last bite of chicken breast in my mouth. I wish I had a BBQ because I would put this chicken on the grill to at least get the charcoal flavour.

Tonight I am going to be extremely thankful when I eat my last piece of non-seasoned food. I am also thankful for my sister Ezra. Thanks for all of her support and for all the great Canadian goods she sent to me. Some things you can only get in Canada, eh! I am also thankful for my husband Craig. He has come a long way from the pizza, Popeye chicken eating and junk food eater he has been all his life to actually eating my nutritious and delicious food (and actually saying that it's good). I am really proud of him, he has lost about 50 pounds and has keep it off for almost a year now! This is a true story, last month, Craig decided to buy some chicken from Popeye's and he ate it and all the nasty grease made him sick. I didn't want to laugh but I thought it was funny so I laughed! I am also thankful for Tony, he is a great coach and provided me a lot of support. Finally, thanks to all who visit this Blog and posted supportive comments, to all the DreamBodies Divas! Tomorrow is another day and I Believe!

Day 5 - One Day Closer!

Only 5 days left and I feel good! The next 5 days will be tough mainly because I have to change my meal plan so much. I cannot chew gum along with several more things I have to cut out of my diet. It's only for a few days and then I can look forward to a cheat meal. I never really go crazy with the cheat meals and I think on Sunday I will go to one of my favorite restaurants, The Big Bowl. I'll probably just have the grilled salmon but I plan on having dessert and I have to find somewhere to have chocolate cake or brownies.

I feel better going into this competition than the last one and that was definitely one of my goals. I wanted to see improvements and so far I have. I took pictures in my competition suit today and I need more crystals, so I still have to work on the bra part of my suit. I have a number of things to do to prepare for Saturday, but it's mostly pampering stuff like getting my hair done, manicure, pedicure, waxing. I can't wait! One of craziest things I read was a figure competitor who actually sat on a heating pad because she claimed that it helped melt fat from her butt! I am always amazed that people will do almost anything to lose weight. Needless to say, I will not even think of doing something like that.

Again, I have to say how thankful I am for Tony, my coach. He is the best! I am also thankful for my husband for putting up with me through all this. We haven't been eating out as much at all because he knows I have to stick to the plan! Before I was picky but since this competition I am to the extreme and he understands.

After this competition, I have to decide on what my next goal will be. I am not sure yet!

Day 10 - The Body won't go, where the mind has not gone to first! - Day 10

10 days until the big day. I had a rough week last week. Working out twice a day doesn't cut it for me. Maybe I wouldn't mind if I didn't have to go to work as well. In addition to working out I had to practice my posing which seems like another workout. I really commend those girls who go through this over and over again and some have several shows in one year. I didn't have to do this much cardio for my last competition. I think I was driving my coach, Tony crazy last week. My muscles were looking flat and I was concerned about losing muscle with the increased cardio. I am just a bit paranoid about losing my hard earned muscle and I probably was finding an excuse to not do so much cardio.

I read some interesting information about how important visualization is when working out. I also read that you can visual yourself to lose weight. In the movie The Secret, this woman claimed that she visualized herself to be thin. The reality is not that she thought of herself to be thin and one day she woke up thin. What she actually did was visualize herself thin and started to make better food choices and eliminated junk food from her diet, she also started to go for walks after dinner etc.

There is tremendous power in your thoughts. Remember the old saying: "the body won't go, where the mind has not gone to first"! Most goals people make include some type of visualization. For the next 10 days, I am going to visualize myself on stage and getting that first place trophy!

Day 18 - Bring it On!

I am ready for a great week! I think I had a good week last week but this week I am ready for an even better week. Last week, I worked out and ate as planned. My husband and I went to the track sprinted on Saturday. He thought he could beat me running the 100 metre. Ha! I guess he got inspired after watching Usain Bolt at the Olympics. Usain was unbelievable! I heard there were questions as to whether he was on steroids, but in my opinion he didn't look like he was on steroids (not that I am an expert or anything). What I learned is that they is actually a gene called ACTN3, which is more commonly found in Sprinters. This gene is also more prevalent in people whose ancestry can be traced back to West Africa. The word "race" doesn't apply, notice that East Africans were excluded and are not likely to have this gene but East Africans (Kenya's and Ethiopians) are great at running long distances. Maybe there is also a gene for long distance? I know I probably don't have that gene! A few weeks ago someone at my gym asked me if I wanted to run a marathon. My thought is why would anyone want to run for so long? Sorry endurance isn't my thing. I know what I like and training for a marathon has not ever been on my list of goals. Right now my goal is to win the OCB Presidential, 18 more days and counting.

Day 25 - Never Put An Age Limit On Your Dreams!

I have been watching the Olympics and what I find interesting about the athletes is their persistent and goal oriented attitudes. Dara Torres was interviewed and she made the comment "Never Put An Age Limit On Your Dreams". Michael Phelps said during an interview "Never let anyone tell you cannot do something". I think most importantly, never believe when someone tell you that you cannot do something. I usually try to prove them wrong!At a young age, Michael Phelps was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder and instead of his mother taking the negative path and giving him drugs to mask his disorder (I say mask because the drugs do not cure), she put him in swimming. I am sure there are thousands of parents who have a "doom and gloom" attitude when told that their child have ADHD.I was watching gymnastics and Alicia Sacramone fell off the Balance Beam right at the beginning of her routine, and I was impressed when she got back up on the Beam and then did a flawless routine. I cannot imagine falling with millions of people watching me. Now that takes courage.What I find compelling is that these athletes Do Not Give Up!

I generally do not watch TV when I workout because I find it distracts me and prevents me from focusing on my workouts. The only time I do watch TV while working out is when it is a sporting event. I find watching sports while working out causes me to push myself more.

Only 25 days until the big day and I feel good. Unfortunately I have to increase my cardio again and now I have to do cardio 5 days a week. Yikes! I am going to have to do cardio in the morning and weights in the evening. Wish me luck, I don't like waking up early but I will have to, only 25 days so I can do it! Maybe, I'll finally become an early bird and wake up early in the mornings. I know my mother will laugh at that one!

Day 31 - I WILL...

I will ____ fill in the blank with whatever you will do today! My will for today is, I will eat clean and I will do 45 minutes of cardio. I was watching the Olympics last night and a swimmer who had just won a gold medal was asked what he did differently this time to win the gold (he had won a silver medal at the previous Olympics). His answer was "I said to myself that I will win, instead of maybe I'll win". Often when I am watching a phenomenal athlete, like Kobe Bryant or Tiger Woods, and I see them make what seems to be an impossible shot, I often say, "they willed" that shot. What that means to me is before they made that shot, they thought "that shot will go in".

I am happy to say that today I am back, 100%. I wasn't 100% on Saturday. I think my body was fighting off something. When I feel like that, the best thing for me to do is rest so that the next day I will be better. On Saturday I didn't even workout. Can you believe it? My body was feeling weak, and I thought it was because I haven't been eating as many carbs but that wasn't it. After I ate some extra carbs and drink Green Tea, I still felt that I had no energy. Now that is quite unusual for me to have caffeine and not have energy. I spent most of the day napping and eating. I was able to workout Sunday and Monday. Sundays are my rest days but I had to switch things up a bit. In addition to my lack of energy, my muscles looked flat and I felt skinny. I didn't even feel like Blogging and I was home for the entire day? Let's just say that Saturday wasn't the best day for me. But what a difference 24 hours make, on Sunday I was back to my old self.

Eat Clean and Train Hard

The Magic Exercise Pill?

Now I have seen it all! Exercise in a pill.

Mice Get Fit With 'Exercise in a Pill'
By Howard LeWine, M.D., Harvard Health Publications

Couch potatoes can get some of the benefits of exercise with a new drug, researchers say. So far, it has been tested only in mice. After four weeks of taking it, they burned more calories and had less fat than other mice. They also could run 44% farther and 23% longer on a treadmill. Mice who also exercised regularly got even more benefit with a second drug that was tested. They could run 68% longer and 70% farther than mice that exercised but didn't get the drug. The study was published online by the journal Cell.

I cannot imagine taking a pill instead of going to the gym. Considering I don't like taking drugs, including over the counter pills like Advil, I would definitely not trust this so called Exercise Pill.
How will this pill prove to have the same benefits of exercise? Some of the benefits of exercise include:

• Decreased risk of certain cancers and many long-term diseases, such as coronary heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis
• Improved mood and symptom relief for mild depression
• Increased energy and stamina

It appears that this exercise pill may replace cardiovascular exercise and not strength training. I am not sure how a pill could help with strength straining? As much as I dislike cardio (but slowly convincing myself that I love it) I seriously doubt I would take an exercise pill! In my opinion, most people can find some type of exercise that they enjoy. Am I wrong to believe this? I refuse to believe that humans were made to be couch potatoes!

Day 38 - You are never a loser until you quit trying

I started a new meal plan yesterday and my carbs have been reduced. My meals usually consists of only complex carbs, but now no more sweet potatoes and blueberries. I am really surprised that I haven't been hungry.

My training has been going really well and I have incorporated some more stretches and exercises into my workouts. I had an assessment done a while back when I was training with another trainer. She mentioned that I have a postural deficiency called an Anterior Pelvic Tilt. This basically is when the pelvis is positioned forward and your core (abs) may also be weak as a result. There are a number of exercises and stretches I have to do to help correct this. Building a strong core is extremely important to help correct this. Some of the exercises I have to do (along with my regular training) include:
Bridges, Bird Dogs, Hip Flexor Stretches and Leg Swings.

Supine Bridges

(More core exercises/stretches are below in the Video Bar)
Apparently Anterior Pelvic Tilts are very common and often causes the stomach pooch so many people have and try to get rid off. Often people will just do crunches to get rid of the stomach pooch and crunches will help strengthen the core, which will help correct the pelvic tilt, but it may not be enough. The pelvic tilt is often caused by just sitting too much and today's sedentary lifestyle. Also those infomercial gadgets will not help either. Basically, if your body fat is too high you will not be able to see your nice, tight, strong core.

I have always longed for a six pack and unfortunately I didn't even get one for my last competition when my body fat was at it's lowest. Maybe I'll get one this time, but it may not be in my genes, since hereditary plays a large role. So, I'll just be happy to get rid of my pooch and belly fat.

Live healthy and train hard!

Day 43 - Always Possibilities

I did it...I did 60 minutes of cardio today and it wasn't too bad. Can you believe it? It was over before I knew it!

Yesterday I had a killer leg workout. I had a difficult time walking out of the gym and after I put my food meals for today, I showered and went right to sleep. My goal was to practice my poses but I stood in front of the mirror and couldn't do it. I was beat!

I am totally on "Lock Down" falling Tony's program to a "T".

I've complied a list of 6 signs that you need a new personal trainer:

1. His gym consists of only pick and purple 1 and 3 pound dumbbells.
2. He idolizes Richard Simmons and dresses just like him.
3. His programs are named "The Paris Hilton Body" and the "Nicole Richie Body".
4. He supplement recommendations includes Chinese Herbal Tea. He insists that it is a must because there are no fat Chinese people!
5. He makes you do 40 reps of every exercise using the 1 and 3 pink and purple dumbbells and tells you that it is perfectly okay to gain muscle because a pound of fat weights more than a pound of muscle.
6. He repetitively plays in the background while training you "Let's get Physical" by Olivia Newton John.
7. At your first consultation, he tells you that you already look great and "why do you need a personal trainer?" This actually happened to me once.

Day 50 - Age is not a factor...Condition is!

Yike! Only 50 days until my competition. The weather was beautiful today, so I went to the track to do my cardio. I ran the track and the bleachers. Tony had me increase my cardio and you all know how much I love cardio (maybe if I say I love it, I will start believing it and will enjoy it more!). Today I also worked my abs, I've got to work hard at getting that 6 pack because that's where I carry a lot of my fat. I visualized that 6 pack throughout my workout.
I have been eating clean all week, it's a must at this point.

Today's quote "Age is not a factor, condition is" is from an interview I read by a fitness competitor who was over 40 years. This comment is so true.. I think for the most part people make judgements based on age or start believing that they cannot do something because they are too old. If you start believing something it becomes true. Dara Torres, a 41 year old woman broke a record in the Olympic trials and her age was made such a big issue. The media immediately brought up steroids use. Now I am not saying that she cannot be using steroids, but I think the assumption should not be made that because she is old, then she must be using steroids. I seriously doubt if she was 22 it would have been such an issue.

Throughout time man have been looking for the "Fountain of Youth". Maybe if people didn't focus so much on getting old, and limited themselves because of their age, then they would feel more youthful. Instead of focusing on what you cannot do, believe that you can because "Age is not the factor, but condition is!

Day 54 - Perfection Lies Within...

I am down to my last 54 days and now I have to work even harder to train hard and eat clean. I have to tell myself "Don't give up". Instead I have to work hard and remember that this competition is all about competing with myself. We often compare ourselves to others and think 'she has nicer ___ (you can fill in the body part with whatever you want) than I do'. It's not about all of that, it's all about being the best that you can be! We all know how subjective this sport is, but if you know that you worked your "butt off" (no pun intended), and did all that you could possible do then you will feel great when you get up on stage. I learned from my first show that presentation is also a big part of competing. I was so terrified of getting on stage for my first show that my presentation was not the best that it could be. One of my goals of my first show was just getting on stage and it was a fear I had to overcome.
The phrase "Perfection Lies Within" to me means that knowing and believing that you gave it your all, that you did all that you can do.

Day 61 - Use it or Lose It!

Use it or lose it, clearly applies to fitness and working out.

Have you ever stopped working out or doing a particular exercise and then you try to do it months later only to find out that it's not as easy as it was, or that you can no longer do as many. I really notice this when I haven't done "body weight pull-ups" for a while. I tried doing body weight pull-ups last week, and I could only do 3 or 4 and last year I did between 7 and 10. That really sucks! But the good news is "Human cells have a fitness memory of about 3 years. Amazingly, if you adopt a fit lifestyle now, within 3 years, your body will behave as if you've been fit your entire life". I just read this in a magazine and that is good news for those who are couch potatoes and want to be fit but have not done so for whatever reason. This may also explain why once you start exercising again, you quickly get to where you left off. It is so much easier than if you have never exercised.

Training:
Today is a much needed rest day for me. Friday and Saturday I had gruelling workouts. On Friday I had a back workout and on Saturday, biceps and triceps. My back is one of my favourite body parts to train and biceps not so favourites. I never seem to be able to see a change in my biceps. My back was extremely sore from Friday's workout and my arms were sore as well, I am not sure why but it may have been from practicing my poses. My goal was to do extra cardio but I was really hungry after lifting so I went home and my goal was to go back to the gym later in the day to do extra cardio but I was really tired and really didn't feel like going back. I learned that when my body needs rest.
I did pretty good eating clean all week. My downfall is fruit, and I did eat some cherries. Cherries are not necessarily bad but they are not on my current meal plan. But they were so good. I enjoyed them more than that cheesecake last week.

Day 68 - Imagination

The imagination exercises a powerful influence over every act of sense, thought, reason,-- over every idea.

Today is my rest day and I am always thankful for rest days. I had a great 4 of July weekend. Tony, my trainer told me that I could have a cheat day and I was so excited but I was having a difficult time trying to figure out what to eat. There wasn't anything I really craved and I finally decided on cheesecake. It was weird, I was disappointed after eating it. I had this apple struedel cheesecake from the Cheesecake factory and it was so sweet. I think I should have just have had a slice of plain NY style cheesecake. I almost did not want to have a cheat day because I took progress pics and and I was happy with my progress (that doesn't happen too often), so I didn't want to ruin my progress, but I figured that 1 slice of cheesecake isn't going to mess me up!
Training:
On Friday I went to the track to run sprints and up the bleachers. The sprints were really tough but I gave it my all, and imagined that I was running for the gold in the Olympics. That stuff really helps me through my workouts. Yesterday, I did intervals on the bike and I imagined that I was riding on the Tour de France. What can I say, I have a pretty good imagination! Running sprints makes me so sore, my calves and quads in particular. I don't like running long distance but I'll do the sprints anyday.

Day 75 - No Excuses!

We have all heard this "I wish I had time to workout, how do you find the time to workout, I don't have time to cook", I need to lose weight etc, etc, etc. Honestly, I don't usually respond to comments like this because my comment is not what they will want to hear. I hear excuses after excuses. Some of the excuses I've heard from friends and acquaintances include..."Michigan made me fat" apparently since she moved to Michigan she gained weight, therefore, Michigan made her fat? A co-worker told me that her company made her gain weight because there is always food in the lunch room?
Sadly, people are in denial and then they expect a magic pill to instantly give them the body they want.
I think one of the greatest feelings is to accomplish a goal and just being able to say "I did it". Whatever the goal may be. There is a sense of accomplishment that engulfs your entire body, and for me it's a natural high and sometimes relief to know that you did it, and may not have to ever do it again. Sometimes it's to set another bigger goal because you have finally come to the realization that you can attain a bigger goal and the smaller goal was just a stepping stone. No matter what you want, just remember that you can do it and that Needing something and wanting something are really different!

Faith is the Absence of Fear!

I used to be very fearful and my husband once said to me "you can't have faith and fear at the same time"! I thought about it and realized that he was right, I could not be fearful and have faith at the same time and I always thought I had faith! If I really believed in myself and really believed in positive outcomes I could not be fearful. When I thought about it, I thought of the many things I was fearful of and how I overcame them. I always had the "what if" thought in the my head which prevented me from doing. I remember I had a difficult time learning how to swim (everyone in my family could swim except me) and it was because the thought I had was "what if I sink to he bottom, and what if I drowned". One day I just had to actually believe that I would float and when I did I surprised myself, but my thought before I actually did it was that I could do it.

I am sometimes asked why I decided to compete. One of the reasons was to overcome the fear of getting on stage. I figured that with all the hard work of training, I had to do it and I did overcome my fear of getting on stage. If I could get on stage in a bikini I would overcome that fear.

Day 79 - They can because they think they can.

Well I am back from South Beach. It was great, the beach was great, the water was great and we had a wonderful time. I did attend the Fitness Universe on both days. I really enjoyed the Fitness portion of the competition. The girl who won, Sherri Vurrick, looked great and had a wonderful routine. She really stood out from the rest of the girls, so I would have been really surprised if she had not won. It was quite an interesting experience, mainly because the show was so big with so many competitors. We didn't stay for the entire Musclemania portion because some of the routines started to get boring after a while because they seemed so long.

I was so happy to be on the beach and get some sun. My husband and I went to the gym every morning. There was a Gold's less than 2 miles away that we walked to. I did pretty good eating clean and staying on the program for the most part. We had a kitchenette in our room, unfortunately we didn't have a stove, so I actually made scrambled eggs in the microwave. I must say though, the Mojitos looked really good and were tempting.

I am happy to be back and since my competition is only 79 days away, I have to be extremely disciplined. Yesterday I had a leg workout and it felt great. I increased my squats to 145lbs and also increased my leg extensions. I am starting to like leg extensions, mainly because I am seeing such an increase in my strength in this area.
On Monday I had a shoulder and bicep workout and it was extremely long. I don't necessarily like long workouts, and makes it worst when I have to wait for the weights. Although I went to the gym pretty late and it wasn't really crowded, there was this woman monopolizing the 30lb barbell. One of my pet peeves is people who stand around talking and monopolizing gym equipment. She was just standing with the 30lb barbell next to her in an upright position and would proceed to use it ever 5 minutes or so. Needless to say, I had to change my workout and do barbell curls last because she held on to the barbell through my entire workout. I was getting irate and had decided that I would ask her for it when I needed it, but she finally placed it back on the rack. Oops I forgot to mention that this woman was wearing a sequin tank top at the gym. I seriously had to do a double take when I saw that. Wh the heck wears sequin to the gym?

Day 87 - Progress is great. I feel good, just like I should!

Yesterday's leg workout was a killer. Tony had me doing a lot of high reps. I have a love/hate relationship with high reps. I hate doing them but I love all I feel when it's over and the sense of accomplishment. Stepsups and lift lunges on the Smith Machine are the worst or best because they sure can work that butt and legs. I also did some Leg Presses and I was able to press 270 lbs which is a record for me.

I am really excited that this is a short week for me at work. I am taking Thursday, Friday and Monday off and we will be heading to South Beach Miami. We will be attending the Fitness Universe contest and that should be exciting. I will try to remember to take a lot of pictures to post on here.

Strange but true! I actually saw this woman (she was not a senior citizen) using the Leg Press Machine with 30 lbs and she was not pressing one leg at a time. How ridiculous was that? I really, really, really wanted to take a picture of her to post it but my gym recently banned cameras.

Another example of the myth that heavy weights will make you have big bulging muscles. Really though, 30 lbs on the leg press machine? This woman was also telling a trainer at the gym that she wanted to lose weight. The trainer told her that she didn't need to lose any weight, and he is absolutely correct since she is already thin. It is just terrible how society has just gone to extremes. There are so many obese people who need to lose weight and they are not, and then there are skinny people who just want to get thin an aneroxic looking. Where is the happy medium? Yesterday I saw a preview of some show on television (not sure what it was), maybe Oprah. The show was about a 10 year old who weighed over 400 lbs and how she lost 300 lbs. That's just crazy!

Make a Few Changes~Solve a Few Problems~Enjoy your Life!

My legs are already sore from yesterday's leg workout. I increased some of my weights yesterday and I felt strong which was odd because I didn't feel like working out. I dragged myself to the gym and was tired before my workout but afterwards I was fine.

Workout Myths/Problems:

Women who lift weights will get big bulging muscles. It just about drives me crazy when women think that lifting any weigh over 5lbs will cause them to get big? That is so not true. I've been lifting weights for years and if that was the case, I would be huge. It's so difficult for women to add muscle mass, therefore it's okay to lift more than 5lb dumbbells. Women, get rid of the pink 1 pound dumbbells, they are useless and a waste of your time. Your purses probably weight more than a pound so why would you want to waste time lifting 1 pound.

Spot Reducing. I see this and hear this all the time on those infomercials that if you purchase this gadget, and do a million crunches, situps etc, you will get nice flat abs and even a six pack! So doing crunches, situps, etc and working out your abs is great and it will strengthen your midsection but it will be pretty difficult to see a six pack under layers of fat. Believe me I know, since this is where I store most of my fat.

It's better to workout on an empty stomach. It sort of makes sense because you really don't want to workout right after eating but I remember the Body for Life program emphasized that it was best to workout first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. If I worked out on an empty stomach my energy level would be too low and I would be too lightheaded. I cannot speak for anyone else but I find it extremely difficult to workout on an empty stomach. My husband can do it (but he can also go all day without eating which I can't do).

Day 94 - We actually change the things we see by changing the way we see them

I have been focusing on visualization every chance I get. Positive visualization of course. I visual how I want my body to look and the changes I want to see. Today I had a chest workout, I never really liked working my chest, mainly because it seems to be an insignificant body part. Think about it, for women, no one really says to a woman, you have a nice chest. They will say, "you have nice abs, legs, arms etc, but never really chest. Now, I like working out my chest because I now have a goal to increase my bench press. I can now bench close to 100lbs. I am not sure for how many reps, but I know I can do 95lbs therefore I know I can bench 100. Soon I will be able to bench my body weight.

Last weekend I attended the competition I originally intended to compete in and I am glad that I didn't compete in it. I think I would have done well, but it was way smaller than I anticipated, and the trophys were really boring.

Tomorrow I get to train my legs another fav body part to train.

Day 99 - "Not to go out and do your best is to sacrifice the gift" - Steve Prefontaine

Are carbs essential to a diet or not? This was a debate on the Oxygen forum and some of the statements made were pretty funny. This girl insisted that carbs are not necessary at all in a diet. I think people often forget that fruits and vegetables are carbohydrates because why else would you say that carbs are not necessary? The body can survive without carbs but it would not be very healthy. I cannot imagine life without fruits and vegetables. Major lack of fiber and vitamins and minerals. Can we say constipation?

On another note, I am thankful that tomorrow is Friday. I work with this woman who is so negative that she drives me nuts. I couldn't believe it, she was actually complaining that the July 4th holiday falls on a Friday. Her reasoning is that she wants all holidays to be on a Monday? I don't get it, I was thankful that it was on a Friday and not sometime in the middle of the week. I usually stay away from negative people but I am not sure how to with her because she works with me and stops by my office to chat and talks and talks and talks and all I do is half listen. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Day ??? Best time to Work Out?

My countdown clock changed again! I decided to go to the OCB website to look at the venue for my competition and I noticed that the date was changed to September 13. I thought it was my mistake but when I looked on the Oxygen website they had the old date posted, which explained it all. I am not disappointed because it will give me an opportunity to visit Toronto in August and most of all it will give me an opportunity to train longer with Tony and take 1st place!

I usually workout in the evenings after work. I am not a morning person and cannot workout (particularly lifting weights) first thing in the morning. I find that my energy level is greater in the afternoon/evening therefore, years ago when everyone was jumping on the "morning workout is best" bandwagon I resisted and thought that was a bunch of crap!
Since I cannot seem to fit all in the day to go to bed early and my goal is to get more sleep, a few evenings after work I've been taking naps (only 10-20 minutes) before going to the gym. It's weird but my naps have helped and I find that I am a bit stronger (I am hoping it's not my imagination).
So the question is when is the best time to workout? I would have to say is when you feel like it is best for you. Some people like getting it out of the way and prefer to workout in the morning. If I had to workout in the morning consistently, I probably would never workout (maybe cardio but not lifting, my muscles take a long time to wake up). I was so happy that when I found Tony he didn't tell me that I have to workout in the morning.

On another note, last night at the gym I heard a guy say..."fat weighs more than muscle". I cannot for the life of me understand why someone would think that 1 pound of fat would weigh more than 1 pound of muscle??? A pound is a pound for heaven's sake, and this guy was going someone advice.

Day 69 - "I Believe"

I don't know where this time is going but it's 69 days until the big day. I am training hard and eating clean. I was having doubts last week as to whether I will be ready and happy with the way I look for the big day but I spoke to Tony and he feels that I will be ready, actually he feel like I can win 1st place.

Today I trained my biceps, triceps and abs and I am beat. I also work up this morning and went to the track to run. I did 20 and 30 second sprints (those are so tough), I also ran up and walked down the bleachers. My plan is to do this every weekend. My husband came with me and mostly ran and did some spints. He suggested that we also try to do some suicides next month.

My plan is to work out intensely every workout and focus on the "mind body connection" and visualization. During yesterday's workout I listened to the same song over and over while I did deadlifts. I really don't like doing deadlifts and I had to do 20 and 15 reps, which I really don't like too much. This song motivates me and it helps when I listen to it. The song is called "Am going all the Way", I also have another called "I believe". Those two songs always gives me an extra push when I am working out. I found this out when I was training for my last competition. One day I was working out and I was beat and "I believe" came in my IPod and I just got this extra energy that I didn't know I had. I wish I had more songs like that. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. I need to get some new music on my IPod. I find that when I am doing cardio, listening to really fast soca helps my intensity. It's the West Indian background in me that loves listening to soca.

Day 71 - Attitude is Everything

Attitude is everything!

Yesterday I got home and I took a 10 minute nap. I then went to the gym and I had a great energy for my cardio workout and I just felt like running. It was weird. I felt great and I am not a cardio person but I got into The Zone and didn't feel like doing 1 minute intervals but just kept on running.

I've have to start practice my posing everyday now. Practice, Practice, Practice.!

Day 72 - The Power of Love & Gratitude Will Dissolve all Negativity in Your Life

It was wonderful to have a long weekend this past weekend. I did not accomplish everything I wanted to, but I was able to sleep in late. Waking up early is one of the things I really don't like about working. I am not a morning person and waking up at 7:30 to go to work is difficult for me.

I try to express gratitude each day as much as possible because there are so many things for me to be thankful for. One of the number 1 things I am thankful for is my great health, because great health is so important! My husband asked me this weekend if I had the same amount of energy I had when I was younger and I had to say yes. I feel great and I really don't remember how much energy I had as a child and I cannot compare it to when I was a kid, but I am happy to say that my energy levels feels the same all throughout my adult years. I do think that if I had NOT remained active and didn't workout and didn't eat well, then I would probably feel tired and lazy etc, etc.

So it's now 72 days before my next competition. I wish I felt that I had progressed more. I know that I am stronger but I don't feel any improvement from my last competition. Actually, I feel smaller. My husband tells me that I gained some muscle in my back and that my back got bigger but I don't see it. I do feel it a bit, since I now buy a size 8 jacket and the size 4 and 6 jackets I have feel tight across the back. My pants are all the same size and size 4 are all too big. Urrgg! I want more muscles!

Day 78 - Today is a great day!

Everyday I try to think as positive thoughts as possible. Some days it's more difficult to do than some, and at times I have to talk to myself (sometimes out loud, my psych professor said it was okay as long as I don't answer back :), and "say stop the negative thoughts". I tend to be a positive person and try to stay away from negative people and their negative energies.

My sister sent me an interesting email earlier this month and it was called Water vs Coke? I've seen this article before but it was some years ago and thought I should put some of this info in my Blog. I won't even post the benefits of drinking water because I think the benefits of drinking water is a no-brainer. I don't think we need a study to figure out that water is good for you, duh! So now about Coke, first off, I am bias because I've never really liked soda and stopped drinking coke when I was in high school after a weird science project that I can't even remember. But did you know...

#1. In many states the highway patrol carries two gallons of Coke in the trunk to remove blood fromthe highway after a car accident.
#2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Coke and it will be gone in two days. (sorry I've never tried it and since I don't eat steak I wouldn't know.
#3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and let the 'real thing' sit for one hour,then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous China . I've not tried this one either, but the next time I come across a can of coke I just might take it home just to try it since I wouldn't buy coke just to throw my money down the toilet.
#4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of ReynoldsWrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.
#6. To loosen a rusted bolt: Apply a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes.
FOR YOUR INFORMATION:#1. the active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. It will dissolve a nail in about four days. Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major contributor to the rising increase of osteoporosis. #2. To carry Coca-Cola syrup! (the concentrate) the commercial trucks must use a hazardous Material place cards reserved for highly corrosive materials.#3. The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean engines of the trucks for about 20 years!
Okay, now a disclaimer, as mentioned before I have not tried any of the above and I don't know if they are just Urban Legends and since I don't drink the stuff I could care less since it won't be messing with my body, but for those who do drink Coke, something to think about, or not?

Day 79 - Don't expect to look like a fox if you eat like a pig

So it's day 70 and one of my old trainer would say during spin class "you got to sweat like a pig, if you want to look like a fox", I modified it slightly to "you can't eat like a pig, if you want to look like a fox"

So far so good, I've had a 100% clean eating day. My legs are still sore from Monday's leg workout but it's "all good"!

I was falling asleep at work today, I need to start getting to bed earlier. My goal for tonight is to get to bed by 11:30, wish me luck. I don't have to do extra cardio tonight which means I might be able to get out of the gym in 60 minutes or less.

This woman I work with said something really crazy today. She is always telling me stories and she is so clueless that I can't even begin to correct her. So she comes into my office and mentions that she had a headache and said it was because she ate a carb! First of all, I am not sure how it is possible to eat only one carb? What she actually ate was 2 cinnamon rolls and she actually thinks that 2 cinnamon rolls is a carb? She proceeded to tell me she has been eating all this fruit...as if fruit aren't carbs, or as she put it "a carb". It amazes me the ignorance people have around nutrition, nutrients etc. And you wonder why such a large amount of American's are overweight. People need to start to educate themselves about nutrition and stop listening to this study and that study. I am so sick and tired of the media every week regurgitating some crap about a new study. What they often fail to tell you is who the study is paid by. Come on, think about it a diary manufacturer will pay for "a study" to tell me that margarine is bad and butter is better because their study can prove it. Right!

Day 80 - Discipline is the Bridge between Goals & Accomplishments

Discipline is going to be soooo important for the next 80 days. I usually don't have problems with working out, that's the easy part...the difficult part is eating clean for the next 80 days. Yup, I said it, and put it in writing for everyone to see, now I have to LIVE it. I am going to eat clean for the next 80 days unless Tony tells me otherwise. In addition, I am going to try to report every single day on here and that will include any cheats or changes to my food plan.

On Friday I purchased some Swarovski crystals for my suit. I love my suit, this is the second suit I purchased from Lidia and she she makes good quality suits and she doesn't keep you waiting. When I placed my order, she told me right away when it would be sent and she sent it on exactly that day. Now I have to figure out a design. My husband is going to help me with the design. BTW her website is http://www.lidiaconti-bodywear.com/

Yesterday I worked out my legs and my workout took forever because there was this guy using the Leg Press like forever, and he had 975lbs on that sucker. Mondays is the busiest day at my gym and it happens to be the day I work my legs, it's annoying having to wait for the machines. My husband and I just joined a new gym but it's not yet open and will not open until late summer. I cannot wait, it's going to be open 24hours. Yeah to that!

I have an interesting story to tell...on Saturday the music was extremely loud at my gym so I asked the guy at the desk to turn it down. I actually saw him turn it down, but when I walked back to the free weights area the music was still extremely loud and it was annoying. So later on at the end of my workout, he walked over to me and apologized because he didn't realize I was talking about the music in the free weights area so he turned down the music in the cardio area. The nerve, he must have thought that because I was female, I must be doing cardio like some cardio bunny. I've got nothing against cardio bunnies but I am NOT a cardio bunny.

Today I am training my shoulders, my favorite body part to train because I am working on building my shoulders particularly my shoulder caps. I am also going to do extra cardio.

Day 87 - We must become the change we want to see

Yeah, I am so excited, I received my suit on Friday and it looks great. It's so difficult to make a purchases on-line. I am absolutely happy with the colour. I was concerned that it would look different and it would not be the right shade. Now I have to put the stones on it. I decided to stone it myself since it's cheaper. I stoned my suit last year and I did a good job so I figured why not. Suits are so crazy expensive!
I've been lifting heavy, last night I worked out my legs and I increased all of my weights and still felt good. I love to workout legs except for those dreaded leg extensions. Today is a shoulder workout, an area where much improvement is needed so I usually work them hard.
Today I am grateful that it's a beautiful, sunny day.

Day 94 - You can set yourself up to be sick, or you can choose to stay well.

Okay, time is not going backwards...
It's now Day 94 because I decided that I am not going to compete in the June 7th show but instead I am going to do the OCB Presidential Cup on Auugst 9th. There are several reasons for the change:
Number 1 - I want to be the best I can be when I get on stage.
Number 2 - Since I just started working with Tony, I want to see more progress and to see what changes can be done. It seems that Tony is going to have me do way more cardio, which I absolutely hate.
Number 3 - I was able to attend the OCB Presidential Cup last year so I have an idea of what my competition would like like. The show I was going to do, I have no idea who I am up against. Knowing your competition certainly helps.
Number 4 - I would like to work on my shoulders more, I want that shoulder cap.

Day 38

I cannot believe that it's only 38 days away already! I am still on the fence about competing in June. I did notice that there is another comp in August, but I really want to do the one in June so I am still preparing for it. I was hoping to go to see a comp last weekend but we went out of town because my husband had a death in the family, and we went to the funeral. It was nice to get away but I really want to get away to a beach somewhere.
Today I am happy for all my blessings. I was really stressed at work today but I cannot complain.
I received an email from Tanji Johnson today telling me that she is moving to Alameda, my old neighbourhood. Tanji Johnson is a professional Fitness Competitor and she is now on the Gladiators. I cannot believe that now that I am no longer there, she moves into my old neighbourhood! I would love to take a posing class with her.
So far so good, I had a clean eating day today. We had brownies at work and I sooooo wanted to eat a brownie bite. But I resisted temptation!

Day 45 - “Do it now! Today will be yesterday tomorrow.” – E. C. McKenzie

I have been so busy training hard, eating clean, and all the hard work and preparation that goes into all the cooking. My husband started eating clean so he has been eating my food, which means that I have to cook way more food. Although it's more work I cannot complain because he is not eating junk food.

I attended a posing class on Sunday and it was helpful, not as helpful as I had hoped but I was not disappointed that I went. I received some positive encouragement from the girls. I was considering putting off my comp until later this year but they recommended that I compete in June because I would ready since I am already pretty lean. I don't usually have a problem with getting lean, I wanted to be bigger for my next comp and I am not sure if I will be. 45 days until the big day.

My goal is to eat clean for the next week...to eat exactly as planned. I had sweet cravings yesterday and had a dark Lindt mint chocolate truffle. Only one!

Day 50

I am not a full speed today because I didn't get enough sleep last night. I couldn't get to bed because I was so tired and it took me some time to wind down. Getting at least 7.5 hours of sleep each night is so important for me for so many reasons. I just feel better and can function better with more sleep. In addition, I need sleep in order for my body to grow (muscles of course, since I am not going to get any taller).

I was and still am considering putting off my competition and selecting a competition later in the year. This will allow me to be bigger. I definitely want to be bigger for my next competition and I am not sure if that will happen. I have a posing class this weekend, yeah! It should be interesting.

My training and meals have been going very well. As long as I don't get hungry, then I won't have cravings. I made the mistake of going to Safeway when I was hungry...I didn't get anything that I shouldn't eat but the Lindt chocolate sure looked good.

I helped my sister with a food plan about a month ago, and since then she has lost some weight! I don't know how much she has lost so far and that is not important. What is important is that her clothes are getting too big! I don't know why people focus so much on weight. You can have 2 people (let's say they are identical twins) and they can weight the exact same amount, but the one who has more muscle mass will look a heck of a lot smaller than some one with more fat.

So, we all know that a pound of fat weighs the same as a pound of muscle – weight is, after all, weight – the two materials simply occupy far different space. The pound of fat will look like a lot more matter than the dense pound of lean tissue, as each pound of fat is THREE TIMES the volume of a pound of lean tissue.
So my goal is to be about 120 lbs but to have more leaner muscle!