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.