May Plan

I received my May nutrition and training plan last night. I have to admit, the programs and diet are getting more intense and will require much more discipline and commitment. After the last few weeks I've had, I'm ready to turn things around and really hit this hard!

My goals this month are to increase lean muscle mass and reduce body fat. I'm to follow my nutrition plan very strictly. No sugar, no refined carbs and no alcohol (thank goodness my girls' night out is tonight and this plan starts Monday! LOL!) Kelly has designed 6 meals a day for me and they are very specific to what my body needs at that time of day. I'm to eat the same meals at the same time of day as close as possible. Each meal has variations of items that can be "swapped" but overall its very strict.

I'm also starting a supplement regimen of L-glutamine, L-Carnitine, BCAA: Optimum 5000, EFA's Optimum Fish Oil and a Multivitamin I'm busting my tail in the gym and I'm just not seeing the muscle development that I had anticipated, so hopefully these supplements will aide in muscle recovery.

My workouts are now going to a 3 day split of legs/glutes, back/chest, and shoulders/arms with cardio 2 days a week for 20 minutes high intensity followed by abs and cardio 2 days a week at steady state.

I'm excited about the new strength training program. There are some new exercises and with the days changing up a bit, I think I'm really going to feel a good burn and see some big changes!

So, new month, new diet, new plan and all I need to do now is keep my motivation up and focus on my goals!

Thank You

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for all the support, compliments and encouragement! Special thanks to:

Kelly G.- I couldn't do this without you! I appreciate all your support, efforts and dedication to help me reach my goals successfully!

Kelly R.- Thanks for telling me you follow my blog! That means the world to me and I'm thrilled that you put my competition date on your calendar! Love you!

Lisa- You're the best workout buddy ever! I love our time we spend together. Thank you for being consistent and sharing your health and fitness goals with me! You're one hot mama!

LeAnne- Thanks for sharing your success with me! I'm so proud of you and I'm happy that we can share our experiences together!

Lolly- It really means the world to me that you post on my blog and offer so much support and encouragement! I miss you and love you lots!

My Marty- I love you. Thanks for always cheering me on, pushing me to the limits, supporting my dreams and helping me to be successful. Our life has been blessed and I'm forever thankful for your love and support. (Not to mention you make my breakfast every.single.morning!)

Hanging In There

Whew! I feel so much better! I had a pretty good workout on Saturday; I really felt the burn in my biceps and triceps! I rested Sunday and Monday and then started back with Chest, Back and Abs this morning. My energy level and attitude has been low for the last several days, and even though I was weaker this morning, I was able to complete a hard workout and leave feeling satisfied with my efforts.

After speaking with Kelly on Sunday, we came to the conclusion that we had cut out too many carbs from my diet and that I may need to look into some more supplements for May. My immune system is down, my energy level is way down and my mood is down. Kelly wants me having a carb with every meal again this week to see how that affects me. Hopefully that does some good!

I still have about 15 weeks out until the competition so I need to be sure that I stay motivated and focused. I need to be careful not to overtrain or drain my body. This entire process is challenging; any transformation would be, but I know the reward is totally worth it!

For now, I'm just hanging in there, trying to figure out a good nutrition plan and stay on track with my workouts. :o)

Resting Up

Today is the first day in a long time that I will have missed a workout. I'm technically not "missing" it, I'm just swithching things up by taking another rest day today and working out tomorrow (my regular rest day). I've had a hard week mentally and I just needed to take some time today to get a few things off my plate. I'll be ready to hit it tomorrow; Marty is going to go with me to the gym and help push me.

I wanted to really focus on my attitude today. I've been feeling a little down and I needed to just take some time to think about my goals, respect the work that I've already put into this and recognize that I am 100% in control of how I feel and react to my life and the world around me. Easier said than done.

I went for a massage this morning, I'm taking my daughter out for ice cream after school and I'm planning on spending some real quality time with my family this weekend. I'm resting up and working hard to not sweat the small stuff!

Stress Sucks

If I had to name one element of this entire process that keeps me from being my best it would hands down be STRESS. For the most part, I'm super motivated and feeling really great about everything that I'm doing. I'm seeing a steady progression in my work (sometimes it feels like its not happening fast enough), I feel good about working out, I'm loving my nutrition plan and overall, I'm really happy with everything.

Then that nasty feeling of stress/anxiety creeps in and I'm totally derailed! During this journey of health and fitness, I'm not just working on what I am on the outside, I'm equally pouring diligent efforts to change who I am on the inside. I want to be the confident, self-assured person that I pose to be every day. The truth is, in 2009, I hit an all time low when it came to my confidence, self-esteem and inner strength. I made a lot of mistakes both personally and professionally. I'm haunted by those mistakes every day.

Simple fact: Stress Sucks

Its sucks the life out of you! It rips away motivation and focus and just leaves one feeling completely deflated! Today's workout, I felt "flat". I couldn't do the weights that I was doing just last week for the same exercises. I was slower, sluggish, heavy. I attribute it to a crappy week, high stress and hard knocks (I even got called for jury duty this week!)

The beauty of this journey is that I'm giving myself a complete make-over! I can't change the past, but I can certainly direct my life from this day forward! I do feel stronger, more confident, more in control and so much better about myself and my life. Working out helps relieve stress and focusing on my health and fitness gives me a tangible goal to work towards that gives visual results!

Tomorrow is a new day. Deep breaths; focus on the good and just keep chugging along.

Tears of Joy

I saw a number on the scale today that I haven't seen since before I had kids. I know I'm not supposed to lose anymore weight, but I realized today, that I have finally hit my goal weight and even if I never lost another pound, I'm completely thrilled with where I am! It's been 10 months and I've lost 40lbs! I can't believe it! It just goes to show that you can conquer anything if you put your mind to it and get it done!

I have been smiling all day; and I think people noticed it! I got tons of compliments and comments on how tiny my waist is and how thin and tone I'm looking! Its like everyone was standing in my bathroom with me this morning as I stepped on the scale! How did they know?!?!? Ha ha ha!

I'm going to hang out at this weight for now and I know that I'll lose more as I get closer to the competition date. I will be honest though, I would be happy if I stopped now. I would be completely content if I just maintained this and didn't do the competition...except for this incredible desire to finish what I started and get on that stage and shout (or think) to the world (the judges) "Go ahead and judge me! I've worked damn hard!" :o)

I will admit, I got teary this morning. Over lunch my husband and I did the math and when I realized that I've actually lost 40 LBS, I just felt like bursting with pride. I feel almost boastful, but I've worked so hard...I can't help it!

"I am the captain of my fate, I am the master of my soul!" That quote rings so true today; I am absolutely capable of anything I put my mind to!

A Few Changes and Time to Start Prepping...

Well, after 2 weeks on my new plan, I've continued to lose weight. I spoke with Kelly tonight and she doesn't really want to see me losing any more weight at this point. I'm supposed to be losing fat, but building muscle so I should be maintaining the weight/mass. I've lost about 5lbs in two weeks and I'm not really seeing much muscle definition. Boo.

I'm cutting my cardio down from 5 days to only 2 days (High Intensity Interval Training) and 1 day steady cardio. No more than 20 minutes cardio each day. Kelly wants to work on my nutrition plan too, so I'll see some changes in the next few days for that as well.

This is a current progression picture; overall, I'm happy with how I'm progressing, but I'm hoping with the changes that I see a little more muscle definition/mass and that I can "fill out" a bit more. I also desperately need a tan! (please excuse the black heels; hopefully I will have my clear competition heels for the next set of pictures!)

Currently, I'm on a 1600 calorie fat loss diet and its going really well. I'm still eating 6 meals a day and I'm never hungry. I recognize that I'm fueling my body with the necessary nutrition to feed my muscles but limit fats and sugars. A normal day for me is as follows:

Breakfast
1/2 Oatmeal or Whole Wheat tortilla or English Muffin
4 egg whites scrambled

Post Workout:
Whey Shake with
Banana
1 Tbsp Peanut Butter

(I alternate my breakfast and post workout meals)

Lunch:
3 oz lean protein
Salad with Oil and Vinegar or
Whole Wheat Tortilla or Sandwich Rounds with lean protein and lettuce, tomato and onion

Snack:
Protein Bar or Apple and Greek Yogurt
Almonds

Dinner:

4 oz lean protein; usually grilled. I like a variety of seasonings/spices, salsa and hot sauce
veggies (not starchy); my favorites are steamed broccoli or green beans. I also love spinach salads for dinner.

Late night snack:
Casein Shake (water not milk)

I'm excited to see what kind of changes there will be, but I'm expecting her to just add some healthy fats and a little more carbs.

As I get closer to competition its time to start prepping. I've ordered my competition shoes (http://www.sheervanity.com/footwear_0613.htm) so that I can start practicing walking and posing with them. Kelly will be helping me in the upcoming weeks showing me the proper way to walk and pose (while staying flexed) She said that I will be SORE! When I'm about 10 weeks out, I'll attend group posing classes on Sundays. I hope that working with Kelly before hand at least gives me some confidence and knowledge so that I don't look like a total goober at my first class!

I'm going to go ahead and start shopping for a competition suit http://www.lidiaconti-bodywear.com/ , even though I won't order it until I'm about 6-8 weeks out. They have to take my measurements and create the suit for my body so I want to wait until I'm very very close to what I will look like at competition time. I've decided that I want to go with either a purple or blue suit; I think those colors look best on my skin. As I learn more about my competition I'll find out if I need a bikini only or a bikini and a one piece. I'm hoping I only need the bikini because the suits are not cheap!

So that's my update for this week. I've got to keep my motivation up, but I'm having a ton of fun and really loving what I'm doing for myself and my body.

Delicious Breakfast!

I had the best breakfast this morning, so I wanted to share!

2 scrambled egg whites

ground turkey (seasoned with a little taco/fajita seasoning)

fresh baby spinach

whole wheat tortilla

tsp salsa

simple breakfast burrito, but it was GOOD!!! So filling and full of flavor. I don't do this often, because the seasoning and salsa are loaded with sodium and I don't want to over do it. I actually prefer the taste of a whole wheat tortilla (it's almost a little sweet) and the baby spinach just tastes so clean and not as watery as lettuce. I could only eat one and I was STUFFED. Such a great breakfast and under 300 calories!

A Whole New Wardrobe

Let me just say that I am so glad that I held on to all my "skinny girl clothes". I'm back down to a weight I haven't seen since before having kids and it feels pretty darn good to walk into my closets and pick ANYTHING out and it fit or better yet (they are a little loose!). No longer do I struggle to find something to wear or something that I feel "comfortable" or "confident" in. I feel like I am putting together new outfits every single day because I'm pulling clothes out that I haven't worn in years (thank God most of it is timeless and still fashionable!)

Last weekend, at the beach house, I went through a ton of spring/summer clothes and brought up an entire suitcase of shorts, capris, and tops that I haven't worn since my days of just dating my husband! They all fit so well and now that I have the "mama curves" I think that they look even better! Today, I slid into a pair of jeans that have been sitting in the "donate" pile for almost 4 years. Not only did I easily slip them on, but I have a little space between my thighs! How's that for an ego boost!?!?!

I want to purge all my "big girl" clothes. I want to burn them and promise to never look back! It is certainly a huge motivator to not gain the weight back. I'll keep my body in shape so that I don't have to spend a fortune clothing myself if I were to get heavy again! I like that logic! Of course, watching the pounds fall off makes me itch for a little shopping spree, but I'm currently satisified by being able to fit into all these clothes I've held on to. Besides, I know I'll definitely shed more pounds and inches, so I'll wait until I reach my ultimate goal and see about doing some shopping then! :o)

Great Expectations

Yesterday I spent a few minutes speaking with Kelly at the gym. She's training for her own event and let me tell you...she is CUT! Her body is looking so hard. I was uber impressed! She wanted to look at my body and see how I am developing.

She took a look at my shoulders; they are developing and I'm seeing a ton of definition. She wants to add more shoulder exercises to create a "cap" and more back exercises to broaden out. She then looked at my quads and wants to create a "V" shape with those muscles. (When I stand with my legs together the quads should come in to the knees at a V) I really need to learn the names of these muscles! LOL! My calves and I have a very difficult relationship. I just do not have those gorgeous calve muscles, Kelly says, "its genetic" and there isn't really much I can do about it, but I'm going to up my weights and work them a little harder. We'll see if that makes much difference.

I think that the hardest thing for me has been that my expectations are just so high. I see pictures of competitors and fitness models and I just think that if I work out hard enough I'll look like them (now). In reality it takes YEARS to develop those bodies. Kelly said to me yesterday, to make that kind of transformation, I would need to be serious about training for a good TWO YEARS!

Every once in a while, I really start to doubt my efforts. I was telling Kelly yesterday, "I just don't want to get up there and make a fool of myself." She assured me that I won't. She said that in the novice competitions I will see a wide range of muscle development. I haven't been doing this very long at all and my body is not seasoned. I've got "baby muscles". Cute :::eye roll::: Ok, no sarcasm allowed; I just feel frustrated with my body in that I'm not seeing the progress I want to see (now). There's that pesty problem with patience.

Ok, so let me think about my progress:

I've lost over 30lbs in 8 months
I've gone from a size 8 to a size 2
I can run a 5K in under 30 minutes (where before it took me over 40)
I can do a REAL PUSH UP!!!!
I'm eating healthier and feeding my family better
I never miss a workout and totally enjoy it
I help motivate others and encourage my friends and family to live healthier

Not bad! I just need to be patient. BLAH! I have 17 weeks until competition day. I can do this! That's a lot of time to work on my body. Kelly says that I'm doing the work, now I just need to keep up the motivation! I can do this! I can do this! I need to have realistic expectations and know that I'm just starting out. I have to look back and see where I've come from and realize that I'm pushing myself and the progress is THERE!

I did it! I did a REAL push up!

I am smiling ear to ear as I type this! My nemesis the PUSH UP, was finally conquered this morning! I've never been able to do a push up. I worry about my form, my arms have always been weak; I avoided push ups like the plague. I can do squats until the cows come home, but a push up makes me feel like a total wimp.

Last month, when I saw that Kelly had me doing push ups (normal ones, incline and decline) I about croaked! How on earth was I going to do that?!?!?! Well, I didn't want to say to her, "I'm sorry, I'm taking this very seriously, but you're going to have to come up with another exercise for me...AA doesn't do push ups..." Yeah, that would go over well. ::: eye roll :::: So obediently, I did the girly push ups right there in front of God and everyone on the gym floor. My face turning ten shades of red from strained effort and sheer embarassment (who wants to openly ADMIT they can't do it?!?!?) But I did it, for over a month.

Today, I was working out solo and its so much harder to work out alone as a woman and not feel like every pair of eyes are on you just ready to critique you or look at you doubtedly (yeah, right, like she's serious about working out) and there in my journal, read "PUSH UPS, 3 sets of 10, wide" Are you serious? I have to do these when I'm alone? Not even a girlfriend to chat with, or do them with or at least someone to offer comfort and support? I was alone. So... I said, "what the hell..." and I got in position, REAL position and slowly lowered myself down to the floor. I did it! HOLY HELL, I DID IT! I did it 10 times!!!!! I did it!!!! 3 sets of 10!!!!!

I believe I smiled the entire remainder of my workout. Today was a beautiful day.

Helping Others

The last several days have been a whirlwind! My training is still going strong and although my nutrition plan wasn't strictly enforced this weekend (tisk tisk), I didn't do too terribly. I need to remind myself to get rid of those large canisters of Peanut M&Ms and Mike and Ikes at our beach house...

Last week I had mentioned how supportive all of our family has been about my goals and how everyone has began to show a true interest in the training and nutrition plans that I am following. Granted, my training and nutrition plan is specifically designed for me and it would probably not suit someone else who's goals are very different than mine; I was still happy to discuss my regimen. I realized that I really enjoy sharing these experiences with people. A couple of my family members and friends even started to ask me advice about their workouts and diet. I have a very BASIC understanding of fitness and nutrition, but I shared what little I do know. I found that sharing my knowledge, answering questions and giving advice motivates me even more!

I even met up with my sister-in-law at her gym to show her how to use the machines properly and I shared an old workout routine with her that I used about a year ago. She said she finally feels like she is working out with a purpose rather than just wandering aimlessly around the gym and not really even knowing what muscles she was working. I felt so good knowing that I was able to share things with her and help her improve her workouts and her health!

So... anyone that knows Alice Anne, knows where this is going... I'm thinking about getting my personal training certification. :) I am sitting here giggling at myself at even the thought of this! I'm happy to say that my initial goal was to go back to school and get another degree in health and fitness, specifically nutrition, but realized that I should probably start with just a certification to see if this is something I truly love. Ha ha ha! Can I ever just do something for fun? Probably not, I have to run with it and take things as far as I can. This is fun for me though! I'm a teacher by nature...I can't help myself.

"In helping others, we shall help ourselves, for whatever good we give out completes the circle and comes back to us."

Flora Edwards

Before I get too far ahead of myself, I'm not losing sight on my main goal right now, which is training for a Women's Figure Competition. With the date being set as Aug. 14th, that gives me time to focus on my goal, work hard and see how I do. After that, I can rest and reflect on this journey and do some deep soul searching before taking the next step to certification in the fall of 2010. I have absolutely no intention of stopping my work in the Early Childhood Education field, I'm just stretching out and exploring some other passions and talents.

Keeping a Journal

When I started working out seriously a few months back, I used to carry around a piece of paper with a routine that I was going to follow. It would have pictures of the machines and people demonstrating how to use them. It was pretty basic. Now that I'm officially a "gym rat" my piece of paper has evolved into a full blown journal. My husband has taken my workout routines and created spreadsheets and and charts that I use to follow my routines, record weights, and also journal about my diet/nutrition.

Each month I create a new journal, (we have a booklet binder at my office and I turn it into a small book that I carry with me at all times) I've since learned that journals like this are typical for people that are truly serious about their training program. I keep it in my purse or in my car so that I can easily grab it to record something. I track my mood, my energy, my complete workouts and my complete diet. It helps me to take notice to direct correlations of the success of my workouts relating to time of day, food intake, stress levels, etc. I feel more in tune with my body than I ever have in my life!

My notes would not make sense to anyone other than myself, but really the journal is only for me, so what does it matter right? I use it to refer back to previous weeks too. For example, this morning while doing "close grip cable rows" I wanted to be sure that I was really pushing myself; I looked back at the weight that I did last week and challenged myself to do 5lbs more. I did it. I just had to tell myself, "I'm stronger this week!" So I use the journal to motivate myself and keep myself accountable. I absolutely would be tormented if I had a blank day in the journal...I have to keep this up! When I ended March and was able to pull those pages out to replace them with April, I can't tell you how amazing it felt to hold a stack of pages that were scribbled on, folded, tattered, etc; it was the road map to my success!!

Tracking my diet also helps remind me to make healthy choices and be sure I'm getting enough fuel for my body. If you're working out, your body needs the right stuff to keep it strong! If you don't give your body the fuel it needs, its not going to have the energy to have a good workout. Your body needs food for all health (mental and physical); its important to me to be sure that I'm giving my body exactly what it needs so that I don't have "cravings" and end up feeding myself crap.

Many people "journal" or "track" their programs; its important to find a system that works for YOU and that is easy to fit into your life. I've seen people use iPhone/iPod apps, journals, paper with clipboards, etc. The important thing for me is that I just need something to track it; it keeps me accountable, focused and like I said, its not only a map of where I'm going, its also a record of where I've been!

This week is off to a great start!!!

I was so excited about my workouts this week because my workout buddy, Lisa, is back! My niece, Kasey, worked out with us too! It was just a great feeling to have each other and help push each other throughout the workouts. We worked out together both yesterday and today. Monday, we did Chest and Back and Abs. Because Kasey is a strong runner, we followed her lead as we did High Intensity Cardio training on the treadmill. We did a five minute warm up and then alternated 1 minute sprints with 2 minute inclined walking for duration of the 30 minute cardio session. Whew! I was wiped out!

I was so happy that I had a massage scheduled for 10 AM yesterday. Normally, I do deep tissue, but that's not so great when working your muscles in strength training. I was sore! So my therapist worked a lot with stretching and muscle relaxation. The goal was to get blood circulation moving and help relieve tension, tightness and muscle pain. I felt like a million bucks afterwards (probably didn't look so great!) but I felt relaxed and I was able to get through the rest of my day feeling refreshed.

For today's workout, we did Legs and Glutes followed by 30 minutes on the elipitcal machine. For April's workout, I'm doing lots of supersets (where you go from one exercise to the next without a break) Today we supersetted leg extentions and prone curls after doing the seated leg press and hyperextensions. With supersets, you really feel the burn and your heartrate is up! We also supersetted abducations and adductions. It was a quick workout (only lasted about 40 minutes) but I find that when I push my legs hard, it doesn't take much. One thing to remember is that when working legs, you're really working many large muscles in your body. Its going to take a lot of energy and even a short workout can leave you exhausted! When we got on the elipitical machine, I wasn't sure I would be able to do 30 minutes, but Lisa and I got to chatting and it was over in no time!

Tomorrow is a much needed rest day! Since the weather is nice, I might do some running/walking outside. The spring weather is so motivating! Reminds me that summer is just around the corner and I want to be ready for the pool!

Happy Easter!

We just got home from spending 6 days at our beach home. It was absolutely lovely and we very much enjoyed our time away. I learned that its not so easy to just pick up and workout in a new environment. My workout didn't suffer too much, but I really had to think to make sure that I was getting the right exercises done with the limited equipment at our clubhouse gym. Also, I'm very proud that despite the "holiday getaway" I didn't miss a single workout and I was able to keep to my nutrition plan (for the most part).

We hosted some of my husband's family over the weekend. It was so nice to catch up and relax with everyone, however company usually equals disaster when it comes to nutrition and a strict diet. We didn't want to make anyone feel like we were putting them on a nutrition plan, but at the same time, it was hard to limit temptation! We all know that with the holidays comes lots of food, grazing, big meals while dining out, desserts, etc. Not to mention, our house was inundated with chocolate and the usual spring time treats; peeps, carrot cake, taffy and jelly beans! My husband and I were really open and honest about our health changes and everyone was very supportive! Also, unbeknownst to most of the family, when I did our grocery shopping I opted for "less fat" or "low sodium" foods. I also only used egg whites for our breakfasts; whole wheat wraps, whole wheat pastas, and turkey sausage and bacon. Everyone seemed happy (or perhaps just polite). I hosted dinner on Saturday evening for more of our family and made a huge dinner, but made sure to have a beautiful salad, seafood appetizers, and whole grains where I could. I also reduced the fat in my cooking and limited processed or prepackaged foods.

While dining out, I stuck to my salads with oil and vinegar, but I did allow myself a couple splurges. I did learn that a lot of my favorite restaurants weren't so "favorite" when I struggled to find something healthy to eat. We stopped on the boardwalk one day for burgers and I absolutely indulged, but chose to split one burger with my kids. I was satisfied, but not stuffed. I was completely conscious of everything I ate, but I didn't "miss out" or "withhold" anything either. Who wants to tag along with someone that's constantly saying "oh I can't eat that" or "that's not going to work with my diet"? Lame. So, I enjoyed our weekend, ate a few treats, but also really worked hard to stick to the nutrition plan when I could.

Our family was so enthused about my new endeavor. It felt so good to see people we hadn't seen in a while and the first thing they notice was how much weight I've lost or how healthy I look. I think that since my husband has made such an effort with his own health and fitness, it was twice the reaction since he looks so great as well! I was extremely touched to learn that my husband's cousin and her husband have read this blog! It was so nice to catch up with them and talk about things (especially since she's also a new mom who juggles parenting, working and going to the gym). I'll say it again, but having the support and encouragment from those who mean the most to you is paramount to success of this challenge (any challenge really)! When people understand your goals, cheer you on and take note of your accomplishments, it limits a lot of road blocks or mental hurdles.

I'm ready for Monday. Tomorrow, my new workout routine and nutrition plan for the month of April begins. I can't wait!

Biceps, Triceps and Legs!

Today is my favorite day of training. I am always totally pumped afterwards and very much appreciative for the rest day following.

I start out with some leg work using dumbbells:

Dumbbell squats (I have to use straps to hold the dumbbells because the weight is heavy for my small hands) I have a 30lb dumbbell in each and and with them to my side I slowly squat down. I make sure my back is flat, tailbone pushed out and abs tight. I do 10 of these, 4 times, giving myself about 45 sec. of rest between sets.

Next are the Romanian Deadlifts. I love these! I feel this in my hamstrings. I use the barbell or straight bar for these with 65lbs. When using a longer bar, I turn one hand facing me and the other hand facing away when I grip. This keeps the bar balanced and keeps me steady. With knees just slightly bent, back straight and arms extended down towards the toes I reach slightly closer to my toes. Its important to keep form and really feel the stretch in the hamstrings. I find that it helps me keep form if I look up or straight ahead, rather than at my toes. Again, I do ten of these 4 times with 45sec rest in between sets.

Then I move over to the cable machine to work biceps and triceps. I use the rope and do 4 sets of 10 bicep curls at 50lbs and then 4 sts of 10 tricep pushdowns at 40lbs. I really focus on the muscles and keep form. If I find that I'm compromising form and using my back rather than my arms, I lower the weight.

Another bicep exercise I do is with an EZ bar. I can only do 35lbs with this, but it gives me a good burn. Again, I do 10 reps, 4 sets. Its good to have someone there to help you get through the "sticking spot". They don't need to give you much help, they just need to help you get through that "stick" so that you can finish the reps.

Lastly, I do skull crushers. I use a 20lb bar for this. Its not much weight, but after 4 sets of 10, I feel it! I really focus on control here and full range of motion.

I always finish my workouts with 30 minutes of cardio. The goal is to keep my heartrate at 70% max for the solid 30 minutes. Elipitical, treadmill, arc trainer...it doesn't matter. Just 30 minutes steady cardio and keep that heartrate up!

No Excuses

After an emotional weekend, I decided to finish out March with NO EXCUSES. I hit the gym hard on Monday and Tuesday, took my rest day on Wednesday and I'm working back, shoulders and calves today! (today's workout should be interesting; we're at the beach and I'm having to workout in our clubhouse gym). I've also decided to go ahead and post a bikini picture. As painful as this is for me, I realize that the entire purpose of this blog is to track my progress. I want to be honest and log every experience, as pleasant or painful as they may be. So here goes...

Monday's and Tuesday's workouts were nothing but business. I increased my weights, did a fourth set and pushed myself to the max! Today, every muscle in my body is tender and tight. I was thankful for my rest day yesterday; my body needed it. I'm looking forward to doing my run on the beach today. The weather is gorgeous and I could use some vitamin D!

The clean eating is still going well, I have no issues with the food; the meals are easy to prepare, they are fresh and I feel great feeding my family healthy! I've added a drink "Xtend", which is meant to help with muscle development and fat burning. I sip on the drink all day. It tastes like grape kool-aid so its not too bad! It helps with digestive health and also decreases muscle soreness.

I wish I could say that I love all my nutritional changes. I no longer use milk with my Whey and Casein. BLAH! I can handle the whey mixed with water, a banana and a Tbsp of almond butter; I literally gag with just water alone. The water makes the drink very runny and almost slimey. I'm experimenting with the volume of water I add to help keep the consistency thicker...we'll see how this goes.

My focus as I enter April is to continue in the mindset of "No Excuses". This is hard, but doesn't that mean that the reward will be even greater? I'm living healthy, working hard and seeing results (they're there! Maybe not as fast I would like, but they're there!)

I also want to thank everyone for the emails, posts, messages and phone calls! Your support means the WORLD to me! I know a lot of people read this who aren't visible followers; just knowing that I have so much support motivates me more than you know! HUGS!