Skinny Genes

I believe that we are all our own worst critics. I was talking with my sister in law during our run and we were discussing how our bodies are designed and how each and every one of us has our "trouble spots". Let's talk about genes...not JEANS, but genetics.

For most women, we carry our weight in our hips, thighs, buttocks and waist. I know for me, the hardest thing for me to work and see any definition is my abs. No matter how hard I work them, I still have that layer of fat that covers them up. I have always struggled with a "muffin top" no matter how think I've ever gotten. The belly fat is the LAST to go for me.

I've also recently learned that I store fat in the backside of my arms (tricep area) is really hard for me to lose too. My triceps are there and are developing, I just can't see them very well!

And last but not least, another big trouble spot for me, not in a sense of storing fat, but a difficult area to develop muscle is my calves. They are just small. I don't have those gorgeous fish bellies on my lower legs. I run, I lift weights, I'm on my feet a lot, but those puppies will NOT grow! I think it is because I have a long calve muscle and it can't contract as nicely as I would like. At least I have long legs, right?

So how can we fight genes? You can't really. You've got to work with what you've got. There is no such thing as "spot training" you can't lose fat in just your belly or arms and I can do calve rasies until the cows come home and I doubt I'll get thick calve muscles in this lifetime. However, I can be sure to work those areas to exhaustion to get the absolute BEST out of those areas. So that's the skinny on genes. Love what you've got and appreciate your strong areas. Work your trouble spots to exhaustion and don't beat yourself up over it. If all our bodies were exactly the same, this would all be easy breezy, but we're all built differently and we've just got to work with the one body God gave us!

AWESOME WEEK!

This week has been amazing! I hit all my workouts really hard, had two incredible training days with Blythe, I'm down 2lbs (and I'm sure its body fat!), eating was right on target and I started the fat burner Jack3d.

My mood has had some pretty strong swings, I go from being emotional, to irritable to tired and then ecstatic. I feel bipolar at times, but I'm learning how to cope with it and when to recognize that I need some deep breathing, stretching or just a good run. The emotional side of all this is very difficult, but I think I'm handling it in stride. Marty has been exceptionally supportive and he's prepared himself for my mood swings. He encourages me to eat something small when I'm really irritable and he helps me a lot with stretching and talking about positive things. He's a saint...

I'm seeing a lot of muscle definition and growth (especially in my shoulders, abs and quads) My shoulders are bigger, nicely capped and looking very defined. My abs and stomach area are thinning out and I'm seeing cuts, and that obnoxious belly "lip" is shrinking; the quads are looking very small. I've lost a lot in my inner thighs so although I can see muscle definition, my quads are looking very thin. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish my legs were bigger!

Along with having an awesome week, I'm at the complete opposite end of the spectrum emotionally because I feel myself really struggling with sadness over the loss of Karen. I have so many exciting things happening and I can't help but feel emptiness with her gone. I would like to believe that she's watching over me and cheering me on, but I miss her so much that its hard to enjoy the moments of triumph. There's so much I want to share with her, and I feel lonely without her support and encouragement. As much as my husband and friends care and support me, I can't help but miss that special closeness with her. I miss how she would ask questions, laugh at me and say some quick witted response of encouragment. She would have laughed herself to tears at the thought of me flipping large tractor tires. I can't even begin to express how having her gone has impacted my life. Every.single.aspect.

So on to more good news, I got confirmation that I did infact pass my personal training certification and I should be receiving my certificate in the next 4 weeks. Should I frame it? LOL! I honestly can say that having a certification in personal fitness training was not something I thought I would ever add to my resume.

Also, talking with Blythe this week, I've decided to go ahead and enter in the Fitness Model class at the competition. She seems to think that I would do really well in that division. I trust her judgement and as self-conscious as I feel, I will do my best to be confident and deliver. So...that's the scoop for this week! 7 weeks to go!

Adding Second Day with Trainer and Turning Up the Heat

As I get closer to the competition, I'm feeling that I need to kick up my workouts a bit!

Starting this week, I'm adding Thursday workouts with Blythe. So I will be training alone on Mondays, off on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays with Blythe and then alone on Fridays. I will do light cardio on Saturdays and off on Sundays. WHEW! I just want to make sure that I'm giving these next 8 weeks 200%!

I'm going to start HIIT cardio with my sister-in-law tomorrow! Hopefully we can do HIIT at least 3 days a week! We'll see how she does ;o)

Its time to turn up the heat a little bit and make sure that these next 24 strength training workouts are INTENSE! I only have 8 more leg days, 8 more back and chest days and 8 more arms and shoulder days! That's very few workouts for maximum results! Wish me luck!

Insanity

I'm not talking about a video that thousands of people have bought to get their cardio. I'm talking about today's workout with my trainer! I arrived at her gym, bright eyed and bushy tailed, to see her carrying a large sand bag. She drops it in the corner and says, "I'll save this for us!" I immediately knew that today was a day of "zero mercy". (I love it! It is an illness to love torturing myself like this!)

Today was my scheduled "legs" day with Blythe and there was no question that she meant business. I followed John into the office and he took my measurments; I've come down A LOT! I've lost dramatically everywhere except my triceps! (Come on wings...fly away!) Then I naively followed Blythe outside. I was thinking to myself, "what a gorgeous day to workout outside!" HA HA HA!

Blythe had me warm up with an agility ladder; jumping, skipping, hopping side to side, criss crossing, you name it. I'm not most coordinated pesron out there, so I was self conscious and clumsy...but I survived. We then did squats, just using our body weight. Then... she walks me over to this large TIRE and tells me to flip it over ACROSS THE PARKING LOT! Yeah, so there I am, squatting down, getting under the tire and then flipping it over (about 14 times) BURN BABY BURN!

As if that wasn't enough, she then tells me to pick up that sand bag, put it over my head and onto my shoulders and run 5 laps. OMG. I thought I would puke! I couldn't even get the 50lb bag over my head! So she helped me position in on my shoulders and off I ran; you better believe at the end of the five laps I just let it drop behind me!

We did some sprints/running after that, I got a bee stuck in my shoe (between the tongue of the shoe and the front of my ankle) and stung 3 times on the last sprint...but I survived :o) Then back to the tire, some more agility ladder, jumping rope, 5 more laps with the sand bag and then we moved inside for some more leg exercises.

I like how Blythe incorporates my cardio into intervals with the stregth training. The workouts are fast and efficient and most importantly INTENSE!

Inside, we did some ab work that also worked on the glutes and hamstrings. She threw in some "burpees" which I guess are some sort of military workout. You go down into a squat, thrust out into a plank, then jump back into a squat and then jump straight up into the air and back down into a squat mulitply that by 15. I felt like my head was going to explode!

Our cool down was five laps across the room (down and back count as 1) of walking lunges using only our body weight. We took at break at 2.5 laps and then finished strong.

It was a crazy, insane, fun and miserable workout! I can't wait to see what's in store for next week!

Progress Pictures taken from "judges" perspective...

After today's INSANE workout with Blythe (that's a separate post), she took some progress pictures. We will now be taking progress pictures every week...same outfit, same position, same lighting (up until the final week or so where I will then be posing in my competition suit to practice wearing it) This will give me a better visual with my progress.

Please excuse my crazy face. I was extremely tired, worn out, sore and strained. My face is extremely red from sweating like mad! I'm happier with these progression pictures, and I can definitely see some changes!

Mini Competitor

My daughter is so darn cute! She's taking the competition very seriously! She practices her poses and her "T walk" with me and she's always asking me tons of questions about the competition. More importantly, she sees that I'm making healthy choices and that I enjoy exercising and be fit! YAY!!!

Mind Games!

I had my husband take some progression pics tonight and I'm convinced he's just a bad photographer! I was seriously feeling like I was making serious progress, but now seeing the June progress pictures I'm terrified that I'm not ready! So here goes: