Everyday Warrior

It all comes down to you.  No one cares that you get up when it is still dark out or that  you have finished a workout before the sun comes up.  No one cares if you go all out in a workout or if you give half an effort on a set or bail on the last rep.  It doesn’t matter to anyone but you if you decide to eat a quart, or half gallon of ice cream.  Not that there is anything wrong with eating ice cream except when you have created a nutritional plan for yourself and ice cream wasn’t part of that plan.  Everyone else will support you and forgive your decisions.  But not you.

It doesn’t matter to anyone what you do or don’t do. The mere fact you have to explain to someone why you do what you do, is reason enough not to bother – they will never understand.  It only matters to you.  It all comes from within.  You hold yourself accountable to your own expectations.  That’s it.  You know when you fail to execute your plan, or half-ass an effort.  Only you understand the significance of hitting snooze and skipping a scheduled workout.  You wrestle with your decisions to do, or not do, alone.  No one else is holding you accountable or putting the pressure on you to follow what you set out to do.

These are your goals.  These are your moments.  Ultimately you do it all for you.  No one else.  No one else knows the passion and fire that burns inside you.  No one else knows the level of commitment you make to yourself.  No one else knows what truly drives you to do what you do.  No one sees you preparing your meals, your workouts, scheduling it all into your day to meet your goals.  That is all you.  Take pride in who you are, what you do and what you will accomplish.  You earn it day in and day out.

Sacrifice.  This is a term I hear and think of often.  It is a noble trait and a necessary part of reaching any goal.  Nothing that we want in life is achieved without some type of sacrifice.  This past week of preparing for competition and my own fitness goals left me with a few thoughts  that I thought might be helpful to you.  They are geared towards eating right, but could be applied to any goal.

Bottom  line – whatever it is you are choosing not to eat or do  is a temporary sacrifice towards a larger goal.  Yes you are tempted to eat the pizza, cupcakes, ice cream, nachos, whatever it may be, but realize you are  simply making a choice not to eat those things on this day. It does not mean you will never eat them again or that they are the last of their kind and this is your only chance to enjoy them.  Your mindset should be that you are choosing not to eat them right now.  You will eat them down the road when you have reached your goal or when your plan calls for it.

So many times we get ourselves in this mindset that we will only eat certain foods  therefore swearing off all other not so healthy foods for the rest of our lives.  That is not the case.  And it is the mentality that leads us to be tempted and cheat and indulge and fall off our plan and ultimately completely give up our goals.

Yes it takes hard work and discipline to stick to your goals and to achieve them.  Mindset is everything.  I have a much different perspective if I look at things as temporary sacrifices and choices versus never eating certain things again.

This weekend, I bought, cut, and served a pack of gourmet cupcakes from a local friend’s cupcake shop.  The shop, Dollop,  just won a competition on the Food Network show Cupcake Wars.  There has been much media hype these past few weeks locally and the lines have been wrapping around the building to get into  this shop.  So there is somewhat of a frenzy surrounding these cupcakes.  It would have been very easy to jump on  the bandwagon and indulge in the “must have now” mentality.  Having ha d these cupcakes before I can certainly attest to how amazingly delicious they are.  But, I didn’t have a single crumb.  Why?  Because I chose not to.  I have 6 weeks to go and my goal will be reached.  I won’t blow it now.  In 6 weeks and for a very long time after, there will still be cupcakes.  I can have them at any point after I have reached my goals.  These were not the last cupcakes  ever to be made  and I am not depriving myself of ever having another cupcake as long as I live.

My choices and sacrifices are temporary and part of a larger plan  to achieve my own personal goals. This is a healthy mindset to adopt when you are striving for your own health and fitness goals.  I think you will find, like I have, that this is a more realistic and acceptable thought process to make sticking to your goals easier.

This past  Saturday was the 7 week point before my competition.  7 weeks seems like a blink of an eye, yet I keep reminding myself it is still  just under 2 months away.

At this  point, I am working on my posing routine.  I have  had  the music chosen and edited  done to the 2 minutes that I  need and I cut it the way I like  it.  I have been  listening to it repeatedly in chunks.  Sometimes I listen just to get the beat and feel  of the piece down and into a rhythm, other times I  will listen with certain poses in  mind or spots I ant to hit certain poses.  It’s coming along.

I am also practicing the mandatory poses.  There is a certain poise and  control that comes with practicing these poses.  I always keep the phrase in mind  – You don’t want the first time you are asked to do something to  be the first time you do it. I don’t want to hit these poses for the first time as I am standing on stage during pre-judging.  Plus on contest  day you never know how long you will be out there or how many times you will  be asked to hit these  poses  and so stamina can be a huge issue during that time.  I want to be prepared.

As for  training  – it is  as  focused and intense as ever.  The workouts are all out and they have taken on a whole new level of focus.  Cardio is automatic at this point.  It is not a matter of want, I have a schedule set and without fail I stick to that schedule day in and day out and week  to week.  There is nothing more satisfying than to look back at  the end  of the  week and realize I met every workout, cardio session, and meal just as I had planned it out at the beginning of the week.

I do still have my moments where I question everything  – am I progressing enough?  Will I  keep progressing?  How do I  know that this isn’t as good  as i get?  Typically, Pete will listen to me rant and then with a few insightful words get me to relax and gain a better perspective over this process.  The past few days I have spent just going through my nutrition plan  and re-calculating  my carbs, proteins, fats,  and calories  just to be sure they are where I  want them to be – even though I already laid this out weeks ago.  But it gives me great peace of mind to see things  on paper again and now I am right where  I should  be, where I planned to be,  and I just have to be patient and stay the course.

So that is the  plan.  I will piece together my posing routine, keep up with  the cardio, nutrition, training, and mentally sharpen and narrow my focus to be mentally and physically prepared for the next  7 weeks and the work that must be done.

If there is one thing I am good at it is tracking things by writing them down.  I have my training log, nutrition log, cardio log. … I even write daily lists of everything I need to do in a day.  This is great for so many reasons, but this week I have learned it can also be a bit of a curse.

For the past several weeks I have started to become more concerned that the number on the scale was not moving much.  More importantly,  it was not moving like it did when preparing for my last contest.  I know this, because I took great notes.   Visually, I believe my physique looks different at this point than it did at the same point for my last competition.  I look harder and tighter, with less smooth bulk, and I am more vascular already.  But I have been hung up on the numbers on the scale.

The past few days I have been going over my nutrition plan, wondering maybe I had miscalculated some portion  of it or that I had missed something.  Instead, in my search to find an error, I actually made an error in re-calculating the numbers, and learned my initial plan was correct and everything is right where it should be.

Finally yesterday after our workout, I headed down to an empty locker room with a larger mirror and decent lighting and hit a few mandatory poses.  It is amazing what good lighting will do!  From what I saw I am in good position for being 9 weeks away from stepping on stage.   I looked thick, hard, with some striations coming in through my shoulders and chest and nice cuts all around.

My conclusion, and plan moving forward, is to let go of my past notes and focus on where I am right now.  I will probably still step on the scale as a guide, but I will no longer be hung up on the number.  I am going to use that mirror to judge and monitor my progress and  as it gets closer to show time, I will  then make adjustments in  my eating or training as needed.  I have to keep reminding myself that 9 weeks is actually over 2 months away  and I need to be patient and progress will be slow and steady.

This probably all sounds silly, but it is what has been bugging me all week  and part of the  learning process in the latest phase of my journey.

 

10 weeks and I am definitely in full pre-contest mode.  My weight is finally starting to drop a bit on the scale, and my eating is seemingly right on at the moment.  I have been eating more carbs on lifting days than off days, and I think that has helped keep my eating steady. I have had virtually no cravings or hungry days – not that I am starving myself or anything like that.  I had gone 2 weeks without even wanting a cheat day. I finally built one in last weekend just because I thought it would be a good time to break the monotony.

I am happy with the way things are progressing, but I still have my moments of thinking 10 weeks is right around the corner.  The other night I even had a dream that for a cheat meal I was eating hot dogs and kept telling myself, in my dream, that I could have such better meals than that but I couldn’t stop eating them anyway! I actually woke up in a panic thinking I had ruined everything!  But other than that things are going great at the moment.

We wrapped up our last lifting cycle last week, took some time off, and are have started a new workout  program.  I am itching to get back in there later today, lift something, and keep working toward reaching my goals.

On a separate note, having done the interview for Natural Fitness Addiction, was an extremely positive and motivating experience.  I was surprised to even be asked, but extremely pumped by all the positive feedback It received.  Thank you to any of you that saw it and took the time to read it.  I greatly am humbled by that.

In the coming week, I am looking forward to a great week of workouts with all out  intensity and momentum.   I plan to leave my eating as is this week and keep up my cardio as well.  I will weigh in at the gym today to see how things are, but also will be keeping a check in the mirror and how I feel to be sure I am on the right course.  So stay tuned,  and thank you for reading this and taking the journey with me.

Today is officially 13 weeks out from my pro debut. Time seems to be flying and I am a little antsy. While rationally,just over 3 months is a long time, the neurotic voice in my head doesn’t agree. The questions have begun- will I be ready? Am I eating enough? Am I doing enough cardio? What posing music will I use? When will I get a routine ready? And a whole list of questions that most of the time I can keep in check, but every once in a while can get the best of me and drive me nuts.
I feel great. Lifting has been incredible. This workout program has been awesome and the combination of exercises are great. Every workout feels good and increases my motivation and passion.
Cardio is moving along. I have just started to do 4 sessions a week. Two of those sessions are HIIT cardio on the elliptical machine which I must say is a bit torturous, yet I am growing fond of the torture. Along with cardio I am directly working my abs twice a week. It is one area I want to improve upon.
Eating has been very consistent. My meals are all planned out, including any cheat meals and so there are no surprises. The hardest days are those where I am home most of the day and could easily graze through the kitchen all day long. But that is more comfort hunger,and not because I am starving. I really haven’t cut calories much yet as I am still training hard and simply letting the cardio boost my metabolism to take care of any extra calories. I will probably step on the scale tomorrow just to see where my weight is at, as it has been probably almost 2 weeks since I checked.
From my own observations, I think I am right on schedule(when I am not driving myself nuts). My waist is small around, judging by my belt loops, I can see some veins in places I usually hadn’t before, and when I practice posing even more come out.
I have started to search for the right music, or combination of music to use for this competition. As a pro, the time limit is now 2 minutes, which is 30 seconds longer than I was allowed as an amateur. I would like to settle on mu music early so I have more time to prepare a routine and really have it down. Plus it is one less thing to worry about as this contest gets closer.
Today is a complete off day for me – no gym, no cardio, and I am taking advantage of the rest time. Tomorrow it is back to the gym and I will be mentally and physically ready for an explosive leg workout.

A week ago I wrote about my personal little torture  on the treadmill  of pushing myself to run 3.1 mi straight through – the equivalent of a 5k.  Well today I  was back on the treadmill and determined to do it again.  Last time I hit 3.51 miles so I knew this time I had to  hit that point again.  I was not going to go backwards and fall short of that distance.  Plus, after having shared it with you already,  there was no way I was not going to have the mental toughness to push myself that far again.

I pushed through and  this time I decided not to keep looking at the treadmill monitor.  I just kept running and trying not to focus on anything other than to keep  going.  The tv was on so once a new show came on, I told myself I would hold off looking until the third commercial break.  When I did I was at 3.52 miles and then I kept running.  I was going to push myself farther than last time and make sure 2011 went out with a bang! I ran to the 4 mile mark and then slowed it down and walked another half mile!  Still felt like hell, but it was awesome to  know I did something I didn’t think I could do and that I pushed myself beyond any preconceived limits I thought I had!

Happy New Year!  I will be kicking off 2012 with a morning cardio session just to let 2012 know who’s in charge!

Pete and I had planned to get in the gym this morning.  Of course when we planned this we had much more drive than after a full day of Christmas activities and food.  This morning I was feeling like a Yule log and not completely sure working out first thing this morning was the best option.  Of course I would rather get legs done first thing than have to think about it all day.

I was still a bit full and out of sorts from yesterday’s meals and a bit tired I guess.  It was just a slow morning where it would be easy to want to stay home and do next to nothing productive.  But that is not what I am about and I was ready and at the gym early.

Once we were warmed up and stretched mentally I was in the zone and ready to put every ounce of energy and intensity into the workout.  Although I wasn’t entirely sure that yesterday’s  meals would not make an unwanted appearance before it was over.

However, after that first set, it was all systems go and there was no doubting or lack of focus.  It was on and we were firing on all cylinders.  Got in a great workout and definitely worth dragging myself there, first thing this morning,  after yesterday’s festivities and delicious meals.

Again the hardest part was getting to the start.  Once we were there, motivation  and action built momentum and there was no turning back.

So if you are dragging today and contemplating skipping a workout or giving yourself the day to “recover”  – forget it – get your ass in the gym and do what you know you must do.  Trust me – you will not regret it later.

 

Got up this morning and was starting my Christmas Eve with cardio. With 16 weeks to go before the competition, my cardio routine is very consistent and I won’t miss a workout.  I got on the treadmill and as those of you  who have read my blogs before know – I don’t run.  I was set to do my walk/run combination and maybe push it a bit and run the mile and quarter/walk a half mile routine that I did a few weeks ago.

To be honest I didn’t feel like running at all and was thinking maybe I  could just walk this morning.  But I started out running and in a few minutes was in the mind-set that  I could run the mile and a quarter.  Hit that point and I thought let’s push it for another quarter-mile,  then another, then another.  All of a sudden I am thinking let’s run my very own 5k – 3.1 miles.

So I kept running.  It wasn’t easy.  There were quite a few points where I had to really block out the negative thoughts (ok that’s enough running, let’s walk now) and get my mind focused on the positive and keep moving forward.

Not only did I hit the 3.1 mark I kept running until I hit 3.51 and then I slowed it down to a walk.   I ran at a 5.5 mph on the treadmill, which I imagine for those of you that run, even  a little, that probably isn’t very good.  But for me that is the farthest I have ever run at one time  – and I wasn’t even planning on it.  Once I started I started thinking about how  I would challenge myself today.  The more I ran the more the idea of running my own 5k became my focus.

I thought I would share this with you.  It’s not anything great.  I am sure those of you that run are laughing at me and that’s ok – I am somewhat laughing at myself when i imagine me running too!   I am no runner, but this morning’s workout was real and I am thrilled with myself that I could run that far.  If I can  do it, anyone can do it.

Enjoy your holidays.  Stay focused on your goals. Keep up the good work.

I got in some ab work and then a cardio session this morning.  I have been right on schedule as far as sticking to my plan in preparation for April’s contest.  I spent some time thinking about my focus on this contest.  It is over 16 weeks out but my focus and commitment is dead on right now.

To illustrate that point I began thinking about yesterday’s lunch.  I had my turkey, brown rice, and yams.  It was  the last of the first frozen turkey I cooked since thanksgiving.  Anyway as I ate with my usual lunch crew, some of them had brought out 2 large trays of holiday cookies and chocolates.  I continued to eat my lunch and never even thought about having any of it.  I couldn’t even tell you what kind of cookies were on the trays.

I don’t know why this thought came to me while I was doing cardio today, but it got me thinking about  all the stuff I have written and read lately about holiday foods and people’s diets and goals just being blown out of the water.  This line of thinking actually got me fired up.

I was plowing through cardio now with the thought of, “discipline and willpower – 1, holiday cookies -0!  Oh Yeah it’s on.  Bring it!!”

If I can do it, anyone can.  Planning and sticking to that plan brings success and strength.  Being able to stick  to that plan for one meal, one workout, one temptation, fuels motivation and our commitment grows stronger.  One step at a time.

Keep pushing through and don’t lose sight of your goals ahead, or what you have accomplished behind you to get to the point you are at now.

With just a few days to go  until Christmas