The start of comp dreaming...

Well theres a running tradition it seems with figure competitors, that the closer they get to comp - the dreams of competing on stage begin. And so, I now join this illustrious club!
Last night i had the first of many i suspect, comp dreams of being on stage under the bright lights in front of many many people...and i lost! Not just lost - got laughed off stage because...and wait for it... i was too muscular! Well, i don't think this is going to be a dream turn reality any time soon! Just before i went on stage I asked my coach Corina if i looked in 'condition' and her response was 'It will have to do'! I told her i didn't want to go out there if I wasn't perfect but she assured me i was fine and pushed me out there.
Ok, well even with my psych background it doesn't take a genius to see the real meaning in this dream. I have already talked extensively with glenn and corina about my fears of not being stage ready by july and they have assured me that if im not stage ready - they won't be letting me compete. So my fears of lagging are starting to haunt my dreams too!
Well anyway everything is going great. I seem to be on track and am starting to see leg muscles pop with anticipation! Good stuff - its my weak area. I have 2 weeks left of my current eating and workout program (maybe one week as i have suggested we bump it forward to get things moving a little faster). So goodbye oats, eggs, banana and protein powder *sigh*. What does this leave me with u ask? Well, let me see, ummm...chicken, brocolli and sweet potatoe. O.M.G.
Today I am 6 weeks out from competition. It is really gaining momentum and i just hope i can keep up with it all.
So as it is all starting to get closer I have started to think about comp day logistics. Backstage you are allowed one helper to assist with your bikini fitting, pump up, food etc. So Corina will be my helper and glenn will be backstage anyway because he often helps out with the comps. The saturday morning of the competition glenn and corina will be coming round to mick's and my place and glenn will be doing my tan for me cos he has experience with this. Kate will be doing my hair and makeup and michael will be there to keep me from spazzing out and feeding me! It feels like my wedding preperation all over again! All very exciting and nerve wracking.
Not much else to report really folks, its the same thing day in day out at present. I did take progress pics on the weekend but haven't downloaded them yet so i will post them soon ( i know some of you are anxious to see my progress which i love by the way!).
Ok keep training hard people and ill report back soon...
xxoo

How do you flu?

Well its been a little longer between posts than I would like but this 'bug' i have been trying to fight for the last couple of weeks has taken a hold and carried me off to flu land where I am currently being held hostage. *sigh*. So, like any good kidnap victim, I have given in a little (just to appease my captor) and am taking..wait for it..a full day off all training. This is a scary thought just 6.5weeks out from comp, but my body has given me no option and if I keep trying to push it, it's only going to get worse. This means that nutrition must be spot on, which is also tricky when u feel rotten. *double sigh*.
Lately my mind has been consumed with food! Im sure many of you figure girls can relate to this! A few weeks ago one of our staff members asked me what I was craving and back then I think I said not much really, maybe some cereal (in particular granola oooooooohhhhh YUM!). The cravings weren't so bad that I had a bucket list of food swirling around my head. Now, i DO.
Here is a list of what I want to dive into and devour:
- Huge bowl of honey nut granola
- Milo from the tin with a spoon
- Licorice bullets
- Strawberries, blueberries, apples, raspberries and any other fruit you can think of
- Avocado
- Jelly beans
- Honey nut cereal
- Cookies and cream ice cream
- Carrot cake, banana cake, rainbow cake...any sort of cake will do
- Nuts
- Yoghurt
- My famous homemade chicken salad
- Banana Smoothie
- Chai latte
- cookies with icing

Ok im going to stop there! lol! There seems to be a running theme of sugary things which is definately what im craving. I saw on someones facebook page the other day that they have started a 'goody box' 4 weeks out from comp so that once their show is over they have a collection of everything they have been craving stuffed into one big box! Hahah! I love this idea but its far too dangerous for me to be putting naughty food into a box and then having it sit in the house - anyone want to hold onto it for me?!
Ok so I had measurements done on sunday and i was quite pleased. My bodyfat is down to 11.5% (although on the body comp machine im at 16% so who knows where im really at but at least its coming down!), and I lost 3ml off each thigh (my problem area) so that was pleasing. My weight is at 58kgs (5 more to go in 6.5weeks). My lower body is definately starting to come down now, i just dont have anyhting left on my upper body to come off. I am starting to see some good muscle definition in my legs and it all seems to be coming along nicely. I may just be one of those people that everything starts to pull in and come together 2 weeks out form the comp, who knows.
So thats all to report for now, just plugging away the best I can - not long to go now and i can actually see the finish line...
xxoo

Blood, sweat and tears...lots of tears.

Ok so this week has been so erractic that i'm feeling a little exhausted just from the emotional highs and lows. You hear alot about comp prep being hard, torture sometimes and you nod your head and think to yourself yes im sure its tough - BUT, until your in the midst of it, you simply cannot understand fully what it is like. Nor would i want you to!
So for you girls out there (and guys) reading this who have completed a comp - hats off to you.
The hardest thing i am finding is that one day im fine, bursting with energy (ok well not bursting but, kinda feeling normal!) and then the next day, i feel like dog poo. Then the next day im ok again and so on. So just as i get used to feeling shitty, i feel ok again and then when i think great, im doing ok, i feel shitty all over again ARGHHHHHHH!
So although my mind and emotions have been a little off kilt, my eating and exercise has not - its been spot on. Ya - victory!
Yesterday I felt awesome. I did spin class in the mornning, did my killer weights program and in between my weights and afternoon cardio, i cleaned the house from top to bottom. By 8pm i was in bed, crashing big time!
This morning i woke up with angry tonsils as a result of my manic thursday! I have always suffered from tonsilitus, and as soon as my body becomes stressed physically, they flare up as a warning. So i woke this morning, dragged myself out of bed and did my morning cardio. By the time i was due to do my weights session, i was feeling miserable but of course, in i went to the studio. I walked up the stairs and during the first exercise - i started crying...hmmmm thank god my husband is my trainer!
Poor Michael - he is such a trooper! So long story short i dragged my arse through todays weights (yes people, crying the entire time), didn't make it all the way through however and came home to bed. Bliss is a doona and 2 dogs.
I did send an emergency text to Corina, who quickly told me to calm down and just keep focused.
So after a sleep, some food, and puppy cuddles, I am feeling better.
The funny thing is, i am actually enjoying this process! Its the changes I am seeing in my body that spurs me on, so even on the days I feel like my world is crumbling around me - i would never give up. Im oficially hooked on comp prep.
I did have an amazing discovery today however that has me tickled pink - and of course it invloves food! My post workout meal involves eggs, chicken and banana. So today i mixed the eggs, banana, cinnamon and some splenda together and cooked it into a pancake. Then i squeezed lemon over the top. Perhaps this is what nirvana feels like. For anyone out there wanting a quick and easy breakfast that is kind to the figure - this is it - i promise u it is th best thing ever! Then i just had my chicken seperately. I just needed somthing sweet and this certainly hit the spot. YUM!
Well thats it for now. Next week sees me 7 weeks out from comp. Its not a lot of time. I will be posting some more progress pics this weekend and fingers crossed there has been some good movement...
xxoo

Sit and spin...

Well im nearly there people. Its hard to believe that I have now been dieting for 7 weeks and next week sees me 8 weeks out from the July comps. It really has gone very quickly - although some days have felt like months rolled into one.
My program has changed now and the intensity of my cardio has increased to maximise the fat burning process. 2hrs a day of cardio is tiring, but when the intensity of those 2 hours is increased, it becomes a whole new ballgame. Im tired constantly. The cocktail of supplements i am on is the only thing that is keeping me from being a walking zombie. And yet I am more driven than ever to get the best possible physique for this comp. I think it must be the inbuilt competitive person in me that just does not believe in failing. When I do something - I do it properly and with intensity. This has been a blessing and a curse in my 31 years, because lets face it, really competitive people are often, well... annoying. I don't think it is possible to compete in this sport without that type of nature though, because when it starts to get tough - thats when u have to dig your heels in and work even harder. Glenn said to me the other day something that resonated. He said "when your not doing what you need to do in YOUR comp prep - your competitor IS". He's right of course, and that's what keeps me going.
So this morning i rose at 6am to meet Glenn and Corina for a spin class! Yup, never done one of these in my life, but i was pumped (excited, if only for the simple reason that it was cardio that didn't involve the treadmill *sigh*). Im oficially addicted! I sweated my toosh off (exactly what needs to be happening!) and had lovely shaky legs after class. I think Glenn and Corina were surprised at my stamina considering im carb depleted! But my cardio fitness is really good and so even though i was shattered from it, im excited that i have been instructed to do 2 classes a week as part of my comp prep.
So after class glenn took corina and i through a legs session - killer. Need i say any more? And a few abs. Then off for a feed, where the chef was quite put out that he was asked to do a 3 egg white omlette with NOTHING else in it, for moi! I had to play the allergy card just to get them to do it, ahhh the joys of comp prepping!
So then it was back home to sit for a second and then 1 hr on the treadmill. It is now 4pm saturday arvo and grandma here is in her pj's after a long hot shower! My poor husband is slowly getting used to losing me to cardio equipment and comp prep in general.
So that's it for now, ive got measurements tomorrow, hoping for a good drop. Nutrition changing slightly next week to incorporate food every 2hrs now instead of 3hrs.
So im off to go lie down for a while (!!) but ill leave u guys with a few progress pics...
xxoo

Hot pants and stripper heels

Well, first posing lesson over with. Hmmm not sure that i have an inbuilt graceful button and yet i managed not to fall over in my 6 inch stripper heels! What a traumatic event this whole thing was. Not only did it require me to learn poses that I will have to master before getting up on stage, but it required me to do so in the aforementioned hot pants *sigh*, and in front of clients. Ok, well one client (hi Kirsty!) and i sent one of our staff memebers downstairs to do boxing so he didnt die of fright! lol i jest i jest!
Ok well, i have seemed to mastered the ability to display my lats...and well, that's pretty much it. Posing in itself is a full workout - its hardcore and im actually a little sore form it. The hardest part is actually trying to look like your enjoying yourself, which im sure is mandatory in terms of what the judges are looking for ;O
So Corina was happy with my upper body and abs and we have now declared war on my thighs! So enter...the spin class...
On saturday i am off to a spin class followed by an abs workout with Glenn and Corina. Im actually really excited because i have never done a spin class before - im sure i should be petrified but im so carb depleted i dont have the energy for that type of strong emotion. So, new program is headed my way thanks to corina and glenn and im told that 2 spin classes minimum a week will be required. Michael has said he will do one with me cos he loves spin so im lovin the idea of that.
My cardio has increased to 6 days a week (still 2 hrs a day)and weights 6 days also. This should really start leaning me down. Im looking forward to seeing some movement again.
Going to try new Infernos from ASN tomorrow - a fat burner. Corina said it kicked her arse yeaterday so im liking the idea of that. Oh and I am ofically now an...
ASN SPONSORED ATHLETE!!!!!!!!!!
How cool is that! Big shout out to Glenn and Corina for their on going support, guidance, friendship and expertise. Couldn't do it without you guys - u rock! So anyone in the richmond area head in to ASN (on swan st) and chat to the crew there about any of your supplement needs. trust me, these guys know what they are talking about.
Well thats about it for now. 9 weeks and counting...going very quickly.
Oh and a big thanks to all our Unique Fitness Clients who constantly tell me im doing great and all the other encouraging remarks - its you guys that keep me motivated to keep going.
Next blog...spin class...yikes!
xxoo

Gotta love ASN!

Ok everyone, I promised to put up some more pics, and I have decided to dedicate this post to ASN (in particular Corina and Glenn)! Soooo I am rocking it out in ASN gear! Well, trying to anyway.





So still a lot of work to go, but its getting there slowly but surely. The bum and thighs still haven't registered that Im doing this comp - or if they have, they dont care and dont want to come. Well bad luck, cos i have already rsvp'd for them so they better well bring it or else.
All measurements are down, weight dropping a little but sitting fairly steady at 59.5kgs. BF down to 12.5% over 7 sites. Girths still dropping in some areas. Corina and Glenn have set around the 52kg mark for me so thats a good 7kgs in 9 weeks *sigh* thats a big ask. BUT im determined, so there. Not surprised there hasnt been huge movement in the last week as I have not been weight training due to my injury. Howeveer today saw me pump out an awesome heavy session so its all good to go for my new program next week.
Got a posing lesson with Corina tomorrow. I am scared to death. I just bought my stripper heels today (which are quite magnificent) however she has instructed...wait for it..hot pants or else. Urghh. So, i have gone out and bought some teeny tiny shorts - umm, well they look like knickers - to strut my stuff in tomorrow. Oh god, what has possessed me to do this? So im bringing out the big guns tonight. A TAN.
Ill keep you all posted on how that lesson turns out...Ok off to finish my cardio people.
xxoo