11.5 months done!

It's been a crazy month and I can't believe Summer is drawing to a close. In only 11 more days, it will be September and before we know it, Winter will be biting us all in the ass. I can't say I'm too upset about this as Fall is my favorite season-- the sweaters, the dark nail polish colors, trees changing color, kiddies going back to school! All good things. I can't help but wonder what the change of season will mean for my training?

I started this on June 1 and since then I'm happy to say, I've lost 30 lbs. I couldn't be happier with my progress, however, these last two weeks have got me in a bit of a holding pattern. Despite a rigorous training schedule and impeccably clean eating, I haven't lost anything in this time. I don't think I need to tell you have incredibly annoying this is. I'm trying to keep my mind off the scale and keep focusing on my personal best's---although this is tough. It's also been a little strange now that summer is ending because it's getting pretty chilly at 6 am for workouts and the summer foods are moving out of season.

I also think it may be a mental thing as well considering a shift in the seasons shows me just how long I've been at this and how much further I have to go. I would be lying if I said I haven't felt overwhelmed at times and wanted to give up. Luckily, Natalie would never allow that to happen and she has changed my way of thinking to convince me that quitting is never an option. In fact, my whole family is so supportive that I think they might just kick my ass if they saw me eating off Paleo or skipping CrossFit's. To be honest, deep down I would be kicking myself too. I'm realizing that there are going to be periods of time during this process where things don't come easily and it's during these times that I need to push harder. Trust the process and trust yourself.

Overall, things have been awesome. It's been a wonderful summer having my sister, Victor and Vince up in Canada and having my parents here is always great. I've gotten a lot accomplished in the last 11.5 months and I'm hoping by the end of August I will hit my goal of 33 lbs down (this will put me at 2.5 lbs/week average)! I hope anyone who reads this and is in the midst of bettering themselves will take my advice which is to not get off track no matter how hard things get. I think being tested like this is a part of the training process. Keep your head down and keep going. ;)

As always, thanks for reading and happy training!

First Month Progress Update!!

Wow, my last update was May 27th. A little pathetic on my part. I haven't actually been on my computer in a long time and I find it tough to write a blog with my phone. I will be more diligent in the coming months because I will have lots to post!

So! I starting doing CrossFit and eating Paleo on June 1st and it has been amazing. For those who don't know what either of those things are, CrossFit is a high-intensity, compact workout that is short in duration but intense. Typically, workouts take 12-15 minutes to complete but you don't stop from the time you begin and you keep the intensity at the highest level you can. The types of exercises you do incorporate Olympic weight lifting, gymnastics,  running and much more. To get an idea, the following is an example workout day for me:

1 round:

15 squats with 45lb bar

8 burpees

10 jump squats

100 meter dash

10 power cleans with 55 lbs

15 minutes (as many rounds as possible)

Following this, Natalie and I will go for a run around the campground. The run varies from a mile for time or for a total 30 minutes. It really just depends on the WOD (workout of the day) that I just completed. We do this combo 6 days per week. Yikes. CrossFit has a bit of a cult following and for those who do it, they love it. I was pretty skeptical that I could get a decent workout in 12 minutes (I was used to at least an hour in the gym on training days) but after the first day, I was begging for mercy.

On the nutrition side of the equation, CrossFit promotes two diets: the Zone and Paleo. Natalie, my sister, has been doing Paleo for about 4 months now and her results have been incredible. With the Paleolithic Diet, you avoid grains, dairy, legumes, salt, processed oils and refined sugar. The explanation is as follows:

" Paleolithic nutrition is based on the premise that modern humans are genetically adapted to the diet of their Paleolithic ancestors and that human genetics have scarcely changed since the dawn of agriculture, and therefore that an ideal diet for human health and well-being is one that resembles this ancestral diet."

There are a lot of theories on both sides of this diet (some strongly for, some strongly against) however, all I know for myself is that since cutting out all of the above, my body has experienced drastic changes. The first few days were rough. I had to white-knuckle my way through the caffeine and sugar withdrawls. Caffeine was the worst. However, once I got through it, it has been amazing. I don't feel bloated, I have incredible amounts of energy (no more 2:30 pm crash!), and my sleep patterns have normalized. I'm no longer up until 12 am every night, and I usually get tired around 9:30 pm. I know this sounds like I've become a boring old lady. In a way I guess I have. But I would rather be boring and be awake and alert to train at 5:30 every morning than stay up watching re-runs of "Say Yes To The Dress". lol

You might be wondering what my results have been for the month! I lost a total of 10lbs and 3.5 inches. Considering that we didn't do much running for the first two weeks, I'm pretty thrilled. In the past I would have been dissatisfied with 2-2.5lbs/week, instead wanting 4lbs or more but this time around, slow and steady is going to win the race. Ultimately I know that I am doing all I can do--eating clean and training like a beast! For the second month, Natalie and I are kicking up the running (had a personal best for my mile run today!) and we have started the Advocare 24 Day Challenge. It's just a cleanse with a variety of supplements geared to cleaning out your system and promoting a bit of weight loss. We figured since we're doing Paleo, we may as well take advantage and do the cleanse. I'm just looking at it as a bit of a kick-start. So far, so good!

So I'm hoping that this month I hit another 10+ lb drop. Considering how clean my diet is (no mayo this month!) and how much we're running in addition to CrossFit, I think it's doable. ;)

As I said, I'll be posting much more on here from this month forward and I hope that you follow my progress and let me know how all of your training is going! I really do find it interesting and inspiring to hear about other people's training.

Any questions or comments, feel free to post on my facebook page for "Iron and Asphalt". Thanks for reading and happy training!! :)

Summer of Pain

My sister, Natalie, and her family flew in last night and I can't begin to say how excited I am! I'm obsessed with my nephew, Vince (he's going to be 2 in August!) and it's going to be great having them all in Canada this summer. I could write a 1500 page blog about how much I love my nephew, so I'll restrain myself and just say he's pretty freaking amazing.

Natalie, has been doing great with her workouts/food for anyone who doesn't have her on Facebook. She has managed to not only get the baby weight off, she looks even better now than from before she got pregnant---this is no easy feat, ladies and gents. Aside from her 5 a.m. Crossfit workouts, she has been following the Paleo diet.

For those of you who don't know what that is, it's basically eating like a caveman. This means no grains or legumes--only nuts, seeds, lean meats, fruits and veggies. Unlike Atkins which also endorsed no grain carbs, the Paleo diet requires lean meats. On Atkins you could eat 100 strips of fatty bacon because it's protein lol. As well, the reason for not eating grains is because that is not something cavemen ate and as a result, we have in a sense trained our bodies to eat it even though it's not something we are naturally process. Our bodies have to work harder to process grains and so if you cut those out entirely and get your carbs through other sources, you will go straight to burning fat. I'm probably leaving a bunch of stuff out, so if you would like to read up on it, check out this link: http://thepaleodiet.com/ .

Now I won't lie, I'm a little skeptical of it because I'm a girl who loves bread in all it's forms. I don't see how anyone could realistically avoid it, or more importantly, not want it. I have shared all this with Natalie and she says that the first week was really tough as you are adjusting from eating one way all your life to something that's pretty different. After doing it for two months or so, she says she feels great and rarely craves anything non-Paleo. In the event she does, she'll usually have a bit of it and it won't affect much because she is always eating so healthy. Another thing she mentioned was a heightened sense of awareness with her body and how she feels. It's like putting premium gas in your tank...better for the car!

I'm always up for trying new things and being proven wrong. Also, my way of doing things has been hit or miss---great for a few days and lazy on others. So over the course of the summer, I'm going to eat Paleo. Over the next week, I'm going to be easing myself into it but incorporating and I'm aiming to eat full Paleo by June 1st (I like starting things at the start of the month...I'm weird that way). Just to make it interesting, if I don't stick with it for at least a month, I'm going to give Natalie $100. If I do, I'm going to give myself a $100 to go to the spa. I really hope I win. lol

Also I'm quitting my gym membership at Goodlife (it's so tough to get those guys off my weight machines!) and I'm going to be enrolling in Natalie's Crossfit classes every morning. I think this will be good for me to switch it up and workout outside in the summer because the weather here is so perfect! Of course I will be supplementing my cardio with my Stairclimber, but I'll get more weight training in this way. Plus I'm intrigued by Crossfit...I've heard great things about it.

So this will basically be the "Summer Of Pain" but in a good way. Natalie and I are going out for a run today and assuming I don't die, I will keep ya posted on how Paleo/Crossfit goes!

Thanks for reading and I hope your training is going well too everyone!

'Food sucks, this feels good!'

It has been a month since I've written and believe me when I say I have a good reason. Since mid-March until the end of April I have been taking part in the joy that is tax season. Six weeks with a total of six days off and enough stress to make the Mad Hatter seem like a chill guy. But it's not all doom and gloom--it's now May and I have reclaimed my life! Back to watching 'Pawn Stars' with my parents and writing in my Fitbook like it's the next Great American Novel.

Training has been different than I had expected. I must admit, that I was pretty cocky that I would not let my time be consumed by tax season and that I would fight against the exhaustion and go the the gym. I then discovered that I am not the bionic woman. I figured out early on that I would need to roll with my schedule but be as healthy as possible. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, a huge help to me was getting to bed early during that time. I've been going to bed around 9-9:30 on weeknights and I can't lie, it feels great! I actually feel rested which is new for me.

 On the food front, eating healthy at work is a breeze for me--I bring super healthy snacks, eat a clean breakfast and for the most part, lunch is pretty solid. I've been cutting down on going out for lunch (from 3-4 days a week to about 1-2 right now) but it's still a work in progress. Dinner is always great because my mom is adorable and offers to make me dinner every night. She's really into healthy food and even more so now since watching "Food Inc." which really is an incredible movie that I highly recommend. That and "Overboard". Classic.

Speaking of clean food, I'm doing something I've never done before this coming Saturday: I'm going to a farmer's market! I've always threatened to go, but then I would just, groan, roll over and go back to bed. Apparently the trick is to go pretty early. Usually waking up at 7 a.m. on a Saturday would seem like a punishment but I'm pretty excited to check it out. I will make a video to post on my facebook page, so watch for it and the hilarity that is sure to ensue.

My goals for this week are to workout more and complain about it less. I've been waking up to do cardio and I always feel so great afterwards. It's getting on the stairclimber that's the hard part! I haven't lifted weights in a while so I'm going to start getting the focus back on that as well. Maybe mixing it up between the two will make me complain less. Or at the very least suffer in silence.

So I'm armed this week with two new Nicki Minaj songs to workout to, an assessment of my body fat to track my progress by, some new workout clothes and an even more focused attitude. New blog entry in a week! Til then, happy training ;)

P.S. If you're wondering what kinda look I'm going for, check out the pic to the left. Daaaayyymm. Makes it all seem worth it!!

Patience Young Grasshopper...

First off, let me apologize for not writing as consistently as I would like to. Work has been pretty crazy and will be until the end of the month, so I've had little time to myself. I am really looking forward to having my routine back on track.

The last week or so has been scattered in terms of my training and eating. I came out with guns a-blazing and had been sticking with my workouts and meal plans, but I allowed stress and fatigue to catch up with me. The last few days has been a string of eating out at restaurants and taking time off from the gym. If anyone doesn't believe that exercise can make you feel amazing, start doing it and then stop cold turkey. I have been feeling so disgusting today that I can't wait to workout tomorrow and drink 100 gallons of water!

I won't lie. Eating out is fun. Going to restaurants and being social and not worrying about calories is wayyy more enjoyable than having to be a responsible adult and choose your food wisely. In a typical gym session at the gym, I usually burn 500-700 calories. I can eat that much and then some within a few bites at a restaurant. Personally, when I'm in that 'fun mode', I really don't think about being healthy and instead convince myself that I've been good all week and deserve a break. In truth, that's just the old me trying to sneak back in. And I have to remember to beat that bitch back down with a carrot stick.

But despite this hiccup, my progress has been pretty good! I'm down 5 lbs for the week (a lot of this is a result of drinking more water) and my sleep pattern has been getting much better. I'm usually in bed by 10 which is a big improvement for me. What I love about what I'm doing this time around is that I'm much more accepting and patient with myself.  Now I just feel like I'm learning more about myself and how to make this life change permanent without making it unenjoyable.

Tomorrow is the start of a new week and a new chance to get it right. I feel that every day I do this, I'm getting a little bit better than I was the day before. For anyone else who is also working towards becoming healthier, I think it's really important to be patient. This is not to say that we should take it easy on ourselves---keep pushing beyond your limits. But ultimately, you are your own teammate in your fitness journey and treat yourself like you would someone you want to inspire to do their best.

New week. New meal plan. New workout schedule. Bring it.

Thanks for reading everyone. Happy training ;)

I. Am. So. Tired.

I can't lie. I'm exhausted. I've been working 6 days a week at my job and in my free time, burning the candle at both ends. This has been a huge wake up call for me. I had this vision that I would pick a date to start my plan and then everything would be flowers and unicorns from there on out. Of course it would be challenging in the gym and staying on my diet but for the most part, things would run smoothly. As it turns out, this is going to require a much bigger lifestyle change than I had anticipated.

I'm a night hawk and it's totally normal for me to stay up until at least 11 p.m. every night...Oh ya, and I'm not a morning person! This is a terrible combo when your involved in an undertaking that requires a lot of preparation and focus. I was so excited to get everything started this week and I've been shocked at just how difficult it's been. I feel like I've been walking a tightrope the last few days---constantly off balance. So that's what I'm going to work on. Balance!

This might be the part where in the past that I would determine that this was just 'too hard' or 'not a good point to start something like this'. In essence, I would quit. But not this time. I recognize that there some problems with my lifestyle that are not condusive to achieving my goals. Bottom line, I want this more than anything in my life right now. Aside, of course, from my friends and my family, this is what is the most important thing to me. I have to find a way to make this work.

So I am going to try something I've never done before. Sunday-Thursday I'm going to aim to be in bed by 9 p.m. and get to bed as early as possible on Friday and Saturday. This might not seem like a big deal to some people but this is going to be a huge challenge for me. I honestly can't remember the last time I went to bed that early...maybe when I was sick? haha

I said when I started this that I would be honest. And honestly, I feel a little overwhemed yet oddly excited. I'm not usually someone who likes change but in this case, I think I need it. Not having a lot of free time and being on a tight schedule is going to be a constant in my life but I don't need to let that control my life or goals. I will have to make some sacrifices to get to the finish line!

I will let you guys know how this goes. I don't know how I feel about becoming a boring old lady, but if that's what it'll take to get a killer body, then so be it! I said I would post some pics of fitness/wellness products I like and I will do that, but I'm going to need a buy a new camera cord. I will for sure have them posted this weekend....they're soooo awesome! I think you'll like em. ;)

Once again, thanks for reading. Not only do I want to make myself proud, but I want to make everyone following this journey proud too! It's on!

Next Phase: Turning up the heat!

'Warm-up week' is drawing to a close and my mindset is changing rapidly too. I have been taking this time to make substitutions in my diet and incorporate exercise into my routine. This might not sound like much but considering it's been since the summer that I have had any kind of fitness routine, I'm happy with my progress. The next part of my plan begins this Sunday, April 1st (not an April Fool's joke, I swear!).

At this point I'm going to be following this exercise schedule:

Cardio:

6 days/week @ 1 hr and 45 minutes/day
(stairclimber, running outside)

Weights:

3-4 days/week @ 45 minutes
(Day 1- legs/abs, Day 2- arms/chest, Day 3- back/calves/abs, Day 4- Shoulders, Tris and Traps)

This is a rough idea and the weights will change a bit depending on the day but this is a pretty good outline of what I'm looking at. Of course, I could spend my entire lifetime in the gym and it wouldn't mean a damn thing if I wasn't eating well. I like doing meal plans for 1-2 weeks at a time (with 1, 500-700 calorie max. cheat meal/week). For me it's easier because I can plot out my grocery list easier and pack my cooler for work without having to think about it. Here is my meal plan for the next two weeks:

Breakfast
2 slices whole wheat raisin bread (260 cal., 5 g. fat, 48 g. carbs, 8 g. protein)
1 tbsp. natural peanut butter (100 cal., 8 g. fat, 3 g. carbs, 4 g. protein)
1 cup 1% cottage cheese (200 calories, 3 g fat, 14 g carbs, 30 g. protein)
coffee (obviously!) (approx. 50 calories)
= 610 calories (16 g. fat, 65 g. carbs, 42 g. protein)

Snack
1 clementine (35 cal., 0.1 fat g., 8.9 g. carbs, 0.6 g. protein)
1/2 cup greek yogurt (65 cal., 0.0 g. fat, 4.7 g. carbs, 12 g. protein)
1 oz. raw almonds (164 cal., 14.3 g fat, 5.6 g. carbs, 6 g. protein)
= 264 calories (14.4 g. fat, 19.3 g carbs, 18.6 protein)

Lunch
1 lg. apple (115 cal., 0.4 g. fat, 30.8 g. carbs, 0.6 g protein)
1 tbsp. natural peanut butter (100 cal., 8 g. fat, 3 g. carbs, 4 g. protein)
Tuna Pasta Salad
1 cup cooked whole wheat pasta (180 cal., 2 g. fat, 41 g. carbs, 7 g. protein)
1 can chunk light tuna in water (140 cal, 1 g. fat, 0 g. carbs, 30 g., protein)
2 tbsp. greek yogurt (approx. 30 calories)
celery and shallots to taste
= 565 calories (11.4 g. fat, 79.8 g carbs, 41.6 g. protein)

Snack
Shake
1 scoop Greco powder (145 cal., 0.4 g. fat, 1 g. carbs, 37 g. protein)
Vege greens (47 cal., 0 g. fat, 3 g. carbs, 3 g. protein)
Phytoberries (30 cal., 0.5 g. fat, 10 g. carbs, 0 g. protein)
1 cup whole strawberries (46 cal., 0.4 g. fat, 11.1 g. carbs, 1 g. protein)
= 268 cal. (1.3 g. fat, 25.1 g. carbs, 41 g. protein)

Dinner
6 oz. tilapia (raw when measured) (163 calories, 2.9 g fat, 0 g. carbs, 34.2 g. protein)
Lemon juice and Mrs. Dash to taste
TONNES of veggies! (approx. 30 calories)

TOTAL= 1900 calories (46 g fat, 189.2 g carbs, 177.4 g. protein)

I'm sure this probably looks like I'm kind of obsessive writing out all of this detail, but I like to know exactly what I'm eating. And honestly, getting in shape is a numbers game---calories in, calories out. If you aren't keeping tabs on what you're eating and how much of it, then you are going to run into problems eventually. And since I'm weight training, I want to make sure I'm eating enough and not destroying the muscle I'm trying to build. Down the road I would love to try eating gluten/dairy free but I think this is a good start. :)

So all in all, things are going great. Weight loss wise I'm right on track from this 'warm up' and I'm so excited to see what happens once I start kicking it into high gear. I'm hearing great things from people who are also training, so keep it up--- you guys are doing great and inspiring me daily.

I'm going to posting some photos great new workout stuff I bought so I'll share that in the next couple days. I'm really excited about these and I think you will be too!

As always, thanks for reading and I hope to hear from you all very soon! ;)

Excuses

Time has become a precious commodity to me.

I remember a time when I could waste a weekend without a second thought because I knew the following week would be a steady mix of my highschool classes and some fun, after-school programs. My stress level was realistically about a 5 and at the time, I  felt like I could handle what was on my plate with ease.

These days, weeks fly by faster and months are gone in a flash. I still can't believe we're almost out of March now! I know that this is because I work full-time and my schedule has been an adjustment. It's been great to have a steady structure in my day, but like the rest of the rat race, I'm often itching for Friday to just 'hurry up and get here!' so I can catch my breath. I don't think I'm the only one who feels like this and it's not just limited to people who work. Stress and time management is a huge issue for people in University and College because your schedule is often so erratic and ever-changing that it can be hard to institute a routine. And if you have kids? Don't even get me started...

When the majority of your time is given to others, it's understandable that the last place you want to be is the gym. Let's be honest, no one really looks forward to going to the gym all the time, do they? For me, I usually hate the idea of it until I get there and then I start to get excited and pumped for my workout. But getting there is tough. No lie.

Now that I've started this process, I realize that I have to get my priorities straight. Work is absolutely important and I also happen to really love my job. However, it's not my top priority right now. When I think about what I want and what makes me happy, it's getting in shape and achieving this goal. Plain and simple.

Realizing this, I have started making some adjustments to my schedule and taking some control back. I have coordinated with my boss to take shorter lunch hours, 3 times/week, in order to take 2 longer lunch hours so I can go workout. I had tried going to the gym on my regular lunch hour and it was terrible---a 20 minute workout and I didn't even get to shower! Ew. So this was an easy fix to a problem...all I had to do was ask!

My point is, is that it's a start. I don't have any answers, but I can only share what's been working for me so far. If you are like me (or some of the other people I've been chatting with who read this blog) and fitness is really important to you, then make it a top priority. Look at what is stopping you and try to see if you can find a way to make some changes. My sister is a great example of this. She has a (beautiful, intellingent, amazing!) baby, Vince, but she has still managed to make it a priority. As anyone with kids knows, it's exhausting but she still manages to wake up at 5 a.m. to go workout. If that's not prioritizing, I don't know what is.

I'd love to hear from you to know what your obstacles are with getting in shape and how you manage to make it work. Everyone has unique struggles and I think it's really interesting to know how other people do it.

Thanks for reading and I hope to hear from you. Please feel free to comment on my Facebook page "Iron and Asphalt"!


Happy training :)

Warm Up Week

I'm a big believer in easing myself into things. I was never that kid who just jumped in a cold pool...I always walked in. Was it more uncomfortable? Sure. But having time to get adjusted to my surroundings was better to me than a shock to the system. This might not be the best way of doing things in other people's eyes, but I'm starting to learn that ultimately you have to do what works for you. And this doesn't just apply in terms of getting in shape but to life in general.
I'm treating this week as a warm up week for this process. Rather than cutting everything out and hitting the gym 5-6 days a week (which I plan on doing!), I've been working in cardio, cutting down on caffiene and diet coke and of course, starting to replace the junk with healthy food. Its only been a couple of days and I already feel so much better. It's amazing what doing something as simple as drinking a few liters of water a day will do for you. It's been great because I've been staying late at work (tax season!) and will be doing so for the next month and a half, so I can only imagine what would happen if I didn't stay on top of it right now. I would be buried in my cubicle surrounded by 10,000 Tim Horton's coffee cups and wrappers from 'everything bagels with herb and garlic cream cheese'...Ok, can't lie, that sounds awesome to me right now. lol




Also, a part of me wants to just be able to do when I was fitter. It's very frustrating not being able to do what you once could do so easily. I've been looking in to joining a women's recreational basketball league at Carleton University, and was going to join today but if I'm being honest with myself, I'm not conditioned enough for something like that. In order to be competitive, I'm going to need to give this a little time to get on track.

When I get frustrated, as I have a couple of times so far and sure I will a lot more in the future, I just think about how you can't think about your past as if it was the present. It's not reality anymore and therefore it's of no value at this point in time. If you're like me and am trying to get in/back in shape, I really believe that there's a reason for why you are where you are at this moment in time. There's a lesson to learn in what you're going through but you have to be willing to embrace it!

Some of you have already started messaging me to tell me about your fitness goals, plans, tips and frustrations! I love it! It's been really interesting and inspiring to hear other people's perspectives and stories. I've really enjoyed talking to each of you guys and truly appreciate the support. So I'm gonna throw it a question back to you, the reader! What are some inspirational/motivational quotes, sayings, philosophies that help you get to the gym and through your workout?

P.S. I've decided that once I'm at my goal weight I'm gonna post my 'before photos'. Don't worry, I'll give you fair warning. Haha

Welcome to "Iron and Asphalt"

So! Here we are. A big thanks to you (yes you!) for taking a moment to read this note. You might be wondering what it is. No, I'm not trying to sell you anything. At least not until I can get that ponzi scheme of mine up and running. What you have come across is the beginning of a series of notes that will centre around my getting-in-shape efforts.

Like many people, I have been sucked into the eat-more-workout-less vortex that are those post high school years. Admittedly I was never exactly top of the cheerleading pyramid material, but all of that structure and access to organized sports helped to keep my hereditary "horse thighs" at bay. Now I'm all done university and have been working for six months which happens to include long stretches at my cubicle. Great for my lazy sensibility but hell on my ass. My sister has boldly taken the step of posting her daily weight in her status updates as a way of keeping accountable. The bravery of our family ended with her. I won't be doing that. For me, it's not as much about weight as it is about getting and feeling healthy again. I will be keeping up with this series of notes, in which I will be as honest about this process as I can be. It's about to get 'real' up in here, y'all...hah.

To keep with this 'honesty train' I'm on, let me say that this was not an easy decision to start this up. I try my best to not be overly self-indulgent with facebook. That's really not the point of this. I really hope that people who are in the same position that I'm in will find this to be an entertaining, thought/discussion provoking and hopefully, motivating series. If anyone would like to take part and write similar notes, please tag me in them as I would love to read them. If you are not so comfortable sharing on facebook, I would also be happy to read any private messages you may want to send me about your own experience or any questions or comments you may have. Whether we know eachother well or not doesn't matter, we're all friends here!


I like goals, so here's mine. Ultimately I'm working towards competing in a figure competition (bikini division) by 2014. If you want to see what it is I'm talking about, you can google some of my fitness favorites---Dianna Dahlgren, Justine Munro, Jaime Eason and Erin Stern just to name a few! From what I've heard it requires a full year of training to get conditioned so I imagine a two year window is reasonable to get everything up and running. Everything in this series will be written with that goal in mind. So thanks in advance to anyone who is planning on keeping an eye out for this series. Should be fun!
And now we're at the end. Well done if you've read to this point. You get a cookie. Just kidding, you get some broccoli. ;)