I love all things related to working out-- I spend hours upon hours surfing the net about eating right and how to lose fat/gain muscle, reading fitness magazines, shopping for workout clothes, shoes, etc., even talking to others about working out is enjoyable to me. And not being able to hit the gym for two weeks was torture!! Being able to get back in there last night felt AH-MAY-ZING!!!
I mentioned yesterday that I went to the Arnold in March and became intrigued by the whole competition thing. However, to be perfectly honest, I knew my body was nowhere near in the shape it needed to be in to compete. Just to put it in perspective, here are a few of the pro bikini competitors:
Shelsea Montes
Jaime Baird
Nathalia Melo
All photos above courtesy of: http://forums.musculardevelopment.com/
Yeah, in case you were wondering, my body looks nothing like any of those 3 above! Far from it actually. So step number one was getting my body into the best shape it's ever been in!!! I began looking for a trainer and not just any trainer-- I knew I needed someone who was not only certified, but also one that was familiar with competing. I found one pretty quickly and began a 12-week training/supplementation/diet program. I got off to a bit of a slow start because I began the program on the same day that our vacation to Florida began, but I did much better once we were home and even better than that once MJ returned to work. Having him home was definitely a distraction:)
I currently weight train and do cardio every day with a few cardio-only days thrown in as well as an off-day (if I so choose) every 14th day. It is intense and I will admit that on the first ever leg day of this plan, I followed it up by immediately puking in my in-laws front yard. Yeah, I'm not kidding even though I wish I was-- nothing says Happy Easter like puking in the bushes!
The most important (and hardest, for me) part of the plan is the food. I eat 6 small meals a day and also take several supplements as well as vitamins. Here's a quick breakdown of my day, by meals:
Meal 1: 5am
Meal 2: 830am
Meal 3: 12pm
Meal 4: 3pm
Meal 5 (pre-workout): 6pm
Meal 6: (post-workout): 930pm
I can say that while I was miserable during the first couple of weeks (it always takes time for your body to adjust), I love this plan and I have seen some of the most incredible changes in my body. Here's the snapshot of my before (so totally embarrassing and reminds me of my before pic in 2009!!!!):
And here's a snapshot of me on July 20th:
I still have quite a bit of fat to lose and muscle to gain, but it's always nice to see the hard work pay off!
3 fabulous comments:
look at you!!!!!! that hard work is paying off!!
I'm inspired by your dedication...Seriously, great work Hun!
Great work, but you are standing kind of hang dog and are wearing a droopy bikini top in the first photo and in the second photo you are all smiles and standing up straight, so that alone would make a huge differenc.
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