Lucky 7

7th place for my first show?! I WILL TAKE IT!

Three more weeks until Hayward and six weeks until Culver City

Gotta get top 3 to qualify for the USA in Vegas!

The past 4 months have been the happiest I've ever felt in my life

I never would have thought 6 months ago that it would be possible

to be standing here looking like this, feeling like this

confident, humble, and healthy

i feel totally unstoppable

it all started with me saying "damn it if they can do it why can't I?"

now maybe I can motivate others to ask themselves the same thing.

all you need is the powerful combination of WANT and BELIEF 

& finding that fire within yourself every day 

WE GOT THIS!

6 days out

I have shocked myself with my own determination. Before getting a coach, dieting, and prepping for competition I didn't think I had any willpower. I would do the same thing that most people do everyday begin to eat well in the morning and then fail when it became dark. I cut my calories too low or I stacked my protein too high and while I was seeing drastic changes in my body after I discovered the Paleo lifestyle and HITT training, I thougt to myself... what's next?

Im training so hard twice a day but Im disorganized and with no particular goal in mind. My fire was heading towards a fuse out. Keeping motivated literally through the internet and posts that I would put up daily on my pages and blog, started to inspire other people and I began getting floods of emails asking for advice, sharing their own success stories and downfalls, and encouraging words. I would have never thought in a million years I would be able to enter into a competition, let alone have a shot at doing pretty good. I watched my first competition live at the LA Fitness Expo in Los Angeles in late January and the intense competitor in me knew at first sight I didn't care how much I had to lose.... "Bring it on".  

Screw it. If they can do it why cant I? 

I threw away my excuses. I didn't have the money or the working hours to even try to make the amount of money to afford the fee's, the coach, the accessories but I did anyway. Honestly it was even better that I had to struggle and work really hard to be able to begin this sport. It forced me to be extremely dedicated. If I was going to spend all this money, time, effort and give up my social life, why would I cheat on a meal or skip the gym? It would be unthinkable. So here I am 6 days out from my first competition and Im mentally and physically, 100 percent ready. Im so confident that I will do well because I have given more effort everyday for the past two months than I ever have anything in my life. I feel happy, I feel strong, I'm going to rock that stage like nobody's business :) Leggo!

(Will put up pictures from competition for the final reveal of my new body, stay tuned!)

To cheat or not to cheat?!

Cheat meals are they a do or a don't?
I believe it all depends on your goals and what personally works for you.
I stay away from cheating all together during my prep for competition and its completely out of the question now that I am about a week out from the big day.
However what about everyone else and what about after the competition "season" is over?
I've heard of athletes staying away from cheat meals no matter how far away the competition and on the other hand I have heard of people who swear by the one cheat day a week system.
For some people including me a little nibble here and a drink there is enough to send me down a slippery slope of bad habits. Sure nothing happens overnight but especially if your JUST starting to clean up your eating habits, I would avoid cheat meals all together for the first three weeks.
Now, for the cheaters... this does NOT give you permission to overindulge all day on junk food in large quantities. (You can literally ruin a whole weeks worth of training and dieting on a binge of one day!)
Pick ONE meal of the day to eat a not so good for you item. Keep the portion reasonable and keep a clean eating schedule for the remainder of the day. Eat slowly and enjoy.
After three to four weeks of straight clean eating you will actually stop craving the junk and start craving REAL food when your hungry. Just remember if you do choose to enjoy occasional "cheat" meals stop yourself from thinking it was a REWARD from the good habits of the week. This turns the focus on eating crap as a REWARD and we are not dogs, we do not reward ourselves with food. Do something for yourself instead like going and getting a massage :)
Happy day everyone xo