Personal Training

Good Afternoon All! Wow what a week this has been already. Yesterday was EXTREMELY crazy. We had so much going on that I didn't even have a chance to post a Motivational Monday! So I hope you found some kind of motivation via the web, friends, family or whatever to help get your week started.

Yesterday was my first day of work. WHATTT did I say work? Why yes, I did. You are now following an official Gold's Gym Personal Trainer! HA! It happened so fast. As some of you that follow me may know that I have been very interested in getting into personal training but just haven't had the right opportunity yet. So last week when we were at the gym my awesome, very forward husband just brought the topic up to one of the staff at our gym, we had a meeting Friday and BOOM. Monday was my first day and it was great. I met everyone, got 3 clients and started learning the ropes. I can tell this is going to be a great fit for me because both Joshua and I can train clients (he will be doing this on a part time basis seeing as how he plays a huge role in his job now and that will take most of his attention), we take on as many clients as we can handle, we come up with our own training as we see fit for each client and really have great open communication with the Personal Training director. He's a really nice, easy going guy that just expects us to do our very best to give clients a great experience and help them meet their goals. Tomorrow is my first client and I'm just so excited to get going!

As far as mine and Joshua's training, this is the last week of our current routine. We have followed our current plan for about 6 weeks now so it time to change up the exercises but still following the FST-7 program. I love this program and again just have seen so much change in my body since starting it. The next 6 weeks however I definitely need to put a little more emphasis on my glutes and shoulders. Just rounding both out more and bring definition to my shoulders.


Ill keep you guys posted on how the training is going both with Joshua and I and now my new JOB!!! 

Have a fit day!

11 Weeks Out!!!

Holla! It's Saturday and I am now 11 weeks out from the Palmetto Cup. Wow, these week's are really starting to fly by now and the changes are really starting to show as well. It's really hard to tell in these pics but my abdominal's are really coming through. I'm also starting to see some great striations in my shoulders. This week I dropped 4lbs so that means maybe about 6-10 more pounds. But we'll see as the weeks start closing in what my final weight will be. Originally we thought I needed to hit my stage weight last year which was 128 but now we're thinking 135 seeing as how much muscle I have added on. Ya'll let me just tell you that as I start seeing more and more results it makes me want to WIN that much more. My motivation level is through the roof!!!! I cant wait to see what next weeks pictures are going to look like! 

Have a fit day!

Pic of the Day

Fanta, fanta, dont cha wanna! I needed this today inbetween meals....

Wednesday Circuit

Good morning! Well it's hump day and we are half way through this sunless week. I don't know what the weather is like where you are but here in SC it's so dreary! Like no sun at all. I'm very ready for some Spring weather.
I have been seeing lots of little butter cups blooming all over the place so that helps make me smile! Speaking of smiling let's get your endorphin's going! Who needs sunshine when we have exercise!!!



For today's cardio circuit I hit the StairMaster. Most days I consider it the "StairMonster" but today it was calling my name. I used IFBB Pro Nicole Wilkin's Stair Stepper Routine I found somewhere online. I think Tenecia over at Boobs, Barbells & Broccoli posted it.... I figured if Nicole can do it so can I!!! lol I'm just a little obsessed with her ;-)

Ne who this is how it goes:

5 min warm up at level 5

3 min at 8

2 min at 10

2 min at 6

1 min at 14

3 min at 5

1 min at 12

2 min at 6

30 sec at 15

2.5 min at 6

30 sec at 16

2.5 min at 6

1 min at 4

1 min at 2

1 min at 14

30 sec at 10

2 min at 6

1 min at 4

1 min at 14

2 min at 4

Total Time: about 35 mins

This workout was definitely challenging but wasn't to hard for me. The first 10mins i was sweating bullets but by the end I was feeling good and strong, not to tired at all. I even managed to jump on the stationary bike for 15mins and finish up the workout. Great burn and butt builder! Let me know how it goes for you!

Have a fit day ;-)

Motivational Monday

On a Tuesday? Yea I know I missed yesterday but hey what does it matter what day it is as long as we stay MOTIVATED and STRONG right? RIGHT!

I came across this quote on Pinterest  Sunday and vowed it would be my mantra for the next 12 weeks. And yes I had to ask Joshua what mantra meant lol. Don't judge....

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Don't let food cravings, family, friends, laziness or any other distraction set you back from meeting your goals! Stay focused and push through on those days when it just seems impossible! YOU GOT THIS! 

Pinterest of the Week

I wish people would stop using my picture on Pinterest...... JK!!!!!

Wednesday's Circuit

Here's a circuit I made up on the fly. You can make this workout as hard as want! We don't do easy round here ;-)

10 Lunge to a push up
*last set of push ups transition to:
20 (10 each leg) Knee to chest
10 Burpee's
Repeat for 20 Mins

15 Dumbbell Flys
20 DB Squat
25 Jumping Jacks
Repeat for 15 Mins

25 Air Bike
20 Hip Raises (squeeze glutes)
Repeat for 10 Mins

Again, send me some of  your own circuits!!!!

Stability Ball

Some of you may already know this but I have so much love for Nicole Wilkins. She is like my FAVORITE Figure athlete. I mean her face might be all over my house.... might be.... NE who she has been doing a series on FitnessRX for Women called The Fit Life with Nicole Wilkins. I'm loving these videos! The one I want to share with you all today is so great because you can do this at home with just a stability ball! Easy enough right? Think again, lol. Check out the video here!

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Motivational Monday

Listen to your body.

Saturday I posted progress pictures. Although, I didn't see to much progress from the last pics.... Uh.

Am I a little tighter? Yeah.
Are my shoulders coming in better than last year? Yeah.
Did the scale go down? one pound....
Is that discouraging? Yes and no.

When I first started my prep the scale was moving just like I wanted but then it slowed down & I got greedy for the numbers so I pushed my low carb days a little to far which in turn made my workouts suffer. In my progress pics I look so flat. I had just woke up (5am), no food and I was depleted. No wonder I was displeased with how I looked.
However, I still sent the pics, updated the coach on what I did and waited for the response.... And like always, he was positive and said we can fix this! His initial response was "look tighter which is good but what's your weight?" I hate only saying a pound. I wanna say 5 lbs or whatever but that just wasn't the case. His advise was let this is just be fuel for my fire. I need to learn to listen to my body. Know when to push and when to refuel. Don't let one bad set of pictures tear you down. Find out what you did wrong, correct the behavior and get busy making the necessary modifications.

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Remember that getting that ideal body of your dreams is a marathon not a race so pace yourself!!!

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Have a fit day!

14 Weeks Out

I am not pleased with this weeks progress pics but here they are in all there glory.......

Good Eatin' Friday- Better for You BBQ Chx Sandwhich

Joshua and I are some BBQ lovin' fools! OMG!!! and Joshua can make some of the BEST BBQ you have ever put in your mouth.... Every 4th of July he fires up the smoker and we have one heck of a feast. The other day, we were passing by one of our fav BBQ spots and with watering mouths, we just kept going.....

The Smoking Pig, Pendelton SC

However this did inspire me. Joshua has now started his own contest prep but he's about 25 weeks out and has about double the amount of time that I have. Two of his 8 meals are boring chicken and he's been having a hard time choking it down, so I got creative with the crockpot and doctored his chicken up a bit. He loves it now of course!!!!

 Below I've added a few things for you guys that we can't have right now but trust me, are so good. Again modify this recipe to your diet and taste but try to keep it clean and with-in your calorie/carb/protein range.

Better for You BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Crockpot BBQ Chx

*a 4oz serving of the BBQ Chx is 153 cal/ 22g protein/ 6g carbs

Kraft Light Original BBQ Sauce

*or your own choice

Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Buns 

*you can find these at Publix in the freezer section

This Clean Coleslaw by Dani Spies

How to make the chicken: Place 3 large boneless skinless chicken breast in a crockpot. Pour a bottle of Kraft Light BBQ Sauce all over the top. Turn on HIGH and set a timer for 3.5 hours. Once 3.5 hours have passed take the chicken out and shred it with two forks. Place all the chicken back in the crockpot with a little more BBQ sauce if you wish and cook on low for another 10 mins or so. You want the chx to soak up all that yummy BBQ flavor.

Toast your buns, build your sandwich & enjoy!!!

Some other ideas for your Crockpot BBQ Chicken:

• On a whole grain pizza with veggies, low fat mozzarella and jalapeno's 
• In a whole grain wrap
• On romaine lettuce
• On Arnold Multi Grain 100 calories thins

The possibilities are endless....

Have a Clean Eating weekend!

Pinterest of the Week

I love Pinterest... I think it's like the MOST genius website ever. I could spend hours a day looking at food I can't eat, decor I can't afford, DIY ideas that I'll probably never do... It's a perfect time waster in between workouts, meal prep, avoiding moping my disgusting floors or any chore I decide is not worth my precious time,  etc. So in honor of my love for Pinterest each Thursday I'm going to post my "Pin" of the week. If you want you could follow me on Pinterest and we could day dream together? Just sayin'...

Today's pin is inspired by my friends and family who have all told me this week they just can't give up the pasta. So this is for all you carb lovin', can't give up my pasta or I might mess around and lose weight people.... ;-)

Skinny Spagetti via Pinterest by Delighted Momma



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Wednesday Workout

Ah, Wednesday.. Half way through the week but yet still not the weekend.. Sa La Vie. Today will be the start of "Workout Wednesday's". Where I'll post a circuit and playlist to go with the workout. I think this might be fun for all of us and keep things moving. Not only will I post my own circuits,but  if you guys have circuits that you do I would be more than happy to post them as well and totally give you some credit! See, fun for ALL! 

Today's circuit workout looked like this:
15 Dumbbell Curls (12lb DB)
20 Body Squats
15 DB Row's (12lb DB)
25 Jumping Jacks
= Repeat for 20 mins

15 Dumbbell Lateral Raises (10lb DB)
10 Push up's
15 Leg Raises (ab machine)
20 Mt Climbers
= Repeat for 15 mins

1 Min Plank
10 Glute Kick Backs
10 Side Leg Raises
10 Hip Extensions
= Repeat for 10 mins

Total Time: 45 Mins

Here is my playlist to go with the circuit:
When I grow Up- Pussycat Dolls
Bottle Pop- Pussycat Dolls
Monster- Nicki Minaj
Little Bad Girl- David Guetta
I'm So Hood- DJ Khaled
What I be On- Trey Songz
What Doesnt Kill You- Kelly Clarkson
Make Me Proud- Nicki Minaj & Drake
Gotta Have It- Jay Z
Whatchamacallit- Pussycat Dolls
Elevator- Pussycat Dolls

Then, just because I'm a crazy person these days, I did cardio on the treadmill for 30 mins. and THEN I was DONE!

Have a fit day!

Fst7 Training Program

 Happy Tuesday to ya ;-) On Sunday I told you guys that I had another killer workout with Joshua and that I would fill you all in on what kind of training we have been doing. Our trainer is very in the know when it comes to what the pro's are doing, be it nutrition or training styles. He has taught us several new exercises that kick our butt! One of the training programs he has turned us on to is FST-7. Some of you may have heard about it and know the in and outs of what it's about but for those of you that don't know, it stands for Fascia Stretch Training. It was created by Hany Rambod who is known as the "Pro Creator".


FST 7

 Simply shredded has a great article here that explains what it's all about. I definitely encourage you guys to read the article, check out Hany's website here and try it out. We have been doing it now for about 3 weeks and I have really seen some significant gains. Mainly in my weak areas like shoulders and biceps. We started with the beginner level even though we are quite experienced in the gym. We never walk away from a workout feeling like we didn't do enough. It's very tough!!! Especially the 7 sets... Uhhh.

Try it, you'll like it.

Another thing I wanted to fill you in on is that I've decided to do the Palmetto Cup again. It's right before Jr. USA and basically I just want to see what kind of feedback I'm going to get going into Jr. USA the following weekend. Plus I wanna place better than I did last time. More like I wanna win overall, lol.... Last year I really didn't know what to expect or what I was really doing but this year is much and I emphasiz MUCH different. I'm going for the gold baby ;-)

Motivational Monday

"The cupcake you've been craving for an hour or the body you've always wanted? Remember its ALWAYS your choice".

I know better than anyone how hard it is to commit to goal and follow through with it. Especially when it comes to dieting and weightloss. Deciding to do a figure contest and then having to commit to such a strict diet for months can be grueling at times. The hardest times for Joshua I are when we have just worked out, our metabolism's are rev'ed up and we're passing tons of places to eat. Thinking of all the foods we would love to eat if only it were on our diets.... I mean we just worked out right? WRONG! This is where our will power kicks in and through trial & error we know what that food can do to us if we made the choice to eat it. We know how food affects our bodies and what most of that food is made out of isn't really good for anyone. Don't get me wrong, I've been known to obsess over birthday cake with butter creme frosting, Five Guys burger & fries, and when the hot light is on at Kripy Kreme.... Forget about it! But I also obsess over what it's going to be like when I step on stage looking my absolute best!!! That obsession trumps the urge to eat crap anyday. What I do is tell myself that red velvet cake will always be available but getting to that national level stage won't be. There is a deadline and I will meet it.

Just remember this week that every single time you eat, you have a choice. No one is forcing you to cheat on your diet and when you do cheat there is no excuse for YOUR choice....

Don't let that cupcake get in between you and the body you've always wanted!

Stay focused. Stay committed. Stay consistent.

Have a fit day!

Week In Review

What a nice way to end a long week with the beautiful weather we are having today. I hope you all are enjoying your Sunday and getting ready for the week. Today I prepared meals for 3 days, worked shoulders with Joshua and our friend Jeff joined us to. It was another killer workout. I'll fill you guys in on Tuesday about what kind of training we have been doing. I think some you would really be interested in it.

This week was one of those weeks for me and I somewhat struggled with motivation. For whatever reason I felt like everyday I had to force myself to push past my comfort zone. Usually that's not a problem for me but this week it was a pain in the ass. Monday & Tuesday I didn't want to do cardio at all but I did, and Wednesday I had a great circuit workout and even did cardio after but Thursday I only made it out of the bed to workout at 5am and then cardio at 3pm. Friday morning my workout suffered terribly because I felt like crap the whole time. I definitely was not on my A game. Saturday however it seemed like I was back on track, and thank goodness because we met with our coach and we always workout really hard with him. Today however I'm feeling great! We had a awesome shoulder workout and I even did cardio right after because Sunday's our gym closes early. Something I despise.... 1-5 on Sundays? Come on....

Ne who, as of Saturday I'm 15 weeks out from Jr. USA. I've also decided to do another show before Jr. USA and again I'll fill you in on Tuesday about that.

This week my goals are: Blog everyday, Stay motivated and postive, Spring clean my house!!!! Joshua ought to like that one, lol..

What are your goals for the week? Have a fit day!!!

Good Eatin' Friday! Iced Protein Coffee Shake

TGIF!!!! Today has been pretty standard for us. Joshua worked till 2 then we went on our weekly date to Sam's club for the grocery essentials. When your on contest prep that's about as exciting as dates get, lol. Now we're catching up on an Idiot Abroad and I'm trying to pump myself up for cardio. Booooo. GOTTA do what I gotta do!!!

Before I head out I wanted to leave you guys with a Good Eatin Friday recipe. There's been a lot of talk of coffee this week around the blogs I follow and I felt like adding my own twist on the much loved beverage.

Iced Protein Coffee Shake

1 scoop of whey protein mixed with enough cold water so that it is creamy. Then mix 8 oz or so of cold, already brewed coffee. Add sweetener of your choice, splash of vanilla and add ice.

Soooo GOOD!!! And good for you ;-) Have a fit night!