Leg Day and a delicious FAST FOOD DINNER.

Leg day was pretty intense and took me 2 1/2 hours to finish. The last thing on my mind was wanting to cook dinner. Although, it was crazy, it was an amazing workout. Getting my last workout in before going on my mini vacation back to Oklahoma (home).

 

FAST FOOD-Yes, I said fast-food. There are a few options out there, but I enjoy going to Chipotle on days I don't want too cook. Ordering at Chipotle is simple. A large printed menu board is hung above the assembly line where you specify what you want and how you want it. Chipolte is a organic chain and is great for a nutrious and heavy protein meal.Their meat are from humanely treated animals without hormones or antibiotics. They use local and organic produce when possible and their dairy products come from dairy cows that aren’t treated with synthetic hormones.

So what did I order with all those delicious ingredients? I got a burrito bowl with the cilantro-lime rice, carnitas as my meat base, sautéed bell peppers and onions, a mix of tomato pico de gallo and tomatillo-green chili salsas, and chopped romaine lettuce. The picture alone shows how monstrous the entree is in a bowl. I typically get it in a salad bowl, but when I'm not on a diet, I love it as a burrito as well. The flavors just go together and when combined together, you get taste bud overload.

this is my gorgeously colorful chicken burrito bowl, topped with black beans, pico de gallo (the mild salsa), and roasted corn salsa (medium). It was just the right amount of heat, plus a good serving of protein from the chicken and beans. Very satisfying.

Supplements

A new supplement order was made and I just got them in today. Started a new diet and added more supplements. I added a fat burner and pills that help with maintaining healthy skin and supports healthy elimination of water and tightening of the skin. I have never had a better tasting protein shake in my life. Ump is by far the best tasting protein I have ever had. It doesn't have that weird sweetner taste, a gritty texture that some protein shakes have or a bad after taste that some leave. I definitely recommend using it. It aso HAS NO SUGARS, which is hard to find in protein shakes.

Breakfast of Champs

This is my absolutely favorite breakfast to eat and I enjoy making. I had been making this before, but whipped the ingredients in a bowl instead. This morning, I threw the ingredients in a blender. The consistency and texture is closer to what a pancake would be doing it this way. It is extremely tasty and the closest thing I can get to a cheatmeal, without actually cheating. You'd be crazy not to try this and it's easy, quick and PACKED WITH PROTEIN. ENJOY!

Sunday Funday in Malakoff, TX

I had a grand ol' time catching up with our old friends. I gotta say it was pretty tough eating my meals that I brought while everyone ate the "bad stuff" ; ) During my cheatmeal they ended up grilling CHICKEN!!! So I went ahead and ate that and indulged in a rootbeer float, no-bake cookies, banana pudding, and pineapple/cherry dumpcake. I wasn't letting my "cheatmeal" go to waste. Because I loved these No-Bake Cookies so much, I did some research and found a healthier and protein packed alternative.

 You will need:

1/2 cup margarine or Smart Butter

1/2 cup Skim milk

4 Tbsp chocolate protein powder Ump by Beverly is best)

1 Tbsp cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups Splenda Sugar Substitute or Stevia

1/2 cup all natural peanut butter

3 cups quick oats

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Melt margarine in a saucepan and add milk, protein powder, Splenda, and cocoa powder.
2. Bring to a boil for no more than a minute or until thick.
3. Remove from heat and quickly add in the oats, coconut, peanut butter, and vanilla.
4. Mix well.
5. Using a pan lined with wax paper, press mixture into cookies or using a fork, add mixture to wax paper to make cookies. Let cool and enjoy.

Nutrition Info Per Serving (2 small cookies): Calories: 244, Fat: 13g, Carbohydrates: 28g, Dietary Fiber: 6g, Protein: 12g

the boys found a little friend. they threw him back in the lake after. they just wanted to catch somethng. 

my husband and i doing more cardio in the morning:

Bubba Reunion 2012

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make my trainer's show today. Wishing her good luck! I know she'll do well and make us proud. I had planned before I even started training to go my father-in-laws Marine reunion east of Dallas with these people he's been friends with for over 30 years. They have become like family to us and Mark and I hadn't been to a Bubba reunion in about 7 years. The last one we went to we were just boyfriend and girlfriend, so it was interesting to catch up with everyone and hear about how everyone had been. We also came knowing our nieces and nephews would be up there as well. We love spending time with them.

this is the lake house we stayed out by Cedar Creek Lake



loved watching all the people on the lake that passed by

I swam a few laps for cardio today and Mark and I got on the paddleboat and went on it for a good 30 mins. Got a workout in today = )

LEGgo day! = )

After I got off work , I went and picked up my friend Marie (who is also on my Vixen Muscle Team). We hit legs hard today and made it fun at the same time by having eachother during our workouts. Made time fly faster and didn't see as painful. Today we did squats, deadlifts, v-ups, lunges, leg extensions, calve raise leg presses, and box jumps.

hacksquats! LEGgo!

Just another Thursday....

Shoulders and Tripces as usual. Nothing new really, but good workout. It's always GREAT.

The shoulders are one of the most noticed body parts. When fully clothed or not, it can make ones appearance much broader.For bodybuilders and every day exercisers, it is the one body part that will make your waist appear smaller with out losing any inches. In addition, proper shoulder training will allow you to develop your chest and back quicker.

I'm sure you can't tell in the photo below very well,

but my traps and delts are getting much bigger.

Progress is coming along pretty well. I don't want to post pictures up just yet, but you can take my word for it. Food is still keeping me full and I've stuck to it and haven't cheated. Shauna has her show this coming up weekeend that she will be competing in this weekend so she has canceled Sprints and Leg Day for Saturday and we could choose to do legs on our own.

Nothing is wrong with change, if it is in the right direction.

After going to the show and finding out what the judges are wanting in a bikini competitor, Shauna decided we need a change up in our excercises. The judges are looking for a more tight, toned, and skinnier physique. So Shauna added more cardio to our training session. Today she added in a few more laps around the parking lot than usual and jumproping to our workout. So CHANGE was about to happen quick.

We always do 30 mins of  regular cardio after our sessions, but tonight we did a CARDIO WORKOUT. From here on out on our off days, she also wants us to do a cardio workout instead of our normal cardio "of our choice". These are about to get real intense. It's not a bad thing, it's only going to make us stronger and we will see better results because of it. I'm not worried. I'm positive I can do it and am ready to.  

This is our homework: Cardio # 1, 3, and 5.

Back to the Grind.

Went in the sauna before my workout. Still reading Hunger Games.

After the prejudging show in Dallas, we found a gym that could accommodate all 8 of us and I was introduced to the Stairmaster. I have always wanted to get on it, but for some odd reason was terrified of it. lol. I gave it a shot and LOVED IT. So for today's workout, that's exactly what I did. I set it on the Fat Burner mode and set it on level 7. Went 50 something floors in 25mins. Then got on the treadmill for 10mins. Great cardio session today.

NPC Lonestar Classic

Jamie, Cat, Marie and I all traveled to Dallas together. We checked into our hotel last night about 930 pm and chit chatted for a little bit up until we went to bed around 11pm. We got up about 7am cooked breakfast and got ready for the prejuding show. The prejuding is the most important part of the show, because here is where the judges pretty much decide who will win the night of the show.

Wait a minute !! How'd these get on here ??!! HAHA ; )



Brandy and Jen

Jen competed in Figure and Brandi competed in Figure and Bikini Tall. They looked great on stage and represented us well.

VIXEN MUSCLE LADIES

Leg day and a girl's trip weekend = )

It was a packed house at the gym today. FULL OF WOMEN. = ) Inferno ladies joined us on our workout. Leg day was awesome and we did 30 mins of cardio after.

all my meals prepared and packed for our trip



These are the kinds of things you have to do when you're on a strict diet and schedule. It took me 2 days to cook my chicken, cook rice, steam my brocccoli and grill my turkey burgers. Oh the life.

I haven't left Mark in.....well, I don't think I have left him alone at home before. In the 5years we've been married, this will be the very first time I've went somewhere without him, instead of him going somewhere for work or something.

I'm actually quite excited. haha  = ) Who knows, I may never want to come back. jk jk.

OFF TO DALLAS! GOOD LUCK TO BRANDI AND JEN!

Shoulders and Triceps

So, I got to class and there was only 3 of us tonight. Jen and Jamie were already working out bc they got there alot earlier than me and went straight to our excercise. Since they ended early, I got more one-on-one time with Shauna. What I love about her is that she is able to see all of us and correct us all when we are doing something wrong. I improve every time she says something to me and want to learn the correct ways of working a certain machine or fixing my form.

Today we worked on:

3 sets of each
-15 incline fly
-15 kickbacks 5lb
-15 TRX push ups floor
-15 I arm OH extensions
-18 standing chest reverse grip front raise 8lbs
-12 around the worlds 5lbs
-15 dips bench 25 lb plate
-20 mb wall ball toss 12lbs
-20 straight leg raises on the ground
-15 reverse grip triceps 45lbs
-30 crunches

After class, I went home and had to pack for the big weekend ahead. This weekend 2 of the girls were competing and Shauna invited all of Vixen Muscle to support them and also to see exactly how the process of the competitions worked so that way we would know before our own shows. I'm so excited and can't wait!

This is the show we are attending this weekend



What a competitor's meal looks like....

Meal 1-(Breakfast)-3egg whites, 1 whole egg, veggies and 1/2c oatmeal or grapefruit to substitute

Meal 2-protein shake

Meal 3-(Lunch)- turkey burger, 1/2c of brown rice and 2 cups of broccoli

Meal 4- 4oz of chicken and 1 cup of broccoli

Meal 5-(Dinner)- large chicken and salad

Meal 6- protein shake

OH! And 16 pills of sups all day. AND A GALLON OF WATER OR MORE.

My meals usually look like this daily:

breakfast

oatmeal (with vanilla protein and cinnamon), scrambled eggs and vegetables

protein pancakes (oats and eggwhites together with cinnamon) and veggies

lunch

snack

dinner

Week 2

First exercises of the week are generally a full body workout. Today's workout consisted of:

3 sets of each
-15 assisted pull ups
-15 hammer curls 10lbs
-dumbell row double 15, 20, 10 lbs
-15back extensions w/25lbs plate
-18 incline bicep curls 8lbs
-15 bent over reverse grip rows w/straight bar 45lbs
-25 superman
-20 tucks 10lbs
-15 lat pull down cc 15lbs
-21 bicep curls
-15 trx reverse fly
-30 ball crunches weighted 25lbs

VIXEN'S PERSONAL WORKOUT ROOM

This is our workout room, but we do our cardio in the main gym.

 

Also today is the 1st game of the NBA FINALS. OKC THUNDER vs. Miami Heat.

 Of course, I wore my Thunder gear to the gym.

my diet and supplement plan

Nutrition:
There are 3 phases for this diet and each have a goal. I will be on Level I for about 2-3 weeks before I go on the next one. The purpose for this phase: Increase and harden lean muscle, minimize fat, increase energy levels and improve overall health. The goal is controlled fat loss while increasing lean muscle.

Today I went grocery shopping.

My grocery list:

-whole grain oats
-egg whites
-whole eggs
-chicken breasts
-broccoli
-tomatoes
-spinach
-lemons
-mushrooms
-3 flavors of Ms. Dash (a non-sodium seasoning)
-lemon juice
-grapefruit
-lettuce
-almond butter

Total: $98.00

Supplements:

Protein- BSN's Lean Dessert; whipped vanilla & chocolate coconut, multivitamin, Beverly's Lean Out (for fat loss) & Density (muscle gain), and Herbalife's Restore (helps with inflammation, and rebuilding/restoring your muscles and Cell-u-Loss (supports the appearance of healthy skin, natural detoxification, and healthy elimination of water)

My workout for today is this:

I actually did this outside my house on my street. Not sure if the neighbors saw, but I'm sure a couple of nosey people were watching through their windows. haha = D The temperature got up to 101F and I just ended up eating my dinner earlier and waited til' it was completely dark outside 2hrs after I ate. A great workout at 9pm. Hubby timed me with my sprints and it was awesome to see his support.

Week 1, DONE! Woo-Hoo, I survived!

Saturday-

Every Saturday, we meet at Shoemaker High School in Killeen at 7am for our mandatory sprints. Meaning getting up at 630am. For anyone that knows me, mornings and I aren't bestfriends. It's kind of a family day with our Vixen team. We can bring whoever we want. People brought their spouses, children and even there dogs.

 Ariel brought this little guy to come and run with us. 

Sprints went well. Warmed up for about 5-10 mins. The warm up (high knees, lunges, tire runs etc) was a reminder of what we did the day before. My glutes and hammies were ON FIRE and we were about to run? I had to think of this sprint more like it's a stretch for those muscles. Something to get my mind off of how Sundays gonna feel. HA! We went 100m and walked back 50x. Boy, that was a workout, but it definitely was a great start to my weekend.

Sunday-
Mark and I got up ate breakfast and went on the Harley for beautiful ride around the Lake and to a small town in Texas. We hadn't gotten it out since we moved here because Mark didn't have his registration renewed, but our last visit home, he got that taken care of. It was a bit muggy, but nonetheless awesome to be back on that HOG.

LEG DAY.....

WILL BE THE DAY I DREAD FROM NOW ON.........

ONE WORD: ouch!!!!

2hrs of legs and cardio for 30mins after. All I did was literally WALK. That is all the movement I had in me after such an intense workout. I could barely move. I know that tomorrow is going to be extremely painful.

1st Posing Class today was @ 1pm. These are the shoes I ordered.
That went well. A lil' awkward, but I have plenty of time to practice. The girls looked amazing today. I have got to step up my game.

Workout Session # 2

30 mins in an infared sauna before class

So, I have to say that yesterday, I woke up feeling like death. haha I know that my first workout I said that I didn't feel a thing that night, but I completely felt it the next day. haha! Probably working muscles I hadn't before. Most of these workouts I've done in the past and some are unfamiliar. Most of the lifting is new to me. I had lifted before, but not properly. The advanatage I have with my trainer is that Shauna is able to show me exactly how to do things the right way. I feel that it's more important to get that done than to do more reps incorrectly. 

We worked on Shoulders & Triceps tonight:

OH OH OH! I almost forgot!!! Today, I OFFICIALLY became a Vixen, signed up and got my binder which includes my meals, my cardio workouts and our workouts in class.

Training- DAY 1

http://www.vixenmuscle.com/

Above is the website to the program I am doing. I will be training for 13weeks with NPC figure competitor Shauna Anduze. She will be training me and others in a 1-2hr session 3days a week (MWF or TTHS), creating meal plans, intense cardio on the weekend, and guiding us during posing practice. I've done plenty of research and she is the best in the area and will ONLY work with THE BEST. If you are centrally located in Texas and interested in competing, I would contact her.

I chose to workout on Tues, Thurs, and Friday to accomodate my work schedule. Today, was exactly what I expected. Walking into that gym and seeing a personal room just for us was a wakeup call to focusing on what my goal is for the next 13weeks. I knew as soon as I did our workout that this was going to be tough and my body was going to be feeling very sore tomorrow.

Today we did a full body workout:

After our workouts we do our choice of 30 min cardio. To my surprise it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, but I could have started on an "easy" day. It's given me hope that I can do this and will. Our homework assignment for tomorrow is to do 30mins of cardio.

I have an ANNOUNCEMENT.....

No, I'm NOT pregnant! lol. = P

BUT.... I've decided to compete in an NPC Competition.

DOING ONE OF THESE:

I will be competing in the Bikini Division. I have wanted to do this for so long. The past few years we have traveled or have become way too busy. We've finally settled down in Texas and I have found the time to really commit. I believe that doing this will keep me focused on staying fit and healthy. In the past, I have always been able to get to the weight where I want to be, but have always fallen behind and "MIRACULOUSLY" gained it all back and sometimes more. I don't want to be that person anymore. I have actually learned in just these few short months that I'm able to stay consistent and on track if I set small fitness goals for myself. Although, competing isn't a small fitness goal, it's actually a dream of mine and now I will be able to cross it off my bucket list. I have always admired competitors, especially their dedication to the preparation that goes into it, and then seeing the transformation when they are on that stage. I love hearing stories and testimonials on why they did it and how they got there. It's inspiring and RIGHT NOW, IT'S MY TURN TO SHINE.

my end results of Bootcamp

Initially, when I started this I had no idea what to expect. I just knew it was going to be tough to bounce back. I'm older, my metabolism wasn't what it was when I was 25, and I knew I had about 10-15lbs to lose. I did some cardio on my own on the side. I didn't diet, although I did eat as healthy as possible. I know that I probably could have lost just a tiny bit more, but I'm absolutely fine with where I'm at. 

Before photo taken: 03/05/2012 After photo taken: 05/31/2012

My Chapter Here Has Ended

Coach Jim and I

       Absolute Self Defense and Fitness has whipped my butt back into shape (along with the other coaches) in bootcamp these last 3months. The coaches have pushed me to my limit and have NEVER let me give up. Today is my last day. I want thank the all the coaches at Absolute for helping me maintain my form and keeping me motivated! I look forward to what the future holds ahead for me in my fitness journey.  

5years of Marital Bliss

HAPPY 5YEAR ANNIVERSARY TO MY DEAR HUSBAND

     I know this is a fitness blog, but I had to share my happiness. This past weekend was lovely. Mark planned all by himself a small getaway to Austin. We stayed at the W, ate on the patio at a tapas bar called Fino, watched our hometown basketball team OKC Thunder play the Lakers at a bar and win, and then went to the club and danced the night away. We even room serviced a late night snack to our room when we got back= )

We did get an enjoyable workout outdoors. Mark also surprised me with kayaking in Barton Springs. I have always talked about doing that and he couldn't have picked a better time. The weather was beautiful and the scenery was delightful. Below is the view from the river while we were kayaking.

The most memorable wedding anniversary we've had. Everything went absolutely perfect. I married an incredible husband and couldn't have asked for a better one. He completes me and he's my world. I'm so lucky to have been blessed with an angel in my life. I am who I am today because of his love and support. Here's to more future anniversaries together.