It's been too long - Here's an update!

I'm back!! :) 

Hey everyone! It has been way too long since I have been on here. I want to take a little time to fill you in on what’s been happening in my fitness journey.

I am 8 weeks out from my first NPC bikini competition. Scary!! I swear I was just 21 weeks out yesterday. Carly and I have been hitting the gym hard and we have each been seeing a lot of gains since the start of the year!

My legs are finally starting to thicken up and my stomach is slowly but surely leaning out. My back and arms are showing quite a bit of definition, which is very rewarding. Training my core is my absolute least favorite thing to do, but that’s my weakest area so I have to just do it. No excuses at this point in the competition prep!

I’m going to start kicking up my cardio game here soon. I have been doing HIIT sprints on the treadmill about 3-4 times a week. Starting next week, I will probably do cardio 5-6 times a week. My plan is to do 10 minutes high intensity on the Stairmaster and then do my HIIT routine on the treadmill. This will really help me lean out my tricky middle section.

I’m still drinking a gallon of water a day. I am constantly eating, I swear. I have oats and egg whites at breakfast; a protein shake and rice cake for meal two; turkey, rice and veggies for lunch; almonds for a snack; banana and protein shake for post workout; and rice, veggies and turkey for dinner. If I’m hungry before bed I have some cottage cheese.

I’m going to be making some changes to my diet in the upcoming weeks so I will keep you all informed on what I’m doing!

That’s what’s been going on with me, but I want to know what you guys want to read! What kinds of workouts are you all interested in? Meal recipes or snack ideas? Comment below and let me know! :)

-Kay

Training, Competitions, and PROTEIN PANCAKES!

Keywords: progress, workouts, fitness, NPC, bikini, bikini competition, protein, protein pancakes, healthy recipes, fitness

It’s been a while since I've updated you all about what’s going on in my life. Exciting things are happening. :) 

At the end of next semester, I will be an ACE certified personal trainer!!! I will be certified just in time for summer, so if you guys need help with your beach bodies, let me know. ;)

I have picked a show! I will be competing the first weekend of April at the Gopher State Classic NPC Bikini Show in Minnesota. This means I am officially 19 weeks out.

My competition suit is red and custom-made by Ravish Sands . I have yet to buy the competition shoes, but they are next on my to-do list. For now, I will just practice in a pair of heels that I already own.

I have started posing practice. Stage presence is very important when it comes to competition judging, so practice makes perfect! Carly and I try to practice our poses at least twice a week.

Posing is not as easy as you may think. You don’t just step on stage and strut your stuff. You definitely strut, but you have poses that you have to hit. There is front pose, side pose, back pose and more. I’ll save all that for another blog post. :)

I have been very focused in my workouts, and it is finally starting to pay off. My muscle definition

is showing, and my waist has really trimmed down. I do cardio every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday morning. I lift every night. Saturdays are my rest day.

For the first time ever, I have visible abs! They showed up after I started drinking a gallon of water a day. I literally carry a gallon jug around with me everywhere I go. It might look a little goofy, but that’s how you get it done! I cannot stress enough how important it is to keep your body hydrated. DRINK A LOT OF WATER!

Oh, and I eat A LOT of protein pancakes! I have been making protein pancakes almost every day for the last week and a half. They are filling, fluffy and they satisfy my sweet tooth. They are healthy, too!

Pumpkin Mocha Protein Pancakes:

Ingredients:

• ½ cup oats ground into flour (or whole wheat flour)
• ½ scoop 100% whey protein (I use mocha cappuccino)
• ½ teaspoon cacao powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon granulated sweetener (I use Stevia)
• ¼ cup pumpkin puree (if you don’t like pumpkin, you can use applesauce instead)
• 3 tablespoons almond milk
• 1 whole egg

Directions:

1. Mix all the ingredients together until the batter is smooth.
2. Fry in a sprayed pan for about one minute on each side.
3. Enjoy! :)

This makes one serving of four pancakes. Sometimes when I have a super strong sweet tooth, I throw in a handful of dark chocolate chips.  

Let's Eat... Clean!

Keywords: clean eating, healthy, fitness, nutrition, food prep, healthy recipes

There is a huge misconception out there that eating healthy is boring.

“Healthy food is gross.”

“Healthy food is so bland.”

“Healthy food is so unsatisfying.”

I’ve heard it all. With this blog post, I hope to change your mind. I’m going to share some of my favorite healthy recipes.

Below are recipes that you can prepare, store and eat throughout the week.

Hemp seed turkey bites

These are my absolute favorite! You can use turkey or chicken breast. I make it every week!

Ingredients:

• 2 pound lean turkey breast 
• ¾ cup hemp seeds
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• Pepper to taste
• Mrs. Dash original seasoning (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut the turkey breast into bite-size cubes.
3. Put cubed turkey in a large Ziploc bag with hemp seeds, salt, pepper and seasoning. Shake until the turkey is well coated.
4. Spray a cookie sheet with olive oil cooking spray. Spread the turkey bites out evenly on the cookie sheet.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Tomato soup made in the blender

Ingredients:

• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 diced onion
• 1-2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 cans organic diced tomatoes (do not drain)
• ½ cup chopped almonds
• ½ cup almond milk
• ½ cup fresh basil (de-stemmed)
• ½ of your hemp seed turkey bites (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil, onion and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat for 5-10 minutes. Stir frequently until the onion is soft and translucent.
2. Reduce the heat to low. Add in the tomatoes and almonds.
3. Heat for 30 minutes, stir occasionally.
4. Remove the tomato mixture from the heat and transfer it to the blender using a ladle.
5. Add the basil and almond milk. Cover and puree until you have a smooth mixture.
6. Optional step: Add your pre-baked turkey bites and pulse the blender until the turkey is shredded but not completely blended.

Daily greens salad

This is nice to have pre-prepared because you can have it with any meal.

Ingredients:

• 5-6 ounce bag of assorted mixed spring greens (I prefer just spinach leaves)
• Shredded carrots
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• ¼ cup chopped almonds
• 3 tablespoons grape seed oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

1. Chop the cherry tomatoes into halves.
2. Toss the greens together in a large mixing bowl with carrots, tomatoes, almonds, grape seed oil and lemon juice.
3. Cover and store.

Recipes inspired by The Body Fuel System. 

Booty Work!

Keywords: booty, glutes, squats, fitness, workouts, goals, progress, deadlifts, bikini 

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend? No. Squats are a girl’s best friend. Ladies, make your booty your best asset! :)

Training your glutes includes a lot more than just squats. Yes, squats are a great booty builder; however, it is important to mix in multiple different lifts to really round out those glutes.

One of my main goals right now is to grow and round out my booty. A good set of glutes is very important when it comes to competition judging! This process takes a lot of patience, but thankfully I've been seeing some good progress.

Kick-downs on the pull-up machine

Here’s a look at what one of my glute days would look like. I like to train hard on lower body days, so this workout is a bit intense.

• Barbell Glute Bridges: 4x12
• Barbell Squats: 4x12
• Sumo Squats with dumbbell: 4x15
• Barbell Deadlifts: 4x15
• Walking Lunges: 4x15 each leg
• Cable Kick-Backs: 4x15 each leg
• Kick-Downs on the pull-up machine: 4x15 each leg
• Heavy Leg Press: 4x12

Step it up a notch by adding jump squats between reps. I do 20 jump squats between each set of cable kick-backs, push-downs and glute bridges when I really want to get my sweat on. If you can walk correctly after this workout, you didn’t do it right.

No ifs, ands or buts. Get to the gym and work for your dream butt!

If you have any questions about the lifts above, please leave a comment below. :)

Abs Are Made In The Kitchen!

Keywords: abs, fitness, healthy, healthy eating, clean eating, health, nutrition

Have you ever heard that a fit body is 80% diet and 20% exercise? Chances are you have because it’s true!

You can do crunches all you want but never see the defined abs you are dreaming of. If you are at the gym doing crunch after crunch and guzzling down a sugary sports drink, you are not going to get the results you want. Sorry.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret… Abs are made IN THE KITCHEN! Notice how I didn’t say gym? Of course it is important to train abs twice a week just like any other muscle group, but if you want the flat, chiseled abs, then you are going to have to put your biggest effort into the kitchen. 

When it comes to flattening your tummy, my advice is to:

• Eat clean
• Clean eating works. It not only makes you feel better overall, but it helps break down fatty tissue stored around your midsection.

• Commit 100%
• You have to be able to commit to clean eating. Cheat meals are of course acceptable. We would go crazy without a splurge once in a while, but you can’t have a cheat meal three meals a day!

• Know what you’re putting in your body
• Don’t obsess over eating perfect. It’s not possible, and you will just drive yourself crazy. Just be aware of what you’re eating. I don’t recommend tracking calories, but keeping a food log isn’t a bad idea. That way you can celebrate when you write down “egg whites” for breakfast instead of “bagel and cream cheese.” :)

• Avoid sugar and saturated fat
• Have a sweet tooth? Me too. Try sweetening up your day with honey, agave nectar or a natural sweetener, such as Truvia or Stevia.
• Healthy fats are extremely beneficial and actually essential to your diet. Try adding healthy fats such as avocado, oils and nuts. Olive oil is a good salad dressing substitute, and is great to cook with.

• Drink A LOT of water
• Believe it or not, water helps flush excess water from your body. It also flushes toxins and excess sodium. I cannot tell you enough, DRINK A LOT OF WATER!

I know clean eating is not easy. Planning ahead and writing out a meal plan really helps me stick to my diet. Here’s an example of what I would have in a day: 

Breakfast:

• 1 cup egg whites with spinach, feta cheese, turkey and tomatoes.
• Fresh fruit

Snack:

• 25 almonds
• 1 cup baby carrots with hummus
• OR rice cakes

Lunch:

• 4 ounce chicken breast
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 cup veggies

Post Workout:

• one scoop 100% whey protein with 8 ounces of water

Dinner:

• 4 ounce chicken breast
• 1-2 cups veggies
• fresh fruit

Bedtime Snack:

• 1 cup low fat cottage cheese
• cottage cheese is a good source of casein which is a slow digesting protein.

Veggies I eat:

• asparagus
• broccoli
• spinach
• zucchini
• carrots

Fruits I eat:

• strawberries
• bananas
• raspberries
• grapes
• watermelon
• kiwi

*** Keep in mind that this is just a simple meal plan. It is basically an "outline" of my meals that helps keep me on track. I stray from this a little and add some things here or there. For example, with my chicken for lunch I might put it in a whole wheat tortilla and add some cheese and hot sauce. Or I might put peanut butter and raspberries on my rice cakes.

*** I snack on fruits and veggies throughout the day. Fruits contain high amounts of natural sugar so I try not to eat more than the recommended amount of 2 cups. 

*** I have a pre-workout drink before my workouts everyday, and I take the supplements that I discussed in one of my previous blog posts. :)

My next post will have lots of yummy recipes for you, so stay tuned! 

If you have any questions about healthy eating, comment below. :) 

HIIT The Gym!

Keywords: lean, cardio, HIIT training, HIIT, body fat, fitness, healthy, nutrition, meal plan, workout

We have all had troubles with stubborn stomach fat.

My stomach has always been my problem area. My arms are leaning out, and my legs are becoming well-defined. I want to continue to lean-out my whole body, especially my stomach.

A lot of people think endless hours of cardio will get rid of unwanted belly fat. This is not true. High-intensity cardio for a long duration of time would maximize fat loss. Well, the only problem with that is, nobody can maintain high-intensity cardio for a long duration. So then, how do we maximize fat burn?

The answer is High Intensity Interval Training. This is known as “HIIT” in the fitness world. HIIT training is where you alternate between intervals of high-intensity cardio and low-intensity cardio.

Nobody can sprint for 10 minutes without stopping, but when you mix high-intensity and low-intensity cardio, you can still maximize fat burn without becoming fatigued.

Workout of the week:

A routine cardio session for me is 10-15 minutes of HIIT followed by 10-15 minutes of low-intensity cardio.

I start on the Stairmaster for 5-10 minutes. This gets my heart rate up and a good sweat going. I follow this by interval sprints on the treadmill. I do a one minute on, one minute off routine. I sprint for one minute at speed eight and incline two. I then walk for one minute at speed four and incline two. I repeat this sequence for 10 minutes.

Following my HIIT session, I walk at speed four and incline 15 for 10 minutes. This makes my total cardio routine about 30 minutes long. After cardio, I spend about 10 minutes working on abs.

This week’s goal:

This week’s goal is fat loss and leaning out. By the end of the week I would like to be able to step up my HIIT training. I want to be doing sprints at an incline of seven and speed of 8.5. I would alternate my sprints with walking at a speed of four and incline of seven.  

Another important part of leaning out is diet! Eating clean IS the difference between success and failure. I will talk more about diet in next week’s blog. For now, here is this week’s grocery list:

• Chicken breast
• Turkey breast
• Egg whites (lots of egg whites!)
• Spinach
• Baby tomatoes
• Feta cheese
• Asparagus
• Broccoli
• Quinoa
• Organic pesto sauce

Lift with a Buddy!

Keywords: workout, partner, workout buddy, fitness, healthy, lifestyle, motivation, encouragement

I used to love working out alone. I thought it was easier to work out alone. I could go to the gym at my convenience. I could stay there as long or short as I wanted. I thought I pushed myself enough.

I was wrong.

My best friend Carly is an aspiring fitness competitor as well. We both used to work out on our own. We were each

seeing results, but not the best results. Finally we figured out that working out with a partner can be the difference in success or failure.

For the last two weeks we have been working out together. We do cardio at 6:30 a.m. and lift at night. Both of us have seen amazing results!

5 benefits to working out with a buddy:

1. Fewer skipped workouts. It’s one thing to bail on your workout, but to bail on a buddy? That’s unacceptable. Neither of you is going to want to let the other down. When your alarm goes off at 6 a.m., you get up, take your pre-workout and meet your partner at the gym.
2. Push yourself further. Working out with someone pushes you to work out at the best of your ability. It’s in our nature to be competitive. A little friendly competition is always good! Having your workout partner there will make you lift a little heavier and go a little longer.
3. Keep each other focused. You are both putting time and sweat into your workouts. It would be a shame to ruin that with a poor diet or skipped workouts. Take time to talk about your goals for the week. You can help each other to stay focused with your lifts and diet.
4. Encouragement. Seeing progress is exciting. It’s even more exciting when someone else sees your progress. Having a workout buddy who encourages and supports you will boost your commitment to your fitness journey. Celebrate your successes together, and keep encouraging each other to reach the next goal!
5. Workout variety. Your workout partner has different knowledge than you do. They are able to introduce new workouts to you. This helps you to mix things up in your workout routine. You are more likely to stick to your workouts when you have fun with them. Variety is a key component to having fun, so mix it up! :)

Carly is my secret weapon when it comes to my fitness journey. We make each other accountable. We push each other. We keep each other focused. Most importantly, we have fun. I have seen faster results in the last two weeks than I have my entire journey.

Carly and I have similar goals. We are both busting our butts to be able to compete on stage as a fitness bikini competitor. I lift a little heavier thanks to Carly. I work out a little longer thanks to Carly. I work out every day thanks to Carly. I think she would say the same about me. Together we are going to achieve our goals!

I encourage you to find a workout partner that will:

• Will keep you focused.
• Push you to be better.
• Encourage you.
• Motivate you.
• Make working out fun!

Get after it this week Fit Fam! :)