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.  

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! :)