What a trip this is!!!
Doing a competition isn't for everyone thats for sure! It's amazing how hard you have to work, not just physically but mentally and emotionally. Everything matters when your in training! From your rest, to what you drink, eat, how you workout out, how you have to plan your day, your weeks your vacations your meal prep, how your hair looks, the condition of your hair, nails, skin, the jewelry you are going to wear, the suit, the suit color, bling, no bling, shoes, tan.....list can go on and on and on. This is why its important to pic a show that will give you enough time to do everything you need to do and have time left over! Don't just hope and pray its all put together by the date. You want to bring an amazing package to your show weather it be your 1st like me or your 15th! Get your body right, your nutrition perfect, the beauty aspect down to the last detail and find someone who will coach you and be healthy Team Staggs Fitness, but MOST important get your MIND right! Your mental state and the reason your competing is almost more important then the competition itself in my opinion. If your doing this just for a title and don't enjoy the prep and journey then I feel if you have the victory it wont be as sweet.
When I initially wanted to compete last yr I was sooooo excited to do it with someone I love. Chris and I were going to train together, encourage one another and see where the rd. took us. Well baby happened and I had to out that adventure on hold. Chris however continued his training and I watched him transform into not only a more handsome man with an amazing physique but a person with a passion for fitness like he has never had before and a purpose for our life to be the most healthy couple we could be! Since his 1st place victory and our new addition he has continued to grow in his knowledge and understand how important it is to have a plan to reach your goals. Without a plan you will fail at some point. What I have taken away from this is, now have an understanding of why it is that I want to compete. I want the hard work, I want the journey that everyone isn't willing to take, I want to always continue to build my body to be the healthiest it will can can be and I want what I do to help everyone I can touch! I want to show you that anything is possible when you have dedication, heart and support. Funny how your all the reason why I want to do this. I don't care about the win (ill be happy to take it if it ever happens lol) but I'm in it to inspire you, me and my little family that I have! I want to help people like I have been helped and pay it forward.
Where does the physical, mental and emotional part come in you may ask.....dear lord its in every part of my day! So, Let me focus on the mental and emotional aspect here because I feel that is most important, then ill move on. Competition prep demands a lot of your attention, time, money and energy. If your in the wrong mindset it can effect your family time and relationships with them and friends (again y its important to know why your doing this and keep that in mind). Not everyone will understand and not everyone will support you. Some may say you shouldn't do it or cant do it and will wear your spirits. Your body may not change the way you want it to, it may take longer to prep then you had hoped, the time you take everyday to make your dreams happen, the everyday family/work life "gets in the way". You as a competitor need to take the steps each day to say to yourself, I CAN do this, people will see in the end, the planning will be worth it, my family will see how healthy I am, my body IS changing slowly but surly and keep that focus! Its easier to give up then to work for it and you have to choose what your going to do everyday you commit to that prep! FOOD is a huge part of this process and so many people are emotional eaters. Everyday life, problems your having, work stress...what ever it is and you fall off the wagon because its easier to drink a beer and relax then it is to go get in your last gym session and that last meal at 10pm or the pizza your husband or wife is having with your group of friends looks great and they say "its ok, one slice wont kill ya"...again u have given in, fallen off the wagon and are not focused. This is by far the HARDEST aspect of training because that meal you just ate with your friends may have set you back. Unless your coach advises you to do so always keep on track! You have to prep your meals for success. You will be able to drink again, you will be able to have pizza again, you will be able to have a snack of what ever it is that you love again...you just have to want your goals more then the quick satisfaction of that food. Who knows, during your prep you may realize there are many things you can live without! I don't really crave junk, however i do miss wine, some fruits and cheese!!!! When this is all done ill have and enjoy that here and there again but it wont be an every part of my day because as i said earlier, I want to show you this is possible and you all keep me motivated so I'm going to continue to grow my body and knowledge. To do so I will have to learn that that there are things I'll have to do to make that happen. I have missed out on every summer BBQ, wine nights, hot cocoa nights with chris (which I love!), dinner with family and friends, my birthday and halloween will once again come and pass and I'll not be able to do the things I normally would. All this well worth giving up at this moment because I'm so focused that its easy to say no. Disappointing....yes of course but saying no and knowing I'm doing it for a reason feels so good.
Physically, dear lord does my body hurt. My muscles are so tight I could have a massage everyday and still be sore. I lift (heavy) 4 days a week, plyo 2 days a week and HIIT Cardio 7 days a week. Now I didn't start off like that its been gradual changes since June. I'm in the gym doing 2 a days or back to back workout sessions everyday except fridays when I just do 20min HIIT. I welcome fridays not because its the weekend but because my body gets a small break from all the abuse I make it endure! So besides ALL of that I play with Mr. Booty ( for those of you who don't know thats what I call Tesla our little boy) everyday, Prep and plan for the next day, laundry, yard work, cleaning blah blah blah....all normal everyday things. Im GO GO GO till 8 or 9 PM and by then Im already 3 hrs past when I think should be my bed time. It's like this for months!
When all is said and done, when the fake tan wears off, my bikini is washed and hung, the jewels are put away, the stress of prep is gone, life is back to "normal", training is reduced and I can sit and relax I'll know I'll be so grateful to have done this! To know I could resist temptation, I said no (many time's might I add), I gave my heart, my mind, my body and my time to something and became a better person for it....I'll take a small break and get right back to it because I will continue to grow not only for my sake but for Chris, Tesla and for all of you!
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Friday, October 11, 2013
Dredded leg day
Thursdays are my least favorite day of the week! Leg day! Shoot me now! Legs are the hardest to build. I can tell you over the past few months i have squatted my ass off and even tho it looks so much better its still not anywhere near where i want it to be! I don't want a butt I want an ASS, so I'm going to work it off to get there! Proud moment yesterday tho! I do 5 sets 14,12,10,10,8 and I warmed up with 135# yesterday. 20# more then normal then moved up to 155#! Next week ill attempt 175# for my last set! Its takes months and months to get there. After baby I hurt just squatting the bar so I'm proud of how far I have come! When I do legs I usually do sumo squats, front squats, walking weighted lunges, hack squats, leg ext and leg curls. When I'm done I'm warn down and ready for bed! Growing my booty is a work in progress and will take me yrs to develop the way I want I'm sure, but I'm in it for the long hall and ready to take that challenge on. My least favorite lifting day has become the thing I want most ha! How funny is that! So each week ill push hard and make it happen because thats the only way it will happen. Dedication is hard, taxing and so rewarding!!!!
Thursday, October 10, 2013
2 Yrs in the making!
Training for anything in life can be hard! It tests you physically and mentally. It tests your strengths and weaknesses and it tests your relationships with those in your life. Weight training has been such a riot and something i have enjoyed for many years now. So I decided to take it to another level! During 2011 when Chris was deployed and I knew I needed a change in my health i took to researching clean eating and weight lifting. I didn't want to be skinny i wanted to be strong and fit! So that yr i took on a challenge and started BBVi. It was the kick in the but I needed because I was clueless on where to start! BBVi was simple. Drink a few shakes eat healthy meals and be active. That's what I did and I dropped from 190 something to 130 something at my smallest at that point. I was much smaller but not as strong as I wanted to be. Like I said I didn't want to be small I wanted to be strong and fit! So that's when the research came in more and more about weight training, HIIT cardio, not your "normal" healthy eating but eating to fuel your body and planning each week in advance for success. During all my research I kept seeing amazing physiques in bodybuilding and learned to admire their hard work, dedication to their passion and the love to compete! Chris and I decided to take on another challenge in 2012 and do our 1st NPC shows in Anchorage, AK
With the help of Tim and Rebecca Staggs https://www.facebook.com/staggsfitness We couldent lose! Tim and Becca have been amazing thru this process and they are the kind of health and wellness coach you want on your side! They care about you as a person, your goals (competition or normal life), you HEALTH and doing it the smart way!
Chris and I started training Mid 2012 for the fall show in Anchorage. It was something we have never done before but we were doing it together and it makes it that much more fun! Doing something you have learned to love with someone you love makes its so special! We got our plans, we went to the store to get food and we made so much food to plan for the week hoping we could do this. We did!
Planning your week in advance turns out is an amazing way to stay accountable and to succeed! Chris was eating a ton, I was eating a ton and our workouts were taxing! Now Chris being a solider had it a bit harder then I did with his meals as you never know how the military can be and when your needed but he did an amazing job keeping grounded and steady! Week after week we noticed changes and were having fun each week knowing we were bettering ourselves not only on the outside but fueling our bodies with a healthy lifestyle thru food! About 2 months or so into training I'm feeling sick, tired all the time and week. YUP you guessed it IM PREGNANT :O! What pregnant, I cant be I'm training, we don't want kids, we are not ready for kids, my life is over, ill never compete, this is my dream......All things that went thru my head in about a millisecond. So after we knew training for the competition was out of the question for me but Chris continued. Even tho I was down i was not out! After all pregnancy isn't a illness its just a bump in my physical journey so I continued to lift, do cardio and eat clean and healthy. BTW being pregnant isn't an excuse to quit the good foods and weights, trust me its easier to bounce back after baby if your doing these things during! Each week Chris changed and I grew bigger! This was hard to watch happen because I had just lost all that weight! Lots of emotions and thoughts were going thru my mind. Resentment, sadness and countless others because this was our dream and now its put on hold. I told myself i needed to be happy for Chris, be there for him and support him thru his journey and I did. Result.....HE WON! 1st show, 1st place in his division and 1st place overall! CONGRATS baby! Damn all them ladies in the bikinis there...jealous, you bet your ass....LOL!
Then we had baby Tesla in March 2013. He is wonderful healthy strong baby boy! We will get into baby blogs later!
I wanted to get back into training ASAP after Tesla but having to have a C-Section it was a tough recovery. I waited till i was cleared by the doc and then started back slow. Getting a schedule back was tricky too having a new born and trying to keep up with everything else. But again that will be in a later blog. I took T to the gym with me and did laps around the track with him in a front pack just to get moving again. My nutrition was getting better at that point and I had started meal prepping again in hopes to start training for a competition for the fall of this yr. My body responded amazing to the meal prep and the light workouts I was doing. Muscle memory is a WONDERFUL thing! Then it as time to decide....do I start training again, do I take on the grueling routine of meal preps, being a wife, mom, home maker and a 2 month vacation while we move across country....umm duhhh! YES! Super women here I come! Started out in June of this yr with Tim and Becca again and got my program together. I can tell you, having a wonderful husband has been a god send. Better husband and dad that anyone could ask for! I train everyday and he hangs with T while i do it. Never complains and always encourages! So from march to June I got off my "baby" weight but did not look the same at all! from June till now I have dropped even more i believe another 15lbs. Again during this training so far we have a new baby, we packed shipped everything we own, flew with 12 bags to our home for a visit, when we got to our new home lived in a hotel for 2 weeks, got our home and still didn't have any household goods to use for another week and got Chris settled into his new job. Hotel stay was tricky. We had a microwave and fridge. Canned chicken, oats, turkey jerky, microwaved sweet potatoes and eggs were my BFF! Poor Chris got what ever I had and what ever small goodies we could make with the microwave. Finally we have everything settled and meal planning is a piece of cake! I'm going into so much detail with you because I want you to know that when you want something you do what u need to to make it happen. You surround yourself with people who will help and be understanding to those who just don't get it. I currently train 7 days a week, 1 being an active rest day. I have about 4 weeks left till my 1st show and even tho I'm sad Chris and I could not do it together we have both had the chance to do it and be supportive and there for each other! We both plan on doing more shows, we plan our building and bettering our bodies inside and out and we plan on pushing each other to always be better, not just with our body but with ourselves as individuals and as a couple.
My body has become more powerful then ever, although i feel worn down many days for all the training and normal everyday things involved in life. My mind has been transformed into a learning machine! I want to know all I can to improve the health of everyone I can, to teach people with some sacrifice you can make it a better life for yourself and your family.
Key things to remember - Keep your nutrition on point and your workouts tough and your body will grow! Ill share my take on foods and nutrition in my clean eating blog!
I hope you continue to follow our journey and I appreciate the support for you all. Below I'm going to attach a few photos so you can see the work that goes into this!
My next blog in the "topic section" well be on the stresses of training, mind, body and how it tests the relationships with the ones you love. Believe me it does!
2011 When i decided enough was enough
Current photo during contest prep!
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