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!
                                       Previous to this pic he had lost 50# all while deployed!


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
                                                 Where i was at before i got pregnant

                                                                      Post baby

Current photo during contest prep!




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