My journey to the stage....again - Part 3

Nutrition: My diet hasn’t changed – eating a balance of foods and including my lovely cookie each and every night…oh how I love you.

Workout: Added a few sets of German volume training style for my shoulders and glutes.  Since having to recertify for my personal training session I had the opportunity to learn different styles and techniques.  I can’t necessarily recommend yet, as I’m not sure how it works….but after I test it I’ll let you know.

Misc: Posing and Stretching are the same – Still trying to get in approx. 10 min of stretching after workouts and posing is 2xs a week for 30 minutes. I honestly would recommend stretching for all bikini competitors – well everyone should stretch – but I can really tell the difference in my posing.  With all the twisting and turning while trying to look “natural”, I tend to get tight, plus those are not natural moves.  I am able to twist more comfortably…not perfect; but better.

I’ve been dealing with a “bum” hip and shoulder.  I’ve been stretching constantly to try to get above the pain on the hip – as for the shoulder I’ve been rolling on a lacrosse ball.  I finally made a physical therapy appointment (only because I wanted to do Graston, which is a type of “scraping massage” with this tool) and found out that there is a lot more going on than what I thought to be as just knots. So I left PT with no graston and stretches to do a few times per day and another appointment.   Some comments I received were:  I don’t believe in PT and that is all they do: give stretches, it doesn’t work.  Well I’m not one to believe everything I hear, and I’m willing to try everything once.  So here I go….unfortunately I’m supposed to do a handful of stretches for at least 30 seconds 3-5 sets, twice a day….mind you I should stretch after my muscles are warm…so I will need to do 10 minutes of light cardio before my second stretching session.  As much pain as I am in, and as much as I want to get better – that’s a whole lotta time that I really don’t have.  I have a chart that I visually see throughout the day to remind me to stretch and I am proud to say that I am giving my best effort at the moment.  We will see how things progress over the next month.

Mindset:  I am still staying true to myself.  I feel good.  I’m trying to do positive affirmations regarding nationals.  Trying to add visualization exercises.

March goal was to lose 4# -- I actually lost 5#s.  Don’t ask me how – I’ve been eating the same and equivalent amount of cardio….well I did change up my cardio style.  I’ve been sort of doing step aerobics with light hand weights.  Those that come to my Thursday morning classes experience what I do for cardio most of my cardio days. This is the only explanation that I can provide as everything else has been consistent.

Plan was to average a loss of 4#s every month.  Since I am now actually ahead of schedule, (which is pretty exciting…it’ll be such a change to roll into a show not exhausted from doing so much cardio.)  I’ve been contemplating eating more or cutting a cardio day since I am ahead and decided to cut one day of cardio on my plyo days – since plyos are pretty tough as is.

Here I’ve included my progress pictures.  I wasn’t very proud of my February pictures but saved them anyway so I could compare for progress.  Now adding the two together I feel better about my progress. Another 5 pounds down….Slow and steady this girl is pacing for this race.

Top Row: Beginning of March

Bottom Row: End of March

Every day I continue to strive to vibe higher.  Positive, happy, confident, working towards my goals….I truly wish that I could find more females that want the same for their life.

Expected Outcomes:
#1 Step on stage with a better physique – still working on that

#2 enjoy my journey and stay positive – doing good so far, even with outside influences trying to bring me down.

 #3 Work on posing so I feel confident/comfortable on stage w/all the walking, twisting, and turning –practice practice practice

#4 have a better post season….aka don’t get too fat and stick with my reverse diet this time around – We shall see

What’s going to happen with my shoulder and hip?  How will my month’s progress go this month?
Stay tuned…..for Part 4.