Why I Will NOT Be Competing Anytime Soon

Hey party people!

The weekend is officially here, and I am kicking it off with a little posty-post about the bikini competition world.

Yep. If you don't know, in June of 2015 I competed in my first ever bikini competition, which was the IDFA BC Classic in North Vancouver. Super cool experience, I won third place, it was glitzy and glamorous and definitely something I had never dreamed of doing, but that's it.

That's it.

Nowadays, I think it is supposed to be some trendy thing to be a bikini competitor. It seems like everyone and their dog is doing it. Seriously, if they had a dog category I'm sure there would be some weird team duo entering that. Nevertheless, I wanted to chat about why I will not be competing anytime soon.

And when I say anytime soon, I mean within the next one to two years. I'm not looking further than that - although, that being said, looking further than that I don't see that in my vision - and I wanted to share my thoughts on it.

I'm all about pushing my body to the limit. This is why I run half marathons for fun, do leg day on a long run, do yoga and stretch my body in weird positions and up until recently, trained for my first bikini competition.

However, if you read my post about body image, you will know that I wasn't shy about talking about my issue with body image post-bikini competition. It is seriously a mind F and something to consider before you even sign up for the competition. This is something I kind of sort of thought about, but probably didn't take enough time to truly grasp how it would impact me. That being said, I do NOT regret for one second my choice to enter a bikini competition. I learned so much about myself in the process, and fortunately I was surrounded by SO many supportive people. Bless Ryan and my family for being all, "OMG YEAH! Sounds great! You can do it!" to all of my psycho ideas. You guys are the real MVPs.

In the next two years, there are a few things that I want to do that do not include training for another bikini competition. Competing takes so much of your time and energy. If you think preparing your mind and body for the stage is just a matter of doing cardio in the morning and strength training in the afternoon, you are wrong. If you think the diet part is all about simply cutting out processed food, you are wrong again. There is SO MUCH that goes into it. I cannot stress that enough, and I can't stress enough about the STRESS itself that competing can put on your mind, body, relationships, and people around you. Do your research ahead of time, find a coach who shares the same views as you, and find your WHY (why are you doing this) before you sign up.

Let's rewind and get back to what I was saying, though. In the next couple years, I plan on running my first marathon. Marathon running and bikini competitions do not exactly go hand in hand. On that note, though, I feel more in-tune with running at this time as opposed to devoting so much of myself to competing again. Yeah, it was fun, but what happens when it's all over? What if you don't place? What if you trip on stage or fall out of a pose? Personally, I feel like my heart is not in competing for the long haul, whereas running has been my go-to, die hard, day in and day out, even when I was training for my competition.

Don't get me wrong. I loved my body throughout my competition prep and I still love it after. While some may think dieting for the stage is a quick process, it is a strenuous month long commitment that, for me, lasted almost 8 months. My body does not want to diet for that long. My body does not want to do cardio every single day for that long. While competing is an extreme end of the physical activity scale (picture a line with "sitting on the couch" on the left side and "body building" on the most right point), it is for one day only and you shouldn't look at pictures wishing you could be bikini lean all year round. Sure, for some it is more maintainable and body building is their life, but in the grand scheme of my life, my picture of health and wellness looks different than muscles and a tan!

So, when it comes down to it, the reason why I will not be competing anytime soon is because mentally I am in a different place than I was a year and a half ago. LOVING yourself at every step along your health and fitness journey is so important. That's not to say I didn't love myself during competition prep - because I did, don't get me wrong - but I am living my life with more freedom and more comfort than ever before. Oh, my thighs jiggle? I'm sorry. I don't care. Oh, my tummy has a roll when I sit down? Oh, I'm sorry. I don't care. I have legs that will power me over 21.1km (or more) and strong muscles that allow me to hug the ones I love and get in a killer strength training work out. Plus, the thought of stepping on stage half naked and literally having my body judged by strangers who don't even know me is kind of a crazy thought! After all, it is the heart that matters, not the body : ) And at this time in my life, I am honouring what my heart wants as much as possible, and if that means a bikini competition in five years, then fine, but for now, I am happy just running along through this journey without all the glitz, glam, and spray tans : )

Sunny Sundays + My Competition Anniversary

Good morning & happy Monday!

A new week is here, and I hope you all had a great weekend. To rewind a little bit, Saturday I woke up extra early and got my long run in. It was the perfect day for running. Cool, but not cold, and overcast without any rain at all. My run started on the trail, then I looped onto the road and ran through some residential areas, and then headed back home on the trail. By the time I got home, it was my usual Saturday wake up time - crazy! I covered 15km for this long run. It is amazing how much more productive you feel during the day after starting it with a work out. Sure, I was fading a bit come dinner time, but maybe one day my body will get used to waking up at 5am.

Ha, ha, ha. I hope not, but in all seriousness, I do feel 100% more productive when I work out early to get my day started!

Saturday after work, Ryan and I drove to Victoria for a big family BBQ at his uncle's house. We had amazing food, hung out with family and just chatted the night away. I crashed as soon as we got home! The day was fulfilling and I ended the evening with a full belly and a full heart - doesn't get much better than that!

And now we are at Sunday. Oh, Sunday, how I love you! I especially love Sundays because I can sleep in as long as I want - or as long as my body will allow. 8:45am rolled around and as I lay there awake, texting my sister and scrolling through Instagram, I decided to just put my running clothes on and get out there. No questions, just get out there. My sister and I were wanting to go to the Kinsol Trestle as well, so getting my run in earlier was important since I knew the day was only going to get hotter! Today's run was an easy 5km on the trail, though after yesterday's 15km run, my legs definitely felt tired. Nonetheless, it was good to shake it off (cue the T-Swift music) and get out there.

So yesterday afternoon, Ryan, myself and my sister headed out to the trestle. It was a hot, hot day, but it was nice to be able to wander the trails and check things out. The last time I was at the trestle was during the Shawnigan Kinsol Half Marathon, but since I ran across the trestle, it didn't leave much time for checking out the scenery.

It was a fun way to kill an hour and a bit of the afternoon, and once we walked back to the truck we were all pretty hungry! This only meant one thing: lunch at the Duncan Garage. The garage is one of my favourite places for lunch. They have all kinds of delicious, homemade organic dishes, desserts, smoothies, coffee, and I seriously dig the hippie-granola-esque vibe it has. Gimme some matcha or chlorophyll in my smoothie & I'm a happy camper, am I right? We all left super satisfied, and ready to nap!

No, really. I felt like I could fall asleep when we got home, but things like laundry and dishes were calling me instead. Ah well.

Switching gears here, at this time last year I won 3rd place at the IDFA BC Classic competition. I wanted to reflect on where I am now compared to last year, and my feels post-competition.

Note, if you haven't read my post on body image, I highly recommend doing so as the feelings I spoke about in that post still ring true. I am going to jot down my ideas point form, in no order.

- I realize how much happier I am not in a caloric deficit. Yes, I am aware that you need to be in a deficit to lose weight, however competition style training is not suitable for every day living.

- I much prefer eating "intuitively" and listening to my body for what it needs.

- I do miss weight training, HOWEVER I have fallen in love with yoga and running all over again. This has been nice, and I know I can incorporate strength training again.

- It is easier on my family and loved ones. I think this speaks for itself. Yes, you can always bring your own food to family gatherings and being in each other's company should be enough, but come on. If it's someone's birthday, I am going to have at least a little slice of cake and celebrate with them!

- My perspective on the competition industry has changed now that I have been involved in a fitness show. I realize how competitive it can be, and also how dangerous it can be for those who are constantly dieting and never giving their body a break.

- You have to compete for the right reasons - not to lose weight, not to prove anything to anyone else. My reasons of competing were to challenge myself and see how my body could change simply by changing training and nutrition. I also wanted to practice being confident in my body on stage and challenge my mental stamina.

- I will only compete again if I get a strong, strong itch to do so. Right now it comes and goes, but I am also not actively building muscle right now (meaning I am not training at a gym or lifting heavy), since technically this would be considered my off season if I were to do another show any time soon.

Most importantly:

I am happiest with a glass of wine surrounded by friends and family.

Anyway, those are just some of my thoughts since my competition last year. There is so much I want to do in life, and maybe I will compete again, maybe I won't. Right now my mind is set on simply enjoying life to the fullest and being balanced in my approach to health. Sure, I am not in as great of shape as I was before, but that is not the goal. Life is too short!

I hope you all have a great day & catch ya in the next one!

Control What You Can Control

A Saturday night blog post? What is this!?

Usually I'd be in bed by now, but the past couple days I have been going to bed much later. Tonight I was perusing through some of my competition photos from my first bikini competition in June (part two found here), so I thought I'd pop onto the blog and share how the week is going.

Let's rewind to Monday, the last time I checked in. I came down with some awful cold bug that sent me home halfway through the day on Tuesday, and left me in bed slash laying on the couch all day Wednesday. Who knows where it came from, but I am so happy to be over it now!

Only, I am battling something else right now. I had all four of my wisdom teeth removed Thursday morning, so needless to say the whole week has been a write-off work wise in that I have been at home sleeping. Yesterday I took three or four naps throughout the day! This is kind of insane for me given that although I enjoy naps, I think of all the other (productive) things I could be doing instead and simply never do it on a regular basis. However, I suppose my body needed the rest. I have been on a few different medications to help reduce pain, swelling, and inflammation. Fortunately most of the swelling in my face has gone down - certainly don't have ginormous chipmunk cheeks, by any means. They're just on the smaller end of the chipmunk cheek scale. Thankfully icing right away after the surgery plus on and off throughout the day on Thursday (and a bit yesterday) has helped with the swelling. Further, my diet has now become a lot more softer and liquefied than my veggies and chicken before. Smoothies with greens and protein powder, some soft pureed vegetable soups, popsicles, unsweetened applesauce... So. Boring. I do admit, I had some ice cream last night and tonight which actually felt really nice on my mouth, but I am technically still doing the Shred program so I am trying to be mindful and not all, YAY ICE CREAM during this healing period. The "real" food will come back all in due time! As far as work outs go, I am taking a bit of a break from the gym to ensure I do not disrupt any healing in my mouth. I read that the bottom wisdom teeth tend to have a slower healing process than the top wisdom teeth, because they are being extracted from bone that is more dense in the lower jaw. The last thing I want to be doing is being in the middle of shoulder presses or something and having one of the stitches in my mouth rip (sorry for too much information, but really. That would be scary)! So, it is important to me to keep my diet in check if I can't be in the gym! Control what you can control, right?

Lots of cuddle time with Simba the past few days!

He's pretty cute. I think this was before I woke him up and he attacked my hand.

Drinking a green smoothie as I complete some personal training homework. YES, I am still doing this! I have moved onto my second course (out of three courses), which is all about being a successful weight trainer. One thing that I love about these courses is how in-depth they are. As I was completing my quiz tonight, I would go back in the book and reference back to some things. So many great examples and explanations, which will be extremely helpful when it comes to my exam. Speaking of exams, I have my first one scheduled mid-February, so lots of my time in the evenings now will be spent studying. I am looking forward to having that behind me so I can continue moving on in the program!

Well, I will leave you with that & talk to you soon! Hope you are all having a fantastic weekend!

Throwback Thursday & Today's Work Out

Photo by my lovely friend Talia of TC Joy Photography - taken when I was 5 days out from my first bikini competition!

Happy (Throwback) Thursday, friends!

I am blogging from the kitchen table tonight after a delicious dinner. Food always tastes good after a work out, or maybe I was extra hungry and worked up an appetite.

After the work day was finished, I was debating whether I wanted to go to the gym or not. I had scheduled a gym date in my planner, but after trekking to the car in the rain (without the hood on my jacket because I took it off yesterday - bad idea), the thought of flopping on the couch and having popcorn for dinner didn't sound half bad. However, I took one look over at the lone gym bag in my passenger seat, and soon I found myself driving to the gym. Whenever I skip the gym I end up regretting not going, so I knew that I would feel better if I just did it.

I have been making a larger effort these past couple weeks to incorporate more running into my routine. Sure, I did lots of cardio during my bikini prep, but most of that was mixed between the elliptical, stair climber, and treadmill - treadmill being the last thing I wanted to do. That being said, I have been using my planner to plan out my weekly mileage. I am starting out small (small compared to what I would run before when training for half marathons & whatnot), but small steps will help me achieve bigger goals such as stepping on stage in 2016 and potentially running a full marathon in years to come. Disclaimer: I have not signed up for a full marathon! Totally not there yet, but it's one of those longterm goals or items on my bucket list.

My workout looked like this today:

Cardio: Total of 3.3 miles (or 5.3km)

Strength: back & biceps

My strength workout was comprised of movements such as lat pull down, bent-over rows, seated rows, straight bar pull down, alternating bicep curls, and bicep curls with the rope/cable attachment.

It felt good to increase the weight on some of these moves as well. I am making a larger effort to increase my lifts. If I don't, I won't see my body changing. A large part of when I was in competition prep was challenging myself to do more in every session, of course depending how my body felt and being mindful not to go over my own boundaries. I feel like I am back at that place now, and it feels good to see those improvements!

Another photo from my shoot with TC Joy Photography

Tomorrow's goal is to wake up early and get a run in before work. After the work day, we are headed over to a going away party for a co-worker of mine, so it is important to me to get that work out in before the day begins. I know I will not make it to the gym after work because of an alternate commitment, so I'll force myself to make the time! And now I have to, because I've put it on the blog. And it's in my planner. Written in stone!

I hope you all had a wonderful day & I will check in with you this weekend!

The Road to IDFA: Part 2

Finally, part 2 of The Road to IDFA series is HERE! It is nearing my two month mark of competing in my first ever bikini competition. When we last left off, I was just about to step on stage.

Above is a shot of me and some of my fellow competitors. After they called us on stage, we lined up behind the scenes and then filed out onto the back line. This was it. I was on stage, both nervous and excited. When I practiced my routine at home and at the gym, I felt confident and comfortable, so I hoped this would translate on stage. However, as I stood in the back line up watching the other girls do their T-walk, I could feel my legs start to shake. When it came my turn, I took a deep breath and kept telling myself, "YOU CAN DO THIS! YOU GOT THIS!" 

So, I just took a deep breath and did the damn thing.

Comparisons

After the comparison round was over, we went back to the dressing room to wait for the results. There was a brief intermission during the show, where all the girls hung out, chatted, and practiced some more posing to pass the time, and then before we knew it they were calling us back on stage.

The whole group went upstairs to the stage, but only the top five were called out. One name was called, another name, and then MY name. I was in awe! Holy crap, I won third place in my first bikini competition. I felt so awe-struck, thankful, and happy that I had seen the journey through to the very end. No matter how challenging it was, I can honestly say it was worth it for that moment on stage.

The IDFA photographer snapped some pictures of the top five, and then the girls who placed fourth and fifth stepped off stage and he grabbed some pictures of the top three.

I immediately looked for my phone when we were back in the dressing room, and I texted my coach to let her know of the fantastic news. I also texted Ryan's mom and a few other people who had been checking in with me throughout the day with good luck messages and texts. I felt truly blessed and absolutely GIDDY with excitement and so many emotions. 

The best part was having my loved ones rooting for me in the front row. Ryan, his sister, my friend Disha, my sister & parents were all there for my special day. I would have been happy whether I won or not, but that trophy was the cherry on top of a fantastic weekend. After I had my stuff together, it was time for a celebratory meal. We headed downtown North Vancouver and enjoyed appies and drinks, and I had a mini pizza and some sweet potato fries. It was so great to celebrate with everyone! When Ryan and I got back to the hotel, I had a shower (had to shower off some of that colour before hitting the hotel sheets!) and crashed on the bed. Then, we watched a movie, ate some candy, and I was out like a light.

And just like that, the IDFA BC Classic 2015 came to a close and I was officially a 3rd place novice bikini winner. WOOHOO! What a ride!

The Road to IDFA: Part 1

Photos from my pre-show shoot will be uploaded next week. Stay tuned!

On June 28, 2015, I competed in my first bikini competition in North Vancouver at the IDFA BC Classic. In the next couple posts, I'm going to recap my experience & then have a summary of what I have learned and what happens next. Read along if you are interested in following how my show weekend went!

Early morning spray tan. Coat number one, done!

Ryan & I headed over to Vancouver late Friday night after he finished work. I used some of my vacation time and took the week prior to my show off to help get prepared and ready for the big day. The week before you go on stage is considered peak week, and I was happy to use my extra time to sleep in (letting my body rest a little more than usual) and get all my meals prepped. Since we were staying overnight in a hotel, I prepared all of my meals for the weekend ahead of time. Fortunately, I booked our room far enough in advance and took advantage of the in-room mini fridge which made storing my food so much easier. When Friday rolled around, I packed up my cooler bag and we loaded up the truck. We were off to the big city!

After checking into our room, I headed to bed soon after we got settled. I didn't have to be up early on Saturday, but by the time we got off the ferry and drove to the hotel, it was nearly midnight and I was pooped! I am so thankful that Ryan drove me around all weekend. Peak week is great in that you really see the physique you have been working so hard for, but mentally I was quite tired and I knew focusing on driving probably wasn't my main priority. When we woke up on Saturday, we spent the majority of the morning in bed drinking coffee (for Ryan) and eating (for me) before we got ready and headed to Park Royal mall for some shopping. Saturday was easy going, and we made it back to the hotel by late afternoon where we just hung out watching movies. Since we were out and about in the sun all day, I felt very tired and SO glad to lay down once we were back at our room!

Looking fifty shades of sexy with my pasty face

My alarm went off at 6:50am Sunday morning, and as soon as I woke up I ate my first meal of the day. My meals were simple during the weekend. White fish and yams. Try having that six times a day for three days straight and see how much you like fish after that. I have had fish once since then (and it was salmon). Anyway, my first coat of spray tan was at 7:30am. I headed up to the make up artist's room, not really knowing what to expect. Turns out you stood naked in a large tent on the balcony of the hotel and she just went to down spraying you until you no longer looked like a Caucasian person. I wore a baggy black t-shirt, and this was my fashionable outfit of the day up until 4:30pm (the show started at 5pm). While I waited for my spray tan to dry, I relaxed in the hotel room and read my book, watched some tv, and impatiently waited for my family to arrive. I texted my mom back and forth, and soon enough my family was at the hotel (they were staying in the same hotel as us) and delivering post-show goodies. The cheering squad was nearly all here! We visited for a bit, then it was time for me to get my hair and make up done. While that was happening, my family went out exploring, and Ryan picked up his sister as she was coming to see the show too!

Ready to go!

Once I was all done up and wearing more make up than I probably have in all of my 23 years of being on this earth, it was time to double and triple check my backstage bag and get going! Fortunately, the show venue was only about 15 minutes away from the hotel. My parents followed us there, and Ryan dropped me off out front so he could find parking and I could head back stage. While I was heading into the venue, I saw a good friend of mine that was coming to watch the show. I was so happy she could make it! We chatted quickly before I headed inside to settle in.

Pre-stage rice cake with pb & jam. Oh carbs, how I missed you!

While I was backstage, I changed into my bikini and did some last minute lip gloss touch ups. I chatted with a few girls in the same category as me, and I was glad to know that they were all newbies too. I did not feel like a fish out of water, and I tried to mentally pump myself up as much as I could. To be honest, when it comes to positive thinking I am pretty good at it, but there's something about stepping on stage half naked for people to literally judge your body that makes you stop and think, "Hmm. Can I actually do this?" Of course I can! I had prepped so long and hard for this, and finally the moment was here. Before I knew it, they were calling us up on stage. It was time!

Next on the blog: The Road to IDFA: Part 2 (stage shots & how I did)

Monday Madness + Meal Prep

"Yup, still fabulous!" - My thoughts after being sick for a week and spending zero time in the gym. I was so worried about being behind in my meals and training, but my time away from the gym makes me more motivated to make these next 10 weeks count!

On Saturday after work I hit the gym for my shoulder workout, then took my cardio to the trail once I was home. I found this fortune while I was en route home:

Perfect timing! I kept this as a reminder to continue being positive on this journey. It's easy to get kind of lost in your head and pay attention to what other people are doing, but at the end of the day it all comes down to me. The mind is a powerful tool, and I refuse to be nothing but positive! Whether or not I place in this show isn't a huge priority for me. Of course, it would be nice, but what's more important is that I learn from these six months of training and enjoy the ride (as hard as it is - I miss having carbs four days in a row).

Every Wednesday I check in with my trainer via email, which consists of me sending progress photos and updated weight. I am not about to post these photos on here (not now, anyway), but one thing I will share is that my carb cycling has changed as of Wednesday. I was three days no carbs, one day refuel, but now it is four days no carbs, one day refuel. Thankfully my body is getting used to running on basically veggies and protein only (aside from protein shakes, but those are pretty much a different food group on their own in the world of prep), but the first week of carb cycling I felt so hungry! My morning snack usually had some kind of carb in there (vegetables are not counted as carbs), but now that is gone unless it is a refuel day. I must say, I wake up feeling lean on those days after carb cycling. Either way, I am looking forward to a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast and sweet potatoes with my lunch on Wednesday!

Monday = leg day!

Here is kind of a run down of my day. I have Sundays and Mondays off, but I still woke up at a decent hour in the morning because I had a busy day!

7:00AM: Wake up, drink water, make breakfast (egg white omelette with mushrooms, onion, and spinach), drink coffee with almond milk and stevia.
8:00AM: Get ready for the gym, pack gym pack and grab reusable bags for grocery shopping after.
8:25AM: Start workout
9:30AM: Check in with personal trainer (down another 2.5(ish)% body fat, inches stayed mostly the same, weight is about the same too).

9:50AM: Pick up snacks for Brownie meeting on Tuesday and buy a ton of fish, including tilapia, salmon, tuna & shrimp.
10:30AM: Get home, shower, get dressed.
11:00AM: Make a quick lunch/bite to eat: tuna salad with broccoli slaw
11:40AM: Leave for a Brownie meeting with other leaders to plan an upcoming camp
12:00PM: Arrive at cafe where we are meeting, ordered a coffee and tossed salad.
2:45PM: Get home after running a few more errands. Make a protein shake.
3:15PM: Get on elliptical for cardio

And basically from 3:30PM onwards I relaxed, painted my toe nails, prepped lunches for the week, and Ryan BBQ'd us dinner (veggies and dijon salmon). Now we are just hanging out while I type up this post for you!

Some shots from meal prep this evening:

Tilapia and veggies. I also cooked up some salmon.

Lunches for the week! Since Wednesday is my refuel day, my lunch has some sweet potatoes in there rather than the usual fish + veggies. I switched things up a little bit and made a few salmon salads to take to work. Since store bought dressings are not in my meal plan, I like to use dijon mustard in my salads because you get a lot of flavor without having to load it on.

Time to get ready for bed! I hope you all had an excellent weekend. See ya soon!

(For more pictures throughout my prep, be sure to follow me on Instagram!)

Playing Catch Up & New Motivation

Hello, friends!

Long time no chat. I was watching YouTube videos today and realized I hadn't posted on the blog in FOREVER. Since March 9th actually, which feels like an eternity. I wanted to stop in and catch you guys up on what has been happening this past week. Spoiler alert: not a whole lot!

Since March I have been puttering away through my prep. I have to remind myself that I am not doing the show in May, although most of the girls in my group are. This means they are leaning down more than I am at this point, and I have to constantly tell myself to be patient and just trust the process. I am about ten weeks out from my first bikini competition, and luckily I still have some time because last week I came down with a gross cold/flu bug kind of thing that wiped me right out.

The photo above was taken on Thursday after my chest and cardio workout. I was feeling a bit off, but figured it was because my body was tired and just ready to go home. Generally my workouts take place in the evening and while I do find I have energy to complete them, last Thursday I just felt "meh" about it all. After doing my cardio workout, I hopped on the treadmill and ran 5km. YES, I RAN! Some of you who have followed my journey (as sporadic and random as my posts are) know that I started off my fitness "career" running. However, since starting this competition prep, I haven't ran much at all. Thursday's 5km run was a small victory in my book.

I woke up Friday feeling like a dump truck ran over me. My head felt as if there were a helmet strapped on and constantly squeezing my brain, and my throat was swollen and ears were crackling. I left work early on Friday, stayed in bed all day Saturday, Sunday, Monday, AND today. Holy cow, was I never knocked on my butt from this bug. It is Tuesday evening and I am finally starting to feel like an actual human again.

I did have some company on Saturday, though. A big thank you to my parents for stopping by with this awesome care package!

Ginger tea, blackberries, an acai berry smoothie, my favourite roasted red pepper soup by Pacific, my favourite fruit gummies, an energy nut bar that I have been slowly picking away at (as my throat permits), plus soup, lemon, lime, ginger & Emergen C. Ryan has also been bringing me home things like soup, Powerade, lozenges - so I am pretty well stocked!

Maybe it was the cardio that knocked me off my feet on Thursday. I may slowly be convincing myself that cardio is the enemy. Muahaha.

If only, if only.

Throwback to a couple Sundays ago at the gym. Posing practice followed by cardio followed by a veggie and egg white fritata with steamed broccoli on the side. So good.

I have been researching competitions more and more the closer I get to June 28th. Of course, most of the things I have read about revolve around American body building federations such as NPC, but the people I have been watching have a whole different approach to the food part of competing. Some follow a meal plan as set out by their trainer (which is what I am doing), and some do this process called if it fits your macros (or IIFYM), I personally enjoy my meal plan (for the most part - too bad red wine isn't part of it!), but there are some parts of IIFYM that I am curious about too. The only downside I see is that with IIFYM, you may not be getting as much protein as you would in a structured meal plan. For instance, if your macros say you should only have 90g of protein in a day, then I am way over that! I personally have 113g of protein alone in my lunch, alongside a butt-load of veggies, so it would be interesting to see how it compares. Neverless, I have found almost a new burst of motivation to complete these next ten weeks to the very best of my ability. I know I can lift heavier and be more consistent with my meals, so I am ready to grind out the next ten weeks and bring a fantastic package to the stage!

Weekend Wrap Up & The Ultimate Tea

"Oh, hello! I didn't see you there," Simba says as he looks up from his book. When his favourite parent, Holly, wants to take time to sit and read a book, this is when Simba feels it is the perfect time to crash the party.

I know, I know. Dropped the ball last week on the Monday posting. Just when I was doing so well, too! Let's kick off the week with a recap of what's been happening lately.

Spoiler alert: nothing too exciting, since we can't celebrate my birthday any longer. Ho hum. At least my half birthday is coming up in August! Just kidding. I don't celebrate my half birthday, although maybe I should start.

So, the usual work and gym has been going on as per usual. Right now I have fish and rice cookin' away, doing some meal prep before I head off to the gym for glute day. I have a love hate relationship with glute day. Hate how many lunges I have to do, but love feeling accomplished after.

Let's all take a moment to look at the baby abs I have going on. Note: this is before morning cardio, minus 4 litres of water in my body. Once I start drinking water, abs are pooched. Belly becomes a pooch. You get the picture.

Forever posing in the bathroom at the gym. Hey, gotta get it right on stage!

Yesterday was one of my favourite days of the week. Sunday fun day! Usually on Sundays I have posing practice followed by cardio and breakfast with Ryan, but yesterday since my trainer is on vacation, we didn't have posing practice. My Sunday routine was a little backwards, but great nonetheless. The morning consisted of sleeping in until 9AM (ah, glory, glory) and drinking coffee while watching tv & eating my morning oats. It's always nice to get a slower start to the morning, and there's something about the vibe on Sunday that makes me feel less inclined to rush around. That's what the week days are for.

After puttering around the house doing things like dishes and laundry, I got my cardio for the day in on the elliptical and then headed to the gym for my workout. On the schedule today: back & biceps! 

I am loving this top! Ryan and I went to Victoria on Saturday, and fortunately I had a Lululemon gift card from his family to spend. Ah, they know me so well. The back detailing on this tank top immediately caught my eye, and the built in sports bra is an added bonus. I wore it with a pair of Lululemon Wunder Unders (which I turned inside out and am wearing to the gym again today... Hey, don't judge. They are reversible). Once my workout was done, I did some grocery shopping and came home to relax!

My all time favourite tea of the moment: chocolate super berry burst.

Not overly sweet, and I just drink it plain! So tasty.

In the evening my lovely sister came to hang out. Of course, Simba being the giant suck that he is was all over her. We drank coffee lots of coffee and watched The Voice. Is anyone else into that show right now? It always makes me so nervous for the singers, waiting for someone to turn their chair.

And with that, we are back to Monday again! Mondays are my Sundays, so it'll be another Sunday Fun Day! I am going to finish my meal prep and then head off to the gym. Then, pedicure time. Woohoo! Enjoy the week ahead.

Birthday Fun: Commence Food Coma

Good evening, friends!

I hope you all had a great week. Mine was fantastic, mainly because I was counting down until my BIRTHDAY! More on that to come.

My days have been filled with working and going to the gym, as per usual, but I am extra excited to see the flowers in the garden start to bloom! They are so pretty and remind me that spring is around the corner.

So, let's get onto the birthday talk, shall we?

Sunday mornings start with posing practice at the gym. After I came home, I took a shower and relaxed with a cup of coffee & Ryan made me pancakes! I haven't had good, doughy pancakes in a long time. Way, way, too long. Rather than using wheat flour he substituted with oat flour, which happens to be friendly to my competition diet. I topped my pancakes with natural peanut butter, chia seeds, banana, and syrup. And yes, I did eat my weight in pancakes, and yes, they were amazing!

After breakfast, we got ready for the day. I requested we go shopping in Victoria, so that was the adventure of the day.

Outfit of the day: Sweater by Mink Pink (plain white tank top underneath from Forever 21), jeans by Guess?, necklace from Old Navy, light pink bead bracelet from Archer & Arrow (local boutique), and gold watch by Michael Kors.

My parents were also en route to Victoria, so we met up with them along the way as we were shopping. After visiting all of our favourite shopping destinations and spending way too much money at Lululemon, it was time for dinner. Maybe next week I will do a little haul/favourites post!

Hello, cheat meal! I tend to be fairly conservative with my reward meals. I'll either eat more carbs or I won't measure my serving of salmon, if that's what I'm having for dinner. OR I will eat dark chocolate, because I miss having chocolate. However, now I feel so much better without all that extra sugar in my system, so I suppose it's all about balance. 

Anyway, we went out to a restaurant called Bin 4 in Victoria. If you haven't been, I strongly urge you to go! It was delicious, decently priced, and I had the best company around me which made for a great birthday dinner. My burger of choice is called the Mr. Bean burger and is a hand-made bean and vegetable patty on a soft, squishy bun with lettuce, tomato, and red onion. And the FRIES. Oh, the fries were to die for. And ketchup! And garlic aoli! Oh my lanta. I kid you not. I unbuttoned my pants on the way home because I was so damn full. Food coma, commence.

A big thank you to my amazing family & loving boyfriend for such a special birthday. I am so thankful! Safe to say my belly and heart were full yesterday.

I hope you all have a nice evening! I am off to make some food. Girl's gotta eat.

Who Wants a Cat? Weekend Recap

Hey, hey, hey! It's Monday again, and I have you guys booked in my planner.

I'm not kidding. In order to remind myself to blog once a week I wrote down "BLOG POST" every Monday for the next couple months (at least). It is keeping me accountable, and it forces me to set time aside in the day to reflect and check in with you guys, which I don't mind, even if only my family members are reading this little blog of mine.

To recap the week, nothing too interesting happened. The usual working, going to the gym, and hanging out with Ryan and Simba when I get home. We did, however, go to my parents' house on Thursday night and picked up the ELLIPTICAL machine! I am so excited. So now there is a treadmill and elliptical in the garage, so a few more choices when I actually make it out of bed for morning cardio. I admit, it is currently my go-to choice in the morning when I am half asleep. Something about the thought of jumping on a treadmill for HIIT at 6AM does not sound appealing, but gently waking up on the elliptical does. All in the mind, I suppose. All in the mind.

This weekend was also the day of loooove. That's right. It was Valentine's Day, and now we can all enjoy discount chocolate! Well, those of us who have chocolate in the meal plan (which generally does not include bikini competitors). Although I can't have chocolate right now, I did have some on Valentine's Day, but I made sure to keep my workouts and other meals in check as to not over do it!

After work on Saturday I came home, hopped on the elliptical and got my cardio in. Then, Ryan surprised me by coming home early and made a beautiful and delicious salmon dinner with roasted veggies. Yes, and roses to boot! I am lucky.

Simba could smell the fish cookin' and was trying to dig in with us, but sorry, no cats allowed there pal. It was seasoned with cracked black pepper, dill, and lots of lemon. I swear I could eat lemon on any and everything! I am drinking lemon water as we speak.

Valentine's Day gifts included a dozen red roses, a book I have been eyeing up (back story: I was going to buy this book at Chapters one day, but put it back on the shelf to browse around some more. Much to my dismay, when I came back the book had been scooped up by someone and of course it was the last one. Cue disappointed Holly here). I am excited to dig into this book with a nice cup of tea this week!

Side note: I say that all the time, but have yet to finish the last two books I've started. All in due time.

Fast forward to today. I woke up early, got my cardio in, then headed off to the gym for a check-in with my personal trainer. So far, so good, and no changes to my plan as of right now. Everything is humming along, and I am losing inches consistently. I still have a few months left until my show date, June 28th, so there will be more changes ahead. Following my check-in, I got in my glute workout, picked out fabric for my second suit (for the fitness model category), and then Ryan and I went off to Nanaimo. We were on the hunt for side tables for the bedroom, but came home with some fancy decorative boxes for the bathroom (I figure my ratty black make up bag isn't too appealing to the eye), two sets of new towels, and a rug that Simba has already pulled some yarn out of.

Anybody want a cat?

I kid, I kid. 

It ended up being a productive day, and we came home to a beautiful sunset while we were on our way home. We are still going, though! Dinner is sizzling away, I have meal prep to do, and then it's bed time. Phewf.

I hope you all have had a wonderful week!

Let me know in the comments what your favourite weekend moment was this weekend :)

Big News: What the Heck I've Been Up To

Hey, hey!

Happy Monday!

I hope your week is off to a good start.

My day started slowly. That's the beauty of long weekends. You can sleep in, take your time rolling out of bed, and enjoy coffee on the couch while you eat your oatmeal and watch Cityline. Anyone else? That's exactly what I did this morning, and I was so happy to be able to take some extra time and relax. Sometimes I feel like life is pretty go, go, go (only because I make it that way by choice), so being able to unwind first thing in the morning without anywhere to rush to is so nice.

Flashback to Saturday afternoon in an almost-empty gym, workin' on my shoulders. PS, don't mind my eyebrows. Those are getting fixed tomorrow, thank goodness! Today I did a metabolic workout at home, which was kind of like a bootcamp style workout in that I had various stations set up and completed exercises such as push ups, lunges, and jump squats (to name a few). I repeated my circuit 5x through and after those 40 minutes, I was feeling equal parts happy and sore!

So, what have I been up to lately? I guess I should just tell you guys now before I get to the end of the post and forget to let you know. Well, I have been spending a lot of time in the gym and in my kitchen meal prepping for my very first BIKINI AND FITNESS COMPETITION!

Holy. Crap.

I know.

I KNOW!

The thought has always been in the back of my mind, and after looking into the prep that goes into the whole process and meeting with a group at my gym about the topic, I decided to just jump in. I mean, why the heck not, right? What do I have to lose? Besides weight and inches, of course. Ha ha, so funny. I was looking for a new challenge in 2015. To be honest, running was getting a little dull and boring for me. Yeah, 5km, 10km, and half marathons are fantastic, don't get me wrong. However, I was feeling a little been there, done that when I began to think of running goals I wanted to accomplish. Why not the marathon, you ask? I'm just not THERE right now, especially since I am craving something new and different. We will see about where I'm at in the fall. Maybe a marathon will be on the horizon, maybe not. To be honest, I am less focused on putting on the miles and more focused on my show in June. It is scary, exciting, and just the challenge I need! I hope you will come along on this ride with me as I will be posting here on the blog about once a week with updates!

 Simba is enjoying a tall glass of fresh beet and apple juice. So sophisticated.

So, yeah! There's the big update for you. I have officially picked out the fabric and accessories for my bikini which is being custom made by a woman who specializes in competition and dance outfits. I can't wait to see the finished result!

Have a great evening everyone!