Monthly Archives: September 2015

Hello from Offseason!

Contest Prep, General Fitness, Living the Fit Lifestyle, , , , , , , , , , , ,

I’ve been so focused on sharing my fitness and healthy eating tips and tricks, that some of y’all probably forgot about how things are going for me as a Figure Competitor!

Oh man.  I AM SO READY TO GET BACK ON THAT STAGE!!!  Especially after watching the Olympia this weekend!!  That’s the Super Bowl of this sport, and all of the Figure competitors looked amazing!  As you know, my last (and only) show was six month ago in March.  I did great in that show, and was originally planning to compete again in November.  For me to be show-ready in November, I would have started prepping again in AUGUST.  Honestly, both me and my coach felt like that just wasn’t enough time for me to GROW!  All great competitors take significant time between shows to really focus on growing muscles and changing their physiques.  That’s the only way to improve!  You cannot grow muscle and stay stage lean year round.  Our bodies cannot do both at the same time.  End of story.  Theoretically speaking it takes about 3 months (12 weeks) to prep for a Contest, and 2-3 months (6-10) weeks for your body to get back to normal after being that lean after a show.

So what have I been up to since our last update?  EATING and LIFTING!!!!!   I love the freedom and strength I have in the gym.  I’ve set some amazing PRs, and have really able to focus more on training and having fun with my workouts!  You can always have fun with your training (hell, it SHOULD be fun!) but as you progress through a contest prep you definitely lose your strength and energy, and eventually just use what energy you have to just get through the workout!  My coach is very pleased with my progress—I’ve added CONSIDERABLE muscle mass, particularly in my back and shoulders.  My quads have grown as well!  It took me a few weeks to adjust to the weight gain I had from rebounding so badly after the show (classic rookie mistake!), but I’m feeling more confident in my body now.  I’m hovering around 142-143 pounds these days (I’m 5’4) and was roughly 115 on show day.  If you do the math, that’s about a 30 pound difference!  Things don’t fit like they did a few months ago, and I’m still a little “fluffier” than I’d like to be, but it’s all part of the process.   Just like in prep, I take this one day, one meal, one workout at a time.  This is a lifestyle!  I don’t feel deprived with food thanks to my weekly cheat meals.  You’re going to think I’m crazy, but I begged my coach to take some of my carbs away because I was never hungry!!  We’ll see how long that lasts!!!

I’ve also been focusing a lot on taking care of my body with preventative/ recovery measures to keep from getting injured and enable my muscles to get the most out of their training.  I’m now getting monthly sports massages in addition to my monthly chiropractic adjustments.  Massage is important because it helps your muscles grow and aids in the recovery of your muscle tissue.  Sports massages aren’t exactly relaxing, but they hurt so good!  My chiropractor helps me feel balanced and with neck and back pain I have from a car accident several years ago.  I will also be incorporating cryotherapy into my routine as well.   My training has remained mostly the same, but I am able to go HEAVY and push myself in every workout.  Legs are definitely the area I want to grow the most, and even after all this work and time, I’m still dissatisfied with how slowly they are progressing.  I’ve noticed how I’ve always sort of had “issues” with my legs, and my coach and I noticed that one of my hamstrings (my left) is definitely more developed than my right.  I was also beginning to experience stiffness and soreness in my left hip, especially after sprints or leg day.  He suggested I visit an MAT (muscle activation techniques) specialist in our gym to help facilitate better activation and utilization of my leg and hip muscles.  Believe it or not, after only a few muscle tests on my first visit, the MAT therapist said I was maybe getting 50% of my full potential out of my legs.  ONLY FIFTY PERCENT!!!!!  No wonder I’m not seeing the growth I want to.  That was also the reason for the lopsided hammies and hip pain.  My lack of muscle activation in my legs is caused by a combination of factors—muscle range of motion, genetics, strength, etc. , but the good news is that it can be fixed!  Muscle activation techniques focus on restoring BALANCE between muscles, and retraining your muscles to activate or “fire” the correct way so that they are getting the most out of training.  A lot of professional athletes get MAT training right before a game so that they can perform at their best.  Think of it like a chiropractor for your muscles.  My MAT therapist restructured my leg day workout so that I start with calves, move to hip abductor and adductor exercises, seated leg curl, and then glutes before doing any compound movements like squats, deadlifts, or leg presses.  This way my leg muscles are 100% activated and can fully “absorb” the training.  So interesting!  I’ve just started MAT, and have only had two sessions. After both sessions, I immediately  trained legs, and WOAH does it make a huge difference.  Performing certain exercises feels totally different after the MAT therapy.  It’s hard to explain, but I can already see a difference in my legs in just three weeks.  My MAT therapist also prescribed a series of hip flexor exercises and stretches to do every day that will help as well.

I have three more months of growing season, which seems like a lot; but it’s really not!  I have just 15 weeks before prep starts again.  That’s only 15 workouts per muscle group.  See, not a lot—right?!  I’m itching to pick a show date (dates haven’t been released for 2016 yet due to some changes with NPC Texas), anxious to start the countdown again, go to posing classes,  have discipline and structure, pick out a suit, and get ready to shine!  Every time I throw on my heels for check-ins with my coach, it makes me miss the anticipation of getting ready for a show!  I’m confident, though, that all of my hard work is going to pay off when I hit that stage in the spring.  I can’t wait to show off a totally different version of myself.  The best part of bodybuilding is that you are really competing against yourself.  It’s a constant, evolving process.  Just like life.

Till Next Time,

-Mere

Eat This, Not That—a Fit Girl’s Guide to Eating Out!

General Fitness, Living the Fit Lifestyle, Nutrition/ Diet, Weightloss, , , , , , ,

I’m excited about this post, and I think a lot of you will be too!  Let’s face it, as much as we try to meal prep and plan our meals, sometimes we are in a pinch and need to eat a meal on the road or away from home.  Maybe you have a job that has a lot of dinners and lunches with clients that you wine and dine, or travel a lot, and that requires a lot of eating out.  I thought I’d share some of my favorite tips and tricks for making healthy choices when eating out.

I’ll preface this by saying that when you are really trying to be mindful with your nutrition, lose weight, build muscle, etc., you should avoid eating out as much as you can.  Not all restaurant meals are unhealthy, but when you eat out you cannot really control what and how much you are eating as well as you can when you prepare and cook your own meals.  With that said, we all like to get out of the house and enjoy a meal out with our friends and loved ones.  Live a little!!

Here are the parameters I try to follow when I am out (NOT ON CHEAT MEAL NIGHT!) and looking at what to order:

  • Stay away from fried anything— fried chicken is certainly delicious, but it’s not healthy!
  • Salads are a good option, but leave off the croutons and cheese if you can. They are nothing but empty calories. Stick with vinaigrette dressings and always order dressings on the side.
  • Stick with grilled lean proteins—fish, chicken, etc.
  • Avoid creamy sauces, cheese, and butter sauces. These usually add hundreds of calories.
  • Avoid pasta and rice dishes. They are chock full of of added butter and SALT and have way more carbs that you probably need.
  • Send the chips and bread back.
  • Look at menus and nutrition facts ahead of time so you are prepared and will be less tempted to order something off your “plan”.
  • You can always ask for your food to be prepared without butter or ask to have things grilled.
  • I will almost ALWAYS order a side salad instead of the rice/fries/potato option

 

I also thought I’d share some of our go-to meals we’ll order when we need to eat on the run:

Chipotle—

Order the burrito bowl with chicken, ½ as much brown rice, or no rice at all.  No beans, no cheese, no sour cream.  Pico, hot sauce, a tiny bit of corn, and lots of lettuce!  Guac on the side.

Chick-Fila—

Grilled nuggets with a side salad.  Vinaigrette dressing on the side.  Their market salad is a good option too but doesn’t have a lot of protein.

PeiWei—

Did you know you can get ANY of their bowls steamed with the sauce on the side?!  I love this option, and will get it with the spicy sauce on the side and use just a tiny bit to dip my veggies in.  Watch how much of the rice you eat, though, and order brown or white rice, but not fried rice.

Ghengis Grill—

I can almost eyeball my protein amount and can get a ton of veggies!!!  The healthier sauces are usually spicy, but try to avoid the sweeter ones to save calories.

Jason’s Deli—

The Turkey Wrap is your best option outside of the salad bar.  The soups are pretty much salt licks, and don’t even look at the nutrition facts for the sandwiches.  To save even more calories, order the wrap with no ranch dressing or on the side.

Rock Fish/ Seafood places—

Stick with grilled white fish (no butter) and grilled or steamed veggies with no butter. You can also do boiled shrimp or crab!  YUM!!!

Breakfast / Brunch—

Go with egg-white and veggie omelets or scrambles, and plain oatmeal. You can add Splenda and cinnamon to your oatmeal!  Avoid biscuits, pancakes, pastries, waffles, bacon, sausage. and pretty much all the good stuff. L  Brunch is another one of my favorite cheat meals!!

Mi Cocina/ Mexican Restaurants—

We love the Mico Rico salad from Mi Cocina!  Again, leave off the cheese and bacon but otherwise you’re pretty set.  Chicken fajitas and chicken fajita salads are probably your best choice if you can’t find grilled options on the menu.  Just watch the rice/beans/chips.

Sushi / Asian Restaurants—

Sushi is usually a pretty clean meal, especially if you’re not ordering rolls with sauces or tempura batter.  Sashimi is a great option as well.  Asian restaurants will usually give you the option to get your entrée steamed, so try that as well.

Pizza—

Seriously, just save this for a cheat meal.  Anything else will be disappointing!  If y’all have ideas on how to make restaurant pizza a clean meal, let me know, I’m all ears!!

American / Bar Restaurants—

A grilled chicken salad can be found almost anywhere, but again look at the toppings and dressing choices.  For example, most of Chili’s salads have a RIDICULOUS number of calories, but appear to be “healthy”.  I will sometimes do a grilled fish, or turkey burger as options too.

DRINKS—

Sidenote: Alcohol is almost entirely void of any nutritional value.  You want to lose weight quickly?  Cut out alcohol for two weeks and see what happens.  That said, I love the occasional cocktail, so here are my favorite “skinny” options:

  • Skinny Margarita
  • Vodka soda (NOT TONIC) with extra lime
  • Wine
  • A light beer
  • Diet Coke with vodka or Malibu and lime
  • Avoid frozen drinks, craft cocktails (those are my favorite), sweeter cocktails, and blended drinks

Stick to your guns!  It’s not easy to start or stick to a lifestyle of clean eating.  If it were, everyone would do it.  However, I can promise you that every healthy choice you make will give you more confidence and motivation to keep making more of them.  Your body will thank you and you won’t feel guilty for sabotaging all of your hard work in the gym.  Keep working hard!  Remember, I’m always listening and willing to help, so feel free to email me at Lipglossandlifting@gmail.com.  I just started a Facebook page, too, so give it a like (search for Lipgloss and Lifting)!

Till next time,

-Mere