Meal Prepping for Cheap!!

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

Hi friends!

Hope you all are doing well and you had a wonderful Valentine’s Day!  I know it’s been a while between posts, but I’ve been a busy girl studying for my NASM Personal Trainer test!  Can’t believe I’m finally taking it in two weeks!!

One of the biggest misconceptions I’ve seen and heard out there about meal prepping is that is expensive.  I’m here to tell you that that is so far from the truth!  If you really think about it, eating out multiple times a week at $6-10 a pop minimum quickly adds up!  Although you may not realize it, hitting up drive thrus and restaurants frequently can add up to hundreds of dollars a month.  Shane and I didn’t realize it at the time, but several years ago, both of us ate out for lunch nearly every day of the week.  You figure $15-20 for two people a day times 4-5 days a week, for 4-5 weeks a month, that equates to $250-$500 a month!  Unbelievable!!!  And that’s just lunches out, we’re not even talking dinners yet!  Not only can eating out sabotage your budget, but you have very little control over the nutrition of your food when you’re eating out, so it sabotages your fitness goals too. Here are some easy ways to make meal prepping (or preparing your meals ahead of time) cheap and easy!

  • Buy in bulk! Costco, Sam’s Club, or something similar is your friend! These warehouses typically cost $50 a year to join, but it pays for itself in savings!  Personally, I’m a Costco girl!!  You’ll see from my Instagram posts, that we’re huge fans of their chicken and egg whites!  Liquid egg-whites are an excellent source of protein, and they’re safe to drink because they’ve been pasteurized.  Costco sells 6 small cartons for 8 dollars!  That’s super cheap!  You can get chicken for about $3 a pound.  One 7-8 pound package costs about $21 dollars and will feed the two of us for a week, supplemented with maybe turkey, fish, or ground beef to mix things up.  You can catch chicken on sale at your grocery store, but the quality and price of warehouse clubs are hard to beat.  I’ll also buy boiled eggs, almond milk, Greek yogurt, oats, rice and potatoes here too.  All of the staples J  And warehouse clubs are GREAT for cleaning products and household goods too!
  • Salsa + Chicken + Crockpot= delicious chicken for days! This recipe could not be easier!  Take a small jar of salsa, about 3-4 pounds of chicken, and cook on low in your Crockpot or slow cooker for about 8 hours.  I use a spicier salsa (Joe T’s Medium is our favorite) and like to add about 4 tablespoons of low sodium taco seasoning.  Once it’s done, you shred up the chicken and you’re ready to go!  The salsa and seasoning don’t change up the macros that much, and this version of chicken is easy to serve over rice or lettuce for an easy meal.  You can also sub out Buffalo sauce for salsa.  It’ll keep in the fridge for 4-5 days.  See—cheap and easy!
  • Baked potatoes and rice—carbs are super easy and cheap to prepare ahead of time. I’ll make a cookie sheet of sweet potatoes) and a few baked potatoes (spray them with oil, sprinkle some salt, and roll in foil) and bake them all together at 450 for 90 mins.  Rice is also really simple to make ahead of time.  AND CHEAP.    
  • Frozen vegetables—personally I prefer fresh veggies, but from a nutrition standpoint, frozen is just as good! They are really inexpensive too!  Typically you can find pretty much every vegetable for $1-$2 a bag, which has several servings.  I should point out, however, that you want to make sure that you’re getting PLAIN vegetables—there are several brands that add in sauces, cheeses, and seasoning—steer clear of those!  They pack a ton of sodium and fat.  Frozen veggies are also found in bulk at your warehouse clubs!
  • Spices—Variety is the spice of life! Spices are really inexpensive—typically $3-5 for a jar—and are probably the easiest way to change up flavor profiles on protein, carbs, and vegetables.  Penzy’s Spices (penzeys.com) has an excellent assortment to choose from, and you can buy them in all different sizes!  Flavor God seasonings (www.flavorgod.com) are also delicious, low sodium options, but they are a little more expensive.  They keep for a long time, and you will get several uses out of one jar.

 I tell my clients all the time that starting out meal prepping isn’t easy.  You have to put some effort into it, and it takes PREPARATION.  You will have to get comfortable and used to eating a lot of the same foods.  It takes some time to adjust and get used to it, but I promised you’ll see the positive payoffs in your waistline, your energy levels, your stress levels, and your pocketbook!

Till next time!

-Mere

17 Tips to Make 2017 Your Best Year Yet!

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

Happy New Year friends!

I hope you all enjoyed the holidays and your New Year is off to a wonderful start!  I love New Year’s Day.  It’s a fresh start, an exciting opportunity with a whole year ahead of new adventures, challenges, and experiences ahead.  Isn’t that great?!  January 1st is also a day when a lot of us recommit to health and fitness, to a “new you”.   Resolutions can be an excellent way to set goals and challenge yourself.  In that spirit, I wanted to share my 17 tips on how you can make 2017 your best year yet!

  1. Be realistic. All good things take time. Especially major weightloss or physique changes.
  2. Start with small changes. What are small changes you can make in your life today that will have an impact on what you’re trying to achieve?
  3. Be consistent. Success is built on consistency.  Stay the course!
  4. Find your why. We all have different motivators, but only you can find out what yours is.
  5. Set SMART goals. Smart, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-line driven.
  6. Have a game plan. This is huge, and perhaps one of the most important on this list.  If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail.
  7. Surround yourself with support. Birds of a feather flock together friends! Lifestyle changes aren’t easy.  You need people around you to support you, and help keep you accountable.
  8. Challenge yourself. This is the fun part. It’s you vs. you.
  9. Measure progress. And NOT just by what the scale says! (see number 16). Record your workouts.  Pay attention to your food choices.  Take progress pictures!  It will get easier, and you will get better.  Progress can also be a great motivator.  When you see how far you’ve come, it’s so encouraging to keep pushing forward!
  10. Rest is part of the program. Listen to your body.  Sleep, rest, hydrate.
  11. Practice mindfulness. This is one of my favorites. It’s so easy to just go through the motions with the minutiae of life.  Mindfulness is a practice of being present and paying attention.  Be mindful of your spirit. Of what you’re eating.  Of how you’re feeling.  Be present friends!
  12. Remember to have fun. You won’t stick with anything that isn’t fun!  When you’re having fun, life is more enjoyable!
  13. Reward yourself. Not necessarily with food, but with little perks that will keep you motivated and excited!
  14. Be nice to yourself. Your mind can be your best friend or your worst enemy. If you can keep your attitude and mindset in check, the rest will come.
  15. Balance is KEY. Life is too short to not enjoy it! Everything is fine in moderation.  Have the wine, eat the cupcake, get some tacos!
  16. The scale isn’t everything. Especially as women, it’s so easy to tie our progress and attitude to what the damn scale says.  Remember this is a lifestyle, as your physique changes, the scale will change.  That’s why it’s so important to look at progress in every area.
  17. Take one day at a time. Honestly, take it one day, one meal, one workout at a time.  Rome wasn’t built in a day.  Be nice to yourself and enjoy the process!

I don’t know about you, but I am so excited to see what this new year holds!  I’m finishing up studying for my NASM Personal Training certification, and can’t wait to partner with more clients to help them in their fitness journeys.  Happy New Year everyone!

Cheers!

-Mere

Boulder Shoulders!

General Fitness, Workouts, , , , ,

Hi friends!

I hope this finds you all healthy and happy!  I don’t know about all of you, but I am definitely ready for the holidays!  I love this time of year—so many things to be thankful for, fun activities, and Christmas cheer.  It will be 2017 before we know it! Between studying for my upcoming NASM personal training test and decorating our new home, things have been pretty busy.

I wanted to make today’s post about my favorite moves for one of my favorite parts to train.  You may not know this, but your shoulder is an extremely complex joint.  Not only is it connected to several muscles in the arm, chest, neck, and back, but it also houses the rotator cuff!  Your rotator cuff is comprised of four muscles (here’s my NASM studying coming through), the Teres Minor, the Infraspinatus, the Supraspinatus, and the Subscapularis.  These muscles work together to allow for the wide range of motion and movements that make your shoulder so unique.  Your shoulders are utilized in several upper body exercises when you train chest and back, but because of their structural complexity, they are also easily susceptible to injury.

See? So many muscles!
Lots of bones connect at your shoulder too!

 

Be careful with your form!   When you’re training shoulders, it’s really important to make sure that you are training all angles of them, the front, rear, and side delts.  Again, this is a complex muscle/joint group!  Broader shoulders also make your waist appear smaller!  A total shortcut to getting every girl’s dream “hourglass” curves!  Here are a few of my go- to moves for awesome shoulders.

  • Overhead Dumbbell Shoulder Press: This is the standard shoulder movement in weight training.  To perform this movement, you hold a dumbbell (moderate weight, something you can keep good form with for 12-15 reps) in each hand, and make almost like a field goal with your arms as you extend and press the dumbbells overhead.  Be careful to keep your head up and core tight.  Here is a link from Bodybuilding.com explaining the movement.  You can also do these with a Shoulder Press machine, just make sure you are lined up correctly with it before you begin, and start out a lower weight to make sure you’re using the correct one.
  • Lateral Raises: You can do these with dumbbells (my favorite!) or cables. Typically I like to do a lighter weight and go higher in volume.  You can keep a slight bend in the elbow if needed, but don’t bend it too much.  You can also change the tempo to really get a good pump!  I never do shoulders without these!! 
  • Angled Shoulder Press: These are super fun! We have a butt blaster machine in our gym that works great for these, but you can also use a barbell for them as well.  They’re easier on the front part of your deltoid muscle (front delt), than a traditional front raise, but are a great finisher, or to do a drop set with.  Here’s a picture. 
Angled Shoulder Press
Angled Shoulder Press
  • Reverse Peck Deck: Using the pec deck or chest fly machine, face the pad and move the arms out to either side of you, similar to if you were opening a cabinet. You should really feel these at the back of your shoulders.  Keep your head and spine neutral, and don’t lock your elbows.  Start with a lower weight if needed until you get the form figured out.
  • Front Raises: Personally, I like to get crazy and superset these with my lateral raises at the end of a shoulder workout.  Go lighter with these, and really focus on NOT swinging your arms to move the weight.  For added benefit, you can pause and squeeze at the top of the movement, or take them really slow.  Those are killer!

There you have it y’all!  Remember, summer bodies are made in the winter!  If you want those hot sexy shoulders come tank top season in a few months, NOW is the time to work on them!  Let me know if you have any questions—I love answering them!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving week!!

 

Till next time,

-Mere

Easy Ways to Change Up Your Workouts!

General Fitness, Workouts, , , ,

One of my favorite things about training is that you can constantly change up your workouts!  Since I’m in offseason, I have really been changing things up with my weightlifting split and routine to push myself in the gym.  Here are some of my favorite ways to mix things up!

  • Drop Sets—these can be super challenging, and can be used for almost every muscle group. I particularly love these for lat pull-downs, leg extensions, shoulder presses, and leg press.  But really, use your imagination because they can be used for pretty much every move.  The idea is that you start with a heavier weight doing less reps, and then decrease (“drop”) your weight and increase your number of reps each set.  The idea is to get a lot of blood flow to your muscle.  Your first set should be challenging and heavy!  Sometimes I like to go until failure each set, dropping the weight each time.  Also, make sure you’re not resting very long between sets.  30-45 seconds is plenty of time.

For lat pull downs, it might look something like this:

  • Set 1– 10 reps at 110 pounds
  • Set 2– 15 reps at 90 or 100 pounds
  • Set 3– 20 reps at 80 or 90 pounds

 

  • Pyramid Sets—similar to drop sets, pyramid sets involve increasing the weight and decreasing the number of reps, but you also come back up in weight, so typically you’re doing 5-7 sets. These are tough!  I love to do them for Bicep curls and squats!  Keep your rest periods short, and make sure you are only using a weight that you can safely move with good form.  Try it like this with dumbbell bicep curls:
    • Set 1- 12 reps at 20 pounds
    • Set 2- 15 reps at 15 pounds
    • Set 3- 20 reps at 10 pounds
    • Set 4- 15 reps at 15 pounds
    • Set 5- 10-12 reps or to failure at 20 pounds.

 

  • Super Sets—these are one of my all time FAVORITE things to incorporate into a workout! In fact, I superset something pretty much every day I’m in the gym.  They’re time savers, and a great way to really get a muscle group to hypertrophy, which will encourage muscle growth!  Supersetting means that you preform two exercises (using the same or opposing muscle groups) back to back with no rest in between.  They are really great for legs, and arm workouts (supersetting bis and tris).  Remember, no rest in between exercises.  Done correctly, these will really get your heart rate up, and get a lot of blood flow into your muscle.  Give these supersets a try:
    • Leg Press supersetted with plie squats or squat jumps
    • Bicep curls supersetted with tricep extensions or skull crushers.

You can even go crazy and add on a third exercise for a GIANT set!

  • FST-7s. FST stands for Fascia Stretch Training.  This training concept was created by Nicole Wilkins and Phil Heath’s trainer, the legendary Hany Rambod.  Basically it involves doing 7 sets of the same exercise with roughly 8-10 reps each set and very little rest in between sets.  Like 15-20 seconds between sets.  They need to be done as a finisher at the end of your workout, or at the end of training the particular body part you are using them on.  They get a great “pump” to the muscle, because all those reps really build up bloodflow.  These are tough but soooo much fun!  I like to do them for shoulder presses, lateral raises, bicep curls, typically smaller muscle groups, but you can use them for back and legs as well.  The basic formula for an FST looks like this:
    • 7 sets of 10 reps at the same weight, with 15-20 seconds between sets. *Note—you may have to drop weight.  Sets 5-7 are particularly challenging, and you will likely go to failure J

So there you have it!  4 easy ways to really mix things up and challenge yourself in the gym.  Be creative with your workouts—I can promise you that you will enjoy your workouts even more!

 

Till next time,

-Mere

My Top 5 Tips for Losing Weight!

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

Happy Monday everyone!  It seems like people are always asking me how to lose weight.  Once the find out I’m a gymrat, or that I compete, or that I’m a “trainer in training”, that’s usually the first question they ask.  My answer pretty much always starts off with some form of—“it’s definitely a lifestyle” and “it matters more what you EAT the other 23 hours of your day, than what you do for the 1 hour in the gym!”.  Whether you’re looking to lose 5 pounds or 50 pounds, here are my 5 TOP TIPS for losing weight!

  • Eat out less. It goes without saying that restaurant meals have a ton of hidden calories and fat.  Although they’re delicious, those meals can pack on the pounds quick!  When you cook your own meals at home, you have so much more control over what you’re eating, and the amount you’re eating.  Plan ahead, grocery shop, and make most of your meals at home.  Try eating out for lunch just once a week instead of every day.  I promise you’ll start to lose weight, and your bank account will appreciate it too!
  • Read nutrition labels. How many calories, fat grams, sugars—the information is all right there at your finger tips. If you only pay attention to one or two of the numbers on a label, pay attention to the sugar content and carb content.  You’d be SHOCKED to see how much sugar comes in foods with a nutrition label!  Also, have you ever thought about how a lot of “whole” foods (i.e. produce, fruits, most meats, etc.) don’t really have a nutrition label, and if they do, they usually have less than 5 ingredients?
  • Avoid processed foods. I know y’all have heard me say this so many times—if it comes in a package, has a bunch of ingredients, or is anything frozen that’s not a vegetable, it’s probably not something you want to eat a lot of.  Processed foods are right up there with restaurant foods in terms of having a ton of added calories, sugars, and fats.  Their bright colored and appealing boxes, bags, cartons, and packages all cover this up, so it’s best just to avoid them or eat them in small amounts.
  • Avoid drinking your calories. Whether it’s alcohol,  a  daily 3pm Dr. Pepper,  your favorite smoothie, or your venti frappucino/latte/can’t live without it Starbucks creation, those calories are empty!  Most people don’t know how many calories are in alcoholic drinks, sodas, coffee beverages, even smoothies!  These tasty treats can pack a punch of hundreds or calories, and lots of sugar.  Just start paying attention to how often you imbibe in a high-calorie drink.  If it’s more than once a day, what can you do to change that?
  • Pay attention to portion control. This one is huge.   Challenge yourself to really pay attention to how much food you’re eating on a daily basis.  Keeping a food journal, or using a food tracking app like My Fitness Pal, will really help you see exactly what you’re taking in on a daily basis.  It’s important that you’re not getting too many calories, and also that you’re eating enough calories to really keep your metabolism burning strong.

So that’s it!  It was hard to narrow down to my Top 5, but I think this will definitely get y’all headed in the right direction!  If you would like some extra help or coaching on fitness or nutrition to help you reach your goals, I would LOVE to help you!  Feel free to message me, or email me at meredithlynchfitness@gmail.com.

Till next time!

-Mere

My Favorite Cardio Workouts

General Fitness, Workouts, , , ,

Hi friends!  It’s hard to believe Fall is already here!  This summer absolutely flew by!  Between the move and vacationing, things have been a little nuts around here, but things are FINALLY starting to settle down a bit.  In my last post, I mentioned planning to start prep in August for a November show.  We all know how life throws curveballs, and I got a bit of an unexpected surprise when I ended up getting a small stress fracture in my foot that required rest and a boot for several weeks throwing my plans completely off course.  I basically had what felt like a sprain at the top of my right foot for several weeks.  I thought between the move and my usual running, plyo, crazy workouts that it was nothing.  It kept getting more annoying and the pain got worse.  I hobbled around for about a month before finally caving and seeing a sports orthopedic doctor on the advice of both my coach and MAT therapist.  The treatment—anti-inflammatory prescriptions, rest, and a boot for at least 3 weeks.  There was no way I’d be able to get ready for a show by November—I saw the doctor the week I was supposed to start prep!  Fortunately, I was still able to work out, I just didn’t put much weight on my foot, and had to modify my leg workouts.  I also stopped doing cardio—thankfully my weight has maintained this whole time, despite not being perfect with my eating!  Some days were easier than others, but it slowly got better!  Honestly though, if wearing a boot for 3 weeks and postponing a figure competition are my only major problems in life, then I’m really doing okay.  Hey—at least since I’m not in Prep I can enjoy pumpkin spice everything season, right?!  Thankfully I just had my follow up appointment and things are looking and feeling better, so I can slowly get back into training legs as usual and cardio as I feel like it.  Other than that, it’s just been fun to enjoy our beautiful new home, and go through my normal routine.

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In other news- I’m happy to report that I have officially started preparing to take my NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine—they’re the leader in personal training certification) CPT exam!  My book and studying materials are en route, so I will be able to start studying next week, and plan to take the exam in February.  You have six months to study, which is great because there is a TON of material to cover.  The test covers everything from anatomy and physiology, to exercise science, client assessment and evaluation, nutrition, supplementation, and a ton more.  I’m so excited to take my passion for fitness and nutrition to the next level, and use it to help others on their journeys too.  Here’s to a new adventure and learning ALL of the things!

Since I’m building up my client base, I really wanted to give you guys some ideas for cardio workouts.  An important thing to keep in mind when doing cardio is that interval training is best to really get the highest calorie burn in the shortest amount of time.  HIIT is where it’s at to get the most bang for your buck!  To be honest, I’ve kind of missed cardio these last few weeks!  I’ve done all of these—give them a whirl the next time you’re up for a sweat!  I guarantee you’ll get a great calorie burn!!

Tabata Workouts—these are some of my favorite forms of HIIT training!  Basically the idea is that you have all out intensity for a “work” period, followed by a brief “rest” period. You can download the Tabata Timer app, and set it to any split of the two that you’d like, but aim for about a 2:1 ratio of rest to work.  Trust me—you want a timer! Typically I do tabatas for 10-15 minutes.  When done correctly, that’s about all you can handle of these guys.  These are great for finishers on top of say 20 minutes of an incline walk, jog, or stairs.  Here are a few of my favorites:

  • Set your tabata timer to 20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest for 10 rounds, and do the following 5 exercises 2x through: squat jumps, mountain climbers, jump rope (in place is fine), butt kickers, burpees.   This should take you 10 minutes to do, or you could do a third time through for 15 minutes.
  • Battle ropes! Most gyms have these—set your timer to 30 seconds of work, 1 minute of rest—aim for 10 rounds.  I LOVE to do these as a finisher on an upper body day—especially arms and shoulders!  Hit the ropes HARD as fast as you can, you can even alternate or make waves with the ropes.  Your shoulders should burn and your heart rate should be UP!
  • Sled pushes—most larger gyms have these. Load that puppy up and push for 20 seconds with a 40 second rest.  After leg day it’s particularly good!!!
  • 8 rounds of burpees on the 20 sec work/ 10 sec rest split is BRUTAL, but you feel like a BOSS after finishing it!
  • For my lower body days, I love to do a split of lower body exercises with HIIT training—try the 30 sec work/ 1 min rest split again, but with squat jumps during the work period and body weight squats during the “rest” period, or lunge jumps/ lunges.
  • Sometimes I’ll even challenge myself to do 50 reps of 5 different exercises 5 times—this can be pretty difficult, but it’s fun—do whatever you want, jumping jacks, high knees, skater hops, frog jumps, pop squats, you name it!

Treadmill Workouts:

Poor treadmills get a bad rap!  Honestly, they are a multi-purpose MACHINE and can be used for more than just running.

  • Incline Walk—set the incline for a 13-15 and walk at a 2.8-3.0. You will feel this in your hams and calves.  I PROMISE.  Don’t hang onto the hand rails unless you absolutely need to, and then only for short periods of time.  Work your way up to 20-30 minute sessions.
  • Sprint intervals—You can do these with or without a timer. Sprint for 20-30 seconds, followed by a minute to minute and a half of rest.  A sprint should be a speed of at least 8.0 on the treadmill.  During your rest periods, just hop up and put your feet to the sides of the belt.  I like to crank up the inline to about a 4 to make them extra difficult.
  • Jogging intervals—you can walk (3.8-4.0) for 1 minute, then jog or run at a 5.0 – 7.0 for 2 minutes, this one’s much easier to do for longer periods of time. 10 rounds of it for 30 minutes, and 15 for 45 minutes respectively.

I also LOVE the stairmill for cardio!  It really works your lower body and glutes like no other.  Try the interval programs on the machines, or make your own intervals at high and low speeds.  I like to make my own, and skip steps on the lower speeds to really work those glutes!!!  The elliptical is also beneficial, but it’s not my preferred poison of choice.

Also—cardio is more fun when it’s nice outside!  Take your tabatas outside, or go for a jog around your neighborhood instead of on the treadmill.  It’s good for your soul!!!

Track Workouts:

When it’s not 100+ degrees outside here in Texas, I LOVE to hit the track with my girlfriends for a crazy cardio session.  Here are some of our go to workouts—most of these we’ll combine for a total time of 45 minutes to an hour.

  • 15 minutes of stairs (run up the bleachers, walk down), 15 minutes of sprinting the straits along the track and walking the curves/endzones, 15 minutes of plyos consisting of the following: 1 min squat jumps, 1 min rest, 1 min jump rope, 1 min rest, 1 min burpees—3 rounds, with one minute between each round. THIS IS KILLER!!!!
  • Suicide sprints– Sprint to the 10, jog back, sprint to the 20, jog back, etc. all the way to the other end zone.
  • Jog a lap around the track, 50 jacks/ 50 squats/ 50 mountain climbers. Repeat 5 times.
  • Running the stairs on one side of the field, sprint to the other side, do those stairs, then run around the track.

track

I hope y’all enjoyed these ideas—can’t wait to hear your feedback!  I’m working on putting more blog posts together, especially as I learn more these next few months as I’m studying.  Stay safe and stay fit!

 

Xo,

-Mere

Plans into Action!

Contest Prep, General Fitness, , , ,

It’s been too long friends!  I hope you all are doing well!  Where to start.  Somewhere between working full time, crazy workouts, buying a house, and two vacations, I cannot believe the summer is already halfway over!  I want to apologize for having really let my blog and social media platform get pushed to the wayside these past several weeks, but I’m excited to share some exciting updates with all of you!

Like I said, it’s been busy!  Not sure if you guys can relate, but I’m so bad about getting stuck in my routine and getting so “busy” with life that before you know it the to-do lists and minutia of life make the days fly by, and then the days turn into weeks and before you know it a month’s gone by!  Things are good over here though!  We’re hopefully closing on our home here in Fort Worth next week!  HOORAY!!!!  We renewed our marriage vows for our 10 year anniversary in the Bahamas, which was super fun and romantic!  I’ve switched teams at work TWICE since May, which was a bit of an adjustment to say the least.  The last six weeks have been geared mainly around getting ready to move, and scoping out furniture, light fixtures, and paint colors.  SO many decisions to make when you’re decorating a house!  We just got back from Vegas for Shane’s birthday, which was a blast, and we’re moving here in just a few short weeks.

Just re-married! Can't believe it's been 10 years!
Just re-married! Can’t believe it’s been 10 years!

As crazy as things have been in the Lynch world, honestly, I’ve really had some good time to reflect and think about where I am on my fitness journey, and how I want to use my knowledge and platform to help others.  I was so frustrated with how the last prep went and the outcome gearing up to the show, that I really let it mess with my mindset for a bit.  It’s so frustrating sometimes when you start to compare yourself to others and forget to celebrate your own results, hard work, and how far you’ve come.  To be honest, I wasn’t being fair to myself.  I started this fitness journey for me, and just me.  Competing is fun, but it’s not why I love working out or eating clean.  It’s a daily effort to keep my mindset in check and remember my why.  I have so many friends that compete, and with both my Facebook and Instagram feeds being almost completely consumed with shredded people and bodybuilders, so it’s hard to escape constant comparison and scrutiny.  I’m sure those of you that compete or have in the past will agree that you kind of forget what “normal” is.  You forget about balance, and it’s easy to let yourself get consumed by your macros, workouts, cardio, and the scale.  Am I right?  Enough.  I needed some time to just train hard, enjoy some time off, and forget about the stage for a bit.  The world isn’t going to end if I have a glass of wine with my mani/pedi, or skip 25 minutes of cardio.  Fitness is a marathon, not a sprint, and you need to have BALANCE or you will drive yourself insane.  I had to remind myself of that!  I’m human, not perfect.  I took an ENTIRE WEEK off from the gym when we went to the Bahamas.  It was amazing, and my body needed the rest.  I took the 4 days were in Vegas off too!!!  I have more energy, and I’m getting creative with my workouts, which I love.  Competing and being shredded is so much fun, but this time around I’ve learned to really embrace the off season too.  What’s even cooler is that I’m only up about 6 pounds from my stage weight.  AMAZING!!!!!  My coach and I have attributed that to my hormones kind of settling down a bit after the whole IUD debacle.  Staying pretty lean will hopefully make my next Prep (which will start in just a few weeks—Mid August) much easier.

Flex Friday in Vegas!
Flex Friday in Vegas!

As many of you know, I’ve been saying for about a year now that I would love to get certified as a Personal Trainer.  I’ve have friends and fellow gym goers beg me to help them and teach them what I know and I kept putting them off saying, “I’d love to but I’m not certified”, or “Okay sure, but let me get certified first!”.  What am I waiting for?  There’s no perfect time for anything.  If you are serious about a goal and following your heart, there’s no better time than the present to take a leap of faith and jump.  Life’s about pushing yourself and taking chances.  If I kept listening to that stupid voice inside my head, (you probably have one too)—the same one that tells me I’m never good enough, or that I’m going to just quit it later, or that I’ll never know what I’m doing enough to teach others–I know I’d regret it.  Why should I let fear of failure stop me from doing anything I set my mind to?  I have nothing to lose, and at the very least will gain a ton of knowledge in the process.   Every expert was once a beginner.  Although I’m around a ton of fitness junkies and trainers by being in the bodybuilding circle, and it seems like everyone’s doing “online programs”, there’s still a huge demand for trainers, particularly female ones!  **Disclaimer—before starting a fitness or nutrition program, you should see a medical professional and be sure that the person you are working with is knowledgeable and qualified to provide guidance to you.  Be smart people!  I may not be an expert, but I can start building my client base now, and share what I already know, particularly as it comes to nutrition.   I want to help women like myself learn their way around the gym and discover how powerful clean eating and nutrition really are.  I’m excited to share with you that I have decided to really take my passion for fitness and nutrition and helping others to the next level.  It’s time to turn PLANS into ACTION!  Life is too short to wait for the “perfect time” to make something happen.

Crazy back pump--training is still so much fun!!
Crazy back pump–training is still so much fun!!

After a lot of soul searching and research, I’ve finally put together my “business plan” for this, and am getting the study guide and materials from NASM (the National Academy of Sports Medicine).  I will have about six months to study the material (there’s a lot of it!) and then sit for the exam.  I will spend the next several months studying, and then sit for the test early next year.  I love recruiting, and will continue to do that full-time for the time being, but I feel like my heart is pulling me more towards eventually working in fitness and nutrition, at least on the side.  In this process of getting certified as a Trainer, I will accept taking on a small number of clients and build out customized nutrition and/or workout plans for them, at a lesser cost, since I’m just starting out.  A friend of a friend reached out to me last week, and it looks like she’s going to be my first “enrolled” client!  No more turning people down when they ask me to help them!!  It’s funny how life works out.  I’ve got a ton of experience with leadership training, facilitation and coaching.  Since high school, I’ve sort of just fallen into roles and positions that have given me opportunities to lead, influence, and motivate others.  Work, Junior League, you name it.  Leading others and public speaking comes naturally to me, and I love it! Combine those leadership and communication skills with my love of fitness and nutrition, and the opportunity to build a business, and it’s pretty exciting!

Love this quote. It just about sums it up!
Love this quote. It just about sums it up!

I’m absolutely still planning on competing (my next show is just over 18 weeks out in November), but I’m eager to start this next chapter too.  I always say that everyone eats and everyone has a body—fitness and nutrition affect everyone every single day.   I can’t wait to help others on their fitness journeys too.

Thank you all again for your support, encouragement, and interest you all have taken in my journey so far.  It doesn’t go unnoticed or unappreciated.  Lots more updates to come, but as always, feel free to email me, call, or text with questions.  If you are interested in becoming one of my very first clients, please email me at MeredithLynchFitness@gmail.com.

Cheers to new beginnings and new adventures!!!

Xoxo,

-Mere

Not That Bad, but I Can Do Better

Contest Prep, , , ,

Hey gang!  It’s been a long two weeks!  I kind of took some down time after the show to regroup and rest!  Apparently contest prep really takes it out of you!!!  The NPC Southwest USA Championships was an AMAZING show!  I had forgotten how much fun it is to be in the bright lights on stage!  I had so much fun!!!  When it was all said and done, I came in 2nd place Novice, 3rd in Open.  Hooray for two trophies and being Nationally Qualified through 2017!  I had so much fun spending the day with some of my favorite people!!

Here’s the thing though.  It was an EXTREMELY small show.  There were only 90 competitors in the whole thing, and only 5 girls in my Figure open class!  CRAZY.  A lot of this we attributed to NPC Texas adding so many NQ shows this year—21 to be exact.  We got to Arlington Friday afternoon and I was a ball of nerves.  I just let my anxiety and my mind get the best of me, and by the time I met with my coach I was totally flat and watery.  Just a mess!  He told me to eat a burger (or 2!!!! WTF) and watch a movie.  I tanned, rested, and got up bright and early for hair and makeup.  It was a blast!  I still felt the entire time though, that I wasn’t where I should be with all of the work I had put into this Prep.  The scale wasn’t dropping like it should have, and I didn’t come in as lean despite my hour and a half of daily cardio, carb cycling, and meticulous diet.  I was so frustrated.  That said, I still had fun, got some stage time, wore an amazing suit, and got the privilege to compete again.

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The next week though, I wanted answers.  Jeff and I both felt like something was just off.  It didn’t mathematically make sense for me not to have lost more weight with the amount of work I was doing and what my calorie intake was.  Why was I not leaner?  Long story short.  It was all hormones!!!  I switched birth control shortly after the show last year, and got the copper IUD put in.  The timing matches up perfectly.  Paraguard to be exact.  Since it’s non-hormonal, it’s not supposed to make you gain weight.  We researched the hell out of this thing last week.  Apparently for me and thousands of other women, the copper toxicity from the device negatively impacts your thyroid and adrenal system, and makes you not only GAIN weight, but makes it extremely difficult to lose due to excess cortisol and estrogen in your body.  There was our answer!  I have now had mine taken out, and have gone to other methods (TMI) but ladies, if you have an IUD in I would highly recommend paying attention to the adverse effects it can have on your body.  Non-hormonal device or not, there are still chemical hormonal reactions going on in your body obviously since it keeps you from getting pregnant.  I’m pissed that I didn’t figure this out sooner, but we attributed my 25+ pound gain to being mostly muscle. And, a lot of it was, but I was definitely carrying a lot of water and dealing with a very slow metabolism that hindered me every bit of these last 15 weeks.  To be honest, had I not done this prep I probably would have gained more weight!  Now that the SOB is out, I’m hoping that my hormones level out and get back under control soon.  It’s only been two days, but I can already see and feel a difference.  For a lot of the women I found in a big forum, they dropped weight within days of getting their IUD taken out.  Fingers crossed my Hulk genes go back to their usual selves and I’m shredded AF in a few weeks.

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That said, I made the decision to post-pone doing another show (or 2 right away) until I feel like I am bringing my absolute best package to the stage.  That means no Ronnie Coleman, and unless I drop crazy water weight in the next 3 days, no Steve Kuclo.  We’re seeing how the next few weeks play out with me, but I’m shooting to do another show or 2 here in Dallas late summer/ August.  I could be really mad that I’m carrying around another 5-7 pounds more than I should be despite busting my ass for the past 15 weeks, and to be honest, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t pissed.  I followed my diet and training plan 100% but the results didn’t come like we expected.  I’m disappointed that I wasn’t tighter and more cut in these stage shots, but it is what it is, and I’m still proud of myself for getting up there.  Fortunately, I didn’t gain 50 or 70, or 80 pounds in the past year like a lot of women have with the same IUD that I had.  Instead of being angry, I’m just going to let my body level itself out, and keep trusting the process.  I’m still healthy, I can still train hard, and I can still love life.  Everything happens for a reason, and hopefully someone can learn from my experience.  Maybe this means I can get my NASM certification sooner rather than later, enjoy the summer, and do a much shorter prep as we get closer to some future shows.  3rd place and 2nd place certainly aren’t bad, but I want better, and will do better.  Thank you all again for your support and love on this crazy bodybuilding ride.  Love you guys!!!

 

Till next time,

 

-Mere

Here We Go Again!

Contest Prep, , , ,

I can’t believe it’s already the day before the show!!!  Well, the first show of the season at least!  This week has been a blur.  Peak Week as this is called is essentially a science project.  You drink a ton of water, eat more carbs then usual, then “dry out” and keep your carbs high come show day.  Your workouts are more moderate, and there’s less cardio–finally!

This Prep flew by–overall, honestly, it was pretty easy despite the hour and a half of daily cardio.  My head gave me more trouble this time than my body did.  I’ll be the first to tell you, I’m my own worst critic.  It seems like the entire 15 weeks I was comparing myself to other girls, or to last year.  I was constantly questioning myself- “how do I look?”, “Am I conditioned enough”, “Did I do enough?”.   Man it has been a battle!   I just don’t feel as lean, even though everyone keeps saying I look amazing and fantastic.  I think it’s mostly because I weigh so much more now.  Like I’ve said all along, this sport is way more mental than physical, and I learned that with this Prep.  At the end of the day, I just have to be confident in myself, confident that I did my best, and be proud of how far I’ve come.  I am enough.  This is a hobby, a sport, and as much fun as it is, it’s not all of my identity.  I have to keep myself in check!  I’m so blessed to have such a great support group around me, that regardless of what those judges say tomorrow, I’ve already won just by getting there.

I’m hoping I’ll tighten up more over the next 24 hours, just like I did last time.  Yikes!  Hard to believe I’ve got less than that before show time!  We’re about to leave to go to the hotel, and I will have my first two coats of tan put on this afternoon, followed by the athlete check-in, and a check-in with my coach, and 4 more meals.  Yep, 4.  2 of them being filet mignon!  HA!  Makeup is at 5am tomorrow and I should go on stage somewhere around 10 or so for prejudging.

I’m thrilled to have the privilege of walking across that stage tomorrow.  Everyone has their own journey getting there, but each competitor should be praised for their courage and accomplishment.  The show is a celebration of the Fit Life!

See you on the other side!!

-Mere

Life Lessons

Contest Prep, General Fitness, Living the Fit Lifestyle, Makeup, Random Thoughts, and Other Things, , , , , , , , , , , ,

I’ve said this before.  There is so much a contest Prep teaches you.  There’s so much more to it than just workouts and dieting.  It teaches you about life!  There is so much mental work, dedication, and focus required to get through the journey to the stage.  You have to prioritize, juggle, make sacrifices, put in the time, and the results will come.  You have to push through the hard parts, keep pushing yourself, and get out of your comfort zone.  You have to be honest with yourself.  Are you sticking with your diet and training 100%?  Above all else, this process teaches you about ATTITUDE.  These my friends are LIFE LESSONS that I will carry with me long after any show, and in the whole scheme of things will make me a better person than any trophy ever will.

Let me share with you two interesting scenarios that came up just in the past week that threw me for a loop!  Both may sound dumb, but you girls will understand.  I have very short (a pixie cut in fact) hair.  I’ve never been a “high maintenance mane of hair” kind of girl, but I get it trimmed and colored every 4-5 weeks like clockwork.  Knowing how busy my schedule can get and how important good hair is on stage, I booked up appointments with my regular stylist for cuts and color all the way through June so I would be all set with hair from my photoshoot, which was April 3rd, all 3 shows, and all the way through our vacation to the Bahamas in June.  I had an appointment last Thursday for a much needed cut and color with my amazing stylist that would make me photoshoot ready for Sunday.  Plus I needed cute hair for my birthday the next day, right?  So I thought.  As it turned out, my usual guy was going to be out that day, and so the salon squeezed me in for a cut and color with two separate stylists.  I let both of them know there was a lot riding on this cut, and that James does such a great job that I was nervous letting them do it.  Shane’s aunt passed away last week as well and the Funeral was Saturday.  Throw in house hunting Friday afternoon, MY BIRTHDAY PARTY THAT NIGHT, family time and the service for the Funeral Saturday, if they screwed this up, I had NO TIME to get this fixed before my shoot Sunday that I had booked months ago with a very popular photographer.  And my birthday was the next day, and I had a Show in two weeks!  Long story short, by the end of my 3 hours in that salon chair, I was taken to platinum blonde and “fixed” to the worst shade of brown with blonde chunks in the most awful excuse for a pixie cut.  Shit.  I was exhausted, hungry, and this was the last thing I needed.  I still had two hours of training and cardio to do after my appointment and it was 8 o’clock at night.  I flipped—I HATED the color, but the cut was worse!  Could we fix it?!  What was I going to do?!?  On the verge of a meltdown, I left the salon Thursday night and fortunately was able to get into my usual stylist (who had dislocated his shoulder!) the next afternoon.  He worked his magic and brought me back to my usual blonde shade and (although he had to go shorter to fix it) my cut was at least manageable after he finessed it.  By Saturday afternoon I could breathe a sigh of relief.  Hair is just hair.  At the end of the day, screwed up hair is a total first world problem.  I’m not in a hospital, it’s not an emergency, it’s totally fixable.  Although, I must say that I definitely feared that my hair would fall out because of being processed three times!!!

Ugh. Awful.
Ugh. Awful.

We got through the weekend just fine.  The funeral was sad but perfect, and it was great to see our Houston family.  The photoshoot with Jay Fuertez was AMAZING and exactly what I needed to give me the extra confidence I needed to be ready to razzle dazzle at these shows.  We had so much fun!  It was the perfect celebration of all of my hard work these past few months.  I can’t wait to see how the pictures turn out, but here’s a sneak peak.  Who is this girl?!

No words. Just incredible.
No words. Just incredible.
Transforming into the Hulk!
Transforming into the Hulk!

This week, another situation presented itself.  If you don’t know anything about the suits (or bikinis) that competitors wear in shows, you should know that they take WEEKS to make.  I ordered my suit in a beautiful shade of Gunmetal Gray metallic fabric from a renowned suit designer (who is extremely well respected in the industry and a WPD Olympian herself) in January and paid $650.  I’d be all set—she did my suit last year and it was gorgeous, so why should I worry right?  She has a 12 week waiting list, and my suit was expected to arrive any day now.  We were cutting it close to show time!  The designer emailed me last week that she had started stoning it and it would be shipping soon.  I got home from the gym Tuesday night and Shane was beaming.  It had arrived!!!  I felt like a kid on Christmas.  Shane was camera ready–I opened up the package and case and pulled out my suit.  It was BLACK.  The fabric color was completely wrong and I HATED IT.  The stoning design was right, but the color was awful on me.  This wasn’t going to work.  Even Shane and my coach both said it wasn’t a good look.  My first show was 11 days away.  If the designer couldn’t fix it, I would have to wear my suit from last year, or be forced to wear this one.  Neither option was ideal and I was heartbroken.  Cue the water works and meltdown.   The SUIT is a big deal.  It’s the icing on a cake and you better love it, especially if you’ve worked this hard and paid that much for it.  After 14 weeks of Prep and I had yet to have a breakdown (even after the hair) but I barely slept that night and was a hot mess for cardio that morning.  Yep, I totally cried crocodile tears on the Stairmill.  Thank goodness I was sweaty enough that no one noticed!  I’m not a very outwardly religious person, but I will assure you that I believe that God works in mysterious ways and often in ways that we don’t always understand.  He sure was looking out for me in this situation.

I spoke with the suit designer the next morning, and this worked out even better than I could have planned.  She was extremely helpful and apologetic, and had the perfect solution.  It would be impossible for her to remake my suit before the show, but luckily she had several high-end suits that she rents out to competitors as well.  Most of them were used by IFBB Pros and are just beautiful.  I could “borrow” a brand new for-rent suit that had never been worn and wear that for the first show or two while she remade mine.  She sent me pictures of 4 GORGEOUS suits that were 2 and 3 times as expensive as mine for me to have my pick from that would fit perfectly since they were the same cut.  I would have a beautiful princess suit that would be even better than the one I had originally planned!  It was all going to be fine.  The cool part:  She had received an email from another girl the day before inquiring about my “mistake” suit that she had seen on the designer’s Instagram.  She wanted to purchase it for her suit in a couple of weeks, but with the designer’s time frame that wouldn’t be possible at all.  Guess what—she’s close to my size and will be able to buy that suit now because of what happened.  My loaner suit should be here by Saturday, just in time for my final posing class.  The gunmetal fabric I originally wanted has been discontinued as we’ve come to find out today, so I’m deciding on whether or not to just buy out the loaner suit (it’s discounted J) or just pick a different fabric color.  But it all worked out!!!  What did I learn from both of these situations?  That you cannot control everything no matter how hard you try.  You have to role with the punches.  Your attitude will make or break your happiness.  I could have been really angry and mean to the designer and yelled and screamed, but that would have done NOTHING.  Instead, I chose to believe that all things were working together for my good, and that everything happens for a reason.  The result: I will get to wear not one but two fabulous suits and another girl will get her dream suit.  Win win!  Also, in the whole scheme of things if I had worn last year’s suit or the black suit next weekend, the world wouldn’t end, and I would be fine.  Really, I would have been fine.

Pretty but not for me.
Pretty but not for me.

Life is all about road blocks.  None of us know what’s coming and things can change in a heartbeat.  As much as you control EVERYTHING in Prep—your training intensity, the cardio, your heart rate, your food intake, your supplements, EVERYTHING, there are still things and situations you can’t control.  Lou Holtz and Charles Swindoll both have said that life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to what happens to you.

I couldn’t agree more.  More updates coming soon—we’re in the final stretch of this Prep!

Till next time,

-Mere