First one-on-one with Jen!

Today was amazing... and boy, did I sweat! I sweat a lot anyways, but I can never complain when sweat is dripping off my body during a workout! I know all you fitness ladies out there feel the same! So how did the workout go and what did she have me do!?

I met her at her house for the workout where she has tons of workout equipment (that I am extremely jealous of). We started by taking measurements, pictures, and my weight. I stepped on the scale backwards so only she knows the number and I can't obsess over it...which is a great idea for me! She also did a few tests so she could see my weaknesses and so we can evaluate performance in areas besides the scale. She tested single leg squats for form (looking for hip weakness...which I have), abdominal planks (I held for 2:50...woop woop!), and pull-ups (ZERO, but its only my starting point)! Then came the FUN stuff!

Disclaimer: I don't remember the exact order or even ALL of the exercises off the top of my head, but I am going to try!

Warm-up: 5 minutes on the elliptical
Spiderman lunges (she loves these...and I think I might just be in love too!)
Grasshoppers
Abdominal Twists (similar to wood chops) while kneeling on a stability ball (TOUGH!)
Box jumps
Side planks with shoulder horizontal abduction (Left side is SO much weaker than right...woah!)
Russian Twists on stability ball
Downward dog with hip extension into spiderman lunge (fun one to do!)
Bench jumps (lateral hops over the bench with hands on bench)
I, Y, T exercises for shoulders and back
Lunge jumps on step
Butt squeezes (pretty sure she had a more creative name, but essentially you are laying on the stability ball and squeeze your legs up and in to activate the glutes!)
Leg lowers (keeping low back flat on the ground)
Scorpions (lay prone on the ground with arms out to the side, bring opposite leg to opposite arm up behind you...this showed that my right hip flexor is MUCH tighter than my left!)

All in all it was a good workout. She brought her A game for sure and I am even more confident that I picked the right trainer! :) I was literally cracked out after my work out because I was so hyped up. I haven't been this excited about something in a really long time...it is going to be an amazing journey and I plan on enjoying every minute of it.

Tomorrow is 30 minutes of HIIT for cardio...either the elliptical or treadmill. Running is not my favorite, but I plan on hitting up the tread tomorrow and challenging myself. I'm off to get some shut eye now, but I will let you know how the cardio goes!

To the top!

I am LOVING my new trainer! After switching I have so much more confidence in myself and really believe I can do this! She lightened up the intensity of the plan a little so that I don't hit overtraining status and so my body won't fight as the competition approaches!

Here is what we have going on for diet... 6 meals a day.
Eat within 1 hour of waking up to refuel after the night.
Meals 2-6: eat every 2-4 hours
Every meal should consist of a complex carbohydrate and protein.
Veggies are unlimited! :)
Fruits: 2-4 servings per day.
Healthy fats: throughout the day
Fiber: 25-30 grams

Basically, I am just eating clean and avoiding processed foods and any beverages besides water and homemade protein shakes.

The workouts! I have my first one-on-one session with her on Tuesday! I better bring my A game! :) Jen emails me on a daily basis giving my workout and checking in to see how the previous day's workout and food intake went. Being in constant communication helps keep me accountable and so far I am doing GREAT!

Today is my rest day...wish I didn't have to be on my feet at work all day! Good thing I love my job and everyone I work with! Speaking of work, I better go prep my food for the day and get ready! If I don't post tomorrow I will definitely post Tuesday night after the workout! BRING IT ON JEN! ;)

Where have I been!?

Hey bloggers :) I have been a major slacker on here...but I am back now and going to try and keep you updated as much as possible! I am headed to hot yoga now, so this is just going to be a quick post. I will write a longer post later and give you the details of my new training plan and diet...LOVE LOVE LOVE my new trainer Jen. I know I will be successful working with her. Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Update!

Sorry for the delay in the update! It has been a crazy week/weekend. First of all, I am officially a college graduate from Western Washington University! So exciting! After taking time off school to battle depression and an eating disorder, graduating is a major accomplishment and I am extremely proud.

In addition to graduating, I got a new job. I LOVE IT. I am an educator at lululemon athletica! It is an amazing company and my coworkers are just about the greatest people in the world. I decided to work full time at lulu because I knew it would be a positive setting filled with supportive people who genuinely want me to succeed. My fellow educators and managers will be there with me every step of the way during my training to help me accomplish my goal of getting on stage! In fact, there are a few other girls training right now as well! :)

Ready for the other update...the one that majorly impacts my training!? I am switching trainers. I decided to go with a trainer that I feel will be more invested in me. I know she believes I can do it and will do everything she can to help me accomplish my goal. I have been struggling with training lately and couldn't get out of my funk. I was intimidated by my other trainer and simply didn't think that she truly thought I would succeed... so I had this "I might as well quit mentality." Not a very good feeling. Don't get me wrong, my previous trainer definitely has the knowledge and the experience to help other athletes reach their goals, but she is simply not the trainer for me. I am super excited to start training with Jen, my new trainer this week. She is putting together a plan for me and I plan on meeting with her in person one time per week for a butt kicking workout. She has faith in me and in turn, I have more faith in myself.

This is what my trainer posted on facebook right after I asked her if she would train me...

Jen is soooo super excited about the awesome fitness competitor that I just got today to train!!! We are going all the way for the win! I love training these peeps...pure athletes full of dedication, perseverance and hard work!

I haven't been eating well the past few days with all the graduation celebrations and crazy finals schedule...but its back on track tomorrow! Starting with morning cardio...I also have to have that dreaded conversation with my previous trainer telling her that I am no longer working with her. Wish me luck!

My affirmation for today "I am beautiful, strong, and will be successful at competing."

Major update!

Major update on training, life, and school coming later this afternoon/tomorrow morning! Be excited! :) So many positive changes! Bring it on world, I am on my way to the top.

Get back up.

"It does not matter how many times you get knocked down, but how many times you get up." Vince Lombardi

Time to pick myself back up and get back to it again...geesh, if only this journey was easier!

Early weigh in!?

I really want to weigh-in tomorrow morning....so I think I am going too! I am scared to step on the scale and see that 3 digit number. Who knows if it has gone up, stayed the same, or gone down. My legs look leaner to me, but I have been extremely bloated in my stomach the last week or so since I have stopped hot yoga. I was supposed to get back into this week, but with my work schedule at my new jobs (which I absolutely LOVE) it is hard to fit it in!

I had an entire day of training for work today in Seattle (1.5 hours away). It was a great day, but very long. We left town at 8am and didn't get home until 7pm...luckily I had two of my new coworkers in the car with me to make the ride much more enjoyable! :) After I got home I knew I wasn't going to be productive with homework, so I ate a few nuts and sushi and headed to the gym to get in a back/bicep workout and 65 minutes of steady cardio (30 on the stairs, 30 on the bike, and finished with 5 on the tread).

Tomorrow I have another long day. I plan on doing my cardio in the morn before class and lift my legs tomorrow night after I get off work. The plan was to do intervals 3 days a week, but I haven't been able to get them done on any machine except the bike. My goal for tomorrow is to complete 20 minutes intervals on the treadmill with a 1:1 ratio and then do 40 minutes steady on another machine. Wish me luck! I will try and get a more detailed post in tomorrow!

P.S. I am doing pretty well on my no sugar! I have had a few dark chocolate almonds and that bbq rib the other day, but other than that I think I am doing wonderfully. Keeping up the no sugar through Saturday and going to hit up my trainer Yolanda for my new diet plan so I can start that on Sunday or Monday. :) Exciting things happening!