The JJ BodyBlog

(LOL that title is for you Crossjab, if you read this.) I’m drinking some banana casein and winding down while I blog. And yes, I’m still crying about having to leave BB.com…

So I made it to Arizona. I got here late Saturday night, and I don’t start work until Monday, so this week is mostly for unpacking, getting settled in, and spending some extra time at the gym! During those few weeks before my departure from Boise, I didn’t get to work out much due to packing/work/going away festivities so it feels great (and horrible) at the same time to be back in the gym!

I decided to transfer to Golds here instead of canceling my membership and enrolling at a new gym. While there are many gyms super close to my house, I’ve been with Golds for 4 years now and I like their facilities. Plus, I’m already familiar with the gym I transferred to because I used to come in as a guest when I came back to visit! One of my favorite things about Scottsdale is the vast amount of people who truly care about getting their booties in the gym every single day. There are gyms on every single corner and it’s not uncommon to run into a few competitive bodybuilders or figure/fitness gals in a day. My only wish is that their trainers would learn some manners. Man, are they condescending and rude to their clients! I don’t have any plans on hiring a trainer and that I’m glad for!

Tomorrow I’m going to go grocery shopping and stock my fridge up with some nummy healthy food. As someone who hates shopping (yes, ALL shopping… I know, weird for a girl…) and hates cooking, sometimes sticking to a clean diet is hard work. Oh, who am I kidding? It’s suuuper hard! It’s something I vow to work on. If you have tips though, please do share!

Family Guy’s on and I’m paying more attention to it than to this blog… so I’m going to stop writing now. Still miss you BB.commers.   Will update again soon.

It’s possibly one of the hardest decisions of my life… but I had to make it. Quickly. Like a bandaid — just RIP IT OFF!

In just one week, I will cry my eyes out and step out of Bodybuilding.com’s doors. I’m moving back to Arizona to complete school. It’s time for me to take a step toward achieving my dreams, one of which has always been to complete graduate school. And unfortunately, I can’t do that here in Boise, Idaho.

Almost four years ago I decided to move to Boise to attend the university here, mostly because of a small academic scholarship I received. I started out working at a hotel (where I actually worked with B-Ballin Booker before he took a job at here!), and saw a posting for an admin job at Bodybuilding.com. I had to apply. I spoke with our CFO, Gary, but our hours weren’t quite matching up. He decided to direct me over to customer service, and luckily I got the job!

For a short while I worked part-time evenings and on the weekends because of school. But then I decided to commit more. I made room for a full 40 hours here and started learning any task I could! Chats, phones, verifications, returns… I wanted to know everything. Yes, it’s because I secretly want to take over Ryan DeLuca’s job someday, but don’t tell him that. :) I began to take an interest in making changes for the better, and Tommy, the oh so crazy director of our customer support center, started offering me some challenging tasks. I began to learn and even create new things for our QA program, customer loyalty program, company culture program, and even our hold music! Some difficult, some frustrating, but all rewarding. Through it all, I fell on my face more than a billion times, but Tommy helped me get back up and keep going. I really can’t thank him enough, because I have learned so much here that will change how I choose to look at everything. In fact, I don’t think there’s a person here that I haven’t learned something from…

To say these past three years have been some of the greatest of my life doesn’t even begin to sum it up. I was so lucky to come across this place, and I will forever be a die-hard fan. I met some of my best friends here (hi CableRow Rachel!) and I know that these friends will be there lifelong. Believe me, if I could take it all with me, I would in a heartbeat. But I know that I must complete school, and I love that Bodybuilding.com completely understands that! This is a company that cares about PEOPLE. They understand the importance of setting and completing goals in all aspects of your life, and I know they will be encouraging me to do well every step of the way. My loyalty with them will always stand strong because they have been the same way to me.

So thank you Bodybuilding.com! I’ve met some of the best people in the world here, and I will be back plenty of times to haunt you.

And now I’ll shut up. Some of my coworkers get mad when I start writing novels…

We all need to relax and let go once in a while, and I just got back from a GREAT week of relaxation! I have been in Florida for the past week visiting my mother and it was great. Going home is sometimes the best medicine for your soul. It’s hard being so far away from family, especially my little brother, because I only get to see them once a year usually.

Most of my time was spent in the water, either in the pool or on the boat, but I did get a little extra exercise in! Besides my morning walks, I took it easy. I made sure to put in some tough workouts Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (I flew out Thurs morn) and I am finishing up this work with three tough workouts to balance out my time off, though! I did get a little upper body workout in though… my brother is a competitive swimmer and taught me how to do "wrist-ups." For those of you who are unfamiliar, it’s basically pulling yourself out of the pool (from the deep end, of course) touching no part of your body to the side of the pool except your hands. Yea, yea, for some of you it might be easy but for a weakling like me — it’s not! I gave myself five days to master it without having to kick my legs for momentum or touch my feet to the side of the pool to push myself, and I did it! Took some practice… it’s not as easy as you may think it sounds. Trust me. Try it. My next goal is to master it like him so you can do these just like push-ups.

Sticking to my diet wasn’t so easy. Because they had company, they bought treats, and because I was on vacation, it was hard to say no. I ate a lot of salad and took along my Optimum 100% Whey packets but there was also ice cream and cookies… I am glad to say that I don’t feel like I gained 100 pounds while I was away, though! Only maybe fifty Seriously, though, I am super pumped to hit the gym today, but I was careful enough not to indulge too much so I don’t feel super icky, like I have in the past.

All in all, great vacation! Good to be back, but sad to be back at the same time.

Saturday I switched up my leg routine, and I’m possibly the sorest I have ever been! My quads are just big bruises… I’m pretty sure of it.

Last week was a pretty good week, aside from the early signs of a cold I started to see over the weekend (I slept a LOT and I think I mostly fought it off!)

Sunday - Off
Monday - Back
Tuesday - Shoulders/Chest
Wednesday - Biceps/Triceps/Abs
Thursday - Low Intensity Cardio (started to get sick here!)
Friday - Off
Saturday - The evil leg day

My weekend was pretty mellow, aside from a few hours at work. I’m off to Florida this week to visit my family so I wanted to make sure I could kick the virus before I took off. I’m trying to really push myself these next few days because I know I’m going to cheat while I’m on vacation. I won’t lie. It’s going to happen. Today I did a heavy shoulder workout so when I got back to work I could neither shake my protein shake not could I walk due to the soreness… I love it.

Last week was a little strange. I started out with some strong workouts at the beginning! But by the time Wednesday rolled around, my body decided it wasn’t happy with the way things were going, I guess. My week looked like this:

Sunday - Back
Monday - Shoulders/Chest/Abs
Tuesday - Bis/Tris
Wednesday - Off
Thursday - Legs
Friday - Cardio
Saturday - Off

I actually didn’t plan on having Wed off, but I was absolutely exhausted for some reason. I was also incredibly hungry! Normally I hit the gym right after work, but because I was starving I decided to head home and grab some food so I could fuel my workout. Nope, I ended up crashing and sleeping for about 11 hours! Thursday went fine, but I have started getting super sleepy in the afternoons (this is new for me) and I’m pretty much hungry all the time. This makes me happy because I know it’s all a result of getting back into the swing of things, but it makes getting through the day tough sometimes. I definitely feel out of whack, in a good way. I’ve been taking Hydroxycut Max! and the results have been so-so. I’m giving it more time, but one of the biggest things I like to feel from a thermo is the energy, and I just don’t seem to feel enough of it from this product. The weekend went well, as I went out of town, so I’m starting my week of workouts today. I wasn’t so thrilled with the level that I pushed myself last week because I felt so lazy and tired, so this week I’m going to be focusing immensely on making sure each workout is intense!

This last week was a mediocre week when it comes to training. I had a pretty good week of solid gym time, followed by a weekend of slight indulgence. As far as weights, I got a full body workout in over the week, looking like this:

Sunday - Back/Abs
Monday - Off
Tuesday - Shoulders/Chest
Wednesday - Bi/Tri/Abs
Thursday - Legs
Friday & Saturday — camping trip!

My diet was pretty consistent and clean the whole week through. For the most part, the camping trip wasn’t bad for indulgence, except I overdid it on the carbs! Too many snacks around… I was a little upset I didn’t get my extra cardio day in (for some reason I start to miss the stairstepper?) but I got some exercise in when it came to gathering firewood! Carrying a huge log down a hill really starts to work those quads and arms! It was great to get away, though. After I got back on Sunday and threw everything I own into the washer, I rushed to the gym to get a workout in. I was super exhausted but I knew that if I skipped another day it would be even harder to get my butt in there the next day. This week my goal is to really push myself to the next level. If I’m not sore everyday this week, I’m doing it wrong

I have not posted in a long time, and I may have forgotten how to write:) My apologies if I type something that makes no sense.

As most people know, BBcom reps don’t work on commission and we make recommendations mostly based on individual preference. Almost everyone here works out and takes supplements consistently, so we’re able to make ourselves the "guinea pigs" and form opinions on what has worked for us! MuscleTech understands this and decided to help us out by setting us up with some great products matched with each of our goals. I got some Meso-Tech bars and Hydroxycut Caff Free, but I’m finishing up a bottle of Hydroxy Max now.

This last week I was able to get some great workouts in. Went a lil like this:

Sunday - these workouts are almost always great, so I got a hardcore back/abs routine in
Monday - off day because I hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before… 
Tuesday - Bi/Tri/and a little bit of legs (they feel really undertrained)
Wednesday - Shoulders/Chest. My shoulders have always been WEAK so that one always kills me.
Thursday - cardio only with some stairmaster+elliptical
Friday - I finished up the week with a real leg workout 
Saturday - off day

I felt great over the weekend because I felt like almost all of my workouts mattered this past week… being out of school gives me so much more time to actually kick my own butt at the gym! No more half @ss attempts when I feel lazy.

My biggest struggle (as always) is to cut down the indulgences when it comes to diets. I’m a very picky eater so it makes eating healthy tough. Half the time I would rather not eat in the morning than deal with oatmeal… so it gets rough because I know I can’t skip meals. It all gets easier with time; I just need to get myself into a routine. I will start taking my fat burners when I’m supposed to, not just when I feel like I need a pick-me-up, and maybe they will actually help! And I will be tracking my workouts better so I WILL make this time around a success!

All the excitement is in my mind, because I’m still here, in Boise, working. No vacations for me, dangit. But I am super excited to use this break to get back on track with the workouts. I’ve been a little off since getting over the flu but I finally was able to get a morning workout in today. I miss being able to workout before work! It wakes me up and kick starts my metabolism, and I just feel alive all day. Since I take night classes a few nights a week, though, I get stuck hitting the gym later in the evening and keeping myself up at night. (I did just start a six-week mountain biking class on Tuesday evenings which is going to be a great switch up for me. And three hours of riding is going to kick my butt — can’t wait!)

When something like spring break rolls around, you realize how different you think compared to the rest of the crowd. The more of an emphasis I put on health in my life, the more my views on EVERYTHING change. I was butt-hurt for a minute when I thought about being one of the few not going somewhere fabulous for spring break, but then I realized how nice it was going to be to get myself back on track, get to the gym early, and use my extra time to get things organized! And when I think about how many people will come back next week hurting, I’ll be a step ahead (hopefully!) for once. We’ll see…

I thought I made it. Flu season was in full operation and I was making it through! In fact, I was feeling great! A few weeks ago I sat down and finally set down a better schedule for myself so I was getting my workouts back in check, planning my meals, and feeling better about life. And then came the sniffles… and now I’m down. I’ve been sleeping for nearly 24 hours, and I feel like I have narcolepsy. Anyone who has ever had the flu knows what I mean — I feel weak and worthless!

I’m a pretty restless person, so when I get sick I go crazy, and now I’m going even crazier because my gym schedule is going to get all messed up. Ah! Time to crawl back into bed and sleep this off. Good luck to everyone on avoiding this yucky bug. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone!

It’s amazing how much the power of the mind can affect what we do and how we do it. We’re so easily able to buy into or brush off what people say just because we’ve convinced ourselves to think a certain way, and it’s hard to change our mindsets once we’re stuck in them. I’m completely guilty of it too… when I was about 15 my grandma told me veggie burgers were good and I automatically said "Yuck!" A few nights later she plopped a burger on my plate and I told her it was gross after taking a bite. She told me to quit being an idiot because I was eating beef, but I immediately thought it was gross because I thought it was veggie. I WAS an idiot.

Everyday is a struggle with unhealthy temptations; temptations meaning yummy food and/or drinks… especially in social settings. So when I can control what kind of food is around in one of these settings, I’ll do it! Recently I found a great recipe for healthy cheesecake from Ginger Redeker. I made it at home to test it out, and I loved it so I decided it would be perfect for taking to parties where I have to bring some kind of food. (I’m a HORRIBLE cook so if I can make it and it actually tastes good, we’ve really found a good recipe!)

I made two separate cheesecakes; one for a bachelorette party and one for a family party. They tasted exactly the same, and I brought along a few separate topping choices so people could decide what they wanted. The bachelorette party, of course, was full of a bunch of girls who were conscious of what they ate and what it would do to their body — especially the bride and bridesmaids! Alterations aren’t cheap. As for my family, well, only about half of them care about eating healthy, and taste always comes first. So you can imagine what happened when I presented the cheesecakes… the girls loved it! And the fact that it wouldn’t completely wreck their waistlines made it even better! And the family hated it. In fact, my aunt said it tasted like ranch dressing. What??

After wondering how I could get such conflicting feedback from the exact same recipe kind of floored me at first. I even made the dang things at the exact same time… and then I thought about the mindset they had. We ALL know that finding something that is healthy AND yummy is a hard thing to do, but a lot of the world just thinks it’s impossible. The girls were willing to try and find that perfect combo and the family was just looking for something that tasted good. The thought of it being healthy turned them completely off of the recipe. Had I not told them it was just some yummy pie, what would have happened? They probably would have scarfed it down and joked about feeling like roly polies.

I’ve learned my mistake, and next time I try to "poison" somebody with a healthier choice I won’t tell them until after they’ve tried it. And if they still tell me it tastes like ranch dressing… well, I guess I won’t be surprised. My cooking skills are certainly not anything to brag about…