THOUGHTS OF A FITNESS FREAK

Yeah, all gung ho and balls to the wall.  Maybe not the heaviest, but the dropsets totally killed I was nearly in tears and I had Art working up an agonizing sweat.  We started at 125 on the leg extensions, about 8 reps there, drop to 110, another 8, and so on.  Even by the time you get to an easy 35…..its agony.  Same thing with the seated curls.  i think i will go slow and heavy for weds though.

We added in some db deadlifts, straightbar deadlifts, abductor adductor, glute isolator and Steph suggested 1 arm dumbbell deadlifts and they are awesome.  Try it, 1 db in each hand ( I think I had 30’s) stand on one foot and balance when you bend over for a full romianian deadlift.  Sound easy?  Nope, I got only 5 before losing balance.  We threw in some plie squats and some calves and some smith squats going low to the floor.  We started with about 85 and ended at 145.  Then we finished up with the hammerstrength leg extensions because those are individual legs unlike the nautilus. 

He said his legs were rubbery, but I feel fine.  Sometimes my stamina scares me.  I could probably hurt myself a little because I dont really get wiped out while at the gym. 2 hours of legs and I can still go on. 

Im still waiting on the photos.  Im so excited and we are going to do yet more in a couple weeks.  This guy lives pretty close, so its easy to get together and he has so many great ideas.  I love the creative stuff!  I am working on my goal of looking like a Roman statue…….heheeeeeee.  Ok, the female statues didnt look like the men, but I did love drawing the men in highschool…..tres sexy.

Hope eevryone had a great Monday.  I know Mondays stink, but mine wasnt so terrible…..just really long.  Oh and art called me nuts…….am I nuts?  Ok, fine maybe I am , but just fitness nuts.  I found my calling and it excites me, cant help it. Its not like I go to a fancy restaurant and get all loud and lift my plate like its a barbell like "whooo hoo" and drop it loudly while grunting. 

Pardon me, no need to make excuses for enjoying life!!

sample of my photographers work…….

Its on now, but didnt it already happen?  I dont follow it, but I think girls are work were walking the best and worst dress list on the pc the other day. Im not imptressed and I KINDA think getting 10 million bucks for being a really good FAKER is a reward or award, in itself.  I dont care what they wear, money doesnt buy taste……..ok wait, Selma Hyek is on…….shes a total hottie .still  gotta to change the channel.

I didnt train today, I did a photoshoot instead.  I think they finals are going to be totally awesome, really artistc ,really cool.  We did one with a wet charcoal handprint on my back, dragged across in a smear.stuff like that.  Muscle shots, cool lighting.  Do you know how boring the same old bikini shots can get?  Oh, but wanna hear some fun stuff about the modeling world?  First of all, had to drive my kid to his friends house, so I was runiing kind of late.  I took a shower and decided I was a little pale……..so I tried a different jan tana.  I thought it was like natural sun color, so I smeared it all over and that wasnt the bad part.  The bad part was I didnt use gloves because I thought if I went quickly I could wash it off my hands. Let me tell ya, ain’t happening.  My palms and in between my fingers are DARK DARK brown. I look like a coaL miner for cripe sake!  John is cool though..we worked around the hands.  Then I have lost the bottom of my favorite bikini.  I cant even begin to wonder where it went since I have moved.  Its 0 degrees outside, not like I was wearing it lately! Moeling is fun, the pics are fun, but it isn’t easy with the muscles.  You have to hold a tricep flex or a back flex and you start to cramp a little.  He was the kind that makes you hold while he sets up the lighting.  Oh, plus we did a bellyshot picture with some Jagermeister.  He did one with another women and it looks like a Jagermeister poster or billboard, so of course I wanted one too.  We also did one of my back.  Hopefully he will submit some for advertising.  Huge talent here in CT.  NO, I didnt drink any Jager either, dont ask.  

I was supposed to go out tonight, but everyone bailed.  Jodi was tired , Steph has sick cats and so Eric said screw it…….and I say….too damn cold and I am going to eat some soup and read a book.   Six hours of setting up and shooting wore me out. Im a wuss.

Legs tomorrow…..whats better than that?

First of all, I thought I taped some good segments….BUT…..apparently went overboard with the salty pumpkin seeds. I looked super puffy under my eyes in the camera.  Ladies will understand this……..PUFFY time……..yuk.

So I did the video about high rep, low weight supersets and combos. Basically if you read my stuff I really concentrate on making weights my cardio.  Time is precious, love to train, dont wanna spend even 20 minutes walking like a gerbil on a wheel.  I taped shoulders combined with romanian dumbbell deadlifts, lateral raises combined with plie’ squats…stuff like that. 

Physically I feel I like my look right now, tomorrow I will be picking on myself again of course. Maybe its because of my age, that perhaps I feel like my fitness time is short?  Like I need to catch up because I missed so many years sitting on the sofa wondering where my life waqs going? I did see a woman in Oxygen yesterday who is 52 and was so smoking though….THERE is my hope right there!  I felt hope for a longer fitness future when I saw her.

Tomorrow I am doing another photoshoot.  I have to admit I have been slacking as I could be doing more, but its usually 5 degrees out and the idea of wearing a bikini doesnt not thrill me.  I am one of those always cold people.  I was even with 25% bodyfat!  My sister was always complaining about it…"you are always cold!"  wah wah wah………..Us cold people cant help it!  Its not like we want to be cold you know……it sucks. Walking into work, my nose hairs froze just crossing the street….pretty gross. I was worried they would break off and lodge in my brain……..

Tomorrow I am going to train abs and try to put together a new ab series video.  My other one is old now. It depends how crowded the gym is.  The NEW people are thinning already and its still January! I will post again tomorrow

Have a great night!

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I dashed a quick and desperate email off to Richard and he helped me out.  Ok, it still didnt work last night, but I cleared my cookies and it worked after the 2nd time. Frankly, if I don’t write……..I will DIE. Im a diary type of chickie.

Lots has happened.  been training my BUTT-TOCKS off…..thats for sure.  I killed legs sunday, then did them again tonight mixed with a LITTLE  chest and tris.  I was jacked up on some carbs,so my bench was up.  I didnt get close to my max as I had no spotter, but got an easy 145 all by myself for 6 reps.  My standing upright rows were 85 lbs easy and I did some easy straight arm 20 lbs lateral raises. Oh  yeah, did some shoulders obviously.  I suppose you could say I am losing some structure in my workouts, but I get there and have started targeting the areas I want to improve the most. Because my shoulders shred up 1st, I am trying to make them bigger so when I go competition lean…..they do not dissapear on me.  Im hoping not to confuse anyone. 

In a nutshell, beginners……….do full body 3-5 times a week to get the muscles used to being worked and got some all over muscle growth.

More advanced…or ready to move to the next level……….5 day splits are great

chest/tris

back/bis/lats

abs/serratus area/oblique/CORE work

legs

calves/forearms/shoulders

You can mix this 3 days on 1 day off, 2 on 2 off……….it doesnt matter.  You can condense it to a 3 day split if you want.  Do abs on calf/forearm day…….do calves 3 times a week if you have weak calves like me!  I do like the chest/tri and back/bi split and legs seperate though. 

So, today I spoke with my friend Andrew who is a video producer.  We are going to work on fitness videos and more video instruction.   We are using hi def and we will get the music shut off, so I can talk and be heard.  It will be so much better!  He will be setting up my site for me asap!  Its very exciting really.

I got an email from a lady in Florida who doesnt like herself……damn, I hate those words………its such an awful feeling, isnt it?  I try to help as much as I can  so hopefully these videos will be more informative than what I have been able to offer thus far. I know the gym doesnt cure people not liking themselves, but its a beginning to a road of more self confidence and opens many doors once that first step is taken.    

I will be back to blog tomorrow.  I also ordered some new products, some of the non training type and want to do some blogging on them.  I have a fantastic moisturizer than wont make you shiny and greasy…how freakin great is that ladies??????

I actually had fun.  BUT there is this thing they call “hurry up and wait” in the movies.  It means we all stand around waiting for our turn to move into the camera shot…and it was about 90 degrees in the indoor water park.  We all walked behind the actors in the scene, like a well timed parade of chickies.

Then I decided not to do the waterslide scene because I had the Tv show interview.  I think I was a big dork, but it airs on sunday Jan 25th at noon eastern time on NBC and is called Inside Entertainment.  I cant even remember what I said and it was so loud in there I couldnt hear myself talk.  I dont do well with lots of noise.  I think something happens to my brain and I have ADD or something.  I get confused………so if I am a dork, its cus I really am a dork…a confused Dork!

I want to publically thank Deborah Ann for the fabulous top she sent me.  I didnt get to wear it on camera, but I do wear it to the gym and will do a shoot in it.  She sent me shorts to but they are too big, but trust me, super comfy and low rise cannot be beat!

Plus I made a new friend, her name is Angie and thats us in the picture.  Its always great to click withy at least one other woman in the group. The other pic is Deborah Anns cool top and the others are just me.  I didnt have anyone to take pics of me during the filming though, but I do love this bikini.

Anyway, Im beat….will talkmore tomorrow.  I may be doing a gym scene sometime and they want to do a show on bodybuilders in the gym for the entertainment show and I will be in that one too.  That sounds more like my kind of thing!!!!! Talk t you later

This is a tough one that I have spoken of before.  Im not talking just me though, Im talking about others.   We all know beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so what you see yourself as may gross someone else out.  But feeling good about the way you look is empowering.  Who do you want to look like?  is it attainable?  I used to have lots of photos of Monica Brant posted around because I wanted to look like her and still do.  Though realistically she has been training for years and years and me………just 2 years.  I try not to be dissapointed in myself because of this reason.  I will train and train and I will end up looking like……..ME.  Im doing okay looking like me.  I have alot going on really for a newbie.  If I was never to "grow" I would still do fine.  Would I do better if I had an inch or 2 more on my legs?  I doubt it.  I like to do shows, but was hired by Gaspari before I ever won anything.  Hardly anyone gets a pro card anymore so to get to National level is pretty much as high as you go…….Im there already. I will compete this year Nationally.

As far as fitness modeling….it doesnt pay squat and even the best of the best cant quit their day jobs.  Sure, would love to be in a magazine as some mommy fitness inspiration though.  Because then someone can’t say "I bet she doesnt have kids.  I bet she doesnt work full time.  I bet she has a rich hubby so she can afford to work out all day" none of that pertains to me now does it? I just want people to know that if I did it, you can do it.  Im not talking getting ripped, jacked, but just losing weight if thats what you want.  For many, thats all they want…and thats fine too. 

I try never to be narrow in thinking of others goals and what they want for themselves unlessw its something that will kill them.  I know the mind plays tricks on us and if we stare in the mirror long enough, we get grossed out about something.  Thank God I didnt have funds for plastic surgery years ago.  Im happy I did things the right way…liked myself more as a person.  Otherwise I would probably just have a set of hooties , be anorexic, have a  nose job 4 times , big lips and be so botoxed i couldnt smile.  Even right now my teeth are whiter and straighter than most…..but I still see them as dingy.  We must stop doing this at a certain point where it become obsessive and dangerous.

Ok, thats it.  Lets promise to be realistic and pat ourselves on the backs more, instead of focusing on the negative.  Amen

Art and I trained legs a little bit.  My soreness from Sunday took until today to be gone.  I went lighter than normal, but wanted to take him through some stuff with me.  We always have fun though.  I showed him the modified leg press and noticed even though I didnt think I was flexible, many men are less flexible with foot positions and stuff. I totally lack spine flexibility as well.  We did extensions, curls, glute isolator, leg press and Romanian deadlifts.  Also some regular db curls to get a pump during leg rest, roman chair, donkey calf and assisted dips and pull ups. 

Did I tell you before my gym was a soap opera and its all guys?  Turns out one guy in particular is saying all kinds of really rotten lies about me there and for no good reason.  he has told 2 of my good male friends that I am "trouble and dangerous"  and now some disgusting sexual stuff.  I was a little pissed, but both my friends told him to "F off".  I love those guys!  We talk shop, they love the gym like I do. Oh, apparently I am also a "wild woman" according to some. I don’t need to defend myself against ignorant talk.  I know what I am.  If I can walk into a church without fear of catching on fire………Im doing ok!!

I think some of this guys problem is that he is a trainer…..sometimes.  He trains a few MMA wannabe’s.  Im sure they see my abs and so he has to talk crap about me and probably tells them I am using drugs, so they wont wonder why he cant get them to have abs like mine. Whateva…….you think women gossip?  Dudes are BAD.  I wont let him get to me as its just a sign of his insecurity.  I work hard….thats all.  You want something, you work hard for it and you will get it.

It took me 38 years to find a true passion.  It used to be art in highschool though.  I painted, drew, sculpted……then it was gone.  So that was about 23 years ago.  I was wondering when I was going to "love something" again, but just couldnt put my finger on it until a couple years ago.  Having something to look forward to is awesome!  So much better than thinking, "hm, should I cut my toenails tonight or tomorrow night?" I know I am pushing fitness like a crack dealer, but I just want others to feel the good feeling I get.  Hey, its legal! 

Ok, gotta run.  Going to do the interview for the TV show tomorrow and do the quick bikini scene for that movie.  Im not really nervous yet!

Finally got my order and all systems are go!  I took 2 this morning to assess tolerance.  I have a decent high caffeine tolerance, but sometimes caffiene makes me jittery and sweaty.  Fine, it isnt pretty but its part of this life. So 2 this morning went well.  I was in a superb mood on it..no jitters.  I took 3 at lunch and was on cloud 9.  nO SWEATY PALMS, NO JITTERS.  This product is not for beginners though, for that, you should try Cytolean first if you are not familiar with fatburners.

It comes with a complete diet plan, explains carbs, proteins, fats………has a workout program and even a cardio only program included.  PLUS an 8 tab pre contest package…….for competitors only.  Seriously, I do everything thaT IS IN THERE. Even before finding out what works from others, I researched it myself.  Same thing with eating clean……reached the same conclusions as everyone is different, but the basics are the same.

This really is alot of bang for your buck. Gaspari always goes for the top notch ingredients and Rich is a perfectionist when it comes to providing awesome products that cannot be beat. His name is at stake.

I will start taking some pictures.  I am fairly lean by everyday standards, but it isnt like you can see the teardrops in my quads or anything.  Plus Im a whitey….that aint helping.  I am getting spray tanned tomorrow.  You know I have the best guy for that too!  Not some goober from a tanning salon who has been spraying for a week, not some booth, but Eric from Sunsation who has been doing ti for over 20 years and has sprayed miss america contestants……he is so killer and really knows his stuff.

I got an invite to do this org. (WBFF World Championships) show.  Im not sure if I can, its not til September, but I need sponsors to do shows far away.  Hopefully I can do it and masters nationals too.  Also, I am going to write a fitness column or something for one of my photographers who is doing a calendar of CT hotties. I have to get organized because I have so many projects going on.  Im lucky because this is CT and there are not many fitness people here. It working for in my favor.  Although it does kind of suck to have to wear a ton of clothes and freeze your butt off.

I didnt go to the gym tonight.  I went sunday (legs and glutes still sore) mon, tues and will go tomorrow after I tan.  People will look at me funny, but I like it. They gym is soooooooo packed with "resolutionists", its nuts.

Ok, I will stop jawing you eyes off…talk to you later  

Delicious pain that has eluded me,,,,,,,sounds twisted, masochistic..yes.but also a sign on HARD work for me.  I swear I did every leg exercises known to man with the exception of walking lunges (I tip over like a goombah). I did do lunges on the smith.  This week when I do them again I will put the rear leg on a bench to get a full stretch.  I do have an issue with my outer quad sweep.  No matter how hard I train (did over 500 on the leg press) my outer quad never gets hit properly.  I was thinking I could 1/2 rep until it brings tears to my eyes.  Please offer tips if you have something for the sweet spot for me.  Please leave the comment on my page though cus I am still having internet issues and coming back to blogs is too tough right now. Sorry!  I dont mean not to comment back!!

Tonight we did back and bis.  I managed to curl 100 lbs on the machine.  Could I curl 100 on a barbell………….hmmmmm……maybe not.  But I was quite proud of my little 12 inches pulling some serious weight.  Art is proud of his progress as people at his job are beginning to notice his changes.  He is also getting used to eating clean and starting to feel what I feel when training……endorphins.  You see, the gym can be your getaway place.  You talk about your crap, you train, get out aggression, you vent, you get in shape and you shut off the world.  Even though you are talking about your day, its a different kind of talk.  Not bitching, just making conversation and getting it out. 

We chatted with ‘Savannah’ from here for a bit.  Shes a cool chick.  I see in her some great potential!  She is totally underestimating her strengths.  I have to kick her in the ass.  She is bigger than me and even though I know I am pretty strong for a peanut…..she could probably out squat me in a heartbeat.  Kick some ass chickie….I believe in you!!! 

Anyway…….I wont go through all my exercises tonight because I am running very late, but I will catch up soon.  I know it sounds silly, but please know that anyone here with heart is a true diamond waiting to be cleaned off.  We have all been crapped on and you just have to find the point where you need to wipe off the crap and shine though! 

So far this year (and a little of last)……..the little 40 year old mommy who used to have piddling self esteem….has lined up

USFL calendar shoot (Orlando better not be lying to me)

Workout pics for Oxygen and "dark shoot" with John L

Movie and TV show work

my own PPV website

possible cover of Ironman Magazine

and still several shoot to book.

Never stop dreaming because dreams are free and give you something to live for.

xo

Fern

My name is Dan, I am the producer of the film Walkaways. We are also casting for the next film called Lovers & Losers.

We will be shooting some footage for an NBC pilot TV show called "Inside Entertainment" on Friday 01/09. 5 - 9 p.m.

It will be at:

CoCo Key Water Resort
3580 East Main Street
Waterbury, CT 06750
www. cocokeywaterresort. com

There will be a scene in Lovers & Losers, where during the wedding reception, one of the guys says to the other “well, remember that time in the water slides?” and it will be a quick flashback to girls in bathing suits at the water slides with one of the guys.

For this Friday at the water park, you’d be guaranteed to be on the NBC show that will air on January 25, 2009.

The host of the show would also do a brief interview with you regarding your “fitness” aspect.

I think you would be perfect for the water resort and the TV show… and who knows it may actually lead to being cast in the actual film…

Please let me know if you’d like to take part…

Thanks!!

Dan
Im nervous, but I am going to suck it up and say yes.  What do I have to lose?  I do need a tan now. Its just going to be odd as I am usually the one doing all the filming, so I have control over what is seen.  Im just going to try to have fun and relax or I may chicken out!!!