NikeBabe’s BodyBlog

     These past few months have brought so much change to my life. I graduated Summa Cum Laude from Birmingham Southern College with a BA Degree in three years. I am also enroled in the University of Alabama’s School of Law Class of 2011. Now I have moved home and need to both physically and mentally prepare myself for a grueling graduating program. Some of the goodbyes I have said were very difficult, even though I remind myself that a new, more relevant chapter to my life has begun. Maybe it’s the fact that I want my successes to lead to a career in which I can care for someone else who is my life companion. And no, I don’t want marriage now-AT ALL. But I’d like for someone to share in at least part of this journey with me…

     Back to my BODY: (ha ha ha) A couple months ago I did a little charity run/race and got second overall and first in women’s. Fabulous, except I was running on shin splints and ultimately injured them so badly that any intense cardio (any walking like a normal person, for that matter) was out of the question. Last week was the first time I could run more than ten minutes without severe pain. Now I need to build my stamina again and do everything I can to keep them from coming back.

     My strength has also gone down. Studying for exams and a senior capstone does not happen all by itself, and it was very hard to see time in the library fly by and I just was not done in time to go to the gym. It’s been an exhausting semester to say the least.

     But at least I’m back! And I HAVE to get in stellar shape for law school. (And for my 21st birthday this June ) *Mwah!*

Soooo in a month my weight has fluctuated ridiculously….and I am overtrained. I am trying to change up my workouts and make sure my diet is on point, but I can’t seem to lose weight OR recover. Thus, I have switched from splitting my workouts to three full body weight days per week. I am also supposed to do cardio five days of the week, but until my body starts recovering I am simply too tired to run, work, and study more than 3-4 times a week as of now.

Anyone else going through the same frustration? At this point, I just want to rock an amazing body at formal (which is this friday, so maybe my date will be blind) and on spring break (after all, I did order that Mary Antoinette bathing suit…).

Hope everyone is having a great week!

…and perhaps I am one of them. Regardless of what the reality of it is right now, I would like for one moment to FEEL beautiful and thin. I am working out very hard, but my diet is not where it should be; I guess everyone struggles with it at one time or another, or else obesity wouldn’t be such a problem lol. Also, some guys at work joke about my big booty, saying that it is in fact a good thing, and honestly I have to laugh at myself most of the time. But every once in a while I think I’d like to be thin, too. So, now that THAT’S off my chest, I can do something about it and forget about the past couple of weeks.

I hope everyone else is getting closer to their goals! Don’t let anything or anyone convince you to give up; even the rough days have the potential to make us better.

I still haven’t lost ANY weight! Actually, I’m not eating any less *duh* The truth is I’m constantly hungry. I eat healthy foods, cook for myself, and keep a food journal. I am still very disciplined with my weight training (legs, push, pull) and have even found some volleyball partners which has led me to do more cardio each day than if I had just been sticking to traditional treadmill/elliptical routines. Ah well…I guess the scale is indeed misleading, but it would be encouraging to see the number go down.

Also frustrating, I started a new medication two days ago, and I have been terribly dizzy. I couldn’t even finish my weights at the gym today because I was so disoriented. I think I have already laid down three times today to try to deal with it. Not good. The entire reason I changed to this medication was because I was feeling extreme fatigue, but now I can’t even maneuver around the weight room! *sigh*

Indifferent personal news #1: Tomorrow is the end of January term, and Friday I register for FIVE (yes) FIVE spring classes. WHEW I am going to be one busy girl! Plus I work at Gold’s on the weekends. As long as I graduate in May, I can survive four months

GREAT news #2: So far I have a 75% tuition scholarship to Faulkner’s Jones Law School, and I was accepted into Cumberland’s School of Law.

just-on-my-mind news #3: I really don’t want to be in a relationship right now…but at the same time I want to feel the excitement of dating someone, having someone to kiss and have adventures with. Hm. Looks like I just might not have a Valentine

I hope everyone is having a good week both at the gym and at home. Right now I am counting my blessings God has shown me TODAY, because who knows what tomorrow brings.

This year has been a mix of emotional and creative/endurance experiences. I’ve applied to law schools, been preparing for my senior art show, started a part-time job at my gym, and trying to find a good balance with my relationships (or the ones I haven’t even found yet?).

That said, I have been in the gym consistently. Today my roomie asked me to give her a lil’ weight training session, which I thoroughly enjoyed. She said that she felt motivated and confident in the knowledge I was sharing. Perhaps this will be an outlet to help other people with their goals, and in turn I have an opportunity to get out of my own head, resulting in a happier EVERYBODY, lol.

On the other side, I am having a problem with my personal habits. I know that I mentioned my "diet" in the previous blog post, but it is a little more than that. When I was 13 years old I had body image problems, which is hardly uncommon for anyone these days. I don’t want to go into detail, but I tended to use extreme measures to deal with my weight and image. The past couple of years living on campus and staying focused in the gym evened out my lifestyle quite effectively. Recently though, negative thoughts and destructive habits are crowding out the normal-ness. It is a really scary thing not to know if you are truly in control of yourself or not. Then again, self-control has limits. I am quitting smoking, not drinking, not putting myself in harmful relationships, achieving my academic goals…. all of these ambitions are wonderful. I DO know the battle I went through for more than half a decade, and it’s not a sunny place for vacations. Capiche?

That may have sounded depressingly vague, especially when I am fully aware of how blessed I am. What it comes down to is trying my hardest, and for what I cannot control I must turn to God for strength. On that note, I hope everyone has a blessed week, finding happiness and peace in whatever you may do )

Enough said. Spring’s approach is making me very cutting conscious! Hm and how about that gaining weight but losing an inch on my waist? The scale sucks dudes

My holiday workouts have increased my strength; I am also beginning to see much more definition in my legs and arms. Unfortunately, I have no one to blame but myself for letting my tummy get a little soft. My upper abs are still visible, but I am retaining a little more than usual in the infamous below-the-bellybutton spot that so many women complain about. Luckily, I know that this is also where I tend to lose weight first; on the other hand, I am oddly disappointed in myself. I need to focus on the gains in strength and muscle mass I have made this month. I should be proud that I didn’t even gain the seasonal weight!

 But I think many of us agree that when it comes to physique, abs are ego…

Other than that, Happy New Year everyone! Along with the new year will come renewed motivation )

What a wonderful day with my family! I got my mother a bracelet and purse; I surprised my dad with a new painting I did especially for him of a retriever and blue-winged teal duck; and slipped onto the tree by a ribbon was a big ole’ topaz ring from Santa to me. ) Honestly though, I am NEVER home anymore. I am a semester away from graduating, still haven’t finished graduate school applications, and have an exhibit to throw at the end of January - do I have time to sleep? To top it off, my daddy had 97-99% blockage in all four arteries to his heart about a month ago. The morning of a major critique, my mom calls to tell me he is going into surgery. Needless to say, he is the real Christmas gift this year.

And of course, being the traditional Southern-Baptist family that we are, the table was filled with casseroles and pies. I figured one day of enjoying my grandmother’s cooking wouldn’t hurt my fitness efforts; after all, I know that some time in the future those will be some of the flavors I miss most. No one can cook quite like my grandmother!

In the week following my last blog, my workouts were INSANE. I increased my strength anywhere from 10-25 lbs in most exercises. Of course, I am not neglecting the fact that cardio will be key following the holiday sangria and pumpkin pie, but at least my strength has increased. Tomorrow morning when I start eating clean, the excess should be shed in about three days. Now all of us can get ready for the gyms to be packed with newcomers on the first….how do you feel about that? Lol. It should be an interesting year!

You would think that being home with nothing to do for two weeks would leave my schedule WIDE open to enjoy my new gym…but my motivation is just stuck. I went to the grocery store to get food suitable to my "needs," lol, but I gave in to my sweet tooth tonight. I think I have a tendency to get down when I’m not in my normal routine, and that anxiety can lead to a deterioration of my diet and workouts. Catching up from exams and the college life is not an easy thing; the only appealing activity seems to be rediscovering sleep!

Tomorrow is a new day, and I really want to sit down and center myself, remotivate, set some goals; I can’t let a holiday break get in the way of what I really want to accomplish! :::sigh::: This is a hard time to push through, and minus a few gingerbread cookies, I have stayed disciplined enough to make my workouts really count. BUT I DO need to get more out of my workouts emotionally, tighten up my diet (why is diet 80% of the battle? haha), and then I know that my results won’t just be satisfactory anymore.

Hope everyone is doing well, and enjoying the holidays with their loved ones )

So much is going on in my life this year! It has been one of the hardest semesters at school, and I have one more left before graduating and going to law school. I get a couple weeks for a break during the holidays, and I definitely need to make the most of it. I’m excited about starting my BodySpace, too ) Now I just wish I could take some more pictures and be looking as fabulous as everyone else on here!

I miss my gym in Birmingham, although this morning I went gym hunting in my hometown (the oldschool SportsFirst closed…) and found one that seems promising. It’s called Metro, and even though it is on the other side of town it has some really good Hammer Strength machines, new rubber-coated weights, CLEAN cardio equipment, and the clientele and staff are friendly. I’m still splitting my workout the way Anthony taught me by doing push, pull, and legs. I know that I have a lot on my plate as far as school goes, but now I really want my body to be CUT and defined.

*mwah*

p.s. If you have any tips or suggestions on photography, competitions, supplements, etc., drop me a note )