Candace’s BodyBlog

Hello everyone!  I’m sitting here one week out from walking on stage again and the thought came to me that it had been awhile since I’ve updated you on what’s been happening with me.  The last time I competed was May of this year.  I took a glorious summer off with the kids.  We spent 3 straight wonderful weeks at the beach together directly after my competition.  When I look back at that time I have wonderful memories of activities with the family, but tough memories of my rock solid mindset fading before me.  For some reason, I felt entitled to relax, and by that I mean…eat.  I can safely say there was no delicacy I did not enjoy this summer..but by August I was nothing short of miserable.

Flash forward…it is November and I am ready to step on stage once again at the NPC Kentucky Muscle in Louisville KY.  I’ve been working hard with my trainer Todd Brown…and if there is one concept that I have set out to grasp during this contest prep it has been the importance of clean eating year round.  My goals after this show will be to stay consistent with my clean eats in order to build more solid muscle and limit my diet time for the next competition in 2010. It is not as important to me to place or come home with a trophy next weekend, because you see…I already have.  My mindset has switched from “I HAVE to eat right…to keep my body running efficently” to “I WANT to eat right…” and that is truly winning, isn’t it?? I know that I will leave this contest prep with a solid foundation with which to build my physique to a new level for next season.

Another exciting venture I have entered into is my partnership with The OpenSky Project.  I am so thrilled to be able to offer my favorite products to you.  These products I have handpicked, that I use everyday to make my life as a homemaker, mother, personal trainer and figure competitor run smoothly.  (Hah! My family might be laughing right now…us smooth? Maybe not, but we are a happy bunch! )

You probably haven’t been introduced to The OpenSky Project just yet, but in due time this will be as recognizable as Amazon, Overstock (or any online shopping site for that matter) for your online shopping needs. While OpenSky bares similarities to these sites with the availability of products you want and need, it differs in its ability to get personal with you (the shopper). How on earth can one e-commerce site get personal with millions of shoppers, each looking for very specific products? Simple. By selecting a diverse group of Shopkeepers who will provide shoppers with those products that they most highly recommend in their area of expertise. Be it bird watching, cooking, parenting, electronics, sporting goods, gardening, and much more. Not only will you find a specific set of products in each category, you will get a detailed description of each product. From product reviews, to video messages, to real-life experiences, there is no [online] shopping like OpenSky shopping.
Come check out the neighborhood of OpenSky Shops to see what the buzz is all about. Need some incentive? ALL of the products, from EVERY OpenSky shop are 10% off until November 15, 2009. Don’t miss out!

NEW PROMOTION – 10% OFF SALE

This sale applies to EVERYTHING in every OpenSky shop, from Yes You Can Grill’s Outdoor Chef City Grill to Cooking With Friends’ Jarden Ball Home Canning Kit to Veggie Gardening Tips’ Composting Accessory Kit.
Here are the details:
- Coupon Code: Candace1009
- Offer: 10% off
- Expiration: November 15, 2009

From Animal I saw this and got fired up just reading it!!

“The Ninety-Nines… That’s what I call ‘em. Ninety-nine out of a hundred people can’t fathom what I do. They scratch their heads, can’t believe my dedication to this great sport. Many don’t even think this a sport or that I have a life. Never let others define your ‘life’ for you. This is what I have chosen. This is the road I’ve taken, with all the potholes, bumps, and turns. The Ninety-Nines, they can’t commit 100% to being their best, to step up one day and stand tall among the giants.”

“I don’t play the lottery. I don’t have the winning ticket. Everything I have, I busted my ass for. The only thing I ever got handed to me are the genetics my old man passed down. From him, I learned the value of a work ethic and getting your hands dirty. To those who’ve always wanted more, stand with me. We are few and we must stand on the mountaintops to be heard. When the day is done, our voices will carry. It shall be a call to all those who have always dreamed of something greater.”

“To the naysayers, I say your words will fall on deaf ears. To the doubters, take your misgivings elsewhere. To the envious, do not desire what we will achieve. I will beat back mediocrity with a fierce hand, will demolish conformity, so that when it’s time to cash in my chips, I won’t leave a legacy of regret, that I didn’t go for mine. In each one of us lies the power to start something… So to those of you out there who can hear, let me say again, who are you and will you stand with me?”

I feel rather silly bragging on dragging my ass downstairs for my second cardio session today when I think of what this man has accomplished.  Need to get fired up for your next workout?  Check this out…then go out there and show no weakness!

When somebody drinks a Coke watch what happens…

In The First 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (100% of your recommended daily intake.) You don’t immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor allowing you to keep it down.

20 minutes: Your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar it can get its hands on into fat. (There’s plenty of that at this particular moment)

40 minutes: Caffeine absorption is complete. Your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, as a response your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in your brain are now blocked preventing drowsiness.

45 minutes: Your body ups your dopamine production stimulating the pleasure centers of your brain. This is physically the same way heroin works, by the way.

>60 minutes: The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium and zinc in your lower intestine, providing a further boost in metabolism. This is compounded by high doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners also increasing the urinary excretion of calcium.

>60 Minutes: The caffeine’s diuretic properties come into play. (It makes you have to pee.) It is now assured that you’ll evacuate the bonded calcium, magnesium and zinc that was headed to your bones as well as sodium, electrolyte and water.

>60 minutes: As the rave inside of you dies down you’ll start to have a sugar crash. You may become irritable and/or sluggish. You’ve also now, literally, pissed away all the water that was in the Coke. But not before infusing it with valuable nutrients your body could have used for things like even having the ability to hydrate your system or build strong bones and teeth.

Nuff said…

CHAMPIONS

Champions aren’t made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them — a desire, a dream, a vision.
~ Muhammad Ali

QUITTING

Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.
~ Lance Armstrong

LIMITS

You are never really playing an opponent. You are playing yourself, your own highest standards, and when you reach your limits, that is real joy.
~ Arthur Ashe

INTENSITY

There is no room in your mind for negative thoughts. The busier you keep yourself with the particulars of shot assessment and execution, the less chance your mind has to dwell on the emotional. This is sheer intensity.
~ Jack Nicklaus

I am thrilled to announce my new online store! In partnership with OpenSky I am able to offer all my favorite products to you! These are products that I have handpicked, that I use everyday… in order to make my life as a Mom/Personal Trainer/Athlete/Homemaker work! Check back often as new products are being added as I type!

Come in and visit my shop! http://candacestupek.theopenskyproject.com/

In fact, take advantage of FREE OVERNIGHT shipping today through Tuesday 10/27. I’m not only thrilled to have all my favorite products in one place…but at much cheaper prices than you can find them online elsewhere! Life’s a dream!!

Here’s a great side dish for your next autumn lunch. Packed with flavor and powerful immunity boosting combinations, pumpkin which contains zinc and pear which contains quercitin.

2 tbsp olive oil
1 chopped onion
1/2 cup minced fresh ginger
3 pears, peeled, cored and sliced thin
2 cans pumpkin puree
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
4 cups chicken broth

Put first four ingredients in a large soup pot and saute until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Puree in batches in a blender until soup is smooth. Makes 4 servings.

Calories 146, Fats 4g, Sodium 146 mg, Carbs 22g, Dietary Fibers 9g, Sugars 10g, Protein 5g

Here is a great article from IFBB Figure Pro, Angela Mraz. I am four weeks out from competing myself and already thinking of how I will handle my post competition diet.  Think I might print this out and stick it in my bag to read again while I’m waiting for the night show to begin!

Over the last two weeks you’ve been whittling down your weight - reducing calories, restricting carbs, and on those final 48 hours before you step foot on stage, you’ve given up drinking water — now you’re only sipping it (Phase 2 in the illustration below). Mentally agitated, physically depleted and weak, all energies are being allocated to visualizing mental snapshots of your poses and remembering to face the judges and smile.

(Phase 3) Pre-judging is over. Back in the comfort of your sweat suit you find a spot to wait out the five our so hours until finals begin. Did you get first call out…or maybe second, regardless your mind is reliving the minutes on stage, stacking up the competition and assembling it’s own judgment on how well your body did. This becomes the first challenging point. Your stomach’s demand to be fed can be easily quelled if you and others believe you did well in pre-judging. If you don’t believe you did so well, this can be a very difficult time. 1st, 2nd, 3rd…8th or 10th place (whichever), you leave the competition telling yourself that if ever you deserved a cheat day, it’s now or tomorrow (Phase 4). These extra calorie days may very well extend past "one" cheat day (Phase 4 through Phase 5) until you find the "motivation" to begin reducing calories to get back to your appropriate caloric intake (Phase 6 back to Phase 1).

So the question is, how can you avoid these caloric highs and lows, and follow something more along the lines of this?

The above graph shows consistency throughout the year. Phases 2 & 3 represent competition calorie deficits. Phase 4 is the same as Phase, your baseline calories followed up to and immediately after competition. Easier said than done? Not really! Let me explain how I do it.

1) The morning of my competition I’m bucketing my thoughts into two categories:

• Bucket 1: what I need to focus on for that day to do my best while I am on stage
• Bucket 2: Comparisons of myself against my competition so I know what I need to work on the next time I step on stage.

2) My "clean eating" consistency lies in bucket 2. Since I am already focusing on my next competition I know there is no room for "cheating" or elevating my calorie intake any higher than what my normal post competition diet is.

3) Personally, mentally…whatever you want to call it, I am never satisfied with my body. Not meant to be taken in a negative way, but more so in the positive light of "I know I can do better, therefore I will."

4) I continue to visualize women whose bodies I adore. I frequently visit Facebook, twitter, personal websites and use their photos for motivation on how I want my specific body parts to look like.

5) I only take one day off from the gym post competition and it’s that Sunday. The following Monday I am back at it, picking up where I left off.

6) Having the best possible body I can have is my passion. I allow very little to stand between me and achieving that goal.

I prefaced the above six points by saying this is how I do it. We are all unique so it goes without saying that people are motivated differently and hold different values. I can only implore that consistency be the rule of the day. Without consistency we allow obstacles to stand in our way and prevent us from achieving our goals. Staying clean year round is extremely difficult. However, by not doing so, you tend to take two steps forward then one step back. Working out is hard is enough, don’t make it any harder. And even if you come in first place, you still have to prepare for your next competition, because everyone is working harder to knock you off your throne!

Stay Fit
Angela

If there is one thing I’m intrigued with during any body transformation is has to be the power of the mind.  Yes, lifting form and technique is important.  Of course, nutrition is the catalyst of making proper gains.  But getting into someone’s mind and trying to find out how to change their way of viewing their life, so that they can reach the next level… is just plain fascinating! Time and time again I see people putting obstacles in front of them…reasons why they can’t do their cardio, cook their food, eat all their meals, the list goes ooooonnn.  I say "Get out your fly swatter!" Shooooo away, whatever it is holding you back from your goal!
The power to change your life lies within you this very minute..this very second. And most likely you know what you need to do. Let go of the fear, hesitation and excuses and just simply start. One simple change, just one, can can set off a wonderful chain reaction you never could have seen coming. You are more powerful than you know. Stand up straight, push your shoulders back, chin up, and go make your life happen.

Don’t take life so personally. Afterall, life is just doing what life does…it throws things at you. It’s up to you whether you allow it to beat you down, or if you’re going to kick it back. Just stop thinking so much and come to grips with the fact that you may simply need to duck and dodge some of life’s hassles, and face head-on the more challenging difficulties. Tying up your mind with the "injustice of it all" is such a waste because most of the time, it’s more how we see it, than what is truth.

Keep your head up, and your eyes straight ahead because answers and possibilities are all around you..that’s what life does too!   Have a terrific weekend everyone!!

Funny, my last post was me contemplating my :mantra"…my reasons for busting butt day in and day out.  Then I read this…had to share

As we get older, life gets more complicated. It sometimes seems life stagnates as we let the responsibilities of life *become* our life.

Start seeking YOU again. Start digging into who you are and what you want. Your spirit lies underneath responsibility and expectations and lives in the joy of just "being".

Leave the chores…leave the phone calls…leave the errands. They will always be there. But if you don’t grab your life, your gift will be gone.

Pull yourself to the top of your "To Do" list. Only when you value yourself and your dreams, can you truly give those you love the best of yourself. Make YOU a priority and rediscover the *spirit of you*.

Stay CLEAR…stay FOCUSED…and it will be yours…