Jul’s Journey

Here we go, day two of my clean bulk….

Yesterday wasn’t exactly clean….the morning crew at the gym set me up with some amazing treats and I had to show my appreciation by trying the cookies and sorbet!!! YUM!!!

But I did have a killer shoulder and arm workout.  Started lifting heavy….yup….heavy…..and though I didn’t feel it yesterday, I sure feel it today! Yay!!!!!

Have a 6 week plan in place - no trainer….. will see what happens with that…..will start this way and see if I can do it together with a few friends….

Today was legs.  Did good ole fashioned squats, lunges, leg curls, leg ext. and calf raises.  Want to see how my legs respond to the heavier weights doing classic leg moves. No more than 10 reps and 4-5 sets….(last set I did drop sets to burn them out completely).  Not feeling them yet…. will see later today.

Eating clean so far. 

5am: 1/4 cup cottage cheese w/1/2 banana

7am: protein shake w/frozen banana

9:30am: ezekial bread english muffin and 5 egg whites and 1 egg…

oh, coffee and water too….

thats all for now….

So, there I was in the thick of it - Girlfriends Amyrose and LoveJones with me in support (and lil’ lovejones) - btw, thank you both for being there with me….. i can’t imagine having done this and not having two loving friends there for me….you have made these last months all about me and I am sure that has been BORING….I am back though…here for you both…. done with the me stuff and on to the youstuff!!! I love you both ——  

okay, back to my story….there are women and men all around in the pump up/oil area and I am focused on every other female person, but my self…and I noticed not one man….which, I was later told was a mistake because there were some men that had trained amazingly and it showed….  I was just amazed at how these women had developed their bodies…. some were very kind…. met an amazing woman from Erie….Patti C. and she was such an inspiration in everyway.  And another woman from Blasdell…. she was also kind and approachable….  Many women gave me this vibe….that vibe you get when you know you should run….run far away……  I listened to my inner self and kept my distance.

I also found that getting ready in the quiet of the dressing rooms was better for me….away from the craziness…. next show I will definately hit the dressing rooms early and stay put till it is time to go on stage…. (or find some quiet corner to be alone)

I was shocked at how many people were eating crap that day too…. potato chips were flying….gummy worms…. candy bars….tons of candy….. ?????? 

And then there was my own victory binge…. after the prejudging round the girls and I went to get a salad and to the mall and I started to get soooo sick….hot flashes, sweats, dizzy….called my old trainer and in true form, Trevor saved the day.  He suggested juice and some carbs w/ protein….. the juice did the trick!   After the show…. it was steak, mashed potatoes, white bread with butter, & ice cream…. today has been two pieces of chocolate birthday cake, more steak, chocolate and cheeze-its…. fyi, not so sure what I ever saw in cheeze-its… and I am so sick right now, I can’t wait to detoxify and eat oats and egg whites….  

So, today is day one of my clean bulk….gonna hit the weights hard in a few hours and eat clean!!!   Hope all of you have a great day! and a better workout!!

I was shaking like a leaf the moment that I walked into the auditorium.  The rain was a pourin down and my Jantana was spotting…. couldn’t believe I was actually doing what I was doing…

Gave them my name, they measured me…5 foot 6 1/2 inches…. and then I watched them come in….one by one…. I wanted to run. If Lovejones hadn’t been there…I would have.  The women were so small little, tiny absolutely petite.  I felt like a giant in every way. Relax, stand strong….this is not about them…it  is about me and how far I have come….(i tried to tell myself)

They called us in and there were 15 girls, and they made the decision to break the classes into three groups.  My group had only 3 people, the winner from last year and another woman who was to be the overall winner for this year…. (HA) That was my show… So, i placed third….out of three….and got a REALLY big trophy…… I think the only thing I did not want to happen was to place last.  And it did…. so, this is what I learned……

1) I can place last when I know that I tried my best.

2) I am making that trophy a symbol of reaching a goal that I set for myself.

3) Women that compete against each other can be amazing (and sadly, some not so amazing).

4) I know that I don’t want to take time off…I want to get in the gym on monday, start my clean bulk and develop some muscle….real muscle…. not the mainstream stuff I have, but the kind of muscle that women who compete have.  YAY!

5) When you ignore cleaning your home for several weeks….it feels good to actually start cleaning it!! LOL

I will write more on this, but wanted to let those of you who have been cheering for me know what happened….

more later on:women who compete, the ambiance, the crazy things women do at comp., and food festivals!!!

love you all!!!

Jul

Yipppppeeee!! when I wake up tomorrow I will be on my way to my first figure comp.  How cool is that?  I was chatting with lovejones tonight and I realized that I set this goal 27 weeks ago.  And finally I am going to be able to say that I completed my goal!

Will be sure to post pics and let you all know how i did….pray I do not fall on my butt….and that I remember to lock my poses in…. oh, and that I be myself out there on the stage….

Thank you all for listening to me….for coaching me, inspiring me and encouraging me to do this thing….. there are days when this site was the only thing that kept me going on this crazy road!  thank you , thank you ,thank you!!!!!!

What a day…. enjoyed a photo shoot with a local photographer….very fun! Documented this time of my life….you never know when ho-hos will become a food group again for me….so, at least there will be some concrete remembrance of this time of my life.

Lovejones596 darkened me up again…tomorrow we will go for two more coats…. funny…. but necessary!  Can’t wait to post pics of that!! 

Tomorrow is a big day for me….workshop at a local college, then time with manager and customer service guru…. more color…..pack bag for the big day and then more color…. hopefully to bed before 11…..   oh, my…..what have I gotten myself into…..??????   Should be fun…just hope I can nail my poses….I seem to have trouble with remembering to tighten one thing or another…… crazy!!!  

Just made my tilapia for the day tomorrow and will pack spinach to take too…. need to pack kids lunches and review my presentation for the next day…. fun!!!  hopefully I will get in bed before midnight so I can run over to the gym at 5:30 for a quick pose time…. will see…..

night all!!!

So, yesterday I was changing from my gym clothes to my reg. clothes and there in the corner of my eye I saw them….the elusive abs….I couldn’t believe it, though it was probably due to the fact that I was contorting my midsection in some odd way that they popped…. regardless, I dug around for my phone and tried to get a shot of them to send to my friends…. and as I stood there trying to recreate the position they could be seen in, a woman walked in……talk about feeling like a goofball…..though, I am not the kind of person that won’t address an awkward situation, so after confessing my story, we laughed and I snapped the pic.  Sorry to say, I won’t be posting this, because the pic is pretty bad….

However tonight lovejones596 and I got together to put on my first coat of competition color….. LOLOLOLOLOLOL  this was absolutely hilarious…..you need to know that I am a white girl….VERY white….she is dominican….nicely dark….. let’s just say….as we worked our abs laughing, my teeth kept getting whiter and whiter…..  I can’t believe we have to put more of this on…..how funny!!!!!!!   Though, you can see the definition better in the muscle, so that is nice…. duh! I am getting dense in my old age….

Yes, It is official, today I have started my 40th year of life!  And, I must say, I am in the best shape of my life and can’t wait to see what the next year brings…..

Let’s see…. I am fatiguing quickly….not able to lift much weight at all and definately feeling every second of cardiol. Feel apathetic about food too… but I suppose that is par for the course.  Tonight I start putting my color on….have pictures on thursday, so I would like at least two coats for this…

Other than that…I am still excited….and thrilled to be meeting all the wonderful people on this site….

I think no carbs is taking its toll on my brain power…. very flat….(and I am not talking about my chest….though that is too!!!) LOL

HA!!!!!!!This seemed very funny at 6am….but many of you know that women’s shapes are described as fruits…there is the pear shape (which is what I was) and the apple, ummmm…. anywhoooo….this morning lovejones told me I had graduated from the fruits….I am now more of a piece of celery!!! Love that feeling! Or maybe a parsnip? Any way, This journey has been so fun and so worth it.

I have learned much about the figure culture in WNY….lots of it is scary, most people are wonderful and I am happy to have met so many wonderful men and women that have championed me.  And, of course, there are my friends and family that have had to listen to me drone on and on about food and working out and random text photos of my elusive abs (lil’ abners)….yes, I have even named them….silly me.  (Gives you a great idea of what people are putting up with.

Today was a good day, woke up late, but got some cardio in, did chest, tris and abs, but in a fun retro way. Met a new friend that was very helpful with figure info and will look at my posing to make sure I have it down, did my work, had some time with the kids and will be back in the gym for some late-nite cardio….. fun….

Lets see….taking off my color and getting everything ready for my photos on Thursday.  This should be interesting…. hope they turn out okay….maybe he can get my lil’abners on camera!  Okay, time to check homework, start a fire, get changed for gym and get some more water in me before the night is over….

Will write more later, but looking forward to catching up on everyone tonight…haven’t been visiting my some of my favorite blogs and tonight that is on my list of things to do….watch out amyrose, speckled, susanna, bodyauditor, bryangee, justdave, lovejones596, goforitnicks and of course NINJA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  oh, and a new gal shleesh…

Now, I have to tell you…i sat in a small room with my three kids and the polygraph tester (a retired policeman) and I was starting to feel the pressure…almost like a bizarre scene from meet the fockers!!! LOL… I had to then use this opportunity, of course, as a mother of three to explain that what it was I was doing….why this man was strapping wires to my body and why he was talking about the importance of NOT LYING.  Break right here….I then had to explain to my children that at times, even mommies have not been completely honest….. UGH….but they rolled with it and seemed to understand.  We even talked about how great it would be to have this test around the house when the infamous "not me" showed up and did things like scratch the car or tracked mud through the house.  LOL  can you imagine???

Well, I passed, but it was weird to be taking it.

So, my enthusiasm is turning into…can we get this over with already?? I know that sounds bad, but I am ready to move on to bulking…excited to see how much muscle I can gain over the next two months.  For those of you who don’t know…a couple of friends of mine are on this site…not cyber friends, but the real in-person type.  Love Jones 596 is one of them and her and I will be training together for a couple of shows in April…she will be doing two natural shows and I will be doing one natural and one NPC show…. should be a blast.

Well, time to resume my mommy duties…. time to get the kiddos ready for bed, get my paperwork set for the week - already prepping my food and  want to write up my cardio plan for the coming days….and maybe even try to get to bed before 10…. wow! imagine that??

Need to say that this was a great day of rest….started with an awesome message at church, moved on to a pumpkin farm and great time with the kids….stuffed them full of caramel apples, cotton candy, french fries, got our pumpkins and had fun at the petting zoo -  even got to shoot pumpkins out of a cannon… silly, but I LOVED it…. guess I am still just a little kid.

I think this time of the year is still my favorite.  Don’t get me wrong, I love spring and summer in NY, but there is something wonderful about the fall. The crisp mornings, the smell of fire in the fireplaces, crunchy leaves and fall colors…. really, is there anything more comforting?  (and don’t even get me started on the food of fall….)

And so I ramble….. tomorrow is chest and tris…last ones before the show…wow….this week is finally here…will do my best to enjoy every second of it.

enjoy your evening….

Do you realize that in one week I get to eat chocolate cake…or cookies…..or CHEEZE-ITS?????!!!!!! MAN oh, man I can’t even tell you how exciting this is.  Sooooo….it has been a bit since I have written and really there is not much to tell.  I am feeling pretty crumby, but I suppose that is all par for the course. Chicken or tilapia and a green veggie 5 times a day is real exciting.

Hmmmmm… let’s see…today was abs and shoulders & cardio….if there is one area that I have really fallen apart on it is cardio.  I really am exhausted all the time and my joints hurt and getting on the eliptical, bike, and/or treadmill is like pulling teeth.  Had a great leg day on friday, still feeling it…. In fact, I am still feeling my back workout from Wed…. I think maybe my body is not recovering….but will see how I do after a day of rest on Sunday.

Okay, so I tried to have some decent carbs last night to see if I could get my muscles to fill up…..didn’t really notice anything other than my stomach was killing me all today…..and felt yucky….was it the food???? Not sure.

Hmmmmm….. did I mention I get to eat chocolate cake?? LOL

Ok, so I have the schedule all set up with lovejones596 for the show in April.  We will begin our building phase the last week of Oct. and go through the first week in Jan.  Then we will have our 12 weeks or so of competition prep.  Fun!!! My goal is to put on between 5-7 pounds of muscle.  Would love to do 10, but want to be realistic too.

Okay, enough babble.  Time to try and get some recovery sleep.  Tomorrow is church and hopefully pumpkinville with the kiddos…. loving the fall!!!

nite