A Little Glimpse of My Life

This has been an on and off love affair that starts at the conclusion of every competition season or immediately after each show. The duration of the affair depends on how long I am off of my competition diet. When prepping for a show the most important question is always, "What are you going to eat after the show?" I knew I was involved in this complicated love affair when my "cheat" foods were no longer ice cream, wine, and pizza, but rather peanut butter.  He usually goes by the name Jiffy, but occassionaly he goes by Skippy. During the season I see him, the object of my affection, but cannot have him….Oh temptation is a b*%@! I long for him, but never give in. He calls my name and stares at me vehemently every time I open the pantry door. I sadly shut the door and retreat to my refrigerator for comfort foods such as egg whites, chicken, and oatmeal, which does little to minimize the insatiable desire I have for him.  BUT at the conclusion of the season our passionate love affair begins and is extreme bliss for about 3-5 days……..and then it’s gone. It’s over. It’s finished…..until the end of the next season. I think this is why our love affair has lasted so long  and remained so intense because we definitely have the absence makes the heart grow fonder theory down! So I write this today as my heart aches.

 It is the end of another love affair. Tomorrow he will stare at me and remain untouchable for the next several weeks. I will see his dark skin. I will long for him. He will call my name. We will remain etched in each others minds until next time……I love you PB!

I rarely have days in the gym where I just don’t want to be there. I probably only have about 5 of those days per year…..well today was definitely one of those days. I worked out bis/tris/calfs and during the entire workout I fought myself from just walking out of the gym. “What is is?” I kept asking myself. I don’t know and I never figured it out. I just kept it moving b/c if I stopped, I never would have finished. It seemd like each set hurt worse than the last and the iron was just not my friend today. What kept me going? The thought that someone else was training harder than I was? What kept me going? The thought that I have put too much work into my physique to let one bad day stand in my way. What kept me going? Telling myself to shut up and lift. Pain is temporary, Pride is forever…….what keeps you going?  

So what happens if you get the chocolate cravings when you are prepping for a show? During the fall months I love this recipe for hot cocoa that is competitor friendly:

• 8oz hot water
• sugar free chocolate syrup
• splenda
• vanilla extract
• 2tbs no sugar added Nesquick
• 2-4tbs no sugar added nestle hot cocoa mix
• 1tbs cocoa powder
• 4-6tbs fat free non-dairy powder creamer

Heat water in microwave until hot. Pour over all ingredients and stir. (Adjust ingredients to taste). Satisfies my chocolate cravings every time.  

Found out last week that my transformation story will be featured in FLEX magazine’s Sept issuse in the "How I Did It" section and that I was also selected to be the Amateur Competitor of the Week on Bodybuilding.com. Will let you know what week soon. Kinda cool!

Today was pretty easy going. Did legs for the first time in 4 weeks. Heavy and lots of plyometrics. Felt great! Only doing 30 minutes of cardio these days as I am still very lean from my show over the weekend. Also ate Peanut butter, peanut butter, chicken, NF Pro Protein shakes, and more peanut butter……oh, thank goodness for peanut butter! I also decided today to add a few more shows over the next 3 months….should be fun.

So I finally made it home monday Night after a long weekend in Vegas at the USAs. After a mishap with a photographer on Sunday, and more car problems on the way home today, I could have easily been out for the count! As much as I wanted to cry from all the unexpected events over the weekend, I simply had to laugh it all off and tell myself it could be much worse. Thank God for family, friends, and faith!!  Fortunately, on the ride back, I stopped at the same mechanic I visited on the way there on Wednesday……and was greeted with a friendly “You’re back!!” Rather than becoming upset about having to buy a new tire, I just ate my EFX Vanilla NF Pro Protein bar concoction and chatted with the mechanics as they fixed my car. I promised them I would stop back by the shop on my way home, if I won my show…..unfortunately I didn’t win, but I did stop by the shop as promised…..not exactly how I wanted to though! As I made it home I was thankful for the productive weekend….and mini vacation. On a positive note, I did a workout videoshoot on Sunday in my EFX gear and plugged our awesome new website and the Flex Wheeler Signature Series Line. I’m excited to see the finished product. Look for it soon on my blog page on www.aaefx.com and ********************.

Saturday night I competed in my 4th show of the year: NPC USA’s in Vegas. The show was very well run given that there were over 400 competitors. The weekend was rather eventful! It started with car problems on my drive from California to Vegas. But I made some really great friends at the mechanic shop while waiting for my car to get fixed. I then did an awesome photoshoot the next day with Danny Fittro of Florida at Red Rock Canyon and almost fell of the rocks twice…..but I got the shot! Competition wise, I did not place in Figure Class D, but was relatively pleased with my physique. My prep for this show was different, as I stopped weight training on my legs and increased my distance running, sprints, and plyometric work to help even out my symmetry. I also made attempts to tweek my posing to give the illusion of a smaller waistline….ummm still working on that! Didn’t quite pull it off how I would have liked. So I’ve got more work to do for the next one. My next stop is the North Americans in Cleveland next month……or is it Team Universe in New York…..no it’s Muscle Beach Labor Day Classic ….Oh heck, I can’t remember….too many shows!