lbross’s BodyBlog

I am on a mission!

When I first started working out, I didn’t know how to eat. I discovered eating clean through some trial and error and absorbing all I could through the scant amount of information I could on eating clean.

For the last few years, I have been creating clean recipes that are quick (25 minutes or less) and have a short list of ingredients. I started my website because along the way, I became a foodie. As someone who used to hate to grocery shop and was overwhelmed at the thought of preparing food that didn’t come in a box, this was a real transformation for me.

I often hear people say “Oh, I couldn’t eat like that. It’s too healthy, it won’t taste good.” (Since when did healthy foods get associated with tasting bad???).

My mission is to help people understand that eating clean can taste good. Yes, enjoy a sinful desert once in a while. But understand that eating clean is the best way to eat for your best health and appearance.

My site can be found at: http://www.FigureFoodie.com. I have a bunch of clean recipes, an introduction to eating clean, and shopping lists. Please come and check it out!

I’m collecting some sayings regarding training, for instant inpiration. Here’s a couple of favorites so far:

Great athletes aren’t born. They are made.

Didn’t even know it…someone emailed me about my transformation on bodybuilding.com. I am the transformation of the week: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/transf124.htm. How cool is that? Pretty motivating too.

Also, this week we did a “soft” opening of the new center where I will be training clients (and getting my butt kicked too). Check us out at: www.fitnesspro2000.com. Watch this site for our new blog and lots and lots of TASTY, clean eatin’ recipes!

Love the new place. It’s so much closer to home and belongs to my trainer, IFBB pro Roc Shabazz and his wife, Gina. Instead of training at someone else’s place, it’s his own. I am so happy for them and siked out of my mind to be part of this team!!

;) Lara

Walking around doing a little "happy dance" today - (yeah I’m a little wacko, I know). Just soo siked to be working and immersed in helping others live the fitness lifestyle. 

I’ve been reading a lot of sports psychology lately – how to get the mental edge in your sport, enhance the mind-body connection, etc. Everything from goal setting, to positive self-talk (what you say in your head as you pound out those last reps or are posing on the stage), to visualization techniques, qualities of winners, etc.

This stuff works! Try this: instead of going into your workout saying this is going to be tough and it’s gonna hurt – which better be true if you want results – say: This is one more workout to get me on my way to my goals, it’s gonna feel great to get the heart pumping, and my muscles all pumped up. I am strong and I’m not going to stop until I’m DONE. (Add in some grunts and growling too).

I swear the same work that I’ve been doing – and some even harder stuff – hasn’t sucked! I’m loving it – just soaking it up. I kicked out 50 non-stop reps of hammer curls with 20lbs in each hand and felt such a rush! I couldn’t pick up my water bottle after but it was worth it!

Anyway, hope this writing isn’t getting too hokey or corny… A couple weeks ago I was driving down the road to see my chiropractor since I was sooo hurting and talking to my trainer on the phone. I was in the mode of prepping for my last show, eating my chicken and baked potato and simultaneously icing my knees, while driving (yeah I know not so safe maybe).

I started to crack up thinking - This is just not what other Moms do – not even in the realm of being normal here. But ya know – I love what I do and I do what I love and I wouldn’t have it any other WAY!

Here’s a quote from one of the books I’m reading now (The New Dynamics of Winning by Denis Waitley) “…winners work at the things that the rest of the population won’t even consider trying.”

Can’t imagine going back to my old life before I had goals/dreams. I was tolerating each day, checking it off on the calendar - done. Now things are so different, continuously improving, learning, and striving. It is what it is all about!!!!

I haven’t had time to write lately – been too busy with the kids, working, and training. At the end of April I competed at the NPC Jr. USA, and boy did all that contest prep take a big chunk of time out of my day, every day. Check out my new pictures!

So now I can breathe a bit again! About the Jr. USA: I placed 11^th in my class, which might not be so bad but there were only 13 in my class. But truly after reviewing the pictures, I see that I wasn’t as tight as I would have liked. There were also a lot of tight bodies in the show!

I decided to do the show 8 weeks prior to the show. I tend to stay fairly lean so I thought it would be OK. Here’s how the whole thing happened though:  I had a friend that was coming into town and we were going to go and watch and have a girls weekend. But the more I thought about it, the more I hated the idea of watching a show when I could be in it. Lots of time to watch stuff when I am old and gray, but why now?

But then my friend backed out of our weekend and I found myself prepping for a show, I probably would not have chosen to be in. But now I was in too deep into contest prep and didn’t want to back out.

I wanted to get the experience of a national-level show and get a little bit more time on stage to warm up for the season. ‘Course in training and prepping for the show, I got revved up and wanted to place better than I did. I don’t regret going – it was a good experience, and mentally I’ll be a bit further along in knowing what to expect next time.

BUT I can tell you I will never, ever place that low again – and I will never again go into a show that I don’t have 200 percent of my heart in to WIN.

So what’s next? Either the Master’s Nationals or the North American. I had considered doing both, but realistically that probably isn’t in the cards for 07. I’ve got too many other commitments with my family to do both.

Now I’m back to training hard, eating clean (with a cheat meal here and there – yeah &&^&#ing-hoo!), and letting my joints recover. Man do my joints hurt once the contest prep starts. I find myself icing my knees and going for massages all the time. I gotta say, I never thought I’d be OK with another woman massaging my butt – yes literally – but my glutes/hips/hamstrings get so damn wound up!! Aurgh.

Anyway, the summer’s pretty much here and I plan to enjoy it and look good in a bikini while I am at it. Turning 39 in July and it doesn’t bother me one damn bit! Hope to write more often now….

:)

Aurgh. I feel like I should be wearing a T-shirt that says:

"WARNING: Hormonal Disaster Area. Stand back 300 feet."

I have been so over-the-top grouchy lately. I was on some hormones to help force my cycles. I haven’t had a normal one since my son was born 4+ years ago. I am quite happy to skip the whole thing, but my doctor wants it differently. But I’ve had had to throw the pills out before I go INSANE. I could feel the blackness coursing through my veins, NOT GOOD!

To top it off, the whole emotional roller coaster has made me tired, physically and emotionally so my training has suffered a little. I’ve been listening to a lot of angry music which might not be helping my state of mind, but helps me get mean with the weights.

At least I was able to control the diet and not binge…

Hoping the hormones go away fast now that I tossed them. Funny how a little hormonal inbalance can mess up things so much!

The good news is I have been using wrist supports which has helped my problem with my grip alot. It’s been plaguing me! My forearms aren’t getting too pumped up now, which was causing a bunch of pain and made me feel like Popeye.

And, I’ve been working with a great chiropractor to help straighten me out. My right shoulder keeps floating up even when I feel like I am standing straight. Really messing up my posing and affecting muscle development - but now I have hope with that!

Gee now I am almost cheery. I need to write more often!

I love Sunday eves. All is quiet on the homefront and I’m getting ready for the week - checking over my schedule and cooking my rice, oatmeal, and veggies for the week. (Mondays I cook enough chicken or fish to feed me for 2 weeks.)

I usually do cardio Sunday nights too but this week is a bit off. I got some in yesterday hiking up a mountain with my 4 yr old on my back - sure beats the treadmill! I’ll get some cardio in tomorrow as we watch 24.

Strange but I look forward to Mondays and getting back into my groove. Tommorow’s a busy one - I’ll be running from the time I wake up till the time I get to bed pretty much. Then I’ll be so wired I won’t have time to sleep. 

I have a hard time getting more than 6 hours of sleep during the week. Once the kids are asleep I have so much to do and then I want to relax too, and there isn’t enough time in the day. Sometimes I have to force myself to shut off the damn light and just try to sleep. Next thing I know it’s time to get up and start running all day again.

Oh well, at least I’m never bored!

My ACL in my left knee turned a year old (as part of ME anyway) Nov 1, 2006. I tore it taking my daughter out of the car of all things. At least it was good timing when I did it - I was scheduled to have a hernia operated on in October so I got them both out of the way at the same time. It did suck being on crutches with my abs hurting big time though.

Course there was physical therapy and home exercises with little dinky weights if any. I had difficulty getting the flexibility back - it was just like old shoe leather and did not want to stretch. After all that, I was able to get back to cardio and then weights but had to take it easy for a while.

In May of 2006, tests showed my left quadriceps were still 20 percent weaker than the right and there was still a visible difference between the two. But by July or so, my left leg measured back to where it was before all this happened. Yeah hoo.

Still, I’ve had a hard time getting the strength back in my quads. My hamstrings are super-strong from it all but those damn leg extensions made me groan everytime.

But FINALLY, FINALLY I am hitting my numbers on a regular basis with my leg extensions! Yipee - it’s put a smile on my face a few times and I don’t look at the leg extension machine with hatred when Roc asked for 50 reps with 90lbs. It’s made my week! Whoo hoo! Course now maybe I’ll have to go up to 105lb… (groan)

My daughter (she’s 6) keeps saying I’m weird. Maybe I am. I keep telling her there is no such thing as normal; everyone has their quirks. But no, she insists I’m weird. Compared to the other moms she knows, I guess I am.

I’m not into decorating the house, finding that right fabric or piece of furniture, etc. Being in a state where I am perpetually at the gym or on my way from the gym, I don’t usually look “pressed if you know what I mean. My hair’s a mess, I rushed through my makeup if I have any at all, and I may smell a bit.

It may be my imagination, but I feel like an outcast among the stay-at-home mom crowd.

Here’s an (incomplete) list of the things I do that I know “normal people don’t do (beside the diet and exercise). Can you identify with these?

• No I am not having a fish fry … there’s just a sale on Orange Roughy so I am buying all of what the store has. What do I do with it all? I cook it all and package it up in 4 oz. baggies and freeze it. My family keeps me so busy at meal times, so I just take out my prepared foods for my meals to make it easier and keep me focused. I also buy 20 lbs of chicken breast at a time. Cook it all in one day and package it up in the freezer in 4oz portions.
• It often takes a few minutes to order at a restaurant. How’s that cooked? Is that farm-raised or wild fish (farm-raised has more fat)? Is it marinated? Can I get it grilled or steamed instead? Hold the potatoes/pasta/sauce: I want it without salt or oil. Meanwhile my husband is rolling his eyes. I have to kick him to tell him I am done and it’s his turn to order.
  When I am prepping for an upcoming show, I’ll accompany my family to the restaurant but only have water. Sorry I already ate. I’ve also ordered off menu and just gotten an egg white omelet (made with Pam only and no cheese please). If a restaurant won’t do it, we’ll go to one that will. Come on, they all have eggs back there, how hard can it be?
• I went on a trip recently and checked my cooler as luggage. It had my food for the long weekend … chicken, fish, rice, veggies, rolled oats, and frozen liquid egg whites to keep it all cool. I worried about the container rules for carry-on for airplanes, but they let you bring little containers of food as long as it fits into your quart-sized Ziploc bag.
• If I don’t eat at least two meals in my car every day, it’s just not a normal day for me. I eat wherever I am if it is my time to eat. My tummy tells me so and I do not ignore it. If it is 4PM and I am at Karate with my kids, I whip out my cooler and eat my fish and veggies while I watch.
• I have shamelessly licked my plate clean of all remnants of cinnamon, salsa, etc. Not at restaurants though … I have good manners and can be taken out in public.
• I ate half a cake after my last show in my car with my fingers as I had no utensils, and it was like an ORGASM. Well, maybe close to it anyway.
• I have glutamine in my glove compartment of my car to take after workouts. Near contest time I also carry my BCAAs in my car. In my purse I carry my own Splenda, Splenda flavor packets for coffee, True Lemon, and I have a spare packet of tuna (in a sealed bag) just in case. My cooler always has my I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter spray and Ms. Dash.
• My daughter practices quarter turns with me, while my son is the audience.
• I’ve got a spreadsheet with my food counts on my Pocket PC. One sheet has common things I eat all the time, the other has my running counts for the day. I don’t do the log everyday anymore, but when I am off-season and not being so strict, I find it helpful and even strangely comforting to know how much calories, carbs, fat, protein I am taking in. Want a copy to use yourself? Email me.
• Near contest time, I have an alarm on my Pocket PC to wake me up at 2 am to take my multi-vitamin. I sleep with my earbuds in to not wake my husband. I don’t know why my trainer has us take our vitamins at weird times, but truly if he told me to stand on my head and whistle the national anthem, I don’t know if I would think twice or even question it.
• I chew gum. A LOT. Orbit Sweet Mint is the best flavor ever. Two pieces at a time.
• I have the world’s smallest bladder … if I’m not on my way to the bathroom, I’m on my way out. It’s worse at night since there is a cumulative effect. It’s part of what I need to do though so I just put up with it … about a gallon and a half a day will make anyone pee a lot. The unfortunate part is traffic. Sometimes my damn kidneys hurt!

To read this is to know me. If you actually read all this and you understand these, make sure you request to be added as a friend, since I’d want to know you too.

Guess I’m in a bit of a funk. I was working out this morning and got so damn frustrated I wanted to throw the dumbells through the mirror. I dropped the weights and walked away, swearing profusely to myself. I take pride in being fairly tough, but I was getting close to tears. Working with some heavy weights and using straps and I just don’t have the hang of using them yet.

I’ve been questioning myself lately and wondering what the hell I am doing. I feel like a need something shorter term to work towards and nothing seems to be an obvious goal to reach for. When I don’t have a short-term goal I truly feel lost. It doesn’t make sense for me to start prepping for a show, when I am planning to do a couple towards the end of July. So what now.

Guess I feel like I am not getting any younger and I am frustrated that I did not get into doing Figure shows earlier in my life. Do I really have what it takes or is it just genetics anyway? Sure am working hard…

Listening to Linkin Park - One Step Closer to the edge and I’m about to break… pretty much how I’m feeling. Tried to just take it a bit easy with the kids today to make me smile more and count my many, many blessings. It pretty much worked to get me through the day.

Anyway, back at it tomorrow with a smile on my face. It will be worth it right - I have to figure out a short term goal and tackle it.