Ever just sit down to take the time out and find out what you really want from life? Well I had to do that for myself. I did it during my last prep for my last and final figure show. It took a while but I had to realize that I would NEVER fit what the judges wanted when it came to Figure and it sucked. I knew that I would never be 5'3" and 110 pounds and I knew that with my background and my education that being that low in weight wasn't going to be healthy. I took a step back and looked at the bigger picture.

I decided that I would return to track and field because I knew that it didn't matter how lean I was or how much I weighed all that matters is who makes it to the finish line first. I had to return back to the basics and I found out that my heart lies with track and field and it has never left.

Bodybuilding has allowed me to transform my body but track and field will allow me to take my body to another level. 

I only get sick once a year and it throws off my training for 2 weeks. I knew that it would happen eventually I just hate the fact that it happens close to Christmas. When I'm sick I'm down for 2 weeks and doing nothing but moping around and sleeping. But I still manage to get work done. What's sad is that my mind is always in one gear while my body likes to accelerate and decelerate but I never allow it to. I know we're suppose to listen to our bodies but me on the other hand I never do.

It takes for me to get bronchitis and a sinus infection to get me to actually sit down and rest for a few weeks and not do ANYTHING!!!!! NO TRAINING! NO CARDIO! NOTHING!!! Just lay in the bed and sleep like it's nobody's business but come Monday I'm about to go hard in the paint. My goal is to do the Ronnie Coleman Classic on March 31, 2012 and decide if I want to move to Texas for good.

OMG I can't believe that I have gone almost a week without touching a single weight. My body is thanking me for it. All week I have done nothing but cardio and even had time to get a much needed massage. On Monday, I gave Muay Thai a try AND I AM STILL SORE!!! I have never been so sore that it hurts to even sneeze. I have 72 days until the Iron Man Naturally in Los Angeles and I can't wait because it was the first show that I did this year and I placed 3rd in my height class this time I'm hoping I can do better.

Muay Thai is something that I have officially decided to incorporate into my training from here on out. I was able to let out so much aggression and frustration that now I feel relieved. Good news is that I've lost 2lbs and some body fat not a lot but I am on the right track of where I need to be in terms of getting ready for my show.

The goal over the weekend is to continue to relax and most of all take some new progress pictures. I hope everyone is having a great week and hope you all have a great weekend.

Take Care,
Monique

A few weekends ago I had taken my USAW Level 1 Sports Performance Coach Certification Exam and I received the email today that I passed with almost 90%!!! Hey I used my head for more than a hat rack. The only results that I'm waiting for now are my NSCA-CSCS results and once I receive those it's time to start applying to universities for internships or employment. I can't wait

Today I sit for my NSCA-CSCS certification exam and I'm a nervous wreck. I have major test anxiety and this morning I damn near had a panic attack. I'm trying to stay calm and relaxed but DAMN this is a bunch of stress. The first part is 90 mins and the second half is 2.5 hours AND I'm sitting in front of a computer the entire time. Talk about eye strain. I just hope I do well because we all know certification exams aren't cheap and they are a good investment. They're only a good investment if you pass. Other than that you're throwing your money away.

I am super tired I spent all weekend doing Olympic Weightlifting with USAW for my Level 1 Sports Performance Coach certification and I AM WHOOPED!! My entire back is sore from doing 135# Snatch and Clean pulls, power cleans, jerks, and snatches the whole shabang....WAIT!! Is shabang even a word?!?! lol After I finished my exam I rushed home to catch the end of the Giants game...GOOOOO G-MEN!!! Love my New York Giants. I was getting so frustrated because I was staying updated with the game on my phone and penalties and just not scoring was killing us.

But this week is about to get crazier because I have to sit for the NSCA-CSCS exam on Thursday and I'm just trying to freshen up on the Exercise Science portion but i feel pretty good about the exam overall and then I have to sit down this week with a friend of mine who is helping me put together a calendar. Never thought I would be putting together a calendar but hey I am.

www.facebook.com/miteemo

Today I wanted to see where I was as far as my strength went because I haven't really been able to workout like I wanted to because I was a few weeks out from my competition. But today I deadlifted 275 and repped it 3x. 

I love seeing how far I've come

Despite not placing in my second figure competition I learned a lot from the experience. The main thing that I took away is that the judging is really subjective and you will never know what the judges are looking for but I know one thing I got on that stage looking BETTER than I did in January. Competing is fun for me. It's not all about winning a trophy or being able to say I WON!! To me it's about being able to have the guts to get on that stage and show off my hardwork for the entire world to see.

My next competition is 111 days away aka January 28, 2012. I took a week off and pigged out but I know that the only reason why I ate so much was because I was bored. I get bored when I take a break from training but I can't really be bored anymore with so much on my plate. The goal this time around is to drop 10-15 pounds and get some sleep.

My goal of becoming a fitness model is beginning to get closer and closer and I'm going to keep going until I reach my goal. I have so much on my plate with my blogsite (moniquesfitness.com), my youtube channel, my facebook fan page, responding to emails, setting up photoshoots, my training, diet, etc. It's hard work but it keeps me on my toes.

I'm cutting fruit out of my diet during my training this time and going to play around with carb cycling aka ketosis BKA "get Monique some carbs before she kills you!!" lol It's hard training for a competition but I do it on my own. I can't afford a coach and I went to school for Kinesiology so I'm just going to use what I know and apply it to my training. It's all trial and error whether you're competing or not you have to find what works for you!!

After yesterday and getting all my crying out and eating the best peach cobbler in the world I am ready to tackle the gym and get ready for San Francisco Figure Comp in October. I have a little over 5 months to prepare so I'm going to go back to building up my back as well as my legs My 2 favorite days at the gym. My competition is the day before my dad's birthday and it would be awesome to place and make him happy.

Today is PACKING DAY and officially 1 WEEK TIL GRADUATION!!! I'm skipping out on the pomp and circumstance because I'll be too tired from finals and everything else all week. My family doesn't mind either. I'll do the pomp and circumstance when I get my Masters.

The swelling in my knees as well as the pain has gone down been doing my best to stay off of them this week. So come tomorrow I will have fresh legs and I'm attacking them with full force

Have a great weekend everyone

Woke up this morning went and did cardio and abs and I'm on my way home from the gym and received the worst news of my entire week: MY SUIT ORDER WAS CANCELLED DUE TO THE MAKERS OWN PERSONAL EMERGENCIES/ISSUES....................I am devastated because I had been training so hard for San Jose Figure in July and I was 8 weeks out. I'm hurt because I was really looking forward to getting on that stage but I spoke to my friend and he said: "You're going to do the San Francisco show and you're going to kill it. You're going to place overall. NOT first in your height class but OVERALL. It's ok because this was in god's plan and go out tonight and EAT EVERYTHING AND I MEAN EVERYTHING!!"

I sat and cried my eyes out for about 10 minutes. I know not to order my suit from them again. Especially if you're allowing personal issues to get in the way of you making money. I've learned to put all my personal differences/issues aside just to make money or keep my job. I won't let this ruin my weekend. I graduate next Saturday and now I have a little over 5 months to whip my body into even better shape and kill the stage come October.

I feel like the Koi fish that is trying to reach the top of the waterfall to turn into a dragon. I'm about to overcome every obstacle that is thrown my way and stay persistent. I'm determined, dedicated and disciplined enough to know that I can't sweat the petty stuff and don't pet the sweaty stuff

I know it was bad but I went the entire day without carbs and my head was pounding, I was ready to cry and most of all my coworker who was eating an in and out burger was bragging by taking huge bites in my face. So what did I do? Knocked the burger out of his mouth and pounded the crap out of it with my fist. He was mad and so was I because he teased me. I swear everyone knows that I compete and I'm at the point of carb cycling and can't really eat carbs like I want. Bet he learned his lesson. But because my body craved sugar so much I couldn't resist eating 2 glazed donuts. YES, I SAID 2 GLAZED DONUTS!!! I feel so bad because I know I'm 8 weeks out and I want to go run off the donuts but I can't because my knees have been bothering me all day. To make matters worse I had to detail a piece of cardio equipment and I spent most of the time either bending or kneeling (OUCH)...I didn't really get to workout today because my mind wasn't really into it. I'm taking the rest of the week off to give my knees a break and instead I'm going to do swimming.

I took my first final of 6 today and I aced it ....It's so bittersweet because I walked into my advisor's office today and I thanked her and made her cry because she has really helped me get through my undergrad studies whether it had been by finding me a job, internship, etc. She pushed me and told me not to give up even when I was working 3 jobs, taking 19 units, and trying to get off academic probation. She even posted my 1st comp picture on the wall to show other students that it's possible to workout, work, study, and still be healthy.

I hope everyone had a great day. I'm going to go for a walk and maybe go take a yoga class

My life has been on a rollercoaster lately and this bad boy is moving at top speed. I decided to move out of Southern Cali and move back to Oakland when I'm out of school this semester. I was offered a few coaching jobs as well as being able to get my business off the ground when i move back. The thing that has been bugging me the most is the meds (naproxen) that the surgeon put me on for my knee. I've been dealing with never ending abdominal cramping and it really sucks.

My training for my next comp has been going really well despite doing it on my own. I've been practicing my posing a lot in between sets when I workout. I do it so much people look at me funny. *sighs* The things we do to compete. I love it.

So for the past few weeks my knee has been giving me hell. I couldn't figure out why it was swelling and most of all why I was in so much pain when on leg days and I had to squat or do leg press that it hurt like hell. Well it turns out that I have medial synovial plica. It's just inflammation of a tendon that's attached to the fat pad at the base of the patella. So it's almost like it's snapping over my femoral condyle like a rubber band. But I'm on NSAID's for the next month and then I'll be good to go.

Yesterday before my exercise physiology class I went and got my body fat tested. I did hydrostatic weighing, calipers, and the electronic handheld testing. Needless to say they made me do everything twice because they couldn't believe the results. I AM 21% BODY FAT!!! I was so devastated yesterday. But I didn't let it discourage me. My trainer told me I needed to be at 4-6% body fat to compete. But I talked to a friend of mine and he said it's all a numbers game. He said that when I get on stage nobody is going to know how much body fat I have. So I worked out yesterday and just kept telling myself you will compete and place Top 10. I'm motivated and dedicated to making it onto that stage in January!!

I'm trying to lean out and it's not working. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. I want to get more definition and I've been changing my workouts because I plateau really fast. I need to get ready for the Iron Man Mag Natural Competition by January 29!! All I can do is continue to push myself and pray for the results that I want.