nic902’s BodyBlog

A word of warning…stay out of the gym on Saturdays!!!! I always take Saturday as my rest day, but with my new routine (3 on-1 off) there will be days when I HAVE to go to the gym on a Saturday. I had to work for a few hours this morning, so I went to the gym afterwards…I got there at noon and WOW—let me tell you…a completely different crowd than I am used to, I didn’t see one familiar face! It looked like a freaking high school—little cliques of chicks trying to look cute and yappin on their cell phones and dudes wearing sleeveless shirts and walking around like they have basketballs under their arms….yeah, you know what I’m talkin about!!!! since I’m not a usual Saturday gym-goer…you should have seen the looks I was getting—LOL! Let me just say…I was the only chick lifting and the only person with a notebook

i started my new diet and training program yesterday, so i took some new pics to watch my progress. my goal is to compete sometime this fall—so this is the first step to get there. my weight currently is at about 105-108lbs, so i know that i need to gain some nice muscle. i am increasing my calories a little bit and cutting back on the cardio but not dropping it completely. my training is a 3 days on-1 day off split, which will give me much more rest than i was taking before. with the cutback in cardio, increase in calories and extra rest…i am hoping to gain some lean mass but still keep my bodyfat low. i dont want to lose my abs i guess i’m hoping for the best of both worlds…but in the end i know i gotta do whats necessary to reach my goals!

i don’t normally socialize when i’m at the gym but the past 2 days people have been very chatty with me! yesterday, a guy approached me to tell me how much he admires my dedication and he went on with how great i look, how hard i work…ect–i just smiled and said ‘thank you’…i get so uncomfortable when a stranger compliments me, i never know what to say :p well, this morning an older man (in his 60’s), started complimenting me and asking me what my goals are and if i ever though about competing. i told him my plans and he gave me some great advice! it turns out, back in the day he used to run some shows in PA…so he knows what hes talking about! maybe i should turn off the ipod more and socialize a bit—-nah, it would just mess up my rhythm

gotta run…time for me to eat!!! hope everyone had a safe and fun holiday weekend   

today i met with my trainer for the first time. he’s making some changes to my current workout split and diet. i am now going to be doing a 3 on 1 off split which gives me 2 days off each week, unlike now where i only have 1. also, not much of a surprise to me…he wants me to lighten the cardio load a bit. to get ready for my photo shoot, i have been doing 45min 6x a week…needless to say, he thinks that a bit much so far the only change to my diet would be to add in a few more complex carbs. my calories have been pretty low (1400) along with all the cardio to get as lean as i am right now, so adding the extra carbs will bump them up a little. with the increase in carbs and decrease in cardio, i am expecting to see the scale begin to creep up i’ll just keep tellin myself that its muscle…right now my weight is between 105-110lbs, while i LOVE seeing my abs…i know that if i want to compete i need to put on a little bit more muscle. hopefully i can do it and still stay lean

as for the subtitle to this blog…i decided to do a little baking tonight to show other people how food can taste good and be good for you! i found a great recipe here for peanut butter protein cookies…yummy! well, now i remember why i dont allow peanut butter in my house~~after making the dough, i could not help myself and finished off the rest of the jar!!! there was just no stopping me…i was a woman possessed!!! after my cookies were all done, i had to try one…or was it 2??? how about i ate so many…i lost count so i went from eating 1400 calories—to over 2000 in about 1 hour! i now feel like crap, my tummy is so bloated…no abs here~~hopefully they’ll be back when i wake up tomarrow :p

i like to look at the positive side of things, maybe my calories have been too low for too long and my body was starving and craving more food! i start my new program on sunday, i am putting 110% faith in my trainer and hopefully i am on my way—i’m just going to have to keep that damn peanut butter out of the house!!!

im off for an exciting friday night—watching my phillies take on the astros, and hoping the freaking marlins and braves get knocked around tonight…the mets at this point are just a joke!  lots of channel changing ahead for my night—hope everyone has as much fun as i do

just like so many people that i’ve ‘met’ here, i don’t have a lot of support in my quest for a healthy and fit life. most everyone in my daily life thinks that i’m obsessed and need to "live a little". When i mentioned my photo shoot people pretty much said "uhh…why??" —ummm…because i want to! i had sent some pics that i’ve taken to my brother (he works out to be fit, not ‘obsessed’) when he saw them, said "OMG—i didnt realize how muscular you are!" he told me that he knew i was in shape but since he always sees me in jeans and t’s he didnt truely understand my dedication and passion. he is now encouraging me to compete—i have to admit, it is something that i’ve wanted to do, but havent had the guts to actually persue. i never thought i could be the type of chick to compete…but i also never thought i would strip down to a bikini for a photo shoot either~~LOL! i was scared to do it but a friend really pushed me to and i am so glad that i did! i dont want to live life with regrets. if i compete and have an awful experience and hate every minute of it—at least i did it and i’ll never wonder "what if??"

its so amazing what a little encouragement can do—my brother and his wife have even offered to go and check out some shows with me. i know i’ve got alot of research to do before i jump into this—but i really want to do it, just saying it outloud excites me! right now, i’m looking for a figure coach/trainer to help me…because i sure dont know what the hell i’m doing or even where to start!

if anyone has any tips or advice—i’d love to hear it! this chick needs all the help she can get

i just uploaded a few pics from my photo shoot from last week…i love them! i am so happy with how they turned out—i cant really even believe it’s me i have come so far from the person that i used to be. i had such a great time…even though i was a bit nervous, so i know that next time i’ll be much more comfortable!

i’d love for everyone to check ‘em out and let me know what ya think—and remember…be honest! :p

yesterday i had my first photo shoot…i think it went really well. i was nervous at first, since it was my first time but as the day progressed i felt more comfortable. the photographer was really awesome and he helped me so much! doing a photo shoot is something that i NEVER in a million years would have ever thought i could do but i jumped out of my little box and did it training has changed not only the outside but really helped transform who i am on the inside, i have confidence that i never had and i am really comfortable in my own skin. i had so much fun and its something that i would like to do again in the future!

after the shoot me and my sister-in-law met up with her step-sister and went for dinner. i have been so super strict with my diet and training (i wanted to look perfect!). i cant remember the last time i had a cheat…hell even a treat. well…boy oh boy did i reward my hard work! i had a personal cheese pizza and french fries…OMG—so freaking delicious well, now i remember why i dont cheat…i felt like crap! hell, i still do my tummy is so bloated,  i’m so thirsty and i have a wicked headache….must be all the salt on them fries! i felt like i swallowed a brick—my sis-in-law says that the cheese pizza it was fun…but today i am back on track, eating clean and cant wait to get back to the gym tomarrow!

hope everyones havin a great weekend

i am so excited—tomarrow i will be doing my first photo shoot i am really happy with the progress that i have made and i can’t wait to see how professional pics will look! i am always scared to do new things..i don’t like to be out of my comfort zone, but i’m really excited about this opprotunity! my sister-in-law will be coming with me, so that should help me relax and keep my nerves in check she and i have never been very close but she has been super supportive, so hey, maybe this is a new page for us.

i tend to get stressed easily–so of course i’m worried about my hair/make-up, clothes and diet…i don’t wanna show up with a full meal and a gallon of water in my tummy :p  i am no pro at this, but i’ve worked hard to look my best…so i am going to embrace this experience and enjoy it!

if anybody has any tips or advice for a first-timer….i’d love to hear it!

i just want to share a quick story…yesterday morning on my way home from the gym, i stopped by walgreens to pick up a few things. since i was coming right from the gym, i was wearing capris and a beater—i guess i had a nice pump going on because the guy at the register says to me "so, you lift??" i said "yeah" and then he says…"oh, thats rare" so i was just like "uh–ok". then he starts saying how its weird because you dont see it very often ect… well, i was paying with my credit card so he gives me the receipt to sign, hands me a pen and says "here, its big so you wont break it"—i didnt even get it at first, so i gave him that uncomfortable ‘leave me alone’ laugh. first a guy from the gym asks me if i’m a fighter, then this dude–so i take these comments as nice compliments…that i look fit and athletic. hell, i dont even know if thats what they meant but thats the way im taking it!

anyway–just thought i’d share…hope everyones week is off to a great start!

i posted some new pics earlier in the week but i’ve been so busy that i havent had the time to blog about them. i am very happy with my progress, as i have really come a long way…but i’m still not satisifed. i keep telling myself that there is no such thing as perfection but even though i like my new pics, i still feel i have a lot of room for improvement. i don’t know what my bodyfat% is but my upper body seems to be much more leaner than my lower half. i guess my lower body is where i store all my fat. i am not getting down on myself—thats what progress pics are for…to see how far i’ve come and what i still need to work on. my trouble spot appears to be the glute/hamstring tie-in. so, i’m definately going to be working on that! i recently added cable kickbacks and i’m bumping up the weight on my SLDL—i will be getting that booty in tip top shape.

time for an injury update! my ankle is feeling much better—while its not 100% yet, i have been running for the past week or so with very little pain, a bit of soreness but nothing too bad! i’ve had to lighten the load on my leg press because the pain was just too severe—i’m hoping that adding the cables to my glute/ham workout will make up for the drop in weight on the press. it feels so good to run again—hopefully that will help lean out my legs a bit!

the other day i was in the middle of a hardcore quad/calve workout and this dude approaches me—which really surprised me, as i dont socialize with anyone at the gym. he askes me what i’m training for…i was like ‘huh’?? he asked me if i am training for a fight–he thought i was a female fighter!! i explained i workout just b/c i have a passion for it…blah, blah, blah. I was very flattered, i took that as a compliment–that i look like a strong chick that can handle herself. when i was talking about it to some friends, they all acted as if i should have been offended! offended?? are you kiddin me i was rocking a smile for the rest of the day maybe i’m strange but that means a lot more than some dude sayin ‘nice ass’ i guess some people will never get it!

thats enough of my yappin…i’m going to finish watching my 1ST PLACE phillies! i know its only may—but it took us 162 games to get in first last year so i’m going to enjoy it! :)