shultisj’s BodyBlog

That pretty much sums up last week emotionally, lol - I started splitting up my cardio and weight training sessions while standing watch all week, and trying to celebrate my 23rd birthday in some way while dieting, as well as having to deal with all of the emotions of my impending move…….. ladies and gentleman, highlights include….. drumroll please:

The Great - on Thursday, my bi’s/tri’s day, a gentleman in the gym asked if I "competed or something."  Finally!!!!  Granted, biceps are definitely a strong point in my physique and I was wearing long shorts, but still, first time anyone asked, and I was loving it

The Mediocre - perfect timing, too, since my birthday was the previous day, Wednesday, and pretty much a non-event since being on watch and commuting 45 minutes each way to work means that I was getting home pretty late, and leaving the house earlier to squeeze in that morning cardio…….

The Ugly - getting my 8-weeks out diet plan from my trainer in Memphis, who with the disclaimer "now, this may be different, since I haven’t actually seen you in person yet" (I don’t move for another 3 weeks), preceeded to inform me that if I wanted to make this work, I needed to get my butt in gear and get on a strict diet……. followed by comparison measurements of his top figure competitors for me to keep in mind……truthful, but ouch!  It was just the motivation I needed, though.  Unfortunately, cutting out my carbs more drastically meant that on Saturday, the day we actually celebrated my birthday, I cried when I thought my husband forgot it, then cried more when it turns out that he had planned a dinner I could eat, a night bowling with friends, and a very thoughtful gift…….. and I don’t cry, lol

So, all in all, the week ended on a great note - great husband, even better support, and a wonderful birthday…… but the road to get there would have been smoother with more carbs

(More on training and diet in another post to come)

Woo hoo!!!  Or, I think, lol. 

I am officially 9 weeks out from my first figure competition, which puts me in "single digit prep time" territory.  As I have been told by wonderfully supportive people here on bb.com, that’s when the going gets tough, but also when things get going!

 Made a few changes last week - slightly more protein than carbs, trying to keep the fats low-moderate and all very healthy.  I will give this steady state diet (I am taking in about the same number and ratio of nutrients every day; no cycling) one more week, then gradually phase in carb cycling at 8 weeks out.  I am still seeing progress and getting results, but my body is about to hit a wall, I think, so some change will be needed.

The first quarter of my prep is behind me, and here are the changes thus far:

weight - lost 2.1 lbs

below chest - lost 2 inches (above chest and chest retained size)

waist - lost 1 inch

low waist - lost 1.5 inches

hips - lost 1 inch

thighs - lost 1 inch

Not bad for 3 weeks of really hard work   This sport is very, very gratifying thus far…. but check back with me when my carbs go away.

This week I will increase the frequency of my 15-min posing sessions (last week I completed 3 sessions after workout), and am splitting my cardio off into the morning.  This will be much easier on my schedule, and I’ve seen good fat-burning results in the past when I’ve split my cardio and weight sessions, but I am making sure to consume some whey protein before I hit the stairstep to preserve muscle.

On a personal note - I am starting to get ready to move, which is hard emotionally and logisitically….. I am going to miss my family terribly.  In happier news, we have decided to dip into publishing as part of our company business, and are now publishing a monthly newsletter via email and on our website (the website will be re-launched next week after a massive overhaul, but remains under construction, so please be patient if you have visited the site in the last few months).  Eventually, the newsletter will grow in size and be printed for distribution. 

And in other news, work on my first book on naturopathic health has officially commenced

I love this type of work, but it is a lot of work!  I am also on watch for the Navy all week (yes, you read that right, and no, I am not in trouble!  That’s just the watch policy in my command), so feel free to hit me up if you need something to do; I’ll be here….

 In the meantime, I hope you all had a great holiday weekend, and enjoy your week

Or so it seems to my brain, which started ringing the "10 weeks out" panic bells on Sunday, lol.  This, however, I was prepared for - the same thing happens when gearing up for a powerlifting meet.  For some reason, the closer the show gets, the calmer and more focused I am….. you can see the end, practically taste how good it will feel to be up on stage, and the competition itself becomes your motivation.  Those last few weeks, you can give it your all and not hold back.

Or at least, you can in powerlifting!  Is it the same in figure?  Time will tell, I guess.  This far out, I still have to fight to pace myself, to continue to modify my diet, not crash diet overnight, to keep the cardio reasonable and remember that 10 weeks on a stairstep is a really, really long time…..

The photoshoot this weekend was good motivation.  I worked in a forest in the morning, then at the beach in the afternoon.  It was an entertaining time, to say the least.  All of the other models were about 5 years and decades of maturity younger, and completely lacking in posing experience or professional training.  So, I spent more of the afternoon teaching than modeling (I’m not exactly a "be an accessory to the car" type of model, it’s just not in my personality), which was a great time.  There is hope for the younger generation, lol.

While I did get one portfolio-quality shot to add to my modeling book, the main triumph for me was having my progress picture snapped at the end of the day.  It is posted here.  Please excuse the sunburn, scratches, harsh overhead lighting, and lack of a pose; hey, it was the end of the day, and I was caught off-guard!  What matters most to me is that my quads are still huge and my glutes very much a work in progress, but I am loving the way my body is changing.  It is exhilirating.  Unfortunately, most of the areas I am trimming down in (low waist, ham/glute tie-in, thighs) are not tracked on bb.com….. se la vie

Thanks, too, to all of my friends on this site.  Your support has been incredible!  That’s the reason I joined - I’m not really a computer gal, but everyone has a few spare moments during the work day, lol.  Each person I talked to about how to get the help I would need to prepare for a show while moving told me to set up a bodyspace and let other people help encourage me as I moved around and changed trainers, gyms, and everything that doesn’t have to do with the gym.  They were right, and thank you

Talk to you soon,
Jan

Happy Friday!

I hope you have all enjoyed your week, and and are ready for some well-deserved relaxation time this weekend (when you’re not at the gym, of course!).  I am spending all of Saturday at a photo shoot with 5 photographers and about 10 other models in various locations around northern Florida (mostly beach scenes, and a few swimsuit scenes in the woods) so it’s been a hectic week trying to get all of my lifts in to accomodate the extra day of work (I usually lift on Saturdays).

My eleventh week out from the Northern Kentucky Figure Championships was……. a bit rocky, to be quite frank.  On Monday I came down with a vicious case of the flu, complete with fever, sore throat, and sinus pressure so great my head hurt through the roof of my mouth.  Five days later, I am still working to rid my body of this bug, but the herbs and oils are doing what they should (as a naturopathic health care practitioner, I will only seek antibiotics or OTC drugs in very, very select circumstances).

 The illness was a bit of a challenge for my mind, though.  I didn’t miss a workout (other than skipping the cardio on Wednesday, when I was extremely dizzy and the thought of bouncing on the stairstep was not appealing, lol).  Although my at 12 weeks out diet was not extremely strict yet (for my 12th week out, I averaged 1650 cal, 46 g good fats, 147 g carbs, 25 g fiber, and 131 g protein every day), at least, nothing more strict than the last 2 weeks before a powerlifting meet, and the changes from 12 to 11 weeks are minimal, diet is a challenge for me……. it is the one reason I have always joked that I could never do a figure contest.  Now that I am in the midst of a training cycle, these thoughts are added determination to prove myself wrong.  Although I think the flu was a coincidence in terms of timing, part of me wonders "it is a function of the training and lower calories?"  "How will I deal with the weeks as they get more and more strict?"  And of course, I wonder how much more restricted my diet will have to get!  Because this is my first show, we are playing everything by ear, so to speak.

 Then my heels arrived in the mail, which bouyed my spirits and reminded me of how exciting it is to challenge myself   They are goofy though, and at only 4 inches, still a challenge to walk in!  I am going to try using them for some of the photos tomorrow, and see what they can do for me off the stage.

 Do any of you all struggle with such thoughts?  How did you deal with them?  How do you give your body the fuel to heal itself when you get sick during your cycle?  Although it is relatively far out for me, I have read many accounts of people falling ill only a few weeks out from their contest.

I will take my weekly measurements and post updates tomorrow, as well as photo shoot pictures as soon as I can.  Have a great weekend!

is the thought that runs through my head every time I reach for more tuna, cook up pounds of chicken breast, or spend my work breaks browsing clear "hooker heels" instead of my usual search for dog toys and treats……. it certainly is different from powerlifting!

 I am starting this blog (another first for me) as a means to stay focused, and hopefully gain some support as I prepare for my first figure show, the Northern Kentucky 2008.  I am currently 11 weeks out.  This will be a show purely to gain experience, although I will train my hardest, of course!  I am a public affairs officer in the Navy, and will move to Millington, TN (near Memphis) from my currently duty station in Pensacola, FL in 5 weeks.  The Millington tour will mean 3 years by myself, apart from my Marine husband, Jason.  Besides his status as soul mate and best friend, Jason is also my coach - he took me from squatting the bar to squatting 350 in 2 years, all because his response to my desire to lose weight was one word - "lift."  I ldid lose about 30 lbs of fat and 15 lbs of bodyweight, but since that first day in the gym I have also gained a passion for a world of strength unlike any I could have imagined.

 Unfortunately, the move means I won’t have spotters, or a coach, or a training partner, for the next 3 years….. combined with the pain that is quickly becoming chronic in my upper back, the decision to move away from powerlifting for a bit seemed an easy one to make.  So figure, here I come!  Although the move, and filling a new duty station, will stress my diet, training cycle, and willpower to the max (not to mention having to teach myself to pose!), I am excited to get heels on the stage for the first time, and grateful for the distraction that training will provide in those first weeks apart from my husband.

 I already have wonderful help awaiting me in TN - Lance and Wanda Moore (a new pro in 2007) have taken me under their wing from a distance, and once I move, will work with me in person as often as I can make the hour-long drive to see them (probably on weekends).

 Now that you have the background on where I am, thank you for taking the time to read this, and any future posts.  I will soon post my diet, workouts, and mental progress from 12 weeks out through the show, and can’t wait to hear your thoughts, and read how you are starting out your new year.  Good luck in 2008 - it’s going to be a great one!

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