Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Top Five Tuesday

My first ever Top Five Tuesday!!! 

5. Song of the moment: 
         Don't judge me... I know it's a little dirty... Partition by Beyonce. The Queen B. I have the whole 5 minute long version, but between this and Talk Dirty to Me, hip-hop is stuck in my head all day. 



4.  Girl Crush: 
            Shakira. I have been loving this season of the Voice and she has a new album dropping?! Latina perfection. Can I just be her already?


3.  Health and Beauty Fad:
           Oil pulling.   I honestly have no clue if this is doing anything... I have noticed I have been sleeping deeper, but that could be due to a number of things.  I mainly enjoy it because it is pretty relaxing to swish oil in your mouth for 20 minutes and it forces me to be quiet and relax. Hahaha I use this brand:



2. Thing in the gym: 
       Hip capsule stretches with a band.  Learning to incorporate mobility exercises into my workout routine has been an invaluable lesson/resource I have learned from physical therapy.  Check out Kelly Starrett and his mob wods!



1.  Meal:
        Breakfast burritos!! I have been doing egg whites, avacado and salsa in a delicious fiber filled wrap. I have discovered that having healthy fats from avacado or PB in the a.m. keeps me fuller longer!! 



Monday, March 24, 2014

New, new all things new.

My ONE word for the year: New.
(Instead of making tons of resolutions I focus on one word as a theme)

Isaiah 43:18-19 "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness, streams in the wasteland."



Little did I know, these "new" lessons were going to be some of the toughest ones I have ever had to face.  

For those of you curious how I am holding up since my competition:

The Physical(mostly)

>> Reverse diet is in full swing (probably would be going better if I had been more compliant to begin with) Want to know about reverse dieting? Check  here

I went from If It Fits Your Macros... to this post comp:

The dirty truth: Doing this competition a. killed my metabolism b. screwed up my hormones c. caused me to fight some mental battles with food for a few months as I got a handle on the "post contest non-restriction" mindset.  There were a handful of times I ate myself into oblivion and felt quite miserable... that "binging" mentality is what counting macros and reverse dieting is supposed to help counter.  I am super grateful for my coach who has been constantly encouraging and ALWAYS truthful with me as I chose to do this to my body(sound crazy?! It is). Trying to get my head in a healthy place to a good few months, but I am back to macro compliance and slowly working my way back up as my metabolism is kicking back into gear! As far as my hormones, those are a disaster but also slowly regulating.  I won't go into crazy details there... 

Here are two current pictures weighing in at 141:


>>I have just finished six week of physical therapy for an inflamed SI joint and hamstring tendonosis, and I am recovering well!!


Yea, I said the same thing Jennifer.  I had been training on some intense glute/hamstring pain for about three months when I FINALLY decided to go to an orthopedic doctor.  My physical therapist said she thinks as I was training heavy, while dieting down, I was not giving my body enough nutrients to rebuild the muscle so the chronic breakdown caused the "osis." This breakdown and not doing alot of single leg isolation caused allllll kinds of muscular imbalances which led to the inflamed SI.  

The Spiritual(and lots of emotional)


Back to those tough lessons: I was convinced teaching Zumba 3 days a week, training non-stop, all while building relationships with the women I was teaching/at the gym was the path God was carving out for me.  I always want to be involved in ministry in some way and when I had to STOP completely, I was at a loss.  I couldn't teach Zumba, I couldn't do cardio, I couldn't train legs.  I went from working out 6-7 days a week to training upper body 3 days and having LOTS of free time.  All I could do was rest and focus on teaching.  

I spent a lot of time confused, alone, and down.  Not only was a down because I could not be as active as I was used to being, and could not get that endorphin release; I had no clue what God was trying to do with me.  All the things that had been so right and good last year had been taken right out from under me.  I have had to learn that it is OKAY to rest, that my body is not going to FREAK OUT if I do not work out every day, and most importantly, I have learned how to surrender control.  Through my first Beth Moore study I have learned how to get in the "secret place" and let everything go and sit back and watch as God works in me and those around me.  

...I am going to try and do a better job of posting and updating on the things I am learning as I get my PERSONAL TRAINER CERTIFICATION!!! HECK YYEAAAAA.  It's about time I get paid to do what I love (besides teach precious young minds Spanish).  



Sunday, November 3, 2013

Competition Weekend Recap

The days leading up to the show:

Thursday I took off school and had such a great day.... I got my nails done, got waxed, had a great workout, and just felt so excited and ready!

Friday morning I woke up on the wrong side of the bed... I was tired, it was rainy, I was trying hard to get myself psyched to leave but just felt sick to my stomach.  Thank Jesus for my awesome trainer Helen at Kx who was there while I was doing my final workout to give me a little pep talk and a hug :-)  After coming home, getting all packed up and showered, I felt much better! I went to go pick up my sweet man and we headed off to Greensboro!


We got there in just enough time for me to drop him off at the hotel and head to my first tanning appointment.  In case you didn't know all competitors get a crazy dark spray tan to help showcase muscles better/make everyone a .. um... neutral? canvas.  It was SO nuts.  I walk into this gym and get herded into this curtained off area with 20 or so other stark naked women.  We took turns getting sprayed from head to toe then standing in front of fans to dry for 15 minutes before our second coats.  Needless to say all modesty went out the window.  

I think two of the biggest shockers of the weekend were: 1. the tanning process and 2. how sweet the female competitors were.  

Honestly, I was expecting the girls to be all caddy and keep to themselves, but the majority were so sweet and gave great advice! I made a couple friends I know I will keep up with for awhile, but I will get to that later!!!

After my first two coats of tan I went to check in and get my number ((268)), then I had enough time to pick up Stephen and have him drop me off at my last coat of tan while he went to grab some dinner for himself.  I had packed all my food for the weekend and some snacks for him, but the poor man's gotta eat! 

Competition Day: 

I had to wake up at 4am for my makeup appointment at 4:30.  Woof.  It really was not that awful because I was SO excited, it literally felt like Christmas morning on Saturday.  I hardly slept I was so amped up! All the tanning, hair and make-up was done by Alluring Artistry and they are fantastic! They had amazing attitudes the entire weekend and did beautiful work on the competitors.  

I got back to the hotel and couldn't go back to sleep so I spent some time with Jesus just surrendering any nerves and thanking Him for the opportunity to be a part of this.  I also asked that I would just be in tune with what the Holy Spirit is doing in the competitors around me so that I can encourage and share His love! 

I woke Stephen up at seven and we headed to the theatre at 7:30! I felt SO at peace and not nervous in the least bit! Soon before the show started Alison and Rachel (my two best girlfriends from Wilmington) showed up for pre-judging, along with Cheryl, Mark and Cindy from my gym here in Lynchburg.  I was already feeling SO, so loved! I sat out to watch the open figure which was right before my category so I ended up not having much time to "pump-up" before I got glazed and strutted out on stage with my class to go through the mandatory figure poses to be judged and placed.  

Definitely my biggest lesson learned: ALWAYS pay attention to what is going on backstage! 

After not making first call-outs I was pretty sure I had not placed, but we wouldn't find out till the final night show.  Honestly, I was not super disappointed because this entire experience has been for ME and not for the trophy and I knew it would be a great day regardless! There were some great bodies in my class; however, I did feel confident I had a stronger upper body than some of the other competitors which is awesome :-) 



The girl who was right behind me ((269)) was also doing her first show and we really supported each other the entire day.  We made each other laugh when we were nervous and even pumped up for the night show together.  I know we will definitely stay in touch through the coming months.  Meet Marissa:


After pre-judging and being pretty sure I hadn't placed top 3 in my class I knew I could relax and just enjoy the experience of the rest of the day and spending time with some amazing people.  I said my goodbyes to Alison and Rachel and met up with my family at the hotel to go to Ruby Tuesday's for a BANGING lunch and have them meet Stephen :-)  We all came back and took post lunch naps and coffee-ed up for the night show.

No one in my family had ever experienced a body building show so it was quite a shocker for them, but they enjoyed it.  At the night show the bodybuilders do routines to music and all of the awards are presented.  Three time Mr. Olympia Phil Heath did a guest posing routine and it was insanely awesome! The crowd got sooo hype! After watching his routine I went back to get dressed up, pumped up and oiled up for my final time on stage.  This time I would walk out alone, hit a couple poses and then walk off enjoying every moment in the spotlight.  A massive group of amazing people came from my gym to cheer me on and I literally felt more loved than I ever have in my life!!!!  My beautiful friend Kat came with Travis a teacher from my school as well. 





I came off stage feeling so proud, and grateful, and loved and overwhelmed that God would choose me to be a part of such an amazing experience!!!! I hurried out to the lobby to meet the "entourage" and snap some pics before everyone headed home.  

 

Afterwords, Brother, Stephen, Kat, Travis and myself stopped at this little pizza place in downtown Greensboro and I inhaled a massive piece of pizza before saying goodbye to Stephen, Kat and Travis.  After that, brother and I proceeded to stop at Sheetz for a cookie and cheddar munchies :-)  then headed to the hotel for a glorious, carb induced coma.  

So you ask, now what?

Well, I REFUSE to be that girl that got in great shape for one show then falls off the bandwagon, and gains back a ton of weight, and never goes back to the gym.  Today was  my last day of "guilt free" eating (yes, I still tracked my macros even though I ate the other half of my bacon cheddar pretzel burger for dinner and had Panera with my family for lunch). I am keeping my awesome trainer, Ryan Blackburn, and am going to reverse diet and slowly start building up my carb and fat numbers.  The goal of doing this is to help my metabolism adjust and ultimately try to increase my metabo so that I am eating more than I was, yet staying leaner than I was.  It will certainly be a journey, but I am excited! He will be sending me a new plan tonight or tomorrow for me to follow.  I am going to switch up some of my training routines, but I really want to keep on powerlifting (squats, deadlifts, etc) and lift HEAVY!   I did go do sprints and some body weight pullups/dips tonight at the Sandusky track.  I couldn't just lay around in this carb comatose state all day long! 

I expect you all to hold me accountable, and I will keep you updated on my progress :-)

The oh so appropriate gift my parents got for me, instead of flowers:







Saturday, October 26, 2013

Yoga Whispers from Jesus

For any of you who do not know.... I <3 LoVe <3 hot yoga! I really enjoy any kind of yoga because it helps me slow down, stretch, focus myself in the present and not the zillion things I want/need to do, but especially Bikram hot yoga (I love a good sweat).

I'll just be real honest... I thought this coming week was going to SUCK.

It is my first "peak week," aka the week before your competition, and I was convinced it would be miserable.  I pictured myself to feel weak, exhausted, incredibly hungry, irritable and out of it.... but then God stepped in today and reminded me of something very important.

I am His.

I was over halfway through my hot yoga class (my second workout today after waking up at 430 this am so hungry I had to cook my breakfast before I could even think of going back to sleep) and I was shocked at how amazing I was feeling.  Then it was clear; I felt God whisper,

"Why are you so surprised Alex? Of course you feel great because I am your energy and source of strength.  I have brought you through seventeen weeks of training with enough joy, and strength and peace to last a lifetime and I will not abandon you now.  You are walking the path I have carved out for you."

I literally giggled to myself in my savasana pose because I could just picture God shaking His head and smiling down at me.  It is SO crazy to me how quick I am to forget His Truth and how Good He is... not just some of the time, but ALL the time.  

All that being said to say, this will be a great week.  I may be hungry, I may be tired, and more weak than usual, but God is with me and will never leave me or forsake me.  I am expecting great things to happen.   

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Raw

Today was yet again a struggle:

I had that overwhelming feeling that I was going to break down in tears, I knew I wasn't going to be able to push the weight I have been on my typical leg day so I was dreading going to the gym, my brain  felt like it was at a constant war.  I would be not hungry, but my body is just NEEDING food and it is just a mental war not to eat all of the edamame and peanut butter in the teachers lounge.

Well, I did end up breaking down in tears over this video: A beautiful freakin' love story....

Then I just felt super selfish after watching that.  I was just so focused on my own self pity all day... So here goes my list of things I am grateful for that happened today:


  • I woke up to my alarm and not my neighbors crashing upstairs
  • Spent some time with Jesus and all the reading focused on Him being my strength (yet I am so quick to forget)
  • My sweet students worked so well today... overall.  I gave out like 3 detentions.  I may be tired, but that doesn't mean you can run wild and shoot paper balls Jajaja
  • My amaze-balls student assistants got alot of grading done and I pushed through to get ALL CAUGHT up
    • This week is the end of the nine weeks and grades are due sooooo things are a bit cray
  • The other awesome Spanish II teacher has plans ALL created for the days I will miss next week as I take off to my competition 
  • I survived my leg workout
  • Was able to pull myself together after that video and work on some new Zumba choreo for my women
  • The aforementioned upstairs neighbor came down and apologized for crashing around and introduced herself.  Sweet woman.
  • My sweet man came over for a bit between jobs and kept my waning self company 
  • Now I am just realizing how blessed I am and hate how negative I spent quite a few hours of my day today.
Reflecting really does help keep things in perspective.  I have 9 days to buckle down and push hard and give it all I have... today.... I could have given more.  Just keepin' it honest. 

Goals for tomorrow:

Have a successful re-feed - by successful I mean hitting my macros and not taking a few extra here and there

Make parent calls for the failing students (required for end of 9 weeks documentation)

Do my sprints during 7th period

Go to the dentist

Take spin class to burn those extra cals

Hug someone random 

Write a note to someone I appreciate 


Saturday, October 19, 2013

Rollercoaster

Yesterday I was riding the struggle bus.  I had a headache all day and every single rep of my leg workout felt like it was dragging out endlessly...

Today was a new day.

I woke up and had a banging egg white omelet for breakfast, lounged on the couch, put away all my laundry and planned my clothes for next week (yes, I plan my clothes a week ahead), did my sprints, got highlights, killed my back workout and posing practice all before dinner and grocery shopping for the week.  

In the midst of all that I was able to meet a sweet group of people rockin' HerbaLife t-shirts who do a workout on Saturdays.  I will definitely be checking that out! I was able to praise Jesus for a new day and the strength to push through all that needed to be done, get to know my sweet hairstylist a little better and catch up with my sweet man.

I say all of this because tomorrow we will start fresh once again.  Did you take advantage of the time you had today to build relationships with those around you? To encourage someone? To make healthy life choices? Maybe you are filled with guilt or regret over actions from today... 

...let it go and let's try again tomorrow.  

Lamentations 3:22-23 

                 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.
                                   They are new every morning;  
  great is your faithfulness.

Friday, October 18, 2013

Late Night Sappiness

Are you living the life of your dreams?


What is it you want most in the world? What is it you so deeply desire and think will bring you fulfillment?
  • To have a successful career
  • To marry "the one"
  • To be happy with your body
  • To mend broken relationships
  • To get involved in something other than the hum-drum of daily monotony?
Let me ask you this....

             ....when was the last time you stepped outside your comfort zone?

I was doing my sprints on Wednesday, exhausted from dieting and relying only on the strength God was providing and suddenly I had this burst of energy.  I realized I was chasing after my dreams and it takes extra work, being uncomfortable, and pushing past the boundaries I thought I had(physical, mental, emotional, spiritual) to achieve the extraordinary.  

Don't laugh at me.... this is the vision board I made at the beginning of the year:

It has some of my favorite IFBB pros, great quotes, encouragement to eat healthy, love others and achieve my "dream" physique.  I have been looking at it for months, but that does not change anything.  

Intention without action is worthless. 


During my cardio sessions on the stair stepper I have been listening to sermons and came across this Beth Moore message. A few things struck me hard:

God's love for me is so deep
                     His plan for my life is purposeful and perfectly timed
                                     I was placed here at this time, in this generation to serve the purpose He has set out for me

I know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that my job at HHS, training for this competition, teaching this Zumba class and the relationships I have been blessed with are ALL perfectly timed in God's plan and though at times I may be uncomfortable... I am so incredibly at peace walking daily with Him.  

Could you possibly believe God has a crazy, exciting plan for your life? Better than anything you ever hoped for?