Cassandra's first hair braids - done by Daddy!

I just had to quickly share this picture with you all, it's just too cute! I know it's off topic from my usual talk but, this is well worth it! *lol*

Dissapointed but it's OK...

Well, I didn't get to do my leg workout on Friday, I only got to do my cardio, so today was Leg Day. Well, everything kind of went down hill since this morning.... got up at about 8:00 AM (thinking it was early enough) and I finally got my "monthly visit"...WAIT, let me call it my "Quarterly" visit since I have been nothing but late lately! It's stressful when you're late, you start wondering "Am I pregnant??" Then you start looking for all the symptons that come along with that! It doesn't help that I just found out that two of my co-workers at work are pregnant, and they are now looking for the "third", cause you know what the say "Everything comes in 3's" HA! I've been sooooooo tired this week, and now I know why! *lol*

Anyway, I took the dog to the vet today since he was due for his shots. I left the house at 8:30am and didn't get get back till 11:15am! Took almost three hours to get his shots, they had sometime of clinic event. I also had my two year old with me...my patience was running on low while trying to calm the dog down AND my daughter trying to pet every animal that came through the door! It was quite interesting, but I'm pretty sure that I won't try to handle both of them in that way again for a long time.

My little Cassandra has also been running a low grade fever all day, one wants her mommy with her at all times :). She barely would eat today and I actually found one thing that she would eat, PEANUTS! Of course, she was also trying to feed them to me as well, so I ate may be 3 or 4 peanuts, but each one after that, I gave them to the dog *LOL*.

So, I finally got to the gym at about 11:50 AM only to find out that the daycare closes at 1:00 PM , I knew immediately my workout was going to get cut short! AND IT DID! I was trying to rush through all my exercises, and couldn't get to my Abs and Calves. :( So, I'll probably end up doing them tonight from home, OR hit them real hard tomorrow.

I'm also getting cravings from HELL. This will probably be the case for the entire week! I honestly believe that this is a "real" test for all women, especially when they are following a strict diet, cause you honestly do crave chocolate, sweets, pasta, etc....just all sorts of high sugar/high carb junk!

HONESTLY, today, I've been craving my Oatmeal, Whey Protein and Peanut Butter morning breakfast bowl..but my it's not in my diet so, I won't have it! Sometimes, when times get rough, I often find myself thinking about what the other girls (competitors) are doing and it keeps me straight :-), that's the competitive side of me that drives me to keep it clean and workout hard.

Day 3, 4, & 5

Wow, I can’t believe it’s already been five days since I started my new diet and workout program. The days just seem like they are flying by so quickly.

So far, so good! It just seems like I’m sore all over. My legs have recuperated but I still feel some slight tightness in my hamstrings, but nothing that a little stretching won’t fix, I’ll still be able to work them out tonight (light leg day today).

Today, my back and biceps are sore but I expected that was going to happen. I’m really focusing on my back since it’s a crucial part AND since it’s my weakest bodypart, I haven’t been focusing on it as much as I should have! My back needs some serious attention, and that’s what I’m giving it!

There’s a quote that I posted on my computer at work and when times get a little hard, I read it “This is no time for ease and comfort. It is the time to dare and endure”.
There will only be but “one” first time, and I want to give it my absolute BEST!

Day 1 & Day 2

Hello everyone!

Wow, these past two days have been real intense for me! I don't remember the last time I've been this sore (no wait, yes I do, the first week of my Body-for-Life Challenge!). Some of you might be interested to know what I'm eating and what I'm doing for exercise...here's a sneak preview:

Day 1: Legs (heavy day)
Barbell Squats 4 sets of 10 reps
Leg Press, 3 sets of 10 reps
Lunges, 3 sets of 10 reps
Stiff Leg Deadlift, 3 sets of 10 reps
Bench Step Ups, 2 sets of 10 reps (each side)
Leg Curls, 3 sets of 10 reps

Meal 1: 4 oz of ground turkey breast, 4 eggs white (w/one yolk), 1/3 cup of oatmeal, 1/2 of a grapefruit (7 oz). 7 AM
Meal 2: 2 scoops of whey protein, 5 frozen strawberries, 12 oz water - 10 AM
Meal 3: 1 can of water packed Tuna, 3 cups of romaine lettuce, 2 tbsp of Newman's Oil & Vinegar Dressing - 1:00 PM
Meal 4: 4 eggs whits (w/1 yolk), 2 tbsp of salsa, 1/2 cup wheat rice (slow cook kind) 4:00 PM
Meal 5: 5 oz Chicken Breast (yield raw), 1 cup sweet potato (4 oz), 2 cups of green beans - 8:00 PM
Meal 6: 2 scoops of whey protein, 5 frozen strawberries, 12 oz water - 10:30 PM
BEDTIME SNACK: 1/2 grapefruit (7 oz)

1830 Calories
Ratio 51%/27%/22% (protein/carbs/fat)

Starting Tomorrow!

It's that time! Finally! I've been waiting for this day for what seems like forever!

Starting Tomorrow, I'm officially "prepping" for the Figure Competitions! How exciting this is! I know this is going to be a tremendous amount of work, a lot more mentally then physically...but, I have lots of people helping me out! Keeping focus is sooo very important, especially on those very hard days.

My diet will consist mostly of the following: Tuna, Chicken, Fish, Salad, Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans, Broccoli, Aspargus, Whey Protein, Egg Whites, Oatmeal, Peaches, Strawberries, Grapefruit, etc.

I'll be working out 6 days a week, really focussing on Legs and Back..my back is extremely weak compared to the rest of my body, it's got a lot of catching up to do.

Anyway, I'll be posting my before picture soon...meantime, here's an updated pictures of my daughter Cassandra!

I'm getting anxious!

Ok - so, August 1 is just not coming around the corner fast enough. My mother thinks that I'm addicted to my pc (and I partly believe her!) I've been scouring the internet for Figure Suits, Figure Competitions Articles, Monica Brant's forum, Body-for-Life Tracker website...anything that can inspire me and help me during my 12-week pre-contest diet !

My mother is going to be leaving next weekend to go back to Canada..I'm slightly depressed about it since I really do love her company! She cooks and cleans the house for me ! :-) I'm soooo spoiled when she visits! I will trully miss her company when she leaves :(. However, with her company and good cooking, I managed to gain a few lbs that are sticking to my ribs and making me feel fat and bloated! Arggggggggg.

Anyway, soon enough, I'll be back on tract! When I complete these two competitions, my goal is to stay within 5 to 8 lbs away from my contest weight, this way, it'll make it easier for me to get ready for a show when needed (or photo shoot!.....hey, I got the right to be optimistic!).

My First Day Blogging!

Today, I decided to start my own blog! After viewing many other Body-for-Lifers using this, it's inspired me to start my own!

After my first BFL Challenge, it's giving me the ambition and encouragement to live a healthier lifestyle and to take it even further! Starting August 1, 2005, I will start training for two Figure Competitions, one taking place in October and the other in November of 2005!

It's been a dream of mine, to be on stage, and to compete since 1997! Why haven't I done yet you ask?!? To be honest, my self-confidence was very low and I thought that I was physically not capable of doing it! Also, back then, they didn't have such a thing called "Figure"....it was only Fitness and with no gymnastic background, I thought that I had little or no chance in competiting in that field.

Well, perhaps by competing in the "Figure" and after doing it a few times, perhaps I will have the ambition to continue and cross over into the "Fitness" competing world!

The picture above is my little 2 year old daughter, Cassandra! Ain't she the cutest! :-)