WOOHOO! 40 Followers! THANK YOU!

 

I just want to say thank you to all my followers and those of you that regularly read my blog. I love writing it and I'm glad some people out there find it interesting enough to read it on a regular basis! You are all awesome in my book!!

So, the lowdown....I did not go to the gym. My knee is almost back to normal so that's great! I slept really well last night so that's also great. I woke up feeling refreshed, knee felt pretty good, I could breathe (though I was sneezing a lot - allergies!). It was a good Friday morning for me. I will be hitting the gym tomorrow for the first time in over a week. Sooooo excited! Can't wait!

Yesterday I got my book I ordered the other day: Apolo Anton Ohno's Zero Regrets and I have to say that it is fantastic so far. It's highly motivating and helps me understand that I really need to live my  life with zero regrets. Go at everything in my life 100%. Decide what to do and then do the darn thing! That's it. There is no other way. LOVING this book BIG TIME! Wish I could read faster! Hee hee! He may not be for everyone but I find it HIGHLY motivating!

I'm ready for the weekend and I think it's going to be great. I have a lot to do in the next couple of weeks and beyond so I better get it started early tomorrow! Have a great day and an even better weekend!

“The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.” ~Vince Lombardi

Wednesday is here...and possibly more RAIN?!?

I never thought of Southern California as a monsoon kind of place but boy, it sure seems like it this year. It's crazy the amount of rain we've seen this year!!! Boy oh boy!!!

So as I was working out this morning I was thinking to myself, "Why again do I do all this working out?" You know when you're exhausted  and really pushing for those last few reps every once in a while you have to question why. Well, that was me this morning. Yes, why am I torturing myself and tearing down my muscles? Why?!? Hahahaha! Of course I know why but when your body is so taxed out you have to question your sanity slightly I think. I think I'd be more worried about myself if I didn't. I did my Saturday Hammies and Glutes today and it was fantastic! Great workout! I changed a couple of things, decreased some weight and increased others so let's see what I did:

Sumo Squat 3x8 95#
Bulgarian Split Squat 3x10 40# 50#
Good Mornings 3x12 65# 45#
Hip Thrust 3x12 45# 65#
Single Leg Bench Squat 3x10 12
Supine Sliding Leg Curl 3x10 (basically up in a bridge with feet on a towel and then sliding heels away from my butt and then pulling them back in - much harder than it sounds!)
Single Leg Back Extension 2x10 bodyweight only
Back Extension 2x10 bodyweight only 3x13 10# plate

I'm feeling pretty good this week. I kind of eased up on worrying about all my eating. Yes, I'm still eating clean and enjoying my food. And I think that's the point of life...to enjoy food. Isn't it? I'm pretty sure that's the sole reason we've been put on this planet. Just to enjoy food! I'm not weighing and measuring anything this week. I'm working out as much as usual. I don't do much cardio anymore. But I think I need to pick that up again since it makes a difference when I lift. The stronger I seem to be cardiovascularly, the better I seem to be able to lift without just completely sucking wind, particularly when I'm lifting heavy. I may take another break like I did about 5-6 months ago and just give my body a rest and see what happens. I'll keep you posted about it though.

Again, I must tell you that if you don't own any and haven't tried them, you must try the bakery emulsions from Lorann Oils. Their flavor is amazing! I particularly like the orange and lemon. And I love using the butter vanilla. They're really tasty. I use them in shakes mostly. But also if you like lemon stuff, try a little of the emulsion in some Greek yogurt with some stevia to taste. You'll die! It's so divine.

That's about it today.

Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world. ~Harriet Tubman

Take Action Now!

So this is funny. Today while I was doing my 40 minutes of cardio on the incline treadmill I was thinking about how you really have to set you mind to something and then just go for it and take action to get that something. Well then guess what? My ex-coach/mentor Gina posted just that exact thought on her member site today as well!! Isn't that just too funny? Sometimes I think she and I are connected at the brain. It's too funny!!

I can't remember what song I was listening to that made me think that but it said something about doing anything you set your mind to. It's such a good point. While I know this is true and I know it's what I should be doing, most of the time I don't do it. I'm much better about this than I used to be but every once in a while I get stuck. Or I think of a great idea and want to get started and then I just don't even know what step to take next. I think this is fairly normal human behavior. If we all knew what steps to take all the time we would be taking them, wouldn't we? That's why it's KEY to look to others for help, advice, and direction.

Talk is cheap when it comes to realizing your dreams. You can just talk about them, you have to act on them. Take a little step every single day. But do SOMETHING that will set you on your path. If you don't put your foot on the path, you'll never be able to go down it. I found this quote and boy, does it resonate with what I was thinking just this morning?

To accomplish great things we must first dream, then visualize, then plan . . . believe . . . act!

~Alfred A. Montapert

DREAM - Go crazy! Just get nuts with your dreams! Sit by yourself with just you, reserving no judgment, not wondering how you will get there. Just be and just DREAM! Let your mind go free. Act like you did when you were a child - innocent, invincible, and a dreamer! Be that child and just dream away. It will do you a lot of good and it's fun besides.

VISUALIZE - Whatever that is to you. If it's closing your eyes each day and seeing yourself at that pinnacle or if it's a vision board or a note or message or anything that will get you there, just visualize it. Believe it in your mind's eye!

PLAN - This is where a lot of us get stuck. Planning can be challenging but it's so worth it in the end. And by having a plan you've already set the wheels in motion. The plan is the key, I believe. By creating a plan it means you've thought about your goal(s) enough to actually formulate a plan. Think about anything you've successfully done and you'll realize that there's was always a plan to get you there...ALWAYS!

BELIEVE - Oh boy! Another tough one! You MUST, absolutely MUST believe in your dream, vision and plan! If YOU don't believe in it, how will you ever convince others to believe in it? As difficult as it may be, you must believe in you, your dream, and your vision!

ACT!!! - This is probably the worst sticking point for everyone. It's so hard to take action when you don't necessarily know what the outcome will be. But you have a plan now and that will only lead to taking action. Sometimes the actions have good results and other times not. That's all part of the plan though. We all know things don't always go as planned so we really must trip, stumble, fall and get up to take another action. See? Part of the plan.

I would also add to this TRIP, STUMBLE, FALL, LEARN, REGROUP and REDIRECT!! Because these are all the things that will happen as soon as you start taking action. But don't be afraid of these things. They ALL have helped us grow into the people we are today. So do you have a plan of attack? Are you ready for your dream to start being realized? Join me this month as we move forward into our dreams one little action at a time!!

In life, the first thing you must do is decide what you really want. Weigh the costs and the results. Are the results worthy of the costs? Then make up your mind completely and go after your goal with all your might. ~Alfred A. Montapert 

About being ready...

From Kai Greene post-win interview. He won 1st place in the Arnold Classic last weekend.

His mentor once told him: "Eventually when you are ready, it will almost be like a coat that you don't have to get tailored, or taken in anywhere, a hem or seam redone, when that time comes, should that time come, and YOU are ready, the situation will be ready for you."

On the bliss of his winning moment: "The evidence of working really hard...focusing...believing and aiming to tap into your best...and channel your best...and...shut down all the other voices that may be going on outside of you and listen to that one voice or only those voices that resonate with the voice that's loudest inside of you and channel it and focus it toward the ends like this...the success that you dream of...is the bliss in this moment that I celebrate."

Rain, rain, go away!

I'm VERY tired of the rain. This is not the reason I live in "SUNNY" Southern California! Actually I don't even mind if it rains during the week but I want to do my track workout on the weekend on an outdoor track! Is that too much to ask for?

I was up bright and early this morning, hitting the elliptical for some fasted cardio. It was a good workout with good stretching. I came home and ate, then ate again a little while later and then it was back to the gym (hence why I'm so tired of the rain!!) for my track workout. It was great! I love that workout but definitely prefer it outdoors.

Tomorrow I have a long stepmill workout plan in the am and then I'm done until Monday! Hopefully it will stop raining by then because then I can do the Santa Monica Stairs instead of being in the gym again! That would be fantastic! Keep your fingers crossed for me. As for the rest of Sunday, of course I'm sure I'll make some protein muffins and such and probably cook up some fish, maybe pork and chicken or turkey! I'll let you know what I end up making. I also have to do a lot of laundry tomorrow! That's my fault for not doing any today. I have GOT to get motivated! Ugh!

Tonight I made some kelp noodles! They were pretty tasty. I can't wait to figure out a recipe for them to make a cold noodle salad in the summer because they are very crunchy and would be refreshing in the summer to eat. Again I'll post my recipe when I figure out what to do with them. This is their website: www.kelpnoodles.com

Have a nice evening and I'll get back with you tomorrow post workout and hopefully post cleaning and mid-laundry. Oh, yeah, I know how to partay!!!!

I can see my dream more and more clearly each and every day and I can't wait to get on that stage. I can feel it. I'm getting the vibe and it's still 6 months away! It'll be here before I know it though! What a great feeling to have a goal and really go for it! First time in my life I've really done that, at the ripe old age of 43!!!

“You see things; and you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, 'Why not?'” ~George Bernard Shaw, (Irish literary Critic, Playwright and Essayist. 1925 Nobel Prize for Literature, 1856-1950)