10 weeks out...more cardio, new food program and my swimsuits on order!

As of Saturday, I am 10 weeks out from my competition in May. From 19 weeks to 10 weeks, it’s hard to believe I will soon be in single digits. Travelling over the past little while for work had been a good challenge. Learning to get really good at prepping my food in advance and travelling with a packed cooler and eating out on the road was great practice. I’m not perfect yet, I am still learning to find that balance and how to eat and train on the road. Now that I am back in Vancouver, I can buckle down and learn the balance of working and training. I love my job and I am so lucky to be working for a great company and that is my priority and my training is what I would consider a hobby. I love training and eating clean and I’ve really enjoyed all the people I’ve met so far.

Training on the road was a lot better this time because my trainer had a cardio plan and weights plan that I took with me on the road. I’ve gotten to test out several gyms over the last month during my travels through Saskatchewan and Alberta, but now that I am back in BC. It’s training time. Early morning cardio sessions before work and weights with my trainer in addition to working is going to be a great new challenge for me!

10 weeks doesn’t really seem like that much time but for the last 9 weeks I have been eating tonnes to try and get my metabolism up and it is the weirdest moment when it kicks in. It happened last Thursday when I was in Calgary and I woke up hungry. I proceeded to eat my 6 meals but was still hungry. It was my metabolism saying, hello! Feed me. I had also only been doing 3, 20 minute cardio interval sessions a week. Now that I am 10 weeks out my meal plan has changed and so has my cardio. I am now doing 5, 40-45 minute cardio sessions a week. Oh boy! I’ll be up early to get these done so that I can work during the day and train in the evening. I will be prepping my food on Friday’s and or Sunday’s. Keeping cooked chicken and salmon on hand in addition to flats of hard boiled eggs is a chore in itself but making it fun is the important part.

Another exciting bit of news is that I have ordered my swimsuits! I met this amazing girl name Tanya and she is going to be designing my WBFF suit for May and the one for my Oxygen Model Search in Toronto this June.

My family, friends and co-workers have been very supportive of me during this time and that makes this whole process a lot easier. My coach, who I now refer to as my friend is amazing. These kind of experiences really bring people together. Over the past few months she has not only been a great mentor but she has become a great friend!

On Saturday we spent the whole day training. The day started with an early morning hot yoga session and ended at Steve Nash for some arms and cardio. We treated out selves to our cheat meal at the Keg that night and it was the perfect way to end a great day of fun! She definitely kicked my butt on the Stairmaster. I was doing side steps, knee tucks and glute kicks. Oh and I forgot to mention sprints! My arms are still sore....needless to say David and I will be doing a leg work out tomorrow to give my arms a bit more rest. Sunday I did cardio on my own and spent the rest of the day prepping my protein and did a little grocery shopping for the week.

Another friendship that has been really good is my friend Shannon who is also training for a competition in Calgary in June. She and I will be jet setting to Toronto together to compete in the Toronto Pro Super Show. The cool thing is I will actually get to see Natalie (coach/friend/mentor) compete as well!

I feel really good right now, but with my cardio increasing it will be interesting to see how that affects my energy levels. It will be important to eat well, rest lots and find balance with that and work. That’s all for now! Time for lunch J

Eat. Train. Sleep. Repeat!

Nicole

The art of saying NO and life balance.

Today was interesting. Things have been going really well with work, training and staying on track but life isn't going to always be so predictable. Friends have birthdays, people want to party and stay out late but drinking and eating out isn't at the top of my list right now and it's easy for me to say NO, but hard for people to accept. Of course I want to go out party, have fun and go dancing and I can but it has to be at my discretion.
From my point of view, I’m 17 weeks out from my competition but this is my first one and I want to be prepared. There is no reason for me to be eating well, getting lots of sleep and investing time and money into my goal if I am going to do be having constant “cheat nights.” I want to be 100% dedicated to this because this is something that will help me achieve my goal.
The more I train and dedicate my time I want to go far. I want to be top 3 and make contacts for potential magazine spots and other sort of networking opportunities. If I do well here, I want to see where it will take me especially with regards to Skechers and how it will help me break into different niches. I have so many ideas for Skechers and my training is definitely helping me. This is something that is really important to me but I also know that finding a balance between life and training is key. Everything in moderation is how everyone responds, but it you had to be in a swim suit on stage in 17 weeks you would be cautious too.
I’m not only 17 weeks out from my first competition in Toronto but I’m 15 weeks out from a competition her in Vancouver that I am still debating to do. I really want to compete here in Vancouver not only because it would be great practice for Toronto, but my family and friends could come here and support me and see what I’ll be doing in Toronto. If I decided to do Vancouver it will be hard because I will be two weeks out from Toronto and will be prepping for that. I have time to decide though, but need to make up my mind sooner than later.
Other than my dilemma which I’m sure will get easier after I get into more of a routine with cardio, strength and rest that I will feel better overall. In terms of everything else, I feel great and really excited about everything going on in my life.
That’s it for now.
N

Chest and Back = Soreness

Today Pepe and I did a chest and back workout where we focused a lot on form and the proper way to do a lift and breathe etc. There is a lot to take in, but it's a good challenge for sure. I can't wait to start being able to lift a lot of heavy weight. He said it should take about a month to get to deadlifting 130lbs and we will go from there.
We even did a little bit of core today which in addition to my posture needs work. Doing this is also a great test to my patience because I won't see results over night but over a period of time. I need to remember how excited I am now because I'm sure things will get hard or challenging and I will need to remember those times I felt excited to be able to lift a lot.
He also said since I am looking for more of an athletic build as a fitness model, vs. a more muscular build we will be doing more explosive movements vs. slow movements that build more muscle.
Our next session is on Monday and I can't wait to see what he has up his sleeve. We are also going to be taking measurements and find out where I'm starting so in 19 weeks from now I can see my changes.

I had some delicious boiled eggies after my workout and a little bit of nut butter on some rice crackers. Since my session was at 10, I was able to get up and make oatmeal and egg whites which was good breakfast to have before my workout.

In the mean time, Natalie and I will be doing a killer leg workout on Saturday so I'm sure walking on Sunday will be a bit of a challenge...but definitely one I'm up for. Tomorrow I might do a little swim for a break and then take Sunday off.

That's all for today....rest is the name of the game in order for me to get feeling better as I'm still not 100%.

19 weeks out.

As of today I am about 19 weeks out form competition. I feel okay, but I am still fighting a cold I've had for 3 weeks now. I went to the doctors and had to have blood test to see if they could figure out what I can't kick this cold.
I met my trainer on Tuesday. His name is Pepe and I think I had a case of DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) because I am really starting to feel the burn in my legs and calves.
I will be training with him 3 times a week, Natalie (my mentor/coach/friend) once a week and then on my own once a week. I get two rest days, one of them being an active rest day so I can swim or do yoga. It's hard to image where I will be at the end of May, 2 weeks before competition.
My eating plan has changed a lot. I had been eating really well, but I actually wasn't eating enough. Natalie beefed up my meal plan and I get to even more. Lots of protein, eggs, nuts and more protein. Travelling with my job makes this a challenge, but learning how to eat on the road and pack meals in advance will be a good tool to learn. I think a good cooler is going to be an investment for sure....hopefully I can find a cute pink one.
My number one goal right now is to fight this cold and to get healthy. With lots of travel over the next two months, training, eating well and staying healthy are my goals. I have a great support network at home and amongst my friends which definitely helps.
I have a workout tomorrow with Pepe and I can't wait to see what he has planned for me tomorrow...oh boy, it's going to be awesome.