BIKINI COMPETITION MOTIVATION {08.19.2015}

Currently, I am 18 days away from starting my NPC Bikini Competition training. As I get closer, I have started researching workout and eating plans. I have also tried to find motivation in stories from other women who were in my shoes, women who have made the path available for me to follow and succeed as well. During my searches, I have found some really amazing and inspiring stories! This one in particular really struck a cord with me. I was browsing through the web when I came across this story and I just had to stop and read it. Mainly because this woman literally was where I am and is where I want to be. It's so inspiring when you find someone who shows you that anything is possible. Here is a short part of her story...

Sami Imbriano went from 165lbs to 112lbs for her competition. In an article by www.trimmedandtone.com Sami dished out all the details of her journey.

 

"One day I was looking through some Facebook photos, cringing at how I looked and felt, and I knew I had to make a change if I wanted to feel any differently about myself. A few years later and I am absolutely hooked on gym life, love getting active both indoors and outdoors, and genuinely enjoy eating healthy, so much so that I now work for a large Australian active-wear brand, take group fitness classes and boot-camps part time, as well as mentoring a range of online clients as a Personal Trainer, where I offer customized training programs and nutritional guidelines."

 

A big thing that everyone wants to know is how long it takes to see results. I am always shocked by this question. For me it's less about seeing results and more about feeling better all around, which is why I decided to start working out. Here is Sami's response to the question, "it only took about four weeks for me to notice a signification difference in my appearance, as well as just generally feeling better from improving the quality of food I was eating."

 

A major part of training for a bikini competition is staying motivated and on track, no meal skipping or missing workouts, you have to be very disciplined.  During her interview, Sami was asked how she stays motivated? To which she replied, "honestly, it was a challenge at times. Having a looming deadline definitely added a level of drive for me, but there were days that I really wanted a break from training, or just wanted to eat some bacon and eggs on toast instead of my comp-prep meals and sometimes I did just that! I found that if I stuck to my diet the majority of the item, I could manage to be slightly more relaxed on occasion - it kept me from going crazy living off chicken and greens 24/7!"

Her typical day of eating:

Breakfast - Oats, berries, almonds, or poached eggs on rye toast

Snack - Chobani yogurt with protein powder, or a protein shake

Lunch - Chicken, green vegetables, small serving of brown rice or sweet potato, avocado

Pre-Gym Snack - Rice cakes or fruit, with peanut butter and a little honey

Post Gym Snack - Protein Shake

Dinner - Meat and vegetables, herbal tea, and berries

 

Sami's workout plan includes:

2 x Upper Body weight training (back, arms, chest and shoulders)

2 x Lower Body weight training (glutes and hamstrings, quads)

2-3 x HIIT training (usually one short HIIT circuit, 1-2 body attack classes each week)

Just absolutely inspiring! I love reading these stories, such motivation and determination. I look forward to seeing my own changes. I am amazed at how much I have changed since we started working out in January. I now have 6 months to get ready for my very first competition and thanks to Sami's story, along with many others, I have more confidence than ever to reach my goal.

*Read Sami Imbriano's full story here!"

 

Follow Sami on Instagram @sami_rose_

THERE'S NOTHING LIKE IT {03.15.2015}

Today marks the end of two whole weeks of 6-day workouts. It's been rough. Surprisingly, the part where we go to the gym is the easiest. It's the part about meal prepping that seems to be dragging us down. Mostly because last Sunday we had absolutely no time to meal prep and so this week we just did whatever we wanted to do, which meant eating Chick-Fil-A one night, and Subway two nights in a row!!! But I guess there are much worst options out there. This week, I have been in love with Chia Seeds. I add them to just about everything now and the benefits of Chia Seeds are fantastic! To be honest, I was terrified that I would hate them, mostly because I had never had them before, but I was shocked when I realized that healthy foods can actually be quite delicious. I plan on going into detail about the benefits of Chia Seeds soon. I also want to share recipes and ideas for incorporating them into your everyday life, so stick around for that.

Another thing about this week that has made it so tough, is the fact that I have been planning both Erik and I's return to College. This has definitely been weighing heavily on our minds and I know we need to get our degrees. We have talked about it for years but were always so afraid to make the move. I think now, we both realize how important it is to have a degree and are fully ready to take that step, leap, jump, whatever you want to call it, we are ready!

I have also discovered that I really need more workout clothes and shoes. I love what I have but I want more! Sure I probably don't need more but I want it, shouldn't that be enough? I would love to have a closet like this... 

Before I head out, let me just show you real quickly what we are proud of this week. Although it's a start, and we really need to grow it more, we love seeing this everyday. It's the best type of motivation for us.

This upcoming week we have quite a few goals...first is going up to the college to discuss enrollment in our classes and second, eating at home every day this week and continuing our streak of 6-day workouts a week. Weigh-in will be next Sunday. My goal is to loose at least 2lbs before weigh-in and Erik's goal is to loose at least 5lbs.

Thanks for catching up with us!

FIVE FRIDAY FITNESS FAVS {03.06.2015}

Here are five things that I loved this week!

First on my list: Victoria's Secret Fresh & Clean Lotion & Body Spray

I cannot express how important it is to keep lotion on your hands and feet. Soft skin is amazing but the major benefit of lotion besides soft skin, is moisture. Moisture does incredible things for your body so pick up your favorite lotion and get to work. My favorite thing to do is use it after my morning workout and before I go to bed. Don't forget to spray a few spritz of your favorite body spray/perfume, nobody wants to smell you at the gym - be a lady and keep smelling amazing!

Number two on my list - HOT LEMON WATER! Every morning, upon waking up, I make myself a nice warm cup of lemon water. Besides all the incredible benefits, which I talk about here, this is a great way to wake up. My house is always freezing in the mornings, and this allows me to get ready for the gym and feel nice and cozy, at least until I have to drink the freezing cold pre-workout mix...

Next up, my Nike pink chevron shoes. So, it doesn't really matter what type of Nike's you wear or what color, just make sure that the shoes you are choosing to wear to workout in are 3 things: 1) comfortable, 2) safe, and 3) light. You don't want to be stuck in the midst of a workout and your feet start killing you, you also don't want to try and go into a wet sauna if your shoes do not have good traction, and lastly, make sure they do not weigh your feet down. If you need to, stop by your nearest Foot Locker and let the experts help you choose the best fit for the best workout.

Fourth on my list is PINEAPPLE! This has been my nightly "treat." I wanted to eat at least 6 meals a day and one of those meals/snacks was supposed to be after dinner. I had trouble thinking of healthy options that were both good and good for me. When I realized that fruit can be just as much of a treat as an ice cream bar, I ran with it. So for my nightly snack, I choose pineapple. It's sweet, delicious, filling, and healthy!

Last, but definitely not least, my VSX Sports Bra. You'll probably see me make tons of posts about Victoria's Secret, but does that really surprise you? The VSX Sports Bra is incredible! Not only do I wear it to work out, I wear it to work, around the house, pretty much anytime I can. The support is amazing! Keeps the "girls" up and my posture is so much better due to the "racer-back" style. This sports bra is definitely worth every dollar. One of the best things is, it was fitted for me. Too many times women head to Target or Wally-World to get sports bras and they end up not fitting, are uncomfortable or the support is not there so their posture is horrendous. Make sure you choose a sports bra that is comfortable, you don't want to go through a 30-minute,45-minute,or even 1-hour workout and have to deal with back pain due to your breasts not being supported, so spend the extra money for the extra benefits.

As always...

Thanks for reading and Enjoy!

NEW E & ME=BLOG FACELIFT {03.02.2015}

First of all, HAPPY MARCH beauties! Hard to believe we are flying through this year and not looking back for a second.

So recently, E and I suffered a miscarriage, you can read all about here. We made some decisions about what we wanted moving forward and part of that decision was moving on from our TTC Journey. 

In 2014, E and I went on a brand new journey called "lifestyle change." I will admit that once you get used to working out daily, it becomes a "need" and you want to workout. So by the title of our blog now (My Preppy Fitness Blog), one can come to the conclusion that we are back! We are back to the workout and fitness world. We started this morning actually. Day 1 was a thrill! Here's how it went...

3:45a - Alarm goes off

4:00a - Head to the gym

4:10a - Start workout: today was leg day for both of us

4:45a - E goes to the showers and I head for the sauna

5:00a - E heads to work and I head home to get ready for my day

So we ended up only doing about a 35 minute workout but we both managed to complete our leg day exercise routines. 

We feel really good! Confident! And ready to take on this workout journey. One of the things that I love is that we have a Costco within minutes of our home so it made Sunday Meal Prep so much easier. Speaking of meal prep, I will be posting more about that for those interested. I will also be posting our workout plan.

If you are wondering, E and I have set a so called "deadline" for ourselves. I needed to know my goal  date so I could see the goal and reach out. This goal date is June 1.

Throughout the next 12 weeks, we will push ourselves to be better, to make a huge lifestyle change, and even completely change our eating habits. Our blog will be dedicated to our journey throughout day-to-day life and fitness/workout/lifestyle change. 

I'm really looking forward to our first weigh-in which will be this Sunday, March 8! 

Want to join us on our 12 week challenge of intensity workouts and healthy meal planning? Check out our post tonight which will feature workout plans and meal prep plans. 

Enjoy!