I am just finishing my 4^th week in my competition prep and I can’t believe how fast time is going by.   There have been a few changes in my life as well. I went back to working in the jewelry business four days a week on top of training private clients, teaching classes and training myself! My days are long and I have to be even more on my game on being prepared with my foods and workouts to make sure I don’t miss anything.  It’s a lot but as the same time the job keeps me from obsessing to much about the competition.  I make sure I have all my meals packed for work and that I find time to get all my work outs in. I have good and bad days depending on how well I slept but I am pretty much in zombie mode by the time I get home.  I’ve had a few minor breakdowns due to exhaustion and not being happy with my workouts but I pushed through and am lucky to have the support system I do to keep me going.  My diet is the same except I switched to eating organic meats and can taste and notice a difference.

I started posing in my heels and bikini, ha, that was an interesting day and needless to say I have a lot of practice ahead of me.   I don’t think I will post again until after the competition due to my crazy schedule and zombie-like nights but I will still be posting pictures and postings on my KickAsh Facebook Page in the meantime.

Thank you again for your continuous support!

In March, I was living in New York working full time, visiting with friends and and pretty much living in vacation mode, eating and drinking whatever I wanted.  I figured that when I got back to LA, I would begin competition training i.e. a strict diet and intense workouts.  Although I had an idea of what to expect, my first few days of actually sticking to a new, more challenging regimen were harder than I thought.

I hired IFBB Bikini Pro Michele D’ Angona who has trained hundreds of competitors in figure/Bikini and fitness events.  I am eating six small meals a day that consist of egg whites, lean protein, quinoa, yams,  zucchini, asparagus and some whey protein.  I am not allowed salt, sugar, soy, dairy, or gluten and I must weigh and prepare all my own meals to know exactly what I am consuming.

My first day was a bit of a disaster.  I think I was overwhelmed and tried to do everything too quickly because I managed to burn a pot while making a batch of quinoa, failed to properly cook a dozen hard boiled eggs,  bought the wrong chicken and finally, I took the supplements at the wrong times.  After a mini breakdown, I took a few deep breaths and told myself to slow down and take this one step at a time.  I walked over to Trader Joe’s, bought some more food and tried again later that day.  I had a much better experience and prepared about three days worth of meals, all weighed out and put in their separate containers.

The next few days I was feeling great on the diet, but the workout was definitely kicking my butt, literally.  Every day I target a new body part , do cardio and abs and after a month of leisurely working out my body was feeling sore.  I had two family dinners, which I have to admit were difficult to sit through and not be able to eat anything.  I was able to stay strong and told myself I am only training for less than two months, which isn’t a lot of time in the grand scheme of things – especially since other competitors train for three months or longer.  My sleeping patterns have changed a bit.  I am pretty exhausted by the early part of the evening, which means I am getting up no later than 5 am.  I don’t mind because I am a morning person so I just get my work done even earlier.  As far as being social with friends and family, I feel slightly isolated as far as what I can do with them, but I am trying my hardest to be around them as much as possible before I get sleepy or cranky.  I can see how this can be an insolating experience. However, I know the reward of how I will feel and look will pay off at the end.  Training, cooking, eating and the constant food shopping is time consuming and mentally I am always thinking about making sure I am prepared.  I already see changes in my muscle tone after one week which makes me want to work that much harder.

One great thing about this new routine is that, Michele alters my diet and training each week which keeps things fresh.

Check back soon for updates and photos – have a great week!