Practice doesn’t make Perfect, Perfect Practice makes Perfect.
Mar 072012
Ankhjii
Feb 272012
So my favorite magazine ever is Oxygen Women’s Fitness~ They had a booth at The Arnold Fitness Expo last year and made a short video about it to get people pumped up for the event again this year. Anyway, long story short I’m in the video! Twice! All you can really see is my pink hair, but I’m in there! It’s a 2min 48second video so it’s really short, but you can spot me at the 1:10 & again at the 2:16 mark when I was talking with the Editor in Chief Stacy Kennedy! She was really nice and all the girls made time for me and my picture taking. I thought this was pretty cool so I thought I’d share it with you! The Arnold is this weekend so this definitely got me even more excited to be there! Yeah!!!!
Feb 272012
I’ve been using this for a circuit for a while now, so I thought I’d share it!
I own a Bowflex Treadclimber, and the incline works great with this series. I’m sure it can be used on a regular treadmill as well. I came up with this on my own so it’s not copied from anywhere~ it’s a great way to get through 45 minutes of cardio/leg work without getting bored. I like that it changes pace as well. I use leg weights to add a little more of a challenge. As you can see each part lasts 5 minutes, and it’s over before you know it. Enjoy!
Tip: Keep your posture in check! head up, shoulders back.
5 minutes Warm Up~ You know the drill! Gradually work up to a fast paced walk. Get your blood pumping!
5 min Calf Press Walk~ Slow your roll to a fairly low speed. With each stride step with your whole foot and press up onto the balls of your feet and lift your heels up high to engage the calf muscles. I’m usually around 1-1.5mph
5 min Glute Focus~ You may want to slow the speed of the ‘mill even more for this part. Lean forward slightly and with your elbows bent slightly downward put your hands on the machine in front of you. What you want to do is pretend like you’re pushing the machine away from you; engage your glutes to power forward. You should be going pretty slow- slow enough to focus on your butt and thighs with every step. I’ll be around 1 mph.
5 mins In Reverse~ Yep, it’s exactly what it sounds like. About face and speed up the ‘mill. I’m at 2-2.5mph for this. Your quads will love it.
5mins Walking~ This starts the repeat of the circuit from the beginning. Face forward again and get a healthy pace going. It may just be walking but this is no time to relax! Remember your posture and lift that chin up! Personally I’m around 3mph.
This is the circuit~ do it twice and use the walk at the end as a cool down. Done!
Feb 172012
I can’t believe The Arnold Sports Festival and Fitness Expo is coming up so fast! This will be my 2nd year, and I have a better idea of what I’m doing and how genuinely huge it is! I’ll be sharing the experience with my husband, & I have a lot to thank him for with helping me plan this trip! Oooo I’m getting excited just thinking about it!
As much as I’ve trained lately I’m definitely kicking myself for not getting more training in, & feeling like I haven’t gotten enough done pre-event. With being there among my fitness tribe, the female competitors I look up to and role models at every turn, I want to look as good as I can! It’s quite a bit of motivation! Just somehow it didn’t fully sink in kick in until this week… I’ve been training well before that of course but it’s kinda late to make any real noticeable changes 
I can’t explain why I didn’t snap-to earlier or what I was thinking. All I can do now is stay focused on keeping a tight schedule, get in lots of cardio, lift heavy, drop all the treats & booze, drink lots of water and make sure what I eat is super clean! All good things and valuable to my goals weather I pack on 10 more pounds of muscle or not! 
I hope I’m not too hard on myself later…!
This will be my sophomore year at the Expo, and I just can’t wait! I’ll be in shape, re-pink my hair, nails, lashes, some tanning, special outfit, the whole deal! A lot of people wear jeans and tennies, but there’s also a LOT of beautiful bodies gracing the floor~ some are beefcake muscle guys, some are Expo girls that run the kiosk for a brand/company, some are competitors, performers, some are just fitness fans like myself. To me it’s a very special event that I’m so proud to be part of! Not to mention you really don’t know WHO you’re going to meet, and with so many photos to take it just makes sense to get dolled up!
This year I need to be a little more prepared to meet some of the faces I’ve only ever seen in magazines and the internet; last year I saw people I was very impressed to meet, but was so star struck I could barely ask to take pictures! This year I’ll have prepare a few questions; general but important ones that I can help with my own fitness path. I’ll definitely want to put some thought into these…..
Oct 272011
I have goals.. and I know i have a long way to go. If I don’t enjoy these steps along the way, I’ll never get there. I’ve got to stop being so hard on myself! too much of your own pressure only creates anxiety. Healthy pressure comes from encouragement.. and just writing that out feels very unveiling.
If I was talking to my best friend, I would be an overflowing with support! So why is it so hard to treat myself the same way? I suppose because the enemy lives right next to that friend. The side that is quicker to cut with a criticism. “That rep didn’t count! You’re weak and tired. You’re not improving. Your goals are too far away, you’re going to be stuck at half-way-there indefinitely, then you’ll crumble all together.” The friend side says, “Look at the numbers! You have improved in some areas! There are still other things to try to get over this plateau! Bodies like those you admire take YEARS to build, so you are on the same path as all the role models you look up to.”
It’s natural to have doubts, and right now they’re just really strong and mean. It hurts! I’m really struggling to hang on to the positives and keep that voice from being crowded out. I just have to keep going, keep pressing, keep polishing myself… maybe there is a gem underneath…. just maybe….
Aug 152011
Man… It seems like the more I try to eat the less it appeals to me. if I can’t get more protein into my diet I’m not going to get anything more out of all my hard work, and bust through this plateau. Hm. It’s harder than it sounds apparently. Maybe I can just work on getting 2 blitzs in a day instead of one, then try 2nd lunches. I’ve been trying to get in 2 breakfasts and even that is a strangely a struggle, lol. Baby steps, I guess.. It would be nice to have some tips from a pro!
Jun 272011
Jun 062011
I’m feeling it’s that time again, to revisit goals and stoke the fires of my motivation! It always makes me feel good to see where I want to go and what I want to do with myself. It’s all up to me and it’s all possible!
I like focusing on my nutrition and making tweaks with it. This goal has to do with upping my nutritional intake: I need to add more complex carbs and protein. Since I’m not making the gains I think I should be, I believe this particular change will benefit me.
Another facet is supplements. In this goal is to take them properly and on time. Sometimes I waffle with that, as there is a schedule and it can get tedious at times! But this one is easy, so moving on!
The next goal is all about my training. This is big~ To train every day EVEN IF IT’S NOT PERFECT. I will very easily get hung up on thoughts like, “that set wasn’t good enough” “I’m not focused enough” “I’m not improving”. I often think, If I’m not 110% present and giving it my all, I feel like it’s not moving me forward. Because, does anything less really get you there? Whatever the answer to that is, this goal is to accept my efforts, and strive to improve my focus. Every workout I need to practice my mind-muscle connection, which is my gateway to that all important focus for one, and two, to the results I so badly would like to see: bringing up my hamstrings, calves and glutes, and an overall gain of muscle and super sexy definition!
It’s all about commitment. Every day looking at these positive words and putting them into action. After outlining all that, I’m feeling quite pumped!! Excited about the power I have to do this for myself. It is so very vital to me to do this work. It drives me.. and I love it.
May 102011
My new trainers came in the mail today, and it couldn’t have come at a better time! Time waits for no one and the count down is well in play. Summer is coming and that’s a fitness goal in itself! We plan to kick off pre-summer With the Detroit Electronic Music Festival Movement, and I couldn’t be more excited. The thing is, my workouts have been lacking lately. My fractured focus has been frustrating me to the max. No one likes to leave the gym feeling scatterbrained, and dare I say worse than when you went in because you don’t feel like you were as centered as you need to be to make the changes in your body you are trying to. And that is where I’ve found myself. I set everything up for my sessions so it’s not for a lack of planning… It’s very frustrating. Not feeling like I’m there in the moment or if I find myself daydreaming between sets really bothers me. Having a solid mind-muscle connection is vital to my results and pride in my work!!!
I’m hoping that these new kicks will give me a boost of excitement and focus to help me get over this slump. I’ll be happier when I’m working harder and clearer. Training is what I love. I hope this BS is just temporary and ends today! ^__^
May 092011