oh hi i like to shred

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-27T13:29:00.000-08:00

So I headed up to DC to spend Thanksgiving at my trainer's house, and check out the feast he put on:

That bird was pretty darn juicy..I was even eating the skin!

Sweet potatoes with peanut butter, caramel and pecans..WOW.

Italian sausage and apple stuffing..it literally tasted like pizza, no joke.

Oh lasagna..I haven't eaten pasta in ages!

And some gravy..

To go with the creamy garlic mashed potatoes..

My final plate..yummy.

Thanksgiving was a nice break from training/dieting..but I'm back on schedule today..did some bicep curls, some cardio, relaxed in the sauna today..I feel ready to getting back to eating clean and dieting again, and trying to stay lean (even though I literally gained 5 pounds overnight..I weighed 122 before Thursday and came in at 127.6 today, haha). Still practicing on how to refeed properly, but I think I'm getting it down :]

That's it for now, have a happy Thanksgiving everyone :]

Yay for video!

2009-11-17T20:00:00.000-08:00

Finally I taught myself some techie skills and I learned how to rip a DVD! Check out these clips of the short class mandatory poses and my routine/posedown..enjoy! :)

More photos!

2009-11-13T16:39:00.001-08:00

Some more shots of me at my first competition..enjoy!

Ms Penn 2009

check out some photos from the show.

2009-11-13T08:10:00.000-08:00

got second in my class..not bad for 4 months of training :)

4 days out

2009-11-06T09:40:00.000-08:00

I'm in the final week of prep..4 days away..almost at the end of my water load..

looking very stringy :(

at least i can say i have default abs :)

2 weeks out..it's getting closer..

2009-10-28T20:30:00.000-07:00

Check me out some more :) Oh man I really need to stop slacking off and start working on my routine..but I'm soo sleepy :(

3 weeks out (cram and jam version)

2009-10-21T21:53:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

I only had a sliver of time to go over some posing, so check it out..right here in a huntsman hall lecture room..as always enjoy :)

Stopping by to say hi.

2009-10-18T21:56:00.001-07:00

Sometimes posting a video is a lot easier than typing..enjoy and have a restful Sunday night :)

Some more practice.

2009-10-13T18:59:00.001-07:00

Sorry it's divided into two parts..but enjoy!

5 weeks out

2009-10-06T22:08:00.000-07:00

And I'm slowly getting to where I want to be..

My abs are slowly coming out..that's always pleasing :)

another ab check, as always..can't wait for those lower abs to pop :)

posing is looking better,,just have to work out the finer kinks of footwork and posing

check out those quads..and I keep forgetting to smile >.<

That pose is going to be tough to work on since I'm barely looking at my back :(

Posting videos is kind of addicting.

2009-10-06T21:02:00.000-07:00

And yes, another video to entertain you with..a bit of posing practice. I know it's terrible, but it helps me figure out what I suck at/need to work on. Note all the confusion I have in trying to figure out what pose to do. Still trying to plan out and smooth my transitions as well. Enjoy!

How to get jacked overnight? Eat a ton of carbs.

2009-10-05T22:57:00.000-07:00

Check me out today after only doing 1 hour of cardio on Sunday (rather than killing myself on the elliptical) and just loading up on carbs all Sunday. My arms look so much better :)

Check me out on YouTube.

2009-10-04T19:59:00.000-07:00

So I decided to be a little daring this morning and I updated my trainer with a video progress report, rather than using photos. Too bad my voice sounds like I've been sucking on helium.

I just had a suprise refeed today so my abs have already disappeared haha. Enjoy the clip :)

Some food for thought. And a moment of gratitude.

2009-10-01T22:16:00.000-07:00

So I'm here at work, studying for my exam and listening to some music, dozing off since it's hard for me to focus because I have no coffee and I'm low on carbs, and I can't help but think of how I feel like I'm slowly hitting a wall. Training is getting so intense, calories are getting slashed, and I'm not sure if I can make it through 5 1/2 more weeks. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a quitter, it's just hard for me to hold on to my mental sharpness at the moment. And I still haven't choreographed my routine yet. Ugh.

In tough times like these, I'm reminded of a small conversation I had with my posing instructor, and how profoundly it hit me. Very often everyday I have my points of weakness, where I don't want to do morning cardio, I'd much rather sleep, I ache all over, I want that dessert, or that junk food, or I just try to make every excuse in the world not to go to the gym and bail out on my lifts. I think of the wisdom he passed onto me, and it pushes me through:

"To get up everyday, against every fiber in your being, to fight the temptation, to resist what is easy and pleasing at the moment, to go to that gym every single day and push yourself to the point where you can't breathe, where you're red in the face and have nothing else left in you, that's LOVE right there. To go in there and subject yourself to almost what seems like physical torment and torture, to give your sweat and all your strength, you really have to LOVE yourself, because you come out a better person after it's all done. That's true LOVE right there."

Thank you Derek. I wish you could truly understand how deeply your words inspire me everyday. And everyday I get up, out of my comfort zone and push, because when I finish my morning cardio, I can't help but wipe the sweat off my face and think how much I've learned how to love myself in such a short time. I've learned how to put myself first, and it's made me such a happy person. Happier than I've ever been in my life.

Thank you Richard, for your kindness, tenacity, and love of the sport. Thank you for showing me what I'm capable of, and showing me how strong I am, mentally and physically. Thank you for pushing me until I couldn't give, and still asking for more. I look in the mirror everyday and sometimes I just stare in shock. I look at pictures of myself from months back and sometimes I don't even recognize myself, the girl before who was just trying to find her way with no set goals. Thank you for tearing me down and building me back up again. Oftentimes I wonder where and who I'd be without you. Could I have made this blog without you? I doubt it. Thank you for giving me purpose, for giving me goals, for showing me how to tolerate pain for the reward of improvement. I've learned so much from you, and I'm excited at the thought that it's just going to get better post competition: bigger, stronger, leaner.

Derek and Richard, I'm not the most religious person, but I am truly blessed to have crossed paths with both of you. Your generosity and patience have touched me in so many ways. Every compliment I receive, every look of amazement I get from friends, everytime I'm in the weight room and I look in the mirror and I fall in love with what I see, I can't help but give thanks to both of you.

To all my friends and those who read my blog, thank you as well, thank you for taking the time to check me out. Thank you for believing I was beautiful when I didn't believe it myself. Thank you for boosting my self esteem when I was down in the dumps, and thank you for sparing a moment to peer into a small fraction of my life. This birthday has made me realize how lucky I really am, and all the amazing people I've met and the loyal ones that stuck around and made me smile. Thank you for just being there and just being you.

Unfortunately it's time for me to hit the sack, I've got the longest friday of my life tomorrow, followed by a ridiculous weekend of cardio, studying and grocery shopping (oh I always look forward to costco :] ). Please don't be shy and leave me a comment, I love reading them. Have a good night :)

An amazing birthday surprise.

2009-10-01T04:25:00.000-07:00

Seriously, I have the greatest trainer and roommate ever. I come home from a long day to this lovely surprise:

Thanks guys for everything. This was totally the best birthday ever. Whey protein (lots of it) makes kimmy really really happy :] I feel so loved!! Thank you to everyone for remembering and all the well wishes. I'm so amazed and grateful for all the kindness everyone has given me :]

6 weeks out

2009-09-28T22:30:00.000-07:00

Here's the profile (relaxed) shots for the week:

My back has leaned out so so much!! Boy did I shrink from behind..and of course, we have to do a photo progress of the abs :)

Slowly but surely they're coming in :) Just have to get rid of that pesky lower ab fat..nothing some cardio can't clean up :)

This is how NOT to do a quad abdominal pose..

ahh..much better now :)

side relaxed..blah i always forget where to put my feet.

Front double bi..this actually doesn't look too bad..I look very well proportioned :)

Front relaxed is looking better too :)

this one definitely needs some work..

Check out some before pictures of me.

2009-09-27T08:36:00.000-07:00

This was me 4th of July weekend (almost 3 months ago?)..wow I didn't imagine myself being so chubby :-/

That's my trainer and us doing some horrendous posing haha..I was probably 145 around that time

The bruise is from when I started doing front squats..my legs could handle the weight but my skin/shoulders couldn't..my blood vessels are so sensitive and I bruise easily..and I need to open up my eyes for the camera haha.

Here I am trying to get my protein fix in DC..one thing that hasn't changed is my legs..they've always been big on me.

Alright, it's time for the dreaded cardio..think I'm going to split it up and do two 1-hour blocks this morning (I decided I wanted cereal and baked lays potato chips today). Hopefully I can multitask on the elliptical. Have a lovely Sunday :)

Excitement, and a little bit of math.

2009-09-26T05:28:00.000-07:00

Cereal makes me sooooo happy. Carbs make me so happy. Especially high GI carbs. Wow, I don't ever think I've looked this forward to eating cereal ever. Oh and skim milk. I would die without milk. But unfortunately that delicious box of peanut butter crunch comes at a hefty price. I have to pay the cost/ "pay to play" as my posing instructor likes to call it.

Basically, carbs = cardio. I have to earn every gram of carb I consume. Roughly, that box has 15 servings, and 21 grams of carbs in every serving, so if my math skills are sharp, 21x15 = 315 grams of carbs. But that's just the cereal alone. Let's not forget the skim milk, which has about 13 grams of carbs per 8 fl. oz (240 mL) serving. Let's theoretically say I have half a gallon of milk with a whole box of peanut butter crunch. Half a gallon = 64 fl. oz = 8 servings x 13 grams of carbs = 104 grams of carbs. In total, 315 + 104 = 419 grams of carbs x 4 calories/gram of carb = 1676 calories. I burn about 330 calories/hour on the elliptical, so 1676/330 = 5.08 hours on the elliptical to make that cereal and milk disappear. But thank goodness I will not be spending that much time on cardio :)

To maintain my muscle, I'd also have to eat about 120 grams of protein x 4 calories/gram of protein = 480 calories. Overall, my maintenance calories come out to 1725 calories - 480 calories for protein = 1245 calories for carbs (if I don't eat any fat) / 4 calories per gram of carb = 311.25 grams of carbs I'm allowed for tomorrow. Enter the "pay to play" scenario. Since I want to eat 350 grams of carbs tomorrow (yes I know I'm greedy) I hit the elliptical. If I do 90 minutes in the morning and 35 minutes at night, and I burn about 4 calories per minute, 125x4 = 500 calories. That puts my maintenance calories to 2225 calories - 480 calories = 1745 calories/4 calories per gram of carb = 436.25 grams of carbs. But I'll limit myself to 350 grams because I'm still trying to cut fat and drop weight while having my carbs at the same time too :) So it all works out, I just have to pay the price of a long cardio session first thing in the morning :( Always remember, if you want carbs, it's gonna cost you time on the elliptical :(

I'm a walking train wreck.

2009-09-24T05:01:00.000-07:00

If it isn't one thing it's another. I got some x-rays taken of my right shoulder and everything seems to be fine--I just seem to have a muscle strain on my right shoulder because it's overcompensating for the weakness in my left shoulder. Good news, which means I just need to rest it post competition.

However, I've been struggling with this pain in my lower back..I threw out my back a few weeks ago during a lift, and the pain went away, but now it's back :( I also did standing calf raises at 220lbs, and I'm sure that aggravated my back too, but I was so proud I broke 215!! It sucks because I couldn't do deadlifts this week because of this nagging pain. Ugh. I'm scheduling another appointment to have an x-ray taken of my back (hopefully I didn't slip a disc or anything and that it's just another strain). I'm trying to train through the pain but somedays it really sucks.

I had my first meeting for the competition last night, and a fair amount of girls came out. Looks like around 15 girls will be competing this year, so I gotta really step my workouts up and push really really hard. I'm less than 7 weeks away, so I'm really really close to the end. It's exciting to feel like the big day is coming up soon :)

In terms of cutting, I'm very close to my initial goal of 120lbs--currently I'm at 128.9. I'm trying my hardest to get to 128 by this Sunday--a delicious box of peanut butter crunch awaits me :) If I can get to 120lbs by 4 weeks out, I'm definitely shooting for 115 precontest--so lean!! :) Hopefully I can get really close.

7 weeks out..and they're coming :]

2009-09-21T21:00:00.000-07:00

check me out playing around at posing practice tonight..they're almost here!! all that cardio is finally paying off :)

oh man I can't wait to be competition ready..too bad I don't look like that now, yet this is what my abs normally look like:

of course, my posing still needs work. Here's a shot of me trying to figure out where to place my hands in the side relaxed pose..I'm so forgetful!!

Here's most muscular/quad abdominal pose..once my abs get really shredded this pose will be much more flattering..for now, not my strongest presentation:

Believe it or not, front relaxed is extremely difficult for me. I need to learn how to flare out those blasted lats of mine!! Still working on it..

Check out my hamstring and how cinched my waist looks in this pose..just a little more practice and I'll have it down :)

bruises and a quick update.

2009-09-16T21:50:00.001-07:00

Oh, rock climbing..it gives me such a GREAT sweat and such an amazing feeling of accomplishment yet leaves my legs with some nasty bruises..battle scars as I like to call them..yet that doesn't shy me away from doing rainbows, routes and sometimes even trying bouldering. I've been stuck in this adventurous phase of trying everything at least once. I hope I never get out of it.

In bodybuilding news, I've been struggling with this dull, deep tissue pain below in my right lat, between my armpit and shoulder blade--going in for an x-ray and exam tomorrow afternoon. I guess I can't complain too much about the health care system, especially since I scheduled everything yesterday at 3pm. Let's hope it's something minor, like a pull or strain that I can relieve or mitigate with some analgesic or stretching. I have no clue what it could be, and I've had this pain for about ten days now.

I've been trying to get a little bit of posing practice in everyday. I'm determined to find my lats and learn how to control them/flare them out, no matter how underdeveloped they are. Just another muscle to add to the bulking list--back and upper body, especially arms.

Lately life has been a cycle of morning cardio, lifting, abs, rock climbing and posing practice. As always, I look forward to Thursday's leg workouts--my strongest asset :) Trying to break 150 on squats (my original goal from May) and 110 on front squat (my FAVORITE lift :] ).

That's it for now, trying to hop into bed and tank early to try to get on the elliptical before 7am--long day of work and appointments :[ goodnite all.

8 weeks out

2009-09-16T14:43:00.000-07:00

I took some pictures in my summer bikini in hopes of seeing some type of difference between now and a couple of months ago. And of course, as the weeks are winding down, some obligatory shots of me practicing my posing. Enjoy my modified front double bi and my not-so-favorite side serratus.

I weighed in at 131.9 this morning, which means I have about 12 more pounds to lose in the next 8 weeks. Trying to get to 120 (or 115) before dehydration. The calories have been slashed drastically, and I'm literally running on fumes everyday.

My physical activity has been off the charts. It's ridiculous how many calories I'm burning everyday. I have an hour of cardio first thing in the morning, followed by night sessions of abwork, weights, rock climbing, sometimes all of the above. Here's a sneak peek of my newest obsession :]

I went from just randomly climbing to trying new routes..finished my first one this weekend and hopefully moving to a more difficult one :]

break time to party.

2009-09-14T23:20:00.000-07:00

so it was a friend's birthday and we decided to surprise her with a small get-together. i must say, all this weight i lost puts me at a shock. i can't remember being so small, nor having my head look so huge. i saw a former boss this morning and i can see why her jaw dropped when she saw me. and yet i still have another 10+ pounds to lose before competition day.

9 weeks out..for serious this time.

2009-09-08T19:36:00.000-07:00

So it's coming down to the wire, slowly, inevitably. I just found out the official date of the competition is November 10th, giving me an extra week to cut/prep/practice, so as of today I am officially 9 weeks away from the big day. Today the poster for the fall competition went up, encouraging people to sign up. I must admit, I saw it and butterflies came into my stomach. It's all so surreal, like this is really going to happen. All the sweat, blisters and pain from two-a-days, cardio and lifting are coming down to a 2 hour show and a 90 second performance.

I practiced posing, and below I've included some poses I practiced today: front double bicep and side tricep, the first two I'm slowly trying to master.

I'm not gonna lie, my midsection needs some SERIOUS shredding. A part of me is starting to worry if I can drop the weight in time. I definitely can't go up on stage with a kangaroo pouch, I'll be mortified. I weighed in at 132.7 this past Sunday, up +0.2 pounds from last week, but after my refeed, I'm 134.7 today. Trying really really hard to get to 130lbs by this weekend. Sometimes I wonder if I'll need a miracle.

The two-a-days have officially started today. Everyday from now until contest day is going to be double sessions at the gym..20 minutes of night cardio are now tacked onto lift days and 30 minute sessions got added to offdays. I'm really hoping the simple equation of weight loss = calories out > calories in really helps me right now.

On the other hand, I do have to say I'm really proud of my legs, specifically my quads. Who knew that changing the way I stand really makes my definition come out? My quads look massive, and it makes me happy :] :] :]

I do have to say, I really have to thank you all for the kind and encouraging words. Every week gets harder and harder, and I always look forward to finding a comment on my blog. You guys are amazing and motivating :]

I decided to add to my callous and blister collection and tried the climbing wall at my gym tonight. Our climbing wall is about 4 floors high, and even though I took the easy route, this was my second time climbing and I made it all the way to the top!! Even though I was completely drained from lifting and cardio, I was sweating my face off to get to the top. I already feel myself becoming slowly addicted to rock climbing. Definitely going to try it again tomorrow night, and I might even be convinced to buy a climbing pass :]

Alright everyone, I'm still at work trying to get some extra stuff done and I'm about to finish my last wonderful meal of oatmeal, cottage cheese and splenda. Will update again soon with some more poses as I master them, and maybe even some video :] catch you guys later.

9 weeks out

2009-09-02T17:02:00.000-07:00

And it is slowly coming down to the wire..crunch time..weighed in this week at 135.2lbs..very frustrated with my weight. Picked up some l-carnitine to experiment with, and I'll be doing some hardcore two-a-days next week.

I need to get more sleep and water. Everytime I lack in either one my weight keeps bouncing around and it bothers me a lot. Cardio has been pretty intense this week, been clocking in 6 miles every morning..whew. The cardio is getting a little overwhelming, so I really really need to rest up this weekend, since hell is going to begin next Monday.

Hunger's been pretty good, I don't feel like I'm starving, but I've been satisfying my hunger with steamed broccoli and seasoned salt and it works. A whole bag can be pretty filling, a good thing to keep in mind that it's a convenient snack during study time :)

I need to keep my water consumption in check. Most days I forget to drink anything, but now I'm going to consciously try to drink at least 2 liters a day. Still trying to work on getting at least 6 hours of sleep though, it's not working :(

In terms of the pictures, I think the bottom ones are more telling than the top ones. I seem to look really lean in darker lighting, but bright lights screw me over and make me look really smooth. Ugh. I'm going to schedule a body composition test soon to see where I'm at bodyfat percentage wise.

The best dinner ever.

2009-08-28T10:19:00.000-07:00

After going the whole day without carbs (and sometimes 3 days), anything resembling a carb just seems so glorious. Case in point: meal #6 on workout days. To the regular person, cottage cheese and oatmeal with splenda seems bland, if not unpalatable as a dinner or bedtime snack. But this right here is a slice of HEAVEN. Now don't get me wrong, protein is awesome, I live on steak/chicken/tuna/cottage cheese all week long, but things just taste so much better and are so much more attractive when restrictions are put on them. Words can't describe how much oatmeal is such a treat after an intense workout. Imagine if I actually ate something sugary/unhealthy for me..I'd probably faint from the overload of tastiness. Carb cycling--not for the strong willed nor faint of heart, yet it works wonders :)

10 weeks out

2009-08-23T16:42:00.000-07:00

Man are these weeks flying by. September's almost here, and I'm about to turn 24. Everytime I turn around it's another week in the books, and as soon as I blink the weekend's gone and Monday's already here. I'm officially on a mad scramble to cut as much fat and drop as much weight as possible, while still maintaining my muscle and strength. I weighed in at 136.2lbs this morning, and I really need to start breaking 135 and get closer to 115 so I can avoid crash dieting at the last minute. The calories are getting cut, the cheats got dropped (breaks my heart :'[ ), and the cardio will probably get upped. I've gone two whole days with zero carbs, and it's not fun, but I don't really notice it (although I really wish I could have milk and cereal for breakfast). Excuse my sweatiness, I snapped these pics right after my run.

So I finally broke open my first bottle of instantized BCAA powder, and wow, I must say, this is probably the MOST DISGUSTING supplement I've ever taken. Just 5 grams of this stuff can ruin the taste of a 40 gram protein shake. And the aftertaste is atrocious. My first time taking it, I was very close to spitting it out. No worries, though, I found a way to combat most of the taste: 4 splenda packets. It covers up the majority of the flavor, but I still have slight hints of the aftertaste, but overall it's bearable.

This weekend my gym was closed for maintenance, so I did a couple of runs down to Rittenhouse Square. It's a nice switch up from the elliptical, save the downtown crowds and craptastic Philadelphia streets/sidewalks laden with potholes (not very ankle friendly), but it was therapeutic to go on a long jog and work on my tan at the same time. I should run outdoors more often.

I'm not really looking forward to this week. My calories are down to approximately 1475 calories a day, a huge jump from the 2,000 I was eating when I was bulking. I just hope I don't die on my lifts this week.

Now that I'm not cheating, I'd like to drop to sub-135lbs this week, or go as low as I can. I'm thinking of getting another skinfold test to see where I'm at in terms of body fat. Maybe next month. Now that I'm eating less, that also means less food I have to buy at costco :( but maybe I'll just save all that extra money for snowboarding :D

Speaking of food, I found a huge sale on chicken breast at $1.49/lb. That's the cheapest I've ever seen chicken breast, so you know I'm stocking up like it's all the rage. I bought about ten pounds yesterday (about 4kg for my friends using metric units), and I'll probably buy another 15 pounds before the week ends.

That's it for now, I have to go lock myself up and study for exams/write my statement of purpose/research schools. Enjoy the rest of the weekend :]

11 weeks out

2009-08-19T09:50:00.000-07:00

Finally, some half decent pics to post. Boy do I look so lean in the mornings. Woke up with some stiffness/soreness in my back, so I decided to pop some ibuprofen and deal with the pain. No sissies here, we train through the pain :)

Today's an offday for me, so all I did was some cardio before my awesome breakfast of spinach and tuna. Yup, no carbs on offdays, making my diet partially ketogenic. Trying to cut as much fat as I can, as fast as I can, since there's less than 3 months left. Boy does time zip by.

I'm starting to hate Tuesdays more than Mondays.

2009-08-18T20:21:00.000-07:00

Yes, you heard it, Tuesdays suck. More than Mondays. Probably because chest days are becoming much more bearable while Tuesdays are getting more and more onerous. Today while doing bent-over rows, I unbraced and relaxed my back for a second in the middle of a set, and all of a sudden I feel this huge shooting pain in my lower back. It's still there now, and it's a bit painful to bend over--I have to use my legs if I want to carry anything and avoid putting any stress on my lower back. My lower back is pretty sturdy, and this is the first lower back injury (if I could even categorize it as that) I've ever had. Hopefully an early bedtime and lots of rest will mitigate the pain. My gains aren't as huge on back days (going up very very slowly on romanian deadlifts), but I'm still plugging and chugging along. I seem to have gotten intoxicated with my newbie gains and am getting a little sad my strength isn't exploding like it once was. But gains nonetheless are always something to be glad about :)

Apologies for the crap pictures, I was in a rush and couldn't find anyone this week to take my weekly shots. Will take some better shots tomorrow and post for sure. But for now, check out the difference in my abs when I'm relaxed (top) and flexed (bottom). Super dramatic, huh? Contracting makes my waist look severely smaller :)

Thursday is going to be a tiny milestone for me--I'm going to finish my first bottle of supplements! I will officially have ripped through my first bottle of BCAAs and switch from capsules to powder form. Now I won't feel like a druggie, as I won't be popping 15 pills on workout days.

As for diet and cardio, my calories are slowly getting shaved every week, and my cardio's going up. I'm at 45 minutes every morning (it's slowly becoming mind numbing) and I was able to hit 134.9lbs last Sunday (lowest I've been since high school) but I slightly gained it all back after a ridiculous binge (sorry I couldn't help myself, but the king size reese's pieces, twix and apple pie were all tempting me :[ ) . So no more cheats for me, except for maybe cereal and skim milk, if my trainer is so forgiving (I hope).

Overall, I do have to say, I feel great about myself. I love the way I look (except my belly), and I'm super excited to put on more muscle and cut fat. I'm not gonna lie, bodybuilding has completely domesticated me--I can cook some juicy, tender chicken breast, perfected my steak preparation skills, and life is much more ordered, now that I have a set bedtime, workout schedule, and live in little tupperware bowls. I'm hoping these lifts will give me a ridiculously strong core come winter, in time for snowboarding, so I can switch from shredding my body to shredding some delicious east coast powder :)

Alright, my back is really killing me, so now it's time for bed. Until next time, take care :)

12 weeks out

2009-08-09T15:03:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the crap lighting, I had these pictures taken in the women's locker room at my gym. Today I weighed in at 137.7lbs, and the weight is slowly coming off. Slowly but surely. It seems that my body isn't very tolerant to carbs; my weight has been bouncing around earlier in the week, but slashing my carbs seems to be working. Now if I could only break 136lbs, then I'd be on a roll..

I'm about 3 months away from competition, and a little nervous that the weight is not coming off as quickly as I'd like it to be. Other than that, I can't complain about anything else (other than biceps, they need some work--bombed my bicep curls last week, but went up on hammer curls and preacher curls). I kind of wish I looked more muscular when I'm not flexing, but that's another goal I can set for myself post-competition--trying to lean bulk. My legs and lower back are getting very strong, my lines are getting deeper (definition in my quads is reaching my hip bone), and it all puts a smile on my face :)

I am not looking forward to tomorrow--Mondays are chest days, which makes me cringe. I'm a bit overwhelmed at the moment, projects at work are picking up, I'm taking my GREs next saturday the 15th (wish me luck!!), so I'm trying to cram like a madwoman, and trying to keep stress levels down (I notice I tend to get mad/frustrated really easily, and my easygoing demeanor is slowly fading), while trying to save up/plan for some awesome shredding this season.

Went to Costco and Walmart this weekend, and dropped about $200 this month on food which included: 6lbs of almonds, 4.5lbs of top round, 4lbs of tilapia, 18 tubs of cottage cheese, 6 pints of egg whites, 7.5 dozen large eggs, four 66.5oz cans of tuna, spices and tupperware. My buddies and I finally made it a tradition to do our monthly grocery shopping at Costco, as it saves us tons of money and we love buying in bulk. I'm sure this stuff is going to last me more than a month, but better to have plenty than to run out and not have enough :)

I have some pics of my cheats from this weekend and last weekend, and I'll post those later. Heading off to cram for GREs/plan my future..take care :)

13 weeks out

2009-08-02T07:48:00.000-07:00

This week's profile shots come to you courtesy from Ocean City, New Jersey. Couple of friends and I decided to pack up the car and head to the beach before summer ends. I tried to work on my tan so I could avoid slathering myself in spray-on tan when competition rolls around, but to no avail, my sunblock was too strong (60+ SPF) and I didn't get one bit of color :( It was good times though, I grew up 15 minutes away from a beach back home in California, so a beach trip every summer is very necessary. I was actually really exhausted afterwards, even though I only played in the water for 30 minutes and laid out in the sun for about 3 hours. iPod + sun = bliss.

This week marks my first official week of cutting, but it wasn't until the weekend that I saw my weight drop. I weighed in at 138.2 this morning before my cheat meal, and I need to cut more fat as much as I can. Forgive the puffiness in the picture, I know my abs look terrible, but I just finished my fourth meal after taking this picture. My calories have been cut down by about 100 and I'm doing 30-40 minutes of cardio every morning. Hopefully some diet revisions/eating more spinach/drinking more water/sleeping more will do the trick. Mmmm sleep..so delicious.

This morning sounded like a monsoon came over Philly. I woke up at 9am to prep food and an hour later, the skies were ridiculously dark and we had an insane downpour for the next few hours, which I decided to sleep through :) I was still able to get my cardio in, albeit in the afternoon.

Next week I'm going food and protein shopping seriously this time (yay Costco!!) so I'm very excited about that. Now it's time for me to get to bed at a reasonable hour. Thank you all for your encouraging comments, it gives me more motivation to train and I really appreciate it. Take care :)

Cutting sucks.

2009-08-01T20:06:00.000-07:00

I just had a diet revision this week, and I had my carbs slashed from 105 grams 90 grams (it doesn't sound like much, but this slight difference removes carbs from one of my meals) on workout days and from 70 grams to 30 grams on offdays..and I am STARVING. Having carbs only in the morning and after a workout is really, really horrible. I'm trying to find ways to satiate my carb cravings (consuming a TON of hazlenut coffee, taking naps, trying not to think about it) because I've never felt this hungry before. Blah.

And the results are in..

2009-07-30T15:14:00.000-07:00

So I weighed a little bit more at this morning's body composition test, but overall I shed some fat :) From 18.9% in June to 17.4% in July. All of my measurements decreased, and it seems I lost 2 pounds of fat and gained 3 pounds of muscle. woohooo :)

Even though I officially started cutting this week, I'm not dropping any weight--I'm actually gaining. This morning's weigh in had me at 140.8 pounds--a little discouraging since I've cut my calories. Maybe I'm not getting enough water or sleep, two things I'm definitely lacking in :( It's definitely frustrating, but I'm glad about the new muscle I put on :)

Today's leg day, which means back squats, front squats, stiff-legged deadlifts, leg extensions and calf raises. As always, hoping to beat my reps and push myself to failure. If anything, my quads/calves will save me in this competition..the one place where I store the least amount of fat and where my most defined muscles lie.

In some random news, I've been daydreaming about snowboarding..oh boy I can't wait until the next shredfest :) I've also been contemplating post-competition goals, and I've come to the conclusion I want to go back to bulking again, and I want to put on a few pounds of muscle in the winter and start cutting in the spring, say February/March. Sorry if I'm being mean, but scrawny females disgust me. It's definitely all about the tone and definition :)

I actually have another body composition test in a couple of weeks (not skinfold this time around, but I'll be standing on a scale and they'll shoot an electrode through my body and calculate how fast it travels)..we'll see how that goes.

Hoping to drop a few pounds by the weekend. Catch you guys later.

I need to vent. Sorry.

2009-07-28T18:01:00.000-07:00

Tuesdays suck. Partially. Tuesdays are my back days, which means the ever so dreadful-bent over rows. I never feel like I'm doing these right..anyways, I went down in weight to make sure my form is correct, and come to find out, I haven't been pulling the bar high enough. Not only that, I went down in reps (-2 on each set) which frustrates me even more. Compound that with my weak grip on lat pulldowns (my grip always gives out before my back does) and I feel like I came out with an arm workout than a back workout. I didn't wake up with any soreness today which leads me to believe 1) I did my lifts wrong 2) I didn't push myself hard enough and 3) my back is another trouble spot.

To add insult to injury (or failure in this case), even with less calories I'm not dropping weight, and actually gaining insted. FRUSTRATING! I was 140.1 yesterday and 140.4 this morning. What gives?!?!

I need more sleep. 5-6 hours just isn't cutting it for me. I'm a zombie in the mornings. But I just can't seem to fit everything into the day!! And I'm still daydreaming about my fried chicken escapades this sunday. Who wants to come? :)

If anyone knows any great back/midback lifts any suggestions would be appreciated.

Sometimes I just live to cheat.

2009-07-26T17:28:00.001-07:00

Sundays have grown to have a special place in my heart (and tummy). For me, Sunday marks not only the end of my split and eating clean, but it's also the day where I can relax and enjoy the ever so glorious cheat meal. I'm not going to lie, I look forward to every sunday, and I strategically plan out my carb/fat laden euphoria of the day (at the end of each week I have a heavy craving for carbs or a carb/fat meal, since all my meals are either carb/protein or protein/fat). Cheat meals keep me sane and satiated for the rest of the week (I end up feeling so heavy and bloated afterwards that my normal diet doesn't seem so bad).

Today's poison was brunch at Mixto, a Spanish restaurant in downtown Philly. I had some eggs and milk (it's ridiculous how much I crave milk) with some lovely cream cheese stuffed french toast with fruit. Completely filling, I felt like I was going to pass out at the table. An awesome brunch with good friends. These cheat meals do a lot more for my psyche than anything. I'm still trying to figure out why my mind craves it as opposed to my body; eating clean for weeks has tricked my body into being unpleasant when I ingest some really heavy, greasy not-so-nutritious food. If I could somehow manipulate whatever triggers the release of endorphins/serotonin to my brain then these next few months won't be so bad. I have a few more cheat meals until I have to completely get rid of them, so these last few meals really have to count. I'm plotting on some fried chicken next week (I'm a sucker for popeye's red beans and rice with chicken strips) because I really have to toughen up mentally for the long haul.

I try to have my cheat meals early in the day because I end up feeling so stuffed afterwards that it's a chore to fnish the next 5 meals, and then I'm stuck at 10:30 at night trying to get through 4 meals (kinda like right now). moral of the story: take the cheat meal, make it small. Do it for your sanity.

This friday I get paid (finally!) and you know what that means: another Costco trip. Which means I'll be stocking up on more egg whites and cottage cheese. I could totally live off that stuff. Enjoy what's left of the weekend and have a restful night :)

15 weeks out

2009-07-25T14:00:00.000-07:00

So I finally started running every morning before breakfast..talk about throwing a wrench in my schedule. I'm a complete night owl that likes to stay up until 3am, and waking up at 6:30 every morning really sucks. Good thing is I can see my obliques in the morning :) I'm 16 weeks from competition, and I'm still at the same weight (137-138lbs) but I'm definitely leaning out. My clothes are starting not to fit--everything is starting to fit really loosely on me, especially pants and tanktops. I used to have this little pudge on my lower abs, and its definitely disappearing, which I'm happy about :) I need to schedule my body composition measurement (I'm due for the month) and see where my body fat percentage is at. As for lifts, I'm a little nervous about going up on my shoulder press. I tried pressing 30s yesterday and my left shoulder popped out :( Maybe I need to work up to 27.5 on the machine.

I started taking my supplements this week: green tea and BCAAs. The amount of pills I down is ridiculous--you'd think I was either a druggie or terribly sick. Oh and it doesn't help that they're horse pills either..but bodybuilders swear by these supplements, so I'll give it a try.

My diet's been pretty constant, still living off oatmeal, tuna, whey, cottage cheese, chicken and egg whites. I eat clean all week and have one cheat meal on sunday. Tomorrow I'm going to brunch with friends--I can't wait. I checked out the menu and I already know what I'm getting--cream cheese stuffed french toast--with milk and a chocolate chip cookie, of course :) Oh tomorrow is going to be glorious--I live for sunday afternoon cheats.

In other news, I've been thinking about going to a chiropractor--the lopsidedness in my shoulders really bothers me. Not in a physical sense, but more from an aesthetic perspective. Hopefully my health insurance covers it.

That's my update for now, I'll catch you guys later :)

Oh Costco how I love thee.

2009-07-14T22:12:00.000-07:00

So I went shopping at Costco and Walmart this weekend, and I just had to show you guys how my amex card melted in my hands. My fridge is filled with baked chicken breast, a case of egg whites, 3 dozen eggs, 12 tubs of fat free cottage cheese, and on my living room table i have 9 pounds of almonds, 3 pounds of walnuts, 100+ servings of oatmeal, 250 capsules of green tea extract, 250 capsules of one-a-day pills, and 12 pounds of protein. Granted this will last me for at least 2-3 months (especially when I start cutting and eating less), so I don't feel too bad about spending less than $200 on food and supplements. If you're thinking about bodybuilding (or just bulking in general), then Costco is definitely your best friend. Get a few buddies together, hop in a car (or minivan if you have one), and see how long you can resist the wholesale prices. I bet less than 3 minutes :)

In other news, I did my chest workout on Monday (dumbbell bench, incline dumbbell and flyes) and did all sets to failure. I'm glad I was able to beat my reps, and I have a decent amount of soreness in my pecs. Hopefully I can increase the weights next week. Today I did back (bent over rows, romanian deadlifts, lat pulldowns, shrugs and hypers) and was able to beat my reps. I'm struggling with the lat pulldowns (my grip tends to give out pretty quickly which makes me pause in my reps) but I'm glad to say I crushed my deadlifts :) Currently I can do reps of 115, and if I can get that as high as possible, I'll be on cloud nine. My lower back is killing me, but it lets me know I pushed myself and had an awesome workout. Hopefully I can hit 125 next week :)

That's all for now, I've got cardio in the morning (taking my green tea supplement beforehand to boost my metabolism) so hopefully I can jog off all this soreness. Goodnight all :)

Ankle status?

2009-07-13T13:24:00.000-07:00

Ankle's still a little sensitive, but a lot better. I can walk on it, but no sudden herky jerky movements. I got it x-rayed on Thursday and apparently I tore a ligament; I'm supposed to wear an ankle sleeve and stay off of it for 4-8 weeks (like that's really going to happen). It's still a bit swollen on the bottom, but overall it's good. I'd say I'm back to 90%. Thanks to those who cared and were concerned. I'm back on track for training (never did stop really, haha), and pushing myself harder than ever. I went shopping at costco this weekend, will upload some pics from that escapade.

Today is the start of my split, and we're doing chest today: dumbbell bench, incline bench and flyes. Only 3 lifts, so hopefully I won't be in the gym all night :)

Murphy's Law in full effect

2009-07-06T23:42:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

As hard as I tried, I am not invulnerable to Murphy's Law. I suffered an unfortunate setback tonight: as I was rushing down the stairs from my room, I slipped, missed a step and fell and sprained my ankle. It's a mild sprain; my ankle's pretty stiff and swollen (as you can see) but I'll do the standard protocol: ice, wrap, elevate..and hopefully I can see a doctor tomorrow. Will let you know my status ASAP, but I still plan on lifting tomorrow (doing back, either with machines or free weights). Hopefully it'll feel better in the morning and I can get to work. Goodnight all.

19 weeks out

2009-07-01T22:39:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

So I'm 19 weeks away from competition and here are some pics. I'm progressing slowly, but as you can tell, I have lots of problem areas to work on (abs, arms, lats and chest). I just got some supplements today (green tea and BCAA's) so hopefully that'll help me put on some more muscle before November hits. So what are my stats are how do my workouts look? Here's a quick rundown on me:

since June 25th:

height: 5'5.75"

weight: 140.1lbs

body fat: 18.9%

and here's what my workouts look like:

Sunday: cardio

Monday: cardio

Tuesday: chest

Wednesday: legs

Thursday: cardio

Friday: back

Saturday: shoulders/arms

This weekend is going to be a little hectic since I'll be out of town, so today I actually did cardio in the morning and will lift later tonight, since my gym is going to be closed for the weekend. Not the most ideal situation, but it's better than missing a training session. My back is coming out nicely (next time I'll try to wear a sports bra instead of rolling up my shirt) :)

As for my diet, I'm eating about 2000 calories a day (a huge jump from my old 1300/day) and I eat about 250 grams of protein to build muscle and 50 grams of fat a day. As it gets closer to showtime I'll start changing my cardio and diet; right now I'm trying to put on as much muscle as I can, and next month I'll start leaning out :)

That's all for now, will post more pics soon :)

big announcement!!

2009-06-12T13:50:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

So I've been missing in action for a bit (work is piling up, family is coming down next week, playoffs and GREs). So, on the spur of the moment and finding a willing and eager (and kind) friend, I decided that I'm going to enter my first bodybuilding competition!! Yes, I'm pretty excited about it, and there's tons of work to do..I'll definitely keep you guys posted on my progress. Currently I'm at 138.5lbs, and I need to cut down to 115lbs by November. The good thing is that this competition definitely aligns with my goals in my first post and will definitely get me there, especially getting below 15% body fat. So at the moment I'm eating 6 small meals a day to get my metabolism up, then Monday starts my official training..woohoo..wish me luck :)

So what have I been doing lately? Well, in terms of cardio, I've been doing a lot of HIIT (high intensity interval training) for 30 minutes a day--switching intervals of 4mph and 6mph to get a nice sweat. It's definitely more engaging and much more fun than just running at one speed on a treadmill. Plus it makes the time zip by.

I've also been doing a lot of core workouts to strengthen my stomach/back, and it looks like now it's time to start cutting the fat :) See last post for some of my core workouts.

I've cleaned up my diet a lot; it sucks I have tastebuds and I can't use them, but hey, that's the price I pay for beauty, right? Haha I'm actually already planning on what I'm going to binge on after the competition (so far I have a pizza and a box of cookies :D). Come August I can't cheat anymore and eat very lean :(

The last couple of days I've just been lifting and getting form and technique down, but today I'll get to do some HIIT and some abwork. I'm slowly leaning out, I just have to be dedicated and patient. Will post some before pics to show you guys my flab/softness haha :)

That's all for now, enjoy the weekend everyone :)

awesome ab workouts

2009-06-02T20:18:00.000-07:00

This post is dedicated to Denise, a lovely lady I met while on a jog to Rittenhouse a couple of weekends ago. I started doing some ab workouts and she definitely came to mind, asking me how can she get rid of a little tummy she's gotten. Well, honestly, I can tell you, you can do all the crunches in the world, but it won't mean anything (or it will all be in vain) if you don't clean up your diet (see last few posts). So once we have the diet down, then we can get to some sweet exercises that will torch your abs :)

Here's a few that I like:

Captain's chair leg lifts: yes, I know, the exercise we all love to hate. It pretty much looks like a chair with no bottom and you lift your legs up. First try lifting your knees up, then when your abs get stronger, lift with your legs fully stretched out. 1 set of 10-15.

Decline crunches: just your basic crunch, but you're on a decline. 1 set of 20.

Russian twists: Uses the same apparatus as the decline crunch, but bring in a medicine ball and be as angled as you can while holding the ball and twisting side to side. 1 set = 20 reps on each side.

Basic crunches: the trick here is the breathing and to do them slowly. Start with your legs up in the air and crossed, and just focus on technique and breathing. Don't let your neck do the work, squeeze your abs to bring yourself up. Inhale when you come down, exhale when you squeeze up. 1 set is 20 crunches.

Leg raises: Simple yet effective. I really like to work on my lower abs, since those are the hardest to define. You can do them on the mat, with your hands under your hips while you raise your legs, or on a weight bench where you can hold on to a bar for support while you swing your legs. Remember to focus on breathing and squeeze the abs. 1 set is 10-12 reps.

Side bends with weights: Stand with a weight of your choice (I use 25-35lb plates) in one hand and go from standing straight up to bending to your side with the weight. You should feel these in your oblique muscles. 10 on each side.

There's tons of other ab workouts to do, but these are definitely my favorite. Now, take 3 or4 of these, and do them in a circuit--that is, do one set of each, one right after the other, with no rest (or as little rest as possible, 30 seconds or less). Combine 3 or 4 of these, and they will give you one large set. If you can do 3 overall sets, then your abs are golden. If after the first set you're dying, grab a 2 minute water break and try the next set. These sets will definitely leave you sore the next day, but they're amazing on your stomach :) Best of all, you can mix and match and create different sets to keep your body guessing :)

grocery shopping!!

2009-05-31T21:37:00.000-07:00

sorry for the long delay in posts, but it's been a crazy couple of weeks, and it's only going to get crazier. not sure when i'll be able to post this upcoming week, so i'm doing it now.

so today i was able to go grocery shopping at a super walmart (my first time in one!! i'm totally amazed!!) and i was able to pick up some pretty decent things at awesome prices. here's a peek into what's in my shopping cart:

1) eggs: i picked the medium sized eggs; just hardboil some these bad boys and they're a perfect snack to pack into my purse. just a dash of salt and i get an awesome protein fix quick. very nutritious and tasty.

2) apples: can't go wrong with fuji apples. fruit spoils too quickly for me to eat all of it, so i buy very small amounts--2 or 3 of each kind. i already have bananas at work, so none for me this time around. fruits are an awesome way to satisfy my sweet tooth, plus apples pack about 3 grams of fiber to keep you nice and regular :)

3) nectarines: a summertime favorite of mine--sweet, tasty, full of fiber, potassium, vitamin c and other goodies.

4) frozen veggies: good as fresh--and they last so much longer too!! i like to buy big bags of frozen veggies and ration them out in my lunch box. also another awesome snack by itself. just heat up a cup for a couple of minutes, add some seasoned salt and you're good to go :)

5) dairy: i like dairy products in the morning--milk, yogurt, cottage cheese--i just feel weird if i don't have some kind of dairy product for breakfast. as a kid, i grew up on whole milk, but now i've switched to skim. i like to mix my milk with a scoop of whey protein and drink it either before or after my workouts. i also picked out some low carb yogurt here (be careful when buying yogurt--if it's not plain then chances are it's packed with unnecessary sugar) and some lowfat cottage cheese for quick, yummy snack. if you need some sugar, try some natural sweeteners (a dash of honey) or some splenda.

6) chicken: an awesome lean source of protein. i'm not big on white chicken, so i got some thighs here instead, because i do prefer dark meat over white meat. yes i know dark meat is not as lean or as healthy as white meat, and if you can eat or prefer white meat, go for it, but i can't. i like to take these and rub them down with spices and throw them on the grill--dinner is ready in minutes.

7) fish/seafood: i normally don't buy much seafood, i actually prefer to eat it in restaurants, but they were having a huge sale at walmart--$5 a bag, and each bag has about 4-6 servings. eating healthy doesn't mean you have to eat expensive, there's always ways to get around it :) so i bought some shrimp (who doesn't love shrimp?), but i like to ration it out, since shrimp can be high in cholesterol. catfish is my fish of choice; i love the tender, flaky texture, but this time around i bought salmon and tilapia. i recently started eating salmon (last year, in december) and i love it (oh and tuna as well). but i can only do fresh salmon or tuna, the canned stuff makes me gag. if you can stomach the prepacked fish, then stock up on those as well too. but i love herb grilled salmon for dinner; it's amazing and filling. tilapia also has a wonderful texture--juicy and flaky (i don't think i can tell the difference between catfish and tilapia in a blind taste test), and of course it packs the heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids we don't get enough of. quick tip: try not to eat fish too often (3 meals a week or less) to avoid mercury poisoning :(

8) lemons: i love adding lemon to my water and drizzling it all over my fish. all fish really needs is some olive oil, herbs and lemon and it's a perfect dish :)

some other things i bought but didn't make it into the picture:

9) cereal: as much as i try to avoid processed foods, sometimes i do need a tiny amount of cereal in my life. i pretty much lived on it during college, so i get cravings every now and then. nowadays i only purchase the kashi go lean cereal, as it packs an excellent amount of protein and fiber for a cereal. and, as always, beware of cereal--they're sugar bombs packed in pretty boxes.

10) lemonade: i'm such a sucker for lemonade. definitely my favorite drink of all time. i could drink it with anything. in this case i buy the minute maid light lemonade (i get my fix and don't feel bad about consuming a ton of sugar--15 calories a serving) and during the summer, all i want to do is drink lemonade.

now, don't get me wrong, i'm far from a perfect eater, but rather i take it one day at a time and try to correct my habits as i progress. i won't lie, saturday i had apple pie for breakfast and sesame chicken for dinner, and sunday i had oatmeal and scrambled eggs for breakfast, curry chicken with white rice for dinner, and a toffee coffee frosty for dessert, but i tell myself i'll pay for it when i go though my workouts this week. it's fine to cheat on the weekends, but as long as it's in moderation and in controlled portions (i only ate a third of my frosty today--the sugar was too much to handle), enough to curb the cravings. it's all about fine tunes and tweaks here and there, until you are able to handle a clean, healthy, sustainable diet. remember, it's all about you and how far you want to go :)

enjoy what's left of the weekend and sweet dreams :)

what's in your desk??

2009-05-19T13:47:00.001-07:00

so i really want to know..what do you snack on during the day? because your snacks are a reflection of you, or who you want to be..so i'll let you have a peek into my cookie jar..

on your left, i have some propel packets (much cheaper and convenient, i take these little packets in my purse, and they're perfect if i want to switch up between water and something sweet), a bag of nuts (whole, natural, unsalted), where i rotate between almonds, walnuts and pecans, some myoplex bars (the low carb kind..be careful when choosing protein bars -- lots of them are packed with unnecessary sugar) and of course, my trusty water bottle, giver of life :)

so a breakdown on my daily munchies, and why i chose them:

1) propel packets: i've actually had this box for awhile now, water suffices me 95% of the time. i'm a creature of habit, and once in awhile, i like to live on the wild side and add some sweetness to my drink. for a drink mix, it's not too bad: it's got a decent amount of vitamins C, B6, niacin and other goodies, and it's low calorie (10 calories/serving). Remember, if you're going to use up your daily caloric intake, take advantage of each and every calorie.

2) nuts: they have have HAVE to be unsalted and natural. as unprocessed as possible. if you have to buy the shelled kinds to avoid processing, then so be it. no oil, no salt, nothing. just nut. the reason is nuts are jam packed with protein and fat (the good kind, poly and mono-unsaturated fats) that actually help control cholesterol (low density lipoproteins, for my science nerds out there), and more and more studies are coming out about their wonderful health benefits. it's also a great protein snack (especially for women, who tend to have less of a protein intake than our male counterparts). so don't skimp on the nuts.

3) protein bars: you may see a recurring motif here--i try to include protein in all the snacks i eat. the reason is that protein is less likely to be converted into fat as sugar is. in my desk i have some myoplex low carb bars (cookies and cream if you're wondering the flavor)--and honestly, it tastes like cardboard crap. but it does its job, if i'm running around and i can only fit a bite or two in, i nibble on my bar, grab some nuts, and that holds me over until mealtime. just be careful with the bars you pick--read labels, check ingredients, glean the fine print--just because it's a protein bar or it sounds healthy doesn't mean it is (future post on picking the right bar coming up). these protein bars are also super convenient; i buy in bulk, by the box, so i can stuff one into my purse when i need to chew down on one right after a workout, especially if i'm not eating anytime soon (protein is necessary within 45 minutes after a workout for tissue repair).

4) water: our beloved, dihydrogen monoxide (i'm a science geek at heart, sorry). my job has a water cooler in the break room, so i recycled an old water bottle and keep it handy. i try to drink about two bottles a day (half a gallon roughly), but the recommended intake is a gallon a day. so why not water? what's there not to love about it? it keeps you hydrated, is great for your skin, keeps you in order, and maintains a healthy metabolism. for all my soda drinkers out there: switch to diet, and drink more water. don't waste calories on beverages. liquids are nowhere near as satiating as solid food, so try to make the switch to water (or flavored water, my favorite).

often i pack with me fruit and vegetables to nibble on--an apple, a banana, carrot sticks, boiled broccoli--to make sure i get the fiber i need and to spice things up. i tried a switch up in my diet to raw vegetables (i tried raw broccoli--it's definitely an acquired taste, i'm sticking to steamed), so any recommended veggies i should try are definitely welcome. so far i've done broccoli, carrots and cucumbers, obviously the broccoli was a bust, but i am open minded. boiled eggs are another awesome snack, just throw on some salt and pepper and you have an awesome 6-8 grams of protein in less than 80 calories. pound for pound one of my favorite snacks.

so just a quick recap--your snack box should contain:

1) protein

2) water

3) fruits

4) vegetables of your preference

so let me know, what's in your desk??

smile my lovely :)

let's get started

2009-05-15T11:50:00.000-07:00

well it's a lovely friday afternoon (not raining, thank goodness) and the weekend is barely starting..and its about time to go workout..so now i ask, what's your goal/desire/dream? for me personally, i have a few goals in mind:

1) less than 15% body fat (i'm at about 20%)

2) squat 150lbs or greater

3) bench sets of 100lbs

4) and of course, be lean and healthy. and STRONG.

no matter what your goals are, the best way to start is to keep something in mind, have a plan, and place a deadline on it. within the next 4-5 months, i hope to knock all of these out. just to give you an idea where i'm starting, there's a picture of my awesome abs (yeah, right). But that'll be fixed in the next few months, no worries. That pinch I'm holding will be gone by September.

So where do we start?

Going back to the gym is always the hardest. And some people with full time jobs just want to get home and veg out for a bit. But you have to overcome everything and just do it. So let's get to it :)

1) For starters, find the perfect time block. Pick a time that's convenient for you and stick to it. I usually workout after work, but I'm going to try and switch my routines up to the mornings and see how that goes.

2) Ease into your workouts. It's never a good idea to start with hardcore workouts if you've been out of it or trying something new; the last thing we would want is an injury. So go slow. 15 minutes on the treadmill, 20 minutes on the bike, stair stepper, elliptical, 10 pound free weight exercises, something moderate. We don't want you completely immobilized after your workout, but a little soreness never hurt anyone :)

3) Stretch stretch stretch!! I should take my own advice, as I don't stretch enough, but stretching before and after workouts is a surefire way to keep your muscles long and limber and to prevent any muscle injuries that could happen.

4) Gotta clean the fridge. I'll make a separate post on what should be in your fridge, but yes, in order for your body to be lean, the fridge has to be clean. So we're going to cut down on processed food, junk food (notice i didn't say cut out, but it will be moderated) and we're going to focus on meat and veggies and unprocessed foods. It's true, your body is a temple, and the last thing we want to do is trash it.

5) Keep a log or journal. I'll use my blog as my personal workout log to give you guys a hint of what I do. But do take note of what you eat, what exercises you do, and all that jazz. Recording your workouts and consumption will make you more aware of what you eat, what you do, plus it's a great way to keep you on track to your goals.

So what's the plan for today? I'll start my routine with some cardio (30+ minutes), stretch for a couple of minutes, then follow it up with some abwork and weights. I'll add more details once I get back, as at the moment I'm making stuff off the top of my head.

Smile, you're beautiful :)

well hello there..

2009-05-15T11:40:00.000-07:00

ahh yes..my first post..let's see here..well i'll try to focus this blog on health and fitness (haha just in time for summer) and we'll see where it goes..keep your eyes peeled..

for ling..thank you for your kindness and inspiration.