Growing can be fun.
It can also be scary.
Some days I feel powerful. I go to the gym, lift heavy stuff… decide to be a ninja….
Competition Blues
When a big event ends it’s a little sad.
What do I DO if I’m not planning and prepping?!
Rest is a good thing, but it can be a hard thing to swallow. I’ve heard people talk about feeling down after races, weddings, babies… and competitions. This time around I’m feeling it more than I did before. I think it’s because I know it’s going to be a long time before I compete again (more on that below).
Today’s Work It Out is my attempt to get over it by focusing on lessons learned at Kentucky Muscle and The Rocky, and getting excited to make improvements.
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Season 2 Lessons Learned
1. Support is Invaluable
Having my trainer and 2 very good friends around throughout the process made it 100x easier. Surround yourself with positive people, even better if they can empathize. Heather and Lisa are versatile friends – they were the perfect partners-in-crime in Napa for my 30th and for competing!
Check out the transformation from July to November (photo-editing courtesy Heather):
From Napa to the stage
2. Big Shows are Tough
I’m not talking just the level of competition (though it is harder). I’m talking mentally. They are long, long days. The Rocky show was the most disorganized situation I’ve ever seen. They let too many people enter, causing the show to run so far behind that my group was just getting on stage for pre-judging when the evening show was supposed to begin. That show began 2 hours late… by the time we went to stage again I no longer cared even a little bit.
It was an exercise in patience, rolling with the punches. Thank you for the lesson… but never will I ever do a Colorado show again. In near-ish the future I plan to stick to smaller shows. If you chose them right, they are still competitive but you don’t end up wasting so much time. I get that they want to make money, but there needs to be a cut off for entries. It’s not fair to the athletes or the people who buy tickets.
3. Celebrate Small Victories
Not placing Top 5 doesn’t mean you can celebrate the small victories. It’s no secret that I hate posing. It’s as far out of my comfort zone as you can get. Lisa, who has seen me almost since day 1, watched me in Colorado and said it’s the best I’ve never done.
Now I need to work on GROWING… 
4. Growth Takes Time
I’ve gained a lot over the past 2 years, but I’m still too small. I feel like I look big in the gym lifting, but then you put me next to the other women and I look tiny. My trainer, Steve, has been telling me I need to take a year off to really grow. Competing every 6 months or so means I cut too often and lose some of the gains I make.
Steve and me
So I’ve decided to listen to Steve’s advice. I’m taking a year off to grow. This is contributing to the “blues” because I love having a goal line.
(I’m not always the best listener ← understatement of the year.)
5. Food is Good
My nutrition plan leading up to competition wasn’t so restrictive that I was miserable. You CAN compete in a healthy way. It doesn’t have to be tilapia and asparagus (click here for the “why” on asparagus) for months. You never need to be hungry (I stayed full!).
Towards the end you do need to keep with super clean and avoid anything that could bloat. For me, that meant a couple of weeks that were heavy on the white fish and asparagus. I cooked 2 pans of it for Heather and me the day before our competition!
Photo courtesy of Heather, whose spice drawer I could move into.
The happy part about a bulk year is that I get to have alllll the foods!
Heather’s husband, Kirk, help me kick it off right when he made smoked salmon and eggs benedict for us the morning after the competition. I am still dreaming of this:
#yolkporn
“I can’t wait to find out what happens on page number two.” ~Jennifer Nettles, Page #2
***
Check out Heather’s Rocky recap here. I’m excited she’s already planning her return to the stage!
Have you ever experience the post-event blues? What do you do to cheer up?
Who is on your support team? Tell them how thankful you are this week!
The One Where Food Became Fuel
Food, in the simplest of definitions, is fuel.
I missed that memo.
Food, for me, has always been entertainment. It’s art. It’s an experiment. It’s what I do when I’m sad, happy, grumpy, tired, bored… I love food. End scene.
You might imagine that a limited diet is my worst nightmare. I’ve been trying to prove you can still be creative on a competition diet. You can… but the last week of cutting is HARD. You’ll notice from last week’s WIAW at 4 days out, I still had a lot of variety. This time around I decided to try something new. Being more boring traditional.
I cut fat and am sticking to lean proteins (mostly tilapia). My main veggie is asparagus. My carbs are oatmeal in the morning and sweet potato after that. I’m not hungry at all… but my palette is bored out of its mind. Food has become fuel.
Why am I doing this? Quite simply, to see if it’s necessary. I want to compare last weekend to this weekend. Will it make a difference if I eat more like everyone else the week before a competition? Only my abs time will tell!
The fascination with experimentation is what’s keeping me on track this week!
I almost feel like I should apologize for the repetitive nature of this WIAW. I am 4 days from my 4th figure competition. It’s the last one for a long while… I promise next week will be more interesting.
Read on for my eats, and then check out Jenn’s blog for everyone else delicious creations!
Breakfast:
I still start the day with my Aminos and ACV morning cocktail. I swear it’s more energizing than coffee.
Breakfast was oatmeal with a ton of cinnamon, honey, and pomegranate atop a homemade Turkey Breakfast Sausage Patties. I really do love the turkey “sausage.” It’s something I would make in the off-season too – they’re a great clean, low-sodium alternative to the store-bought stuff.
As usual, I ate it in the car on the way to work. Turkey-oatmeal coffee mug parfait!
Mid-Morning Snack:
Surprise, surprise. Tilapia. I did add some variety with cucumbers, red bell pepper, and purple sweet potato chips (with cinnamon).
Lunch:
Fish variety at lunch – I had Perch with my asparagus. The asparagus I sautéed during food prep with shallots, garlic, lime juice, and herb. I’m really loving the perch – it’s super mild.
Mid-Afternoon Snack:
Tilapia. Again. Added some variety in two ways: I used purple asparagus and I made it into ribbons! Purple asparagus is thicker, so it makes it a bit easier to shred into ribbons. Fuel can be fun. Ish.
Dinner:
Dinner was is my favorite treat – Sea Bass. It even makes asparagus taste better. Purple sweet potato is like dessert. I topped it with some nutritional yeast for a nutty accent.
Dessert:
It’s not really dessert anymore. Tilapia topped with a blend of Mexican spices and cucumber with salt-free mustard. Nom.
***
I prepped all my food to take to Denver today for this weekend’s competition. Tilapia and curry-roasted asparagus are on tap for the plane. Others on the flight are going to love me. #sorryimnotsorry
Do you view food simply as fuel? Fun? Something else?
How do you keep it interesting in the kitchen?
Kentucky Muscle Weekend
Body building has no finish line.
This is both inspiring and frustrating.
You work every day – like all goals in life – to be better than you were the day before. This past weekend’s competition, Kentucky Muscle, was the biggest one I’ve ever done. I didn’t place in the Top 5 (I came in 6th)… and while I knew I probably wouldn’t it was still a little disappointing.
Not going to lie… the “trophy” was a sword, and that just made me want to place more. Who doesn’t want a sword to display at home?!
What I am proud of is how I’ve progressed since my last show. This time around I had made gains and, more importantly, I felt better than I ever had before. This morning of the show I felt centered, confident, and ready to get one stage with my best package yet.
On stage, I wasn’t as uncomfortable as I’d been in the past. My posing still isn’t the best, but it’s better. I am confident enough to walk out with a smile, know I’m not going to fall over in my stripper heels, and look directly at each and every judge while I move through each pose (that part is maybe the hardest!).
Back stage was also fun. I met some new friends and had time to hang out with my House of Payne teammates. It’s a crowded space, but everyone made the best of it; I’m continually amazed by how kind other competitors are. I bummed rice cakes (which I’d forgotten) and goofed off with the girls in my class as we lined up to get on stage. I almost had them convinced to enter the stage doing the “walk like an egyptian” dance. 😉
You may recognize my partner-in-crime, Lisa, from my last show and birthday trip to Napa. Hannah, the blonde in the picture below, won overall Physique!
The best part is always the meal afterwards. We didn’t finish until almost midnight, but that didn’t stop our group from heading to a local late-night pizza spot. See the pizza on the top right below? I ate the entire thing. With a Kentucky bourbon barrel beer. And a peanut butter Oreo (which are fantastic, btw).
My trainer and I stopped at a local brunch sport, Toast, on the way out of town for one final indulgence before I got back on the wagon foe next weekend’s show. We split some #yolkporn served on toasted brioche with harissa hot sauce and bacon, and a fantastically decadent bread pudding pancake served with a blend of warm rum raisin syrup and Irish crème sauce. Sugar coma heaven.
Last, but certainly not least, I was especially excited to see Brittany! She lives nearby and came to hang out between after pre-judging and for the night show. Seeing one of my favorite Blends made the waiting game so much easier. She is hilarious and kept my trainer and I laughing the entire time.
Thank you, Brittany!!! I can’t tell you how much seeing a familiar face helps!
I’ll do a longer recap after next week’s Colorado show. I spent the few hours after I got home grocery shopping and meal prepping to make it through a crazy week of work, workouts, and travel. Lisa and I are headed to compete with the lovely Heather in her bikini debut at the end of the week!
I hope you all have a marvelous start to the week!
***
That’s the short and sweet recap… I’m about to fall asleep. Thank you all so much for the tweets, texts, comments on last week’s posts (I swear I’ll catch up one day), Facebook, and Instagram. It meant the world!
Do you view your goals as a progression, or is there a finish line?
What would be your “treat” food of choice after something like this? Heather just texted me with an amazing food idea for next weekend… woo hoo!
A Day of Food at 4 Days Out
Change is often slow.
The bane of my impatient existence.
Change does come to those who stay the course. When I started training for competitions I had some muscle tone, but was underweight and had literally run my ass off. I posted about my journey here so I won’t rehash. What I will say (again) is that there is NOTHING you can’t accomplish with hard work and the unwavering belief that you can do anything you want to if you want to badly enough.
Yes, I’m still small for Figure; I know I have a long way to go. This weekend’s show is the most competitive one I’ve ever done and I know I won’t place. That doesn’t lessen my excitement to have the experience, and to be around so many inspiring competitors. AND – regardless of the outcome – I’m pretty damn proud of this progress in about a year and a half.
Competing isn’t easy. Some days I don’t want to get up and do cardio or eat healthy food or hear snarky comments from people… but it is worth it. The good days and the personal satisfaction outweigh the bad.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: find something you’re passionate about and go do it to the fullest extent. It could be running, lifting, painting, writing code… whatever! You will be more fulfilled and SO MUCH happier – it has made all the difference for me.
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Enough inspirational mush! This WIAW I am 4 days from my 3rd figure competition! Bring on the lean protein, complex carbs, and yes… the asparagus.
Read on for my eats, and then check out Jenn’s blog for everyone else delicious creations!
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Breakfast:
As usual, I started the day I with my Aminos and ACV morning cocktail. I swear it’s more energizing than coffee.
Breakfast was pancakes. Not as good as my usual. These were just oat flour, an egg white, baking powder, and cinnamon. BUT… I got to have pancakes! The sauce was the best part. I mashed up raspberries, added a dash of maple extract, and microwaved them for ~10 secs to create a syrup. I’d eat that outside of competition prep!
With a side of Cinnamon-Flax Baked Chicken.
Mid-Morning Snack:
Leftover Parrot Fish with asparagus and sugar peas. Nom.
The fish looked prettier on Instagram 2 nights ago. For those that were curious on Monday, the fish was tasty but nothing out of the ordinary. It was a mild white fish, on the meaty side and slightly buttery.
Lunch:
I froze last week’s leftover lean beef burgers for lunches this week. It was just as good warmed up and eaten with sweet potato rounds, asparagus, and red peppers.
Some have asked why I eat the majority of my asparagus raw. The reason is VERY important: I like it better raw. It has a sweet crunchiness.
Mid-Afternoon Snack:
I gave in to a cliché and went back to an old recipe this week… Tequila Lime Tilapia. Tilapia is “the” source of protein for many in the bodybuilding community. Variety is a better choice for me; if I had to eat the same thing every meal I’d never make it. Tilapia is fine in moderation though! Especially with tequila.
The fish and calabaza squash were cooked during my Sunday meal prep. I reheated them ate at it with a quick raw salad of yellow cherry tomatoes and white asparagus tossed in a mix of nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar, and a homemade Mexican spice blend.
Dinner:
Dinner was a roasted veggie fest – part of this week’s food prep was a giant pan of white and green asparagus, red bell pepper, shiitake mushrooms, garlic, green onion, and fresh herbs in Meyer lemon juice. I also tossed pieces of the actual lemon in the pan too. It’s completely edible and not too sour after a good roast.
Eaten with my favorite protein: Sea Bass.
Dessert:
No more diary and no more protein powder in my diet… it’s Cinnamon-Flax Baked Chicken and carrots for dessert. Admittedly, this is NOT my favorite part about competing.
***
“I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find that I have just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.” ~Diane Ackerman
What are you passionate about?
Do you prefer veggies raw or cooked? I generally like ’em raw… though I do love a good char roast.
Work It Out: 15 Minutes Is All It Takes
Who doesn’t love a quickie?
Cardio! What are you thinking?!
In my last couple of weeks of competition prep I’ve added cardio. 15 minutes per day, high intensity. Normally I run sprints but – of course – I pulled my hamstring. No more sprints.
In effort to get my cardio in, I’ve had to adjust. This week’s Work It Out is dedicated to my back up plan.
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I dislike forced cardio. Some days when I’m antsy or when the weather is nice I love a good run, but when it’s prescribed I’m less enthusiastic.
Mindset is important. I get up in the morning and get it done. 15 minutes of fasted cardio. 15 minutes is all it takes is my mantra.
You can do anything for 15 minutes!
You are probably familiar with most of these moves. When you do the jumping jack and running portions, do them quickly to ensure you keep the intensity up.
Wacky Jacks may be the one you haven’t tried. I “borrowed” it from my P90X days. What I like about them is that they work your core too. You start like a regular jumping jack with your hands behind head. Then drive your elbow to the hip or knee, jumping to alternating sides. Click here for a quick video demo.
Pop Squats I’ve talked about before here in the Save Your Knees Work It Out. I love these for the burst of energy. They are great for the buns!
Note: You can modify these movement to accommodate your specific needs or limitations. For instance, do the push ups from your knees, or replace pop squats with regular squats. Listen to your body. If it hurts, stop. NO need to be a super hero and risk injury!
***
With a few days left till my competition, I’m doing these or getting on the elliptical doing intervals, forward and backward, every day!
What is your favorite “quickie” exercise?
Do you prefer cardio or lifting? Neither? Both?
Weekend Warrior
Who said weekends are for rest?
Thought let’s be honest – I appreciated the extra hour.
Weekend warrior-ing has been my M.O. in the past, but in recent years my warrior-style has changed. These days it’s all about productivity. Rest is a good thing… and I did rest from job-related activities. The work I did was fun to me!
I spent fun time in the kitchen making 72 of my Sweet Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins to take to a men’s shelter for a chili dinner. It was fun to do – I love baking for others!
Saturday my cousin (the one I did the adventure race with) treated me to a pre-game sideline tour of the Georgia Tech field and seats to the Homecoming game. We are all huge Tech fans in my family; I grew up going to games with my dad. It was a big treat to watch the team warm up on the field.
Those guys are HUGE!
Can you tell we’re related?
We were gone all evening, so I had to smuggle in food in my purse. Turkey roll-ups, anyone?
My 20-year-old self is making fun of me for sneaking in heath food rather than whiskey. 😉
Saturday and Sunday both included workouts. I love when you get to the week before competition – it’s added motivation knowing it’s your last workout for each muscle group. This time next week I’ll be done with my 3rd figure competition and less than a week out from my 4th in Denver with Heather!
The Breakfast Club got me through my cardio – I even stayed an extra 5 mins to hear the closing monologue. Then I had to take of pic of the Famous Amos bag on the locker room floor… I resisted the urge to check and see if there were any cookies left and went for a photo shoot instead.
You see us as you want to see us: in the simplest terms and the most convenient definitions…
Sunday Funday concluded with a trip to my favorite international farmers market! It’s always a crowded on a weekend afternoon, but I put on my ninja socks and kicked it.
Of course I bought plenty of lean protein and asparagus for my final week of prep, but I also scored with super cheap pomegranate! I refrained from the avocado drink mix, but had to get a pic as proof that my favorite #strangebutgood protein shake add isn’t THAT weird.
Other highlights included the kabocha squash Thai curry they were sampling… let’s pretend I didn’t take a bite... and a new-to-me fish. The Parrot Fish was too pretty not to try! I had them fillet it for me before taking it home. Can’t wait to make dinner with it tonight!
Sunday night I realized I hadn’t sat down all day long. I get it honest – my mom is the same way. Some might prefer a more laid back weekend, but I am not happy unless my hair is on fire. It’s pretty marvelous.
***
There are, of course, exceptions. I’m going to have a full, restful weekend to recover from back-to-back shows. Anyone want to come over for chocolate cake and red wine? 😉
Have you ever heard of Parrot Fish? Any preparation suggestions?
Do you prefer a super-active weekend or a restful one? What are your to-dos on your days off?
Mocha Mint Protein Muffins + Giveaway
M is for Monday.
I swear I didn’t plan this.
This weekend had an M theme, which happens to work really well for Katie’s Marvelous Monday link up. See what I did there? 😉
1. Meringues
My company is a cloud-based technology. Rather than handing out boring collateral like pens at the executive meeting, I ordered cloud-like meringue cookies! Dyed blue and stuffed in pumpkins for Halloween.
Thanks to Henri’s Bakery for doing a great job on this custom order – I’ve been going there since I was a kid!
NO, I didn’t eat one… 2 weeks to go!
2. Muscles
Speaking of 2 weeks to go, I had my second to last posting practice with my trainer before my competitions! I have never loved posing, but I’m learning to look forward these Saturday sessions – I get to spend the day posing and training with some of the most inspiring competitors around.
This Saturday’s session made me more excited than ever for these next competitions, and for the next year where I’m 100% committed to hardcore BUILDING. I love lifting.
3. Mom
This weekend was my mom’s birthday. She’s turning 29, once again. 😉
I was really excited to have her over for brunch. She opened presents and I made her my jicama nachos with shrimp, pico, yellow tomato, and #yolkporn. She save this #strangebutgood creation two thumbs up, which means the world since she is the one I have to thank for my love of food and creating in the kitchen.
4. Muffins
Not just any muffins. I accidentally made Mocha Mint Protein Muffins.
These were going to be a version of my coffee pancakes. I accidentally added too much egg, so I decided to bake them instead. This is what a Thin Mint would taste like as a muffin. Talk about an awesome mistake!
I used Dunkin Donuts’ seasonal Mocha Mint coffee, but you could use any flavor and add extracts. I added peppermint extract because the DD coffee isn’t actually very mint-y.
Mocha Mint Muffins
- 2 T oats
- 1 T coconut flour
- 1 T (10g) chocolate protein powder
- 1 tsp chia seeds
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp no-salt baking powder
- 1/4 C egg whites
- 1/4 cup brewed coffee (I used mocha mint)
- 1/4 tsp peppermint extract
- 6-8 drops vanilla liquid stevia
- Optional: chocolate chips, cocoa powder, nuts
In a small bowl, mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and stir to combine.
Pour into prepared muffin tins and bake ~25 mins.
Makes 2 muffins (or 3 squares in my slightly smaller silicone mold).
Note: I learned that this recipe can be doubled when I made more to have for breakfast this coming week.
This mistake was even sweeter because it gave me a recipe to link up to Heather’s MMAZ. She told me seeds could count as nuts.
5. Munchies
It’s Halloween. You have candy coming out the you-know-what.
Just in case you want to give your blood sugar a break, I have a giveaway for one of my favorite bars. One of you will win a whole box of thinkThin High Protein Bars.
Normally a “thin” bar wouldn’t appeal to me; however, my dad actually got me into these. When he was getting chemo, all he wanted where the chocolate fudge bars. Random craving, right?
I came to love them. The 20g protein is perfect for a quick fix post-workout or on the run. It keeps you full, gives you a pop of energy, and has 0g of sugar. They’re also gluten-free!
My favorites right now are the Cookies ‘n Cream and the Chocolate Toffee Nut, but you can choose your own!
***
I am literally back-to-back in meetings all week. Between that and gym time, blogging may be sporadic. Does anyone else think of Clueless when they use the word sporadic?
What is your favorite protein-filled snack to-go?
What was the last happy kitchen accident you had?
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