Weekly Recap

Wow I thought last week was rough! This week was even more challenging but for very different reasons. On Monday, my mother in law passed away after a short but intense battle against pancreatic cancer. I’m so thankful that my parents are in town this month so when George got the call that his mom was not doing well after I was already at work, my parents were able to come over and get the girls off to school while George rushed over to be by his mom’s side as she passed.

I tried to plan the rest of my workouts for the morning so they wouldn’t interfere with anything George might need help with as the funeral plans come together and also to be there for him emotionally.

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I’ve been practicing my posing (but probably not enough) and even used the group fitness room to practice after my Sunday workout. I put on my heels and wore just my shorts and a sports bra so I could make sure I was pulling everything in as I hit each pose. And just as I finished and sat down to take off my heels, a guy walked in. He said hi but kind of looked at me funny because I was sitting there with very little clothing and taking off what look like stripper heels. I felt like I should give some explanation, but I wasn’t sure how to concisely say it, so I didn’t. Haha I wonder what he thought I had been doing in there!

I had my second session with my posing coach on Thursday and worked more on my routine with some little adjustments to each pose. It still doesn’t feel natural yet, but I’m making progress. Now that I’ve been practicing a little more, I can’t wait to get into a suit! My coach suggested that I try one of her group posing sessions to practice with some other girls and learn how to not get distracted by the others! She has one coming up next week so I’ll try to make it.

On Friday morning, I planned to run on the treadmill after my weight workout, but about halfway through weights, I noticed all the treadmills and cycles were out of order. What?! All of them?? I briefly considered driving over to my country club’s gym just to run, but I didn’t think I would have enough time for that. I tried 3 different ellipticals before I begrudgingly settled, but only because I was running out of time. The first one didn’t have an adjustable incline and the handles made a weird clicking noise. Next I tried the Arc Trainer… nope, the movement and stride felt too awkward and unnatural! Finally, I got on another elliptical without handles but with an adjustable incline, but I felt like I barely got a workout with the short amount of time I had left.

I was SO excited about doing an all Beyonce themed Aaptiv treadmill workout! Luckily I got off of work early and was able to go to my country club gym and redeem my cardio workout for the day. It was a fun workout and I felt so much better about ending the week on a high note!

Not sure if it was the feeling of deprivation that finally got to me or the stress of losing a loved one, but my nutrition was completely off this week. I had a few bites of Enlightened ice cream (lower calorie/high protein ice cream but still not meal plan approved), a third of an Iconic Cookie, a nibble of George’s chocolate chip cookie when we went out on a coffee date, and the biggest doozy – a Crossroads Torchy’s taco on Friday afternoon. It had been a super busy day at work, so to thank us for working so hard and running all day without much opportunity for a break, the surgeon bought us all Torchy’s for a late lunch. I had even had a little time to sneak in a quick but healthy meal, but they just smelled so good when I walked into the break room and others were eating them that I gave in before and ate one before I could even think through what I was doing! Well, good thing I got that extra treadmill run right after that!

On Saturday after the funeral, we had lots of snacks and treats at the church that I successfully avoided. Then we went to another family member’s house for a late lunch. There was a huge spread of sandwiches, salad, fruit, potato salads, and lots of cookies, brownies, bars, pies, and mini bundt cakes. I avoided ALL that junk and made the healthiest choice I could with half a piece of wheat bread piled high with turkey, lettuce, and tomatoes and sides of salad, raw veggies, and a few strawberries. I patted myself on the back for making such good food choices when surrounded by junk and under sad/stressful circumstances. Then I guess it all came crumbling down later that afternoon when I finally gave into a Caramel DeLite Girl Scout cookie and a few bites of other off-limits foods. I don’t even know why!! I email my coaches a weekly progress update and I had to tell on myself! The accountability of a coach and teammates is probably my favorite part of all of this because I hate letting others down!

I keep reminding myself that these little things aren’t that bad considering how well I’m eating most of the time, but now that I’m getting closer to the competition, my meal plan doesn’t have room for these extra calories. I’m usually all about balance and treating yourself every once in a while, but unfortunately these last few weeks need to be very strict so I can go into this competition with the confidence that I’ve done everything possible.

I was on call at work on Sunday so I packed up all my meals for the next 24 hours that I would be living in the hospital which luckily forced me to get back on track. I thought I’d be able to do some yoga or stretching, but I ended up working all day starting with a central line as soon as I walked in at 6:45 and then two back to back kidney transplants. By the time I finished up with those and ate dinner at 6:30 pm, I was so tired and didn’t have the energy to do any sort of workout. Luckily with how busy I was, I didn’t have time to wander down to the lounge and even think about grazing on any of the junk food snacks provided in there.

Progress

Bikini Training Program

Strength x 5 days (mostly 5 sets)
Cardio x 5 (25 minute HIIT or 35-40 minute steady state)

Strength Training

Monday: AM Legs/Abs

Tuesday: AM Shoulders

Wednesday: PM Legs/Glutes

Thursday: AM Chest/Triceps

Friday: AM Back/Biceps

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: Rest

Cardio

Sunday: 34 minutes elliptical Aaptiv Team Boy Band Cardio (afternoon)

Monday: 24 minutes treadmill sprints Aaptiv Iconic Sprints (after strength)

Tuesday: 30 minutes elliptical HIIT Aaptiv Peak Fun (after strength)

Wednesday: 33 minutes progression run/incline walk Aaptiv Confetti Ready (after strength)

Thursday: none

Friday: AM 18 minutes elliptical intervals Aaptiv Hilly and Hard (after strength) + PM 25 minutes treadmill interval run Aaptiv All Bey, All Day

Saturday: none

Sunday: none

Aaptiv is pretty much the only way I can do this much cardio! They advertise it as “on-demand audio fitness that combines the guidance of a trainer with the perfect playlist to give you a fresh way to work out.” They have hundreds of workouts for outdoor running or walking, treadmill, elliptical, stairclimber, cycling, race training, yoga, strength training, and meditation. I used to hate cardio, but this app is so motivating with a trainer in your ear telling you exactly what to do and encouraging you along the way.

I remember a few years ago when the idea of a competing in a bikini competition started to bounce around in my head. But seeing the training plans and the amount of cardio required, especially towards the end, I thought “no way I could ever do that much boring cardio!” Now the fun part of my week is looking through all the workouts on Sundays, narrowing them down by favorite trainers, genre of music, and duration, and planning them out for the week! I have a to-do list within the app of AT LEAST 50 workouts!

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Meal Plan

A few things changed in my meal plan this week. I thought I’d really like it, but turns out they weren’t my favorite. I like the idea of French toast and it really was good, but serving it with almond butter just wasn’t the same as syrup. I also don’t really like eating a lunch/dinner type of meal in the afternoon. I much prefer to eat something I can quickly eat if I’m still busy at work or in the car on my way to the gym for an afternoon workout or pick up the kids from day care.

Here’s what a typical day of eating looks like for me (please keep in mind that this meal plan customized for MY specific dietary needs for my height, weight, workout intensity, AND my caloric needs for breastfeeding). This may not be appropriate for you.