*BiKiNi WaRRioR* PART I

People often use the phrase, "Milk does a body GOOD." But, this week I'm using the phrase, "H20 does a body GOOD." Never in my life did I ever think I would be able to consume THREE gallons of water a day. You may not think it is humanly possible, but for the past three days, I have consumed a total of 9 GALLONS OF WATER! 


Yep. NINE full Gallons of water. I peed every 20 minutes the non-color of crystal clear and woke up every two hours due to the bladder knockn' on toilets door. 


Why so much water? Gotta flush out the system and if you haven't been reading... this Saturday, I am competing in the 2011 NPC Washington State Open BodyBuilding, Fitness, Bikini & Physique Championship. This is the first time I will be prancing around strutn' my half naked self in front of hundreds of people.  

I am always up for a challenge, so I took this competition by the horns! I've been training like an athlete, eating crazy super clean and I even walked around Walmart on Sunday with a gallon of water, to stalk up on... well ya know, MORE WATER! Then, when I arrived at work Monday morning, my coworkers surprised me with more water for my birthday. Hence, in the photo above - the display of 8 gallons of H20! 


I have to say that this past week has been a challenge but fun adventure. I started off my Saturday with a pre-celebration of my 27 years of life by gettin' muddy and dirty at the Warrior Dash in North Bend, WA. I finished the filthy 5k in 43:30. Not as fast as I wanted and I probably would have finished a lot faster if I didn't fall so much in the mud... ON MY FACE! It was totally worth it! 

The best part about this experience? Running like a WARRIOR over cars, tires and lots of MUD! The grossest part was riding the bus back to my car and sitting in someone else's mud. Smelly. Gross. I should have taken a picture. 


On another note: Do you know how hard it is to take off muddy shoes? Take a look above. The mud literally suctioned onto my feet like cement. Needless to say, I had to say goodbye to my NIKE's and my Dri-Fit socks. Overall, I will take on this challenge next year and beat my time! 

Stay Tuned for Part II of 'Bikini Warrior' as I will be sharing the rest of this week's preparation leading up to Saturday's big EVENT! 

Back To Green I Go...

I'm no HULK and it would be really cool if I was referring to Green Apples or Green M&M's...maybe even Green Pears? But no... I am back on my Green Faces Diet: Phase I. This means the only foods I am and will be consuming for the next couple weeks are green vegetables and only foods that have a face (hello protein!). If you've been keeping up with my blogs, I did this same diet about 6 weeks ago and saw some amazing results, dropping 5lbs and 5% body fat! 


This time it is a little bit easier and my mood swings aren't devilish like before. (hehe) I am hungry all of the time as usual. I can out eat my dad with any steak dinner and I drink more water than your four legged best friend. Good news: I cut out coffee completely! YAY! That was hard. The smell of it is still intoxicating. At least I wasn't super addicted--otherwise those caffeine headaches would be killing me right now. After July 23rd, a Coffee Break will be in full effect. 


My workouts are still intense and I've been feeling the after-math once I reach the end of the day. I pass out as soon as my head hits the pillow. I wake up every morning at 5am, well more so my bladder wakes me up. That's what happens when you drink 2 gallons of water a day. Despite my crazy hormonal roller-coaster ride, I've dropped down to 129.7lbs. I've noticed the difference in how my body feels when I am eating carbs and when I'm not. My weight constantly fluctuates depending on TOM (Time of the Month, if you didn't know) and how much water I've drank that day. Let me tell you that my body has a mind of it's own. 


This week I have not been successful with my two-a-day workouts, but I plan to pick that back up next week while I house sit. My coworker has an awesome gym in her condo where I can do my cardio intervals in the morning before work. Her place is my sacred thinking temple because the city view from her condo is absolutely amazing. Perhaps I'll post a blog from the view next week and share a photo. :)


The bikini competition is in t-minus 15 days! My swimsuit should arrive any day now. I'll be posting pictures soon for you all to see. All I am going to say is... I am not a fan of those clear platforms. It's time to practice my walk and poses...!


Until my next post, I'll be eatin' my greens! 

What Can I Do To Get Better!?

It's the question that lingers in my brain on the daily. I am literally 3 weeks shy before I step foot on stage half naked in front of people I don't even know. Am I terrified? Not really. Maybe... kinda? Nervous? Just a little. It's the same feeling I used to get when I did theater in high school and I would run through my lines over and over again -- in hopes that I wouldn't miss a line when the spotlight hit my face. I keep thinking about walking in those heels and how I will do my best to NOT fall on my face.  


The preparation for this competition has been and continues to be challenging. Physically, I feel like my body is in a constant shock from the workouts I've been doing. This week, I started committing myself to doing 'two-a-days' with sprint intervals in the morning and then either bootcamp training, metabolic workouts and strength training in the evenings. Last week, I did a couple 'two-a-days' with conditioning rounds on the prowler in the evenings, but I soon realized that if I'm out or up late and try to do early morning workouts -- the devil in my body comes out and shuts everything down putting my ass to bed. 


For example, after a long hectic week from work and workouts, my body pulled a ninja move on me. I couldn't function and my body was hating me. On Friday, I left work early and went straight to bed. Let me tell you that the THREE hour nap that I took made an EPIC recovery on my body. It's crazy what rest can do for your temple that is oh-so-precious. 
I'm sore, but motivated. Truth of the matter is, there is ALWAYS some muscle on my body that is sore. Foam rolling, stretching, nutrition and recovery is the only way to keep my body healthy and to continue seeing results. 


My biggest challenge thus far has been my nutrition. I am compliant with my diet 99% of the time. 99 PERCENT! When I say compliant, I mean that I am eating protein with every meal 4-5 times a day. I am drinking at least a gallon of water a day (sometimes TWO gallons!) and I am eating my green veggies as much as a HULK could. As for that .1%? (ONE PERCENT....!)That's coffee my friend. Ugh. I am being brutally honest with you because I am NOT PERFECT. No one is. I wouldn't say that I am a coffee ADDICT but as of lately it's just that one cup that makes me feel warm inside. If I don't have it, I'm okay without it. I KNOW what I need to do and that is to cut it out COMPLETELY. At least for the next three weeks. I can do it. There are no more excuses. 


Everything else in my diet has been clean, I just need to eat more. It's already tough enough on this Green Faces diet 'Phase II' -- to eat more when I'm not even hungry. However, with the amount of workouts I'm doing I should be consuming about 1400 calories a day, when I am only reaching around 1200 a day. It is hard to fathom how I am going to eat more when I already feel like I eat a lot, when I am barely eating carbs. I just need to remember that I need to eat good carbs right now -- so hello yams and sweet potatoes, I love you long time. 


I will keep you posted on my how my diet will change as I get closer to bikini time! 


Okay, let's focus. Back to the title of this blog entry. "What can I do to get BETTER?" 
With THREE weeks under my belt...


Here is my formula: 
1. 100 % Compliant with nutrition (No MORE Coffee!)
2. RECOVERY (Rest, Stretch, & Foam Roll)
3. Training (Continue to push hard & challenge myself) 


Just THREE things to FOCUS on for the next THREE weeks! 


Let's DO it! STAGE READY BABY! 

Week SIX Over = Another SIX Weeks!?...

How did week six arrive so fast? I know I'm a little late on this blog post, but I've been swamped with my so called - 'Life.' Week 6 officially ended this past Monday, June 13th. It's been challenging, tiring and exciting all at the same time. 

What are my results after grinding and sweating it out for the past several weeks? 

Let's take a look from the very beginning to the end...

Week 1: May 1st, 2011 VS. Week 6 FINAL Results: June 13th, 2011

Week 1 Weight: 135.2 lbs 
Week 2 Weight: 131.2 lbs 

Week 6 Weight: 131.4lbs

Week 1 - Week 4 - Week 6 (FRONT VIEW/SIDE VIEW)

Week 1 - Week 4 - Week 6 (BACK VIEW)

                       

There it is! Week ONE VS. Week SIX! I feel great and leaner than ever before. I've built up my strength, confidence, endurance and stamina through these several weeks....BUT... as always, I am ready for the next CHALLENGE! 


What does 'Another SIX weeks' MEAN!?


On July 23rd, I will be participating in my first EVER... Bikini Competition. Am I ready!? Not right now, BUT I KNOW I will be! I am going to take my GRIT up a notch and train harder, focus my discipline on nutrition (GOODBYE COFFEE!) and to remember the importance of RECOVERY. 


I will continue to blog about my progress, nutrition and challenges for the next several weeks as I keep my GRIT alive!!! 


Thanks for reading everyone! 

WEEK 5 - ?

If it's 'just' one of them days, then the Monica song needs to be blaring in my ears right now. "That a girl goes through..." (I know you're singing it right now...)


I slept a total of about 13 hours last night and I feel like ????. Is this normal? I wish I had one of those charts full of pictures and descriptions of different moods to choose from so I could try to figure out which one I feel like today and why. Maybe sleeping 13 hours yesterday wasn't the greatest idea after all. On the other hand, it could be my hormones typing these words right at this moment. I mean, after all I am a Cancer and my mood swings follow the tides of the ocean and the moon, so I blame my sign. 


So there's that big question mark. It's now Week 5 and I have one week left of this contest.  How am I feeling? Well, let's just say I've learned a few things over the past week about my body. 


Number One: I need about 8 hours of sleep a night for my body to fully recover from a workout. This is also including eating healthy. 


Number Two: Recovery is more important than Quantity. If I'm putting in a high amount of quality and intensity into my workout, recovery is needed in order to see results. 


Number Three: Sleep is like my lover. People always say, "Sleep is overrated, You'll sleep when your dead." I agree to disagree. Sleep feels so good. (TO ME) The only time I will sacrifice sleep is for the following reasons: good company, a good laugh, meal, book or movie. I guess that means I sacrifice sleep a lot when need be. 


Listening to my body has probably been the most beneficial thing I've done lately. Please note that your body will shut down if you don't. It fights back like a shark attack. Trust me.


I'm ready for WEEK 6. Let's GET it!  

WEEK 4 - HeartBURN!?

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word, "HEARTBURN?" Call the fire department! Just kidding. Personally, I think of the Alicia Keys song: 


It's an aching feelin' 
Inside my chest
It's like I'm goin into cardiac arrest, uh
Adrenaline rushin in my body, All my power I just can't fight it
Doesn't matter how, I keep on tryin
I can't deny I've got this heartburn!


And then, I think of Pineapple and how I don't want to put another piece of that atomic bomb inside my mouth ever again. (It gave me HEARTBURN!) Let me explain: On Monday, I was so ecstatic that I could finally indulge and eat a carb, that the first thing I wanted to inhale was fresh pineapple shipped from Oahu. Three juicy-refreshing pieces and five hours later; this burning feeling inside my chest felt like a nuclear explosion! It felt like a thousand pounds was sitting on my sternum. (I'm thinking the weight of an elephant.) I thought I was going to die! (Hypothetically speaking.) 


If you haven't been following, It's now WEEK 4! Do you know what that means? CARBS! And only TWO more weeks left until this contest is officially over. Or is it!? (I'll spill the beans in a future blog about my next fitness venture.) So far, the only carbs I have polished off are apples and that heartburning pineapple. I haven't really been craving anything else besides coffee and possibly a strawberry pop-tart, or maybe a brown sugar one? Since I've been able to consume anything that has or had a face I'm pretty happy with a steak and believe it or not, I'm in love with bacon now. 


What can I eat now that I am on Phase II? 


Oatmeal - Small Apple - Milk - Pineapple - Plum - Cherries - Sweet Potato - Carrots - Cottage - Cheese - Grapefruit - Beans - Apricot - Grapes - Citrus - Baked Potato - Protein Bar - Yogurt (with less than 20 grams of sugar) - Handful of Nuts - Peach - Berries - Whole Grain Bread (Ezekial Bread, 1 slice) - Avocado

The point is to keep the following guidelines from Phase One, but now add one of the following items above once or twice a day. (Depending on my workout of the day.) Most importantly, all the foods above must be consumed with protein. 

Now onto my results. You'd think after four weeks I'd be used to the soreness that invades my muscles daily, but the answer is NO! Everyday it's a different muscle, soreness and a completely different ache. As the Game would say, "Hate it or Love it." Or the title of the movie, "It's a Thin Line Between Love & Hate." Personally, my body relates to both titles greatly. 

Week 1: May 1st, 2011 VS. Week 4 Results: May 26th, 2011

Week 1 Weight: 135.2 lbs 
Week 2 Weight: 131.2 lbs
Week 4 Weight: 132 lbs

Week 1 Front VS. Week 4: Front

Week 1 Back VS. Week 4: Back

Week 1 Side VS. Week 4: Side

Compared to my weigh in two weeks ago at 131.2lbs, I've gained almost a pound back. So in total, I've lost 3.2lbs. I always tell myself that the number on the scale means nothing. It's all about how I feel and look. As for my body fat percentage? I will share those results at the end. Am I happy with my results so far? Yes. The only question that invades my OCD personality is, "Where is my six pack!? It will only make me push harder. Two weeks in COUNTING...! 

I Always WANT what I CAN'T Have...

It's the truth. You know you have had that feeling at least once in your lifetime. You either know what you want, or want what you can't have, or don't know what you want at all. This isn't a blog entry for me to spill out my deepest secrets of dating and how I sometimes end up wanting what I can't have later down the road, when I could have had it in the first place. (sigh) Nope. Not today. That's a whole other story. 


This saying, "wanting what I can't have" is all about my week full of family festivities. It's been a challenging venture to say the least, for me personally. My friends, cousins, aunties and uncles flew in from Hawaii last week for my cousin's graduation from Seattle University of Law School. So, what happens when my family comes into town? Food happens. Fine dining happens. Desserts happen. Parties happen. And did you forget? I'm doing the Green Faces Diet. No drinking. No carbs. No sweets. Nadda. I struggled to keep my eyes open for those late night dinners and happy hours. I swallowed my tongue (not really, but I wanted to) when everyone else was eating mashed potatoes and rice crispy treats in front of me. Just imagine yourself sitting in Molly Moons Ice Cream Parlor and smelling those homemade waffle cones and not being able to eat it. (Try me.) 


Since I've been on this 'Green Faces Diet' I've been craving the most random things. Here are my list of WANTS:


*Pop Tarts - (Brown Sugar)
*Coffee - (I'm not even an avid Coffee Drinker, yet I'm craving it)
*Peanut Butter & Jelly
*Cereal - (Any sugary kind)
*Cookies - (moms Homemade cookies)
*Apples - (With Almond Butter)
*Chocolate - (any kind)
*Chips - (Nacho Cheese Doritos) 
*Cake - (Red Velvet or Ice Cream Cake - Cookies & Creme) 
*Almond Butter
*Snickers
*Recess Peanut Butter Cups 


I will only take partial responsibility for my bitchy attitude, my snappy comments and smart ass remarks at everything. I hope my family did not take any offense to my unknown behavior. I know I'm bossy, but I'm not normally a bitch. I was/am BOTH! I was/am carb-less and PMSING, which is now on Day 11. (Please bear with me if you are my friend, I promise this will pass.) At least things should get better. Starting next week, I can finally have one carb a day, and two carbs a day when I do strength training. Yay to sweet potatoes and apples. Oh, how I've missed you. 


Besides the Bitch that I've become, it's not so bad. I'm on Day 19 and I'm feeling stronger and leaner. I'm looking forward to Week 4. I'll be doing my weigh in soon. Until then my friends, thanks for listening.