It's WIAW! It's Also What I've Been Up To

Waaaaahooo! It’s Wednesday. I’ve been eating. This is what I ate today (and Monday and Tuesday, and will again Thursday and Friday- I’m a creature of habit. I also prep and portion all of my meals at the beginning of the week and it’s sooooo much easier to keep them the same).

All my meals (pre-workout muffin not shown)

Meal 1: Steel cut oats and eggs with coconut oil melted over top. This will never not be tasty.

Meal 2: Spanakopita quinoa bake. OMG so good! Recipe coming!

Meal 3: Pre-workout chocolate protein muffin. This one gets a lot of comments in the office. Smells (and tastes) like chocolate cake.

Meal 4: Post-workout tuna and barley salad with broccoli slaw and avocado… and a whole lotta sriacha sauce. This too will never get old. I’ve been eating it for lunch for months now.

Meal 5: Egg whites, cottage cheese and oats baked with green beans and coconut oil. A whole lotta cheesy goodness. Mmmmm.

Meal 6: Veg and shrimp or chicken stir fry with quinoa and bulgar. A little different each time I make it.

Meal 7: Yogurt and vanilla casein (usually eaten with either a piece of a Quest bar or banana) and a blob of peanut butter. Oh peanut butter, how I looooooove you.

As you can see, I am slowly starting to vary the foods that I am eating. I get stuck in (and enjoy!) such a routine, that sometimes it is hard to try something different or new.

Speaking of routines, that’s all I have really been about since getting back from Vegas. I have finally had a chance stay settled in one spot for more than two weeks, and it has been glorious. And, even without a specific fitness goal or deadline set (no fall shows or photo shoots planned… yet), I have actually been able to stick with my training and food plan! Training wise, I am in such a routine (weights during my lunch break and 30 minutes of cardio after work), that it’s a struggle to actually break that routine to take a rest day. It’s a weird feeling. It’s like I don’t want to lose momentum. I am also, as evidenced by the repetitiveness of my meal plans and comments above, a creature of habit. I don’t like when things change. 

I have also gotten into a great little Sunday morning routine. The day starts off with a run through the watershed with my dad, then the gym with my mom for a weights workout, and finally home for a big ol' protein pancake (some things never change).

 

Food plan wise, even though I am still trying to build on and maintain where I have gotten so far, I do now have a little bit more latitude and can even incorporate a few “off-plan” meals into my diet. I loathe using the word “treat” or “cheat” to describe these off-plan indulgences, because I truly believe I am already treating my body by fueling it right all of the time. And, it’s not a cheat, because I am not doing anything wrong or bad. I am just occasionally, and with purpose, choosing to indulge in foods that would normally be off-plan. For me, this has pretty much consisted of red wine, cheese and crackers, and some Menchies. I love me some Menchies. Haha.

 

 

And, I usually choose to consume them when I have the time to relax and enjoy the moment. I have also, on occasion, used my off-plan treat to just eat more of my regular clean food- like a larger serving of banana with peanut butter with a melted Quest bar on top. Or an extra scoop of peanut butter on my yogurt. Or (dare I even go here!), a large, unmeasured spoonful of peanut butter- hahaha. See a theme forming? In any case, I am certainly enjoying trying out different foods and appreciate the flexibility I have in my training and food plan to incorporate changes like this while still making progress.

 

One of the best treats I have had recently was an Indian buffet dinner and my friend’s wedding. It was a beautiful wedding and the food was so delicious. It was nice to be able to relax and just be a part of the day and enjoy (and not have to whip out my Tupperware of food at the dinner table because I was training for a show and on a feeding schedule).

 

 

 

The funny thing was, after stuffing my face with butter chicken and naan, drinking a few glasses of wine and scarfing down a cupcake and cookies, when I ran into a pub at the end of the night to use the ATM, a man actually approached me to say I had awesome arms and asked if I did “those fitness competition shows.” And, while it was 12:30am on a Friday night in the back of a bar in the middle of Pitt Meadows, and while I am sure it was some drunken pick up attempt, I was, in fact, quite flattered. Aside from comments at the gym, or from people who know I am training, I have never been approached by randoms who notice my development. It was a milestone of sorts for me. So, thank you, drunk, stumbling man at the back of the bar- you made me feel better about myself after eating my body weight in Indian food.  

XOXO

Jen

WIAWA: What I Ate… While Away :)

Whoa, life has been busy lately. Since moving two weeks ago, I have been to 7 different gyms (I felt like Goldilocks- needed to find one just right); to Napa and back, to Thetis Island and back; planning, preparing and prepping all my meals; working fulltime; and, in the middle of all of this, I have started taking an online course with the University of California on nutrition and disease (which is super interesting). I also have a couple of other things up my sleeve, but can’t reveal anything quite yet. So much is going on, but the sun is out which makes everything just that much easier :)

It’s Wednesday. Usually I would do a quick check in to post what I ate, but there really hasn’t been too much of a change since my last WIAW post mainly because I have just been keeping the menu the same to make planning and prepping easier. I know what I am making, what I have to buy and how it all totals up. Not too much thinking is involved, which is exactly what I need right now.

So, instead, this Wednesday, I thought that I would share what I have been eating while away. One of hardest things to do when away from home (for either business or pleasure) is to stay on track with the food plan. First, there’s the mentality of “I am on vacation, I should eat whatever I want,” which can be troublesome. Of course, vacations do usually mean a time for some indulgences and treats, but why hurt your body and undo all your progress just because you’re away? That doesn’t seem like a vacation. Taking the time to properly feed your body is a treat and what your body wants- and makes you feel good J Secondly, food is not always immediately available on vacation. Depending on where you are, where you are staying, and the time of day, grabbing a snack (healthy or not) may be difficult, if not impossible. And, eating out all the time gets expensive! Finally, going in with a plan and being prepared makes is so much easier to stay on track and avoid temptations. If you have put the time and effort into bringing your own food, it’s just that much easier to stay committed. #noexcuses.

Since May, I have been to Vegas with my sister, Napa Valley with girlfriends for a stagette, and Thetis Island with the hubby for a wedding. For each of these trips, I planned a menu ahead, prepped meals and packed snacks. Even when faced with various restrictions, such as crossing international boarders, flying, or not having refrigeration, it is possible. You can do it- I did! Below are the details from each trip with examples of what I ate while away.

Vegas: Keeping it Clean in Sin City

When planning any meal plan, I always start with the same questions. First, what do I need? I need proteins, carbs and healthy fats. Next, what am I working with? What are my constraints?

Well, this trip included crossing the US border (so no fresh fruits or vegetables) and flying (so no liquids- which, to note, apparently includes yogurt L I learned that the hard way while in the security line up). Also, once arriving at the hotel, I may or may not have access to a fridge and I definitely won’t have a stove.

So, what am I left with?

Well, for carb sources, oats is an easy one. Delicious, nutritious and portable. I can even pre-portion out bags, and mix with some protein powder for an on-the-go meal (as long as I have access to hot water, which, you’d think be easy enough). I can also bake a batch of my protein muffins to pack as well. You can also buy these handy dandy pre-portioned and packed bags that even come with a measuring pouch so you know how much water to add. Someone was thinking.

For proteins, the obvious is protein powder. Again, delicious, nutrition and versatile. I can pre-portion out servings or even just bring a tub to scoop out of. I can mix it with water (or coffee!), stir into my oats or mix it with yogurt. Enough said. Beyond that, however, proteins get a little trickier. My usual choices, chicken, fish, and eggs don’t travel well (for obvious reasons) and probably won’t make it through the boarder, or on a plane. This one requires a little more creativity…

Healthy fats are easy to pack, with lots of options. There are nuts (almonds, walnuts, mixed nuts), flax seeds and chia seeds. All can also be mixed with oats (and protein powder!) to make a balanced, travel friendly meal.

Once figuring out the basics, I realized I probably wouldn’t want to live on oatmeal, protein shakes and nuts for four days, so started to look into grocery store options in Vegas. Guess what!? There’s a Whole Foods a couple miles from the airport. Easy peasy. That opens up a whole new host of options- like fresh fruits and vegetables, egg whites and yogurt. After confirming there would be a microwave in the room (which seems fairly standard nowadays), I started planning my meals. Here is what I came up with:

• Meal 1 (pre-workout): Protein muffins (packed in my luggage frozen)
• Meal 2 (post-workout): Oatmeal with protein powder and flax seeds with a side of egg whites
• Meal 3: Salad with avocado and tuna
• Meal 4: Yogurt and berries
• Meal 5: Apple and almonds

Prep-wise, I brought the oatmeal, flax seeds, nuts and protein powder from home and bought a carton of egg whites, salad mix, avocados, tuna, yogurt and fruit at Whole Foods on the way to the hotel from the airport. Sure that added a little bit of time and expense onto the taxi ride, but the extra $20 was well worth it and would have easily been spent of food if I was buying my breakfast, lunches and snacks poolside at the hotel. I did also have to plan ahead and brought a couple containers and plastic utensils to make sure I had something to eat with in the room, although, it is easy enough to find around the hotel too. Forget the minibar, here’s what our well stocked room looked like:

I also left room in the menu to enjoy a few dinners out (with a couple glasses of wine) which was nice :)

And, it was all worth it. Not only did I have an enjoyable, relaxing and memorable vacation, I was also able to keep up with my training and stay on track which was very important as I was only 4 weeks out from my second competition of the season. 

 

Yay for eating clean and training mean in Vegas!

 

Napa Valley: Oatmeal and rice cakes with a side of wine?

A couple of weekend ago, I got to visit Napa Valley on a stagette with my beautiful friend Katherine :)

 

 

Obviously, Napa Valley = wine. And I may be known to love a glass, or two, of red, so I was stoked for this trip. I’m not currently “on season” and training for a show, but I want to keep up with my training and food plan because (a) I am working on Operation Bigger, Better, Stronger; (b) I am prepping for some MAJOR opportunities coming up (more of the stuff I can’t reveal quite yet) and I want to bring my best, and (c) for all the other reasons listed above. I demand a lot from my body and it feels better when I treat it right.

 

The tricky aspect of this trip, in addition to crossing international borders and airport security, was the lack of control. I didn’t plan this trip, it wasn’t my stagette, and there were 10 other ladies. Who knows what we’d get up to (and we got up to a lot :P) or where we would end up (over the four nights away we stayed in 3 different hotels). The good news is that I could control what I ate by bringing my food with me. So, I packed up a little bag of goodies:

 

 

In addition to the protein powder and oatmeal I took to Vegas, I also brought whole grain crackers and rice cakes for carbs, flax seeds and nut butters for fats, and some Vega and veggie-based bars to help round out the nutrition since I couldn’t bring fresh fruit with me (although, I was able to find apples and bananas along the way- either in airports, at Starbucks, or in the hotel). Having all of this on hand was awesome, as I was able to eat something immediately after my morning workouts and have things in my purse to eat throughout the day when we were out and about. 

Of course, when in Rome… I did also allow some room in my food plan for wine and some tasty meals out, one of the best being at this Italian place Ca'Momi Enoteca.  It was soooo delicious that I had two appys (to myself) and a whole pizza. Hahaha. I’m still dreaming about all of this:

 

 

Mmmmm. All, so good. And yes, while a little (okay, a lot) indulgent, overall, I was able to keep it on track most of the time, but still fit in a few treats- the best of both worlds :)

Thetis Island: Back to the Basics

This was a trip I was really looking forward to (although, I was really looking forward to all of them). But this trip was more like a little retreat. We were going for a wedding, but made a weekend out of it. Thetis Island is one of the southern gulf islands just off the west coast of B.C. and it. Was. Beautiful! Luckily, we had found a nice little cottage to rent that had a full kitchen, and we weren’t crossing any borders, or taking a plane (just two ferries and a bit of a drive), which meant I could take anything I wanted to eat!! Yay! This made things much easier. I created a menu and packed up a whole box and cooler with fresh veggies and fruit, nut butters, eggs, and yogurt.

 

 

I also had prepped some of the meals at home the night before to have them grab and go so I could eat them anywhere.

On the ferry:

In the car:

At the picnic table:

 

Anywhere. This made it so easy. #noexcuses and lots of time to enjoy the scenery.

 

And, even though I had planned and prepped all of that, I still couldn’t resist the fresh berries at the produce stand and bought some blueberries, cherries and peppers.

Again, I also allowed for some treats at the wedding. No alcohol, but a little bit of cheese and crackers, and a chocolate covered strawberry… or 5 of them. I couldn’t help it. They’re my favs :)

 

Anyway, the point of this WIAWA post is to share some ideas for keeping on track while travelling. It’s funny, even though I have now been through this a few times, it is still a little daunting and takes a little figuring when a new trip comes up. Next week I’ll be heading to Chicago (yay! I looooove Chicago) for a few nights. So, again, I’ll be faced with crossing international borders and airport security and I am already stressing about what to bring. BUT, I know it can be done, and I will do it. Sure, it’s not always easy, but it’s worth it.

 

XOXO

J

 

WIAW... With a Weekend Hangover :(

It’s WIAW! Here’s what I ate today:

 

 

M1: Zucchini cake porridge with coconut oil and cottage cheese

M2: Yam, oat and egg bake topped with coconut oil

M3: Chicken chili with melted cottage cheese

M4: Broccoli salad with tuna, avocado and cucumber and some (okay, a lot of) sriracha (I like it hot!) 

M5: Chicken with rice, veggies and Bragg's soy seasoning (it's like soy sauce without all the added junk)

M6: Apple with almond butter and yogurt mixed with casein

 

All good, and all easy to pull together. I had the porridge from last weekend's batch, meals 2 and 3 came from the freezer, and I had prepped and portioned out everything for meals 4 and 5 at the beginning of the week. Everyday it's just grab and go. #noexcuses

 

This Wednesday comes after what can only be described as a weekend "food bender." In the same way a drug addict relapses, for a 24 hour period over the weekend I went a little (okay, a lot) off the rails- all the while knowing what I was doing wasn’t right, but not being able to do anything about it.

 

It all started out innocently enough. The hubby and I had planned a little weekend “away” in the city to celebrate some recent (and not so recent) milestones. First, since my birthday falls on the shortest day of the year (December 21), he had planned a summer birthday weekend for me on the longest day of the year (June 21). But, after unexpectedly and suddenly selling our condo and having to be out within a couple weeks, we bumped up our weekend away, and combined it with his birthday dinner since we didn't celebrate it too much back in May while I was in between competitions (and dinners out were out of the question). Anyway, lots to celebrate!! Yay! Plans included a night in a downtown hotel and a dinner at Gotham, one of Vancouver's best (if not the best) steakhouses. After starting with a bottle of wine at the hotel, all (food) bets were off.

Enjoying a glass (cup?) of wine 36 floors above the city

Enjoying a rather cloudy view

By the time we got to the restaurant, we were in full on indulgence mode. No extravagance was spared... and it was all worth it. It was martini (after martini), savoury appetizers, saucy entrees and cheesy sides. All so delicious, but way too much.  

 

The whole dining experience was everything that I miss while in competition prep and a great way to take some time out and celebrate with the hubby. Life is good :)

On Sunday, with slight food hangovers, we woke up ready to explore the city. Coffees in hand, we ignored the rain and took a walk around Coal Harbour. Such a beautiful part of the city, even on a dull, dark morning. We ended up at a café for a yummy brunch, then headed down to English Bay once the sun came out. Before reaching the beach, however, we made one more stop- at the Cupcake store- and this is when things really started to go sideways. Even with the intention to go in a just buy one little treat to share, we (actually, I will take full responsibility), walked out with SIX (6!!) cupcakes. Once down at the beach, while sitting in the sun, we got our cupcake on... and when I say we, I mean, Bryan took a bite of one, and I ate two others. Ugh. So out of control. And so delicious.

After eating two cupcakes, I didn't think I would be able to eat another ever again, but obviously I ate a third later that afternoon :( But that was it. The rest went to the in-laws for dessert.

Monday morning, in a pool of self-loathing and suffering from severe sugar withdrawal, I did what I had to do and got my @$$ back into the gym at 6am to sweat out all the excess and indulgence.

The good news is I am back on track and focused. In between work, going to showings (that's right, we're moving out of our place in two weeks and still haven't bought anything), and packing, I've been making to the gym and keeping up with my training schedule. Sometimes that means getting up at 5:30 to get it in before work, sometimes that means hitting the gym before and after work to get it all in, and sometimes that means going to showings with my hair slicked back in a sweaty bun (great first impression, I know). My food for the week has been planned, prepped and portioned and I'm sticking with it. I feel like I hit my rock bottom and am now back on top. I have some really amazing opportunities coming up and nothing, nothing, not even a cupcake, will get in my way of me bringing my best. There'll be a couple planned treats (like a wine tour in Napa in June and a pizza tour in Chicago in July), but my eyes are on the prize. What's the prize?? Ha, that's a secret for now, but watch out, BIG dreams are coming true!!

XOXO
Jen
 

Post-competition WIAW :)

It's What I Ate Wednesday again and now that competition prep and post-show treats are over (bye, bye Mr. Menchies), I'm back on my regular food plan. The menu planning has been a little all over the place this week as I had limited time to prep and am trying to use up things in the freezer in anticipation of the move at the end of the month. The good thing is is that over the past couple of months, I have prepped and then froze a lot of different meals, so now I can just grab and go :)

Here's what the menu is looking like:

M1: Zucchini cake porridge and eggs (the porridge turned out delicious! I just need to figure out a way to add the 'icing' to the cake... oh! I think I have an idea. I'll try it out tomorrow to see how it works)

M2: Greek yogurt with fruit (today it was a half a banana) and topped with a chia/ flax/ pumpkin seed and gogi berry mix.

M3: Chicken and kale soup (pulled this one from the freezer)

M4: Tuna and broccoli salad with avocado and siracha sauce (yay, siracha is back!!)

Pre-work out (not shown): A slice of my zucchini cake loaf (same recipe as the pancake, baked into a load and also pulled from the freezer)

M5: Mexican omelette stuffed with sauteed peppers, onions and spinach and topped with a spicy yogurt sauce

M6: Frozen strawberries mixed with chocolate casein and a side of coconut butter (mmmm, no description necessary- it's like ice cream)

I also had half a Vega bar as an afternoon snack as I was hungry and craving something sweet. So far it's been an okay transition from comp prep to the everyday/ 365 lifestyle. Even though I definitely over indulged on treats on Monday, there are still a couple chocolates hanging around the house and I've caught myself trying to rationalize why it'd be okay to keep eating them. For me, I know it's a slippery slope. One chocolate is never just one chocolate, and one day is never just a day. Habits (both harmful and healthy) can form quickly and that's one I don't need to break again. I'm keeping my resolved. I've done it once, I can do it again. You will not be the end of me, Purdy's chocolate Easter eggs!!

In any case, now that I'm "off-season" I do have more latitude in my food plan, and pretty much anything real and unprocessed is game. I'm excited to start getting creative again and have a couple of recipe ideas I want to try out. I'll also have a few more treat meals on the menu, so am looking forward to those as well. We shall meet again Mr. Menchies :)

XOXO
Jen

WIA-Thursday

It’s not Wednesday, but this is was I ate on Wednesday… and Monday, and Tuesday and today, and pretty much every day until after the show on Sunday.



Meal plan for the week

Meal 1: Egg whites, protein powder, oats and flax seeds microwave into a cookie/ cakey thingy, served with a side of aspagus and coconut butter.

Meal 2: Egg whites, protein powder, oats and flax seeds microwave into a cookie/ cakey thingy, served with a side of aspagus and coconut oil.

Meal 3: Tilapia, yams, and asparagus with coconut butter.

Meal 4: Tilapia, beans and coconut oil.

Meal 5: Chicken, yams, crushed almonds and green beans.

Meal 6: Egg whites, casein, almonds and green beans (not pictured).

So, that’s pretty much my food for the week. Not shown in the pictures is a grapefruit. One glorious sweet, but sour grapefruit a day.

This time around, my food options have been quite limited during peak week. That being said, it (a) makes things much easier (less to buy and less to plan) and (b) it has still been really tasty. The options still include choices for proteins (eggs, chicken and tilapia), starchy carbs (yams and oats) and fats (coconut oil/ butter, almonds and flax). No food group has been eliminated. I need a balance of each to stay strong and really build up the muscle in the next few days. When I can, I have been switching it up either by changing the combos or the way the food is prepared. Here are a couple more dishes of things I put together today.

 

Egg white frittata with flax seeds, yams and green beans

Tilapia, yams and green beans and coconut butter on top

 Tilapia, yams and green beans sauteed together with coconut butter on top

 Chicken, green beans tossed with toasted oats and almonds

Right now, I am right in the middle of peak week (and chugging water like nobody’s business). Yesterday was really the tipping point since it was my last day of work until after the show (yay!) and my training is done! After one last punishing leg, ab and cardio session last night, I’m done. All done. And to get it done, I really had to dig deep. I also had to use the glute kickback machine… and apparently I transported back to the 1980s.

Hopefully the machine works just as well even when I'm not wearing my bodysuit.

It was, mentally, one of the hardest workouts I have had to get through. It’s like that week before vacation at work when you don’t know how you’d make it through if you didn’t know you had a break coming up. I think between many early morning wake ups (even on the past few weekends), work, and other life things, I was just getting tired and overwhelmed. But from here on out, it’s all rest and relaxation - and posing practice!  

Only 3 more sleeps (and hopefully a couple more naps) until show day!! Whoo hoo! Let’s do this!!

K, time to go eat some more J

XOXO
J

WIAW :)

It’s Wednesday! Let’s see what’s on the menu this week:

Much of the same from last week, but a few minor tweaks here and there.

M1: Buckwheat and barley porridge with some coconut oil melted on top J Still loooooving this. Each and every morning.

M2: Yam, oats and egg bake, again with coconut oil melted on top. Also very, very yummy. Recipe to be posted soon.

M3: Tilapia and spinach salad with yams, asparagus and beans and hemp hearts on top. This week I have also been dressing it was some raw apple cider vinegar for an extra kick.

M4: Apple and almond butter. Sweet and simple.

M5: Tilapia, brown rice and veggies. My post workout fuel.

M6: Yogurt, casein and fruit. I’ve been doing all sorts of combos on this. Tonight it was with vanilla casein and the other half of my apple (with some egg white “chocolate sauce”). Such a delicious late night snack packed full of protein.

Only eleven more sleeps to the next show (!!). I have really been pushing myself through my workouts, increasing weights, and really repping it out. My energy is high, and the motivation is there. I’m feeling strong both physically and mentally, and I am super excited for what’s up next. Peak week in 3, 2, 1…

WIAW and Final Prep Push

It’s What IAte Wednesday! Yay! Well, actually, yesterday was Wednesday. Today is Thursday.I just didn’t have the time to post this sooner. Yesterday was also May 1,which, was also my 3^rd wedding anniversary. Here’s one of my favoritepictures from 3 years ago:  

 

I ammarried to one of the most supportive and understanding partners. I am truly blessedto have such an amazing person in my corner, cheering me on as I go. Love youBryan!

Okay,enough with the mushy crap, let’s eat! Here’s what was on the menu for meyesterday:

 

Here is asdescription of each (from left to right, top to bottom):

• M1: Oatmealand flax seed with eggs and strawberry chia “jam” topped with melted coconutoil
• M2: Yam andoat “pancake” (it kinda fell apart in the pan so I just stuffed it all into acontainer) with egg whites and broccoli.
• M3: Spinachsalad topped with tilapia and veggies with an Udo’s oil dressing
• M4: Broccolisalad with tilapia, avocado and almonds
• M5:Chicken, yams (sautéed in coconut oil- yummy!), broccoli and asparagus
• M6: Frozenstrawberries blended with chocolate casein- like ice cream!

*I also had2 of my pre-workout muffins on the way to the gym (which falls between Meals 4and 5).  

In my lastpost, I mentioned that my food options will slowly be limited up until theshow. This does not mean I am eating less (as you can see). In fact, yesterdayI was told to INCREASE what I was eating. I actually had to add MORE calories(in the form of carbs) to my meals. That was a pleasant surprise, but makessense. The idea is for me to look healthy with full, strong muscles on Sunday.Not skinny and depleted. I know there are many theories/ methods/ plans/approaches people follow in their final week of prep (or even for their wholecompetition prep- like only eating broccoli and fish for 12 weeks, which by theway, just blows my mind- who could do that? Why would you want to?) and I amfortunate to have a coach that believes in eating and proper nutrition. Yes, ifyou saw me eating just one of my meals you may think it’s just a small servingor not enough to fill me up, but I am also eating 7 times through out the day (roughlyevery 2 hours). This is key to increasing your metabolism and feeding yourmuscles. You will also notice that pretty much each meal contains some protein,carbs and healthy fats. Again, balance and nutrients from various sources arekey to nourishing your body. Plus, they all taste delicious J (Seriously, if you have never triedcoconut oil or butter, try it- it tastes amazing and I am not even a bigcoconut fan).

The rest ofmy prep is also going well. Three more sleeps to go (actually, it’s more like2.5 since I will be getting up sooooo early on Sunday)! Only 2 more workoutsleft (one upper body and one lower body), no more cardio (whoo hoo!), allappointments are booked, and the weekend schedule is set.  Cray, cray!

I alsowanted to give a shout out to my coach, Fatima Leite Kusch, who has beennominated for the Coach of the Year Award to be presented at the NPAA show onSunday.

Signing upto train with Fatima has impacted my life in both predictable and unintendedways. With her coaching, I have taken my body and my mind waaaay past what I everthought was possible. I know that this would not have been possible without heror without the amazing team of ladies she has built. In both big and littleways Fatima and every girl on Team Blessed Bodies has helped me achieve my goalof competing- a goal that I was nervous even saying out loud before. I havechanged. I have become more confident, more passionate and more energetic inevery area of my life. I am so proud to be a part of Fatima’s team and can onlyaspire to give back everything that I have received from her and the team. Iknow my future is full of amazing opportunities and possibilities because ofher. As an athlete competing in the show on Sunday, I get my chance to shine onstage (and I can assure you that on Sunday, all the ladies from our team shine!).Fatima deserves that recognition too. She has undoubtedly worked tirelessly forand has earned, at least in my heart, the Coach of the Year Award. Seeing herwork acknowledge on Sunday by receiving the Award would feel like a win for theteam. My fingers are crossed for her!!

Here’s apic of me and Fati at the Bust A Move fundraiser (yeah, she's that awesome):

XOXO
Jen