10 WEEKS OUT... Unfortunately some BAD NEWS....

So August 9 marked my 10 weeks out from my first ever Figure Competition that was suppose to be on Oct 18, 2014 in Ft Lauderdale, FL, but as I was celebrating my results so far from my journey and also enjoying turning 30 on August 6 and looking forward to my weekly cheat meal for my birthday celebration, I got the news. My husband is deploying :-( For security reasons I cannot disclose where he is going but none the less, he is going to be gone. 

This hits hard because one, you never want to be apart from somebody you love. You don't want them to go somewhere dangerous where there is so much of the unknown. He's risking his life for what? I don't even understand why we are still there? Aren't they suppose to be bringing our troops back? What good is all of this? First the Army tells my husband he's in the clear, then last minute tells him he's going to be deployed next month. So many thoughts and emotions running through my head. Our lives just have to stop for this.

Well after many tears and just 2 days of just not doing anything really and just enjoying us together, breaking all the rules of my training and meal plan, I realized what I was doing isn't going to make me feel any better. Heck, I felt pretty sick and gross after everything I ate. Yup... I CHEATED ALL WEEKEND LONG! Oh I paid for it alright lol. But you know, even though I got the bad news I still continued to read my personal development. That was one habit I didn't give up even during this time. It helped me to think a little bit more and get less angry at the world. I reread the one chapter in the book by John C. Maxwell's 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth where he talks about taking responsibility and not being labeled as "the victim". I wasn't going to go around and keep asking myself, "why me?" "why us"? I wasn't going to do that. Yes I could walk around and mope and cry all day long, but you know what, life was gonna go on with or without me. So I had to think to myself, what good is being sad gonna do for me. NOTHING. I also thought, it's not only me that has to see her husband leave and get deployed and risk his life. It's not personal. There are many people who have to sacrifice their lives as well. So I'm not alone in this. At least he has a job and at least I have some time with him before he goes. I have to remember that lots of people would give their lives for this country and people look up to him. I'm still having mixed emotions right now, but I've gotta be strong for him.

So I have decided while he's gone, that I will be moving back to where most of my family is in Illinois. I don't have any family down here and feel that I'd do better being close to my friends and family. I am thankful that I have a job like Beachbody where I can just take my business everywhere. So thank you BEACHBODY!!

Oh yes.. and another thing, Obviously I'm not going to do the Ft Lauderdale NPC Competition since I'm going to be in Illinois and just far from it. BUT I have spoken with my figure prep coach and I told her that I'm not gonna let this stop me from competing. So I have committed to a NEW Figure Competition called Natural Midstate Muscle Classic XXVII in Rockford, IL on November 22, 2014!! So I'm still in it!! It's nice to have the support of my coach Rebekah Willich because she was happy that I'm still on board and she's excited at how my physique is looking. My husband wouldn't have wanted me to drop everything that I've been working hard for. But it is sad that my first competition he won't get to see. So hopefully I can send him some nice photos during it. This will definitely push me a lot harder to do my best because I know he's sacrificing his life. I'm glad my friends and family will be able to watch me because I'll be closer!!

One victory this week despite me feeling way more tired this week because for ONE, I've just had a decrease in carbs so strength wise I still feel strong, but stamina has gotten low. So I was happy to say that I've reached a new high for my leg presses and was able to press 310lbs!! woo hoo!  Here's proof! oh and you can see my abs coming in too :-)



Well.. let's get to my progress photos shall we!! Struggles this week, was staying strong and NOT indulging on the day of my birthday which was August 6. NOPE I did not CHEAT!! That definitely took a TON of discipline but I did it!

My weight this week dropped from 103.8lbs to 101.8lbs. Definitely leaning out a lot more! and abs are coming in pretty nice. It's exciting to see progress and makes me want to push more! See why this is so addicting?!

SO as I'm ending my blog post... I am NOT finished yet!! I just have a new goal date in mind. November 22, 2014... FIRST FIGURE COMPETITION! OFFICIALLY the countdown begins again at 15 WEEKS OUT!

Til next time....

OFFICIALLY PiYo CERTIFIED!!

YES!! I LOVED PiYo so much and wanted to share this program with my community that I got certified to teach it! In my area, there are no LIVE PiYo programs so I thought, it's such a great program to not have.

What is PiYo again?
So PiYo (pronounced pie-yo), is a program that's inspired by both yoga and pilates. BUT with a TWIST! You know how in yoga, there's some background meditation type music to help calm you, or you chant ohm to help you relax. Well... there's music but its more bouncy and uplifting to help get you pumped! So it has a lot of moves inspired by yoga such as sun salutations, downward and upward dogs.... etc. This helps you with getting the flexibility training that everyone should be getting!! (yes... you runners and triathletes and body builders should get on it!). This is also inspired by pilates as well to give you the core strength to help you in every day movements and just to make yourself stronger! So what's the difference between just taking a yoga or a pilates class. Well this incorporates all 3 things.... 
1. Flexibility
2) Strength
3) CARDIO

A lot of programs are geared towards either 1 or 2 of these things, but PiYo is a powerhouse program that incorporates ALL 3!! And it has awesome music to get you energized and motivated. It just honestly makes me feel good!!

So PiYo was created by Chalene Johnson who started these programs in the gym. You can probably find some Live PiYo classes near you because it's becoming really popular now. She now has sold her product to Beachbody and if you can't find a Live PiYo class near you, you can order the at home PiYo program so you won't miss out! If you're interested, you can always message me for details.

So the day started with me and my fellow coach, Melinda and we were so committed, we made the 4 hours drive to Kingsley, GA the day before! I'm glad I had somebody to keep me occupied!

Certification started the next day at 9am. The course was led by Master Trainer Randi Burke. She is hilarious and it was pretty awesome because this was her first certification class that she taught! Bravo on doing such an excellent job and I'm honored to have been in your class. Got to meet a lot of people also getting certified. It was a great mix of people that ranged from expert fitness instructors all the way to people who just want to learn more about PiYo and get certified! We had an ice breaker in which we had to come up with an adjective that had the same letter as our first name. Mine being "M", I chose "Manic" Melanie lol. So most people might know, i'm just hyper and probably have undiagnosed ADD. It's hard for me to focus on ONE thing and I'm constantly getting so many ideas in my head, I just wanna do everything all at once. Well, it works and it doesn't :-) Then, we went into the studio room where we started to learn the Master Class and learn the choreography. That was the first time we got to listen to what the music would be for the LIVE PiYo Class. OMG I LOVED the music!! It went so well with the moves and each section for the PiYo class. It was amazing.... and it gave my body an awesome workout!!

One thing I learned about myself since this will be my first time teaching a class, is being able to do moves and give cues haha!! "manic" Melanie will need some practice, but PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT right?! I'm glad I have some rhythm so just listening to the music and feeling the rhythm definitely helps! Now I just have to work on giving commands and paying attention to my students as I am flowing through the moves. I loved that I got out of my comfort zone and took this certification course. It's easier to do when you have passion for something. And helping others and sharing this program is definitely something that I want to do!

All in all, the day was filled with meeting and networking with some awesome new friends, getting a good workout and just having fun.

Look for me and this girl here to teach a LIVE PiYo Class near you!! We're in the Augusta, GA area... Be on the LOOKOUT!!!

Here is a sneak peak at what to expect. I'm practicing the choreography to the music. I just LOVE it!!!

Not near me for a LIVE Class? NO PROBLEM!!! You can still get the at-home PiYo program from me to do in the comfort of your own home :-)

CLICK HERE TO BUY

PiYo Base Kit!!

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Want faster results with your PiYo Program? PURCHASE HERE to bundle it with Shakeology to get your daily dose of dense nutrition and save MONEY!!! Better results with OPTIMUM NUTRITION!!

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REMEMBER!! When you purchase through me, you get a BONUS workout DVD called Hardcore on the Floor! (valued at $19.95)

11 Weeks Out!! Food Struggles Are Getting REAL!

11 Weeks OUT as of 8/2 (this past Saturday)!!! Eeks... it's getting REAL!

So my trainings been going good... The physical part for me is the easiest. Anybody into fitness can tell you that nutrition is where the work comes in. And it's ALL MENTAL! This week my diet changes were the following:

- PEANUT BUTTER WAS TAKEN OUT!!! Ahhhh... and I LOVE Peanut Butter!

- Egg whites for breakfast and egg whites right before bed!

- Chicken twice a day and Fish twice a day

- No FRUIT carbs! Eeks... bust out the coffee for sure! Oh and I drink my coffee black so it's all good because it's an antioxidant!

Needless to share, there isn't much exciting stuff going on in my meal plan but you know what, if you have goals you wanna reach, you'll do whatever it takes to get there! And I know in less than 11 weeks when I'm walking on stage, I want to know that I gave it my all!

So I did come up with a couple of recipes to help make my meals a little bit more indulgent! I'm used to having shakes for breakfast so the sweet tooth has always stuck with me. But Shakeology has been my secret to helping me with cravings. I thought to myself, what the heck am I going to do without it?!!! I'm going to eat everything in site! Well, my coach gave me the nod yes that I am allowed to use unsweetened cocoa powder to sweeten up my egg whites. I thought to myself, chocolate egg whites?! Now that just sounds gross lol. But first of all, cocoa has numerous health benefits! Low calories and low in fat and also provides you with some fiber. Gives you some iron and magnesium for your daily needs as well. It also boosts serotonin levels to boost up your natural happiness to boost your levels. Cocoa also has antioxidants as well to help fight cancer, heart disease and aging! I had no clue! Also what grossed me out was thinking about mixing it with egg whites lol. I had to look up for myself that the liquid egg whites were safe to drink without cooking it. And you know what, it is! It's comes all pasteurized and it's been tested against salmonella... and I've been fine all week. So here's what I tried out for breakfast!! 



Chocolate Protein Oatmeal:
5 Egg Whites
30g Oats
2 TBSP Flaxseed Meal
2 TBSP Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
Stevia optional to sweeten, i use a couple of packets!

DIRECTIONS: Heat in the microwave to desired consistency. Less time for more liquid consistency. More time for thicker consistency. My advice is to heat it 15 seconds at a time because the egg whites can cook pretty fast! I know, I failed a couple of times! But I like mine around 1 minute. And VOILA! Delicious! Tastes like dessert oatmeal and gets my sweet tooth in the morning!


Chocolate Protein Pancakes:
5 Egg Whites
30g Oats
2 TBSP Flaxseed Meal
2 TBSP Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
Stevia optional to sweeten, I use a couple of packets!

DIRECTIONS:
Heat skillet on medium-high heat.
Pour egg white oatmeal batter to the size of pancakes preferred. Flip and enjoy!

My thinking for this week, you gotta make the best of your situation. I was given a meal plan by my coach, I didn't whine and complain. I didn't sulk around. I chose to do this competition. I knew going into this that this was going to be a challenge for me! I wanted to test my discipline and see how far I can push myself mentally! I want to prove to everyone that I can do this. And I also just want to prove to myself that I can do this. Yes it's a struggle because I do LOVE food, but this is my challenge and I'm competing with myself for me!

Stay tuned next Friday for my next progress photos!! I'm hoping my coach is proud of my progress. She was impressed with how my progress has been going so far and I don't want to let her down!

Just wanna give a special shoutout to my husband for helping me get through some of my cravings and also helping with the meal prepping department!! He's a huge supporter for me and I couldn't have asked for anybody better to go through this with me! Thanks hubs!