2 Months Out!!

My sister so kindly reminded me today that I have not posted for a month. So this post is dedicated to Candice!! I keep thinking about writing, and I have even started a couple of times, but I really really want to post pictures of myself and the progress I have made since the last pics. BUT, I wont do it. You don't get any pictures again until my show. :)

I can't believe how close it is getting! Only two months and I will be up on stage competing with amazing men and women who truly understand everything it takes to get to there. I am seeing changes almost daily in my body now and I love it! My trainer told me today that my body is shifting over to burning more fat. I can really tell when I don't push myself quite as hard as I usually do. The next day I am always disappointed. But it makes it easier to push myself most days.

I recently had some changes happen with work and it has made it hard to get to the gym everyday. But I havent missed. I cant miss. I am at that point now where every day counts. EVERY SINGLE DAY. I can't wake up and decide, "I am tired and sore from yesterday. I think I will just skip today...and maybe have some of those cookies sitting on the counter..." Its not even an option. I have to be dedicated 110%. I can't get up on that stage and with regrets or wonder "what if".

 I am lucky enough to be surrounded by people who support me and help me get closer to my goals. Well, most people. There are ones who believe I have become obsessed with working out and someone even said that I must be anorexic. After all, you cant lose weight and get in shape if you aren't right?? It makes me laugh. I follow a very strict nutrition plan and I exercise a lot. I spend about 15 hours a week at the gym and another few exercising other ways. But this is only temporary. I am training to compete. I need to be in the absolute best shape possible. Once I have finished, my diet will relax some and workouts wont be as often or as long. But this is my life now. I am not obsessed, I have just realized what I and my body are capable of and I want to be the best I can be. I wont quit until I get there either. My children and family are still my top priorities and I a lot of why I am doing this is for them. I had gotten to a point in my life where I didnt want to do anything. I didnt want to go anywhere or play outside with the kids. I didnt even want to sit out while they played. I wasnt the best mom I could be and I am working on changing that now. I play with my girls every day now. We go on long walks and bike rides. We are having so much fun!

Anyway, I will stop here. I could ramble on all night. I hope I am able to motivate someone to be a better person today. Whether it is by eating better, doing something more with your children, or just taking some time for yourself. Be all that you can be!!

POSING!!

I just started to learn all the posing for my show. WOW!!! It is pretty simple and basic, but you have to get it down PERFECT which is where it gets hard. From just the 1/2-1 hour of posing I did today, I AM SORE!! My back and lats are so tight! This is one of those nights that I am so glad to be married to a massage therapist. ;) As of today, I am 97 days away from the show. 97 days that I can work. 97 days to improve my body further. 97 days of making the right decisions. 97 days to prove to myself, that I can do anything. It seems so far, but it seems so close. Before I know it, it will be time. The day will be here and ready or not, I will be up on that stage. That TERRIFIES me! But I know I can do it. My life seems to be getting crazier. We are just starting the process of buying a house. I have a few big cakes coming up. My daughter is having a birthday in a month and I have her party to plan. My husband is *hopefully* getting a promotion at work which can change our moving plans slightly. And of course I am as busy as ever at work. Sometimes I feel like I am crazy and I will never be able to accomplish this and I am in way over my head...but I have AMAZING trainers who are always just a text away and my husband always pushes me back up when I am feeling down. I have my shoes for the show. I know what suit I am getting but I am not going to order it until it is a little closer so I have a better idea of my measurements and to reduce alterations that I may need to get. It is going to be beautiful though! When that comes, it will feel VERY real I think. Anyway, here are a few quote and pics I have found lately that I love!! Happy exercising!!

I have lost a 5 gallon bottle of water at this point. :)

Before and After pics - SO SCARY!!!

Well, I have been on the same diet and exercise program for 3 months now. I have really been struggling with getting myself to do this, but I am just going to. BEFORE AND AFTER PICTURES!!!! I feel like I still have quite a ways to go, but I am proud of how far I have come in such a short period of time. I am so embarrassed about where I was, but I want to show you that if I can do it, anyone can do it. I am no longer embarrassed to go swimming. I love shopping because everything fits and I even where a lot of size SMALL tops. There have been a few days that are hard. Times when we are at parties or family get togethers and there is great food and I have to stick to my boring meals. But, looking at my pictures, it is so worth it!! My cruise is in 9 days and I feel ready!! I want to be in a swimsuit the majority of the time. I actually bought shorts the other day. I havent worn shorts since probably middle school!! AND, I actually LIKE how they look on me! I promise you, if I can do it, you can too!! The first couple weeks are always the hardest. You have times that you feel like just quitting. I had a few struggles in my life happen during this that made me want to turn to food for comfort, but I didnt. I no longer have that urge. I feel better all the time. I have more energy, I am happier. I LOVE my life!! Anyway, enough rambling. Here are my pics from day 1, and today!! Hopefully the next time I post pics will be shortly before my competition and I will REALLY blow you all away!

If You ever need some extra motivation, let me know! I have TONS of inspiring quotes and pictures and a mind set now that I can do anything!!

I have hit the halfway mark!

I feel like I haven't written forever! It has been a few weeks. I always did my posts from my Kindle Fire and all of a sudden it wont upload pictures. I feel like a post without pictures is like giving a kid who cant read a chapter book. There has to be some fun and excitement from pics!! Well I got a new laptop so i am back!!

Anyway, my life has changed a bit. I stopped doing daycare a month ago, and went back to lifetime to work in the Child Center. Well, on Sunday, I was promoted the the Assistant Department Head, which pretty much means that I am running it. We go through about 600 kids a day. We can have close to 200 kids at one time. This week has been crazy, mostly because I am just jumping right in and learning by doing. The Department Head is out taking a class all week and then visiting family till next Wednesday. But its ok because I am loving it! I love her and I know she will always be there when and if I need help, and even though we are short on employees, I love all the ones I work with. And my girls are liking being there more and more which definitely helps.

I am still doing my crazy workouts and my diet has gotten even stricter. But it is going really well. I have officially lost 30lbs now. It came off really really fast at the beginning and has slowed the last few weeks. But I am for sure gaining a lot of muscle now. I am thinking about posting some pics on here soon. It is unreal how much has changed! Everything looks so much tighter and leaner, and my waist?!?! My waist looks like the pictures are from 2 different people. Which is great since I feel like a new person!

Anyway, I just wanted to quickly let everyone know I am still going strong and still headed toward my goals! I hope you are doing good and making positive changes in your life!

Week 5

First off, I want to say congratulations to my friend Janessa who competed in the NPC Utah competition Saturday night. She did amazing and looks fantastic! I was lucky enough to attend and watch her in her first show. I hope to see her in more and maybe compete against her one day. :)



Here she is with a few of the other competitors. They all looked great and worked their butts off! Very inspiring to see!



There were two awesome men who are huge competitors in the country and world who came and put on a show for us. Then they signed autographs and took pictures with people in the audience. Both were very down to earth sweet and funny guys.but I would not want to piss them off! This first pic is of Johnnie Jackson,



And this pic is Branch Warren



I haven't been writing as often, but things are still going great. Its getting easier to eat only my approved foods and I go well over the water amount every day. I can run a lot further than I ever thought I would, and my strength in general has increased so much in the last month. I may not look too different yet, but there are a lot of big changes happening in my body. I had to buy new gym clothes yesterday cause the ones I had been using fall off now. I went with drawstring pants this time. :)

I saw this picture and had to post it. My favorite favorite FAVORITE song right now is Will.I.Am The Hardest Ever. It says over and over, you can go hard or you can go home. I think if you are getting yourself to the gym, that you better work hard. Harder than you thought you could, otherwise, why are you there?



I'm going on a cruise in June. I want to have this awkward moment there. ;)



Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well with their goals and aspirations. I will have the best body of my life this year, even after having 3 kids. It can be done and I will prove it!!

Day 16!

I missed a few days! Oops! Things have been a little crazy. My husband and I have been making some big decisions and it has been really hard and stressful. We are going to try and buy a house this year, but in order to do so, I need to be doing something different for work. This is really hard for me because I have come to love the kids I watch like they are my own. I love their parents and I will miss them so much! I wish it didn't have to be this way, but it seems to be our only option at this time. I am talking with my gym and may be going back to work there. I should get more details on the job this weekend and I can decide from there. A house is what my family needs at this point though. And I feel we need to take the right steps to make that happen.



The gym is going great! I no longer have to make myself go every day, I want to go. On Sunday I feel like a bum for not being there at all. I finish my 2 hour workout and am sad its over. I love that I feel this way now. I love the gym and the whole atmosphere there!



My nutrition is getting better. I felt like I was being deprived of so much for a while, but now I realize that I don't eat for entertainment, I eat for fuel. Yes my cheat meals are still awesome. I had an amazing Philly cheesesteak last week. :) but food is not my enjoyment anymore. I do love to bake still and I continue to do so. I just ration it out as soon as its done and give it away.



I don't want naps anymore. I have so much energy, even when I don't get much sleep the previous night. I feel great all the time! Its real energy too, not that sugar high kind that leaves you feeling sluggish and down after it wears off.



My skin is getting clearer and smoother. Ive never had horrible skin, but I'm in my mid 20's and I still have acne. Since I've been taking better care of myself, it has almost all cleared up!



Needless to say, I LOVE how my life has changed and I plan on this being a very permanent change. I am not dieting, I am living!! I feel like I can do anything and I plan on doing everything!!

Days 10 & 11

Tonight is rock climbing!! Wooohooo! I look forward to Thursdays every week for rock climbing. I don't know what it is that excites me so much. Maybe its conquering my fear of heights, maybe the feeling of weightlessness. I don't know but its awesome. Lynnli cant wait til she is big enough to do it. I know shes going to love it.



On to my workouts and diet. Things are going pretty good still. I'm never hungry and finding it hard to make myself eat a lot of the food, but I know I need it in order to lose weight too, so I'm making myself. I was told yesterday by my sister that she can see the weight loss on me. That felt good. Then while doing my cardio on the treadmill, I kept having to pull my pants up. They are a little too big now! I cant wait till I have to replace all my clothes! Haha



Anyway, my sweet baby girl is patiently waiting for me to finish so I can play a game with her. I just thought id take a minute to put a few thoughts here. I hope you are all feeling as great as I am!