80 Days Left

Last nights class was VERY challenging! It kicked my booty! We did so much cardio and hundereds of crunches, squats, and pushups. By the end of the class my whole body was on fire. It feels good for my muscles to burn... knowing that they are growing and hopefully melting fat in the process. I found this fat vs. muscle image that really hits home!

Fat takes up so much more SPACE and it so unhealthy looking next to the muscle! Can you believe it? Tonight I'm taking another cardio class and tomorrow at 6am have a challenge class with lots of weightlifting and cardio. Look for another "progress picture" on Saturday. It will be my week 2 progress picture. I think I am going to get on the scale too so I can see if I have lost anything by eating clean and exercising! Crossing my fingers that I'm closer to my goal of the 130's.

Day 4 and 5

The last few days have been a little bit of a struggle for me. The hunger pains have started to set in, but I have pushed through them and stayed on the diet. Monday I went to the cardio class which was being filmed for a commercial of some sort... I think for a new kind of Protein Powder. It was motivating not to quit when I was tired having a camera in my face, but I don't think I was quite ready for my close up with sweat pouring down my face and a little extra layer a fat on me.

Tuesday we had our first "Tuesday Challenge" class... which consisted of a 3 mile run at 6pm in the Florida heat... very HOT! The only think I thought about was the goal... abs by my 24th birthday on November 11th. We ended for an hour and a half of circuit style weight lifting! I was exhausted when I got home and could hardly finish my fish and spinach for dinner. Although I was too tired to eat, my muscles weren't too tired to ache and my stomach wasn't too tired to growl from the hunger throughout the night. I kept on thinking about my yummy oatmeal that I had for breakfast this morning.

Today, I'm going to another hour cardio class, then going to do some squats, dead-lifts, and press ups! The challenging part today will be going to my dinner meeting at my favorite restaurant, a sushi place , and just sipping on my water!

I leave you with a inspirational quote that I saw... Hopefully it will make you modivated to stick with your diet/clean eating and your exercise!

Before...After...Now

Before I head out to my 5:30 cardio class and then my leg workout, I wanted to show you my "before challenge" photo, my "last day of previous challenge photo" and my "First day of 2nd challenge photo". As you can see I have gained some fat back (only about 8 pounds). I'm trying to hit my goal weight of 135 by the end of the 12 week challenge. We will see if I am able to do it! Here are the photos.

1st day of 1st challenge

Last Day of the First Challenge

1st Day (Saturday) of the 2nd Challenge

Supplements - Key to Tweeking

Yesterday, I bought my supplements from GNC.... I had a former figure competitor help me pick out the ones that will help me target stubborn fat, loose weight, and gain muscle. Here's a picture of the supplements I will be taking.

I wanted to give a quick overview of what each of the products will do:

• Cardio Cuts - Maximum Energy: Cardio Cuts™ includes a strong blend of energy-rich ingredients, including 1,3 dimethylpentylamine and Bioenergy RIBOSE®, to fully maximize your energy levels. This potent thermogenic-inducing blend also helps provide the focus and sense of alertness needed to take your workouts to the next level.* Greater Endurance: Includes clinically studied and patented CarnoSyn® beta-alanine to maximize your endurance during workouts. Beta-alanine helps to build up your internal carnosine stores, which serves as a buffer to lactic acid build up in the muscle. Cardio Cuts™ will allow you to run further, train longer, and workout harder by delaying the onset of fatigue.* Push beyond your normal threshold! Quicker Recovery: After an aggressive workout, Cardio Cuts™ has you covered. Packed with Glutamine, BCAAs, and a thorough Rejuvenation blend, Cardio Cuts™ supports quicker recovery and repair.* Weight Loss/Toning: Cardio Cuts™ offers more than your average pre-workout, because it’s also formulated with CLA/MCT to help attack the stubborn inches and maximize weight loss in all the right places.* (ndsnutrition.com)
• CLA - Build up your fat loss supplement arsenal with Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)!* CLA is a fatty acid that occurs naturally in meat as well as some dairy sources. In supplement form, you can skip all the extra calories and get right to the CLA.CLA is not a stimulant like other popular fat burners, but it is an all around great product to support weight loss.* If you've already got a well-balanced fat loss diet in place and an action-packed workout program, supplements are the next step to success.(bodybuilding.com)
• Glutamine - If you're working hard in the gym each day, there's no question that you'll want to be taking care of your body during training. Each time you lift weight, a large amount of stress is placed on the body. Unless something is done to help your body recover during training, fatigue will always be there to ruin your training. Additionally, longer recovery time means longer time to reach your goals. The body can lose up to 50% of its glutamine levels during training, and if your immune system or other parts of your body become glutamine-deficient, the muscles' glutamine stores are first to be robbed, creating the risk for catabolism. Help your body progress, not go backwards.Often overlooked as a simple amino acid, Glutamine is one of the best anti-catabolic ingredients around, so start sending in those reinforcements and supporting your body's battle in the gym.* (bodybuilding.com)
• BCAA - BCAA Blends are great for anyone who works out in the gym every day and wants to preserve lean muscle while preventing catabolism.*Protein is what supplies the building blocks necessary to repair and build muscle tissue after your workout is complete. These proteins will then be broken down and disassembled into amino acids. There are 22 different amino acids in the body, all of which have a unique function. (Bodybuilding.com)
• L-Carnitine- a natural compound that is found in avocadoes, dairy products, beef and lamb. Of course, if you are on a restricted diet and trying to burn off some extra fat, you may not be eating those foods in large amounts.That's where supplementation can help. Taking an L-Carnitine supplement will support your overall goal of losing fat, and it may improve your workout performance to help you get better results.*L-Carnitine works by potentially helping to convert fatty acids into fuel your body can use for energy, while at the same time promoting growth and development.* (bodybuilding.com)
• Casein Protein - Aside from getting your fast-absorbing protein immediately after your workout, it's important to get a steady flow of amino acids and protein to those tired muscle tissues long after you leave the gym.What better way to accomplish this task than with casein protein? Casein's time-released formula allows the amino acids and protein to absorb in your stomach slowly, providing hours of repair and maintenance.* (Bodybuiliding.com)

Day One

Saturday was the first official day of the "challenge". I started my morning at a bright and early 5:15 a.m. to be at the stadium at 6 a.m. There I was one of around 70 people with the red Challenge T-Shirt on, going to embark on a 12 week fitness journey. Most of the people didn't know what to expect because they had never done it before, but I knew just what to expect... sore muscles and shortness of breath! ha. We started with an hour of running, which I was able to jog around 4 miles in that hour without stopping. We were jogging around a track, which on my first challenge, I wasn't able to run around once. It felt good that I was in better shape then before... but I still wanted to keep up with the "veteran" fitness girls, that were able to run about 7 miles in that hour! Next, we started the stadium drills. For 45 minutes with plotted up and down the stadium stairs... this caused me to have shortness of breath and excessive sweating. Last, we finished with some crunches, squats, jumping jacks, and push-ups! What a workout. I was hungry, tired, and sore after the first day... but excited that it was finally here. Tomorrow I will be buying my supplements (which I completely believe in) a

Here's a picture of my "before"... you have to excuse the early morning hair!

NEXT BLOG - My supplements/diet

Challenge Overview

Where do I begin?

Let's start by telling you a little about myself....

• I'm a self confessed perfectionist that strives for the body of my dreams.
• I have a love/hate relationship with food and fitness.
• I have signed up for another Fitness Challenge to get down to my preferred size 4 frame...
• My goal is to start competing in the Bikini/ Fitness Model section of fitness competitions.
• When I was a freshman in College (4 years ago) I was 60 pounds heavier
• I think all my workouts would pay off once I get my abs

The fitness challenge I am participating in is a huge time commitment and a test of not only your strength physically, but emotionally. I can honestly say that the last 12 week challenge that I participated in was the hardest thing that I have ever done in my life.... Going through a rough break-up or having your best friend mess around with the guy you like had nothing on this. It's based on a program of 6 days a week workouts... being pushed to your limits, while "feasting" on things such a fish and broccoli, protein shakes, and egg whites. Basically, you stay hungry and exhausted the entire time. Why do this you ask? Because nothing feels as good as accomplishment and the thought of having your dream body.

I wanted to show you my before and after pictures of the first fitness challenge I participated in ... because we all know a picture is worth a thousand words

I lost 17 inches and 32 pounds on the first challenge! I invite you to join me on my second challenge where I will invite you to witness my struggles, workouts, diets, cheat meals, and my overall body transformation.