We need the whole weight- loss story, not the abridged version....

Sometimes we see memes that call the scale a liar...I've called it a liar too :)
In reality, the scale just doesn't tell the whole story, but it tells you SOMETHING. It might be saying you ate a lot of salt, it might say you gained muscle, or fat, or had a busy day and didn't drink a lot, or you drank a ton, or your cycle is coming, or you're bloated...it tells us a TON, we just need to figure out what it's saying.

Take me for example. On Sunday we spent all day outside in the humidity (retaining water in the humidity) I felt bloated and my eyes were even a tad swollen when I woke up. On Monday the scale was up 3 lbs from what it was Saturday morning. 3 whole pounds.
Monday during the day, I only drank a few extra glasses of water but I began peeing All. DAY. LONG. for no real reason other than I was holding water from being outside the day before and finally letting it go.

Upon waking up Tuesday morning the scale is down the 3 lbs of water that I peed out all day Monday. And that was just from normal life hanging out outside and probably not hydrating enough.

Water can make a huge difference on the scale, so don't take what the scale says and make it ruin your day. If I had, I would have been saying that all the fun we had outside the day before ruined my next day...it didn't, it was fun and the scale can't say how much fun we had, only that I was out in the humidity!  Don't let the scale be your FUN-METER.

I use the scale for my clients because it's part of the math...and it is a TOOL to tell us where you're at but we have to look at the whole picture (yesterday's activity, 2 days ago food, cycle, hormones, weather...) to figure out what the scale is telling us on that one day. From there I make decisions on what we change or if we change nutrition.

Things that make your scale go up...and then go down:

Being dehydrated

Being Overhydrated

Just eaten a meal

Not enough SLEEP

Heavy lifting workout the day before (muscles retain water)

Extra carbs than normal (holding water...not a bad thing)

Extra salt

Humidity in the air

hormones fluctuating

time of the month bloating 

weighing before voiding bladder

wearing different clothes than normal (or wearing clothes at all!)

Dr office scales....check to see if it's on carpet, that makes it inaccurate

Different scale than normal

If you weight, weigh 2 or three times a week and then look at the TREND OVER TIME. Day today will be different, week to week is a better way of seeing how you progress. If you weigh every day, that's ok too...but take a weekly average and then compare it to the weekly average of the next week, that is a more fair comparison of progress. 

And if you don't weigh at all...and it's working for you, you're in a good place in life and happy where you're at....be happy and don't change your ways!

MY version of Fit

These are my thoughts lately. As I'm not seeing fast enough changes, or changes that I'd like to see in my self I have to remind myself of these things:

I lift heavy weights. 
I eat well.
I overeat sometimes. 
I stay active. 
I'm lazy at times. 
I workout 5-6 days a week. 
I take extra days off to be with my kid.
I stay My version of fit.
My fitness inspirations have a lot of muscle. I have more than I have ever had. I would love more and am working towards those goals. Genetics play a large role and hard work plays a large role. Life circumstances are factors.
But no matter where I'm at in my journey...I will ways be#MYversionofFit. I want you to strive to by YOUR version of fit. One of my fitness idols (Brooke Erickson) puts it best...you are #goodenough

It is important to remind yourself why you do things and what you are doing them for....double check yourself too.  And when you figure it out put it out there into the world, post it on my facebook page or comment here. I'd love to see what YOUR version of fit is...post your pictures on my facebook page with the hashtag #MyVersionofFit

Happy and healthy day, friends!

Transformers-more than meets the eye!

Wow, has it been a while...with grad  school almost over, Gia getting busier and work at the Studio picking up...not to mention trying to fit in solid workouts...it has been quite a crazy 2 months.  But I see a light at the end of the tunnel and I'm feeling motivated, or is that extreme exhaustion? I can't tell.

But either way, I set a goal for myself (and anyone wanting to join) of transforming into a stronger person both physically and mentally. The mental part has been simple, with all that I have going on there is no room for weak!  The physical part was mostly to push me towards Nationals (physique competition- bikini division) and for personal growth, health and increased fitness. I've been lifting heavy, eating a lot more and putting on some muscle. It's been working...imagine that, lifting heavy weights and timing my nutrients just right has done the trick! It's hard to post pics because there is no "cut" or definition during this time of growth but there will be soon enough...the goal is nearing. But maybe I should post pics...it will let you all know that being "competition ready" all the time is impossible, especially if you are trying to make any kind of gains (while repairing your metabolism/body as I had to do). You CANNOT gain a ton of muscle eating in a deficit (low calories)... so eat more to gain muscle, and eat right to gain it healthily.

Transforming your body, as I tell my clients, is not easy...

Results are in...and life continues

Life has finally settled down and it dawned on me that I never posted my before and after pics (ok, I was avoiding it). I'll do that, I'll also post my placing :)

I wanted to start this blog to motivate others in a real-life way and I realize that the fitness competition atmosphere is not real life, for almost ANYONE...myself included. Especially anyone who has children, a husband and a house to take cate of...successfully. I am a fitness and nutrition enthusiast/professional but I cannot sustain that contest-prep lifestyle for a long period of time without letting something else important slack. Heck, I was only 95% in for the actual prep for this contest, if I'm being honest with myself, which is not good. I enter things to win, not to just try. But it is what it is, I have school and a family that needed me more than my contest did. My husband and daugter are most important, but I did find fun and happiness...and as Steve says, Happy wife, Happy life.

What I do want to do with this post is show people that setting goals is important not only for fitness but for life, accomplishment is a wonderful feeling and something that, I feel, is important for everyone. So the results are.....

Happy and Healthy :)..Workout included

Alright, well it has been too long...but I can say I've not gotten off track. Gia, as you know, had surgery on her kidney and she is doing great, totally recovered and running around. The only sign is the large scar on her side but that will go away in time. We'll go back in a week for the post-op and then one more time going under to get the stent out in a few more weeks. Thanks all for the calls and stuff, it made it go by faster.  But now it's hot and we are back to normal loving the heat and playing in the water every day!

On a "my thing, my time, non-mommy" topic...We, my friend and I, are about 12 weeks out from our Fitness Competition and it's SO on.... cleaner eating, more focused workouts and walking in 5 inch heels daily! I'll get some before pics up soon, I will have to have a shot of some adult beverage or some other inhibition inhibiting substance first but I'll post it in the next week or so. :)  If anyone is curious and wants to get on a schedule here's my workout plan (and plans change sometimes...)

                 Monday- cardio, either swim or bike (one hour max), lifting back and biceps and an at home HIIT workout in the evening (see below workout).

                 Tuesday- slight cardio (only because I teach my cycle/sculpt class) and lifting legs       
                 Wednesday- Lift chest and triceps (maybe back), cardio swim
                  Thursday- same as Tuesday

                  Friday- cardio, bike or swim...or both! and abs

                  Saturday- BodyPump

                  Sunday off or family hike or swim

You can join in and make it a group thing...I'd love to know people are doing it too.

 So anyways, while in the hospital Gia was pretty much knocked out so I was able to get in a workout while there....here's your Mommy's-at-home-workout- Sippy Cups and Water Bottles:

20 plie squats (legs out wide with toes pointing to out)

20 front knee raises each leg (raise knee to opposite elbow, twisting your torso)

20 tuck jumps (put your hands waist high, palms down. Jump from standing position but jump/tuck your knees up high enough hitting them on your hands)...these were interesting to do in the hospital!

20 chair dips for triceps (sit on a chair, place hands beside your hips with fingers facing the front of chair. Scoot butt off the chair holding yourself up with hands and dip up and down.)

10 push ups with hands on the chair for easy or floor for harder- push yourself- make it harder!

20 jump lunges (get into a lunge, hold one second then jump up and switch your legs, do this 20 times!)

Repeat this workout as many times as you can...after the dishes but before the kiddos wake up from naptime! ;)

And for our newest clean, gluten-free meal favorite...
Salmon with lemon zest and juice (or if you're lazy just lemon juice, ask me how I know that.) and garlic

Black beans from the crockpot seasoned with salt, pepper and chili powder

Broccoli and green bean veggie mix (um, totally from the frozen department, much easier)
Tomato Basil polenta baked! yummmmy

Secret desert: I cup of plain Greek yogurt with a cup of frozen berries on top (no sugar added fruit).

Fitness competitor, what?! Plus workout

A lot of us are goal oriented people, we need something to shoot for or to accomplish. I am that way. I always need something to go for or look forward to; a vacation, a visit from a friend, an event, a lunch date, breakfast, lunch or dinner... How ever big or small, I am always looking forward to something. So, half marathon- check. Now I need something else on my docket.

I am so much of a goals person and so much dislike running that as I was plotting my next task and coming up empty I actually considered, wait for it...fitness competitions. After about 48 hours of seriously considering it and researching it to the end of the Internet- I haven't actually counted it out yet :-/

Ummm, that's right, you read that right. My half marathon goal was directly tied to my being a mom and wanting to complete my first one within a year of having a baby. (I would have it done 4 months earlier but I broke my foot so I was a month late, whatev, I did it). This "new goal" if I choose to accept it would be an accomplishment for me personally because my post baby body is so different prom my pre-baby body, like most moms- unless you're Heidi Klum or Giselle. So you might want to stay tuned because along with mom and family oriented FitTips I might be posting about that journey... Or another one if I find a better goal. We'll see.

On that note, I've seen the need to bump up or at least just vary my training so I added some different things. I have always been into HIIT training (high intensity interval training- the latest "fad") since I'm a spinner for the last 10 years. But I added sculpting moves to it.
Here's yesterday's killer:
2 mins on a spin bike or jump rope
Push ups -max reps
Walking lunges -30( 15 each leg)
Squat jumps- 12-15
Lateral raise- 10-12 directly to
Overhead press-10-12
Mountain climbers- 20 secs
* rest 15 secs in between moves and 1-2 mins between repeats. Repeat 2-5 times*

Happy HIITing