End of week 3

I have officially made it through 3 weeks of my new plan.

EXCITING NEWS!

I am down 3lbs to put me at 144 lbs, 22.2% BF!!

It has been challenging, especially on weekends when I am out and about ( a girl needs to carry a cute purse every now and then, and forgo the massive cooler!)

Some exciting events over the past 2 weeks: Train the trainer. To raise money for the GoodLife Kids Foundation, I donated myself for a silent auction we had at the club. My client Maureen won me, and decided instead of taking a session for herself, she wanted to train me. ( see above pic, you can get an idea of what they put me through.. think lots of burpees)

I still am awaiting the boxing pics, which hopefully we can resume the first week after the long weekend.

I spent the first part of today cooking and prepping food for the week. I absolutely LOVE bison right now. You can get it in burger, steak or roast form. I have really been trying to try different things with my food.

What kind of things are you enjoying for you summer meals?

Week 1 of 20 Week Plan

I have made it through the first week! Im not going to lie, the past couple of days have been really hard!

We have reduced our calories from what we need to maintain our current weight by 20%. It definately was a noticable change!

I dont know about you, but my hardest time is the evenings when I get home from work (10pm-ish). Over the past few months although eating clean throughout the day, if the opportunity for something delicious to eat came up, I wouldnt really think twice about it. Now I am thinking about it, once, twice and three times over. (Basically laying in bed thinking about why I do not need chocolate covered almonds or whatever it may be).

You definately need to be very focused and strong willed if you want to achieve the best.

Kelly and I also joined a women's boxing gym to switch up our workouts on sundays. Incredibly fun. We have which I will post as soon as I get them. Its great to get outside of what we are used to and try something different. Although the gloves they have are stinky (investing in a pair might be in the works), it was an amazing atmosphere.

Here is the link to the gym if you want to check it out! http://www.torontonewsgirls.com/tng_main/classes.php

I just finished cooking chicken, a bison roast and bison burgers and tilapia. Now time to plan out my meal plan for the week.

4 Month Countdown to SHOWTIME!

Alright. I know I was counting down to my vacation, but something BIGGER and better has come along. (dont get me wrong, looking hot for my vacay is still a #1 priority, it just happens to work in with this more long term plan as well)

In 4 months I will be stepping on stage again.

My trainer and I have created a master plan. We have created "bibles" to live by (track workouts, food planning etc) and of course MOTIVATE eachother. She is also going to be training, perhaps to step on stage, perhaps not, but either way we have got eachothers back through it all.

Pics will follow soon. Here are my starting stats:

Weight: 148.8
Body Fat : 22%
Fat Mass : 32 lbs
Fat Free Mass: 116
Total Body Water: 85 lbs

Measurements (in inches):

Arm R/L: 12/12
Chest: 33
Waist: 29
Hips: 36
Butt:40
Thigh R/L: 24/24.5
Shoulder: 41.5

Please stay tuned for updates on my progress, pics and any noteworthy encounters:)

Discipline

"Discipline is the art of merging motivation with organization. You aren't disciplined unless you're dedicated to something. And you cannot be dedicated to something unless you WANT it. Before you strive to "learn discipline", first figure out what you want." -unknown

Today I joined team St Clair to do a 5 k road race. It was extremely windy out, but we all made it. It was great to get out and do something I havent done in a long time (and extremely enjoy!) Even though I had to get up at 6am, it is now almost 5 pm and I really dont feel any different then if I had slept in until 10.

I am on track for achieving my goal of looking bikini ready for my vacation (although it has yet to be determined where I am going) Some days it is really hard, knowing that grabbing a sub or some other fast food place (as healthy as they deem to be, it never is!) is the easiest option. I have prepped a lot of food, and try to keep things interesting by trying new things, flavourings or pairing items together that I wouldn't normaly.

What do you make for you "go to" meal when you are tired?

How it all began

Thank you for checking out my blog! I have decided to embark on this challenge to help you, my readers, in your journeys of a healthier lifestyle.

This first blog will be an introduction of myself, what I have done in the past and what I am working towards. I would love to hear your comments about what your goals are and what you are doing to achieve them.

These posts will not only be about me and my fitness journey, but I will be here to give you advice on nutrition, delicious recipe ideas and ways to spice up your workouts!

Lets get started.

I have always been involved in some sort of activity, from softball, track and field. Does anyone remember Billy Blanks Tae Bo? You bet I was enrolled in that at a local Karate club! Then as per clockwork, I went away to school and studying/ going out to party was more important then fitness. After my first year of college, I was not happy with the body I had. I joined the Bally's across the street from my school and was given an orientation on cardio and the weight machines.

Every other day I would go and do a full body workout and I had begun lose some weight. This was all fine and dandy until college was over and I got my first bacholor apartment downtown Toronto. I also started as an Assistant Manager to a store in the Eaton Center. Being in the heart of the city makes going out so easy. So I fell into the same trap again. Going out, not eating well and no exercise.

Enough was enough! I joined a women's only gym and again had a orientation. I would go and do weights, cardio and do a cardio kickboxing class. For a month I would go regularly, then I would not go for weeks. This went on for about 2 years and then I quit that gym. Whats the point if im not seing results?

Things were going pretty good at my job, although after having problems with roomates I had moved back in with my parents near hamilton. Commuting from Hamilton to Toronto was no easy task. On top of it all, I still looked in the mirror every morning and wished my "old" body was back.

I decided to join the gym again. There was a GoodLife right across from where I worked in the Eaton Center. I HAD to make this work. I was willing to do anything. When I got there, I was given a tour, but really I had already made my mind up. I'm going to get what I want. As the girl left to get my membership agreement, I noticed on the price presentation: 3 or 6 personal training session at discounted rate. This was perfect. Someone can show me what to do once a week and I'll be good to go. I went for it.

This is when I met Kelly (who still is my trainer to this day!) She called and we booked 6 sessions 3 times a week. This was the best way, I was told by her. And did she kick my butt. There was no question I was signing up for more sessions and thankfully I was in great place finacially to be able to do it.

This was 2 and a half years ago. When I started I was 141 lbs, 27% body fat and no muscle tone at all. When I did my fitness competition in april 2008, I was at 135, 15% body fat and had ABS! I started to compete in 5-10k races as well.

I loved the body transformation that I had gone through, I knew I wanted to help others achieve the same. I changed my career from Retail Manager to Membership Consultant to Personal Trainer. I have been with Goodlife for one and a half years, a Personal Trainer for one year. I am now a Level 3 trainer at the Yonge and St. Clair location.

I have not competed since the first show I did, but my goal is to compete again this fall. This blog will track my progress, as well as share my knowledge for you to achieve your fitness goals.

Thanks for reading,

JG