Meagan Mayada Hesham

Do You Poo-Poo New Year's Resolutions?!?!

2011-12-30T06:19:00.002-05:00

I've noticed a big trend lately that makes me a little sad... I've had conversations about it (mainly with my fitness buddies), it's all over Facebook, Twitter, and other people's blogs... and that is how dumb new year's resolutions are! Most people generally make them and have high hopes for the year and all their dreams and goals, whether it's to stick with an exercise regimen, get that promotion at work, or be more organized around the house, people often feel the new year is a great time to take stock and envision where they want to go next. What the heck is the matter with this? Shouldn't we be encouraging people to join gyms, work harder, strive for the life they dream of instead of poo-pooing it and saying things like "I don't believe in new year's resolutions - goals need to be made year round"? But, this is just what I'm hearing - many highly goal-oriented people turning up their noses to making 'new year's resolutions' and saying people should be making goals throughout the year and that people's new year's resolutions tend to be forgotten by February. OK, give people a break... instead of crushing people's good intentions, why not encourage goal setting (any time of year, even at the start of the year!) and help people who may need help follow through on those goals they set Jan. 1! I set all sorts of goals in all areas of my life throughout the year, but I love the freshness of a new year to really get me going on big planning for the upcoming year. I love to look back at goals I set for the previous year, congratulate myself on what I made happen, think about why some goals may not have been achieved yet, and start a whole new list (which I usually make public here on my blog to hold me extra accountable). I am in the midst of working on mine right now and totally excited for everyone else who is ready to make 2012 their best year yet!!! Get excited people - if you decide it's gonna be great, it will!!!

Here are some tips on making new year's resolutions and following through:

Set your goals

- Write them down! There's so much more power in having all your goals written down officially, rather than just half-baked thoughts in your head!

- I like to make various sections/pages/whatever works for you of goals for different parts of my life (work, family, home, fitness, money, self, etc.)

- On each of these I make a few big goals (for example, on my 'fitness' page, I might put "I will lose 20 pounds by April 1."

- Then an important step a lot people don't do after making a goal is breaking the big goal down into little steps or goals so it's do-able. For this one, I would put under it, - 30 minutes cardio in the morning 5 days/week, - weight train 4 times/week - stick to my healthy meal plan, - lose 2 pounds/week and keep track of progress on a calendar, etc.

Make your Goals SMART!

- Specific

- Measureable

- Attainable

- Realistic (this is debatable - ha ha - I like to be a little unrealistic!)

- Timely

- Make sure to write your goals in an affirmative way (for example, I WILL... or I AM..., not I will try to... or I want to...) Make them powerful!

- Write your goals in a positive way, use 'I will eat healthy meals', not 'I will not eat any junk food'. Avoid negatives like won't, not, no, bad, etc.

Don't forget your goals!

- Make cards with your goals written in a strong affirmative manner (I WILL... or I AM...) and put them anywhere you look a lot (bathroom mirror, car, wallet, fridge, front door, etc.) When you see them really let them resonate with you and say them aloud a few times.

- Make a vision board of all your goalsand dreams for the new year! Cut out images, phrases, etc. from magazines, newspapers, or off the computer that show your goals/dreams, make a collage out of them on a big board, then display it in a prominent place that will make you remember what you are working towards this year! I have often had vision board-making get-togethers with friends and students which are fun!

- Tell everyone you can about your goals! I like to shout mine from the rooftops, but if you're a more private person, you could just tell a select few encouraging close friends or family members your goals and make sure they know to check back in with you on how you are doing periodically!

Reward yourself for large and small goals met!

- set up an official reward scheme, for example if you manage to eat clean for a full week, treat yourself to a pedicure. Make sure to write down what you get and when so you have that to look forward to and get that positive reinforcement to a new way of living! I will write a whole blog post soon on reward ideas and how to reward yourself for goals met!

Most of all GET EXCITED about the prospect of a new year and new goals that you WILL make happen! No matter what happened in the past, or how many times you've tried for a goal, do not have any doubt in your mind that you WILL achieve your greatest dreams now! Throw yourself wholeheartedly into your new life and enjoy!!!

Dec. 23, 2011

2011-12-24T10:14:00.000-05:00

6am

- 20 minute run to do groceries!

7:30am

- 1 egg + 1/4 cup egg whites with cheese & salsa

- small whole wheat tortilla

11am - 12pm

- teach boot camp (plus got about 15 minutes steady cardio in for me too)

12:30pm

- 1/2 cup extra lean ground chicken with tomato sauce and 1/4 cup cottage cheese

3pm

- 1/2 pkg. almonds

6pm

- ground beef kofta

- a bit of rice and potatoes

- hummus

this was my plate with a gigantic amount of rice and potatoes:

I ate all the meat and a little bit of rice and potatoes, but gave the rest to my hubby to finish off:

8pm

- shared this big bowl of popcorn with my husband & son

So, there were some badnesses today, but I thought I did OK for the holidays and being at a mall all day shopping! So weird that I was able to avoid all the tempting food at Square One, but then came home and ate buttery popcorn! Goal is to be goooooood today!

Dec. 22, 2011

2011-12-23T08:08:00.000-05:00

6:00am

- 30 minutes cardio (run & bike)

7:30am

- 1/2 cup egg whites with cheese & salsa

- green tea with mint

10:45am

- avocado salad with light feta & 1 tbsp. light dressing

12 - 1pm

- teach boot camp

2:00pm

- Greek Salad with minimal dressing

- Chicken breast with a bit of tzatziki

5:00pm

- too many of Zak's Ritz Bits (about 4 handfuls) :<

6 - 8:30pm

- teach workout & bellydance classes

9:30pm

- 2 thin slices of deli beef

- 3/4 cup Greek yogurt with cereal

- handful of chocolate chips

- half a small cookie

- sleepytime tea

OK, so there were a few problems in my eating today, but I still feel like I did pretty good when there's chocolate, cookies, and other bad stuff all around me everywhere for the holidays! I know why I ate the RItz Bits and the sweets at the end of the day... I can clearly see it's because I missed my 5:00pm meal before teaching so I was craving stuff. I really find that when I eat every 3 - 4 hours, I don't usually crave anything. My goal for the rest of this week is to eat clean and workout hardcore for the next two days, take Christmas day off totally and eat some goodies, then get back on strict for Monday! So, aiming for just one cheat half-day on Sunday!

Dec. 21, 2011

2011-12-22T07:51:00.000-05:00

6:00am

- 30 minutes bike

7:45am

- 1/2 cup egg whites with salsa & cheese

- lemon tea

12:00pm

- 3 small shortbread cookies!

12:30 - 1:30

- teach boot camp

2:00pm

- 1 whole package of almonds

- 1/2 cup no-fat Greek yogurt

- green tea with mint

6:30pm

- 1 white cheddar rice cake

- 3 thin slices of beef

7:30pm

- crazy sweaty leg/cardio workout with Val!

9:30pm

- avocado salad with light feta & 1 tbsp. light dressing

- about 4 tbsp. 2% cottage cheese

Today was an awesome day (except for the cookies), but I tried to channel my friend who is the opposite of me in that usually when I eat something bad, my personality is so 'all or nothing' that I think oh well, guess today will be bad and then I eat a million other bad foods, but I was talking to her the other day and she says if she eats something bad, she feels she needs to be extra good the rest of the day and maybe add an extra workout to make up for the little slip-up. Now I know this is the way we should think, but for some reason I always go the other way... Today I managed to have my 3 cookies, and then get back on (which was hard being in a mall with all sorts of Cinnabon, popcorn, etc. smells in it)! At night I had a crazy training session with Val which re-inspired me to stay on track in all ways (eating clean, cardio, etc.) Woo-hoo!

Dec. 20, 2011

2011-12-20T22:34:00.000-05:00

6:00am

- 35 minutes cardio

on my way out the door for a cold run!

7:30am

- 1/2 cup egg whites with salsa & cheese

- tea

11:00am

- vegetables

- 3/4 cup 2% cottage cheese with dill & garlic

2:30pm:

- avocado salad with light feta & 1 tbsp. low fat dressing

- 1 caramel rice cake with 1 tbsp. natural almond butter & 1 tbsp. honey

5:00pm

- 1 package Carl Buddig peppered beef

- 1 cheese string

- tea

6:30 - 8:30pm

- teach bellydance classes

9:00pm

- 3/4 cup Greek yogurt with 3 strawberries & 1/2 cup multigrain cheerios

Today went well, except that I didn't make it to the gym this a.m. as I found it way too cold to jog all the way there... instead I just ran to the grocery store, did my groceries, and then finished my cardio at home on the bike. I wanted to do some muscle stuff, but didn't. Tomorrow will make up for this as I will do cardio in the morning, teach in the afternoon, then I have my training session with my trainer at night and that always kills me! I really feel I need to get back on working on getting my driver's license if only to drive to any gym I want in the cold mornings. I had some major cravings for bad sweet foods mid-day today, but totally got through them and felt good that I didn't cave! YAY!

Dec. 19, 2011

2011-12-20T05:26:00.000-05:00

10am

- 1/2 cup egg whites

- 2 tbsp. salsa, bit of cheddar cheese

- small whole wheat tortilla

12 - 1pm

- teach boot camp

2:30pm

- small 6' turkey sub on whole wheat (I know this wasn't perfect, but at least I resisted the pizza!)

5:40pm

- 1/2 pkg, almonds

6 - 7pm

- Teach Pure Sweat!

9:30pm

- 1 cup extra lean ground turkey

- 1/4 cup tomato sauce

- 1/4 cup 2% cottage cheese

So, here I am again! I have not posted for a few days because I have been a crazy busy maniac, plus my eating went very bad through the weekend!!! VERY BAD! By Sunday I felt really unwell from it and decided I never wanna feel that way, so I was happy to get pretty much back on track Monday! I didn't eat enough meals or get to the gym in the a.m., but I slept in and got some much needed sleep and I did go pretty much full out in the two classes I taught so that was good! I'm gonna do groceries and workout this morning so I am ON today! I'll keep you posted!

Dec. 13, 2011

2011-12-15T08:48:00.000-05:00

5am

- banana

6am

- run & legs at gym

7:45am

- 1/2 cup egg whites with salsa & cheese

- small whole wheat tortilla

1:30pm

- my mom's awesome vegetable soup

- Carl Buddig peppered beef with cheese & cucumbers

2 - 3pm

- chips & cheesies!!!

5:15pm

- Starbucks mini butter tart

- Starbucks Marshmallow dream bar

6:30 - 8:30pm

-Teach bellydance classes

10pm

- hot chocolate with marshmallows!

Oh boy... so this day was really bad!!! It started out well, then I screwed up by eating the chips and cheesies which were really just put out for Zak at my mom's house, then it went downhill from there! I am learning from all my mistakes though... if I go too long without eating a healthy meal - I will eat anything that is right infront of me/convenient and once I have had something bad, I just keep going! So, Ithink if I'm gonna have a cheat meal or a special treat, it should be dinner/night otherwise I end up having a whole day of bad! Back on the healthy bandwagon now!

Monday, December 12, 2011

2011-12-13T05:04:00.000-05:00

10:30am

- small whole wheat tortilla

- 1/2 cup egg whites

- cheese

- 1 strip chicken bacon

- greeen tea with fresh mint

12 - 1pm

teach boot camp

2pm

- salad with 1/2 avocado, feta, & 1 tbsp. low fat dressing

- 3/4 pkg Carl Buddig peppered beef

- 1 La Vache Kiri cheese

(was without my phone, so couldn't get a pic :<)

4:15pm

- 1 rice krispie square

6 - 7pm

- teach Pure Sweat

7:30pm

- 3/4 cup no fat Greek yogurt with 3 strawberries & 1/4 cup multigrain cheerios

- mint tea

Today was a little weird (not eating until 10:30am, eating a rice krispie square, not enough meals, etc.) mainly because I didn't make it to the gym in the morning which was dissapointing and I ate really bad on Sunday (and after a big cheat, I find I don't feel too hungry the next day, plus once sweets get in me, I start craving them more and not the healthy foods!) I was feeling pretty great by Saturday after eating so clean for a week and was actually starting to see some definition in my ab area (which is what I usually go by to see if I'm doing well or not eating-wise - the abs don't lie!) but now it's all gone after one day of eating anything I want. I really need to reel myself in and stop with the whole cheat weekend or even cheat day and get onto a single cheat meal each week. Sometimes I think it's easier for me if I don't ever have any cheat as everytime I have a cheat meal it turns into an out-of-control full day (or days!) and I undo all the good I did all week! I'm up crazy early this a.m. because we went to bed really early last night so I can get work done AND get tot he gym before anyone else is up - yay! Gonna try to kill my legs!

Sat. Dec. 10, 2011

2011-12-10T23:36:00.000-05:00

8:00am

- small whole wheat tortilla

- 1/2 cup egg whites

- 1 strip chicken bacon

- shredded cheddar/mozzarella cheese

(the best wrap ever!!!)

10:30am

- 3/4 cup Greek yogurt

- 2 strawberries

- 1/2 cup multigrain cheerios

12:00 - 2:30pm

- teach bellydance & boot camp

2:40pm

- 2 fake crab sticks (pollock)

- salad with avocado, feta, & 1 tbsp. light dressing

4:30pm

- Starbucks egg white/turkey bacon/low fat cheese/whole wheat english muffin sandwich (forgot to take the pic until it was almost done - oops!)

- mint tea

5:30 - 9:00pm

- a lot of the BEST fudge in the world!!!!

this is a pic of the initial piece I ate with Kathy (the magic fudge maker) in the background

here's what I ate... ok, not really, but I ate quite a bit!!!

7:45pm

- Starbucks Greek yogurt with honey & seeds/granola

Sooooo, today was not supposed to be my cheat meal, but when Kathy brought that fudge which I know and love so much, I pretty much knew it would have to be today and not tomorrow! It was so worth it! So, I ate healthy except for the fudge and I will not be bad tomorrow now! Busy busy day and night of teaching, rehearsing, and performing - woo-hoo!

Dec. 9, 2011

2011-12-10T05:56:00.000-05:00

7:30am

- whole wheat english muffin

- a little less than 1/2 cup egg white

- slice of cheese

- 1 strip of chicken bacon

1:30pm

- 1 pkg peppered beef

- 2 La Vache Kiri cheeses

- 6 Ritz crackers (no picture)

4:30pm

- 6 small lean ground beef meatballs dipped in a bit of yogurt with dill, garlic & mint

- 2 handfuls multigrain cheerios

- 1 tbsp. almond butter with honey

7:30pm

- salad (just lettuce & a bit of tomato) with feta, 1 tbsp. light dressing, and 3/4 cup 2% cottage cheese

8:30pm

- 4 Ritz crackers with 2 La Vache Kiri Cheeses :(

- 4 handfuls of Zak's popcorn :(

- yogurt tube

Today was not as strict as I would have liked and my weight has been stuck at one number for a few days now. I know what I have to do... take the advice I always give other people and cut the extras! It's the weekend and I'm at that point where I really am craving a lot of bad foods, so when I don't binge on everything in sight, I'm always pretty proud, but I need to step it up and be proud of eating wickedly clean now (not just fairly good). No more crackers and cheese, no more yogurt tubes, no more handfuls of Zak's food - need to up my veggies and meat starting NOW!

I took a day off from the gym because I was so sore all over and really felt that was what I needed... this is no excuse not to follow through with my Project: get to the gym 5 days/week. I will just get my butt in there Sunday morning - woo-hoo!

Dec. 8, 2011

2011-12-09T06:11:00.001-05:00

6:00am

- 25 minute run + bicep/tricep workout at gym

7:30am

- whole wheat english muffin

- 1/2 cup egg whites

- 1 slice of cheddar

- 1 strip of chicken bacon

10:30am

- 3/4 package Carl Buddig peppered beef

- 1/4 english cusumber

- small cheese

12:00 - 1:00pm

- teach boot camp

2:00pm

- Greek Salad with very minimal dressing

- chicken breast with a little bit of tzatziki (actually got it on the side this time!)

5:00pm

- 1/2 cup 0% Greek yogurt
- yop

- 1 caramel rice cake

7:15 - 8:15pm

- teach bellydance class

9:00pm

- 1/2 cup 2% cottage cheese

- 1 banana

- 3/4 of a caramel rice cake

10:30pm

- 1/2 avocado, tomato, cucumber, feta, 1 tbsp. light dressing

- way too much plain 2% yogurt with honey & multigrain cheerios

Well, I ate too much today, but am really proud that I didn't give into my bad food cravings that I was having all day (at least I kept it fairly healthy). First of all, I was sooooooo sore from my crazy leg workout Wednesday and could barely walk, then my son was really out-of-this-world bratty and tired all day long, so I ended up carrying him while he slept and when he got tired of walking, as well as hauling him up off the floor at the mall where he was screaming and crying on the floor a lot! I really regretted working my arms this a.m. after all this hauling of a 40-pound kid all day! after my night class, my husband had a bunch of errands to run and I was stuck in a car till about 10, so I ate whatever I had with me at the time which wasn't prime, then when I got home I felt I needed more! My day was quite stressful and irritating and that is exactly when I start thinking I could really use some ginger molasses cookies and a hot chocolate from Tim Horton's... But I stayed away from that and felt good about it! I was really really ravenous after my class and, as you'll see, seemed to just keep eating! I felt very full when I went to bed and had a feeling I wouldn't wake up and see my usual 1 pound weight loss for the day (which I didn't this morning), but that's ok... I feel like my muscles needed the nutrition (ok, maybe not all that honey and cheerios I was putting on my late-night yogurt), but my body seemed to be calling out for dairy at night! I may start taking a calcium supplement again as I often crave dairy.

Dec. 7, 2011

2011-12-08T05:54:00.001-05:00

7:45am

- 1/2 cup egg whites with salsa & cheese

- 1/2 cup slow cooked oatmeal with cinnamon & raisins

- green tea with fresh mint

11:00am

- 3/4 cup 2% cottage cheese

- broccoli

- mint tea with fresh mint

12:00 - 1:00

- teach boot camp

1:30pm

- 1/4 english cucumber

- almost whole package of Carl Buddig peppered beef

- 1 small cheese

3:45pm

- 1/2 avocado, tomato, & cucumber with 1 tbsp. light dressing

5:45pm

- 3/4 cup fat-free Greek yogurt with 2 strawberries & 1/4 cup multigrain cheerios

6:30 - 8:00pm

- insane leg & cardio workout with my trainer, Val

(sorry, I was feeling a little crazy after all those lunges, etc. so didn't remember I needed to get a pic - this is all I could manage from the car as we drove away - a blurry pic of Olympia Muscle & Fitness - lol!)

9:00pm

- 6 small lean beef meatballs

- 1/2 cup white rice

- 1/4 cup 2% yogurt with dill, garlic, & mint (as dip)

10:00pm

- yogurt tube (50 calories)

Am I ever glad I skipped my morning run and gym time so I would be well rested for my training session with Val at night! I'm not sure how I got through all the lunges, leg presses, deadlifts, etc. and then managed to do craziness on the stairmill after that, but I did! This is why it's so awesome to have someone pushing you! I would never have done even half this workout as hard as I did on my own (and I think I'm pretty hard on myself and self-motivated!) Also, after an out-of-this-world workout like this, the last thing you want to do is eat bad foods! If you're gonna put your body through THAT then you sure don't wanna muck it up with unhealthy foods! My eating was a little all over the place today, but not too bad! I will strive for even more reginmented clean eating today! yay!

What I ate - Dec. 6, 2011

2011-12-07T06:55:00.000-05:00

6:00am

- 20 minute run + chest & back workout at gym

7:45am

- 1/2 cup egg whites with salsa & cheese

- 1/2 cup slow cooked oatmeal with cinnamon & raisins

- green tea with fresh mint

12pm

- 1 cup 2% cottage cheese

- broccoli

- caramel rice cake with natural almond butter & honey

2:45pm

- 1/2 cup extra lean ground turkey (cooked) with mushrooms and tomato sauce

- 1/4 cup 2% cottage cheese

5:15pm

- 1 cup no-fat Greek yogurt

- 3 strawberries

- 1/2 cup multigrain cheerios

- mint tea with fresh mint

6:00 - 9:30pm

- teach bellydance classes

10:00pm

- almost whole package of deli beef meat

- 1 small cheese

- 1/3 of an english cucumber

This day went great! I was happy I cooked up the ground turkey - that was really yummy and packed with protein. Also, loved my 10pm meal - so yummy! I don't like too many meats so it's awesome when I find a meat I actually enjoy eating! I am so sore this a.m. from all the hardcore working out, which is terrific - yay!

what I ate: Dec. 5, 2011

2011-12-06T05:50:00.000-05:00

6:00am

- 25 minute run + shoulder workout at gym

8:00am

- 1/2 cup egg whites with salsa & cheese

- 1/2 cup slow cooked oatmeal with raisins & cinnamon

- green tea

11:00am

- 1/2 chicken breast

- 1/3 english cucumber

- mint tea

12:00 - 1:00pm

- teach boot camp class

3:00pm

- beef wrap (small whole wheat tortilla, 1/2 package Carl Buddig peppered beef, lettuce, cheese, mustard

5:15pm

- salad with feta & 1 tbsp. light dressing

- 3/4 cup 2% cottage cheese

6:00 - 7:00pm

- teach Pure Sweat class

8:30pm

- 3/4 cup no-fat Greek yogurt

- 1 small cheese

- about 3 mouthfuls of noodles (as I made them for Wala'a & Zak!)

- 2 tsp. natural almond butter with honey

Yesterday was awesome! I basically got three whole workouts in - made it to the gym for my own in the morning then went full out in both classes! I packed all my food in the morning and took it with me so there was no room for funky stuff to make it's way into my mouth (except when I got home and was craving carbs and fat - noodles & almond butter), but I figured I had worked my body really hard so it wasn't the end of the world to have a few extra carbs/fats. I am up early now and ready to rock it at the gym - so sore everywhere, not sure what to work today, but woo-hoo!

DOING IT!!!

2011-12-05T09:04:00.000-05:00

OK, I am ready to pull up my socks and really DO THIS now! I have cleaned up my eating a lot over the past few weeks, but strangely enough as my eating got better, I think I have let my workouts slip a bit. I absolutely LOVE working out so this is a very strange feeling for me! Of course I teach a crazy class or two or three every day, but I really don't feel quite right unless I get my early morning workout at the gym in! I feel it sets the tone for the whole day, plus it's pretty much the only ME-time that I get alone with myself doing something purely for ME! I have been getting up early every morning, but then not making it to the gym... I've had every excuse in the book, mainly cold/rainy weather and too much work to catch up on. For about a week I have been saying to myself and my husband before bed - I WILL GET TO THE GYM NO MATTER WHAT TOMORROW MORNING! But then morning comes and it's a different story. This morning had to be different... It was like the universe was testing me as everything seemed to be against me going to the gym, but I was super determined to change my lazy habit NOW...

So, I woke up late (right when I was supposed to be out the door), lay in bed for a bit thinking I'm tired, I could just go back to sleep... but then jumped up and out of bed and got ready to dash out the door. When I got downstairs, I saw I had left my good running shoes at the studio and only had some nasty old running shoes... whatever, I put them on and was out the door about 5 minutes later after getting up! Oh, it was cold and rainy (and I run 15 minutes to the gym!) - I did it anyways!!! When I got to the gym all wet and sweaty, feeling energized, ready to blast my shoulders, I knew I had done the right thing! I spent about 45 minutes working solely on my delts and then was ready to run home (Again in the rain!) Got home in plenty of time to be there for when my son and husband woke up and to prepare all of our meals and snacks for the whole day!

Here are a few ideas to help you get up and out to workout:

- Wear workout clothes to bed, or at least have them out and ready to put on in the morning - put them on immediately when you wake up, then you feel bad if you don't use them (make it to the gym)

- Have a clear picture of something you can envision to help get you out of bed and to the gym (that sexy minidress you want to wear to the holiday party, the fitness competiton you want to win, those skinny jeans you want to fit back into, etc.) and/or put up a vision board or affirmation where you can see it as soon as you wake up!

- Hold yourself accountable by having a workout buddy that you have to meet at a certain time at the gym, or if you don't workout together, at least call/text each other confirming that you're doing your own thing. Or you can use Facebook to update that you are at the gym every morning you go, so when you don't go people will ask what happened! I will be doing pictures at the gym every morning to hold me a little more accountable!

- In the end, you need to just think about truthfully if you want it bad enough! Would you rather get an extra hour of sleep or work in or workout towards your ultimate body and energy level?

My goal is to get to the gym at least 5 days a week (Monday - Friday) like it's my job! no fooling around. As I mentioned above, along with my daily what-I-eat pics, I will be posting a pic of me at the gym every morning to hold me accountable and as I go, you'll see a difference in my physique in the pics too!!! I encourage you all to join me for a challenge of your own - let me know what you are working on! I'm excited, are you?

today at the gym, before my crazy shoulder workout!

what I ate: Dec. 2, 2011

2011-12-02T19:13:00.001-05:00

7:30am:

- 3/4 cup 2% cottage cheese

- 4 strawberries

10:30am:

- flavoured tuna

- 1/3 english cucumber dipped in yogurt based tzatziki

- 2 whole wheat Ritz crackers (not shown)

12 - 1pm:

- teach boot camp

1:45pm:

pineapple & strawberries

- 1/2 package Carl Buddig peppered beef in a small whole wheat tortilla with lettuce and cheese

5:30pm:

- large avocado/tomato/cucumber/feta salad with 2 tbsp. light dressing

- 1/2 BBQ chicken breast

9:30pm:

- 3/4 cup fat free Greek yogurt with honey, strawberries, and multigrain cheerios

Feel like I'm really back on track today! The only thing I'm missing is my morning workouts. I am gonna commit to working out every weekday morning no matter what starting this coming week - it will be great!!!

oh dear - this was a bad day I found in my phone!

2011-12-02T19:01:00.000-05:00

then there was more bad stuff!!!

what I ate: Nov. 29, 2011

2011-11-29T22:36:00.000-05:00

7:30am

- 1/2 cup egg whites with 2 tbsp. salsa & light feta cheese

10:30am

- tomato/onion tuna

- salad with 2 tbsp. light dressing & light feta cheese

12:30pm

- 1 apple with almond butter

- 1 caramel rice cake with almond butter & honey

4:00pm

- large handful of homemade corn nuts

- 1/2 pkg almonds (about 15)

- 6 cheesies (not shown)

6 - 8pm

- teach classes

9:00pm

- package of sesame snaps

- mint tea

So, I haven't posted for a few days because I was a little crazy with my big studio showcase this weekend! I actually kept up the clean eating for the most part and even took the pics most of the weekend, but I just didn't get around to posting them all here. Was gonna try to catch up, but then I just decided to start fresh today to save me some time! Since I didn't get to have a real good cheat meal after the showcase on Sunday, I allowed myself anything I wanted yesterday... I ate a few bad things, but I found that I didn't even really want what I usually want (which was awesome and weird!) As you'll see today was not unhealthy, but it was a little weird - lots of fat (nuts & cheese) and not many real meals - just grabbing stuff here and there - gotta do real groceries still (tomorrow!) Stay tuned!

what I ate: Nov.25, 2011

2011-11-26T06:51:00.000-05:00

7:30am:

- small whole whaet tortilla

- 1 egg with 1/4 cup extra egg white

- salsa & grated cheddar

- green tea with mint

9:00am:

- mini yogurt (full fat) - didn't plan to eat this, but Zak was being all cute and prepared two as a surprise so I could share with him!

11:00am:

- Yop

- 2 gummy worms

12:00 - 1:00pm:

- teach boot camp class

1:30pm

- 1 apple

- green tea

2:30pm

- 1/2 small bag of plain popcorn

(how can you turn down a really old popcorn machine in a bus station?)

3:30pm:

- Starbucks turkey & cheddar sndwich on sunflower seed bread

It felt way too bready, so I didn't eat the crust and some of the bread - this is what was leftover:

7:30pm

- 1/2 cup 2% cottage cheese

- Avocado, cucumber, tomato, feta salad with 1 tbsp. light dressing

- sleepytime tea

So, there were a few things that weren't perfect today, but I was having such a crazy-busy and frustrating day AND I was at a mall (where I always end up eating bad foods!) So I'm still pretty proud I didn't end up bingeing on everything in sight (which is often what happens to me in times of stress)! YAY! Today will be even better!

what I ate: Nov. 24, 2011

2011-11-25T07:48:00.000-05:00

7:30am:

- 1 whole egg

- 1 slice of cheddar cheese

- 1 whole wheat english muffin

- green tea

10:30am - 1:00pm:

rehearse & teach boot camp

1:15pm:

- 1/2 pkg. Carl Buddig peppered beef (soooo good!)

- 1 white cheddar rice cake

3:00pm:

- Greek salad

- Grilled chicken breast with tzatziki

4:30pm:

- 4 Rockets candy rolls

5 - 10pm:

- teach classes

10:20pm:

- salad with feta & light dressing

- 1 pkg. almonds

Today was a pretty stressful and crazy-busy day running around getting ready for my studio's showcase so I'm pretty proud that I did as good as I did. I did eat those Rockets candies (just 100 calories total, but pure sugar!), but other than that I think it was pretty healthy! I was eating as I ran around all day - I think the only meal I actually sat down for a second for was the Chicken Greek Salad! You CAN eat healthy on the run as long as you decide you're that there is no other option in your mind!!!

what I ate: Nov. 23, 2011

2011-11-24T05:23:00.000-05:00

5:30am:

- wimpy 30 minute cardio workout

7:30am:

- 1 egg & 1/2 cup egg whites with cheese & salsa

- green tea with fresh mint

11:20 - 12:20:

- teach boot camp

12:30pm:

- 3/4 cup 2% cottage cheese with dill & garlic

- cauliflower & broccoli

3:30pm:

- salad with 2 tbsp. light dressing

- 1 piece of fake crab (pollock)

6pm:

- 4 extra lean ground beef meatballs dipped in yogurt/dill dip

- 1/2 avocado with tomato, cucumber, feta, and tiny bit of light dressing

7pm:

- caramel rice cake with 1 tbsp. natural almond butter

9:30pm:

- 1 cup 0% Greek yogurt with honey, stawberries, and multigrain cheerios

So, this day was fairly good in general, but I really would've rather spread my carbs out better instead of eating them all late at night (the worst time for them!) I was trying to be all low carb because of my lazy day full of carbs yesterday, but I see that isn't going to be an option for an active girl like me! I will still strive for not too crazy high carbs, but this only vegatables as carbs today made me really tired and only after eating the rice cake at 7pm, did I start perking up a bit! I will go back to my carby carbs at every second meal today and definitely start the day with a carb like oatmeal or bread! Today was pretty good for vegetables and I 'm gonna try to keep that happening and challenge myself to get vegetables in at every meal/snack! I've done this in the past, and this alone can really make your meals very healthy!

what I ate: Nov. 21, 2011

2011-11-23T06:27:00.000-05:00

6am

- 25 minute run

- back workout at gym

7:30am

- 1/2 cup egg whites with salsa & feta

- 1/2 cup slow cooked oatmeal with cinnamon & raisins

10:30am

- 1/2 package deli chicken meat

- 1 apple

12 - 1pm

- teach boot camp

2:30pm

- 3 Chicken satay sticks with too much peanut sauce

- vegetables

bean sprout salad with peanuts

6 - 9pm

- teach classes/rehearsals

9:30/10pm

- 1 stick of fake crab (pollock)

- baby carrots

- 1/2 cup cottage cheese dip

This was a pretty great day. Couldn't believe coming home after a long day and wanting carrots and cottage cheese over so many other things in the fridge! I love that! Yesterday I started the day right by taking pictures, but I got so busy and stressed out that I didn't end up documenting it all... I actually thought about taking this week off from pictures because I have my studio's big showcase this Sunday and need more time, but then I thought, I'd better make the time to encourage myself to eat right and feel great ESPECIALLY around a stressful time and of course wanna make sure I stay on track this week of all weeks as I wanna rock the costumes I need to wear for the show on Sunday! So, tomorrow will be missing, but not today and onwards!

what I ate: Sun. Nov. 20, 2011

2011-11-21T08:23:00.001-05:00

WARNING: This was a very sinful day of bad eating!!! What was supposed to be a cheat meal, turned into a full-blown cheat day! But, I'm being fully honest with you guys here, so this is what happened yesterday:

10:30am

- 2 pancakes with butter & syrup

- a bit of eggs

- 1 1/2 slices of toast with butter and jam

- potatoes

1 - 2pm

teach boot camp

2:30pm

- the best grilled cheese sandwich I have ever made!

(made with lots of butter, cheddar, and feta cheese)

7:30pm

- 2 Eggo waffles with butter, syrup, and cinnamon sugar

9pm

- 1/2 this bowl of popcorn

- icecream with peanut butter, caramel, and lucky charms!

So, you see, it was really bad! When I'm bad, I'm really bad, but when I'm good, I'm really good! So, today, I'm back onto GOOOOOOD! Got up early and ran to the gym, did an intense back workout, ran back, then made a nice healthy breakfast! I now see another benefit to photographing and posting everything you eat... looking back at this day of food I ate is a little disgusting to me in hindsight - the foods look gross now - I will have to remember this before having another day like this! I can't believe how differently I felt yesterday because of eating bad! I was falling asleep at 5pm and found it difficult to be peppy and fun, plus my stomach still hurts this morning from all that garbage! Sometimes having a crazy day like this really makes you thankful for healthy foods you usually eat and how they make you and your body feel!

What I ate today: Sat. Nov. 19, 2011

2011-11-19T22:29:00.000-05:00

7:20

- 1 whole egg + a bit of extra egg whites

- part skim grated cheddar cheese

- 2 tbsp. salsa

- small whole wheat tortilla

- green tea with fresh mint

11am

- avocado/tomato/cucumber/feta salad with 1 tbsp. light dressing

- only ate one of these pieces of fake crab (pollock)

9:45 - 2:30pm

teach dance & fitness classes

2:40pm

- small whole wheat tortilla

- 1/2 pkg. Carl Buddig beef deli meat

- part skim cheese, cucumbers, yogurt sauce

6:40pm (on my way home from a long day at the studio)

- 1/2 cup cottage cheese

- 1 apple

- small chocolate milk (instead of nuts at subway station)

10pm

at home relaxin with my:

- 3/4 cup 0% Greek yogurt with strawberries and multigrain cheerios

Today was another awesome day! I usually find Saturday daytimes really easy to eat well as long as I pack healthy meals for my day at the studio as I'm so busy and it's hard to eat anything so I don't have time to get creative or bad (lol!) but often I come home after a long day at the studio and just wanna binge on everything at home. Tonight Wala'a is out and that made it much easier to resist making a grilled cheese sandwich or a big bowl of popcorn while we watch a movie. On my way home I was really craving something sweet as well as dairy, so instead of buying almonds for my bus ride home, I indulged in the chocolate milk and it was great! I still haven't had my cheat meal this week which shocks me! We're going out to brunch tomorrow - that might be it!

what I ate - Nov. 18, 2011

2011-11-18T22:35:00.000-05:00

7:20

- whole wheat english muffin

- whole egg

- slice of cheese

12:10pm

- 1/2 cup 2% cottage cheese dip (pureed cottage cheese with garlic & dill)

- broccoli

- 1 apple with almond butter

- 1 tsp. honey

3:45pm

- small chicken breast

- cucumber slices

- 1/4 cup plain yogurt with dill, garlic, & mint

- 2 rolls of Rockets candies

6:30pm

- whole wheat english muffin

- small homemade chicken burger (made with extra lean ground chicken)

- ketchup, cheese, and veggies

10pm

= 1 cup 0% fat Greek yogurt with honey & strawberries

Today was great as I just did groceries and was home all day taking it easy for a change, but I did have two english muffins which wasn't prime in my mind. But, in general - healthy times! yay! Tomorrow is my official weigh-in with my 12-weekers and I'm feeling pretty good about it... my goal is to have lost 2 pounds from last weigh-in last week.

New Fitness Inspiration!

2011-11-18T17:00:00.000-05:00

Finally got together with Valerio Mosca (TeamBodyPro) and had my first personal training session with him this past week. I've been training myself forever, I can't remember the last time I've had a trainer check out what I'm doing, but I've been thinking about it for a while, just waiting for the perfect match to present itself... Then I found Val Mosca! I had seen him through Facebook and he seemed just like the trainer I was looking for... the real deal... knowledgeable, tough, and results-oriented with tons of experience and background. And when I heard he trained people out of Olympia Muscle and Fitness gym, I though double yay! as I live nearby and that gym always looked so wicked and just like my type of gym.

We had decided to go through a leg workout for our first workout Wednesday night. I knew he was gonna be tough, and he was with both brand new and familiar exercises with a new twist (including a zillion walking lunges around the gym that I can't even imagine how he got me to do!) But I think one of the biggest things that came out of this session was I realized how little I was pushing myself lately, or how much more I was capable of with someone like Val pushing me to keep going and choosing the weight for me (lol!). It's great to have someone push you past where you think you can go... I think of myself as pretty hardcore in the gym and thought I was pushing myself, but during the workout with Val, I realized I hadn't been coming near my full potential lately! Unlike many trainers who just do strength workouts with their clients and tell them to do cardio on their own, Val actually made me do a psycho stair-mill routine after all the weights (my legs/butt were on fire and the sweat was pouring!) He targeted exactly the areas I needed help with, taught me new techniques, and left me with tons of renewed energy for getting to the gym on my own and pushing myself until I see him again!

You know you've done something great when you can barely climb stairs or sit down after a crazy workout! I look forward to more sessions with him to keep me accountable with my goals and to stay super-inspired like I am now right after his session!

Valerio Mosca

http://www.teambodypro.com

what I ate: Nov. 17, 2011

2011-11-18T07:50:00.001-05:00

5:30am

- 30 minutes cardio (bike & run)

7:30am

- 1 egg & 1/2 cup egg whites

- 2 slices Ezekial bread

- 1 slice cheese

- green tea with fresh mint

10:30am

- avocado/tomato/cucumber/feta salad with 1 tbsp. low fat dressing

- 2 sticks of fake crab (pollock)

- 10 rice crackers (I blame Zak for this - lol!)

12 - 2:15pm

- teach boot camp & bellydance class

3pm

- chicken breast with tzatziki

- Greek salad

6 - 9pm

- teach classes

11pm

- 3/4 cup 0% Greek yogurt with strawberries and 1/2 cup cheerios

- package of almonds

Today was an awesome day... lots of exercise and healthy eats! My Greek salad out was the only kind of questionable... I asked for not too much dressing on the salad which worked well, but then I said yes to tzatziki and it definitely wasn't just low-fat yogurt tzatziki - I could taste some mayo in there I think (yuck!) But that meal did keep me full for a long time and I ended up having one less meal than usual (4 instead of 5). I also went out after my classes and I was really proud to have not drank anything or inhaled all the popcorn that was out at the event!

getting all packed and ready to go for the day!

what I ate - Nov. 16, 2011

2011-11-17T06:59:00.001-05:00

7:30am:

- whole egg

- 2 tbsp. salsa

- 1 small whole wheat tortilla

10 - 11am:

- teach boot camp

12pm:

- Chicken breast baked with barbeque sauce

- 1/4 english cucumber

- 1/2 cup 2% plain yogurt with garlic & dill for dipping

4pm:

- apple with almond butter

(I usually don't peel my apples, but this was Zak's and he didn't want it, so I ate it!)

5:30pm:

- 2 caramel rice cakes

- 1 stick of fake crab (pollock)

6:30 - 7:45pm:

- Insane leg workout & cardio with Val

9pm:

- lemon/pepper tuna

- 1/4 English cucumber

- 1/2 cup 0% fat Greek yogurt with a few multigrain cheerios

- sleepytime tea

This was a pretty perfect day for me! Lots of working out, lots of clean eats including tuna and chicken (which I tend to not want to eat much eventhough I know I should!) Training with Val was intense and really showed me how little I've been pushing myself in the gym lately! I feel totally re-inspired and ready to be the best and sexiest me I can! Clean eats, hardcore workouts, gonna be great - woo-hoo!

what I ate: Nov. 15, 2011

2011-11-16T07:02:00.000-05:00

7:30am

- 1 whole egg

- 1 cheddar cheese slice

- 1 english muffin

(was all out of my brown english muffins, so this tasted soooo much like an egg mc muffin without the bacon - not quite right, but better than Lucky Charms I figure!)

11am

- package of deli chicken meat

- 1/4 english cucumber

12 - 1pm

- teach boot camp class

2:30pm

- Starbucks spinach/feta/egg white wrap

5:30pm

- Starbucks turkey sandwich

- mint tea

6 - 9:30pm

- teach bellydance classes

10pm

- whole bag of cashews

So, I feel I did pretty good today except there was a little too much bready stuff... I'm trying not to worry too much about that though as I am working on being a balanced normal healthy person, not a crazy all-or-nothing freak that I usually am, so I think today was a good day for that. I ate every meal out except breakfast so this is also a great day to show that you don't have to eat unhealthy foods just because you're out and about or forgot to prepare a bunch of meals before leaving! The cashews at the end of the day weren't really my ideal dinner, but after the crazy long day I had, I was really craving all sorts of bad things and almost gave in, but I had the cashews as my fairly healthy treat and it worked!!!

what I ate: Nov. 14, 2011

2011-11-15T06:38:00.000-05:00

7:30am

- whole wheat english muffin

- 1 whole egg

- 1 slice of cheese

10:30am

- 1 cup Greek yogurt

- 1/2 cup multigrain cheerios

- 1 tbsp. honey

1:30pm

- Weight Watcher's Smart Ones Thai Coconut Surry Soup

- banana with 2 tbsp. almond butter

4:30pm (on my way out the door)

- 1 stick of fake crab (pollock)

- 1 mini baby bell cheese

- 1 rice cake

6 - 7pm

- teach Pure Sweat

7:45pm

- whole package of almonds!

- mint tea

9pm

- 1 cup Greek yogurt

- 1/2 cup multigrain cheerios

I felt I ate a bit too much yogurt, cheerios, and almond products today, but was happy to have not screwed up too badly at night after my classes when the beef patties and fresh donuts in the subway station were calling my name! Today I am going to try for more meat and vegetables and less dairy and fat! woo-hoo!

what I ate: Nov. 13, 2011

2011-11-14T06:40:00.000-05:00

9am:

- 1 whole egg with some egg whites

- 1 apple with almond butter

1pm:

- 1/2 package deli chicken meat

- 1 banana

3:30pm

- 1/2 kiddie cheeseburger (no picture)

6:15pm

- a few bites of chicken/vegetable stirfry (couldn't finish this bowl)

- avocado/tomato/cucumber/feta salad with 1 tbsp. low fat dressing

9:10pm

- 1 cup 2% plain yogurt

- too much honey

- 1/4 cup multigrain cheerios

11pm

- 1/2 of this big bowl of microwave popcorn

So, today was not perfect, but also not a total bingefest which is what most weekends turn into for me. So it is an improvement, but will try to do even better next weekend to make even more progress! I spent a day out with my husband and son which can often be a problem as my husband seems to never eat all day and I find it hard to get all my meals in... I know this though and I really thought I was preparing by eating two meals before going out on the town with them, but my body is like clockwork, and if I don't eat every three hours I will be really hungry, so I ended up having 1/2 of my son's burger that he didn't want so I wouldn't be totally ravenous by dinner! But I was still pretty hungry when we got home and my hubby had finally decided he was hungry. I made a chicken and veggie stirfry which I would usually just feed him and I'd eat something else because I always hate my own stirfries, but I tried really hard to make it good and I tried some. But I still didn't like it so I didn't eat much of it! I think I need to stop just throwing stirfries together out of my head and try some recipes so they can taste as good as stirfries that I order in restaurants. Later we watched a movie and for some reason I ended up eating a whole lot of popcorn - oh dear!

what I ate - Nov. 12, 2011

2011-11-13T08:37:00.000-05:00

6:40am

- 1/2 cup (before cooking) egg whites microwaved straight up!

- 1/2 cup (after cooked) slow cooked oatmeal with raisins & cinnamon

10am

- deli chicken wrap with veggies & cheese

- 1 caramel rice cake (not pictured)

- green tea

10am - 2:30pm

- rehearsals & classes

3pm

- crab & cucumber salad with yogurt and dill as dressing

5pm

- hot chocolate with whipped cream

- butter tart!

8 - 10pm

- 2 beers

Soooooo, this day did not quite go the way it was supposed to, but I'm keeping it real and trying to learn from this experience! I think I was so hungry after my day of teaching that the crab salad didn't really do it for me and I felt I wanted more, but then I screwed matters up further by having sweets instead of dinner! At 5pm I really should have had a healthy substantial dinner and I don't think I would have gone so wild all night - lol! Today is a new day and I'm starting it super healthy (the butter tart & beer incident is behind me!) On another note, I did my weigh-in with my 12-weeker alumni group yesterday and I lost 6 pounds this week from just eating right and my normal exercise! My goal for next week is 2 or 3 pounds. yay!

what I ate: Nov. 11, 2011

2011-11-12T06:47:00.000-05:00

Again, this is another eating out all day pretty much type of day! Lunch and dinner were from restaurants, but I didn't let myself go wild just because I was out at a mall or restuarant!

7:30am

- 1/2 cup egg whites (cooked in microwave) with salsa & shredded cheddar

- 1/2 cup (cooked) slow cooked oatmeal with cinnamon & raisins

- green tea with fresh mint

10:30am

- 1/4 cup 2% cottage cheese

- avocado/tomato/cucumber/feta salad with 1 tbsp. low fat dressing

12:30pm

- 1 white cheddar rice cake

- 10 almonds (not in picture)

1 - 2pm

- teach boot camp class

3pm

- Starbucks egg white/spinach/feta wrap

- mint tea

(this is how I eat a lot of my meals - on top of the stroller as I walk! It's not perfect, but if you've gotta eat - you\ve gotta eat!!!)

7:45pm

- Thai red curry shrimps & chicken (1/2 this meal - took the rest home)

- only had a few spoonfuls (maybe 4) of the rice

I was pretty impressed with myself with this meal out... I know Thai curries can be a little heavy, but we were out celebrating my friend's birthday, I was starving and a little stressed out by my crazy busy day when we got to the restaurant, there were so many delish sounding bad choices on the menu, everyone was having beer, but I just stuck to 1/2 of this protein-packed meal and a water and was actually happy! yay!

what I ate: Nov. 10, 2011

2011-11-11T06:31:00.001-05:00

This morning I really wanted to give myself a high-five after jumping on the scale and seeing I lost another pound from all this clean eating! I have lost about a pound a day since Monday. I don't usually recommend losing this quickly, but it is the first week (which usually is the most dramatic where you're losing all the bloat from unhealthy eating) and all I'm doing is eating moderately healthy - it's not like I'm cutting much out (other than too much cake and ice cream that used to be in there!) So, this is very inspiring and will keep me strong for the upcoming weekend - my hardest time to stay good!

Here's what happened yesterday:

6am

- 40 minute run

(I was on my way to the gym, but then felt like continuing on running instead, so I did!)

7:30am

- 3/4 cup 2% cottage cheese

- 1/2 cup (when cooked) slow cooked oatmeal with cinnamon & raisins

10:30am

- 1 white cheddar rice cake

- 15 almonds

- green tea

12 - 1pm

- Teach boot camp class

2:30pm

- small turkey sub on brown

(was so hungry and having fun with my mom that I totally forgot to take a pic, so I'm using one I found on the internet to give you an idea!)

5pm

- package of Carl Buddig chicken deli meat

- apple

1/2 cornmeal muffin (Zak didn't finish it and it looked soooo good!)

- 5 cheesies (again Zak's fault - lol, just joking!)

- green tea

6 - 9:30pm

- Teach 3 classes (fitness & bellydance)

9:45pm

- yop

- 20 almonds

I feel pretty good about this day of eating for me! As you can see a few things crept in there that shouldn't have (like the muffin and the 5 cheesies!), but I hope this food blog will help you to see you don't have to be 100% perfect to make a difference - you just need to be mostly good! Sometimes people chastise themselves for one little tiny screw up (in my mind) and that becomes negativity hanging over them and often causes more, larger screw-ups! I like to get over it, swig some green tea, and feel happy and healthy as quickly as I can!

Also, other than breakfast, this whole day of eating was on-the-run and I barely packed anything today! Know you CAN eat healthy with a busy lifestyle like me if you really want to! no excuses!

What I Ate - Nov. 9, 2011

2011-11-10T05:50:00.000-05:00

7:30am

- 1 whole egg + 1/4 cup egg whites with cheese & salsa

- small whole wheat tortilla

11am

- broccoli

- 1/2 cup cottage cheese dip

3pm

- 1 white cheddar rice cake

1 pkg. deli Turkey meat

5pm

- a whole lotta popcorn! (Zak& I shared, but he's only a little boy and I definitely ate more than him!)

- large bag of peanut butter M & M's

- 1/2 a small cheeseburger (not shown)

Yes, that's right - I told you I would record EVERYTHING I eat - good, bad, and ugly... today is not such an inspirational post due to my movie theatre incident, but I believe in one cheat meal/week, so I guess, by default, this was it for this week! The great thing about this splurge is that I didn't fly off the handle like I usually do when I eat one bad meal. Usually this would have turned into an evening of eating anything and everything and racking up a whole lotta calories! But, once we left the movie theatre, I stopped with the junk... well, I stopped with everything because I felt so ill after all that popcorn - lol! And today, I'm not letting the cheat change anything in my brain - super-clean eats today and about to go for my early a.m. workout to sweat some of that popcorn and chocolate off!

What I Eat - November 8, 2011

2011-11-09T06:50:00.001-05:00

Slept in and missed my early a.m. workout... really hate when this happens as there's usually never another opportunity to get to the gym if I miss this :< Feeling super-good with my clean eating already - it's amazing to me how huge a difference eating the right foods makes and it always make me wonder how or why I ever stray from this type of eating! Here's what I ate yesterday:

7:30am

- 1 whole egg + 1/2 cup egg whites with a bit of shredded cheddar

- slow cooked oatmeal with cinnamon & raisins

- green tea with fresh mint

11am

- extre lean ground chicken with tomato sauce, veggies, and a dab of cottage cheese

2:15pm (eaten on-the-run!)

- 2 pieces of fake crab (made from pollock)

- avocado/tomato/cucumber/feta salad

4pm

- Apple with almond butter

- caramel rice cake with almond butter & honey

(craving something fun and definitely ate a bit too much almond butter, but figured it was better than eating the cheesecake that was in my fridge!)

6 - 9:30pm

teach 3 bellydance classes

9:45pm (eaten on-the-run)

- 1/2 cup no fat Greek yogurt with 1/2 cup cheerios mixed in

- 1/2 package almonds

So, after seeing my day here, I notice there was more fat in there than I'd usually consume in a day (lots of almond butter, avocado - ate the full thing, not just half as I usually do, almonds...) so guess my body was craving more fat. I'm not at all scared of eating fat as long as it's the good, healthy type, I just need to make sure I don't O.D. on almond butter (which I'm known to do when eating healthy!) I think on days like this I tend to feel I need to get in a lot of energy-giving foods like carbs and fats right before leaving to teach for the night as I know I won't be able to eat again for hours and I need the energy to be a good teacher. I might start bringing protein shakes to the studio again as I can drink them throughout teaching and don't feel so cut-off from food all night that way.

WHAT I EAT - Monday, Nov. 7, 2011

2011-11-08T06:14:00.000-05:00

Hi Guys!

I have been pretty sloppy with my clean eating for the past few weeks, but I just turned 33 this Saturday and decided to be the best I can possibly be this year! I truly believe that you can never be your best eating unhealthy foods, so... I am back onto awesomely healthy eating. When I say healthy, I don't mean crazy competition prep clean, I'm really trying to be consistent and generally healthy (ie: no crazy sugar binges which I am prone to every few days if I don't make a point not to). Just good fairly healthy foods, no sweating the small stuff (I will write a blog post about this soon). Soooooo... I always write down what I eat in a journal, I sometimes even input it all to fitday.com to check calories, etc., but this time I thought I would start off by taking a picture of everything I eat throughout the day and blog about it. A lot of my students and clients are often looking for new ideas for meals and snacks and how to fit in 5 - 6 meals a day (and a lot of mine are easy grab-n-go ideas!) so I thought this blog could be a great tool for them and anyone else interested in ideas for healthy eating as well as a means to hold me accountable in a big way as I promise to record EVERYTHING I put in my mouth and make it public here! I'd also love to see others try this out even just for a day or so! Enjoy...

6:00am

- 20 minute run to gym + heavy leg/butt workout

7:30am

- 1/2 cup egg whites with salsa & a bit of shredded chedder cheese

- small whole wheat tortilla

11am

- package of deli turkey meat

- 1/2 cucumber

12 - 1pm

teach boot camp class

3:30pm

lunch out at Swiss Chalet:

- chicken breast (skin removed)

- plain baked potato (no butter or sour cream - yay me!)

- I put the bun off my plate so I wouldn't eat it, but then I ended up eating 1/2 of it with a tiny bit of butter (oops!)

then finished off my son's dessert (a few mandarin orange slices)

6 - 7pm

Teach Pure Sweat Workout Class

8:30pm

- broccoli (my son ate the cauliflower)

- 3/4 cup 2% cottage cheese

(I puree it into a dip with dill, garlic, and other spices, then love dipping the veg in it!)

Then I had a cup of sleepytime tea to avoid wanting large amounts of yogurt and honey or popcorn!

Today went very well in my eyes... I let too many hours pass before eating a few times, but it was ok. I would usually eat 5 meals on a good day and I only really ate 4 today, but I ate out for one of them so that makes up the difference I think! I am feeling super-awesome after just my first day of being back on track! YAY!

STOP JUST HOPING!

2011-05-26T08:16:00.000-04:00

Too often I hear people saying "hopefully I'll be able to stick to my clean eating", or "I really hope to make it to the gym today"... Well, to quote Dionne Warwick: "wishing and hoping and thinking and praying, planning and dreaming each night of his charms, that won't get you into his arms"... She goes on to say that you've gotta actually take action to get that man ("All you got to do is hold him and kiss him and love him and show him that you care") in other words - JUST DO IT girl!!!

Ok, now that we have our love-lives sorted out, let's think about how this can help us with our fitness and health goals...

Whenever a student, friend, family member, or even when I hear myself say they hope to do something (usually challenging), I really do want to believe them (or me), but that hope word often makes me leery! Hope to me often means no action. If you walk into a pub just HOPING not to order the nachos and beer or you only HOPE to make it out to that boot camp class, it's often not gonna happen! I don't mean to be negative, but I really believe you need to be more proactive than just hoping if you want awesome results! You need to take charge and make things happen, not just hope for them! If you really want to stay clean at that pub, you make up your mind before you walk in there that you will order a grilled chicken breast with veggies, not nachos - no options! Or, you wanna get a workout in - don't think I hope I have time for that sometime today - schedule it in like you would an important business meeting and don't let yourself down by postponing that workout for another time when you think you're gonna have more time, energy, etc. - do not give yourself the option to wimp out! Change I hope to I WILL!

NO REGRETS!

2011-05-18T08:51:00.000-04:00

I have decided to take the next 30 days and commit to consistent clean eating - no ifs, ands, or buts about it! I have been on a path of clean eating over the past month or so, but have, at times, been a little sloppy (ie: too much almond butter, too much dressing on my salad, still eating low fat cheeses, and of course I was still having a cheat meal that usually turned into a whole cheat day or two every week), I managed to make some progress and lose some fat this way, but feel I could be getting much more dramatic results if I really committed to consistent strict clean eating for a period of time. Of course, once I reach my goal, I will loosen up a little bit and not be sooo strict, but I really want to get to my goal for the summer! Even in all my competition preps I realized I have never gone as long as a whole month totally clean (and most importantly no sugar - which I am addicted to!) - I always ended up having an ice cream here or a butter tart there, still making gains (or losses), but I feel I don't yet know my true potential! It's not that I think one month of eating clean will show me my true potential, but I feel it will give me the momentum to follow through on my healthy eating and show me and everyone else what just one month of eating totally right can do for your physique, skin, confidence, and energy!

I LOVE to workout so that is not my usual challenge when trying to get ripped (nutrition is!), but lately I have been hitting the snooze button a little too much and ending up missing a few too many of my own personal early-morning workouts. I find I'm just not right when I miss working out first thing in the morning... the a.m. workout really sets me up for an awesome day full of positivity and healthy feelings! I like to workout in the morning for so many more reasons than just the aesthetic ones (which are great bonuses too) - it makes me feel alive and awake, it encourages me to follow through and eat healthy all day (don't usually feel like eating a donut for breakfast if I just finished a grueling workout), gets those feel-good endorphins flowing, boosts my metabolism, etc. etc! So, I was thinking to myself "Why would I ever want to miss a morning workout? I really regret sleeping in and missing out on all that greatness that comes from a workout." And now I have turned this into the mantra I say when I wake up - "I WILL NEVER REGRET A WORKOUT!" Think about it... have you ever regretted working out? probably not. Have you regretted sleeping in and missing a workout? Working late and missing a workout? Being lazy and watching TV instead of a workout? YES, of course! The same goes for eating clean... Really I have never thought to myself "Really wish I hadn't eaten so well this week", yet we pretty much always regret eating cake and ice cream in the end, right? It may taste good, but when the pounds start piling on from too many bad foods or even when we feel low-energy after eating something like that it's not a good feeling. So, join me in living regret free and healthy!!! Next time you're tempted to sleep in and miss your workout or you're debating whether or not you should have that chocolate bar, think about living your life regret-free!

YAY, I'm gonna record my weight and measurements today as my starting point and I will keep you posted on how I'm doing! Lemme know how you are doing on your healthy journeys! No option but health!!!!

POSITIVITY BREEDS POSITIVITY - PART 1

2011-05-02T12:23:00.000-04:00

If you know me, you know I believe strongly in the power of positive thinking for all aspects of your life! I believe the more positive thoughts you are having about situations, events, and goals, the more positive results you will see! On the flip side, negative thoughts lead to more negative things including negative outcomes (if you keep saying "I'm so fat, I'm so fat" you are telling your brain and the universe that that is what you are so that is what you'll be!) This is a magical theory and applies to every facet of your life, but today I'm gonna be talking about how it can help you pick yourself up out of a rut of bad health, bad eating, and feeling fat and out-of-shape. This is a huge topic and I will try to cover it with some different ideas in a few blog posts here.

I know personally how you can know that you need to be positive about things, but when you're down in the dumps it's sometimes hard to really genuinely put out a positive feeling and really believe you are going to achieve all your goals, right? When people gain weight or stop working out and eating healthy they also often stop doing all the things that go along with feeling beautiful and enriched... shopping for new clothes sucks if you don't fit in anything, I don't need a spray tan - no one's gonna see my unfit body, I'm not gonna take that sexy bellydance class until I lose 10 pounds, etc. You have to think backwards here... Go do all the things that will make you feel beautiful and believe that you can do anything! No matter where you're at in your fitness goals, don't you feel a bit more like superwoman after a great haircut and blow-out? Then the magic happens in your brain... you feel great because of the hairstyle and that leads to other great things like enriching your body with whole healthy foods and working out and believing in yourself! You need to keep that positivity flowing around you and love who you are at that very moment! Loving yourself the way you are doesn't mean you don't want to make improvements, it just means you love every stage you go through and you learn from the different stages! Perhaps you want more muscle, less fat, more energy, whatever it is - know that you WILL reach your goal with work, positive thoughts, and persistence! Every little step in the right direction is bringing you closer to your goal... and it's always better to be moving closer and closer rather than staying where you're at or going the other direction. Celebrate progress with these ideas:

- Go for a spa day and get beautiful, or do one yourself at home alone or with a bunch of friends (mani/pedi, masks, scrubs, etc.)
- Shave/wax those legs! Why not?
- get a new haircut, dye your hair a different colour, or just get a blow-out!
- Get a spray tan or apply some self-tanner Everyone looks better with a little colour (my faves are Clarins and Biotherm self-tanners on the high end (around $50) or L'oreal Sublime Bronze Tinted Self-Tanner Gel for a little less ($17)
- Buy a new rockin' outfit or piece of clothing! So many people who want to lose weight don't want to buy clothes until they lose the weight so they continue on negatively in old clothes they don't feel excited by forever - it's an endless cycle - you feel yucky so you don't take the steps to feel great. You need to make yourself feel great first and the rest of the good stuff with follow! So, buy a kick-ass pair of jeans that fit you NOW! Don't worry - it's a pretty fun golden worry when you have to go shopping again soon for smaller-sized clothing!

- Try bellydancing! It is all about loving your body and showing off those curves and also helps you feel more of a connect to your femininity! If you're in Toronto area check out my classes www.mayada.ca
- Make a habit of not going out of the house without looking your best! Putting make-up, doing your hair, wearing awesome outfits, or whatever makes you feel great about yourself! This was one of my new year's resolutions - I ask myself "would I love to bump into someone I hadn't seen for ages or have my picture taken looking like this?" before leaving! The answer needs to be YES!
- Get a workout in first-thing in the morning (even if it's mini!) I find it really sets the tone for the whole day and makes you feel unstoppable!

Try these tips, and let me know how it helps you on your journey. Also, post any other ideasyou have here!

Coming soon:
POSITIVITY BREEDS POSITIVITY PART 2!

Friday, April 29, 2011

2011-04-29T15:56:00.001-04:00

Lots to update on... I have been waffling about what fitness competitions to do and didn't really have my heart in my prep for all these various spring comps I was thinking about, plus I had a whole lot of dance and studio events conflicting with competitons I wanted to do. But now I feel it with all that I am - my next competition will be the Toronto Pro Supershow - http://www.torontoprosupershow.com/ on June 17 & 18!!!

Today I am exactly 7 weeks out - which is sooooo close! I like this amount of weeks to prep... it's not so far off that you lose sight (yes, I always procrastinate), yet it's not a few weeks away where you feel like you have to take desperate/drastic measures to lean out! I'm quite far from where I want to be for this competition at this point (about 20 pounds!) but I feel as long as I am consistent with my clean eating I can lose 3 pounds/week which will end up being 21 pounds! I have been totally great with my eating for 2 weeks straight now (except for a little Easter mess-up day). Time and time again it shocks and amazes me what is possible if you just eat right! So I'm in the honeymoon stage with the clean eats right now, and what a great place that is to be (it will get tougher I'm sure as I get closer and closer to my goal). But I am determined to bring my very best package to the stage in June. I don't want to wonder "what if?" or "I could have done better" this time!

My workouts have been great as well, although I just LOVE working out so much that I never really struggle with this component - the eating is where I need to focus! Stay tuned!

Mon. March 7, 2011

2011-03-07T22:12:00.000-05:00

hi!
haven't posted for a while because I've been super-busy, but truthfully, also because I've been a little all over the place mentally about prepping for the UFE competition I was planning on starting my competition season with on April 9... My eating has been all over the place, workouts are always solid with me because that is the part I LOVE! So, this weekend was do, or die time. It was time to decide (for realz) if I was gonna do this competition, or not! I've been so wishy-washy about whether I wanna do things like this or not lately and think that's why I'm failing at eating clean consistently (letting myself have a choice you know?) I work really well with a short scary deadline of a big goal like a competition... so I have decided to go crazy for the next 5 weeks and just dig deep and do it! On the other hand... I have done a few competitions in the past where I was not pleased with the way my physique looked (not enough prep, etc.) and I'm definitely past the point of just wanting to do a competition as a personal goal and who cares how I compare (not that I'm comparing myself to the other competitors - it's more against my best which I feel was in June/July 2009 - I wanna beat that!) So I am committing to training as hard as I possibly can for the April 9th date and we'll see what I can pull off in just 5 weeks! If I'm not totally competition-ready, I want to at least be very close so I feel great about doing the next competition that may come along! I have a crazy goal of losing 5 pounds a week for 5 weeks to get me close to my good competition weight. I would be happy with 4/week though! I need to just focus on clean eating (that's my issue!) I have been wicked-awesome with workouts and eating for the past 3 days which is big and I find it much easier as you gain momentum, so it should be fun!!!! I'll keep you all posted and of course make some new vlogs about it all soooon!

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

2011-02-09T17:09:00.000-05:00

So, I had planned on posting a whole lot more after starting my own personal 12-week body transformation on Jan. 22, but life has been hectic... mainly studio stuff and getting ready for our upcoming studio showcase and moving from our downtown condo to a house out in the burbs! I have been a little on and off, until this week - this week is all ON!!!!! And I am determined to stay consistent, eat clean, and make time for workouts now!

Yesterday I got back to the YMCA - heavy weight workout for legs (feeling it today!) and some cardio. I have decided to get into the Y at least twice a week (hopefully 3 times most weeks). Today I did my very first workout at home... yep, I'm working on an awesome little home gym in our basement (got a bike, a bench, a ball, some weights, and a pull-up bar so far, more stuff coming soon like TRX, kettlebells, etc.) So, today while Zak napped I got down there and did a hardcore 20 minutes on the bike then some back and biceps. It was awesome! I did learn something from my workouts yesterday and today. I used to just go into the gym and make up my workout as I went, but lately I had been working out with my condo gym friends and didn't really have to think much about what I was going to do. So I think to get the most out of my workouts now I will plan exactly what I'm gonna do for each day rather than just play it by ear. This will make me get everything I need to get in in and hold me more accountable as I'm working out all alone now. Expect lots of new vlogs from my home gym soooooon!

Mon. Jan. 24, 2011

2011-01-24T10:53:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was busy and excellent! Friday we started to slowly move some boxes into our new house and cleaned a lot. Saturday I was at the studio all day and night - teaching, rehearsing, working out with my students, starting my 12-week body transformation program off (always exciting and inspiring to me!), plus we had a vision board-making get-together at the end of the day which is a great idea for everyone! Get a big board and a bunch of magazines and cut out inspiring pics or sayings, and images of things you want more of in your life, paste them all on the board and post it somewhere you see everyday! I made one in 2009 and almost all my visions came true that year! I have not totally finished mine, but have a goal of finishing it up this week! There is a lot of info on vision boards and what they do for you online if you google it! Watched the Fighter Saturday night and that was super inspiring too! Sunday we painted our new living room and moved more, then at night I had my past 12-weekers pro photo shoot at the studio - those are always fun!
We plan to keep moving boxes, painting, and cleaning this week, then do the big furniture/final move Sunday. People told me it would be such a challenge to start my own personal 12-week transformation in time for my fitness competitions in April through the move, but this weekend I did great through it all and I think it's because I made my mind up to do good. It's easy to fall off the wagon at any point in time if you don't thoroughly commit to eating clean and working out. If you are in it to win it 100%, you won't let yourself. I made sure I packed lots of clean meals and snacks for not only me, but my whole family while we were working on the house and moving and we all stayed healthy and content. I actually find eating clean easier when you're busy and your mind doesn't have time to daydream about bad foods you wish you could eat - you just eat what you've packed and get back onto your work! I lost my usual 4 pounds of bloat over the weekend and now plan to start losing 3 pounds a week until April when I will be at my goal weight!

my hubby starting to paint our new place!

vision board making!

Friday, Jan. 21, 2011

2011-01-21T05:56:00.000-05:00

I've come up with a great new (very personal) challenge for myself! As most of you know I am training to compete at a fitness competition in April, but now I've decided to challenge myself further with this on my way to the competition!

At my studio, FIERCE Fitness, I teach fun, but totally gruelling and sweaty workout classes made up of plyometrics, agility training, HITT intervals, weights, and more as well as bellydance classes which can be a workout of their own. I teach 11 group classes/week. I also tend to workout on my own in the early morning just because I love gyms (I know, I'm weird) and I like to start my day that way to set the tone for the rest of it. I also run a 12-week body transformation program at my studio. Students and 12-weekers often tell me they enjoy my honesty about how much work it can take to look a certain way and whenever I have a really bad cheat I'll always come clean with it (my students know all to well about my weakness for butter tarts - lol) - I'm definitely not one of those people who say they eat anything they want and hardly workout and they magically look like a fitness model. When I eat too many butter tarts (or holidays treats recently), you can tell! Often people will say " you look fit, but you workout sooooo much - I don't have time for that"... True, I do workout a lot - but it's not usually so much to lose weight or gain more muscle - it's mainly becasue I LOVE WORKING OUT!!! It's a hobby to me as well as my job, it is my life passion! You really only need to do so much with working out to burn fat, get muscle tone, and rev your metabolism. I know all too well that once you go past a point it can actually become detrimental to your progress!

I am going to be super-busy (aren't we all?) over the next few months with moving, the student showcase, my 12-weekers who I always put my whole heart and soul into, the last issue of MID-BITS Magazine, and many other exciting goals I have set for myself, plus with moving to a house I won't have my super-convenient condo-gym for the morning workouts anymore.

SOOOOOO... My new challenge is to really do the 12-week program with my 12-weekers this time - eat what they eat, do all the same workouts, before/mid-point/after pics and measurements, the whole nine yards! I won't be working out all the time in the morning on my own anymore, I will just be teaching my classes and doing the super-efficient workouts that all my awesome students do, and that's it! When you see me getting super-fit this winter and spring, you'll know it is do-able and if you put your mind to it you can do the same thing! What great promo for my studio, my classes, and my 12-week program! Of course I will keep you posted on the whole exciting process here. Can't wait to get started tomorrow - woo-hoo!

Jan. 6, 2011

2011-01-06T09:31:00.000-05:00

OK, I hadn't posted in the new year yet because I was still ironing out all my many new year's resolutions! I believe in setting new goals all the time throughout the year and working towards them, but there's nothing like a new year to encourage all that good stuff! I try to look at things in a positive way no matter what, but looking back at 2010 - I did go through a few sets of difficulties (ie: it wasn't a banner year for me!)... I think I have learned many lessons and am ready to tackle 2011 with all my might and make it my best year yet!

So, here are a few of my resolutions/goals for 2011:

FITNESS:
- Workout hardcore (weights, cardio, intervals, craziness) on my own 5 days/week!
- Compete competitively at UFE Competition April 9, as well as a competition in the fall
- Once I reach my goal weight of 138 lbs (by April 9), maintain it year-round by eating clean consistently with just one or two cheat meals/week
- Be featured in a fitness magazine as a model by 2012
- Write more fitness articles & get published again

DANCE
- Practise my own bellydance technique/choreographies at least 3 hours/week
- Learn new styles of dance that I've been interested in forever
- Develop my dance troupes further and put on a big show in the spring
- Compete in a bellydance competiiton

STUDIO:
- Build more of a hardcore gym area at the studio with more equipment and stuff
- Pick up the phone/Call people back
- Work more on actually advertising and marketing my studio
- Teach at least one workshop/month at my studio or elsewhere

FINANCE:
- Act more like a responsible adult with money, rather than a ruthless teenager (ugh!)
- Stop eating out so much (addicted to Starbucks!)
- Start using my savings bank account again (need to determine how much I will promise myself to save every month)
- Plan the week's meals & do groceries once weekly (not every second day!)

APPEARANCE:
- Do my hair & make-up every morning after workout & shower
- Think more about what I wear (cuter workout wear since that's what I live in!)
- Wear only Victoria's Secret major push-up bras at all times! (ha ha)
- Wash, scrub, tone, moisturize, use all the anti-aging/purifying/rejuvenating skin products I have sitting in my cabinet that I never use every night before bed (I can be soooo lazy about this!)
- no more chipped nail polish!

HOME:
- Clean all dishes before going to sleep
- Pre-make all meals for the day for everyone the night before or in the early a.m
- Aim for minimalistic home (LESS CLUTTER!)

RELATIONSHIPS/ETC:
- Go to the library with Zak weekly
- Read a book/week (I have have fallen off the wagon with reading ever since having ZAk and feel disgusted about that. There are so many books I wanna read... mostly personal growth, fitness, and business related!)
- Take Zak to a fun outing at least once during the week (as well as weekend family fun)

- Date night with hubby twice/month
- Be nicer to people close to me (you know how we can often fall into too-comfortable-mode and treat strangers nicer than our closest of close? That sucks!)
- Be more organized with everything I do!
- LISTEN!

Oh boy, I think there are even more, but I won't bore you all here with them. I'm glad they're out there now and I feel accountable! I will be having a vision board-making get-together at the studio on Jan. 22 - everyone is invited to come make vision boards with all our dreams and goals for 2011 on them - they are great visual reminders of what you're striving towards. Check out the event calendar on http://www.fiercefit.ca for deets! Until then, share your goals and dreams for 2011 with me here! Here we go!

Dec. 15, 2010

2010-12-15T08:32:00.000-05:00

Last week was really great - I lost 4 pounds... but haven't lost anything else since! I know I just have to take my own advice that I always give my students - be patient and keep being clean, but it's sooooo hard! I have eaten totally clean for 2 weeks now (except for one cheat meal for each week) and I don't feel there has been enough change compared to other times I've shaped up. I keep thinking I should maybe get even stricter (like less peanut butter, cheese, honey, etc.), but when I do that I tend to fall off the wagon more frequently with bigger badder cheats. I will keep going like this and see if it will pay off in the end (I'm sure it will!) I have upper my workouts lately (as I was feeling a little slack throughout the time I had that bad cough) and yesterday I think I did the hardest workout in my life!!! Me and my gym pals did a Crossfit inspired 50-rep workout and I can barely move anything today! It feels good. Because of this I am taking today as a rest day.

Here's the workout if any of you guys wanna try it out:

50 of each:
- box jump
- jump pull-ups
- kettlebell swings
- walking lunges
- hanging knees-to-elbows
- medicine ball throw with squat
- skipping (double unders)
- burpees
- sit-ups
- back extensions

try it - you'll like it

Dec. 8, 2010

2010-12-08T09:16:00.000-05:00

So, I had a goal to lose 5 pounds this past week as it was my first week of really cleaning up my eating for the whole week and weekend (not just the week, then go crazy all weekend which is what I've been doing lately)... I ended up losing 4 pounds which is close enough for me to be happy. I really feel terrific for doing this and already notice my body tightening up a bit more because of my consistent clean eating for just a week and a bit now! I have marked what goal weight I want to be each week on my calendar to keep me on point to reach my various goals. I also write down everything I eat, input it into fitday.com, then record my calories, carbs, fat, protein grams & percents, plus what workout(s) I do on each day on my calendar. Speaking of workouts... I have been missing my early morning workouts a lot lately because my schedule has been different and I've been up later lately as we look for a house. But, I have been teaching lots of workout classes and actually trying to push myself to take part through the whole workout and not just watch my students when I get tired. It has been an eye-opener for me to feel how very sore I make people (ha ha - evil laugh!) - let me tell you after Pure Sweat on Monday and my noon-time workout class yesterday, this morning I could barely get outta bed! I'm so sore and in so many great places like my butt and my abs! yay! I always walk to work and all over pushing my son in a stroller, but lately I've been trying to push myself to walk faster so it's a real workout for me!

Dec. 1, 2010

2010-12-01T08:04:00.000-05:00

Been really healthy this week so far - yay! I have made the commitment to have a bare belly in every bellydance class I teach from now on... many reasons... main one being it forces me to stay clean with the eating as I don't want to expose my belly if it's all fat. Right now it is a little chubby, but the fact that I'll stay accountable and make a change to it every week is what is keeping it bare and helping me through this uncomfortable phase! Also, of course when teaching belly rolls, pops, etc. it's much easier to demonstrate things when students can actually see what your belly is doing! So, I came out last night and told all my students that's how it would be from now on to keep me strict with my healthy eating!

November 29, 2010

2010-11-29T09:29:00.002-05:00

When people get busy and stressed out, clean eating often goes out the door. I am almost always busy and/or stressed, so I thought I'd share one of my secrets for eating clean on the run! Eating clean takes lots of prep and planning, right? Well, usually yes, but if you're in a bind and you haven't packed your whole day of healthy meals and snacks, it can be as quick and easy as popping into Starbucks and getting a bunch of good stuff! People generally don't think Starbucks could possibly be the answer - they're thinking about all the creamy fatty drinks, muffins, and my weakness- butter tarts (they are awesome there!)... but if you look past that, you'll find pretty good choices for meals at Starbucks! Almost every Saturday (my very busiest day) I rely on them for my meals... let me break it down for y'all...

8am - Reduced-Fat Turkey Bacon with Egg Whites on English Muffin & Green Tea

Calories 320, Fat 7g, Carbs 43g, Protein 18g

11am - Strawberry & Blueberry Yogurt Parfait
Calories 300, Fat 3.5g, Carbs 60g, Protein 7g

2pm - Egg White, Spinach & Feta Wrap
Calories 280, Fat 10g, Carbs 33g, Protein 18g

5pm - Chicken on Flatbread with Hummus Artisan Snack Plate
Calories 250, Fat 9g, Carbs 27g, Protein 17g

TOTAL 1110 calories, Fat 29.5g, Carbs 159g, Protein 55g

I would normally try to have a good dinner of mostly veggies and protein at home around 8pm after a day like this so I could boost my protein up and keep the fat and carbs lower. There are many other healthy options at Starbucks - these are just my faves! Check out http://www.starbucks.com and click on menu at the top for more nutritional info on their stuff! So, no excuses! Don't choose the donut and creamy coffee concoction - go for the egg white/spinach. feta wrap with a refresh tea instead! NO EXCUSES!

Nov. 24, 2010

2010-11-24T08:28:00.000-05:00

Hello!

I haven't posted for a while here! I've been really busy trying to find a house, working hard, and spending time with my son. I am re-committing to consistently eating clean (no slacking on the weekends) and hardcore workouts! I have a cold right now so I am taking some rest time today, but still eating totally clean to try to replenish my body with the best fuel! Tomorrow I hope to be back 100% to the gym! I have decided I will be competing in April at UFE, so I will be focusing on that NOW! Talk soon!

Sept. 25, 2010

2010-09-25T06:38:00.000-04:00

OK, so I have been pretty easygoing with the workouts this week... only one early morning all week, so today (Saturday) I decided I'll be back onto the crazy early morning workouts again! Got up early and did a good 45 minutes of hard cardio this morning while I did my laundry and read the new FLEX magazine. Now I'm on the computer checkinh out all the Olympia coverage on bodybuilding.com - awesome, they have tons of videos of the whole event. Last night was the big ladies night - fitness, figure, bikini and female bodybuilding so it's all the totally inspiring stuff cause I definitely want to be competing there next September!!! What a way to start my day - so many awesome bodies - WOW! Got my eye on the prize and nothing is gonna stop me! I've also got some short term goals like trying to look in decent shape for the a few big dance shows I have coming up (one I heard I'll have to be wearing a samba costume in - oy!) Here we go!!!!!

September 23, 2010

2010-09-23T15:32:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been a while since I posted here! My whole summer has been very busy, I've kept up with my wicked-fun workouts,but have been very off-and-on with the clean eating. I was trying to learn to be a more regular person, not a competitor always training for a competition. It was hard!!! Although I have now decided on some fitness competition goals for 2011, I have made a commitment to myself to do it in a more long-term, healthy way this time. My first competition will be UFE's Spring Bash on April 9, so I have about 6 months till then to lose about 20 pounds which I think is a good goal for me! I really want to stick around my competition look (within 5 - 7 pounds) year-round. I am giving up competing in the figure category all together and will only be competing in Fitness Model and Bikini categories so it's not such a big ripped look and will be more maintainable for me! Most of all I really want to look fit year-round for my life in general! Really dissapointed that I'm not at Olympia this weekend and I have made a commitment to be competing there next year!!! I promise to post more regularly here to keep you all posted on how it's going for me!

Thurs. August 26, 2010

2010-08-26T11:21:00.000-04:00

Hey!!!!!

It's been a while since I posted here! A lot has happened and I wanna update you all first... SOOOOO, I have decided to take some time off from competing in fitness and figure competitions. I was prepping for one in June and it just was not feeling right. I think I've screwed up my metabolism and mind a bit from doing too many in too short a time as well as not maintaining my weight throughout... I tend to lose quick for a competition, then gain it all back right after. This is definitely not a healthy practise I know, so I have decided to take at least 6 months off from competing and work towards a more healthy and balanced lifestyle. So far it has been ok, but I feel I let myself off the hook a whole lot when I don't have a scary deadline like a competition looming, so I have put on a bit of chub. I am now working at losing that chub slowly and consistently by exercising (though not 3 times a day anymore) and eating right (my biggest challenge)! I have come to the realization that I really just need to take my own advice that I give clients/students who want to make lasting changes to their body and life! Summer has been awesome and I've been filling my life with other things to fill the void that competing left... playing with my son more, planning my dance and fitness classes, performing with my dance troupes, writing articles, working on a new site for my studio, and more! I plan to keep you all posted on how my journey goes. Someone said something wise to me when I said I'm trying to be LESS goal oriented in terms of competing (like not having a date for an upcoming competition so I don't have a bad type of pressure), and he said you just need to have a longer-term goal - like competing in a year and start working slowly towards it now (not a month before the competition how I tend to!) I will keep this in mind as I set goals for myself and really stop procrastinating! You too?

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

2010-07-20T10:16:00.001-04:00

So, my eating has been clean and my workouts have been hardcore for the past two weeks which I'm proud of... BUT... I'm experiencing something very new and irritating - very very slow results :< Usually as soon as I start eating right and cut the junk I see huge fat loss results right away, but this time I'm just not getting the rewards I want for all this hard work. I only have three weeks until my competition and I'm so far from my goal for it. Maybe this is the universe giving me a few hard lessons 1) don't procrastinate! 2) don't let yourself get so far out of competition shape ever - eat clean year round! 3) be more understanding that lots can be going on with people's bodies and not everyone loses weight the same way even if they're doing everything right, and 4) it's not always playing the blame game when you try to figure out other factors (other than diet) that could effect fat loss.

So, I'm trying to stay positive through this difficult time and realize I'm learning and growing through this process! I have tightened up my diet even more this week by cutting carbs further and adding a bit more cardio. I'm trying to think that if I don't make my ultimat goal for Aug. 7, I want to know that I did EVERYTHING possible to try to get there - no regrets (other than starting too late I guess)! A little worried that I'm overtraining and undereating and that could be the cause of slow results - hmmm.... what can I do at this point though? I'm not gonna sit around doing nothing and eating more! I am trying to take naps so I get some rest that way! I'll keep you posted!

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

2010-07-06T08:06:00.000-04:00

OK, this week's vlog is up:

and if you've watched that already, this might bore you a bit...

sooooooo, last week was a bit of a write-off (other than a learning experience for me I guess). Yes, my eating was all over the place... some days would be full of junk, others were totally clean - it really was a mess! Then around Thursday I started feeling a bit unwell... my tummy hurt (and instead of taking a cue from this and eating well, I convinced myself I NEEDED carby carbs to settle my stomach) and I was feeling really exhausted especially in the morning when I usually hop outta bed for a good workout. I think it turns into a vicious cycle when you get off your regular healthy routine and start feeling yucky and then wind up not feeling like doing healthy things. I also was very busy over the log weekend with dance performances at festivals, classes, rehearsals, reno work at the studio, plus a bit of hanging out with friends and family. I managed to dehydrate myself pretty bad due to long hours of work over the weekend... I was going 8 or 9 hours without food and little water (which is VERY unlike me!) and I knew something was very wrong when on Sunday afternoon I started feeling dizzy and shaky! I started cramming all sorts of fruits and glasses of water down my mouth and was feeling better, still a little nauseous, but much better after that!

So my weight has not changed - I'm at 157 pounds still, but I have made a promise to myself that I WILL get to 155 by this Saturday no matter what!!! I got up early today and did a killer lower body workout wit da boyz in the gym and followed it up with 30 minutes of cardio. Will run to the studio tonight to teach my classes.

Feeling so much better today!!!

June 29, 2010

2010-06-29T07:42:00.001-04:00

One of my body transformation programs just ended (a few ladies from the business upstairs from my studio were doing a private 12-week program together, then at the end of that three of them continued on with me for an additional 8 weeks to get further to their ultimate goals.) I LOVE to witness the change people go through not just physically, but in all aspects of their life, when they do a program like this. Yes, tons of pounds and inches were lost (one superstar lost over 40 lbs!)but more importantly, I hope my programs show participants that they have the power to change anything in their lives if they really put their mind to it! I am always super-stoked by all my student's progress - it makes me get all goose-bumpy when I feel like I'm helping people make real positive changes in their lives and of course it also keeps me totally motivated seeing them all working so hard towards their goals and dreams - LOVE IT!!! If you wanna make changes like I've talked about here and work towards your dream body this summer, I have a new 12-week body transformation program starting next Saturday, June 10 - check out www.flowfitness.ca for more info! Or check out my 4-week free online transformation site with forum at http://www.mayada.ca/4-weektransformation/online_4_week_body_transformation%20main.htm

I just made a new vlog! In it I discuss a bit about my weekend, the power of positive thinking, as well as give an at-home upper body workout for you all to try!

My weekend in brief: Niagara Falls was great - so glad we weren't here for all the G20 stuff! I did stray a tiny bit from my clean eats, but nowhere near as bad as I usually would be on a weekend at the Falls or even a typical weekend here! There were no sugar binges or pizza or anything too crazy... I did have a burger at T.G.I.Fridays - yum! And I tried those Dippin Dots for the first time too! I feel a bit bloaty and gross now after that day, but it wasn't too severe! I do feel like I'm finding a lot more balance in my eating (not being way to severe and strict and not eating pure garbage) so that's exciting to me as I'm usually such an all-or-nothing type of gal!

here's a pic that made me happy:

This pic was from Friday (Brasil-Portugal soccer game)... And it is an action shot of me dancing samba... I was a little worried about seeing the dancing pics as even when you're pretty fit you can look rolly and fat in movement shots where you aren't pulling up, everything is all loose and jiggly, and crazy twisting motions in samba make it really bad sometimes... but none of them were terrible, and I can even see a bit of ab definition in this one (I know there is still a little belly, but seeing improvement for sure!)

YAY!

Talk soon!

Thursday, June 24, 2010

2010-06-24T08:32:00.000-04:00

I was very good diet-wise and workout-wise yesterday probably a lot of my success was because I was very busy and stayed home working all day. Of course being in surrounded by healthy food is easier usually than being out in the real world with all sorts of tempting stuff everywhere. I actually didn't even get all my meals in yesterday cause I was so busy trying to get lots of work done on the computer! Plus I got 2 workouts in! My food stats for yesterday were 1098 calories - 29g fat (24%), 140g carbs (50%), 70g protein (26%). So, the calories and protein were a little low, but still ok!

This morning I knew my condo gym would be closed again so I got up early and was all ready to run and workout outside again, but when I got down, it was pouring! I thought about going out anyways or doing a stair workout, but instead came back up and got a lot of computer work done instead! I will hopefully be able to run to the studio and do a workout there before teaching my noon-time boot camp class.

Tomorrow I'm gonna be in a little samba bikini for the Brazil soccer game so that's my short-term goal to stay on track this week, plus this weekend we're going away to Niagara and I wanna rock my bikini at a waterpark while there! I find I really need to have weekly small goals like this to keep me going! My goal for next week is to start teaching all classes with a midriff-baring top (starting Monday) - this is really motivating to stay on track daily! As well as being great diet-wise, I think I'm gonna need a Mystic Tan too - lol!

Check out my latest vlog including a at-home workout you can do:

Monday, June 21, 2010

2010-06-21T10:16:00.002-04:00

So it's the first official day of my free 4-week challenge! I just finished taping a little vlog for day one where I discuss my workouts planned for the day, a quick breakfast idea, and how I use tea to curb sweet/treat cravings throughout the day. Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcAJfasaOqk I'm so excited that a few of you are already on here with your starting point pics, and I expect a few more within the next few days. You can all tell your friends and family to do it with you (they can start anytime really, as long as we're all serious and committed to making a real difference and achieving all our goals!

So, today I will probably go shopping with my mom before my PURE SWEAT class at the studio... this is always a challenge for me... I find malls and being out with people really makes me wanna eat every bad food out there. It's day one of my new life so I'm sure I'll be fine, but I will be packing my tuna and chicken breasts to make sure I stay on track! I have decided to take the guess-work out and eat the same thing every day this week at the same time... here's what I'll be eating every day this week without fail:

egg whites & oatmeal

tuna with cucumber

broccoli & cottage cheese

chicken breast & rice cake with peanut butter

egg whites

I find this keeps me super-clean and I never talk myself into eating something I kinda shouldn't. There's no question about what you're eating next with this type of plan! And I'm going to try to get my whole day of meals prepped in the morning so it's just waiting there in the fridge for me! Try it out if you want!

4 WEEKS UNTIL IDFA COMPETITION!!! I need to lose 5 pounds per week for 4 weeks!!!

June 4, 2010

2010-06-04T08:36:00.004-04:00

So, I'm back in training for my next competition (IDFA on July 17). I feel totally inspired and excited about bettering my body a lot from the last competition. I definitely wasn't in my best shape for May 15th, but I still wanted to get back in there and compete just to get back into competing as well as motivate me to do way better next time which it totally did! I have been experimenting a lot this week with various workouts and am planning a new plan of action in the gym that I will start this Monday. I have decided to stop weights (except for my problem areas like my butt and hamstrings) and do crazy intense workouts of plyometrics, intervals, lots of bodyweight stuff, etc. Only problem now with that is I have a bit of a shoulder injury so a lot of that stuff is out - guess I will be focussing alot on lower body stuff for the next few days (and hopefully it gets better quick!) Thanks for helping me win the Status Magazine fitness model online competition last month - that was incredible - woo-hoo! Now, vote for me in the FLEX Magazine Bikini Model Search online until June 15 at http://www.flexonline.com/flexmodelsearch/vote/ - I am in the middle of the page (Meagan H.), click on circle by my name, then scroll down to bottom of page and click vote! Thanks guys! I have so much more to write about, but I will save it for when I have a bit more time on my hands! Talk soon!

Check out my VLOG of of May 15th competition:

May 5, 2010

2010-05-05T11:58:00.003-04:00

10 days from my next competition - IDFA's Novice Classic!!! I can't believe it! I was unsure of whether I should compete or not (even up until this past weekend) as I feel so far off from my real goal, but I think I need to get in there and just do it so I'm back in the world of fitness competitions again and I can just keep progressing with each show this spring/summer! I plan on doing one each month for the next little while and there will be improvements with each! SO the next 10 days will be ultra-intense with lots of cardio, weights, and of course a tight diet! I'll keep you posted on how it's going as I go!

April 16, 2010

2010-04-16T09:10:00.002-04:00

I'm in the midst of a very very busy time, but thought I'd take a moment out to update my blog here! So, if you keep up with my new video blogs (check out the latest one at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Beoq7i-GVxg ), you know I'm prepping for IDFA's Novice Classic where I will be competing in the Fitness Model category instead of my usual (Figure)- it's almost 4 weeks away - wow! But, this and next week is full of prep for a non-fitness-related event that's coming up next week, and that is the International Bellydance Conference Canada! For non-bellydancers who are reading my blog - it's a huge bellydance event held for four days here in T.O. every two years that brings in bellydance stars from around the globe to teach workshops and perform, plus there are lectures, panel discussions, and so much more. I am deeply involved - I'll be performing a solo on Wednesday, two of my troupes are performing on various days, I'm speaking on a panel about bellydance and body image, my bellydance magazine has a table in the vendor's area, and of course I'm gonna try to take in as many workshops, lectures, and shows as I can! So, there's a lot of sewing, choreographing, practising, and getting promo material for MID-BITS Magazine (plus the actual new issue) together right now! Since I have very limited time in the day to really work on stuff cause I have a 1 1/2 year old running around and jumping off the couch, etc. I have decided some workouts may have to be sacrificed for some of the IBCC prep this week. It hurt a bit (cause I love to workout and don't feel right when I miss a morning workout), but this morning I got up at 4:30am and instead of happily heading out to workout, I stayed in and got down to choreographing my solo dance for Wednesday! I'm trying to look at it in this way... I know my body responds most strongly to eating totally clean (and working out is a small part of my fat-loss usually), so if I miss a few cardio sessions here or there over the next few days it will just make me stay even cleaner with the diet. I have been really great this week eating only lean protein (egg whites, chicken, protein shakes), a few veggies, and small amounts of fat (to make up for the oh-so-low carbs). I am 1 pound away from my big goal for tomorrow - so I know I will make it!!! Something else that's really been helping me stay on track with the diet is promising all my students that I'm back to sporting belly-baring tops for classes from now on (no excuses!) If I have to have my belly out there for everyone to see and me to see for hours in the mirror at the studio - if it looks great I feel proud of all my hard work and if it doesn't look so hot, it keeps me from eating bad when I get home at night. It also keeps me from eating bad stuff all day as I don't want a big bloated-looking belly in class! Plus this way I see my progress from week to week and hopefully my students can see what's possible if you clean up your diet and workout! Anyways, I'd better be getting back to choreographing or sewing or something now! Talk soon!

2010-03-16T13:04:00.002-04:00

This past week or so has been so killer hardcore (which is great!!!) I've kept my eats clean, my workouts insane, and have been really proud of my efforts. Only problem is that I'm not seeing my progress visibly too quickly this time. Usually as soon as I clean up my diet I drop fat instantly... but not this time! I know I've been on-and-off a bit since January, but I'm so used to it being a little easier than it is this time... I don't know what's wrong, but I'm trying to take my own advice that I give my students about not worrying so much about what the scale says and judging more from how you look in the mirror each day or week. I also tell people that sometimes you reach a sticking point and you need to just be all the more stringent in your diet and keep on trucking and then all of a sudden big changes will happen if your patient! So, I'll be staying strong in my competition prep and waiting for some terrific results to show up soon I hope! I also just started Crossfit (aiming for 2 times/week) to mix up my training a bit, shock my body, as well as learning a whole new work-out mode! It's awesome and I love the feeling of being a beginner at something rather than the expert or teacher. That always humbles me, makes me work harder, and helps me better understand beginner students who come to me! So, my first competition of the season is in less than 4 weeks - UFE Spring Bash, too soon - getting a little worried about reaching my goal weight/look for that show, but staying positive as that's the only way to be! I'm also very excited to have made the decision to compete in IDFA's Novice Classic after that on May 15. I'll be competing in the Fitness Model Division and plan to be at my very best by then!

2010-03-11T11:43:00.002-05:00

I'm taking a cue from my usual Wednesday mornings (I teach a 7am workout class at the studio, so I decide to be even crazier and get up at 4am so I can run or walk to College & Dovercourt to squeeze in a weight workout at the YMCA before I teach). I figure if I can do this every morning or at least maybe 3 or 4 a week, I can fit in even more workout time before my family wakes up. I usually go down for when my condo gym opens (5am), but I have a new plan for the next month (as I have to go to extreme measures to get ready in time for UFE Competition - April 10)! I got up at 4am this morning to get out and running, sprints, jumping, stairs, etc. outside until the gym opens at 5, then I do my normal weight workout, plus 40 - 60 minutes cardio in gym. And my plan is to get more cardio later in the day as well by either going back to the gym when Zak naps or running to/from studio on nights I teach (like tonight). I realize I will totally be over training, but I have to lose at least 20 pounds within about 4 weeks (5 lbs/week - eek!) now so whatever does it does it! Mainly I realize it will be my consistent clean eating , but I'm ready to do whatever I can to speed the process! Priorities have been elsewhere for the past few months, but I'm taking this time to re-focus on fitness! Once I've done this competition, I plan to have a competition each month so I don't yo-yo and just stay strong at anice fit feminine 130 pounds (which is totally realistic and not an unreasonable ideal I don't think). That's what I like about my switch from Figure to Bikini or Fitness Model category... it's a more natural shape that you can totally maintain year-round if you're fit and eat right. Insanity for a month, then just maintenance!

2010-03-09T13:00:00.002-05:00

Oh my! It has been FOREVER since I last posted here! I have been really swamped lately with dance stuff! But one big dance project has just come to an end, and even though I do have another on the go to take it's place(as usual), I feel I will have to make a bit more time for fitness-related stuff as it's a huge priority to me! I have been keeping up with the hardcore workouts, but lately have been falling off the clean eating wagon every few days and I think it has a lot to do with stress and being too busy to really visualize and daydream about my fitness goals and dreams! I was planning on competing March 27 for Fitness Star, but it's too late now to get my body the way I want it to be for that, so I will prep just for UFE April 10th. Still a real stretch, but I feel I can do it as long as I stay totally strict and strong for this month leading up to it (and I think I need that stress to make me make these changes)! Then I plan on doing a comp on May 22, IDFA in July, Neutron in August, then the big finale of the Flex Bikini Model Search at Olympia in Vegas in September (if I can talk my husband into another trip!) I am very excited about bettering my body and presentation with each competition and photo shoot I do this spring/summer!

I plan on doing my early morning muscle and cardio workouts as well as an additional cardio later in the day, and I want to add crossfit once or twice a week to mix things up! The most important element will be my eating. This month will be lots of lean protein and very minimal carbs if I want to lose at least 5 pounds/week. Then I will alter things to incorporate more carbs once at my goal. I think having so many competitions (1 per month) will help me stay focused on my healthy eating and not yo-yo so much. I'll definitely keep you posted!

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

2010-01-06T08:54:00.003-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I started my new life/competition training this Monday and feel AWESOME so far!!! I ended up ordering a workout and nutrition plan from the totally awesome Mike Davies - http://www.mikedaviesfitness.com (who trains all my fave fitness stars). His plans are totally whipping my butt already, and I feel a lot more accountable knowing I have to send him progress pics each month. I'm so used to being the person who pushes other people, I felt I really needed someone to do the same to me so I could push myself ahead to the next level! I am totally determined to make 2010 a magical year for me in all aspects of life (especially in fitness). My first competition of the season is almost 11 weeks away and I have a whole lot of fat to lose! One of my fitness goals is to lean out and have a pleasing feminine fit figure (rather than my previous a bit bulkier figure look), so no more figure comps for me, I will be only competing in fitness model and bikini divisions from now on. I'm also looking forward to trying out different federations like Fitness Star and UFE this spring! SO much more to say, but am finding myself swamped with stuff to do lately and a crazy, running around baby to deal with at the same time, so gotta run for now!

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

2009-12-22T08:33:00.002-05:00

Happy holidays everyone! I haven't done one bit of Christmas shopping yet - aaaahhhh! Man, this sure is the time of year when things get a little crazy for everyone especially diet-wise I find! I recently found myself thinking 'there's just 2 more weeks of holidays, I may as well let myself eat anything I want throughout the holidays and start fresh in January', I realize this is the way most people think about the whole month of December... it's a free-for-all diet-wise and you have the holidays to blame for it. Yes, there are more parties, more chocolate hanging around, more baked goods coming your way, more heavy family dinners, more hectic days of shopping which can = mall food... but then I really thought about what would be happening over the next 2 weeks... there are 2 days when I might like to forget total healthy eating and have a few drinks, mashed potatoes, cake, etc. - Christmas Day at my mom's and New Year's Eve. That's just one cheat meal per week which is my norm even when being really clean leading up to a competition. So, why would I allow myself to be bad for the whole two weeks? I guess we trick ourselves into thinking it's the holidays that make you break your clean eating, when really we're just searching for a reason to let loose! So, I had a bit of a rocky weekend, but yesterday I started back on strong. I think that's another important tip to eating right and losing or maintaining weight, is to never give up or lose faith in yourself. I mess up so frequently by eating sweets, etc. but I always believe I can pick up and continue on anew the next day (or even better, the next hour!) Once people screw up too big or too many times, they often lose faith in themselves to eat right and live a healthy lifestyle and they do the worst thing and give up... resign to a life of abusing your body and not seeing and feeling your full potential. Remember, "if you believe it, you can achieve it!" - keep the faith and everything will work out in good time. And think about your day today... is there really a good reason to eat goodies all day today just because we're coming close to Christmas? Probably not! So grab some halthy eats that will really fuel you for all your holiday busy-ness and make you feel great!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

2009-12-08T14:18:00.005-05:00

Back from my vacation to Punta Cana! It was awesome and a totally new (and challenging) experience going on vacation with a baby! So, back to real life now which I don't mean in a bad way (the way many people do after a vacay)- I am so excited to get back to work! I was inspired in many ways over the past week away and have come back to T.O. with even more ideas of things I wanna do (business-wise, artistically, competitions, and life stuff!) So, there will be lots of new, fresh things going on around the studio in the new year!

Right now one of my personal projects is staying sugar free always (and I started seriously today)! I've told a few people my plan and they've told me the holidays are a bad time to start... I actually had this thought too, but changed my mind. The way I'm looking at it is:

1) I believe that there's no time like the present to make a change in your life for the better (you don't need to wait until a Monday, a new month, or the new year to start bettering yourself)- do it now - don't waste another minute! So, I'm taking my own advice here!

2) There will always be something... right now it's Christmas, soon it will be New Year's Eve, then Easter, then someone's birthday, then... you get the picture! I hope I can learn to enjoy holidays and social events without food being my main focus... it sounds easy, but is quite hard usually and this phenomenon really kinda irks me. Of course food will always be an integral part of social gatherings, but I don't feel it should take precedence over connecting with family and friends, laughing, dancing, having fun! Just because I'm not stuffing my face with gingerbread and shortbread cookies (which, yes, I usually do around this time of year!) it doesn't mean I'm not having fun and celebrating Christmas. People wouldn't pressure a recovering coke addict to just have one snort for the holidays (I hope)- so don't hand me a cookie (ha ha)!

3) I'm a specialist in getting super-fit in a hurry for events or competitions, but often have trouble staying that way year-round (mainly because of my love of/addiction to sweets) so I'm really looking at cutting refined sugar and carbs as a new lifestyle not a diet or a temporary situation. I'm actually taking it even further and thinking I have an addiction to sweets and refined carbs so I need to stay off them (just like an alcoholic or a smoker). I have found that whenever I cut them out of my diet (like when I'm dieting for competitions) that I feel awesome and have great energy and pep, I drop weight effortlessly, and as soon as they're out of my system I don't physically crave them anymore so I think the trick for me is to never eat them and then things won't spiral into a big week-long sweet/carb splurge as they can with me sometimes!

There are a few books written on this topic - I actually bought one to read while away (called Sugar Shock), but only got a chance to get about 4 pages into the book because I was running after Zak the whole time so there wasn't much relaxing on the beach reading this time! I have no idea how this sugar-free-for-life idea will work out, but I'm having very positive thoughts about it and feel super-determined! I will be blogging often here about how my little experiment is going so check back often for updates!

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

2009-11-24T12:48:00.002-05:00

Well, I have been a little off-and-on lately... I eat really great and clean one day, then totally go crazy with sweets and carbs the next. But it's all stopping now. It's amazing to me how huge an effect food can have on not only your body and health, but also your moods! So, today I have vowed to be healthy from now on seriously! Why feel gross all the time when you can feel awesome and on-top-of-the-world just by eating healthy foods. My workouts have been frequent (pretty much every day) but not quite as intense as usual. I'm trying not to do weights until January when I have an exact plan on how to decrease my lower body muscle and make the tweaks necessary for a totally symmetrical competition body! But, I find it really hard to stay away from the heavy metal in the gym. Cardio can be so boring when that's all you're doing. So, I'm trying to keep myself interested by doing plyometrics, intervals and other brain-intensive sweat sessions lately! I leave for my vacation in Dominican Republic this Sunday which is totally exciting (it's been a long time since I had a stress-free resort vacation) Woo-hoo!

Monday, November 9, 2009

2009-11-09T09:56:00.002-05:00

So, my last competition of 2009 was this past weekend. I competed in both Fitness Model and Open Figure categories at IDFA's Canadian Classic. It was a totally awesome experience with quite large and impressive groups of ladies competing! I definitely didn't take enough time to prep for this competition and I knew going in that I wasn't really lean anough (I actually almost pulled out of the Figure category at the last minute because of this, but didn't and was glad I didn't). I was really happy to see such large groups as that always means there's more of a variety of types of bodies so it's not like I'd be the only one without razor-sharp muscles and six-pack abs. I was definitely relying heavily on the 5 inch heels and a super dark tan to bring my physique up a bit! So, when I got my spray tan the night before I got 3 coats instead of my usual 2, and I felt dark enough this time which was awesome! I had decided not to wear my figure bikini for the Fitness Model round and had spent the 2 days before the competition buying, and altering a bikini I had found at a shop on Yonge St. I was a little worried about it and had to totally pin and tape myself into it all to make it secure and look ok, but in the end I really loved the look of it and I got so many comments on that bikini! It was good to have very different looks for the two very different categories. The Fitness Model category was new for IDFA (they usually just have Figure and Bodybuilding), so no one really knew what to expect in terms of what exactly they were looking for in bikinis, poses, and physiques. It seemed they picked quite a similar look to Figure in the end which I think some people may have been a little surprised by as why have the 2 separate categories if there's no difference? I don't know... I felt really off and like I had back-tracked in my progress from my competitions in June and July (which didn't feel good). But my mom snapped some photos of me and even videotaped my little walk in Fitness Model in the daytime prelims. So, in between shows I looked at those and I felt quite a bit better! My body wasn't exactly how I'd like it to look for competition, but it also wasn't as bad as I had thought! I think I should aim for about 10 pounds lighter for my next competitions. Just a bit less chub on my lower body. Today I was looking at pics from the Neutron competition in October and the pics from this competition (which was 3 weeks later) and I see a big difference between them (I did lean out a bit) so that's cool! I really should be competing at the end of November so I could get the right look as I'm so close, but I feel a little overtrained and dieted out at this point, so I'm going to relax and start training smart in January for all the competitions I plan to do in June and July!!! I'm working on formulating my plan to make my body more symmetrical since a lot of the feedback I get is about my lower body overpowering my upper body. I don't particularly want to increase my muscles in my upper body (other thana bit more back/V-taper), so I think I will try to decrease the muscles in my quads and abs (I want a waist!) and then of course, the main thing will be leaning out enough that the fat leaves my problem areas (lower abs and legs). Not being totally ready for these past 2 competitions really has inspired and motivated me to be extra ready and looking my very best at the next ones I compete in! I ate some bad stuff this weekend and felt totally ill from it all. After my pizza and sweets after the competition on Saturday, I had a really dizzy/drugged-feeling day yesterday that was not very pleasant. So, today I started my day right with cottage cheese! I'm not saying I'm gonna be totally clean all week, but I'm also not going to cheat all week as I thought I would allow myself to do after these comps and going so hardcore for the past 2 weeks. Why would I (or anyone else) ever want to feel so bloated, low energy and gross? To keep me on track, I also have my vacation to Dominican Republic at the end of November where I'll be living in a bikini so that should be good! Talk soon!

Monday, November 2, 2009

2009-11-02T08:04:00.002-05:00

Well, it's now the week of my next competition (it's this Saturday!) I'm feeling a little behind (as usual), but I'm just going to come in the best I can with a few days of insanity right now! I talked two more of my students into training with me to compete with me this Saturday and that's really been fun! I'm not the type who needs someone to motivate me to get to the gym and workout and I usually workout on my own, but since training intensely with them as well as my husband recently, I see doing it with someone can really help me exercise more intensely and push my body to new levels! When I go to the gym on my own, I often read a magazine while doing 45-minutes to an hour of steady cardio or do some weights, but lately, with my gym-pals, I've been doing hardcore weights, crazy intervals on the treadmill, and outdoor runs with stair work, etc. It's awesome! My legs aren't leaning out the way they were in June/July (I think I just need more time) and I really am wondering if I should do another competition this season after this Saturday just so I could really look the way I want to look for a competition this season... there's one Nov. 14th, as well as the 21st, but they're both out of towm... Toronto really needs more competitions! Hardly any are held here, things are all in Hamilton, London, Ottawa, etc. I know they're not far, but you have to be there for registration and drug-testing the day before too, so it makes it a little more inconvenient and expensive (especially when Zak, my baby, is involved!) I'm leaning to no, but we'll see how I feel after the IDFA competition! I'm going to be wearing different bikinis for Figure and Fitness Model categories, so today I'm going to go on the hunt for my Fitness Model bikini!

Thursday, October 22, 2009

2009-10-21T20:35:00.004-04:00

Just got a second e-mail from the promoters of the competition that went crazy last Saturday. I feel a bit more resolved because this e-mail had some meat (it wasn't just apologies with no real answers). So, they will be putting whatever results they can up (as of pre-judging) and competitors can choose to either be reimbursed their entry fees or to finish up with the evening show at an upcoming neutron competition in June and get the full results then. That will be a little crazy, but I'm going for that option! At least then I'm locked into competing for sure in June! I ordered my photos from the pro photographer from Saturday today too so those will be fun to see! I had a few cheat meals right after Saturdays competition and I'm starting to really feel that my body absolutely HATES junk now! This is awesome as it means I've really upped my healthiness! I felt absolutely ill after eating pizza and potatoe wedges Saturday night and was in a gross haze Monday morning after all my bad stuff throughout the weekend (and still feel a little bloated from it all!) So, I just need to remember how bad my old favourite foods made me feel so I don't think I should eat them! I'm getting so excited about my upcoming IDFA competition where I'll be competing in both Figure and Fitness Model divisions - yay!

Monday, October 19, 2009

2009-10-19T08:51:00.003-04:00

Well, what an experience that competition was!!! All was normal through Friday at registration and drug-testing, then we drove out back out to Oshawa early Saturday morning to be at the historic Regent Theatre in time for the Athlete's Meeting before pre-judging. When we got there, everyone was working hard to clean the theatre up and get some heat on in the big theatre. The theatre had been closed for some time and wasn't in working condition exactly yet I guess. We hung out and finally had a bit of a meeting before being shown to some not very big, lit-up, or warm change areas. Not prime, but we made it work! After a bit of a delay the daytime pre-judging show started! There were a few categories before my first bikini/physique round so I took my time changing into my bikini (it was freezing!) My first round was Sports Athletic Bikini/Physique. There were four competitors in this category. First we each walk out and do our model T-Walk, then our quarter turns together for comparison. I felt WAY more confident with my walk and posing than I had at my first Neutron show in June as I kinda knew what to expect this time and I hope I slowed down my walk a bit this time (as that was a big point in my judge's report from last time and from my husband!) We changed into our Sports Athletic Sports Wear (mine was a neon pink and yellow 80's aerobics theme that I loved!) Again we did the T-Walk and quarter turns in these costumes. Then a quick change back into bikinis for Fitness Model category. There were six competitors in this category. The other part of the Fitness Model category (aside from bikini/physique) is the evening gown and speech part (the part I was most terrified about), but that happens only in the evening show. Soon after we had changed out of our bikinis and piled on the layers to try to warm up, the show was over. Me and my pal Gina rushed off to eat lunch at her sister's house who conveniently lives in Oshawa! It was awesome of her to have us over to thaw out and eat - we were hungry and cold! Soon we were on our way back to the theatre for the athlete's meeting before the evening show. By now my husband and baby had arrived in Oshawa to watch the evening show. It was past the time the show was supposed to start and we were still waiting in the audience for the athlete's meeting to start, something was wrong! I had taken this time to spend some time with my boys and catch up when all of a sudden there was an official announcement throughout the theatre saying we'd all have to leave the theatre because Neutron hadn't paid! The competition promoter got up on the stage and said "no, the show will go on, we won't be shut down!", etc. I thought it was all a joke at the start - it seemed so surreal! Anyways this went on and on with the promoter talking about how the venue wasn't in the proper shape for a show (no heat, dirty, etc.) but that we should stay and not be intimidated, etc., the mayor of Oshawa spoke about something or other, then the theatre shut off the power in the theatre (no lights or sound) People were still saying stuff, it was all chaos, then the theatre started trying to blast us out with loud heavy metal music (a tactic usually used for more sinister reasons like evacuateing cults, etc.) Finally all the athletes were told to meet in the lobby, once we were all there, we were told to meet at Denny's on the other side of town! We waited there for about an hour before the promoter got there, and once he got there he said dinner was on him and that he would fully reimburse everyone and make it all up to us. Really, I think they should've just finished it all off and given out the awards at Denny's or some other location if he couldn't make an agreement with the theatre. Yes, the theatre was a mess and no heat, etc. But I think the promoter just made it all worse by taking it this far and letting so many people down (competitors, audience, etc.) Maybe he could've settled his issues with the theatre after the evening show (not before). But, it is what it is. I'm happy about the way I competed in the day show, I was relieved I didn't have to do my speech for the evening show, but a little sad that my husband didn't get a chance to see me compete and that we didn't get any results. Luckily I will be competing again soon on November 7 at IDFA in Toronto and I want to bring an even better package... I have 3 weeks to refine what I've got, get tighter, leaner, and better! I can't wait! What a very crazy Saturday night I had - it really was like being in some crazy movie!

Friday, October 16, 2009

2009-10-16T11:15:00.002-04:00

Can't believe tomorrow is my competition!!! I'm in the thick of all the craziness that comes a day before a fitness competition. I was so busy this morning doing my last cardio before the show, putting finishing touches on my bikini and sportswear outfit, practising my speech, and of course getting everything ready for my mom to take care of zak all day today while I'm gone for tanning, registration, and drug-testing in Oshawa. So, that's where I'm heading now... I'm on a go train and thought I should really go over my speech some more in my head, but am putting that off for a bit by posting here instead :) I've been eating pretty much only protein for 2 days now as I was in an emergency situation with my body not quite lean enough for competition. I am feeling a lot tighter already and of course the tan will help in a big way for sure, so I'm sure I'll feel even better once I've got that going for me! Anyways gotta go get on with that speech now, i'll keep you posted on how the big day tomorrow goes - yay, so excited!

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

2009-10-07T07:31:00.005-04:00

Competition prep has been going terrific! My diet has been majorly strict (except for a little mess-up on the weekend). Lots of protein, moderate carbs (mostly from veggies), and a bit of healthy fats. I have cut a lot of my weight workouts out lately to fit in even more hardcore cardio to shed this fat that's left. I feel a little lost when I don't do weights consistently so that sucks (gotta love the iron!), but I'm just trying to keep in my mind that this is only temporary (my competiiton is coming up - only 10 days till the first one!) Speaking of how soon it is, it's terrifying! I'm so far from what I wanted to be for this show, but I have in my mind that I will be competing Oct. 17 no matter what so I will just get to be the best I can in the short time I have left (and learn not to leave it till so late next time). It really just hit me yesterday how close the competition is and how much stuff I have to get done (sportswear costume, speech, all the beauty stuff, practise my quarter turns and walk more, and finishing up my bikini). I'm going to try my bikini on this Friday to see how it's coming so that's my short term goal right now - try to get tighter and closer to what I should be for the competition so the fitting will make sense on Friday. So excited to see how it's coming! I'm going to officially register for both the Oct. 17 and the Nov. 7 competition TODAY. Because even though I have set it in my head that I WILL be competing no matter what in both of these, I feel this will just make it even more serious!

Yesterday I went on a bit of a shopping spree and rewarded myself for all my hard work lately. It was lots of fun... bought Zak some winter gear, bought myself some little jeans (yay!), and finally bought some (also tiny) bras (boo!) That's one of the very first places my fat leaves when I start losing weight unfortunately. I got officially measured yesterday at the bra store and found I was the smallest size the store sells! I couldn't get over that and refused to buy that size - ha ha!

We finally booked our winter getaway for November 29th!!! I cannot wait! We'll be going back to the same amazing resort we went to last time in the Dominican Rebublic (Gran Bahia Principe). We used to go away every year without fail, but because of being pregnant, then having a new baby we missed 2 years in a row now! So we really feel due for a great restful fun vacay! It will be interesting to see how it goes with Zak along with us this time. It's also terrific timing as my last competition is November 7 (or maybe 14th if I decide to do UFE at the last minute), then, of course I'm going to want to have a rockin' bikini bod for our trip so it will keep me on track! And while away I plan to stay healthy (of course I'll indulge in a bit of fun foods and drinks while away), but I don't want it to end up like a full-out binge-fest at the all-you-can-eat buffets which is easy when you're at these places! I just have to remember how bad bad foods make me feel! I realized this a lot this past weekend when I had a butter tart after eating totally clean all week... I felt disgusting and sick afterwards. I think my body was like 'what is this foreign unhealthy thing?'

I'm trying not to dwell on this, but I got a cold yesterday and am feeling so nasty today! But it's not keeping me from my workouts or clean eating! Nothing's gonna stop me. I'm thinking that I'm sweating all the impurities out of me! And I'll try to get some more sleep than I usually to to re-coup! Plus positive thinking!

HEY... If you didn't know yet, I was chosen to be a Transformation of the Week on the awesome bodybuilding.com! Check it out at http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/female-transformation-meagan-hesham.htm I'll also soon have a writer page up there! Very exciting to see as well as so exciting to get so much feedback from people who've seen it!

Thursday, October 1, 2009

2009-10-01T12:45:00.003-04:00

Can't believe it's already October!!! Just 16 days until my first competiiton! Totally not feeling ready yet, but I'm just keeping the positivity flowing and staying clean with my diet and hardcore with my workouts! I think my diet has been a little bit too high carb (good carbs), but I need to get more extreme to get the quick results I need. Yesterday there was a little too much honey and peanut butter at the end of the day, but other than that it's been going pretty good! My weight hasn't gone down too much since the last time I wrote. I have 15 pounds to lose in 16 day at this point (almost a pound a day) seems crazy, but big goals are good for me! I do tend to work better under stress and time limits (wish I wasn't like that!) I've been working like crazy on writing more and more fitness articles so I can get them published all over and really make a name for myself in fitness. I have been so inspired to write a lot lately, but haven't had too much time as my baby is all over the place all day and I have to run after him rather than sitting at a computer! I just finished an article about eating clean on the run and not making excuses for not eating healthy and I have about six more ideas for articles that will just flow right out of me if I had a few hours to sit here at the computer. Maybe I'd better keep this post short so I can try to get onto that while Zak sleeps a bit more! Bye for now!

Friday, September 25, 2009

2009-09-25T08:57:00.002-04:00

Well, my week is going great! I have lost 3 pounds so far through my clean eating and crazy workouts. So, I'm at 23 days to lose 17 more pounds before my first competition of the season. Went on Wednesday to get fitted for my new bikini which is exciting! As I wrote last post, I've decided not to do Figure at my first show (Oct. 17th) cause I don't think I'll be hard enough at that point for Figure. I was planning on just competing in Sports Athletic Model, but then I found the perfect evening gown for the Fitness Model Division at the Neutron show... I didn't do Fitness Model last time because you have to give a minute-long speech on your personal fitness philosophy and that freaked me out. So many of my friends and students like to point out that I talk on and on to them and in class every day and so it should be easy to give a little 60 second speech, but when it comes to formal speaking (and into a mic, and being judged on it) that freaks me out. But since I loved the gown so much, I'm going to feel the fear and do it anyways! I'd better start working on the speech now so I can feel a bit more comfortable about it!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

2009-09-23T10:08:00.003-04:00

So, I'm very behind to be ready for my first competition of the season which is Oct. 17th. Some people think I'm crazy to think I'll be doing it even though I have about 19 pounds to lose in 24 days. But I will be doing it no matter what! I may not be able to do figure (which is sad!) as I may not be cut enough by my first comp. for figure, but will definitely do sports athletic model division! I am on a strict diet and am doing 2 grueling cardio sessions a day, plus heavy weight training! I feel great all ready being on track! I believe I can do it, so I will! I know that if I say I won't do this competition and I'll just start with a later one in November or something, I'll just put off the diet more and why do that? I'm going to get my new bikini made today which will inspire me further! Talk soon!

Thursday, September 10, 2009

2009-09-10T08:18:00.002-04:00

Change of plans... I'm not going to do the bikini competition at the end of September, but I plan to do 3 competitions through October and November now! Why the change? Well, let's not kid anyone - one main reason is I didn't pull my diet together soon enough to be ready so soon! I enjoyed eating fun things all summer long (which wasn't my plan)... I just couldn't seem to get the eating under control and I gained 15 pounds right after my last competition because of it. Now, I had planned on putting about 8 - 10 pounds back on - I didn't want to stay at my competition weight through real life - I wanted a bit more butt, boobs, and cheeks back, but I didn't plan for quite this much. A lot of people are ready with excuses for me like "well, when you go so low carb and deprive yourself for so long, of course it will come piling back on as soon as you touch normal food" and such, but if you had seen how I ate for a month straight, you'd see why I gained so much. I believe you have to be real with yourself (and hopefully with others too!) I'm not proud of it, but I ate SOOOOOOOOO much, and SOOOOOOOOO much bad stuff at that! It's very simple to me, you eat lots of bad stuff, you put on fat, you eat lots of good-for-you stuff, you get lean and feel awesome. I do think I really needed the bad to totally appreciate the good! At this point I'm sick and tired of feeling gross from eating too much sugar and white carbs every day, I'm really ready for my pre-competition clean diet - I crave it! So, I'm a little late (almost 5 weeks out from my first competition), but I'm ready to go 110% now. If I had started earlier I might not have felt that way and I think you really need to feel it in your heart to have great results. I don't like doing anything in life half-heartedly! The other reasons for backing out of the idea of doing the bikini competiiton are that I really want to BRING IT for Figure in October and November and I thought September might throw me off for the later competitions, also, I just don't get the new bikini division and don't really see myself in that way... I LOVE a nice muscular body and I'm not quite sure I'd fit in with the bikini babes! We'll see where it goes as it is a new division and no one really knows what their looking for yet!

This morning I did a good Back and Bicep weight workout and will run to and from the studio tonight (which will equal about an hour of running). I don't usually use any supplements other than multivitamins sometimes, but today I started trying out CLA as I've heard so much good stuff from friends about it. So far, it just made me feel a bit sick to my stomach when I took it before breakfast :< I'll keep you posted on what I find it does for me as I go! I'm starting to think about my figure routine for the Neutron show on Oct. 17, as well as my new bikini (which I think will be green with lots of bling of course!), and my Sports Athletic Model themewear for Neutron as I plan on competing in both Figure and Sports Athletic Model again in that competition!

I'm off to train someone from my 12-week program soon, so I'll be signing off now! I will post again tomorrow hopefully!

2009-08-04T13:18:00.002-04:00

Hi there!
Haven't posted for a while, eh? I have been all over the place diet and training-wise over the past three weeks (post competition). I know this is fairly normal for most competitors after having been so strict leading up to the show, but I personally do not want to go down this route again! It just doesn't give you a feeling of health... and isn't health and fitness what fitness competitions should be about? I'm a very extreme person as it is and i would hate to think I'd have to stop competing because it totally played right into my personality flaw of extreme, often very unbalanced thinking (i either love you or hate you, i'm either totally into something, or totally not, or i'm either really superhealthy or binging on sweets!) Anyways, so I've now picked myself up out of my Haagen Dasz and nachos and have gotten back on track at the gym and running outside! I knew I wanted to compete at the end of October with Neutron and UFE, and those are only 11 and 12 weeks off, but i decided i wanted to compete sooner as well on Sept. 26 with CBBF to keep me on the straight and narrow! I'm going to try out the new Bikini division (which I'm still a little unsure of), but I'm not as big as most of the Figure girls and I don't want to be any bigger personally so it's hard to decide what to compete in now... I think I'm too muscular for Bikini, yet too small for Figure... hmmmm.... gosh, by the end of this year I'll have competed in every division except Bodybuilding and I'll have tried most of the associations who put on competitions here in Canada - it will make for a great article soon. Anyways, back to the balance issue (which I also want to write and article on), my goal is to live a balanced healthy life that I will be proud for my son to grow up and learn from, stay within 8 pounds of my competition weight year-round, and just look and feel great inside and out (my goal is to look like a fit bikini babe always - not just when I'm doing a competition)! I'll keep you posted on how it's all going!

Friday, July 17, 2009

2009-07-17T16:20:00.003-04:00

Well, I haven't posted since my last competition (last Saturday) - so let me now update you all on how that went! I competed in Open Figure at IDFA's Toronto Classic on July 11. It was awesome to do a competition in Toronto so all my friends and family could be there for it and my studio peeps definitely made an awesome cheering squad!!! I had originally planned to compete in the Novice Figure division with Gina & Camille (my 2 friends I was training for this with), but I got a second placing in Figure at the Neutron show 2 weeks before, so at the last minute I had to enter Open Figure instead of Novice. This was scary to me as I didn't feel I had enough muscle to compete in IDFA as it was, never mind in Open! It was a small group, but gosh, did these women have muscle!!! I was shocked to hear my name called out in the top five and was so excited and thoroughly excited to take home the fifth place medal that night. The day and night was really long and our division was last in the show! We were only out there a few minutes to do our quarter turns after waiting nervously backstage for about 4 hours each show! By the time I got out on stage I was a wreck and I felt like everyone could see me shaking through my poses (people told me they couldn't so that was good). I was so nervous about my trembling that I may have screwed up a bit on my quarter turns! It was hard to only have those few minutes to impress the judges. At the Neutron show I competed in two different categories, it was a smaller show, and there were so many different opportunities to come on stage and strut your stuff (quarter turns, T-walks, routines, posing, etc.) that you ended up a bit more relaxed there, but having everything count on a few minutes of quarter turns at IDFA was harrowing!!! It was an awesome experience and placing 2nd in Neutron and 5th in IDFA just spurs me on to want to place higher in October when I compete again! I'm waiting to see the judge's reports to see what I need to improve on, checking out the pictures, dreaming up my next bikini (I'm thinking blue or green with tons of crystals!) and now, after a week of eating bad and taking a bit of a break from the gym, I'm ready to get back at it all!

This Sunday I start my studio's newest, most exciting endeavor, flow's 12-week body transformation program! I am so ready to throw all my heart and soul into helping ten people change their lives forever! We are gonna be one sexy studio by October! Maybe a few of them will want to compete with me once they're done the 12-week transformation! This program will also spur me back onto the healthy path so I don't put all the weight I took off back on by continuing to eat Haagen Dasz and Big Macs (which have been my staples this week after competition)! I can't wait!

Other exciting news is one of my articles on starting your own competition training crew was published in Dubai's Physique Magazine this month! Check it out at http://www.mayada.ca/meagfitness/starting%20your%20own%20competition%20training%20crew.htm

Monday, July 6, 2009

2009-07-06T11:05:00.003-04:00

Just 5 more days until my big IDFA Figure competition!!! And I'm SOOOOOO excited! I just got my stage shots from the Neutron show (taken by pro photographer, Dave Robinet) just in time to learn from them for this next competition... what have I learnt from seeing them?

- I hated my hair - must figure something different out to do with it for this Saturday... maybe straight this time?

- My quarter turn to the back still needs work... need to pop those shoulders up more (and evenly), get rid of my shoulder blade wings, and make sure all of my hair is pulled off my back to really showcase those back muscles I've been working so hard on!

- I think my face was a little dark, so am trying to get a great make-up artist to do my face this time (I can't be trusted!)

It was also great to just see me up there and realize I don't look as bad as I imagined myself! My husband told me I looked great up there alongside all the other fit girls, but I thought he was just being nice. I still see lots of areas to work on, but I have a little more confidence after seeing myself up there and (mostly) liking what I see!!!

I was down in the gym twice this morning already (cardio and legs/butt/calves). I will run to the studio later to get together with my fitness girls and practise our walking and posing for this Saturday! YAY!!!

Friday, July 3, 2009

2009-07-03T16:53:00.002-04:00

My prep for my competition next Saturday is going well, plus I have a fun beach photo shoot this coming Wednesday with my fitness girls, Camille and Gina and our favourite photographer, Samira! Just found some adorable new bikinis at H & M for that.

Today I thought I'd post about something that is really irritating me lately... and that is people saying they feel sorry for me cause I'm not eating junk lately and saying they can't wait till I can eat again, etc. So, I was trying to explain to some of my students last night that there's no need to feel sorry for me... I'm having a totally awesome time creating the body of my dreams! Yes, it means I miss out on some goodies along the way, but what your life is is all about what your priorities are. Right now, my main priorities in life have to do with my baby, my career, and my fitness. Some people's priorities in life right now might be enjoying yummy food and drinks while socializing with friends or trying the newest restaurants with their significant other and that's fine (I've been there too - how do you think I gained so much excess weight during my pregnancy?), I'm not judging these people and saying "gee, I feel sorry for you - too bad you can't take off that last ten pounds!" right? that would be awfully mean! And so I just want to get it out there that no one has to feel sorry for me, I am feeling better than I've ever felt in my life, better than I'd feel eating a big old cupcake every few days. Plus, if you know me well, you know I do indulge in a cheat meal (or day) at least every week - it keeps me sane! As for the comment of "I can't wait till you can eat again" - First of all, I do eat... I eat a lot... 5 - 6 meals a day of nutrient-rich veggies and power-packed proteins, I never find myself hungry, and I usually have lots of energy from this type of healthy eating, I know what people are referring to really is when will I be with them indulging in all those yummy fatty foods like nachos, burgers, beer, and sweets? This lifestyle I've started with clean eating and hardcore work-outs isn't going to just go away after my last competition of the season next week... at least I hope it won't! I didn't just put all these months of effort into developing such a healthy regimen just to throw it out the window because I've gotten through some competitions. Life isn't about competitions, to me it's about feeling terrific in your own skin, feeling confident about your body, and living a healthy lifestyle (especially now that I have a child who will be watching my eating habits and learning!) So, next time you see me eating my cottage cheese and brocoli, don't feel bad for me, know that it's all worth it to me to feel great and live my dreams! And if you really wanna see me down some nachos and beer - come out with us after the competition this Saturday (ha ha)!!!

YAY!

2009-06-30T10:55:00.002-04:00

Woo-hoo! I'm back from Ottawa from my first competition. It was an awesome experience and I ended up (much to my surprise) placing second in both categories I competed in (sports athletic model and figure) I am working on a whole article about my experience this past weekend so I won't blab on too much here yet. But, I did learn a few things from this weekend... one of the big things was that I really need to work on my walking and posing (and knowing what different shows expect you to do, as they're all a little different) I had been practising my walk and my quarter turns in one way and then they were different for this association! Plus, I always think my big problem is going to be my actual body, but I think my main weakness at this show wasn't my body, but more about my posing and walking! That's something that can be fixed easily by practise! I took it easy and ate really sinfully for the past 2 days and now I feel totally ready to go back at it strong to get ready for my next competition on July 11th (less than 2 weeks away!)

Monday, June 22, 2009 - ONLY 5 DAYS TO GO UNTIL COMPETITION!!!

2009-06-22T06:35:00.002-04:00

YES, 5 days until my first competition!!! I had some major diet blunders at the end of last week due to going a little too low carb and ending up maniacally binging on any white carb I could get my hands on late at night two days in a row! So, Saturday I added a real whole grain carb in my mid-day meal (instead of just limited vegetables as carbs all day) and yesterday I was at my mom's for brunch so I allowed myself a slice of quiche with all it's carb-o-licious crust (but that was as bad as I went all weekend) and it really showed on the scale this morning - I had lost 2 pounds (after having no change whatsoever on the scale all week!) So, because of all my diet mishaps Thursday and Friday and my carb-bloated belly Saturday as a result of those bad days I was feeling a little depressed thinking 'how will I ever be ready for this show in less than a week?' which was a new feeling for me as up to that point I had been SO excited and didn't even worry very seriously about looking bad and embarrassing up on the fitness stage. But this morning I feel like a new woman ready to compete on Saturday!!! Soooo, this week I am cutting all salt out of my diet, upping my cardio time and intensity (even more if that's possible!), changing up my weight routine a bit to be even more sweaty circuit training style than it already is, working on my figure poses and routine, putting the final touches on my bikini and costumes, and... the fun part... getting beautiful!!! I've got beauty appointments booked all week (finally some relaxation payback for all this work) - hair, waxing, mani/pedi, massage, tan, etc. YAY! I've been down for my early morning cardio this morning (think I really need to stop reading fitness magazines while stair climbing or biking and kick the intensity up a notch - god I'm obsessed with fitness mags and have to buy every one as soon as they hit the stands including heavy-duty men's ones like Musclemag and Flex! I tell myself, soon I will be in them!) I'll be working back, biceps, and abs in a bit, plus a little more cardio. Then running to the studio with Zak in the jog stroller, practising posing, routine, etc. with my girls at the studio, and maybe running home (depending on if hubby picks me up at the end of the night, or not). I love Mondays - WOO-HOO!!!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

2009-06-11T12:42:00.002-04:00

OK, so I just officially registered online for the competition I'm doing in two weeks from this Saturday in Ottawa (OMG!) I made the decision to compete in Figure instead of Fitness as well as the Athletic Model category. I was having a lot of difficulty with my fitness routine (cause I'm so not a gymnast) and even though I don't usually like being too realistic, but I was trying to tap into some sort of rational thinking the other day after I worked on my routine and realized I only have 2 weeks left to polish it... The Neutron Figure category requires you to do a figure routine (which is a little less acrobatic and more free than the fitness routine) which means I'll still get to do a routine, but maybe I won't look like a total geek. So today I will be re-working my routine to include less acrobats and more poses. I feel so excited about my new decision - I have renewed energy as I feel I have a shot at this now! In addition to the quarter turns in the physique round of this Figure competition I'm going to have to do 5 mandatory bodybuilding type poses which I know nothing about so I've definitely got my work cut out for me! On the physique front, I have been trying a high protein and way lower carb diet and it has been going really well! I got to 146 pounds this week, with my goal for tomorrow being 145 - so we'll see if I make that! My upper body is responding really well to my strict diet and heavy workouts, but I really need my lower belly and thighs to catch up now!!! I'm thinking positive about it and think I might be seeing a tiny bit of progress in my upper legs now that I'm doing low/almost no carbs - yay!

2nd post for May 28th!!!

2009-05-28T15:23:00.002-04:00

WOW, two posts in one day - I must be feeling good, or maybe need to unload some stuff that's been rattling around in my head for a bit now to make room for new fresh stuff!

What I've been thinking a lot about lately is how I had SO much free time to do whatever I wanted like work-out, work on my fitness routine, work on my business, etc. before having my baby. Now I have Zak, and it is super-awesome but as most of you know or can imagine having a baby is very time-consuming. Many mothers complain that they don't have enough time to work-out on a regular basis and that they'll never get back into shape. Well, I want to be their inspiration and show that it can be done. I have totally looked towards many fitness competitors like Jennifer Nicole Lee, Mindi O'Brien, Fran Dennis, and others for my own inspiration. They have babies and come back strong onto the fitness scene sometimes looking even better than before their baby/ies! When I first started thinking about the less time to yourself idea I thought, 'I really had it made all those years before I had a baby... I had all day to work-out and eat 5 clean meals a day, etc.' And while I did compete in fitness competitions here and there, and was generally fairly fit, I never really took it to the next level in the time I really should have (when I was younger and had time for all of that stuff). But, then I got thinking I feel way more focused and determined now than I ever did back then. Maybe it's because I have less time and energy, I need to really make my gym time count, I really need to get up that extra hour early to squeeze my early-morning cardio in before Zak wakes up, and of course I want to show everyone it can be done with a baby no less!!! Also, I think it's a matter of we sometimes don't realize how precious something is until it's taken away from us or not available all the time (like work-out time). So now when Zak actually cooperates and sleeps for a few hours and I can bring him down to the gym with me and get an awesome work-out in without interruptions it's like gold! I definitely took it for granted before baby! This should be a lesson to people without kids who can totally focus on their training 100% all the time(oh, and I know all the child-less people are going to say, but I have work and relationships, and social life that always seem to take all my time away from the gym - but just remember, I've got that all too as well as the baby), but I know to really understand some things you need to live them sometimes (unfortunately - it's like one of those 'I wish that I knew what I know now when I was younger' moments! I have a lot of those, like I wish I could go back to high school knowing everything I know now - ha ha ha!

Before I had a baby people who had kids would tell me "oh, you can get so fit and work-out so much because you don't have any kids - just wait...", now I have a kid and some of those people see I'm getting into shape and they're saying "ya, but you only have one - wait till you have more!" Throughout my career as a dance instructor, I've also had similar people say "You can do that because you're so young - just wait till you get old like me!" I'm starting to not be so young so I feel like they'll quiet down on that, but there always seems to be something... these people will always find a reason not to achieve their goals and blame is part of the game. They're always more hard off than anyone else. I have vowed not to ever become like this no matter how many babies I have, or how old I get! Will this never end? I guess not, I just have to forget about haters and hope I can inspire others!

OK, end of rant session! Thanks for listening!

Thursday, May 28, 2009

2009-05-28T13:56:00.003-04:00

Today I had lots of great news! First of all I weighted myself this morning and I was just under 150 finally - that was awesome! So now I have 10 pounds to lose this month before my first competition. That's crazy - just a month left until my first competition - getting nervous (mostly about my routine, but also my body) but I'm feeling really positive about it! I hope to lose even more pounds (maybe 5 more) to get ultra-ripped for my second competition on July 11th! I've been trying to focus on my back and glute training more than ever and tons of cardio to blast all the fat leading up to these competitions as I feel these are my weak areas!

I'm so addicted to fitness and bodybuilding podcasts lately... I just listen to them all day around the house to keep me inspired and motivated! AND, I'm planning to air my own anyday podcasts (both for fitness & bellydance) now - I'll keep you posted on that!

I also got the good news this morning that one of my fitness articles is going to be published in Physique Magazine (a bodybuilding magazine from Dubai)! I've been busy writing quite a few new fitness articles and hopefully they'll all be published all over in the next little while!

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

2009-05-19T11:24:00.004-04:00

Had an awesome long weekend full of fun, but also full of fattening un-fitness-y foods!!! I hung out with some friends Friday night, went to an awesome wedding Saturday night, a BBQ on Sunday, and worked on my fitness posing and routine with my girls on Monday, then hung out with family afterwards. I also got to check out the IDFA Novice Classic competition on Saturday! Wow, after seeing all those insanely conditioned physiques I thought I'd be able to stay clean through all my social stuff, but no - too much beer, cake, ice cream, pasta, and bread this weekend, but I did manage to workout every day and eat totally clean throughout the day (just splurging at night). And Monday (yesterday) I was back ON! We even ended up at my fave Greek restaurant and I just had a salad with chicken breast instead of my usual deep fried seafood, bread, potatoes, and rice!!! I think I often use the excuse of the fact that I don't want to be the girly girl who just eats salad and doesn't drink beer, etc. But I'm starting to realize that no one really notices that as long as you don't make a big deal about it, so I don't really think I have to shovel 3 slices of cake into my mouth to be fun!!! I can't believe my first competition is in less than 6 weeks!!! I must must must be super-strict from now on, and just keep envisioning all those crazy amazing muscular backs at the IDFA show this past Saturday - they were AWESOME!!! Bye for now!

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

2009-05-12T13:42:00.003-04:00

OK, so last time I wrote I was all over the place and feeling like I had totally hit a plateau. This week is the polar opposite! I overcame my weight plateau - I'm now at 155 lbs - yay! My goal for the Ms. Fitness COmpetition on June 27th is to be 140, so I have 15 to go in 6 1/2 weeks which is do-able. Then I plan on losing a few more pounds to get super-ripped for the IDFA FIgure competiton 2 weeks later on July 11th! I got so used to losing up to 15 pounds a month at one point when I was at my heaviest and I think it's taking a bit of a mindset adjustment to get used to the fact that it will just get harder and harder the closer I am to a normal healthy weight (when I don't have s SO much excess to lose)! I managed to stay clean with my eating all weekend (which is always hard for me). I just have to keep thinking about my very favourite quote... I don't know whose it is, but it goes "What's more painful in life... discipline, or regret?" SO SO true! I know I'm gonna compete in less than 2 months so I'd better just get as good as I can! I worked on my routine a bit yesterday and it's still a mess, but at least I'm working on it now!!! I've altered my diet to include less carbs and more protein (and definitely less peanut butter and honey - my weaknesses even when eating clean) and I've added an extra early morning cardio at 5am (sneak down to the gym before my 2 guys get up!)so I'm feeling like more results will be on the way!

Monday, May 4, 2009

2009-05-04T12:24:00.002-04:00

This past weekend was a bit of a challenge for me fitness-wise and life-wise in general. I was a bit all over the place for so many different reasons this weekend... Friday we hung out with some friends and had a happy time eating bad foods (nachos and a few sips of beer!) Saturday I was back on the fitness train - eating totally clean, teaching all day, and working out lots, then Sunday started out awesome with a nice sunny 10K run with my good friend, a nice healthy breakfast, long luxurious shower (very infrequent lately with a baby!), then I got all dressed up in some new clothes I bought this week (not my usual sweaty workout gear) for my day off. Me and my hubby were house-hunting. Despite finding an awesome house we both agreed on, the day went a little sour, next thing you know, I'm shovelling all sorts of bad white carbs into my mouth for the rest of the evening (which of course usually makes me feel even worse). I woke up this morning feeling really exhausted and mentally worn out. Slept in a bit and decided not to work out this morning. I got back into my clean eating and I will be meeting up with my fitness girls later at the studio to work on posing and routine stuff. I know that will re-inspire me! Plus, I think I'll run to and from the studio to sneak in an hour of cardio!

Wed. April 29, 2009

2009-04-29T08:09:00.002-04:00

Yesterday my main mid-morning work-out really sucked because Zak wasn't asleep so I got 10 minutes warm-up cardio, and only half of my leg/butt weight workout in (with cardio bursts instead of rests). I was really bummed as I knew I wouldn't have time to get much more of a workout in. But by late last night I felt totally worked-out... how did this happen? Well, I did something I've never really believed in, but I guess now this is the way I should do things! You know how people say every little bit counts - do squats while you're waiting for something to cook, take the stairs instead of the elevator, etc. and it all adds up at the end of the day. I've usually been of the mentality that I need to be sweating it out consistently in the gym for an hour and a half or so to feel I really got a useful workout that will make a difference. With a baby this can sometimes be quite challenging and I find myself going down to the gym 2 or 3 times a day sometimes to get enough of a workout. Yesterday there was no time for a few visits to the gym and I had no option but to try to do little things throughout the day to make up for my shortened workout and it really did work! My body felt more exhausted last night than it does on days when I get to the gym for a full workout! So, after my gym time, I tried to do leg exercises anywhere I was standing - squats with Zak for weight while waiting for the laundry, leg extensions waiting for the elevator, squat jumps anytime, plus I ran with the jog stroller to the studio (30 minutes), taught my 3 classes, then ran home after (25 minutes)! I think even if I get my full workout in I'll just keep doing stuff throughout the day like this to add to my training! You just have to be willing to be a sweaty mess all day!

On another note, I feel I've hit a bit of a weight plateau... I've been hovering around 159/160 lbs for about 2 weeks now and it hasn't budged this week yet. I'm hoping I'll weigh myself today and will have lost 3 pounds magically, but I doubt it! I guess I have to really tighten up my diet a bit more! No more peanut butter or honey (my only clean eating guilty pleasures) and up my cardio!

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

2009-04-28T07:52:00.004-04:00

Some updates first... I ate really super-clean all week and weekend, until Sunday when I decided to have a cheat meal. I wasn't too bad having multigrain nachos with guacamole and salsa, but then I returned to old habits and felt I needed sweets! I had some cake, but that didn't seem to do do it for me, so I had some fudge, that wasn't hitting the spot either, I had a cookie - nope, and I think after all this bad sweet stuff I see I'm not so crazy about sweets anymore (which is crazy if you know me!) My tummy felt sick the rest of the night and all of Monday after eating so badly, but it was worth it because I learned something valuable about myself and I can stop dreaming about sweets as they aren't so good once I allow myself to have them!

Yesterday I finally implemented my early-morning run strategy to get more cardio in. Got up at 4:30am (before my baby) and ran for 45 minutes. It was so easy without pushing the jog stroller, it felt like flying! Then I did my second workout of 30 more minutes of cardio and shoulders with cardio spurts between sets instead of rests. Me and my girls who are doing the competition with me got together at the studio and worked on our quarter turns and posing. We videotaped it to check out what we had to work on. My main problems are my shoulder inbalance and my whole lower body! I feel my upper body is looking muscular and starting to lean out, but everything from the bellybutton down is being really stubborn! Hopefully my special butt and ab blasting weight workouts and my extra cardio will help out with this! I can't believe I only have 2 months until my first competition and I'm this far from my goal! I'm also getting a little concerned about my fitness routine... I haven't worked on it for a while and last night I went over it a bit and I can't do any of the hard moves in it yet - must commit to working a little bit on it every day from now on!

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

2009-04-22T08:22:00.003-04:00

So, my baby has had a cold for the past 3 days and it has been quite challenging to keep up with my usual workouts, as well as adding extra cardio (which was my plan for this week to kick my fat-burning up a notch!), but I think I've been doing pretty good considering the circumstances (crazy crying sad baby that doesn't want to eat or sleep much!) I've gotten about an hour of cardio total each day this week, plus intense weight workouts with cardio blasts instead of rests between sets! I've had to go down to the gym when someone else is here with the baby (usually later in the day) which is weird for me cause lately I've been used to going down with the baby and working out really early. I think I will try to get down to the gym early (4am?) before he gets up once he's through this cold (cuz he's up all night lately)to do my extra cardio. I went to an IDFA Figure workshop this past Saturday and it was really inspiration and useful (especially since I've never competed with this particular association or in the figure category yet) I learned a lot of personal tips on my posing and have been practising what I learned every day since! I've been practising my walking in heels and posing a bit over the past few months, but not enough. You think the prep for a competition is all about working out and getting your appearance ready, but posing is a whole new skill to learn! I have reached my goal for last week (160lbs) yesterday so that was good (better late then never)! I still have about 25 lbs to lose by June 26th!!! That will be hard, but I will do it!