Road to Skinny-Part 2

Soooo, where were we.....  Ah HA!  My first fitness competition.  So I sign up for this camp full of ladies with the same interests as me!  Well, not the wrestling part but working out and healthy lifestyle.  Awesome!  I go there and instantly fall in love with it all!  The girls, the coaches, the atmosphere just everything.  Chatting with girls and seeing the coaches and how the girls got ready to get onstage.  Watching several fitness routines.  I was in!  I get home after the weekend and immediately sign up with the coaching team.  I pick my show.  Ordered my suit and on my way to emptying my bank account.  LOL!  No one lets you know this part.  You are going to spend some serious cash when you compete.  My bikini, a freakin bikini I would never in a million years wear anywhere else, cost my $400.  Yes you read that right.  $400!!  That's a car payment!  But it's ok because I'm going to get skinny, get onstage, impress judges, impress WWE and of course get a job with them.  Duh!  $400 was totally worth it!

So, I get my plan for my show and it turns out it's the same plan every other girl is on.  Workouts are exactly the same for each girl.  Nutrition plans....Yup!  You guessed it!  All the same.  For a split second I thought "Wait.  This can't be right.  How is that 4'11 girl going to eat the same amount of food as me?"  Of course I just shook it off like a little solider and said "Noooo.  These guys are the professionals.  They know better than me."  Also, as a wrestler you just do as you're told.  No questions asked.  If you have to take 16 bodyslams in a row during a practice you just do.  Just like 1200 calories while doing cardio for about 2 hours per day while fitting in weight training you just do.

What else no one tells you is you will work like you never have before for about 3 months.  You will become this crazy little warrior and not think twice about your fasted cardio.  Wake up at 3 am to get to the gym by 4 am for an hour of cardio, go to work, go back to the gym for weights, get back on cardio, food prep, finally make time for a shower then pass out to repeat for 3 months.  This is why competitors get cranky everyone.  They aren't exactly living the life!  LOL!  I was lucky enough to get morning sprints that had to be outside in the Northeast during Sept, Oct and Nov.  Friggin COLD!

So on top of all that sunshine and rainbows I was also wrestling every weekend.  Practice was 2-3 times per week on top of all that.  Unfortunately, that was seen by my competition coach as everyday life and extra food would be considered cheating on my program.  Hello!  Wrestling practice.  Wrestling shows.  That was normal life.  OOOOKKKK.  LOL!  So I definitely got skinny!  I definitely dropped about a good 15-20 lbs.  But I was drained, beat up and struggling at my everyday job that I was still balancing.  It was hard to focus.  You would hear other competitors talking about starting to cry for no reason at all on their low carb days and the coaches say "Yea, that'll happen when we play with your nutrition."  That's normal?  At this point any liquid or food in your body needs to be saved!  LOL!

So finally it comes to show day and I had no freakin clue what I was in for.  Firstly, tanning.  You turn into an Ompa Lumpa.  That orange/brown.  You stop showering about 3 days before the show.  Shave absolutely every part of your body.  Slap on about 5 lbs of make up and another 12  in hairspray.  Up close we look like Ompa Lumpas in drag.  I loved it!  Oh!  And I had a match the night before my first show.  I also was water depleted and had to stop drinking water at 7 pm the night before the fitness competition.  Well, the wrestling show starts at 8 pm and my match was an hour into the match.  AWESOME!  After the match I thought I would going to die!  Lots of ice cubes!

Anyways, day of show I was so happy to step on stage as the pretty skinny tan girl!  I made it!  I followed plan, made my sacrifices and followed through to my goal.  I was so proud and exhausted!  LOL!  That night after the show I did like every other competitor and binged!  I ordered 2 different appetizers, a burger with fries, a beer and dessert.  I also threw up half way through and then went back for more.  My body had no idea what was going on!  And that was just the start!  There was a whole weekend ahead of me.  And that will be my next post : )

To be continued.......  Oh!  And here's some awesome photos  LOL.  My posing was absolute shit in these and I giggle every time I see them LOL!

  

The Road to Skinny-Part 1

Once upon a time I was a bookkeeper.  Yes, I had this happy little desk job and I worked 9-5 and had a little cubicle in an office with no window and strangely resembled the movie Office Space.  At this point I hadn't dieted or watched what I ate.  I drank beer, smoked butts, ate pizza you know, the healthy type of girl. My normal weight to walk around (without exercise) was 138.  138!!!  I wore whatever I wanted and didn't think twice!  Beach in a bikini bahh!  Not even a question.  I owned like 50!

Then one day I decided I wanted to change.  I wanted to get healthy.  I had started hanging out with a group of people who went to the gym and did their idea of healthy eating.  I wanted to give it a go.  I was 21 and started trying to run around the neighborhood.  Funny thing is I grew up in Boston.  Now, in the above paragraph I fessed up and said I was a smoker....in Boston....IT'S F'N COLD!  I literally almost threw up the first time I went running.  I thought I broke my lungs!  So, I took my broken lungs and started at a gym on this crazy elliptical machine.  I didn't even know the name of it!  I knew I had a similar effect of broken lungs but no frost bite to go with it.  Bingo!  Now I'm a cardio bunny!  1 hour on the elliptical?  No problem! Once I quit smoking lol!

Now I'm working out, I'm trying to research in magazines what eating healthy actually is, I'm quitting smoking, going to the gym and then I find pro wrestling.  For the first time in my life I'm actually decent at a sport!  See I danced for about 10 years and sports just weren't my thing.  Give me some ballet shoes and I'll plie like a mofo but throw a ball to me and we're more along the lines of Marsha Brady in that amazing Brady Bunch episode.  

I LOVED WRESTLING!  The training was a little tricky being one of the only girls but I kept going back and working as hard as I could.  I wasn't super strong so I tried learning more about weights from the boys.  The only thing was boys (no offense) like to lift for boy muscles.  i.e. arms, chest, shoulders and back.  You aren't going to get much more than that lol.  But I didn't know anything so I followed and kept up as much as I could.  Just when I thought I was doing well and getting my groove someone used the term SkinnyFat on me.  I didn't quite understand what that meant.  How can I be Skinny and Fat???  Then they were kind enough to elaborate.  "Well it's when you're skinny but jiggly".  Yes, this was said to my face and numerous times.  How the F*&k do I fix skinny fat???  So I went to work and listened to every bit of advice I got.  "You need to eat more to get muscle" "You're already pear-shaped so don't work your legs.  They'll get bigger."  "You need more cardio to tighten up"  "You need to eat less to lean out"  "You should try Atkins.  You get to eat bacon!"  So starts my lovely road to skinny....

At the beginning of wrestling I was known as the little girl.  The one everyone threw around.  Yeaaaa  I'm 5'8.  It's pretty awkward to throw around a girl my size even if she weighs 138 lbs.  After awhile I got better at my craft and was able to actually hold my ground some.  Then I started to get some weight on myself.  Traveling became a big part of my life and I lived on and off in Mexico for a year and a half.  It was amazing!  I loved it!  AND....I was able to get strong and put on some muscle while I was there since my main focus was wrestling and working out.  When I came home I was a different lady and proud of it!  My wrestling style had changed along with my body.  No more skinny fat for this broad!  I was feeling confident until one day when I was going to send in video of what I thought was good work and a fit looking chick and my trainer turned to me and said "Do you see those girls on TV?  Do you seriously think you look like that?"  How do you answer that???  You know he was asking for a reason.  So I never sent the video.  I then decided I would again see where I could get info on how to "eat healthy".  

Through my research I found out about competing.  How amazing was this???  I get to workout, eat healthy, get the look of the girls on TV and I get onstage (where I love to be) and look like a barbie.  And wait!  No one is going to punch me in the face???  BRILLIANT!  I'm all in!  I was lucky enough to meet a young lady who was getting her nails done at the same time as me and she was tan.  Oh I mean tan.  And cranky!  LOL!  My guess right away was she must be a competitor.  Lucky she was and I didn't look like an idiot when I asked her.  LOL.  She gave me info to a woman who was close by and had a smaller team.  I reached out to her and bam!  I was getting ready for my first competition.  

I've added some photos from this time and will be doing Part 2 of my Road to Skinny soon.  Hope you enjoy!!  Love any feedback : )

 

 

Meet Kristen!!

Almost a year ago this amazing lady came into my life as a client at LA Fitness.  We clicked pretty quickly since she's just as "spunky" as me.  Yes, the universe made another person as "spunky" as me!  LOL!  I'm so happy to say now she's a close friend and grateful for the friendship.  In the time we've gone down the journey of Kristen's fitness I've been fortunate enough to see her change and grow into the amazing person she is.  

Recently Jimmy and I put together a team for the Spartan Race here in Tampa FL and Kristen used the Spartan as a goal.  We started training for it in January and Kristen jumped right in!  Needless to say, she killed it!  Below is Kristen's story with some fun photos.  Enjoy!!!

What made you decide to take your first steps on your fitness journey?

            I have always been one of those people who have struggled with her weight, ever since I stopped playing soccer 3 years ago. I’m not really sure what happened, but I think I lost motivation and drive to work out because I had no reason to without soccer. I slowly gained weight, but it was not that much. After I moved to Tampa, I already started noticing weight gain and I did not like my body AT ALL. So the first winter break back home I got a trainer for the month and lost 9lbs. I was very excited and determined to keep my weight loss journey going. However, that is not how it played out. I came back to school and relied too heavily on other people to work out with me that I would only do it if someone came with me. At the same time, I was trying to juggle school and a social life. Looking back on it I don’t know why I made it seem so hard. Anyways, the spring semester after having a trainer did not go well because from then until last year I kept gaining weight until I reached my weight of 191lbs. During this time I became depressed and mad at myself that I could get that big and that unhealthy. I started trying to do lose weight the wrong way, such as, skipping meals. When I realized that wasn’t working I did the opposite and started binge eating. That mixed with barely working out at all landed me where I was before I went to LA fitness and met Nikki. I just couldn’t handle the way I looked anymore. It was hard for me to like myself or even look at myself in the mirror. All I wanted to do was sit in my room and do nothing. After many failed attempts at weight loss and getting tired of feeling down; I decided to join a gym and look into getting a trainer. I knew I needed a trainer to push me and provide me with the knowledge of how to balance working out and eating right to meet my goal. 

What was the most difficult part of the switch?  

            Once I started training with Nikki I had very high hopes that I would drop the weight in about 6 months. Well that was not the case at all and I could not understand why I wasn’t seeing changes after about a month. I thought I was eating the right way and I knew my workouts were good, but there were no results for my hard work. Then it was brought to my attention that I really wasn’t eating as healthy as I should be, so Nikki started me on a nutrition plan that has been the secret to my success. Food was the reason I got as heavy as I did, so I had to retrain myself to eat healthier and have smaller portion sizes. Also, I have such a sweet tooth that I used to eat candy and ice cream whenever I wanted and when I started I was cut off from all of that, so it was definitely an adjustment to change my eating habits.

How did you overcome it?

            It was not easy at first because my body still craved the “crap” food. The only thing that got me through it was the fact that I knew someone was watching exactly what I ate and I had to weigh myself every week. I had to tell myself that I needed to stick to the nutrition plan or else I wasn’t going to lose the weight I wanted to and I would let down my trainer. At the same time, that is why I wanted a trainer because they would hold me responsible for my actions. It makes you think twice about what you eat or whether you should skip a workout or not.

If you could give advice to anyone trying to make the changes in their life like you have what would it be?

            If I could give any sort of advice to people just starting out, it would be to keep your head up. You will go through periods of weight gain and weight loss and you just have to remember that there are different reasons that could be happening. If you are doing the right thing that you have no reason to be down. It is not all about what the scale says, but instead about how YOU feel and how your clothes fit. There is no doubt that the journey will be hard and it takes a lot of will power, but nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it!

 If you could be a superhero who would you be? Why?

            I am actually really bad at answering these types of questions, but if I HAD to pick a superhero I would probably be….superman(or woman, whatever) because he is a powerful being and that is how I want to be on the inside and out. I want to not only look the part of superman, but I want to be able to be confident and proud of my accomplishments.

What goals have you made for the future?

            My ultimate goal is to be happy with my body and do it all in a healthy way. If I had to pick a target goal weight it would be about 140lbs by June of 2014. Also in June I am going to be competing in a tri fitness competition, thanks to Nikki. It includes bench press, box jumps, and shuttle runs that are all timed. I am very excited about this goal! I believe it will give me the end result I want and I will have something to motivate me to get me there.  I also would not mind running another mud race sometime soon, but ultimately I want to be able to continue this lifestyle I’ve been taught and try to teach other friend and family members because I know how rewarding it is to accomplish milestones in your life.

Give us a sample plan of your day.  

            On a typical day I eat six meals. Breakfast is usually oatmeal, ½ a grapefruit, and egg whites. For my first snack I will have P28 bread, peanut butter, and a bell pepper. At lunch I eat 5oz of turkey meat, brown rice, and a small apple. At my second snack I have 2oz of shrimp, rice, squash, marinara sauce, and little bit of olive oil. For dinner I eat a spinach salad with chicken, shredded carrots, and tomatoes with balsamic and olive oil dressing. Lastly, before bed I usually have a meal replacement shake. I recently started using advocare products as well. I did the 24 day challenge and currently I take a pre workout that consists of mass impact and arginine, alone with a catalyst, and a post workout (some days). Since I’m in school and need help with energy I drink spark! It does wonders! When I have a 6am workout I also take Pro20 before the workout instead of eating a full meal. Feel free to check out advocare at www.advocare.com/140148496 : ) I HIGHLY recommend it.

How did you feel running the Spartan Sprint on Feb 15th in Tampa?

            Wow. I did it! I just wasn’t sure what to expect and how I would be at it even though I trained for a month for it. I got more and more nervous the closer the race got. It didn’t help that before the race started I had to “jump” over a mini wall…I thought it was going to be trouble from there, but I am VERY proud at what I accomplished and I did it for ME.

What was the most difficult part?

            The race was not easy by any means, but I think the hardest part for me was climbing over the walls because I am afraid of heights and I can’t jump to save my life. The other part of the race where I wanted to quit was running up and down ALL of the stadium stairs. That got old REAL fast. Oh and of course the burpees were no fun after the first 30. I thought I would be okay with those from doing so many in training, but it was different doing it outside in the heat.

Would you run it again?

            I would most definitely run the race again! I am actually ready to run another race this summer. It was such a major accomplishment and so much fun to be able to say I completed the Spartan Race that I wanted that “high” again.

Any advice you'd give to someone looking to get ready for a race like the Spartan?

                Anyone doing the Spartan Race should definitely do some sort of training for it before just going in “blind.” However, the most important thing is just to have fun and try your best. There is no one judging you, so don’t worry about how you look or anything like that. It is a HUGE accomplishment just to finish the race. I think everyone should try at least one mud race in their life just for the experience. 

BEFORE......

December 2012

AFTER........

.

Kristen is BatGirl

Back At it!

Soooo, I haven't done this in a bit :/  But, now I'm back : )  I've now relocated to Tampa, FL.  I've retired from my former profession as a pro wrestler.  I've attempted to compete this year (and not so happy with that).  This is my main reason for this blog.

Many people in my circle know how much I've battled with weight issues.  I've been relieved of my wrestling duties (one of the many times) because I didn't look "competition ready" as I had previously.  I've yo-yo'd up and down with my weight.  Gotten some amazing body image issues.  My body and mind have gone through a lot.  Allergies I never had before and now incorporated into everyday life.

Now, onto the good stuff lol.  The past couple months I have finally gotten this issue under control.  I'm still working with some of the body image issues but my health is amazing!  My weight is under control and I can't be happier!  This week has really been a turning point and the universe has let me know I'm on the right track.  People have started to see a difference in me and my "leaning out".  What's actually happening is my body is finally mine again.  I've been prepping for the Spartan Race that will be taking place here in Tampa on Feb 15 and doing along side our team that was brought together to race.  I've seen huge changes and I'm loving it!  I have a goal which is great and a great group to go with it.

This all started with a facebook message from a girl I competed with over a year ago.  Melissa Folster who is a WBFF pro competitor reached out to me and suggested I try Advocare and since then it's been life changing.  She introduced me to Liz Cort who is also a huge inspiration.  Thank you so much ladies for all the guidance and for changing my life.

Now, on to the future...  I will be accepting 1 question (only legitimate questions.  Not can I get a follow) every 2 weeks.  Wrestling or non.  I would prefer to switch off but I'll do my best.  You can tweet it, post it here or I will be accepting smoke signal ( but only if you live close).

Hope you guys are curious!  Send them in!  And, keep up with our team for the Spartan!!  Cheer us on!

Spartan Track Day

Mix-It-Up Mondays

Helllloooo World!!!

So, last month most of you guys attempted Meatless Mondays and there was lots of upset carnivores but you made it thru!  I'm so grateful for the support from you guys!  There were wrestlers, fans, friends and family that participated and seriously you all made an impact.  I hope lots of you will choose to keep incorporating the Meatless Monday to help the animals, the earth and your own little universe.

Now, on to this month.  I'm hoping to get Mix-It-Up Mondays going.  I'm challenging you to detox from sugar for the day.  The only sugars allowed are all natural (i.e. fruits, honey or agave).  For some of you this will be more difficult than it sounds.  This takes away processed foods, refined sugar and lots of juices unless they are homemade.  You'd be surprised how dependent some of us are on sugar and after the weekends (which is when everyone has the most fun) your body will welcome the break.

Refined sugar can be sneaky.  Lots of people are unsure of what it actually is.  It's actually made from sucrose which is extracted from raw sugar cane or sugar beets.  It's also known as granulated white sugar, brown sugar, fructose, sucrose, dextrose, malt syrup, and high fructose corn syrup.  On an average most Americans consume about 355 calories from sugar each day!  It's usually recommended that the average person only consume half of that if a male and a little less than half for females. 

With this over consumption of sugar we're looking at health issues ranging from obesity, tooth decay, hypoglycemia, diabetes and vitamin and mineral depletion.  With that being said, let's make a change!  Let's embrace a sugar detox once a week.  And if you're feeling frisky let's have both Meatless Monday and Mix-It-Up Monday! 

Thanks for the support and can't wait to hear how well everyone does!
XO

Why "Meatless Monday"

So most of you know this month's challenge from me to you is to give "Meatless Monday" a try.  I promise it's not because I love the catchy phrase, which of course I do!  It's because if we start on a Monday, the beginning of the week, hopefully the healthy trend will carry through the week.  Not necessarily the meatless part but conquering the challenge of controlling your eating habit you can keep it rolling!  With that being said, let's take a look at the environmental and health impact of participating in "Meatless Monday". 

Environmental

We'll be cutting down our carbon footprint in so many ways! Think of the land and natural resources used for the livestock and housing the livestock.  The gas used to transport animals and the product. Studies show that 1,800-2,500 gallons of water go into the production of 1 pound of meat. This is just one example!  Not to mention you can help prevent animal cruelty.  How many of you change the channel, get misty eyed or turn away during the ASPCA commericals?  This is another way to help! 

Health

The vegetarian diet has numerous effects on your health.  Starting with reducing your risk for cancer, heart disease and diabetes to name a few.  Incorporating more fruits and vegetables into your diet will help increase fiber and other nutrients in your body which help with fat loss, boost energy levels and living longer. 

Now I know the meat industry isn't going to cut down their production or the demand is going to disappear but just 1 day per week will actually make an impact!  And making  better decisions when choosing your meats throughout the rest of the week will help too.  So let's give this a try!

-Look for locally raise, grass-fed, free-range organic meats and poultry. 
-Leave the small things out (i.e. bacon bits)
-Buy sustainable fish. (not from anywhere that might overfish)
-Organic eggs, milk and cheeses
-Add more veggies in your meals

2013>2012

Hey everyone!

So this year has been amazing for myself and so many people in my life.  I'm so grateful for the past year and the amazing experiences/people that have come into my life.  I'm not going to list everything because it'll take up the majority of this blog and I will for sure forget someone or something.  LOL.  But, one thing I'm totally going to share is I had the opportunity to go home and be with family and friends who are just like my family.  It was amazing to get grounded again and reconnect with all of them.  The tricky part was saying goodbye again.  Goodness!  It was so tough!  But it was tough for a great reason. I have so much love that surrounds me. It's such a blessing!  Now we're back in Tampa and I'm ready to get this new year underway! I've have got a list of goals to get started on and getting this blog up to date is one of them!  LOL!  I would love feedback from everyone if they have some subjects they would like me touch upon please send an email here and let me know. 

Also, I would love to be your New Year's Resolution!  If you'd like to be a part of my team (Roxx Stars) send an email.

Thanks everyone! 
Hugs!