I didn't snap morning pics this morning, but first thing when I am slightly dehydrated, I feel like I can see much better separations than just a few weeks ago. These pics are from later in the day so I had eaten a few meals and drank a ton of water, makes a difference as the day goes on!

 

I just finished some plans for June for my competitive girls and I can't believe the end is in sight already. Funny how things seem so far away at the beginning but come to a close rapidly and frantically!

 

Weight was 156.5 lbs this morning.

 

Already!

 

Weight today: 157 lbs - I wanted to be much much less at this point but it is what it is and we'll see how the next two weeks unravel!

 

I feel the 'depletion' beginning! Meaning that my eating is incredibly boring and unflavorful, I have chugged a ton of water today and have to make more trips to the washroom than I can recently remember!

 

I did a cardio blast workout today with the girls running up and down a big hill, then I did way too much elliptical. The slow and steady cardio is not exciting at all but it is mindloess and I don't have to think or do anything. I can just read magazines and zone out!

 

My pics today are my 'line-up' pose.

 

Weight: 158 lbs - still

 

Tomorrow I am 2 weeks out going into my sodium depletion dry phase. I spent a huge chunk of time last night looking through old contest photos. I still see myself as too soft and bulky looking, but I am hoping these last two weeks really bring in my waist and butt to the standard I hope to achieve for my June 13 show. My overall look and posing is not terrible, but I don't want to leave anything up to chance. You never know who's going to be onstage and even though I only know one other competitor who will be there for sure, the bar has already been set high. She looks absolutely amazing and I am incredibly inspired by her physique. It pushes me to be better and if I can strive to be competitive with her physique I think the two of us can really contribute to a high calibre show in the Fitness Tall category.

 

I did my routine in a studio today. Not full out, but a routine that I can definitely do without risk of injury. I just hope there is no oil on the stage, that is my biggest fear with the tumbling.

 

And my costume situation has been saved by a wonderful woman who I know won't flake. So thank-you Cindy - you are eliminating a huge stress in my life right now!

 

Pics from today:

Weight: 158 lbs - so annoying.

 

I got my black two piece and my jewelry for my Figure show today. I did my standard Figure poses which i do not like because I can't creatively hide my weak points like I can in Fitness. I still think I look big and the back of my legs look soft. My butt and my waist are still bigger than I would like and I feel like all my cardio is for nothing.

 

It's one of those days.

 

I won't beat this to death and I still have a lot more to get done tonight - so here are the pics:

 

I have a long night and early morning tomorrow finishing up the details on a load of meal plans I have almost completed.

 

Competitive girls - all of you are coming into the last phase of your process. Don't lose it now. It's tough, it's draining sometimes. But you are competitive athletes and this process will change your life. Check your e-mail in the morning!

 

And oh, my photo shenanigans.... so I totally didn't take my pictures until 10 pm tonight which might throw off my physique a bit - but oh well! And a Wal-mart bikini. I am classy with a capital C people.

 

156 lbs today. And the awesome pick-up line I got at the gym today "Hey, are you like 1% body fat?"

 

Yes. Yes, I am.

 

 

It never fails, every year I learn from the previous one and am determined not to have any stressful last minute episodes, but once again, they seem to come up.

 

I have highlighted my own hair the night before a competition because my hairdresser didn't show up to my appointment, I have fed-exed tanning supplies because my order got stopped at the border, I have hacksawed shoes because I ordered the wrong size and didn't have time to get a new size, and I have made a routine costume the night before a show gluing rhinetones on Lululemon.

 

In March I ordered my routine costume. It's not ready yet. I have touched base several times and been given the run around. Then I got an email asking if I had gotten the invoice - I hadn't. I replied that I would gladly pay it as soon as possible though. No response. I have emailed three times in the last three days and heard nothing. So with 17 days left tomorrow, if I do not hear from them by noon, I need a back up plan. There is a local seamstress who will charge me an arm and a leg but money doesn't seem to have been an object in this process up until now, so why start getting sticky at this point? Plus a shoe order I had made is not here yet, and that is getting me a bit anxious as well. That order was made at the end of April. Things NEVER go smoothly! Nothing fatal or final though.

 

Weight today was 156.5. Still not happy with it, but it should come down drastically in the last two weeks. I am still using hot sauce and not watching my sodium at all so once that kicks out, things really start to tighten up. Saturday begins my sodium depelete. Boring, boring, boring.

 

Pics from today - I am WILLING my butt to get smaller! Come on!

 

So after a couple of years of being semi-content with a ghetto phone, I graduated to the Blackberry last week. I loved my new life with my Blackberry, I was on top of texts, e-mails, you name it. I was connected! Tonight, amongst a very important texting conversation - my Blackberry died... tragic I know. For the last two hours, had you seen my panic and distress you would have died laughing. I have unanswered texts that I cannot access because my stupid keyboard doesn't work, so my red 'alert' light is taunting me! I can't even turn it off because that button won't work.

 

So minor - but oh so frustrating!

 

Today was another day on the road to Provincials. A weight workout, a stair workout, a trip to Wal-Mart with my boy, tanning, work, and my women's only class. Other than my Blackberry mishap, it was smooth sailing.

 

Weight: 158 lbs again. No mercy from the scale. None.

 

And these pics are terrible. I had my girls coming over to workout and I was in a hurry to get my house decent so I neglected to check the pics after I took them. Had I known my face looked like this I would have retaken them. Sorry!

 

Sundays seem so off to me, I work from the morning to the mid-afternoon, I have been doing hot yoga right afterwards, but at the end of the day I feel so lethargic and I can't quite get it together to complete my workouts. I still have more cardio and I am about halfway done but I am totally procrastinating right now.

 

My weight was 158 lbs today. Wish it were less, and pics are from this afternoon as I woke up to late to set it up this morning.

 

Time is flying. 21 short days to finish tightening up and refining my routine for Alberta Fitness Provincials. Can't believe it! Well, I can, actually! This has been quite a process.

 

Today I went to a refresher seminar for the WBFF, a new federation in which I will be competing in the Figure category in July. My ultimate goal is to be an IFBB Fitness Pro which can only be achieved via the ABBA federation, but the WBFF is huge on athlete promotion and marketability. I truly do this sport for the physical and mental challenge, but there is the more fun and 'pretty' part of it which involves fitness modelling. I am truly not basing my career or life on achieving the ultimate look, there are a lot of pretty girls out there. But if during this process I can clean myself up and have some fun with my self-promotion then I am all for it!

 

It's fun to see people at different parts of their own processes. Everyone has their own story and brings their own reasons for wanting to be on stage. It's amazing actually, and the more shows you do and people you meet, the more inspiring it is to realize what can be overcome through this process. I have been backstage with a Mom of 7, with a Grandma whose muscle maturity blew me away, with a doctor, with full-time working single Moms, with former World class athletes, women who had lost over 100 lbs - and they had all made it to competition day. Not everyone walks away the winner, and it can be incredibly disappointing at the time to work so hard and have a panel of judges not place you in the top 5 or 10 or 15. Someone will be last, and at the end of the day if you are truly committed to the process and you learn about your body and empower yourself then you have to accept letting things fall where they may.

 

I want to win this show on June 13. I am lucky in my life to be in a place where that is a possibility. I have years of training and experience in which I have developed and crafted a look I am committed to achieving. I have trained with some of the best pros and trainers and learned something from each one of them that I carry with me. I am in the shape of my life, I have respected my body and given it the fuel and the power to rebuild itself after a baby. I have a routine that could truly be on a pro stage and I love it. I am involved with the federations I am competing with, I keep up on the rules and am involved with key people throughout the organizations. And I give back with all of my heart to athletes who compete and who want to compete. I offer classes, I am training people, dieting people, and I am helping with everything I possibly can so I can help anyone going through this process feel better doing it. I honestly feel that I have given my best without overextending myself. I am in a good place. There are definitely things I would still like to work on, I am a constant perfectionist. But in the overall of what this year has brought me, I feel good and I want to encourage and promote positivity and self-empowerment.

 

It's a good day today! I am excited for all the girls I have stepping on stage at various shows. I love the nervousness and the uncertainty, it is so normal and human. And it really reminds us why we need these experiences in life to step out of our comfort zones. I love that I don't cut corners and that I have always stuck to my philosophy of creating an aspirable but elite physique through a clean and consistent diet and training program. No drugs, no tricks, nothing that will compromise long term health. It is, in the end, just a show. And life goes on. I am saddened by people who forget about this in the heat of competitive season. I may not get to be the leanest, smallest person on stage, but everything that is up there to be judged was pursued through hard work and careful planning. I heard an interesting rumour the other week that I want to take care of where someone had heard I had a tummy tuck. I did not! - I assure you that everything from the ribs down is unenhanced! Ha ha. Some things just can't be helped with diet and exercise you know! Plus I have ridiculous hair that is nowhere near mine, so I can't claim that as my own!

 

Anyways, I am sure I have blabbered on for far too long now, but it was a reflective day so I thought I would share. I love that I have had a growing and ridiculous number of hits on this blog since I started my month of craziness! Confirms my notion that people love crazy people! Ha ha. My weight today was 159 lbs - not the drop I was hoping for, but I am not going to sweat it! Here's my pics in my contest suit. I know it looks like I have given up in terms of hair and make-up, but it was a lazy morning and I wanted to get the pics done before I ate breakfast!

 

Oh yeah - my measurements: 5 lbs down technically since May 13 measurements:

 

PS - Mel, I am totally still thinking about July 5th cake!

 

 

 

I am literally physically pumped! Just had a great back workout with Karma and now I have an open evening with Michael and all I have left to do is some late night cardio!

 

Weight was 159 lbs today, I feel a big drop coming on tomorrow. Let's hope.

 

Spent the morning at the zoo with little man and his friend. He liked the fish and the gorillas, and the ladies... he's a big talker with few actual words. It's super cute.

 

Pics from this morning. When I wear heels I tend to come up short in hitting the arch of my back pose. Small observations - only 22 days left!

I don't have many exciting events happening as they days go on, unless cardio is an event! I am trying to keep myself grounded, I am trying to find ways to relax and sleep and not get in a panic or anxiety over this, but that scale keeps making me crazy! 161 lbs today. My pics for today show my quads starting to come in, I am still unhappy with the back view. If I were a plastic surgeon I see exactly where I would be drawing big felt marker black X's!!

 

Just over 3 weeks away. It's coming! I am sure I will be 'ready' but I want to feel 'unstoppable'. I am not there yet.

 

I hate my scale. I seriously want to punch it. I was up to 164 lbs today and just seeing that number infuriates me. I did have a lot of sodium yesterday which probably retained a bit of water, but seriously, just get in the 150s and stay there!

 

Michael and I had a fun day together though. I worked out early so I could spend the day with him. We had Gymboree and he is getting so much more social and clever, it's so fun to watch. He loves the slide but today he finally figured out how to climb up all the steps and get to the top of the slide rather than trying to climb back up the slide the same way he came down. For anyone who's not a Mom that sounds like a totally lame story I am sure, but it was a huge milestone! Oh - and he grabbed some little girl's bum who was climbing up in front of him - better break that habit right now! My little trouble-maker!

 

I have another suit for rent in my daily photos - the novelty is wearing off and now I make around zero effort for make up and hair! So excuse the hideousness of the girl wearing the suit, it was early, and perhaps if you took an extra 10 seconds to tie the top properly it would be much more flattering than the pics show! Ha ha. I love purple though, it's a stunning colour.

 

And here we go!

 

I had a day that didn't go as planned... but I enjoyed every second of it - even though I have to now make up 90 minutes of cardio!

 

I woke up at 8:30 - getting 8 hours of sleep! - Unfortunately (or fortunately?) I missed my chance for morning cardio! I had a spa appointment for 9:15! My tough tough life - I know!

 

I had a deep tissue massage - where I was asked 'What do you DO?'. I said 'I work out'. Sometimes I just don't have the energy to get into details! I also had a facial which was very relaxing, and a pedicure. I was using a gift package I had gotten for Christmas so i also had lunch included and the selection was awesome. I got to have a green salad with giant grilled prawns and a chai tea while I waited for my pedicure to dry. It was a truly selfish and indulgent morning. At 2pm, I trained with my trainer Karma and brought along my client Jess to experience the leg torture i go through every Tuesday! I was sweating like a man, but it was a very effective workout. It always is! I had to coach at 3:30, I was working with Pre-competitive most of the night, and a bit with the National group on Bars. The National group has Canadian Nationals in two weeks, so the pressure is on to get the best prep possible going in.

 

They are a funny group of girls. So mature in some ways being able to do such a technical sport at such a high level, but such teenagers in other ways - spazzy and crazy at times! I love that they made a mix CD for training with the song 'Don't Stop Believing'. Yeah Journey.

 

I was supposed to go to Hot Yoga tnight, but I missed my little peanut too much from being away all day, so I rushed home to kiss him good night and put him to bed. Now I have 6 am hot yoga tomorrow before training with Martha and Jess at 8 am. Worth it though. I missed that little guy!

 

In my rush this morning, I didn't do a morning weigh in. So after 5 meals and full hydration, at the end of the day I am 163 lbs. The scale makes me mad. But it's a quantitative measure and it IS the end of the day!! (Excuses, excuses!)

 

My back is coming in though. Here's two pics from literally like 20 minutes ago.

 

And no, I am not sponsored by Lululemon! I just happen to have a very extensive (and expensive!) collection!

So, my determining factor for whether someone can be successful in getting to the stage in this crazy fitness and figure world is - do they create chaos or manage it?

 

Think about any scenario - aren't there ALWAYS those same people that always seem to have drama surrounding them? They project it, they create these disorganized and dramatic personas that breed chaos. They can't get on top of things because something always happens to them, they can't be relied upon, they are late or they chronically bail... it's the same story everywhere in their lives. Maturity is definitely a factor, you have to expect this kind of lifestyle to be in the norm for someone who is 18 or 19, but what about when someone is in their 30s??? Don't they make you crazy?

 

A lot of it is perspective. It's how you react and manage what happens to you. Unexpected situations always come up in life - and when we least expect them, they can be pretty major. It's my opinion that the over-organization and over-structure of doing a show, can sometimes be therapeutic when it comes to managing the 'big stuff'. Following an uber specific diet and training plan pretty much sets out your entire day. And eliminates a lot of decisions. When something does come up, we are better equipped to manage it because the rest of our lives are under control.

 

I think the same could be applied in a less extreme manner by getting into a committed routine. Setting out a meal plan, making 'exercise' appointments and getting your life organized. Make to-do lists, clean out your closet and your basement. File away loose paper work. You will feel so much more under control! Empower yourself!

 

Anyways - I love my Monday nights... I love my girls I coach, they are so determined and improving so quickly. And I love my Monday Night Ladies. They have come so far and still don't even realize how good they are yet! When you put yourself out there to be judged aesthetically, you force yourself to confront issues through a process you really can't explain to anyone else. but it's amazing.

 

As for me, and my craziness... I weighed 159 lbs this morning. I want to be 155 by Saturday. We'll see, but I do love my cardio!

 

Today's pics: No heels again! (an no make-up - yikes!)

 

I am having a wallowy blah Fat Day! I weighed in the same as yesterday 160.5 lbs - and have just been in a tense mood all day. I feel bloated and gross, and just to be masochistic I weighed myself late in the day after drinking 3 Litres of Crystal Lite. I was actually surprised that it was only 3 lbs up from the morning, I can usually pull off a 7 lbs fluctuation in the day with fluid. Perhaps that means the 150s tomorrow? Let's hope so!

 

I deal with bad days by focussing my energy elsewhere. I have a to-do 'schedule' for the evening that includes a total of 3 hours of cardio, split up between internet tasks. i am a dork, I know!

 

And because it's a fat day, there is only one photo today, my front figure stance in the One-Piece I will be wearing.

 

Fast approaching! I am excited for this entire summer actually. The competitions as well as an amazing trip to Europe at the end of July and a trip to Vegas in August. It's going to be fantastic!

 

Weight today: 160.5 lbs - still the stupid 160s.

 

I thought a lot about food today - I was craving fat! I was craving bacon actually but then I was picturing it smothered with melted cheese and ranch! So fatty and delicious! Mmmm! I didn't stray from my diet though, it's way too close now!

 

Pics from today - in my contest suit. I have to keep believing that my butt will be small enough by the show! This suit will soon be a perfect fit! I swear!

 

 

No, I didn't eat any! But here's an article from my trainer's newsletter!

 

************

 

The correct answer to the following question will shock you.

Would you survive longer on a diet of just water OR on a diet of water and refined sugar?

The answer: You would survive longer on just water.

Sound impossible? Just ask the five sailors who were ship wrecked in 1793.

The ship was filled with sugar, thus giving the marooned five a diet of sugar and water. When they were finally picked up, nine days later, they were in a wasted condition due to starvation.

The story of the five sailors intrigued French physiologist Francois Magendie to conduct a series of experiments in which he fed dogs a diet of sugar. All of the dogs died.

Magendie proved that as a steady diet, refined sugar is worse than nothing.

How can sugar be worse than nothing? Plainly put, refined sugar is an anti-nutrient.

It starts out as sugar cane, and then goes through an extensive refining process that destroys all of the enzymes, fiber, vitamins and minerals. What you're left with are empty, naked calories.

The problem is that your body needs the enzymes, fiber, vitamins and minerals that were taken out in the refining process in order to metabolize sugar and use it as energy. So it takes those nutrients from your own body.

So while you are enjoying that chocolate bar, sugar is draining vital nutrients from your body. Like a sweet parasite.

And it doesn't end there…

• Sugar creates false hunger (as a result of the insulin rush and then ensuing plummet in your blood sugar levels), which makes you overeat. This means a constant struggle with your weight in which you never seem to achieve your ideal size.
• Sugar promotes aging (due to the advanced glycation end products, or AGEs, that occur when insulin levels are consistently elevated as a result of eating too much sugar). Sugar has even been dubbed the negative fountain of youth.
• Sugar weakens your bones - making you vulnerable for osteoporosis, and weakens your teeth - making you vulnerable for cavities (both due to the calcium being pulled from your bones and teeth in order for your body to process sugar).
• Sugar in excess is stored as fat (after your liver has no more room to store it, sugar is converted to fat and deposited on your belly, thighs, hips and the backs of your arms).
• Sugar can impair brain functioning (as a result of depleted B-vitamin production).

If you're still not convinced of the danger of sugar here are more ailments linked to its overconsumption: varicose veins, constipation, hormonal imbalances, ADD and ADHD, increased emotional instability, depressed immune system, increased risk of cancer and degenerative diseases.

The average modern person consumes 46 teaspoons of sugar every day. That comes out to roughly 175 pounds of sugar each year.

And it's no wonder, since sugar industry is big business. They sneak sugar into any product that they can.

Go through the foods in your home and you'll see that sugar has been added to everything from ketchup and spaghetti sauce to crackers, oatmeal, peanut butter and even ‘healthy' items like weight loss bars.

Where does this leave you?

You are in a unique position. Your personal judgment determines the foods that you eat and the foods that you avoid. It is my hope that you approach sugar with new eyes.

While all other foods offer you caloric energy PLUS some nutritional benefit, sugar doesn't. Sugar is simply caloric energy with a sweet habit forming taste, and a hoard of health risks.

Use your judgment wisely and limit your sugar consumption - you'll love the benefits of low sugar living.

Okay, I have a ridiculous day ahead of me so I am going to blog now rather than later because by the time I get home tonight, I just want to sleep!

 

Weight: 162 lbs - really? Are we still in the 160s? What's going on around here?

 

And my pics today are in one of the suits I have available in my Rental Collection. I figure it's a good place to promo some suits I have available for shows. This particular one is a red CJ suit and would fit any height, the top is a bit small but would be great on an A or B cup and even has pockets for padding. The bottoms fit me right now and are quite long up the sides with medium coverage. The widest part of my glutes measures 36" currently. I personally like less coverage but this is a good amount of coverage for someone who doesn't want to feel overexposed in the back.

 

I rent out my suits for $100 per show and I include cleaning in that price. The suit can be given to you a minimum of 72 hours prior to the show and needs to be returned within 72 hours to me personally or by courier. I have several suits available for rent. E-mail me at tanisfit@shaw.ca to inquire.

 

This suit is currently reserved for the WBFF show on July 4, 2009, but is available otherwise. I will be re-stringing it to cross in the lower back.

 

Last day of this session of Boot Camps! It was great, I love the group of regulars who have made such tremendous progress this session. But now during these last few weeks I must try to schedule as much sleep as possible in. Cardio and sleep! That's going to be my life for 30 days.

 

I am just about to hit up some more cardio, but my weight today was 162 lbs. That was at 4 am.

 

Here's my pics for today. I am mixing it up every day. Today is ABBA Figure Quarter Turns. I will be doing the ABBA Figure show June 20 in Edmonton.

 

At this time one month from today, I am hoping to be the Provincial Overall Fitness Champion. So I have to start with my crazy month long blogging adventure today!

 

How do I drop this last bit of weight? For me, when my diet is solid and clean - it's all about cranking out the cardio! I hate doing it, but it's what works! I have maxed out on dieting to the shape I want, now it's time to bring it in!

 

Weight: 164 lbs - Seems high! I was totally being a brat this morning and chugged a bunch of water prior to this weigh in. I figure it'll be more motivating when I drop right away! Ha ha.

 

Measurements: To be done weekly - I will describe the locations today:

 

Shoulders (Around mid delts): 44"

Chest (Fullest Part): 38"

Waist (Smallest Part): 26"

Top of Hips: (Across Poky Part of Hip Bones): 32"

Hips (Widest Part- Glutes): 36"

Arm (Bicep): 12"

Top Thigh: 21"

Mid Thigh: 20:

Above Knee: 15"

Calf: 14.5"

 

Waist needs to come in and legs need to be smaller - not much though.

 

My goal this month is to drop 20 lbs. Yeah it is. I dreamt of being 144.

 

That would be a 100 lbs weight loss from baby to stage. I love stuff like that.

 

Here's pics from this morning - no heels! That's why I have munchkin legs!