My Next Goal

   I have learned a lot about myself, nutrition, fitness, and health over the past year since my first post on this blog.  When I set a goal in 2010 to do a competition, nothing could stop me from stepping on stage.  I trained with 110% effort, ate exactly what I needed to eat to get lean, and strutted around in my heels until I knew, without a doubt, that even if I stepped on stage only once that I would be in the best shape of my life and there would be no regrets.  I knew that if I promised myself nothing less than my very best then I would be happy with the outcome no matter what.
3 shows later, runner up, and a championship,  I have accomplished something that I had only dreamt of doing.  I am now a bikini champion!

  Winning something that you work so hard and make so many sacrifices for is very rewarding and a feeling that is very hard to not want to feel again.  When they announced my name as the first place competitor the feelings that ran through my entire body were feelings I had no idea even existed. 
After that point, I became hungry for victory.  Being victorious is a wonderful feeling and I encourage all of you to commit to something so that at least once in your life you can feel it as well. 

  While I am still hungry for the gold, for now I have altered my focus a bit.  Throughout my training I have discovered a few critical things....not only about myself, but the importance of nutrition.  Prior to my commitment to bikini I worked out all the time and lived a pretty healthy lifestyle. In fact I would even go as far as saying that I was healthier and more athletic than the average person at the gym.  Yes, I lifted weights, did cardio, and ate my protein.  However, I did not realize the importance of understanding how to eat and train for a desired goal.  I just enjoyed my workouts and ate yummy "healthy" food.

  If I never made the decision to compete in bikini I don't think I would have ever educated myself in how to train right not just train hard and eat RIGHT not just "healthy".  Taking the time to learn how many calories I need daily, my individueal ratio of protein:carbs:fats, and just how much weight lifting vs. cardio my body needed really paid off.  Not only did I win bikini competitions but I also learned how to live a healthy, lean, and fit lifestyle.  Food is what helped me to lose the weight I wanted to and its also what causes me the weight gain when I dont eat correctly.  Educating myself in proper nutrition has been the most liberating experiences for me.  I no longer have to just guess or try different trendy diets.  I KNOW what to eat and I KNOW what foods to eat or avoid to either gain, lose, or maintain a specific body composition.  That knowledge in itself is victorious.

  With that said I have decided to put my energy into a wonderful program through Dr. Berardi's Precision Nutrition Coaching Certification.  I have been studying intensively to further my education in nutrition so that I can help liberate you from the stress and control of food as well.
His program is amazing.  It is very scientific and psychological.  With this certification I will be able to educate others in building better food habits as well as breaking emotional attachments we have with food.  I will also be able to help coach people who want to live lean as a LIFESTYLE rather than an endless extreme diet followed by binges.  It is my goal to help women lose fat and do it the HEALTHY way.  I am so excited! 

  Competing opened my eyes to the importance of nutrition and I am thankful for the experience.  I may or may not compete again but if I do I am relieved to know I would only need no more than 8 weeks to prep for my next show.  Knowing what to eat and how to do it healthily is very important in the competitive world.  Some girls do it way wrong and their metabolism gets all out of whack and they end up gaining a lot of the weight back on plus some.  It is my mission now to educate myself so that I can help women who want to compete.  I want to spread the word that you can train smart and eat right and ENJOY PREPPING for a show rather than being miserable, starving, and sick.  I also want to be able to help women work into a healthy, lean lifestyle so they can transition back into the non-competitive world and appreciate their body without running themselves into the ground.
So just like the beginning of my journey I set a goal. That goal was to compete in a bikini competition.   My next goal is to become certified PN coach so that I can coach women.  I will be joining forces with my husband, Danny Clark, who already specializes in fitness nutrition and even works with PRO MMA athletes.  He did all my nutrition when I competed in bikini so why wouldn't I want to join his team.?  We will be working on our next project, SPARTAN NUTRITION SYSTEMS together.

So stay tuned because as I study for my PN coaching certification I will be sharing very important and eye opening nutrition information. 
Be sure to check out this article about metabolic damage (MD).  I thought it was written very well and very true.

 http://www.beastblogger.com/?p=1881&fb_source=message


In health and fitness,
Abby

The Skinny On Fat

I was guilty of first degree scale obsession!  Every morning I would strip down, take a deep breath in (I actually thought that it would make a difference) and close my eyes as the scale read my weight.  When I opened my eyes those 3 numbers would either put me in a great mood or bum me out for the rest of the day.  Either way, the scale owned my emotions and how I perceived myself.
First of all, separate the scale or your body type from whether or not you are a good person.  Your body has NOTHING to do with your character as person.  I made that mistake and it created nothing but misery for me and those around me.
Secondly, here's a little science for those who are still convinced that those 3 daunting numbers represents your body composition and what kind of shape you are in.
Yes, it is true that if you take 5 pounds of muscle and 5 pounds of fat and weigh them on a scale, the scale will read 5 pounds for both.  NOW, that does not mean they weigh the same in the sense of volume. When you talk about volume, muscle is actually heavier than fat....not by much but if you measure accurately you will find that muscle is heavier than fat.

                                          Here is a visual of 1 pound of fat vs. 1 pound of muscle:

  Lean muscle mass is more dense than fat and therefore takes up less space in your body than fat mass.  When you compare your lean muscle mass to fat mass you are evaluating your body composition.  Having your body composition tested such as skin fold measurements with calipers is more accurate than going off of the scale or BMI (body mass index, which is a rough calculation of a healthy body composition based off of weight and height.)

Another example I'd like to share with you is the comparison of two people of the same age, height, weight, and gender.  In this example we will use 2 men, 35 years old, 6'0", and 250 lbs.
This is what they look like:

Enough visual for you??? Guess what, even though their BMI and weight read the same their bodies are obviously polar opposites.  The Body Builder is 250 pounds of dense muscle with probably 3-5% Body Fat while the "other guy" is probably over 30%.  Just looking at their BMI on paper a doctor would think they were BOTH morbidly obese!!!
The numbers to focus on is the comparison of muscle vs. fat, not the scale or BMI!  The only way to build lean muscle is to lift weights and eat a healthy meal plan that supports muscle growth and fat loss. 
Now, I know many of you do not want to go as far as body building so maybe this example seems a little extreme.
Take my transformation for example.  I once was 129.0 lbs at 22% body fat.  I had gotten down as low as 10% body fat at 126lbs for competition.  I am currently NOT competing and am 135 pounds which is heavier than where I started my transformation in November 2010. HOWEVER, my current body fat is right at 16% ! I weigh MORE NOW then I did but I am actually LEANER!  If I would have continued to only obsess over the scale and never educate myself about of fat vs muscle I would be a complete wreck!  I am very happy, strong, and lean with tons of energy.  I currently eat about 2,000 calories a day and am still gradually lowering my body fat as I prepare for summer and competing in the near future.
                                                                         BEFORE:

  This picture was taken sometime in 2010 about 1-2 months before I decided to train for bikini.


                                                                             NOW:

 This picture was taken about 6 weeks ago. Since then I have added more muscle :)

I encourage all of my readers to STOP with the scale and go find a fitness professional whether it be a trainer or a nutrition coach and get pinched!!!


Cheers!

Abby

Warm Up and Cool Down Tips

When do I stretch?  How long do I hold the stretch?   How do I warm up properly? Do I stretch before or after my workout?

I hear these questions all of time.  As a CPT and registered yoga teacher I want to share my professional recommendations for proper pre and post workout training.  These recommendations are a MUST for people who are trying to manage nagging injuries!

I Train Like a Champion

If you follow me on Facebook then you know by now the wonderful news I am about to share.  Yes, it is true and I am thrilled to announce that I "Train Like a Champion" because I am officially a Champion Nutrition USA sponsored athlete! 

Food Is Fuel

I have had so many people ask me what I eat and how much I eat since I have made such a transformation in my body.  I thought that I would help out by breaking down some very basic guidelines for eating properly as well as a list of healthy protein, fats, and carbohydrate sources.
If you are interested in having a specialized meal plan created for you, I suggest working with my husband, Danny Clark who is a certified fitness nutrition specialist (CFNS).

Basic Guidelines for healthy eating:

The Vow

WARNING: DELICIOUS YOGURT WITH YOUR CHOICE OF TOPPINGS MAY RESULT IN ADDICTION, LOVE HANDLES, AND THUNDER THIGHS! CONSIDERED YOURSELF WARNED!
I am not going to pretend that I don't have my battles. It is easy to blog and talk about your strengths, success, and goals. It is not so easy to acknowledge and share your WEAKNESSES to others.
I have had a rough day today as far as nutrition. My workouts rocked and my motivation level was high. However my will power was tested today and it lost. Yes, I went to a place known as Sweet Frog tonight, a delicious frozen yogurt parlor. I love the cake batter yogurt with cereal and fruit on top...SO GOOD! Was tonight my cheat meal? NOPE! I simply broke down and allowed my cravings and weakness to prevail . As expected, I know sit on my couch typing, feeling what? GUILTY and DEFEATED!

We are after all human and are not perfect to say the least. We all have our battles, we all have our strengths and our weaknesses. The only way we ever become stronger is to strengthen our weaknesses.
With that said I have made a VOW and pinky promised my husband (that is very SACRED in our relationship!) that this is the last straw and its game time.
Not only did I make this commitment to myself with my husband as my witness but I also decided that I need YOU to hold me accountable.
My vow is from this point on to stay on track with my meal plan and NOT cheat outside the 1 cheat meal listed per week from my coach, Shannon Dey.
I am about 10 weeks out from my first show of the season and I also have more events between now and then that I will share with you later that I must prepare for. This is the time that I must commit to the program 110%.
No more cheat meals, snacks, and excuses. If I want this then I have to get serious.
I feel like this cheat meal has set me back some this week and am bummed because I was on the right track. I just have to remind myself that its okay to make mistakes but its not okay to know that you made a mistake and then repeat it! Cheating is going to get me nowhere but further away from my goals.
So I make this vow not only to myself and husband but to you. I will NOT eat anything that is NOT in my plan and will hold myself accountable for my actions. This sounds like a BIG commitment but in all honesty I am overdue. The amount of discipline I see in my coaches and teammates is inspiring. If they can do it then I know I am capable of doing it as well. Therefore, I know that this is a realistic commitment that I can follow til the end.
I hope that by me sharing with you my imperfections you realize that nobody is perfect and we all struggle one way or another. With that said, I encourage you to sit back and reflect some of your behaviors that may be hindering you from reaching your goals. Afterwards figure out a way that you can also make a change and hold yourself accountable for your actions. See where accountability and commitment can take you.
I am ready to face my demons, beat them, and move forward! Lets do this the BOMBSHELL WAY!
Today was a bad day but I still have tomorrow. I am going to WIN tomorrow!

XOXO,
Abby

Updated Pics and Measurements

Front Shot taken 1/14/12- 12.78% BF 131 lbs

Back Shot taken 1/14/2012 12.78% BF 131 lbs


Just goofing off in front of the mirror.


This is my 3rd month with Team Bombshell and I have noticed a dramatic difference in the shape of my physique. I am more narrow in my waist (25.25 inches!) and my butt is getting tighter with a more distinguished tie of my hamstrings and glutes. I have also noticed a difference in the development of my quads. I actually have a sweep going on!
So you may be wondering what have I been doing differently in my workouts/nutrition this season compared to last season?
As part of Bombshell, confidentiality is important. I can however give you some basic ideas.
I train 6 days a week consisting of early morning interval cardio sessions and 5 days a week of split lifting days. I never used to do fasted cardio so that is new for me and I LOVE IT!
I also lift a little lighter and higher reps than what I used to but I hit my muscles hard mostly with super sets including lots of plyometrics!
A typical lifting schedule would as follows:

Mon- AM Cardio, Legs-Quads
Tues- AM Cardio- Shoulders, Chest, Triceps
Wed- AM Cardio- Legs- Hamstrings
Thurs-AM Cardio- Back, Biceps, abs
Fri-AM Cardio- Shoulders, Glutes, and Calves
Sat- AM Cardio
Sun-OFF

This is again only an average week for me, each month varies depending on how far out or close I am to a competition.
I am currently 10 weeks out from my show (NPC Metropolitan in NYC on March 31st) and am very excited to see how I look on stage because I have NEVER been this lean 10 WEEKS out!

I am guessing that I will step on stage somewhere between 9-10% Bodyfat. However, my coach, Shannon Dey is not concerned with body fat. Its about our shape and tightness. At my last show I stepped on stage at 124 lbs and 10.44%. I am right now about 131-132 and 12.78%. I am not sure how much I will weigh. All I am focusing on right now is following my plan 110% and bringing my absolute best!

Before I log off check out figurebikini.com as I am their featured athlete today! This is so exciting!!!!! http://figurebikini.blogspot.com/2012/01/abby-clark-i-just-follow-plan.html