Fit Lizzio Fitness

Hola!! Hope everyone has enjoyed the motivational posts this week. They help me, so I hope they help you as well.

Workouts

This week seems like such a weird week to me! I don’t know what it is about it, but I feel like I’m on vacation or something.

Monday: This was a weird day. I met with a new trainer who I was referred to by Dae who was going to help me out with some flexibility stuff. Long story short, although he is really great trainer, we don’t necessarily meet eye to eye when it comes to training philosophy. So I did the stretching session with him, along with a small amount of shoulders. Before this, I jogged for 20 minutes(2.15 miles)

Afterwards, I worked on some boxing technique for about a half hour with a trainer/friend and then hit up the treadmill for 30 minutes of incline walking: 3.3 mph at 15% incline. I was a sweaty mess by the end. Success.

Tuesday: Somehow last week I must have done something during boxing, because my left wrist was all jacked up this week. I skipped boxing on Tuesday because I’m trying to be smarter about my training(i.e. NOT over training, and not doing something when i injure myself.). Instead, I got in a back/bicep workout. I did high reps which is so weird to me. I am not used to it and it is such a different feeling to get used to. I am used to doing 8-12 reps and being completely fatigued by the end, so doing 15-20 reps is something outside of my realm.

My workout was double supersets. It looked like this:

-back exercise superset with bicep exercise (20 reps each, 2 times in a row, then rested for 1 minute and repeat two more times doing 15 reps each)

Again, something i’m not used to, but I will get more comfortable with it as I go along. I guess I am just not used to feeling like my muscles are going to pop on that last rep.

I finished up the back/bicep workout with 30 minutes of incline walking on the treadmill. 15% at 3.3mph.

Wednesday: Leg Day!!! So no more heavy lifting for my legs either(details below.) I jogged for 20 minutes(2.15 miles) and then did legs with Ernie. This was a plyo/quad circuit consisting of….(doubt i will be able to remember it all but i’ll try…)

3 sets total of:

Leg extensions, sled pushes(more like 6 sets of this), Walking lunges(no DB’s for me), Up and overs, more walking lunges, box jump ups, Cable squat, burpees, mountain climbers, bench jump overs, frog leaps, more walking lunges, seated leg press(horizontal), decline leg press, hack squat, scissor jumps, plyo step ups, smith squats, more sled pushes

This took me over an hour and as always, left me sweating like a nun in the red light district.

No cardio on leg days, other than my warm up jog.

Thursday: NOTHING. Yeah, you read that right. This morning was a very weird day, and I was so out of routine and decided to make it my rest day. I was stressed out trying to do a bunch of things and get things ready for the weekend, so I just decided to rest. Probably a good thing. My boxing instructor has made sure to leave me plenty of nasty facebook posts reminding me that I am a lazy ass for missing BOTH classes this week, but I called him old so I think we’re even. 🙂 This week feels very easy to me, but I’ve been overtraining the past few weeks, so I am trying to get it through my thick skull that it is O.K. Too bad there isn’t a giant brain underneath that thick skull. In fact, I think it’s filled with gummy bears, but that’s just a personal opinion, not a scientific fact.

Friday:It isn’t Friday yet, but the plan is yoga, shoulders/chest/triceps, and then some light cardio. I am boxing one on one tomorrow too. Just have to be careful of the wrist, so I’m assuming it will be mostly kickboxing.

I am working tomorrow afternoon and then heading to Tucson to watch friends compete in the Desert Classic! I will also be helping out back stage if anyone needs help.

What I’m Doing

So you may be wondering what all of this light weight high rep stuff is about?? Well I’ve decided(which means nothing because I change my mind all the time…) that I am happy with the muscle I have put on and I do NOT want to put on anymore. My trainer Dae, who had not seen me workout in a few months, was really impressed by it. His exact words were “When you were competing last time, you had sort of teenager muscle, and now you have real fleshy muscle. ” We both agreed that we are really excited to see what it looks like after I am leaned out.

How I’m doing with Leaning out

This basically means how I’m doing with my eating haha. I am consistent with my workouts, and love them to death, so that is never an issue for me. A lazy week just means I don’t feel like gumby by the end of the week.

So onto the goods……Since January 1st, I would say I’ve been 80% committed. I was 100% solid for a few weeks, but have had some slip ups here and there the past few weeks. I’m going to try a stricter more intense approach for a few weeks. I am the first to say to ease into something, but I am an extremist. I’m on or I’m off, and I wanna be on. So I’m turning up the heat. I’m seeing results s.l.o.w.l.y, but I want to speed things up a little bit. I am very critical of myself and I don’t feel like I’m giving it my all, when I know I should be and when deep down I want to be. I’ll be the first to admit, that sometimes I let outside stressors get in the way of things. All I can say is that I’m learning and I won’t ever be perfect, but I can definitely be a lot better than I have been.

Hope everyone has a great night! Stay tuned for some exciting news 🙂

And if you haven’t already, become a fan of Ultimate Fitness Events on Facebook and comment “vote” underneath my picture. I am in the running to become their 2010 spokesmodel and would REALLY appreciate all of the votes I can get. I believe I would be a good fit for their organization and would love your help! Thanks again!!

Hey guys I am 1 of 12 in the running to be UFE’s next Spokesmodel!!

I would really appreciate you all voting for me!! Ulftimate Fitness Events (UFE) is an awesome organization and their competitions are full of FUN and PRIZES. So if you are looking for a fun show to compete in, check them out!!

Visit this link, and leave a comment that says “vote” underneath my picture.

I will love you all forever!! (notthat i don’t already ;-))

Failure is a GOOD THING.

I’ve talked about this topic before. Every single one of us(myself included) has gotten down on ourselves due to a failure. Whether it was failing to make it to a workout, failing to keep up with a goal, or failing to stick to a commitment, it has happened to all of us, MANY TIMES.

People think of failure as a bad thing. It is frowned upon, and it is something that most of us fear. The truth is, failure is a GOOD THING.

If you never failed, you wouldn’t know how good it feels to succeed.

If you never failed, you wouldn’t appreciate the journey you have been on.

If you never failed, you would never have the chance to get back up again.

Often times a failure is followed by a rebound that is better than anyone could have ever expected. Failure can light a fire under your ass, and before you know it, you are on the pathway to success yet again, only this time more resiliant and with a greater passion.

I’ve posted this video before, but I’m doing it again.

I’ll leave you with another poem by Dr. Christopher Neck(this is the professor I raved about last semester…)

The Climb to The Top

There is a myth in this world.

In fact, it’s more of a tale.

It argues that successful people

Don’t ever really fail.

It’s time to destroy this point of view

Because it’s totally untrue.

The truth is that ambitious people

Fail just like me and you.

If you show me a multi-millionaire

With cash flowing all the time.

I bet at some point in her life,

She was destitute, without a dime.

And show me a renowned scientist,

One of the world’s best.

Probably during his education,

Failed to pass a test.

And finally, the world class athlete,

Wearing the gold medal that he dreamt,

Was once told he wasn’t good enough

To even make the attempt.

The point to all these examples

Is that successful people do fall.

They confront their share of obstacles

As they strive to attain it all.

Individuals who seek to live their dreams

Know what its like to hit the ground.

But they know that if they persevere,

Nothing can keep them down.

The key is not in never failing,

But the action that follows next.

Successful people get right back up.

They don’t stay down perplexed.

So as you strive to reach your ultimate peak,

Remember this little rhyme,

“If there were not any valleys,

There would be no mountains to climb.”

Have you ever put something off

Because the timing wasn’t just exact?

Maybe you refused to take that first step

As fear stopped you in your tracks.

How about refusing to begin your dreams,

Putting things off for a while.

Have you ever said “Maybe tomorrow?”

Have you ever said “Someday I’ll”

Consider the intelligent lady

With the ability to make good grades.

She said she’d further her education

Once the bills were paid.

Or how about the older gentleman

Who wanted to travel the world around

He said he’d begin his journey,

Once his schedule began to slow down.

What about the aspiring young lad

Who had that novel written-in his mind.

He said he’d put it on paper

Whenever he could possible find the time.

And finally, the love-struck person

With secret admiration for that guy..

She would let him know her true feelings

When she wasn’t feeling all that shy.

The message of these examples,

I hope, is crystal clear.

The time to start your aspirations

Is now–not next year.

Because the bills might never get paid,

Your schedule won’t slow down,

Extra time won’t somehow appear,

Complete confidence won’t be found.

So if you wait to take all those risks

Until all the signals say “Go”

Your “someday I’lls” will never come;

Your dreams, you’ll never know.

So begin that job or go back to school.

Start to smile and remove that frown.

“Because sometimes you have to jump off that cliff;

And build your wings-on the way down.”

~Christopher Neck

Tomorrow marks the beginning of February. How are you doing with your goals??? Many people are pushing strong, some people gave up weeks ago, and others are struggling to push through. Whatever the case may be, I am officially naming this MOTIVATION WEEK!

I dedicate this week to pulling together with all of you to make sure we are sticking to our goals and not letting “life” get in the way, because, oh yeah, it will ALWAYS try to do that. What separates a successful person from the rest is PERSEVERANCE, PATIENCE AND CONSISTENCY. Take on each challenge as a mountain to climb, and don’t even THINK about turning your back and heading back down until you’ve reached the top!

I will be posting quotes, videos, and stories to help kick your butts back in gear! Feel free to comment with your own motivational strategies, quotes, stories, novels, whatever you want!

Here’s to a GREAT February full of kicking your goal’s ass!

“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”

~ Will Rogers

When I saw this, I immediately got excited. I think I know what the second half of 2010 has in store for me.

Have you guys ever heard of Tri-Fitness? I wouldn’t be doing the fitness routine, but the Fitness Skills and Obstacle Course caught my eye. That is right up my alley!

I am a little bit competitive 😉 and I think this would be SO much fun and SUCH a change of pace.

It is almost February. For the month of February, I will continue to focus on higher rep workouts. Boxing, sprints, plyo workouts, and boot camps will still be weekly happenings, but I probably won’t do much heavy lifting for a while. It is going to be tough, but I am really focusing on leaning out and cutting down. I am perfectly happy with the muscle I have put on and am not looking to put any more on at this time.

March will probably stay similar to February, and in April I will assess my physique and see what fine tuning needs to be done. The fine tuning will take place in April and May, and before  I know it, June will be here and Jr. Nationals will be right around the corner! I’m so excited to compete in a national show!

That obstacle course is in September, and I think that would be so much fun. It’s in Tampa, so I’m going to try to see if I can drag a few others with me to do it.

Other randomness

Let’s see…. I actually took a rest day today! I skipped out on boot camp and slept in until 8:30am!! That is seriously UNHEARD of for me. I normally can’t sleep that late if I try. It felt glorious and I’ve spent the day doing absolutely nothing. It feels wonderfuuuul. I haven’t had a day of nothing in WEEKS. With working every weekend, and being out of town and working expos the last few weeks, I haven’t had much time to just sit down and relax. By the time I get home during the week, I have to cook/pack food and get ready for bed. It is the life I CHOOSE, so I’m not complaining, but just glad to have a break today.

Next weekend I will be heading to Tucson for the NPC Desert Classic. I’m not competing, but just going to show support, cheer on friends, and help out back stage. I always volunteer to help at these shows because I know how much it helps to have someone there backstage with you to make sure everything is going right. The smell of competition tan always brings me back to the day I stepped on stage and it gets me itching to compete again.

A Dose of Motivation

The past few days I have been thinking about the past year and how much I have changed and done. What always amazes me is that my focus is always on fitness/nutrition, but the effects that I feel are usually applied to the other areas of life. For example, by learning how to push myself through a tough workout, I have learned how to push myself through the hardships of life. It sounds crazy, and maybe you think I’m nuts(which I am, so you’re right) but I truly believe that. A few years ago, I dwelled on the annoyances in life and really let things get to me. I have always been pretty laid back, but was definitely someone that complained about the small things in life. These days, I have such a different outlook on life. I find the positive in every thing I do and every thing that happens. Of course, I still have bad days and sometimes negative thoughts get the best of me, but I know how to pull myself out of those bad thoughts and turn my days around. I absolutely love the challenges that life gives me, and see them as a reason to work harder. Every obstacle is given to you so that you can grow yourself. If you weren’t presented with challenges, you would never get better at anything in life. Being a better person, mother, daughter, sister, father, athlete, teacher, friend, partner, whatever it is. You MUST face challenges and hard times in order to get better and grow. So the next time you get slapped in the face with an unexpected challenge, face it head on and work through it. When you get through it, you will be a stronger individual.

Often times the weakest and most challenging points in our lives are followed by the greatest endeavors and most fulfilling accomplishments. Take everything in life as a lesson, and see what you can learn from it.

Today was a loooooong day, but it went by pretty fast. I definitely didn’t pack enough food for the day, though and had to get a salad from Baja Fresh to keep me going through the rest of the afternoon. They actually make a pretty good ensalada if you order it right. The only problem is the $8 price tag–yuck. My salad had romaine lettuce, grilled chicken, avocado, and pico de gallo. I also added another one of their hotter salsas to the mix. Twas delish.

Workout

I was supposed to have a double-dose of bock-sing today but my private instructor cancelled on me at the last minute. No worries though, we’re rescheduled for tomorrow. Today’s boxing class was rough. The class was hard, but more-so because every single muscle in my body is sore. Even my pinky toe.

I didn’t do any other exercise today which felt kind of weird, but it felt right at the same time.

Tomorrow’s agenda includes: yoga!!, training with Dae(still not sure what body parts, will have to see what hurts in the morning, and what feels fresh…) and private boxing sesh with J-Dizzle. My ass will be kicked thoroughly.

Saturday is boot camp! I am s.t.o.k.e.d. I haven’t been in two weeks because I’ve been such an expo-whore. As brutal as they can be, there is no better feeling than walking off the field early in the morning after a hard workout. Love it.

Sunday I am hopefully going to be resting. I may do a hike or something, but I’m not sure. I know I need to give my body a break.

Nutrition

I figure I’ll give you a look at my menu for tomorrow. I will be gone all day again tomorrow and have all my food packed. I don’t know what order I will eat them in but what I have packed is……

3 servings of ground turkey and avocado

2 servings of egg whites and almond butttah

1 green bell pepper

1 bag of green bags(yes, a whole bag, and yes i will eat them all cuz i am a gluttonous green bean fiend.)

1 bag of broccoli/cauliflower clusterfunk

1 protein pancake(egg whites, protein powder, flax meal)

Tis lots of food, but hopefully its enough. I eat every 2-3 hours. If it’s been an hour and a half and i’m hungry again, I EAT.

Which brings me to my next topic……

I was talking to a young girl at the gym yesterday about competing. She is very young, only 18. She is a little bit overweight and wants to compete. She seems to really want to do it, but she is facing the same thing I faced. Everyone in the world is telling her what she should or shouldn’t do. According to what people tell her she NEEDS to do….

-Be hungry all the time

-Do cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach

-Not eat any fruit at all

-Not eat much fat

-Do cardio twice a day

She doesn’t know any better, and she reminds me EXACTLY of myself a year ago. Totally ready to compete. NO IDEA what to expect or how to do it. I have learned a hell of a lot through discussions, trial and error and research in the past year and I basically gave her this advice. i wanted to share it because I know there are many people out there that want to compete and aren’t sure where to start and may have been given similar advice to what she was told.

-Eat for health. This sport revolves around being HEALTHY. It DOES NOT revolve around being starved and looking like a skeleton. Honor your body, it’s a hard working machine. It is also the only machine that gets BETTER the harder you work it.(obviously to an extent, but you catch my drift.)

-Don’t eliminate healthy foods from your diet, just make room for them. If you like fruit, allow yourself to have a piece or two a day. It isn’t going to kill you, and YES you can still lean out if you eat fruit. I ate fruit, in mass amounts, during my prep and didn’t cut down on the fruit until the last month before the competition. If you make room for it in your diet, go ahead and have it. Eliminating it means you are losing out on all those nutrients, and hello, best way to curb a sugar craving!

-YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO CARDIO ON AN EMPTY STOMACH. There are two times during the day that are “optimal” but I really use that term lightly. If you do cardio, no matter what time of day, it is OK. You have to do what works for YOU. I, personally, can’t STAND doing any physical activity if I haven’t eaten anything that day. My head starts to hurt, I feel sick, and it is miserable. I have done cardio on an empty stomach, maybe 10 times in my life. That’s probably a stretch. I prefer to do my cardio right after I weight train. Your glycogen stores have been somewhat depleted at that time, and you can start burning fat somewhat sooner. Our bodies first go to our glycogen stores for energy and when it has used those up, it relies on fat to get energy. With that said, no matter WHEN you do your cardio, it is going to work. If you’re consistantly doing cardio and eating right, you WILL LEAN OUT AND BURN FAT. Don’t get trapped in a “have to do this at this time or else!” Again, do what works for YOU.

-You don’t have to do insane amounts of cardio to lean out. One of the wisest things that I was ever told was to build your physique in the gym, and burn fat in the kitchen. This means that when your in the gym, you are there to tone your physique and shape your muscles. Your diet is what is going to determine how well you lean out. It is 80% of the game, and you can’t outtrain a bad diet. I know many competitors who do three 30 minute cardio sessions a week and are lean as hell. Their diet is spotless. Do cardio to “boost” your fat burning, but don’t go crazy with the cardio.(I should take my own advice, but I have other reasons for doing the amount of cardiovascular activities that I do.)

-Whoever told this girl not to eat too many fats should be slapped in the face. I actually KNOW trainers that prescribe their clients with very low fat diets and it makes me cringe. HEALTHY FATS are essential. You can’t burn fat without fat, and the nutrients that you get from healthy fats such as avocados, nuts, oils, and seeds are incredible. I noticed the most changes in my physique when I gave up some of my carbs for more fats. Huge difference in both physique AND energy levels, as well as skin, hair, mood, etc.

To sum this up, don’t get trapped in what you “have to do to become a competitor.” The truth is, there is no RIGHT way of doing things. One approach to competition prep could be and most likely WILL BE totally different from person to person. Do what suits you, if something doesn’t work, try something else. YES, contest prep is hard and you DO have to give up some things, but you can tailor it to YOUR needs, and you don’t need to follow the cookie cutter “competitor guide.” Oh, and by the way, I am rarely ever hungry. Yes, i get hungry, but then I eat and I’m not hungry anymore. 🙂 Yes, it is possible to go through prep and feel satisfied and full. Just ask Pauline Nordin. Veggies will become your best friend.

 Eat clean, eat well, eat for health, and train hard! Your body will thank you.

The strike-through.

I am such a magician with my disappearing act. I have it down to a science. Watch out Copperfield.

I have had some really good workouts this week, so let me share.

First off, I won’t be lifting heavy for the next 6 ish weeks(actually i don’t know how long, it depends on how my body responds…) but I’m happy with the muscle I’ve put on, and I’m ready to really start cutting down and tightening up. My body could use a good shake up as well. I’ve been lifting heavy for the past few months.

Anyways, I’m keeping my reps pretty high and working on keeping my heart rate elevated more in my weight training.

Workouts

Tuesday: I was abducted by aliens on Monday night, and wasn’t set free until about 7:30AM on Tuesday morning. My alarm went off, but I only know that because my roommate told me later. As far as I’m concerned, it didn’t. What? If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? I digress.(That’s the biggest word I’ve used all my life day.)

Moral of the story: Keep your doors locked so aliens don’t abduct you I missed boxing :-(. I was really excited for it too, and come to find out they sparred without me!

After I finally peeled myself out of my coma and ate a filling breakfast(consisting of oats, wheat bran, egg whites, and protein powder) I headed to the gym for some Shoulder and Chest ak-shee-own(that’s action for all you  new readers)

I warmed up with a 20 minute jog and then proceeded to do: Military presses, lateral raises, rear delt raises, pushups of many varieties, incline press, flat bench press, cable flys, and finished with some upper abs on the swiss bizz-all.

I did 40 minutes of incline walking while reading a mag studying and then did sprints later in the afternoon. My legs haven’t felt that fresh in a longgggg time! Probably because I overtrain them, but that’s a different story for a different day.

Today:

So if you’ve been reading for a while, you may remember my old trainer Dae. The ultimate trainer who knows exactly how to make me feel like an out of shape egg plant(since most egg plants are totally in shape.). Anyways, I’m training with him again because, well, nobody else compares.(Nothing compares, no-THING(oh yeah, i hit the high note) compares, to you!) Sorry Sinead O’Connor. Does anyone remember that episode of Saved by the Bell when Screech dresses up as a janitor named Sinead O’Connor? Yes, I realize that I am totally getting off topic, but now you can see why my Freshman English teacher told me that my writing “just doesn’t make sense…it’s just ALL OVER the place…”

Okay, anyways….as I was saying, I’m training with Dae again. So this morning I worked out with him and he put me through a kind of full-body workout. I forgot how damn hard he pushes me. Nobody is able to push me that hard, I don’t know what it is about him. I think I just have so much respect for him that whatever he says, I will do. Let’s just say I haven’t sweat that much since I waited in line for those paternity results. What?! I’m kidding!!!

After that workout, I did 30 minutes on the Arc Trainer, and later in the afternoon, headed back to the other gym for some Leggages. It was probably a little too much, but today was the only day for me to get them done, so I just went ahead and did them. Hey, I never claimed to be smart people.

Anyways, tomorrow I have a double dose of boxing. The class, and a private session, so that is ALL i will be doing tomorrow. No weight training. I can’t run myself into the ground.(Although I tend to do that a lot….)

Nutrition

I’ve been doing really well with cutting down on my sodium! I haven’t been eating my Cholula (except for on my nightly egg white, spinach and broccoli/cauliflower extravaganza).

Eating has been right on track, and I am feeling bueno.

I’m ready to take a nice, long shower and crawl into bed. 5:30am will come soon and I do NOT want to get abducted by aliens sleep in again.

Before I show you all the pictures from the LA Fit Expo, I need to address a few things.

Addiction 1. I have a serious supplement buying addiction. See below.

This was just from today. I have a whole cabinet full of protein powders, vitamins, etc. I spent wayyyyy too much money today. Hopefully I won’t need anything for a LONG time.

The loot: Quinoa Flakes, Glutamine, Psyllium Husk, Raw Protein Powder, Biochem Greens & Whey, Raw One Women’s, Melatonin, Holy Basil(supports cortisol levels allegedly. I’m going to do more research. impulse buy.), zinc, and iron.

Addiction 2: Cholula Hot Sauce

I loveeeee cholula. Addicted. I brought a big bottle of it to LA and finished half of it. I put it on E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G.

BUT, so much sodium. I am officially scaling back. And by scaling back, I mean I probably won’t be using it anymore. Maybe one meal a day, but that’s it. I have been a sodium queen lately, and it needs to stop. I used to not eat anything with added sodium, but I’ve been extremely leniant lately.

Addiction tres: Protein powders

I have been using protein powders for too many recipes. While they are delicious, I prefer eating real foods. Unless I’m using a protein powder that is JUST plain whey protein(you will know because it tastes like bullshit and the only ingredient is microfiltered whey protein isolate), it isn’t something I really want to be putting in my body. For now, I am keeping it in as a post-workout supplement, but probably not going to be using it for cooking, or snack-shakes anymore.

Okay, I think those are all of my addictions for now. Basically, I’m just cutting out all the useless crap that I’ve been letting creep into my diet these past few weeks. They aren’t necessarily hindering my progress, but I just like the clean and natural way of eating.

The LA Fit Expo

The expo was awesome. I met a lot of great people there and saw some pretty cool stuff! The power lifting competitions were so cool. It is crazy how much weight some of these guys and women can lift! I got to see some familiar faces at a few of the booths,and it was an awesome networking opportunity!