From the Heart

I recently heard a quote from a man that said, "The fear of not being enough is paralyzing." Through this journey to the figure stage, I have had twists and turns, ups and downs, and full on grab the Oh crap handle, brakes skidding to a halt one-inch from the car in front of me experiences. This quote really resonated with me because when I compare myself to other figure competitors and gym-goers, I feel less than adequate sometimes and fear that I will never be good enough or "big enough" to hit the stage. This is a constant battle I deal with and I have to keep telling myself that I am my own worst critic and I am also my own worst enemy. I know how hard I have worked and it all lies in ME what will or will not be accomplished through training, dieting, posing along with all the details in between. Coming from an individual who is Type-A and also has anxiety about pretty much everything, these thoughts are paralyzing...

How am I making it through those mind-stalling traffic jams that leaves me feeling like I am piggy backing an elephant around? There are many inspirational and heart-warming people as well as experiences that have helped yank Dumbo off my back. A recent encounter that occurred yesterday while at the gym was when a gentleman approached me, Batman and Robin at a row machine. He was disabled but had such a bright personality and told us that Jesus was the sun in the sky and that he also could do the machine we were on. He then proceeded to joke around with us and asked me if I was a cop because of my muscles and if I used them to rough people up. His whole demeanor really made me stop and think that there will always be things in life that will drag you down but there is also soooo much more worth living for and to never ever stop loving life! Another occurrence that truly took me back was when talking with a team member during cardio one day. She and I were discussing all the things that had to be done in the next 7 (yes 7!!) weeks before the first show. I was complimenting her on her physique and all the hard work that she has put in when she stopped and said, "you know you are going to rock it right?" I looked at her all cock-eyed and sideways before she continued on. I got all teary-eyed before half tripping off the treadmill to give her a gigantic sweaty hug. Sometimes you just need to hear those things to turn your day around. A little compliment, a smile, a friendly gesture can really make someones day and I challenge you do just that!

Ciao for now,  J

The 5 D's of Life

At the end of the week, all I can think about is sleep and well... more sleep. My body hurts from the full week of workouts, am and pm cardios, not to mention I am mentally drained from the food prep, the lack of sleep, the stress from work, and all the bricks life throws at my head. Most of the time I am pretty quick on my feet and can implement the 5 D's... Ya know: Dodge, Dip, Dive, Duck, and Dodge. This week however, the wrench hit me smack upside the head just like in the movie.



 We all have em... Weeks that seem to drag on or in this case fly by but nothing went right. In fact, things seemed to go WAY wrong and all I could do was try to stay afloat. I am always worried about my progress and my success with workouts and eating on a daily basis and in this case, in the middle of a no good awful week, I am stressing.

Dun-da-da-daaaaa..... Batman and Robin to the bat mobile! I trained alongside these gentlemen this week as well as our new found friend, BoneCrusher aka. B.C. for short. B.C. is a power lifter that caught my eye in the gym a while ago when I saw him squatting solo with 6 plates (each side) on his back.. I had to pick my jaw up off the floor and wipe the "deer-in-the-headlights" look off my face. He's pretty rad and has added a lot of character to our daily gym time. Anywhoooo back to training... I will say that I amazed myself this week with the help of the boys. I was able to lift MUCH more than I thought I could in every single lift I executed. One of the things that shocked me the most was the sled...Now mind you, I tell Batman and Robin pretty much everyday that "I don't think I can lift that" as I get the infamous "You are full of crap" look. We loaded the sled up with '3 wheels' on each side and I managed a set of 8 followed by a set of 6. This is 270lbs! Yep basically I pressed a Bears Offensive Lineman! 

What I took away from this week especially when I had a hard time keeping things together is that when the going gets tough, I am tougher and it is ok to ask for help. 

Ciao for now,  J 

I now introduce...

Round 3.... This is where it gets interesting!

Now that yall have been introduced to my awe-inspiring sister, Pete da man, Tanji (da bomb diggity), SaveFitness and my amazing team mates, its time to open the up the gym mats and introduce some other key figures that have helped me thus far in my journey.

L.Bug is what I will call her and she is purely fantastic. One of the most caring, trustworthy individuals in my life and I have to say she has seen me through the rough patches and held me together like super glue when I needed it. I also have to name drop two gentlemen from good ol LA Fitness...They will be 'Batman' and 'Robin'. These two guys keep me laughing and smiling even when I want to stomp my feet, throw a fit, and cry because it hurts soo good. They have seen the most ridiculous things with the newest being reverse grip lat pulldowns @ 130lbs (more than I weigh might I add) for a set of 6. Robin had to hand me the bar and Batman contemplated bear hugging my waist to keep me seated for the set. At completion, I unhook my knees and go flying up in the air with the bar as the weight stack settles. Its pretty RAD!



My Heroes from LA Fitness



The many adventures that occur in the gym are all over the board and will be sporadically shared... Most include comments from other gym-goers and half the time induce gut busting laughter amongst my favorite two faces...Batman and Robin! :)

Ciao for now, J