Thursday, June 24, 2010

I was very good diet-wise and workout-wise yesterday probably a lot of my success was because I was very busy and stayed home working all day. Of course being in surrounded by healthy food is easier usually than being out in the real world with all sorts of tempting stuff everywhere. I actually didn't even get all my meals in yesterday cause I was so busy trying to get lots of work done on the computer! Plus I got 2 workouts in! My food stats for yesterday were 1098 calories - 29g fat (24%), 140g carbs (50%), 70g protein (26%). So, the calories and protein were a little low, but still ok!

This morning I knew my condo gym would be closed again so I got up early and was all ready to run and workout outside again, but when I got down, it was pouring! I thought about going out anyways or doing a stair workout, but instead came back up and got a lot of computer work done instead! I will hopefully be able to run to the studio and do a workout there before teaching my noon-time boot camp class.

Tomorrow I'm gonna be in a little samba bikini for the Brazil soccer game so that's my short-term goal to stay on track this week, plus this weekend we're going away to Niagara and I wanna rock my bikini at a waterpark while there! I find I really need to have weekly small goals like this to keep me going! My goal for next week is to start teaching all classes with a midriff-baring top (starting Monday) - this is really motivating to stay on track daily! As well as being great diet-wise, I think I'm gonna need a Mystic Tan too - lol!

Check out my latest vlog including a at-home workout you can do:

Monday, June 21, 2010

So it's the first official day of my free 4-week challenge! I just finished taping a little vlog for day one where I discuss my workouts planned for the day, a quick breakfast idea, and how I use tea to curb sweet/treat cravings throughout the day. Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcAJfasaOqk I'm so excited that a few of you are already on here with your starting point pics, and I expect a few more within the next few days. You can all tell your friends and family to do it with you (they can start anytime really, as long as we're all serious and committed to making a real difference and achieving all our goals!

So, today I will probably go shopping with my mom before my PURE SWEAT class at the studio... this is always a challenge for me... I find malls and being out with people really makes me wanna eat every bad food out there. It's day one of my new life so I'm sure I'll be fine, but I will be packing my tuna and chicken breasts to make sure I stay on track! I have decided to take the guess-work out and eat the same thing every day this week at the same time... here's what I'll be eating every day this week without fail:

egg whites & oatmeal

tuna with cucumber

broccoli & cottage cheese

chicken breast & rice cake with peanut butter

egg whites

I find this keeps me super-clean and I never talk myself into eating something I kinda shouldn't. There's no question about what you're eating next with this type of plan! And I'm going to try to get my whole day of meals prepped in the morning so it's just waiting there in the fridge for me! Try it out if you want!

4 WEEKS UNTIL IDFA COMPETITION!!! I need to lose 5 pounds per week for 4 weeks!!!

June 4, 2010

So, I'm back in training for my next competition (IDFA on July 17). I feel totally inspired and excited about bettering my body a lot from the last competition. I definitely wasn't in my best shape for May 15th, but I still wanted to get back in there and compete just to get back into competing as well as motivate me to do way better next time which it totally did! I have been experimenting a lot this week with various workouts and am planning a new plan of action in the gym that I will start this Monday. I have decided to stop weights (except for my problem areas like my butt and hamstrings) and do crazy intense workouts of plyometrics, intervals, lots of bodyweight stuff, etc. Only problem now with that is I have a bit of a shoulder injury so a lot of that stuff is out - guess I will be focussing alot on lower body stuff for the next few days (and hopefully it gets better quick!) Thanks for helping me win the Status Magazine fitness model online competition last month - that was incredible - woo-hoo! Now, vote for me in the FLEX Magazine Bikini Model Search online until June 15 at http://www.flexonline.com/flexmodelsearch/vote/ - I am in the middle of the page (Meagan H.), click on circle by my name, then scroll down to bottom of page and click vote! Thanks guys! I have so much more to write about, but I will save it for when I have a bit more time on my hands! Talk soon!

Check out my VLOG of of May 15th competition:

May 5, 2010

10 days from my next competition - IDFA's Novice Classic!!! I can't believe it! I was unsure of whether I should compete or not (even up until this past weekend) as I feel so far off from my real goal, but I think I need to get in there and just do it so I'm back in the world of fitness competitions again and I can just keep progressing with each show this spring/summer! I plan on doing one each month for the next little while and there will be improvements with each! SO the next 10 days will be ultra-intense with lots of cardio, weights, and of course a tight diet! I'll keep you posted on how it's going as I go!

April 16, 2010

I'm in the midst of a very very busy time, but thought I'd take a moment out to update my blog here! So, if you keep up with my new video blogs (check out the latest one at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Beoq7i-GVxg ), you know I'm prepping for IDFA's Novice Classic where I will be competing in the Fitness Model category instead of my usual (Figure)- it's almost 4 weeks away - wow! But, this and next week is full of prep for a non-fitness-related event that's coming up next week, and that is the International Bellydance Conference Canada! For non-bellydancers who are reading my blog - it's a huge bellydance event held for four days here in T.O. every two years that brings in bellydance stars from around the globe to teach workshops and perform, plus there are lectures, panel discussions, and so much more. I am deeply involved - I'll be performing a solo on Wednesday, two of my troupes are performing on various days, I'm speaking on a panel about bellydance and body image, my bellydance magazine has a table in the vendor's area, and of course I'm gonna try to take in as many workshops, lectures, and shows as I can! So, there's a lot of sewing, choreographing, practising, and getting promo material for MID-BITS Magazine (plus the actual new issue) together right now! Since I have very limited time in the day to really work on stuff cause I have a 1 1/2 year old running around and jumping off the couch, etc. I have decided some workouts may have to be sacrificed for some of the IBCC prep this week. It hurt a bit (cause I love to workout and don't feel right when I miss a morning workout), but this morning I got up at 4:30am and instead of happily heading out to workout, I stayed in and got down to choreographing my solo dance for Wednesday! I'm trying to look at it in this way... I know my body responds most strongly to eating totally clean (and working out is a small part of my fat-loss usually), so if I miss a few cardio sessions here or there over the next few days it will just make me stay even cleaner with the diet. I have been really great this week eating only lean protein (egg whites, chicken, protein shakes), a few veggies, and small amounts of fat (to make up for the oh-so-low carbs). I am 1 pound away from my big goal for tomorrow - so I know I will make it!!! Something else that's really been helping me stay on track with the diet is promising all my students that I'm back to sporting belly-baring tops for classes from now on (no excuses!) If I have to have my belly out there for everyone to see and me to see for hours in the mirror at the studio - if it looks great I feel proud of all my hard work and if it doesn't look so hot, it keeps me from eating bad when I get home at night. It also keeps me from eating bad stuff all day as I don't want a big bloated-looking belly in class! Plus this way I see my progress from week to week and hopefully my students can see what's possible if you clean up your diet and workout! Anyways, I'd better be getting back to choreographing or sewing or something now! Talk soon!

This past week or so has been so killer hardcore (which is great!!!) I've kept my eats clean, my workouts insane, and have been really proud of my efforts. Only problem is that I'm not seeing my progress visibly too quickly this time. Usually as soon as I clean up my diet I drop fat instantly... but not this time! I know I've been on-and-off a bit since January, but I'm so used to it being a little easier than it is this time... I don't know what's wrong, but I'm trying to take my own advice that I give my students about not worrying so much about what the scale says and judging more from how you look in the mirror each day or week. I also tell people that sometimes you reach a sticking point and you need to just be all the more stringent in your diet and keep on trucking and then all of a sudden big changes will happen if your patient! So, I'll be staying strong in my competition prep and waiting for some terrific results to show up soon I hope! I also just started Crossfit (aiming for 2 times/week) to mix up my training a bit, shock my body, as well as learning a whole new work-out mode! It's awesome and I love the feeling of being a beginner at something rather than the expert or teacher. That always humbles me, makes me work harder, and helps me better understand beginner students who come to me! So, my first competition of the season is in less than 4 weeks - UFE Spring Bash, too soon - getting a little worried about reaching my goal weight/look for that show, but staying positive as that's the only way to be! I'm also very excited to have made the decision to compete in IDFA's Novice Classic after that on May 15. I'll be competing in the Fitness Model Division and plan to be at my very best by then!

I'm taking a cue from my usual Wednesday mornings (I teach a 7am workout class at the studio, so I decide to be even crazier and get up at 4am so I can run or walk to College & Dovercourt to squeeze in a weight workout at the YMCA before I teach). I figure if I can do this every morning or at least maybe 3 or 4 a week, I can fit in even more workout time before my family wakes up. I usually go down for when my condo gym opens (5am), but I have a new plan for the next month (as I have to go to extreme measures to get ready in time for UFE Competition - April 10)! I got up at 4am this morning to get out and running, sprints, jumping, stairs, etc. outside until the gym opens at 5, then I do my normal weight workout, plus 40 - 60 minutes cardio in gym. And my plan is to get more cardio later in the day as well by either going back to the gym when Zak naps or running to/from studio on nights I teach (like tonight). I realize I will totally be over training, but I have to lose at least 20 pounds within about 4 weeks (5 lbs/week - eek!) now so whatever does it does it! Mainly I realize it will be my consistent clean eating , but I'm ready to do whatever I can to speed the process! Priorities have been elsewhere for the past few months, but I'm taking this time to re-focus on fitness! Once I've done this competition, I plan to have a competition each month so I don't yo-yo and just stay strong at anice fit feminine 130 pounds (which is totally realistic and not an unreasonable ideal I don't think). That's what I like about my switch from Figure to Bikini or Fitness Model category... it's a more natural shape that you can totally maintain year-round if you're fit and eat right. Insanity for a month, then just maintenance!