Novice Bikini Competitor: 3 weeks- Bikini Competition & ABS!

Hey there!

Sorry its been a while since i have been able to post.. Life is SO busy right now with work alone, add training to that, well, you can imagine :)

So recap of the last couple weeks

Week 4: We took out some carbs in the AM. Not a ton, but it make a HUGE difference in the way I felt. This was the first week I actually felt hungry. By hungry I mean STARVING. This is the part where competition prep is different than maintaining a healthy lifestyle. It would not be ideal to do this year round. I may be sweet but I'm competitive and stubborn as hell which pushes me where a lot of people might give up! I love the fact that its tough because it makes me feel like im accomplishing something. I can't say it enough, if this were easy everyone would be doing it. TOUGH workouts last week and this week. Starting off shoulders on Monday with 30 burpies between each exercise and plyo between each set (squat jumps). Just to give you an idea.

I take my progression pics at 6 am so excuse the hair lol

3 weeks out:

I have started getting my posing down. Basically what you see above, turn to the back, and once more to the front, with a bit of attitude, my favorite part :)
Diet still includes mainly fish, veggies, egg whites, oats, sweet potato, and some good fat (almonds).
Heavy on this fish this week (keeping it lean!)

ABS!
So I was changing in the locker room the other day and I had a girl ask me, what do you do for abs?!

The funny part about it, I haven't really done a ton of ab exercises until about a week or two ago. I am not sure if you have heard this before but I stand by the saying, "Abs are made in the kitchen." You can do crunches and sit ups all day long but if they are covered by a layer of fat then you will never see them. Doing abdominal exercises will not cause you to lose belly fat, eating right and being active will!

Getting rid of body fat in this journey so far has been a mixture of diet, weights, and cardio. One thing that I have learned that my body has reacted to well is the way I do cardio. I do not just spend an hour a day on the elliptical. I do 20-30 mins of HIIT- Sprints! before I lift in the morning. I go back after work and get 45 mins in at night three times a week. My cardio at night is spent in a lower heart rate zone (aerobic). I use my heart rate monitor for this but its usually at the point where you are working hard enough that you cant say more than two words without having to take a breath.

Look out for my next blog for heart rate and cardio.

After all of that is said.. I FEEL AMAZING! I was able to eat sushi on Saturday night (limited) but it was SO good. This morning I had an awesome workout so I am starting week three out strongly.

It's amazing to me that not even 6 months ago I was wearing a size 8! I went shopping the other day and the retail worker said.. umm you are SMALL might need to try a 0!