5 Weeks- Bikini Competition & Basic Tips for Weight Loss

Hi!!

Hope life is treating you well... It's been SO good to me!

Here we are, 5 weeks out!

I decided to put it up next to where I started just to show the progression a bit better.

I got a new suit!! I love it! I have been learning so much from my amazing coach. She suggested the colors that will stand out on stage and look good on my physique.

Weight is at 121. Although weight is not something I use as guage my progression (I've lost around 10 lbs total) it's always a good thing to use to push yourself and push the limits further. Some weeks I lose 3 lbs, some i dont lose any, some i've gained a lb or two. Its all in the mixture of the process of burning fat and building muscle.

I do a total of about 9 workouts a week. So I am still working out twice a day at least three times a week. I haven't posted diets or workouts because those are given to me by a coach. The breakdown looks like this:

Monday: Shoulders/Cardio
Tuesday: Legs/Cardio
Wednesday: 1 hour cardio
Thursday: Back/Core/Cardio
Friday: 1 hour cardio
Saturday: Arms
Sunday: 1 hour cardio, or rest.. depending on how my body feels

LOTS of work! Remember, I am training for a competition. This would be a tough to do year round.

I have had a lot of people asking me for tips. It depends on what your goals are (you must define your goals so you have a reference point to work towards). For non-competitors looking for weight loss here are just a few to get you started:

•  NUTRITION - This is a BIG part of losing weight. Watch what you put in your mouth! Try eating five meals a day. In each meal include a good protein source, vegetables, and a small amount of complex carbs (wheat bread/crackers/wrap, oats, sweet potato, brown rice). The amounts of these will vary depending on your weight and activity level. A good site that i used to use back in my personal training days was myfitnesspal.com. You can enter your information and your goals and it will give you a good idea of what your intake should be. You can also track your food here. Stay away from sugar, sugar increases the storage of fat. It also messes with your blood sugar levels which makes you crave more of it and also makes you want to eat more in general.

• BE ACTIVE! Mix it up. Some days do aerobic cardio (below your anaerobic threshold). i will be writing more about this soon, but this is your fat burning state. In this state you shouldn't be able to say two words without taking a breath (hard but not extremely hard). Other days do HIIT intervals which is a higher intensity cardio (sprints). Here is an example:

Treadmill-

Jog 1 min
Sprint 1 min
Jog 2 min
Sprint 1 min
Jog 2 min
Sprint 1 min
Walk 1 min
Sprint 1 min

Repeat 2 times(30 minutes total)

           Do not forget resistance training! Do not be afraid to lift heavy weights! About 12 reps per exercise (3 sets). Increasing muscle = increase metabolism. Who doesnt want their body burning calories when they arent working out?!

• Never forget that this is a lifestyle. There is no such thing as a diet. A diet assumes that you will be following a specific regime until you reach your goals, and then what?? As soon as you stop dieting and you go back to your pre diet life you will get right back to where you were! Don't waste your time on 'dieting'. Choose to live a better life and commit!! Welcome, its a beautiful feeling.

• Make changes. If you stop seeing results its because you need to revaulate your goals. My diet and workouts change every week based on my physique and weight. If you continue to do the same thing you will hit a wall which can be extremely frustrating.

This is a great start. Feel free to come to me with questions! Im LOVING all of the support!


MY goals for week 5-

Get weight in the teens!
This week my diet has had a couple changes, mostly more fish (leaner protein source) and the addition of salmon to one of my meals to get a good fat source mmmm..

Also, I've got to work on my lower back. LOTS of back extensions.

Have a blessed week!!! Keep living well!