The Newborns Have Been Delivered!

No I'm not talking about babies.... I'm talking about NEW WORKOUT PLAYLISTS!!!!

I have 3 and I'm willing to share them all because I think that they're oh so good! This post is particularly for Lisa Peakes...

I have to say that I really did some digging on this one. I Downloaded a good number of new songs and went back and browsed my past lists for some of my favorite recent workout songs.  I think all in all, there's a damn good mix of stuff in here.....

After the 3 hours I've spent on this I can't wait to get my ass back in the gym to try them out...

Here goes: (find them in the next 3 posts)

Getting Back

Alright, so I've had some time to think long and hard the past day or two, and I've got my head together. The little bit of a break that I had really threw me for a big one. I couldn't seem to figure out how I had lost my groooooveeeeee. I've been working out and eating clean the past 2 weeks since being back, but I still felt totally lost and that I didn't know what was going on. I finally figured it out: A clear goal.

Yes, I have long decided on what my new competition date will be, but after having to "change the plan" I got a little whacked. This being my first competition I was easily deterred when my original plan didn't happen as I planned. Even though I KNOW that it's okay to re-evaluate my goals and restructure my plan to get there, I didn't really believe it. I've been going through the motions half-heartedly recently claiming that I'm ready for the next step. Ready for the NEW plan. I'm flexible and capable of adaptation, blah blah blah you get the picture. After all of that, I've realized that my PROBLEM was that I hadn't REALLY committed myself to my new goal. While the IDEA of competing was still alive and kicking, I had lost my perspective of what was really required of me to reach my goal. 

How can I faithfully pursue something that I haven't committed to to begin with?

To actually make it to the stage is going to take far more than just going through the motions, but for some reason this totally fell out of my mind. With that being said, I'm here to say that I have (re) COMMITTED myself to this experience and this process and fully intend to pursue my goal of competing at Universe in Miami on June 19th 2010.

oh hey! 10 weeks?

I don't even know anymore; but I know that I'm somewhere between here and there.

Weeks ago I declared that I was 10 weeks out which OBVIOUSLY is not true.

After returning from Haiti I really had to re-evaluate my goals and my competition date had to change. It seems that I had bitten off more than I could chew.

Now I've found myself in some place between being rip roaring and ready to go, and afraid that I won't be prepared because I've been set back; and subsequently altered my course.

I'm okay with an alteration. I have reset myself and collected my day to day plans from THIS moment on, and it is from here that I press on.

10 weeks out.

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10 weeks!

Now that I'm in the home stretch, I'm going to try my best to blog weekly about what I'm doing, how I'm doing, what I need to do, etc. As long as I can keep up with this, I think it will be a fun way for me to track my progress in these last weeks, which are the weeks where the changes are easily seen week to week.

I think that this week is going to be a big one for me because I really need to step it up! I've got to get more high intensity cardio sessions in, and I really need to get back on track with getting yoga in 3x a week. I can't even begin to describe how good my body feels when I incorporate yoga at least that often.I think that with a little tightening up of my schedule and some good old fashioned time management, I'll be able to get it all done without a hitch.

I'm dubbing this my power week, and I plan to make it just that. Next Saturday, I want to think back on the week and say "man that was one kick ass week". I know that once I step it up, there's no turning back.

Change of plan, but still on track.

After much deliberation, I decided to abandon my goal of competing in Fitness Atlantic on April 17th. While I will likely day-trip it for finals, I won't be there for the whole event. I spent a day pouting about it, but all in all, it's just the best thing for me to do. I have a lot going on over the next couple of weeks and not only will the stress be insurmountable, but now I've learned that the financial requirements are also out of this world. I just have to put my priorities in check! In doing so, I've decided that the Jay Cutler on May 2nd will be my first competition rather than my second. 

I'm sad that I won't be sharing the stage with all of my Savage homies, but all is well. I'll just share the stage with them a couple weeks later. No biggie. SO onward and outward! I have a few more weeks to prep and I have to say, I don't mind at all. Tomorrow morning, I'm gonna wake up and head to Sunday Session with my new (but preexisting) goal date in mind.

Camp Savage 2010

This past weekend I attended my very first Camp Savage at Cathy's studio in Norwood. Having been going to Sunday Sessions since September or October, I wasn't nervous as I've come to know (and LOVE) so many Savage Girls. I expected a familiar atmosphere with familiar faces. I expected to learn more about competitive fitness, get some practice time in my heels, and as always to have a kickass workout.

I didn't expect what I got.

I didn't expect that out of the 50+ ladies in attendance, I'd feel equally connected to each of them as if I had known them all for years. I wasn't prepared to be so blown away by some of the stories these women shared about themselves and their journeys in fitness. The one thing that shocked me the most was just the overall feeling that we are all family. You think of getting that many women together for the purpose of learning to compete against each other in this sport and the first thing that comes to my mind is being stabbed in the temple with a 6" clear plastic stiletto, while being held in a headlock by some big burly butch bitch who is trying to steal your protein powder.

Since I've been involved with CSF I've heard about (and experienced) the great comradery that is the greatest benefit of being a part of this team. What I didn't expect was that this same geniality and warmth could translate into a larger group dynamic, especially one with so many absolute strangers. There is something to be said about the power of knowing that when you're pushing yourself beyond your limits, you've got a whole team of like minded people right behind you cheering you on and genuinely rooting for you to barrel through any personal barriers. 

That being said, I'll reiterate that I've longed to compete since I was a teenager. Even though in the past I set goals for myself, I never knew what tools would prove more important in helping me to get there. I know now that it's about more than just me and I'll never get there if I seek to do it on my own. Though it may sound silly to those who have no interest in doing what I'm doing, but without a doubt, being a part of this team has been, and will continue to be one of the most enlightening, amazing, and fuzzy feel good puppies and rainbows type experiences I'll ever have.

Happy New Year

This year certainly hasn't started off with the great bang that I expected. I've missed appointments, gym dates, been late for work, hurt my back, all in the first week of the year. It feels like my intentions are there, but my mind is just MIA.It's like I've got this BOSS master plan, but I haven't caught up to it yet. I'm still moving at 2009 pace. After about 5 days of this ridiculousness, I checked up on my astroanalysis for the year and GUESS WHAT? According to "the stars" my New Year is projected to start off roughly  until around the 15th when planetary alignment changes, thwarting me into the beginning of great things. It projected that this will be a powerhouse of a year for me, (which I can feel) and warned of burning out early on. Funny, but I've thought about the same thing with all of the goals I have planned.

All metaphysical arguments aside, (because I'm not interested in hearing anyone's religious rhetoric against astrology) I think it's nifty to ready something like this that really does fall right in line with what I'm experiencing. That being said, my negative feeling about the way the year has started have ceased, and instead I'm pushing on the best I can until things straighten out on their own and I begin MY new year. I also have to be careful not to burnout too soon. I know this is a real threat because I tend to be very idealistic and "want it all right now". Patience has been one of the biggest challenges that I've faced in the past couple of years, but it still seems that I can't quite get grasp the idea of sitting back and waiting for things to unfold. I like to agitate and force things, which isn't always a good thing. This month, and this whole year for that matter I have to remember to focus on the day to day, rather than big picture.

I have goals and roadmaps to achieve them. All that I need to do now is take them one step at a time.