New program - Leg Day!

This week has been by far the hardest training week yet. It is always a hard week when coming off a transition week (rest week), however all I can say is WOW! I think my coach said the words " SHOCK AND AWE" and I was more thinking along the lines of him trying to kill me...lol! So my new program is still kinda normal 6 days a week with more HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) and 3 lift days - the interval training is now much more difficult timing in at 61 minutes plus core training afterwards. Wednesday is now leg day and today is Sunday and this is the first time I could talk about leg day - lol - yep it was that bad! I am not going to sugar coat this at all - TERRIBLE - it was mental. My trainer said sorry a few times, I think he felt bad for me- lol. SO here is a little picture of this workout - starts with 3 sets of 40 walking lunges 45lbs dumb bells each hand ), can you picture how this feels? We take 30-45 sec breaks between in set and stretch - it is timed so try that and see how your heart rate has no chance of recovering in 30 seconds and then on to the next set. Then Hack Squats, One legged leg press, Leg curls, Glute machine/bench step-ups, then kneeling leg curl and the hip abductor/adductor machine. Seriously this workout the entire time was so mental - I talked to myself the entire 90 minutes - ya it was that long - I had to push myself so hard. Your legs are done after the lunges yet you still go on to the next. When we went to the smith machine to do the Hack squats ( our gym is not equipped with a hack machine ) my legs actually gave out - I dropped right to the floor- it was insane. My mind had the weight and I was good but my legs gave out. I rested for a second got up and said " ok lets get this done", and on I went. This by far was the hardest I have worked ever I think - wow - I wonder if  I will be saying this every 6 weeks, lol!

It was a tough week and talk about sore, I had to have ice cold showers to try and help with the pain. It is hard to stay focused and happy when something like that is happening. This is why I waiting until today to post this, if I had posted this Wednesday night, I may have had to put a 18+ rating on it - haha! Tomorrow is Monday, a new week and here it is - I SURVIVED - and I will continue to push hard and get stronger. Your mind is a amazing tool and your body can handle incredible things :)

Stay focused everyone!

Changing Focus

14 Weeks ago - I switched bottles around -lol! What an old stack compared to the new. Sometimes you just need to change focus. What is it that you are trying to accomplish and what is standing in your way. What changes are needed to succeed and then you make that change if it is what you really want. This is where only the strong survive. You can talk the talk but can you walk it? How many times have you heard people complain about things like their weight, job, marriage/relationship, yet they do nothing about it. So it can't be that awful if you are willing to live each and everyday of your precious life in it. I think we all know that you need to stop fearing change and just leap......have faith, and the rest will work itself out.

The key I have found is ONE DAY AT A TIME! We are so much stronger than we think we are! When you change your focus , you change your life, and for me this has been an amazing experience so far. Do what you need to do, not what you think others want you to do, and most of all BE HAPPY!

Smile

Well I made it through another weekend - alcohol free - lol - that is quite the task when it's 100 degrees on the beach and everyone around you is drinking - WTF! Actually it wasn't that bad - I'm focused and I don't want to jeopardize my results this far. 

So the transition week is finally over - all I did this week was 5 days of moderate cardio ( oh ya I snuck a run in to see if I could still do it - yep 5K no probs ) to rest my body and get it ready for the next 6 weeks. 

Sometimes I just need to smile and realize I've already accomplished 12 weeks with no setbacks - another 12 weeks - no problem. One day at a time, one workout at a time - it will come! I guess it's true that if it was easy everyone would do it! So the strong really do survive because it takes alot of strength, drive, discipline, and determination to ride this wave. I am looking forward to Monday - a new week - a new program - and new results !  

So just stop for a minute - and smile!

Eating Clean

TRAINING IS EASY - EATING CLEAN IS THE HARD PART! I'm sure we have all heard this or some form of it - it's 80% diet 20% gym - Abs are made in the kitchen - and all that other diet stuff. So what I have found out already in 12 weeks - this is SO true! The training is not easy but eating clean and staying faithful and not slipping is even harder. It takes the most will power I have ever had to use. I quit smoking a while ago and that takes some willpower for a few weeks but then your done and that's over. This eating clean is a part-time job - u need to shop-alot-to get fresh produce and meat. You need to prep it and have it basically prepared if you work fulltime like me. If you are going out for the day, you need to bring it all with you, it really is tons of work. Don't get me wrong here and I am not complaining - I'm just telling it REAL - so that you have an idea what is involved. Before I started this path, I wasn't a terrible eater and I ate pretty good. However, we would go out alot and grab subway or wraps for lunch, etc. I was never a fast food person so that doesn't bother me. I was however a huge salt person, I loved to eat popcorn, chips, pretzels. The sweets weren't really my weakness except the double stuff Oreos - love those little guys. Over the last 12 weeks I have found myself time to time dreaming about ice cream and chocolate. Today it was consuming me. I had to chew about 14 pieces of gum today - lol. It is so strange that all of a sudden I want SWEETS. I am allowed one medium sized fruit mid morning with my protein and let me tell you the fruit takes like candy its soooooooo good. My point here is it would be very easy to just cave in and go for ice cream or eat chocolate and the temptation is everywhere, all the time. If you want it bad enough you will just find a way to deal with it. I chew gum - lol and then blog about it.

Stay strong and eat clean - it will all be worth it :)

The Race Horse

This is my transition week again so that means nothing but cardio at a moderate pace - no lifting and only 4 days. In other words - REST - then we hit it hard for another 6 weeks. I found out today that I get a little depressed or something during this week. I am not sure why this happens but I now realize I felt this same way the last transition week I had. I know that my body and muscles so very badly need the rest but my mind is somewhere else. I was expressing my feelings to a close friend today and he said to me, " take advantage of it and recharge the batteries girl- u will come out stronger next week " then he said the reason your feeling like this is because "YOU ARE A RACEHORSE, AND RACEHORSES DON'T LIKE TO JUST TROT!"

Wow - I was amazed by that comment. He actually thinks of me like that - he sees it in me every day at the gym - he sees the greatness within me, even when I don't. I was aware again today how important it is to surround yourself with people who believe in you. People who want you to succeed as bad as you want to. I have been called alot of things in my life and today " A RACE HORSE" OK- I like that one - lol!

Inspire Everyone You Can

I got a text message today from my oldest daughter today - it was a picture of a lady at the gym and the caption said "to hear the boys say - YOU BENCH HOW MUCH?!" lol- I sent her back a smiley face then she says, " I'm so proud of you Mom" - WOW - my eyes swelled with tears. To hear your daughter tell you she is proud of you was just an amazing feeling this morning. I really then realized that they watch everything you do and see your drive and determination. They see me now eating clean, fitness, working hard, being completely disciplined and they understand. I think they are learning as well. They often tell me that someone at school has said something or a teacher has asked them what is your mom doing - they talk about it with their friends, their teachers, even strangers I bet - lol. So if they talk about my fitness goals with all these people - I am also assuming they talk about everything they see and hear. I guess I am glad that I am not that crazy wild party animal parent that lives in the bars and has men over and parties at my house because if that were true - they would also talk about that. I think it is great that they want to share my life with their peers. Both my girls have shown an interest in the gym and now they both come with me a few days a week and they are interested in the lifestyle. I don't want them getting crazy into the fitness just yet but staying active is very important and eating better is a great start. I have always wanted to inspire people and I am so honoured that I have inspired my daughters. Today has motivated me more than ever to succeed.

Thank You to my 2 amazing and beautiful daughters - U inspire me every single day- I love you both more than words could ever express!       

Milestone

Fridays = Leg day

BAM! Rocked leg day! I hit a milestone and was able to do 3 sets 15 reps of 300lbs on the leg press. My trainer and I were quite happy - we high fived each other and he took a few pics. Very Impressive he told me. It felt great to push it that hard. The leg press is the first exercise that we do and then more follow. I was able to increase weight on every single leg exercise yesterday - it was incredible. I am getting stronger every single week.

When my trainer Josh asked me why I was so pumped up - I laughed and said it's my new Under Armour clothes - hahaha! He thinks we should tell them there clothes make me strong-lol. I told Josh my new goal is to be a fitness model for Under Armour - they are by far my favourite gym gear.

Prior to getting to the gym I told myself no matter what I would push 300lbs on that machine. My mind took my body where I wanted it to go. IT IS A MIND GAME and your body will listen and respond. Keep thinking positive and picture the end result and your body will amaze you and it will follow the plan.


 STAY FOCUSED ;)

Never Quit

RULE #1

I posted this on my instagram (deannabishop)yesterday, and I had a comment from my girlfriend and it said " what, you first quit smoking, then quit drinking, you quit eating bad, and you quit hanging out with me - ahhhhh I think I see a pattern here - lol"

I thought about someone possibly commenting something like that when I post something about never quitting, but we all know what this was intended to mean and I thought her comments were cute :)

You can never quit on yourself or something that you really want to do or accomplish. When you quit something I find if it is something that you really want it will haunt you and you will need to keep going or continue with it. I have had this fitness thing in my head for some time now - really started getting serious about a year ago. All I could think about was getting "jacked" and being in fantastic shape. I would look at other women who worked out and was jealous and wanted what they had. In my car while driving, I would daydream about being in shape and having that "stage" body. I could see myself there, in perfect shape and then helping others as well. One year passes and I still can't shake the thoughts so I realize I need to make it my goal and here we are today.

It has been almost 10 weeks since I started with my new program and goal and it has already been a fun and exciting journey. I am looking forward to the next 10 weeks :)

NEVER QUIT!

Staying Loyal

HOW TRUE IS THIS ???

You know commitment when u see it. You also can feel when u are totally committed to something you have said you are going to do. Long after everyone else would have quit or gave up you are still doing it - COMMITMENT!

Another Monday is here - phew made it through another weekend and it really is getting easier to not go out drinking and get all hungover the next day - I don't miss that at all. I get up Saturday morning, make a green tea have a little breakfast then off to the gym for my cardio/core training. I feel alive at the gym. I am very pumped and happy when I leave and then I carry on with my day. I have to do alot of prepping on the weekends to get ready for the week. Anyone out there who trains like this will know the commitment involved in prepping your meals.
 Sundays are my one rest day so no gym and that can be hard sometimes but this week I had a few friends stop over and we went on a road trip out of town to a fundraiser and had some fun. I packed a cooler with my snacks and lunch so I would not be tempted to eat bad things - lol. However after the races we stopped for some wonderful soft swirl ice cream - u know the twist stuff half chocolate and half vanilla - well the 2 places we stopped one was closed and the other ran out right when we got there - wtf is that- I was so bummed out - I was gonna have a treat and that is what I wanted more than anything else. I have been waiting forever-lol. I settled for a small ice cream instead and was indeed disappointed but oh well, life goes on and guess what it still tasted very good and I am ok with the fact that once in a while you just need a treat!You can't be mad at yourself for giving in now and then.
 It really feels real now - I am so committed that nothing can stop me. I have been able to know what to avoid and how to succeed so far. I have no fear in me and I know that my drive and determination will carry forward on this journey.

I am staying loyal, are you?