We Live and Learn

Ok, so I've clearly been slacking in my blog - it's almost been 2 weeks since I last posted! As many of you know, I competed in the Europa Show of Champions in Orlando, FL about a week ago. The plan was to compete in fitness all along but due to a hamstring pull, I decided to not cancel my tickets but to still head to sunny FL and compete in bikini (where I had originally won my pro card in).

It was great to meet up with a lot of people that I have not seen in a while, especially my roomie, another fellow IFBB bikini competitor, and my VPX gang. Over the years, I've met many people in the industry so catching up with them was a pleasure. And yet - there are still so many people to meet, so it was quite the show to make new friends.

I went in to the weekend not feeling my absolute best as I couldn't give it my all towards the end because of my leg, especially when it came to training and cardio. Doing the NY Pro Fitness show just 2 weeks ago, didn't help my leg either but that show was just so much fun and I wouldn't trade that experience in! Needless to say, I didn't look my best so I didn't do my best. Overall the weekend was a HUGE learning experience for me. The bikini division is still so new with the NPC/IFBB so I still feel that they are feeling the grounds for what they are looking for and that certainly confuses me. But with anything new, you just need to do it a couple times to figure it out.

Coming home from the weekend, disappointed doesn't even come close to how I felt with myself. I was down and out for the count. Buttt - I didn't let that consume me and make me feel bad for myself. I realized what had happened and just needed to move on and that's what I'm doing. Competing in fitness for me won't be happening for the remainder of the year unfortunately as I feel it's going to take some time for my leg to heal plus I really want to focus on my physique as well as strength/flexibility for fitness. However I can't conclude 2010 with my last show, so with that being said I'm aiming for another bikini show in the summer. I feel that this will give me enough time to make some serious changes and to really bring my A game next time. So yes, I plan on redeeming myself for me!

With this particular experience as well as many life experiences, we live and we learn. We can either sit and ponder/mope about things or move on with positivity and that's what I intend to do! I've got some fuel now to add to this fire and I'm ready to do some damage next time :)

Savage Support

This weekend marks my 2nd pro show of the year...the Europa Show of Champions taking place on April 16-April 17 in Orlando, FL. The original plan was to compete in fitness for this show however due to a hamstring injury, I will not be competing in fitness but will instead be competing in bikini. I had originally received my pro card in bikini last year, so I am very excited to step on stage to rock the new pro bikini division and to "sass it up" more so than I did in fitness just a couple of weeks ago. Although my hamstring kept me from performing my routine at this show, it will not keep me from strutting my stuff on stage - that's for sure! I am thrilled to rock it out in Orlando.

At every show I've competed in since 2006, I've had my huge support system of all my Savage Girls including my wonderful coach, Cathy. Sadly this will be the first show where hardly any of them will be there. Instead of feeling down and out, I am excited to branch out and to reconnect with other competitors and to meet new competitors - these shows are always such great experiences for me. And I will certainly be in touch with my Savage family back home, keeping them "in the know" as the weekend progresses. They have provided me with so much knowledge and information over the years, that I feel so privileged to go out there on my own and to represent our family and team and to make them proud!

Through all of my years competing, I can honestly say that I am in the best place ever physically, mentally and emotionally. I feel the most confident I have ever been and am just so excited for this upcoming show. Details to follow!

Baked Pears with Cranberries and Walnuts

Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:
3 ripe but firm pears, peeled, cored and quartered
1/3 cup pomegranate juice
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place quartered pears in a baking dish. Drizzle pomegranate juice over pears. Sprinkle cranberries and walnuts over the top.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until pears are tender.

Serve with juices and fat-free or low fat frozen vanilla yogurt.

Tangy Chicken Kebabs

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound chicken breasts, cut into pieces
4 ounces plain nonfat yogurt
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 small to medium zucchini, cut into thick rounds.
8 grape tomatoes


INSTRUCTIONS:
Combine yogurt, cumin, chili powder and oregano. Spoon into a gallon-sized zip lock bag. Add chicken pieces. Seal bag, pressing out air. Move chicken pieces around in bag to cover with yogurt and spice mixture. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or overnight.

Soak 4 wooden bamboo skewers in water.

Preheat broiler or grill.

Thread chicken, zucchini and grape tomatoes onto sticks. Spray briefly with cooking spray. Broil or grill for 5 minutes per side. Serve with whole grain rice.

On to the Next One...

So my show plans for the beginning of this year have changed. The plan was to compete in fitness at both the NY Pro and Europa Show of Champions in April then to compete in bikini at both the NY Pro in May and the Europa in July. However due to a serious hamstring pull that happened the week before the NY Pro fitness show, I have decided to focus only on bikini shows for the remainder of the year. I am feeling an overwhelming amount of emotions because I worked so hard on my physique and routine to compete in fitness however after pulling my hamstring then depleting for 1 show and doing my routine full out that night, I came back to Boston with my leg feeling worse unfortunately. I have not been able to train legs nor have intense cardio sessions and it's totally bumming me out so leaning out and working on my conditioning would have been tough to go further with fitness right now. I am lucky that the pull isn't that horrible, I can still walk and still compete so I have to look on the bright side. I'm focusing on rocking some bikini shows with a killer off season in order to bring a super tight package next year for fitness again, I really can't wait!

So watch out for me in Orlando, FL next week as I debut in my first pro bikini show! I'm hoping to show the judges out there that I have a versatile look and yes, you can cross over between 2 divisions such as bikini and fitness. I'm excited to see what happens. Stay tuned!

1st Pro Show is a Wrap!

I am home and have successfully competed in my first IFBB pro fitness show. What an amazing experience I had! Leading up to this show, I was filled with a mix of emotions ranging from anxious, nervous, happy, excited, etc. It was a roller coaster ride to say the least. But looking back on my whole experience and presence at the show, I can say that I gave it my all and performed at my best. Granted, I did have some obstacles with being a newbie and crossing over from bikini to fitness and the worst of it all - pulling my hamstring a week before show. But I held my own, walked on that stage with my head high and stood in that line up with the best of them! I am so proud of myself.

I met some amazing women who welcomed me with open arms and helped to calm me down before the show. For that, I am truly thankful. I felt like I belonged and honestly, that's all that I wanted. I knew going in to the show that I wasn't the ideal physique that they were looking for - I did have that "bikini" look but with a little bit more muscle and I wasn't as lean or tight as some of the girls but I came in with the best package for me. I'm so glad that I took that enormous leap to cross over and just went out there and did it. By doing so, I learned a lot! My goal is to keep competing in fitness however I probably won't be competing in fitness for another year or so. With the pull of my hamstring a week before the show, it messed a couple things up for me and I really want to give that time to heal. I also know that my physique is not where it needs to be right now in order to do some damage on the fitness stage again. Therefore, I'm going to be competing in 2-3 bikini shows this year, have a kickass off season where I can build some more and then jump right back into fitness at the NY Pro show again next year....I'll know to give my body more time to lean down and get tighter, overall bringing a much better package to the stage. It'll also allow me to work on some serious strength moves and flexibility so I'm super excited!

Next up for me is the Europa Show of Champions in Orlando, FL in just 2 weeks! Back to hitting the gym and some clean eats - hoping to rock the bikini world now! So excited for where I'm at both mentally and physically right now...gotta keep working hard to that goal!