To The Limit

Have you ever pushed yourself further and further towards a particular goal? Have you gone that extra mile in order to do so? With today being the official 2 week mark to my first IFBB Pro Fitness show (NY Pro 4/3/10), I am feeling an overwhelming bucket of emotions. I feel like I've worked hard, I've dieted hard, I've pushed myself and tested myself. I have done so because I feel that I have to prove myself - prove myself to everyone that I deserve this and I can rock it out with the best of them. I clearly have many obstacles in my way, such as my physique not being up to parr with most of the IFBB Pro fitness girls but I'm bringing the best package for me and I feel confident in that...it's about the best that I can be, not what someone else brings to the stage. Every day I do question what the heck I'm doing and therefore this whole journey is really proving it to myself that I can do this and that I WILL belong up on that stage. I am constantly critical of myself and hard on myself and get frustrated, upset and aggravated with myself but yet I keep on pushing. I get emotional because I feel the pressure...the pressure to do the best that I can. I know that certain people are particularly hard on me because they see potential in me and know I can succeed. I want to make people proud but most of all, I want to make myself proud and that's what I intend to do. 2 weeks! I'm on it, I'm going to be organized and structured and kill it. I'm going to bring the best that I can to that NY stage and rock it out. Because at the end of the day, doing the best that I can is all that really matters.

"All you need is love"

Honey Soy Broiled Salmon

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:
1 scallion, minced
2 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tsp fresh minced ginger
1 lb center cut salmon fillet, skinned (cut into 4 portions)
1 Tsp toasted sesame seeds

Instructions:
Whisk scallion, soy sauce, vinegar, honey and ginger in a medium bowl until the honey is dissolved. Place salmon in a sealable plastic bag, add 3 tablespoons of the sauce and refrigerate; let marinate for 15 minutes. Reserve the remaining sauce.

Preheat broiler. Line a small baking pan with foil and coat with cooking spray.

Transfer the salmon to the pan, skinned-side down. (Discard the marinade.) Broil the salmon 4 to 6 inches from the heat source until cooked through, 6 to 10 minutes. Drizzle with the reserved sauce and garnish with sesame seeds.


Tips:
How to skin a salmon fillet: Place skin-side down. Starting at the tail end, slip a long knife between the fish flesh and the skin, holding down firmly with your other hand. Gently push the blade along at a 30° angle, separating the fillet from the skin without cutting through either.
To toast sesame seeds, heat a small dry skillet over low heat. Add seeds and stir constantly, until golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool.

Arnold Weekend Recap

I'm back home from an amazing weekend in Columbus, OH for the 2010 Arnold Classic Sports Festival Weekend. It was great to spend the weekend with my coaches at Cathy Savage Fitness as well as teammates. I was also able to reconnect with friends in the industry who I sadly only get to see at events such as these so that was a treat.

The weekend started on Thursday evening where some of my teammates competed in the 2010 Arnold Amateur Bikini & Fitness divisions. The show was an overall success and greatly organized. My teammates rocked the stage as usual while all of us in the audience went crazy supporting them and cheering at the top of our lungs! Big shout outs to my close friends Jess Kenney who placed 5th in the bikini short class, Annette Perry who placed 1st in the bikini short class and Nicole Moneer who placed 2nd in the bikini medium class. They truly shined on stage!

Friday we all headed to the famous Arnold Expo where every supplement company had booths. We walked around, got to visit friends working booths and overall just had a good time with each other. Later that night we watched the IFBB Women's Bodybuilding, Fitness & Figure finals. As a new IFBB pro who will be crossing over into fitness, it was amazing watching these talented women get on that Arnold stage and perform. It definitely got me amped up for my pro debut!

Saturday we made our 2nd trek to the Arnold Expo, although this time it was a lot busier and we could hardly walk around! We stayed for a good amount of time and then wrapped it up quick lol. I was fortunate to shoot with the talented Lianna Saadi later that afternoon then instead of going to the after party, a bunch of us went out for a late dinner filled with good food, good drinks (none for me though lol) and some good laughs - a great way to end the trip.

Weekends like these put a lot in perspective for me. I have great friends, great coaches and great teammates. I am so lucky to be surrounded by such positive and inspirational women!

2010 Arnold Sports Festival Weekend

The 2010 Arnold Sports Festival weekend is finally here and I am so excited! The sports festival weekend kicks off on Thursday 3/4/10 and runs through Sunday 3/7/10. The weekend is filled with sports events from table tennis to power lifting, an expo comprised of fabulous sports supplement and training companies and the much anticipated Arnold Classic Bodybuilding, Ms International Female Bodybuilding, Figure International and Fitness International championships. It's a great weekend for me to meet up with old friends and to meet new ones.

Events such as these get me very excited as I can't wait to reunite with old friends, watch friends compete and to network and meet new people. It's also going to get me even more motivated for my upcoming spring shows. I love being a part of this industry and always learning more and meeting more people. It's so great to have so many similar people with similar interests in 1 city - it's all happening in Columbus, Ohio!

For many of you going - I'll see you there!

Do You Have Your Support Team?

How many of you out there truly have 100% support from your family, loved ones and friends in whatever goals & dreams that you have and wish to accomplish? 100% support doesn't mean saying "I support you" - anyone can say that. 100% support means really being there, really having your best intentions at heart and really being there for you every step of the way, through good and bad times.

When I first ventured on this fitness journey to start competing in fitness/bikini competitions, everyone around me thought that I was a little nuts and wondered why I was doing it. Did I have something to prove? Had I lost my mind? The answer was simple...I did it for me. I wanted to do more with my life. I was sick of just going through the every day motions of going to work, etc. I wanted more and deserved more out of life - we all do. However the difference between many of us is that some of us choose to just sit there and go through the motions every day while others go out there and actually make it happen. I made it happen. I changed up my routine - I changed up my workouts and my nutrition. I changed up who I started hanging out with as I found that although certain people said that they were there for me and supported me, the truth is that they really did not.

I learned through this whole process who my true friends are. My family will always be there for me regardless. Will they always approve of me bringing my own food to family events? Nooooo but they still love me for me and now understand what I do and why I do it, they've seen how happy it makes me and how determined I am. I've created a whole new support team in the form of team mates, women of all ages who are there for me through my best of times and worst of times. These women inspire me and motivate me and keep me pushing forward for more. To have a support team like this only drives my confidence and makes me a better person as I hope I do the same for them.

Regardless of whatever you're going through in life, create your support team. Find the people who inspire you and motivate you to keep pushing you further towards your goals. Take each day one by one and cherish in the good times and learn from the difficult times. A support team is so important in all aspects of life. This is what keeps me going and I'm sure it will keep you going as well. Surround yourself with positive people and get rid of the negative people who will only bring you down. Live your life and reach for those goals because every baby step you take will ultimately get you there. A support team standing behind you and rooting you on makes all the difference.

Above All Things...Love Yourself!

Today marks Valentine's Day. For some people, it's a day full of love, comfort, being with who's important to you and it's most likely filled with flowers, chocolates and teddy bears lol. For others, it can be a day to take pity on themselves for not having a significant other to share the day with. I usually don't understand why people can get so wrapped up in today, after all - it's just another day. We shouldn't let 1 day make us feel more or less important than any other day.

Today I was fortunate to spend a couple of hours with some truly amazing and inspiring women. As usual on Sundays, I headed to my coach, Cathy Savage's studio in Norwood, MA (www.cathysavagefitness.com) - little did I know what was in store for me today. We had our usual session...caught up, worked out, laughed and practiced our posing/walking in our heels. How very sexy for Valentine's Day! But the end of the session brought a lot to every women's attention and made us open up our eyes. Yes, Valentine's Day is all about love and loving others but very rarely do we take time to love ourselves. We can get so caught up in pleasing others and taking care of others, that we never take time to take care of ourselves, to love ourselves. We all participated in an exercise in which we all had to go around the room to state something that we loved about ourselves...something physical about us as most women have twisted views of themselves and their bodies. It was a great opportunity for us to go around and...love ourselves, our beings and our bodies. We are women and we're proud of who we are. It was so wonderful to all come together in a positive manner to celebrate who we are on this day - what a bonding experience.

Yes, it is certainly important to love others and to take the time to take care of those who are important to us and who we hold close to our hearts. But we cannot do that until we are truly loving ourselves. It is only then that we can fully love others and spread that wealth. I am realizing that I am very confident in who I am today and proud of the woman that I've become. I love me and am celebrating myself today! I urge you all to take the time to think about what you love about yourselves and to celebrate yourselves as well...it's a great gift!

Happy Valentines Day! xoxo

Consistency is Key

We all know that weight loss doesn't just happen overnight or within the blink of an eye. It requires hard work, focus and most importantly...consistency. You cannot achieve anything in life without consistency. As a certified personal trainer, I've heard many stories of people wanting to lose weight, but after a couple weeks and no results, they steer off track and head right back down the same road they were traveling on before. Nobody stops to realize that this road led them nowhere in the past...so what makes them think that it will lead them somewhere in the future?

If you are serious about your fitness goals and results, you must be ready, both mentally and physically, to put in the time and work required of you. Achieving a goal requires work and is certainly not easy by any means. The key is to stay focused and to stay on your path. While dieting for shows in the past, I've sometimes steered away from my diet thinking that if I have a bite of something here or there that it won't ultimately hurt me. However the truth is that these little things add up and in the end, I was not being consistent therefore I saw no results. Once I stayed on track and focused on the goal, I was well on my way to the stage.

Take the time to write down your fitness goals. Next, map out a plan of attack - maybe these fitness goals require more gym time, yoga for flexibility, more time in the kitchen cooking healthier meals and snacks. Whatever you find that will help you to get there...stay on top of yourselves and hold yourself accountable. Remember, consistency is key and consistency will pay big dividends in the end.

Healthy Superbowl Snack

BBQ Portobello Quesadillas
(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup BBQ Sauce
1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
1 Tbsp Cider Vinegar
1 Chipotle Chili in Adobo Sauce (minced) or 1/4 Tsp Ground Chipotle Pepper
1 Tbsp plus 2 Tsp Canola Oil
1 Pound Porotbello Mushroom Caps (diced)
1 Medium Onion (diced)
4 Whole Wheat Tortillas
3/4 Cup Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

Instructions:
Combine BBBQ sauce, tomato paste, vinegar & chipotle in medium bowl.

Heat 1 Tbsp oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Add onion and cook, stirring until the onion and mushrooms begin to brown, approximately 5-7 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to the bowl with the BBQ sauce, stir to combine. Wipe out the pan.

Place tortillas on a work surface. Spread 3 Tbsp cheese on half of each tortilla and top with one 4th (about 1/2 cup) of the filling. Fold tortillas in half, pressing gently to flatten.

Heat 1 Tsp oil in the pan over medium heat. Add 2 quesadillas and cook, turning once, until golden on both sides, 3-4 minutes total. Transfer to a cutting board and tent with foil to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining 1 Tsp oil and quesadillas. Cut each quesadilla into wedges and serve.

Time is a Ticking...

Ok folks...I am officially a little over 8 weeks out from my first pro show of the year. If you're wondering how I'm doing and how my prep is going, let me fill you in - I AM FREAKING OUT! Yes, you read that right...my usual, calm, collected self is getting nervous and scared. Now do I normally get nervous for shows? Yes, but only when I'm just about to walk on that stage and strut my stuff. I'm getting nervous so soon because I feel like there is a lot of pressure on me this year - I certainly don't want to make a fool of myself that's for sure. I'm afraid because I feel as if I won't fit in. This is a whole new ball game from what I'm used to and I'm hoping that I can just do my thing and "hang" with the big boys (or should I say the big girls lol). I'm grateful and so excited but my nerves are taking over the best of me. I keep 2nd guessing myself and that, in turns, makes me more scared. I'm realizing that I just have to keep on doing what I have been doing, train hard, be smart and just be me because in the end, that's all that I can really do. I have a fabulous theme for my fitness routine this year and the choreography is amazing. Now it's just time to buckle down, practice and get it done! If all goes well, I'll continue with fitness as I love the challenge however I'm also competing in bikini this year too. It'll be interesting to see what better suits me. In the meantime - it's dieting, cardio, lifting, yoga and routine practice! Oh and maybe some work and sleep mixed in there too! Keep checking back on me!

He's Married Y'All!

I am home from the "dirty south" y'all! On Friday morning I boarded a plane to the Carolinas to take part in my best friend, Jamie's wedding to Scarlett. A bunch of us headed down to the south to take part in the wedding festivities and what a great time we all had together. We certainly stuck out like sore thumbs as we clearly didn't belong in the south but needless to say, it was great to be together and to share in Jamie and Scarlett's big day!