Light 'em Up!

Tom was awesome enough to put together a video of
one of my recent back workouts. 

Operation Build-a-Back is still in effect!

This workout was composed of:

Wide grip lat pulldowns

105 x 12 (2 sets)  120 x 10 (2 sets)

Close grip pulldown

90 x 14 (4 sets)

Bent over row (Smith machine)

25/25 x 10 (2 sets)  35/35 x 8 (2 sets)  45/45 x 6 (2 sets)

Hammer Strength MTS Row machine

40/40 x 10 (2 sets)  50/50 x 10 (2 sets)

Superset:

Cable high rows

65 x 10 (4 sets)

Straight arm cable pulldown

65 x 10 (2 sets)   90 x 10 (2 sets)

I hope you enjoy what Tom has created with a dash of my goofy behavior & atrocious posing!

Challenge Accepted!

As I shared with y'all in my "What's Beautiful? I'll Show You!!" post, I am participating in the Under Armour What's Beautiful campaign! I have begun looking at the list of challenges and since Sunday, I have completed 3! Can a girl get a "woot woot" up in here?!? :)

One of the challenges I'm working on is the "Give It Up" challenge. The challenge is simple - post a photo of something youʼre willing to sacrifice in order to meet your goal.

At first I wasn't sure what I could post...I mean....I'm in prep (Black and Yellow's Excellent Adventure sound familiar to anyone??) so I've pretty much given up everything...lol! I've given up carbs, sweets, booze, even coffee so what else is there to give?!?!

Then it hit me.

I have slowly been giving something up over the course of the last 12 weeks. It wasn't a food item, or a beverage, or the love of my life green olives. No....it was something else....something B-I-G!

If you want to know what I let go in pursuit of my goals and for the sake of my sanity, check out my Give It Up challenge post on my What's Beautiful page!

There's still time to join the challenge so if you've been debating about whether you should join in the fun or not, stop thinking and just do it! Christine over at Oatmeal in My Bowl put together a great post entitled "@UAWomen #WhatsBeautiful Navigation Site Tutorial" to help you create a profile and navigate the site!

What's Beautiful? I'll Show You!!

This is a sponsored post and part of a campaign with Under Armour and FitFluential.

Under Armour has launched the third edition of its "What’s Beautiful" campaign and I am beyond excited that, as a FitFluential Ambassador, I have been asked to be a part of all this fabulousity! (I'm pretty certain I just made up a word...again...lol)

What's Beautiful is an 8 week competition to redefine the female athlete. This is not for professional athletes or models. This is for the every day active woman.This is about encouraging woman to set goals for themselves and supporting them as they conquer their goals! It's about challenging you to push past your limits and help rewrite the definition of beauty!


From the What's Beautiful website -

"DECLARE A GOAL. THEN SHOW US HOW IT’S DONE.

Together we’re redefining the female athlete by setting epic goals and pushing past where we’ve ever been and where we thought we could go. Join us. Set your own personal goal. Then document your journey by posting videos and photos that tell your story from start to victory.

We’ll continuously post challenges for you. But that’s just the beginning. Show us your journey. Show us what makes your story the one that stands out from the rest. If you meet your goal, set a new one. Make it even bigger. Prove to everyone, and yourself, that you have more than what it takes.

THE COMPETITION.

Every week we’ll give away Under Armour Swag Bags full of gear to women who are seriously getting it. We’ll also feature profiles on our home page and in the “Top Performers” section of women who are really setting an example for all of us.

After 8 weeks, we’ll announce the 10 finalists who’ve documented the most impressive, motivated, monumental stories.

Winners will be announced mid-July."

I AM DECLARING MY GOAL.

My goal is "I will be a force to be reckoned with. I will finish in the top 10 of my first national figure competition. I WILL."

Top 10?!?! That seems pretty lofty for someone who is stepping on the national stage for the first time and has yet to win an overall title let alone her figure class, doesn't it?? But you know what, I don't care! I need to push myself and change my mindset. I can be a contender - scratch that - I WILL be a contender!

This is my page on the What’s Beautiful website that you can check out.  This is where you will find my pictures, videos and other challenges I will complete as I work towards the goal I have set for myself.


WHAT ABOUT YOU?? Is there something you want to achieve but haven't quite gotten off the couch per se? Ready to set a goal for yourself?


I have created a team, Team Invictus, that I hope you will consider joining. The goal of Team Invictus to be healthier  happier, stronger, bolder, more active than the old you!  Take a few minutes to watch this video which shows you how to sign up, how to cheer on other women who are participating in this competition, find challenges to conquer, and more. If you would like to join my team or any of the other incredible teams that have been formed, you can do so HERE! 

Ladies, this is the perfect opportunity to push yourself to the next level - whatever that might be. Let's set a goal, kick ass, support one another, and redefine what's beautiful.

I hope that you'll join me!

On Twitter & Instagram:  @UAWomen #whatsbeautiful #iwill @fitfluential #FitFluential @mrsfitlibrarian

Now I Can Breathe

The pictures below have been my life for the past few days...

We went from this....

To this....

Tom telling The Princess stories while we waited to go to the operating room

When The Princess slept, I would try to do the same.

I am happy to report that The Princess is home, resting, and recovering beautifully.

I have some incredible news that I can't wait to share with y'all but it will have to hold until Monday! Have a wonderful weekend and to those of you who moms, Happy Mother's Day!!!

New Release Tuesday

I'm still trying to decide how I feel about this song but I do know that I love Janelle's face...lol! I want her red lipstick! I remember seeing her at the Grammy's and vowing to find a shade of red lipstick that looked as fabulous on me as it did on her.

But I digress....

The song is slowly growing on me...I like it a bit more each time I hear it...give it a listen...

Gym Swag...

I don't have any. Gym swag, that is. What is "swag" anyway? I guess I could look it up in the Urban Dictionary (because really, the Merriam-Webster dictionary just isn't as fun...lol) but I think I'll skip it for now....anywhooooo.....

I have been asked about where I shop for my workout clothes, what brands I like, and the such. Here's the bottom line, I kinda (or not really "kinda") hate to spend a lot of money on workout clothes! I would rather spend $90 on a pair of Steve Madden shoes than a pair of workout leggings I know I'm going to sweat like a pig in. Is that sad? I also know that it's possible to buy cute, great fitting workout clothes without spending all of my allowance - you just have to keep your eyes open and consider stores you haven't in the past!

I didn't always consider Old Navy a store that I would buy my workout clothes from. I love their dresses and shirts but their workout clothes....ehhh....I was a bit leery. But...and a big BUT here...they have really stepped up their game over the last year or two. The quality of their workout clothes is so much better than it has been in the past and the selection is great. Their options are reasonably priced but I love when I find their workout clothes in the clearance section. I found the above Women's Active compression capris on the clearance rack for $9!!! P.S. In case you're wondering, my top in the above pic is from JC Penny and I got it for $7...holla!

A brand that I recently discovered in the past year and really like is X2X Training Gear. While the women's selection isn't as large as the men's, it is slowly growing. I purchased their Ladies Burnout Tank (in black & purple) while I was at last year's Olympia Expo and I love it. The cut is flattering and the fit is amazing. I highly recommend following them on Facebook and/or Twitter - they use both to share info about sales, giveaways, etc.

Lucy Activewear is another brand that makes my heart...and wallet happy! I stumbled upon their clothing about 5 years ago when I was in Richmond, VA visiting family. We were at an outdoor outlet mall and I walked into their store just to browse for things I might be able to wear to bikram yoga. That day, I left with a bag full of clothes and have been shopping with them ever since! I don't normally wear shorter, tight fitting workout shorts but there's something about Lucy's Perfect Booty shorts (in both pictures above) that make me feel like my bottom half is bangin'. Now Lucy's prices are a bit high but they have phenomenal sales so consider them the next time you need need gear.

Other stores that I have success finding clothing at include Walmart (I love Danskin Now!!), Forever 21 (make sure to try their clothes on before you buy - it can run small), and Ross (be prepared to really look through each rack. This store requires time & patience).

There you have it...some of the brands and stores I like. Remember, you can find awesome clothes at reasonable prices - you just have to look!

Now, if I could just find a brand that would help me not look like a hot mess while at the gym.... ;)

That Was Then...

Tamietti Photography

The picture above is from my wedding day on October 16, 2004. I'm not going to lie - I was totally feelin' myself that day! I had busted my butt (or so I thought) in the gym to ensure that I would fit into my gorgeous wedding gown. I had a goal weight that I wanted to reach - 136 lbs - and I cardioed my little heart out to hit that "magic number". Now, at the time I did lift weights but was still fairly new at it. I didn't lift heavy per se but I did lift. As the date of my wedding got closer, I decided to stop lifting because I was afraid I was getting too "bulky" and I would not fit into my dress.

Oh 2004 Tenecia....what a silly stupid girl you were...

This picture is from last weekend. Now, I am definitely not 136 lbs (think higher...lol) but I'm actually happy about it! I love my muscularity and work frickin' hard in the gym to achieve it! If that's what Tenecia circa 2004 would call "bulky", then I'll take it. I still cardio my heart out now & again but my lifting has completely changed. My relationship with the gym & my mentality has completely shifted. I feel strong. I feel powerful. Sometimes I even feel like a beast...and ain't nuthin' wrong with that!

There you have it....that was then....this is now....I totally think 2013 Tenecia could totally kick 2004 Tenecia's ass :)