Junk in the Trunk!

I wanted to share two really great blog posts that talk about working/tightening/firming your glutes aka your junk in the trunk!


Healthy Glutes on Fit, Fun & Delish

Top 10 Exercises for a Better Butt on MotherFitness


I can't wait to incorporate some of the exercises Ana & Kellie provide to tigthen up my bootay! :)

If you have any exercises that you would like share, please do!!

So...Umm...I Lied....

I will explain why I'm a liar in just a sec. First, let's talk about the picture above. Yes, those are my Tootsie Roll colored chicken legs...lol...with my new Bikilas!!! Tom bought them for me for Christmas and today was the first day I used them in the gym. Loved them! And I think they're kinda cute....laugh if you want....but they are!

Now for the explanation...remember yesterday's post where I said that I was going to give AZ NPC shows a break?? Well, turns out I lied about that! I received an email today and there will be a NPC show in Tucson in July. It's being called the NPC Terminator Championships. And you know what that means....that means there will be a show in my backyard so I HAVE to do it! I'm really excited because Chelsea might do the show as well. Can't wait!

My Bikilas and I hit up legs today and this is what took place:

Superset:

V-Squat 90 x 15 140 x 15 190 x 15

Weighted lunges 20 x 12 (3 sets)

Superset:

Hack squat 90 x 20 140 x 18 160 x 15

Leg curl 65 x 20 80 x 18 95 x 15

Step-ups (on bench) 30 x 12/12 (3 sets)

Deadlifts 115 x 12 (2 sets) 185 x 10 (2 sets)

Curtsy lunges (with barbell) 45 x 8/8 (3 sets)

New Release Tuesday

I'm not a huge country music fan but I really enjoy Sugarland's music. I received their latest cd "The Incredible Machine" as a Christmas gift and it's really good!

The first song on the cd is "All We Are" - Jennifer's voice is extraordinary - take a listen and let me know what you think.

Did You Think I Forgot About You?!?!

I'm back and ready to blog my lil heart out! :) My Christmas was wonderful! I was able to spend time with my family, eat lots of good food, and watch my daughter's face light up at any given moment! Love the holidays! I hope that your's was enjoyable as well!!

You know what else I love??!?! Walgreen's having its Christmas candy on sale yesterday!! And you know what that means! Bags and bags of candy cane kisses, mint truffle kisses, and mint m&ms now reside in my refrigerator....but not for long....lol...

I did manage to go to the gym today...despite not having my ipod! I hate not having my workout companion but I managed to make it through ok. Today's shoulder workout was made up of:

Lateral raises 20 x 20 25 x 17 30 x 15

Shrugs (with dumbbells & 10 second hold) 50 x 5 55 x 5 60 x 5 65 x 5

Bent-over lateral raises 15 x 15 (2 sets) 20 x 12 (2 sets)

Barbell upright row 65 x 10 (2 sets) 75 x10 (2 sets) 85 x 10

Push press 50 x 8 (2 sets) 60 x 8 (2 sets) 70 x 5 (2 sets)

I should tell you guys that I've picked a date for my next show....I'm going to do a show in California and give Arizona a break for a bit....prep will officially start next week! That should be interesting....I mean....I have 9 bags of candy to consume in addition to some bottles of Moscato D'Asti to guzzle before then....I guess I better get started!!! :)

I'm Not One of The Three Wise Men

No gifts of gold, frankincense, or myrrh for you but I do come bearing gifts! Three things I know you will enjoy!!

1) Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies - I don't know how I found the blog How Sweet It Is but my inner fat girl is so happy I did! The Princess and I made these cookies last night and they were so fanfreakingtastic! Make a batch, pour yourself a drink, and just enjoy the madness that is the holiday season!

2) You Don't Know Jacques by OPI - the best nail polish color to have. Seriously. Even if you don't think dark colors look good on you, you MUST try this color. You can thank me later.

3) Ruben Studdard's version of This Christmas - I love myself some Donny Hathaway. The original version of This Christmas was my favorite until I heard Ruben sing the song. His velvety smooth voice is perfection and the exact reason why I believe only certain people should be allowed to sing Christmas songs (and I'm not referring to you, Britney Spears or Chris Brown!). Watch the video and tell me I'm wrong!!! :)



I'm taking the next couple of days off to celebrate Christmas with the ones I love. I wish you & yours a wonderful-merry-happy whatever holiday you celebrate! :)

Workin' My Legs & Bloggin' Skills!

I hit up legs yesterday...didn't really want to but I knew I wasn't going to get to the gym in days to come so...off I went! Workout consisted of:

Leg press 190 x 25 280 x 20 370 x 15

Leg curl 80 x 15 (3 sets)

Plie squats 65 x 12 70 x 12 75 x 12 80 x 12

Leg extensions 90 x 22 100 x 18 110 x 15 (2 sets)

Stiff-legged deadlifts 115 x 20 135 x 15 155 x 12 155 x 10

Standing calf raises (with 35 lb plate in each hand) 4 sets of 20

I'm definitely sore today and I like it :) Today, I did a 2.5 mile run and a yoga workout a co-worker recorded for me. It's called Inhale and it's from the Oxygen channel. Have any of you seen it?

I received my first Christmas gift in the mail today!!! The newest issue of Muscle & Fitness Hers!!! When Tom asked me what I wanted for Christmas, that was the first thing I said! I love it when he pays attention to what I say....lol....

Kellie, who I met on siouxcountry and then face-to-face at my last show, has a great blog called Mother Fitness. I had the opportunity to write a guest post entitled Creating the Balance and Making It Work....check it out and let me know what you think!!

That's What's Up Thursday

Look at her - do I even need to say anything?!?!?

Jackie Hoppe - now that's what's up!!

New Release Tuesday

This week's new release isn't technically "new" but I was going through my cds over the weekend and rediscovered this band!

Hope you enjoy it!

Break is OVA'!!!

The gym and I were on a "break"...long story....but we realized how much we loved each other and we're back on!!! :) Today's back workout consisted of:

Assisted pull-ups 110 x 12 (3 sets)

Single arm high cable pulldown 60 x 15/15 (3 sets)

HammerStrength iso-lateral low row 70 x 20 90 x 20 110 x 15 (2 sets)

Wide grip lat pulldown 90 x 25 105 x 20 120 x 15 (2 sets)

Superset:

Barbell bent-over row 95 x 8 115 x 8 135 x 6 (2 sets)

Deadlifts 95 x 8 115 x 8 135 x 6 (2 sets)

I didn't realize that the testoterone (aka the guys who work out at the same time I do) paid any attention to me. That sounds weird but let me explain.When I arrived at the gym this afternoon, one of the guys I often see around came up to me and said hello. He asked how I was doing and if I planned to do another show. He also made the comment that he wondered if I was sick or something because I hadn't been coming to the gym. I chuckled and told him that the truth was I had been lazy and just skipping out on my workouts. I just thought it was funny that he noticed I hadn't been coming in....maybe it's not that strange...I am the only Gym Don't that is there during the lunch hour! ;)

A Gift From Bikini Wannabe!!

Chelsea (aka Bikini Wannabe) is a good friend of mine and she sent me a little sumthin'!!! Now, who doesn't want to wear a shirt that says "Fucking Fabulous"...cuz I know I do!!! Maybe I'll wear it grocery shopping tomorrow or I can always wear it when I drop The Princess off at school...lol! :)

Poo On My Shoe!!

One of the items on my Christmas wish list was a competition suit by Caron Hospedales. Yesterday, Genie sent me a link to a suit that Caron was selling on divaexchange.com and I instantly fell in love. But I didn’t want to get excited about something that didn’t compliment my skin tone so I emailed Genie and asked “Would I look completely ridiculous 4 shades darker tryin’ to rock a gold suit?” Her answer was no so I proceeded to email Caron expressing interest in purchasing the suit. Turns out that the suit had already been sold and I was left feeling like I had just stepped in a pile of poo!!! I want a new suit but I’m a lady on a budget…I’m just not comfortable spending $500 on a suit…why doesn’t my bank account have an endless supply of money in it?!?!

I also need that endless supply of money to purchase two pairs of shoes I saw at the mall on Wednesday night. Seriously, I saw a pair of Steve Maddens and I literally gasped out loud! And the Jessica Simpsons!!! Don’t even get me started!!! My love of shoes is ridiculous…lol!!




I’m thinking about changin’ up my look for 2011....I need a new ‘do…maybe some pink weave like Nicki Minaj (right, Genie???)…or the near bald look like Amber Rose? Maybe I should do my hair like my alter-ego BonQuiQui (if you haven’t seen this MadTV sketch, go to youtube and watch it now!!!) I want to start the new year off feelin’ sassy!!!

Anyone else changing their look next year?

That's What's Up Thursday

There needs to be more Black pro competitors and they need to look like this woman!!!

Tanji Johnson -now that's what's up!!!

New Release Tuesday

This is another incredible song from Linkin Park's latest cd. It was one of the songs I was immediately drawn to the first time I listened to the cd!

P.S. Is it me or there something kinda sexy about the lead singer Chester?? :)

Just One of Those Days

“It’s just one of those days…that a girl goes through…when I’m empty inside…” I’m bustin’ out with the old school Monica today…it’s my theme song for the day…two things have been really bothering me today… I present to you Thing 1 and Thing 2…

1) I think I might be getting sick. I’ve been feeling a little “off” the past couple of days. My head is pounding and my throat is starting to hurt. I took a Zicam so let’s cross our fingers that it gets rid of my cooties! P.S. If I get sick after being given a flu shot, I will be one crabby biotch!
2) I’ve been looking at pictures of competitors that compete in Class E (which is the class I was placed in my shows) and…umm…yeah…bring on the self-doubt. It’s crossed my mind numerous times today that I’m being too ambitious. I mean, these girls are about the same height as me, weigh at least 20-25 lbs less than I do, and are placing in the top 5. I’m not sure if I can do what it takes to drop that kind of weight and be competitive.

Blah! I hate feelin’ out of whack or like my mojo has decided to go into hiding but I’m not one for bs so I won’t pretend like I don’t have these days.

My plan of action is to stop looking at competitor’s pictures! Instead of motivating me, it’s just taken a wreaking ball to my self-confidence. Next, I’m going to put my jammies on & lay on the couch (after I iron for tomorrow & take care of a couple of other things). I had plans to go to spinning tonight but I think I need to skip it. I’ve looked at the class schedule and I can catch a late class on Thursday night.

If all else fails, I’ll take shot of whiskey…lol!!

Hope you’re having a great day!!

Just Call Me "Spinderella"!!

This past Friday I joined my sister Reecie, brother-in-law Josue, and his friend from work for DJ Spin at O2 Modern Fitness! It was the studio's one year anniversary and after our class we participated in a champagne toast and were also able to visit the studio's new space that has been built for their Applied Fitness program. The new space is so cool and I can't wait to learn more about this new program. Reecie and Josue laughed at me because as soon as we walked in I squealed, "Kettlebells!!!!". It's the little things that excite me...lol!

I had never been to spinning before but was offered one week of free classes through my employer's Employee Wellness program. Josue is a cyclist and has competed in the El Tour de Tucson several times. He uses spinning as part of his training regimen and I knew that he wouldn't mind going with me so I wouldn't be the only newbie in the class!


After checking out the class schedule, we decided to attend the DJ Spin class that is offered once a month. It's an hour long spinning class but the twist is there is a live DJ, lights are dimmed, and the disco ball comes out! It was the perfect class to ease me into spinning. One class we attended has an African drumming group instead of a DJ and it was AWESOME!!! The pounding of the drums plus the resistance of the bike weaved with the spoken journey our instructor took us on was nothing short of amazing!


O2 Modern Fitness is the only spinning studio in Tucson but you know what, they're not just offering spinning classes. They also offer Pilates, Yoga, and Meditation. I'm really excited about taking more classes...I've fallen in love with Mike who is one of the instructors....he's just the right amount of motivation with a side of brutal! My off-season plan was to try new forms of training and have fun while doing it so I'm going to start taking his spinning + bootcamp class on Monday nights. I think this just might be the way to help me get those lean quads and hammies I put on my Christmas wish list!

So...if you live in Tucson or come here for a visit, stop by O2!! Maybe we can even go to a class together!!

Moti-What?!?!?

As you may or may not have noticed, I’m not one for bull$hit! I’d rather have the gritty painful truth than soft fluffy crap! LOL!!

With that said, let’s acknowledge the fact that it can be difficult to become AND stay motivated! For example, it’s a bit hard for me right now to stay motivated to maintain my clean eating habits because it’s the holidays (hello candy canes, booze, and baked goods!) and I don’t have a looming show date!

But there are ways that I jump-start my motivation juices and I thought I would share them with you.

The first is quotes. Words are POWERFUL! Think about it. Have you ever read something that just clicked? Today, I read a quote courtesy of my dear friend Chelsea that she posted as her facebook status. The quote was,

“Only the strong survive, but the strong still get their ass whipped.” -Nick Saban

And boom…there it was…clarity. Yes, I consider myself to be a strong woman (both physically and mentally) but you know what? I received a whoopin’ at my last two shows! So, I may think that I’m strong but I’m not so strong that I can’t be beaten! I will cut out quotes and tape them to the area right above my computer at work so I can see them anytime I look up!

Another tool that I use is pictures. I turned my day planner from last year into a motivation book. It is filled with pictures of women who motivate me to be a better me! I also have pictures taped to the walls in my bathroom and the refrigerator. These pictures are a nice kick in the butt when I’m feeling lazy. They tell me that these women have put in the work and effort to improve their bodies and I can’t do the same if I don’t get off my butt!

My last tool is flashbacks! Let me explain. I flashback to days when The Princess says something that makes me proud of who I’ve become in the last year or someone has made a comment about how I’ve helped them reach their goals. One morning while we were getting ready for school, The Princess reached over and squeezed my bicep. After about a minute of squeezing, she looked at me and said “Mommy, I like that you have muscles. You’re so strong!” I think I smiled all day after hearing that!

So, those are my go-to tools to rev up my motivation juices…what about you? What tools do you use?

That's What's Up Thursday

Beautiful arms! I love that she always looks classy & beautiful with a bit of "Do you see my arms?? I will kick yo' ass!" :)

Angela Bassett - now that's what's up!

New Release Tuesday

You MUST play this song at the highest volume possible!!! It's that good!!!

All I Want For Christmas

The lovely Donloree at Bikini or Bust put together a list of what some of the ladies in her Bikini or Bust Challenge wanted for Christmas. I posted a comment on her All I Want For Christmas post and she encouraged me to join in the fun so....I present to you...my Christmas wish list!

• Ryan Reynolds - I'm salivating just typing his name. Need I say more?!?!
• '67 GTO - a bad ass girl deserves a bad ass ride!
• Erin Stern's body - she's perfection and I wanna be like her!
• Courtney West's body - my plan B in case I don't get Erin's body!
• To become a Public Librarian - if Santa brought me the librarian job I've been dreamin' of since I graduated with my masters in Library Science almost 3 years ago, I just might crap my pants!!!
• Competition suit by Caron Hospedales - her suits are so gorgeous and I REALLY want to step on stage in one!
• Lean, musclar quads & hammies!
• Qualify for a national show - just gimme a top 5 placing, please!!!
• Intensity, drive, focus, and motivation - Can't get through a prep and receive a top placing without them!

Please note that the last five items are legitimate wish items....but that's not saying I wouldn't be very grateful if Santa brought me the other items on the list!!! :)

What's on your Christmas wish list? And don't give me some b.s. answer like "Peace on Earth"...I want you to be as superficial as me ;)

I Lost My Virginity!

One of my best friends asked me if I wanted to go with him to Costco this morning. Now, I've heard stories about how awesome Costco is but I've never shopped there. I mean...I've never felt the need to buy things in bulk...I live within walking distance of Wal-Mart, the $.99 store, and Walgreens so if I run out of something, I don't have to go far to get it. But, he & I hadn't hung out in awhile and I figured what could it hurt. It was time for me to lose my Costco virginity :)

Umm....Costco is MADNESS!!!! There were so many things I wanted to buy...I couldn't make decisions....people were lining up for samples of free food...a bird flew over my head while I was trying to decide if I wanted the Spiced Chai Latte mix...I saw a chocolate cake that was as big as my head....Crown Royal was $35 for the Super Size bottle....yes, Costco was an adventure and I want more!!!

I didn't go crazy and bought only necessities like sweet potatoes and Lawry's Seasoned Salt ...and yes, the dark chocolate pomegranate bites I purchased are a necessity!! :)

Now, I'm curled up in my bed wearing my reindeer ears and enjoying a candy cane! Hope you're enjoying your Sunday!!!

Only Acceptable Shuffle is the Cupid Shuffle!

If y'all don't already know, Genie is my GOD!!! I'm dead serious when I say this!! She is a warrior, a motivator, and can quote Tupac song lyrics at the drop of a dime - you can see why I love her!! :)

Anyway, she and I were having a conversation about life being a bitch and how you have to forge ahead despite the trials & tribulations you might be experiencing. Genie made a comment about the fact that she was forging ahead...it might be a shuffle but she was still movin'! I replied that the only acceptable shuffle was the Cupid Shuffle and I "sang" a few of the song lyrics to her.

Fact is, life is TOUGH for all us. Sometimes it's more than you think you can handle but I'm lookin' you dead in the eye and telling you, "No one likes a quitter!". It might feel like it's taking every last bit of your strength to keep moving forward but don't stop movin'. And if all you can manage is a shuffle, that's fine....but remember....the only acceptable shuffle is the Cupid Shuffle!

P.S. If you don't know how to do it, turn up your speakers and watch the video!

Bathing in Icy Hot!!

So remember the other day when I mentioned that my legs were going to be sore after the leg workout I did. Yea....well...to say that my legs are sore is an understatement!!! I'm so sore it hurts even when I don't move!! Tom has been getting a chuckle out of the waddle walk I've been doing the last couple of days...lol...but at least I'm still moving! No pain no gain, right?? Sexy, muscular legs are right around the corner....I think ;)

I'm still following Meriza's plan and today's workout focused on delts and back. Tom and I tweaked the workout a little and after I finished my first set, I sent him a text that read "OOOOWWWW!!"...yep....the workout was that good!

Here's what today's workout consisted of:


Superset #1
Shoulder press w/dumbbells
set 1: 15lbs x 25
set 2: 20lbs x 20
set 3-4: 25lbs x 15

Seated Arnold press
set 1-4: 15lbs x 15

Lateral raises
set 1-4: 15lbs x 15

Superset #2
Wide grip lat pulldowns
set 1: 60lbs x 25
set 2: 75lbs x 20
set 3-4: 90lbs x 15

Seated row (close grip)
set 1-4: 90lbs x 20 res

Barbell bent over row
set 1: 65lbs x 15
set 2: 85lbs x 15
set 3-4: 95lbs x 15

One last thing....remember when I said I wasn't going to be stepping on the scale unless it was for check-ins....well....I lied! Ugh!! I stepped on the scale tonight and was surprised (and not in a good way!!) with the number that popped up. Don't worry....Tom scolded me about going against my word and I promised not to do it again!

Now, excuse me while I go bathe in Icy Hot! Momma's legs are hurtin'! :)

Hardbody.com Contest Entry

So....I decided to enter the Hardbody.com "I'm A Hardbody" contest....I don't stand a chance but I thought it would be fun to enter! I was able to view some of the entries on the Hardbody.com facebook page and decided that I didn't want to go with the whole gym/working out/flexing my muscles idea so I went in a completely different direction...lol!

Did anyone else enter the contest?