It's Officially #FlatoutLove

Y'all know that I love food and that I am basically a fat kid at heart, right??



#LaOffseasonLoca has been really awesome in that I have been able to try different foods and work at being more creative with my meals. This is why I was incredibly excited to have the opportunity to review a new Flatout product that hasn't even hit shelves yet!*

*keep reading for a coupon to purchase Flatouts wraps and pizza crust!

Goodies!

Right before I headed to L.A. for TheFitExpo, a package of goodies arrived at my door from Flatout. I was so excited to see what they had sent, I took the box with me to work so I could open it there :) What I had received was packages of Flatout's new line of high protein, low carb flatbread wraps. They generously sent me two packages of each of three new flavors they will be launching. The three flavors are:

• Core 12 - this is their original wrap recipe made with chickpeas
• Red Pepper Hummus - also powered by chickpeas
• Sea Salt & Crushed Black Pepper - brought to you by navy beans
• 
  

I left early Thursday morning and since I knew I had a long day of driving ahead of me, I wanted to make sure that I ate something tasty & filling. Perfect time to try out the Sea Salt & Crushed Black Pepper wrap!

Don't bother me - I'm eating :)

I do not love eggs or egg whites but I am adding them to the "meal rotation" about 2-3 times a week. For this particular wrap, I used 4 medium egg whites. Combining the egg whites with a chicken sausage, a handful of spinach, some goat cheese, and Sriracha made me a do my happy wiggle!



Sunday morning before heading back to the expo, several FitFluential Ambassadors and I were invited to a "First Taste Breakfast" with the amazing folks of Flatout. We were able to see the packaging ideas, try out recipes using the wraps, in addition to learning more about the product we were sent.
Interesting pieces of information that I took away from the breakfast:

• Beans are high in protein and complex carbs so they can provide you with long-lasting energy.
• Beans have more antioxidant potential than blueberries.
• Eating beans has been shown to reduce hunger and overall calorie intake throughout the day.
• 
  

The Flatout table at the #LAFitExpo

When I got back from L.A. and saw The Mister, he asked me about the "tortilla things" on the counter. I explained to him that they were not tortillas but were flatbread wraps and told him I wanted him to try them.





He wasn't feeling extra adventurous that morning so he just used the wrap for one of his favorites, runny icky eggs :) The Sea Salt & Crushed Black Pepper was not his favorite so I told him he had to try the Red Pepper Hummus (which is my personal favorite!).





The Mister opted for carne asada, goat cheese, and Sriracha while The Princess and I had a shrimp-lentil-brown rice-olive oil concoction I threw together. Y'all know I'm not one for b.s. so when I say that my family is a big fan of these wraps, it's the truth!




Here are some recipe ideas for you to keep in mind when you buy your first set of wraps ;) and while ProteinUp won't hit the shelves for another few weeks, you can still experiment with the Flatout wraps and pizza crusts. Here's a coupon to use when you go shopping! https://www.hopster.com/offeres/flatout/13072852/1

I still have more wraps to use so....here's my question for you....what recipes should I try next??

This post is sponsored by FitFluential on behalf of Flatout.

Mind Games...

I have always been hard on myself. I have, for the most part, felt like I was "average" when it came to certain things. One of these being competing.

I am making the following statement without a shred of cockiness (I am merely stating facts) - I have done very well during my last 3 years on stage. I have won my class twice, one overall win, and seven top five placings. However, I still feel like an underdog. Like I'm not quite at the level I need to be in order to be a contender. Like I'm average. Like I have more weaknesses versus strengths in terms of my physique.

In my "More Than A Month!?!?" post I mentioned that during this off-season, I am working on, not only my physical well-being, but my mental well-being as well. During one of my earlier text exchanges with the Boss Lady, she told me "A healthy mind leads the way". She and I have discussed on numerous occasions how I tend to let my negative, self-deprecating thoughts take over and cloud my vision. The Boss Lady explained to me that in order to be my best self, I had to start working on changing my mindset and clear my head of negative thoughts.


I decided that I wanted to read a book that could help me figure out why I tend to be so critical of myself. Why to I get in my own way when it comes to making goals and pursuing them.

I found this book while searching my library's catalog and at first I was going to pass on it because it was only available in audiobook format. Then I decided that I would check it out and I would listen to it to and from the gym. It turned out to be a great decision.

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One it helped me wake up and get ready for my workout. Two it helped me really think about what was going on in my life, the decisions I've made, the chances I have & haven't taken, etc. I now joke that I worship at the Church of Jen Sincero. She has really changed my life. This book is definitely librarian approved - read/listen to it if you can!!

Awhile back, Tom found this incredible video on youtube and played it for me. I instantly fell in love with it and told him I wanted to figure out a way to put it on my workout playlist. The man worked his magic and converted it, along with a couple of other videos, into mp3 files that I could add to my playlists.

And one of my all-time favorites:

 

One of the men that you hear speaking in the first two videos is Eric Thomas aka ET. The man is incredible. I feel like every time I listen to him, I can conquer the world. I downloaded his app and listen to him constantly.

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He really makes me want to do better - train harder - fight for more - aspire to be greater. His words breathe life into me every time I hear them.

I am learning how important it is to fill my heart and my mind with positive thoughts and people. While it may seem weird to others, this is what is working for me. This is what is helping me realize, like Jen says, that I am the only Tenecia there will ever be....and that I'm kind of a big deal. I get to perceive my reality so why would I choose to perceive myself as anything other than a super huge rock star of a person?

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Getting Things Done...

In my "Final Decision" post, I shared with you some of my last season shit show drama events. I let y'all know that while I had started prepping for a fall show, a decision was made to end my prep and focus on an off-season.

My bedazzled suit and 5 inch clear heels were packed away and my focus shifted from getting show lean to other things.

I am now about three months into "Operation Physique Overhaul" and I have to tell you, off-season is not as horrible & squishy as I thought it would be! :)

My off-season body....

From my coach's Facebook page

At the beginning of my off-season, my coach explained to me what some of my goals were going to be. Some of these goals were about physical improvements like adding width to my back, working on my glute & hamstring tie-in, building my chicken legs (my words...not her's! lol). Others were focused on working on my mindset and helping me stop comparing myself to others & recognize my potential/strengths.

How I felt after my first official workout with my coach -
whose idea was this?!?!

Checkin' on my booty gains.... #cakecakecakecake

Working on improving my physique has been fun, challenging, and at times brutal. I love the workouts that I'm receiving. I love that I can drive up to Phoenix to train in person with my coach (even though I'm pretty sure she's trying to make me throw up, cry, die, or all of the above...lol). The in person training is a great time for me to ask questions, have my form corrected, learn about my body and what things I should be looking for/feeling as I'm doing a particular exercise, and more.

Am I growing??? :)

At the start of all of this, my metabolism was a bit sluggish so my body was not responding to the work I was putting in. I will be honest when I say I was feeling frustration about things not happening the way I felt they should be or as quickly as I wanted to. I was told to be patient and give my body time to get itself back in order. I made a conscious decision to throw out my timetable, focus on working my plan day in & day out, and let my body do the rest. I am very happy to say that I have received very positive feedback from my coach about the progress I'm making (a compliment or two may have been given....score!) - #happymeathead

The Mister caught me taking a selfie :)
Check out my cool lifting belt that he made me for Christmas!!

What I looked like after my first 2 hour spin & battle ropes class!

My daily schedule hasn't changed just because I'm not in contest prep. Most days I wake up between 3:45 - 4:00am and will be in the car heading to the gym no later than 4:15am. I work out until about 6:00 am, head back, put my mom & wife hats, and then head to work. In addition to my weekly lifting & cardio sessions, I have started attending a Saturday morning spin class at my local YMCA! It's from 8:15 am - 10:15 am and we do battle ropes at the end of class! I know the instructor from the library and he had been challenging taunting encouraging me to attend his class for quite some time. When I was told I needed to start spinning, his class was the first one I thought of and now, I can't live without it!

This has been an incredibly interesting time for me - signing with a new coach, officially being in off-season, setting lofty goals for 2015, trying new things, etc. I am thankful that my body continues to put up with my rigorous training and that I have remained healthy & injury-free. I am excited about the journey I am on and what is to come.

2015 is going to be the year of badass - I just know it!

Final Decision....

Things have been a bit crazy (to put it simply) since my last show in July. Cliff Note's version  - I lost my coach (what is it with me & coaches this year!?!!?). I ate too much. Work became chaotic. My stress levels were ridiculously high and so I ate more. I may have even drank...a lot....! I hired a new coach. I picked a show date. I started prep. My body was not really feelin' it.

You might be asking what I mean by "not really feelin' it". Well when I received my diet from my coach and started following it, I promptly saw a double digit increase in my weight. I may have screamed "are you f@$king kidding me?" the first time I stepped on the scale & saw the new number and gotten teary. Pictures were sent to coach followed by a telephone call. The decision was made to make a few specific food item substitutions and see how my body responded. If my body didn't drop any weight, we would stop prepping for the show and start focusing on my off-season.

Can you guess what happened?

Coach pressed the stop button.

When we came to the final decision that I wouldn't compete, I did my best to be positive about it. I told myself that I had been dieting all year....that I had a winning season....that I needed time off to grow & make changes....and while all of that sounded great, it still didn't take away the feeling I had that I had failed. That for the first time since I started competing, I was unable to finish a prep and step on stage. I had started something that I couldn't finish.

It's been a few weeks since I've officially been in "off-season" or as I like to call it "Operation Physique Overhaul" and I'm adjusting. I'm learning to enjoy the flexibility that I now have with my meals. I'm learning how to acknowledge that the work & effort I put in right now while directly affect what happens next season. I'm learning how to give the power & decision making over to someone else. And thanks to recent #jesussmacks (or truth texts from certain friends) - I'm learning to stop comparing myself to others and focus on myself & my journey. I'm also learning that it's okay to acknowledge that I have the potential to be successful & do some really awesome things in this sport.

Some days are better than others but it's a process, a lesson, a marathon....I just have to keep moving forward...

Show or no show...still taking ridiculous flexing selfies ;)

Ramblings....

There is one thing I don't really have to worry about when I'm prepping for a show....and that is TRAINING!

I love to train. I love that clang the plates make when they hit one another. I love my home away from home aka my gym. I have fallen in love with my early morning workouts. I love walking out of the gym and thinking "I just killed that workout!".

That post-workout "glow" :)

There are times when I'm certain my head is going to explode if I don't get a weight in my hand right that instant. I'm serious. I've actually said those words...out loud....if that doesn't make me a gym rat, I'm not sure what does...lol!

My "I Think My Coach is Trying to Kill Me" face!

The idea of being the only female on the free weight floor used to scare the shit outta me. If Tom wasn't at the gym with me, I wouldn't go "over there" aka where the weights & scary beefy guys were. I was scared that they would make fun of me for doing exercises wrong, lifting too light, being a female, etc. But as time went on and I became more comfortable with lifting, I couldn't care less if I am the only female in the free weight area. Do some of the male gym members still give me the "what are you doing here?" look? Yes, they do but I just give them my "watch what I can do" look back :)

posted on my Instagram

There are times when I want to give up because I'm not sure I am mentally/physically/emotionally strong enough to continue competing. There are times when I question if this is the sport for me. There are also times when I wonder if I have what it takes to go the distance, to keep pushing forward.

The answer may vary from day to day but here's what I do know, I won't know what I'm capable of it if I don't at least try!

Life. Plain & Simple.

I can't get a blogging schedule in place. I just can't do it. I have no idea what is wrong with me but I will start the day with every intention on blogging and then next thing I know, the day is over! What the shit as my mother-in-law would say :)

*you can always keep up with me over on Instagram! Follow me if you're not already -- MrsFitLibrarian

Hangin' out with my girl Lo on my birthday

The Princess and I enjoying a giggle at our birthday dinner!

13!?!? Where did the time go!?!?

Birthdays have been taking place. Not only mine but The Princess as well! It's hard to wrap my head around the fact that I have a teenager now...especially a teenager who is, eerily at times, very similar to me. She is a great kid and thankfully, she is a lot like her father as well (whew!). 

My sister with our parents on her birthday

My sister will be having her second baby in the next couple of months. Action Jaxon is getting bigger every day and he is a ridiculous amount of fun.

I love Reese's Oreos!

So does Jaxon!

He loves his Aunt T and Uncle Tommy. It could be the marshmallows and other treats we bribe him with but who cares. We taught him how to "make a muscle" - it's the cutest thing ever - I need to get a picture of him doing it! 

I'm trying not to die and Tom needs to turn the moment into a photoshoot :)

Sometimes I just need to lay down...catch my breath...and snap a photo :)

Baby boulders!

4 am and the gym is empty. #happymeathead

Training has been going well! I have been focusing on some of my weaker areas (cough cough...legs & glutes...cough cough) and these workouts are BRUTAL!!!! I love that I'm having to push myself in a way I haven't before - it keeps things fun & interesting.

New pre-workout from Eat the Bear

Love this tank! You can get one from Iron Bros Health.

yyyyeeeeaaahhh buddy!
Samples from the Ronnie Coleman Signature Series!

A sample of one of the GAT products Iron Bros Health carries.
This stuff is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! 

The guys always have the best care packages put together for me!

#supplementswag  :)

I'm extremely lucky to have to such a great sponsor in Iron Bros Health! They always take such great care of me and make sure I have the supplements I need to support my training and keep me healthy. This is especially important since it looks like I will be competing again this year. 

Yes. You read that right. Another show.

If all goes well and the body holds up, I will be stepping on stage on October 25th & 26th! The goal is to present a tighter, lean, more polished package than I have the last two times I've stepped on stage this year. 

Cross your fingers. 

It's definitely going to be an interesting ride!!