A Letter to Myself

Dear Stacy,

I am so proud of you.

You wake up every day with your heart filled with happiness.

You truly feel a zest for life and excitement toward each new day.

You are so grateful for everything and everyone in your life.

You do not take your health for granted, instead you are thankful for your body.

You are in control of your thoughts so you speak kindly to yourself first thing in the morning, knowing this will set the tone for your whole day.

You are silly and playful.

Your laugh and smile are contagious.

You are hopelessly optimistic.

You start the day by looking in the mirror and smiling because you are beautiful.

You set your intention to be strong and kind and gentle to yourself and others you might meet during the day.

You strive for goals that leave you exhausted but stronger.

You love others with your whole heart.

You love watching others chase their dreams and succeed!

You are willing to give to others for as long as they need, however much they need.

You are willing to sacrifice your own feelings so that others may feel good.

You are a good listener.

You are a loyal, genuine and honest friend.

People are drawn to what you do because you are willing to share everything with them.

But sometimes………………the negative talk creeps in.  You whisper to yourself that you are not a very nice person.  That you feel chaotic.  You are not doing enough. You are selfish. You could be more to others.  You could be stronger.  You are not enough.  You are a failure, a disappointment.

Listen to that whisper.

She’s a piece of you that needs a little more attention and love in that moment.  Do not brush her off.

She needs you too.

And when the tears come, know that it is because you are taking the time to love yourself.  Let the tears soothe and comfort that little whisper.  Hug her.

Love her and nurture her and fill her back up with all the joy that you have in you.

You have everything you need right inside of you.  Take it. Use it.

You are the most important person in my life.  I am so thankful I know you.

You are less than a month out.  Hang on tight.  I AM HERE FOR YOU.  You have come so far and work so hard. KEEP PUSHING.  You are becoming the BEST YOU!

I am so proud of YOU!

Love,

Stacy

Callus

Oh my gosh…another freaking AMAZING DAY!

After getting everyone up and on their way in our group home, I headed down and trained with Tionna.

I haven’t been wearing my gloves much lately because I can never locate them when I need them!  I am kind of growing to love my calluses.  They give me something to pick at when I’m bored….or chew on…ewwww!

The word callus is such a weird word. Callus. Callus. Callus See? Weird. Callus.

It was such a gorgeous day, Tionna and I met back up and spent some time at the park walking and soaking up the sun.  We had big plans of taking some pictures so we both wore white jeans and cute shirts and then didn’t take one picture and just looked like teeny-boppers who want to match each other in public. #howembarrassing

Then it was off to yoga, where I got myself centered and worked on visualizing myself on stage.  I can’t tell you how much that helps!

I LOVE YOGA!!

Next up, spray tan because, as I’ve said before, everything looks better with a spray tan!  I think my ass even looks higher and tighter with a spray tan!  The girl who sprayed me will also be spraying me at the show (Channa at TanPerfekt) so we talked about how much glue it is going to take her to hide my ass in my suit!  She’s awesome and makes standing naked while she sprays me with freezing cold liquid fun and feel totally normal!

Back at home, I threw myself into cleaning and laundry.  My house is definitely suffering so I decided any extra energy I have while at home needs to be put toward cleaning SOMETHING every day.

Meals Yesterday (sorry not one picture!)

Meal #1: Protein pancake, 1 whole egg plus egg whites, MCT oil

Meal #2: Chicken breast, shredded brussel sprouts, broccoli slaw, MCT oil, Newman’s Own oil/vinegar

Meal #3: Egg whites, quinoa, stir fry zucchini, asparagus, mushrooms, MCT oil

Meal #4: Chicken breast, stir fry zucchini, asparagus, mushrooms, MCT oil

Meal #5: Chicken breast, brussel sprouts, broccoli slaw

It’s Friday, ya’ll!

Have a good one! See you tomorrow!!

Another Vlog

Here’s another video blog.

I recorded it yesterday or maybe the day before.  Days are kind of running together, so I’m not sure!

The first blog was with hair and makeup.

This one. Not so much.

Early morning…bed head….no makeup.

So, basically, how I look on a regular basis! Enjoy!

Can’t Get Enough

I woke up yesterday morning, AMPED!

Someone posted that we are 33 days out from the competition and my heart started racing.

I want this.

BAD.

So I pulled on some workout clothes, laced up my running shoes and headed to the track.

My hiney has 33 days to get high and tight!

With the sun shining on my face, I did:

• Stairs: serpentined twice with curtsy lunges up and walking down
• Lunges: 400 meters twice, changing the type of lunge every 100 meters
• Sprints: 1 mile, sprint the straight, walk the curve

After eating and getting everyone up and around for the day, it was time for a fresh set of workout clothes and training with Tionna.  The workouts have changed once again and she really put me through a beating.  It was exhausting yet EXHILERATING! I felt so strong and focused.

EYE OF THE TIGER!!

It was nice out yesterday so Tionna and I decided to meet up again for some outdoor fun.  I grabbed some food, hit the grocery store, and, yes, ANOTHER set of clean clothes.

It was a beautiful day for a trail run.

And then we ran up the side of a dam and we both thought we might die right there on that hill.

Who is that girl, by the way? Dang.

I headed home to rest and eat and then…..

You guessed it, slapped on another set of workout clothes and Tionna and I headed to yoga.

I couldn’t get enough yesterday….of exercise or Tionna, obviously! ha!

It’s going to be me and her everyday, all day, for the next month.

This is when I am SO THANKFUL that I have Justin’s support.  Yes, he feels neglected and he lets me know.  We stay open and communicate about it.  But, he knows where my focus is right now.  He knows how bad I want this and he supports me.  I could not ask for a better partner in life.

He lets me be me.

I could not do this with out HIM.

Yoga might be an every day thing for the next month.  I need to keep my head clear and my muscles stretched.  Everything is INTENSE right now and I want to stay healthy physically and mentally.

Thank you for reading and supporting.  I feel the love!

I better go do some laundry!

iCloud

I started this post yesterday morning, but all the pictures I took on my iPhone that are supposed to magically appear in my computer are not APPEARING!!

I waited it out for almost two days and finally had to do it old school and actually plug my phone in and get my pictures.  (could have done that on the FIRST day!)

Friday…..

started with a back and bicep workout.

Then I ran a few errands and bought some new sunglasses!

I think the sun coming out had a direct effect on me! #shouldhaveboughtahairbrush

That evening, I picked up a girl friend and we went to watch a local figure competition.

Saturday….

started at the track with a couple of girl friends.  We lunged around the track and up and down the stairs for an hour.

I came home and did chest, triceps and shoulders.

I met up with one of the same girls from the track to take some pictures of her at a nature sanctuary for her submission to Ink Magazine.  I was showing her what I wanted her to do for one of the pictures and decided to get one of ME! (of course!)

Saturday evening, I met up with some more girlfriends and we watched the Bikini division of a local show.

It was exciting because we new several of the girls and they all placed top 5 and one of the girls took Overall!

It’s been a fun fitness weekend filled with fit friends!!

Have a great week!

Slipping up, Again

Here I go again, letting too many days go by without blogging!

I can’t believe it’s already Friday! Yikes! Time is flying.

Tuesday

After I blogged on Tuesday, I slapped on that bright, sweet-tart lookin’ outfit and headed downstairs to workout.

I ended my leg workout with some kick backs and peeing dogs and side kicks and anything else I could thing of…….over and over and over! 

Gotta make that booty BURN!

I ordered some new shoes from Zappos.

Always fun when new shoes arrive on your door step!

Wednesday

I trained with Tionna in the morning and then we met back up in the evening for a quick shopping trip.

Trying to get some ideas for her sister’s theme wear as she is also competing in the WBFF on May 25th with MEEEEE!

Of course, I had to buy a new workout outfit.

Thursday

I trained with Tionna again because we won’t be able to today.  She killed my legs and had another client watch me go through my workout which made me work even harder.  There’s something about knowing someone else is watching that takes the intensity level up a notch!  I did NOT want to disappoint Tionna as she was obviously using me as an example. (Also, I didn’t not want to look like a wimp! ha!)

Her sister met up with us at the gym and we snapped some pictures of each other.

It was fun.  There will be an online competition starting next week.  I submitted one of the pictures we took yesterday (not shown in today’s post).

It’s all about creating buzz for the WBFF competition and all the athletes.

It’s really a neat idea.  Gets everyone excited!  The winner gets a full page spread in INK Magazine.  A local KC publication.

We had fun with the pictures.  They aren’t professional, but hopefully with do the job.

Tionna and I ate and she packed for her weekend trip while I edited my pictures.  Then we met back up with Tara so they could train.  Snapped this picture of Tionna warming up on the treadmill.

I hopped on the stair mill for 3 miles and then did some incline walking for 30 minutes

We headed back to Tionna’s for more food and theme wear/competition talk.  What else is there to talk about these days?

My meals have all been pretty much the same.

I am still obsessed with the shredded brussel sprouts/kale/broccoli slaw salad with whatever protein I feel like adding.  It’s so easy and filling.

I also like stir frying zucchini, asparagus and mushrooms and then adding a protein.

For yesterday’s first meal, I took the left over veggies and mixed them with egg whites and quinoa.

YUM!

So, that about covers the past three days.  Stayed tuned for another video blog.  I kind of like that idea now.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Time to hop on the spin bike!

Video Blog

Here it is!

A video blog!

It is super short because I am awkward.

As soon as I hit play, I forgot everything I wanted to say!

All I could see was the wrinkles in my forehead.

Since I write better than I speak on video, let me tell you more about my day yesterday.

I started the day with 20 minutes of HIIT on the spin bike.

The sweat was drippin!!

Next up was a workout with Tionna. (Stole that pic from her!)

And then, the BOUDOIR SHOOT!

First of all, if you have even thought about doing one, DO IT!  It was so fun!  I did it with two girl friends and at first I was super nervous because these were going to be some sexy shots and I wasn’t sure I could get “sexy” with friends around.

Wrong.

We all helped each other with posing and shared outfits and jewelry. It was a blast!

The whole reason for doing it was to get more comfortable with myself being mostly naked in front of others.  I am going to be on stage in less than 6 weeks for cryin’ out loud.  I think it helped.

I can’t wait to get the pictures!

If you follow me on Instagram or we are friends on Facebook, then you saw the sneak peak I posted.

I took this self portrait while one of the other girls were getting shots taken.

I loved my fake eye lashes.  I feel like a different person when I wear fake lashes! ha!  A sassier, sexier version of myself!

I met up with Tionna after the shoot to eat (out of my plastic container, of course!) and tell her all about my fun experience! (another stolen pic from Tionna!)

As I waited for Tionna at the restaurant, I check Facebook and learned about Boston.  And then Justin called me to tell me the news.  So, So sad.  I almost felt guilty for having so much fun while others were dying and injured and scared.  I will never understand the mind of someone that wants to hurt others.

My heart is heavy for all the runners, spectators, first responders…..our country.

I finally headed home to relax for the night with Justin.  It was a really fun day and I’m glad I had the experience and got to be in my little happiness bubble for several hours.

I slept so hard last night and am up feeling fresh and ready to get this day going!  See ya’ll tomorrow!

6 Weeks Out!

Oh Boy!  I have been so shy about progress pictures this time, but I got a spray tan yesterday so, feeling brave, I slipped into a bikini and Justin snapped some pictures.

I have got to RELAX my face and neck!  It’s like I don’t have control over it!

I got a spray tan because I am getting some pictures taken on Monday.

I am doing a Boudoir shoot.  I am nerrrrrvous.  My main reason for doing this type of shoot is to find my sexy side.  I think it will help with my stage presence and overall comfort level with the whole show.

Yesterday started with training Legs wit Tionna.  It was awesome and brutal, as usual!

We did some ab work at the end of the workout.  My grip sucks and she wanted me to do hanging leg raises. Let the whining begin!  I am such a freaking baby when I can’t do something well. Instant frustration and then I just want to be done.  Only that doesn’t work with Tionna so I had to fight through a whole bunch of hanging leg raises that ended up just being knee raises. #pout

I need to work on hanging leg raises.

I raced home to shower and eat before heading to my spray tan appointment.

Then it was time to get ready for our Friday night out.  We were meeting over at Justin’s Dad’s house and then meeting Justin’s stepbrother, Aaron, and his girlfriend, Sara at Savoy.

I brought my food and ate while they had happy hour at my father in law’s and then at the restaurant I ordered a spinach salad with balsamic on the side. Easy Peasy.

Meal #1:  Oats/Egg white pancake, side of egg whites.

Meal #2: Ground turkey, with spinach, kale, broccoli slaw, 1 T Newman’s Own Oil/Vinegar, 1/2 T MCT oil

Meal #3: Ground Turkey, roasted Brussel Sprouts, 1/2T MCT oil, 2 rice cakes

Meal #4: Ground turkey, spinach, kale, broccoli slaw, 1 T Newman’s Own Oil/Vinegar, MCT oil

Meal #5: Spinach salad

I also had one of those moments in the bathroom at the restaurant, where I walked past a mirror and caught myself by surprise!

So, of course, I took a picture!

In case you are wondering, I am not in mourning, I had to wear all black because of the spray tan.  I couldn’t rinse it yet.

It turned out to be a great Friday and night out with family!  Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Like Riding a Bike

Let’s see if I remember how I used to blog…..

Yesterday started off with an oats and egg white pancake with a side of egg whites.

That is an old picture, so there might be a whole egg in the picture, but I just did egg whites yesterday.

Once that settled, I headed downstairs for some HIIT on the spin bike.

• 5 min warm up
• 10 minutes of seated; slight resistance; sprints 1 min sprints, 30 sec rest
• 10 minutes of out of the seat; hard resistance; butt hovering over seat for 1 min (really push your butt back so your forearms are resting on the handles); standing for a rest for 30 sec
• 5 min cool down

This song came on during and is my new favorite!  It will make you MOVE!  Unless you don’t like explicit lyrics and well, then, we can never share playlists.

After getting everyone up and around the for the day, I got myself ready to head down to train with Tionna.  She has made it clear that I need to have eaten TWO meals before I see her so I have the gas to get through our workouts.  Mornings are busy at the Beach House and sometimes forget about that second meal.

Crap.

So, I start shoveling cold ground turkey in my mouth and a rice cake.  Sorry, there is no picture of that pretty site.

She took my measurements and I lost another 1.2%.  We are going to take them again next week since it’s that time of the month so I’m retaining water.  I was still happy! 

Following our workout, she gave me a massage and then we wrapped up the day at yoga!

Training + Massage + Yoga = Perfect Day!

Can we do that everyday, please?

I lost a meal some where in the middle of the day, but my other two meals were my favorite salad!

Meal #3: Shredded raw brussel sprouts (I shred them with the shredding attachment on my food processor), broccoli slaw (prepackaged from store), kale, ground turkey, 1 tablespoon Newman’s Own Oil and Vinegar, 1/2 tablespoon MCT oil.

Meal #4: Ran out of shredded brussel sprouts! THE HORROR! So this one was spinach, kale, broccoli slaw, ground turkey, Newman’s Own Oil and Vinegar, MCT Oil

We didn’t get to my triceps earlier in the day due to time (taking measurements and massage), so I ran downstairs and knocked that out after my food settled.

That’s my mean, aggressive face. Scared?

As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out.  It was another fun day filled with a great friend and trainer, fitness and food.

I have never felt better in my life.  (except, maybe, the last time I said that which I’m pretty sure was during comp prep!)

I am Healthy. I am Happy. I am Whole.

See you tomorrow, Friends!

P.S. Miss Michelle asked if I would consider doing a vlog…….eeeeek. I’ll see what I can do about that.