I must admit the past couple of days I have been plagued by negative thoughts and somehow went into panic mode thinking about my upcoming competition. I had my re-feed day this past Saturday, where I consumed an enormous amount of calories, and gained up to 4 lbs the following 2 days. I felt fat, soft, my tummy was hurting and overall felt that I wasn’t making progress at the gym.  Apparently I suffered from the “post re-feed blues”, which is completely normal and I was assured by my mentor and coach, Pauline, that I would be back to normal today. Guess who was right?? Pauline, of course! My body has never looked better, MUCH tighter, and the scale said 133.8 lbs – I’ve never been that light in my entire life, neither as muscular! So feeling tip top today and ready to hit the gym! Had a decent session of back and biceps earlier, and also filmed some more videos at the gym. I’ve included one of my favorite exercises for the abs – V-ups – below.

What is most frustrating right now is that I am overwhelmed by all the information I am getting when asking around and researching myself. What exercises are most effective, how to execute them most effectively, when, how much cardio, and the list goes on..  I’v concluded, as mentioned in previous posts, that this is all trial and error. I need to find a routine that works for MY body, and that I’m comfortable with – not to mention one that gives me results! I need to get better at listening to my body, it seems as if I went for years ignoring signs and consequences of my behavior, but it’s really important now more than ever, to get back in touch with myself!

I like that I’ve split my routine into 4 weight training days now (instead of 2) and I can work longer on each body part. I like doing a lot of sets, although I must be sure to pace myself because I know I’m not advanced enough to go crazy yet, and I want to avoid injuries. So I’m also doing a lot of prehab exercises and stretching, which is super important. I need to devote just as much time to these things as to lifting itself.  Right now I’m focused on going all out at the gym, and working my way back up to the strength I had before my shoulder injury.  Pacing myself can be frustrating, but I keep reminding myself that I’m lucky I didn’t have to have surgery, and I’m ALMOST back to normal now, provided I take it gradual and listen to my body. I can only hope that I will be ready for September – but the only thing to do is to deal with one day at a time, and make each work out and each meal count.

Thanks for listening to me ramble – these days leading up to the fall will surely be a mixture of peeks and valleys, so bear with me everyone as my mood swings hit the keyboard! 🙂