A Little Inspiration Goes a Long Way

You might be asking yourself "what is that green thing on your wrist???" It's the special little piece of inspiration that arrived in the mail today in a green envelope. But what is it? It's the fancy wristband that all registered 2012 Emerald Cup competitors receive to help keep them motivated while preparing to step on stage. It might seem a little silly but it will be there as a constant reminder in a moment of weakness if I feel like skipping a workout (oh please, like I would do that!) or feel like diving into Andy's hidden bag of tortilla chips (that sounds a little more likely!) I can look down and see this little band of green which will remind me of my goal.

I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning as I dashed out to the mailbox just knowing that today would be the day I would receive my EC competitor packet in the mail. I only knew this since I received an email yesterday that it would be arriving in the mail. I actually ran back in the house, gently tore open the envelope (gotta save it as a souvenir of my first show!) and proudly put on my wristband. Then I went to the gym and when I felt like skipping my last rep or two because I was sore and tired, I looked down at the green and went for it! I even upped my weight on a few things. 

This couldn't have come at a better time . .  .I had my 4-week check in this morning on my progress and was pleased and disappointed all at the same time. I have been feeling rather bloated the past two weeks so I wasn't really sure what the numbers would look like. The good news was that my body fat % dropped another 2% but of course I like to set unrealistic expectations and was wanting it to drop another 4% like the last time I had my measurements done. I mentally beat myself up for a few minutes and thought "what did I do wrong?". I realized the answer is NOTHING!!! I did everything exactly as I was supposed to - I stuck to my diet 100% (except for my 1x week cheat but those are planned and prescribed!) and didn't miss a single workout no matter how tired or crappy I felt. So for now my diet and strength training will stay the same and my cardio will slightly increase with an added 5 minutes to my morning session and 15 minutes post strength training 4 nights a week. Very manageable! 

I'm excited to see what my progress will be over the next 19 weeks and 6 days before I step on stage. Now I think it's time to do a little posing practice in my snazzy clear, plastic shoes before tonight's cheat meal. I'm not doing anything crazy this time - just a yummy homemade taco salad and some chips and salsa followed by some lowfat peppermint ice cream.