Small Gains Mean So Much!

As this post goes live on another Transformation Tuesday, I’m at the start of one of my few morning workouts in this NPC Brooklyn Grand Prix show-prep journey. My normal routine usually allows me to get two meals in my system before a lunchtime workout. However, one thing I’m learning early in this process is how crucial it is to make adjustments when life takes your routine in a different direction. So today, I’m training early so I don’t miss my workout and I’ve shifted my meal times accordingly. Here are some other valuable lessons I learned during the past week:

• Helpful Hardware: My food scale, measuring spoons and measuring cup have become my new best friends to keep track of portion sizes.
• Smoothie Solution: As my coach keeps reminding me, real food is always best. However, one morning I just didn’t have time to cook up the egg whites and oats. So I threw the following ingredients in my blender and enjoyed every sip of the creation: 1 cup Amazing Greens Super Greens; 1 scoop Vega Sport Chocolate Protein powder; 1/2 cup oats; 1 tbsp organic peanut butter; ice, 16 oz water.
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  One Go-To Pre-Workout Meal

  Timing is Everything: Tonight before I go to bed, I’ll write down tomorrow’s meal times and the actual meals I plan to eat. This allows me to map out how to hit my nutritional targets for the day and make sure I have enough time to digest before a workout and also replenish my fuel supply after. So far, I’ve been able to keep a relatively steady schedule of eating every three and-a-half to four hours.

• Favorite Meals (So Far): Many of you have asked about what typical meals look like. Here’s my go-to breakfast: 1/2 cup liquid egg whites and 1 whole egg scrambled; 1/2 cup oatmeal; 1 tbsp. organic peanut butter.  My go-to pre-workout meal: 6 oz chicken breast; 1 cup brown rice; 2 oz avocado and 1 cup of greens. I’ll keep you posted on any adjustments to my meals as the weeks continue.
• A Harsh Reality: I’ve simply ignored my legs for far too long and being 100- percent honest, I still dread lower body workouts. I remember even 25 years ago in college, I’d bang out a couple of sets of leg extensions and prone leg curls as fast as I could and call it a day. Getting back into the groove of serious squats (so many squats!), glute bridges, hip thrusts, leg presses, walking lunges and more has required a lot of energy and discipline. I don’t think there will be a day between now and September 28 when my legs and glutes don’t ache.
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  One No-Time-To-Cook Breakfast Idea

  Support is Key! I am still blown away by the messages of encouragement from friends and family near and far thanks to the wonder that is social media. Thank you all for the amazing support!  Let me know what you’d like to know more about as the weeks continue. Later this week I’ll have my first posing session with my coach. Yikes! Stay tuned for what I’m sure will be an eye-opening experience on that front…

I look forward to falling into more of a groove at the gym and in the kitchen in the days and weeks ahead. Here’s to the best laid plans and the surprises that always come along that keep us on our toes along the never-ending journey to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!