Tune In Tonight

Tonight, I will be a guest on a radio blog show! Be sure to tune in!  You can listen here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/fit-physique-radio/2012/05/01/fit-physique-radio#.T56OUZ6qtRE.facebook

I'll be on at 10pm EST.  I hope you enjoy listening!


Barbie
xoxoxo

Variety Is The Spice of Life

In this case, variety is the protein of life....my life anyway:)  Have you ever wondered what my "protein station" looks like? Well, wonder no more!  It was hard to get everything in the picture, but you'll get the idea. I like a variety of proteins and flavors!  In the pic, there are 6 different canisters of protein, BCAA & Glutamine, Creatine Monohydrate, a blender, and a Magic Bullet.  What you can't see is my Starbucks Via(single servings), cinnamon and Stevia mixture, Pumpkin Pie Spice, unsweetened dark cocoa, and several flavors of liquid Stevia. Just like I like to vary my workouts, I also like to vary my protein shakes!  It doesn't have to be boring!!  It's like dessert to me!!

Another Interview

I know, everyone who interviews me asks the same questions, but I thought some of you may be interested anyway:)  Have a great day!
http://www.figureandbikini.org/a/285/Fitness-Inspiration

An Interview

http://www.edmontonsun.com/2012/04/16/no-arms-no-limits

I Am Determined

My next competition is in 5 weeks...my first national competition!  Something I've always wanted to do is an aerial!  I think including one in my routine would be super cool!  I am determined to have an aerial in my routine this time!!  For those who don't know what an aerial is, it's basically a no-handed cartwheel.  I started this past week practicing with a friend of mine who coaches tumbling.  She's doing her best to help me!  She does a great job of spotting me and making sure I land on my feet!  Anyway, I do believe I will be able to do this on my own, without a spot, soon!!  I'm keeping my toes crossed anyway!!  I definitely have enough power in my legs to carry me through the aerial. I just need to practice practice practice!  Repetition is what it's gonna take, and I feel  confident that I WILL do this in my routine this time around!  Here is a shot of Jessica and I practicing in my front yard.  This was the first day we started. So, she was spotting me very heavily.  BTW, thank you Jordan for taking this picture!!

A Day With Jessica

Today I spent the afternoon and evening with Jessica Cox.  For those who don't know of her, she is an armless lady as well. Jessica even flies a plane!  Anyway, she just began shooting a documentary, and she asked me to be part of it!  About 10 years ago, I sort of mentored her and helped her out with learning some tasks and answering her questions.  I'm always happy to help!!  I now how much it helped me to have a mentor when I was younger!  I guess I had a pretty big impact on her life, which is something I didn't know until now!  That makes me really happy!  She is getting married next month and plans on starting a family. So, I have a feeling I'll be meeting up with Jessica more when it comes time to care for a baby!!  Lucky for her, I've already got all that figured out!!  That will be exciting!!  I am happy for her and can't wait to see this documentary!  Jessica, her fiance Pat, and all the camera crew had dinner at our house tonight so she could see how I cook for my family!  Don't worry, I stuck to my diet!!  I think cooking may need to get onto her list of things to learn now.  Pat, you can thank me later.  LOL  Anyway, after dinner we took a pic together, and here we are!!!  The Philipina and the Amazon.  haha

  

Making Time for YOU

In our fast paced, hectic lives these days, I know many people have difficulty trying to get everything done, much less finding the time to take care of themselves!!  It's like we need more hours in the day!!  I find this especially true for moms!  Moms who have small children and/or work outside the home barely have the time and energy to fit in all the mom duties much less find time to take care of themselves.  Need to fit in your workouts? Want to get a pedicure or facial?  How about just a nap?  Maybe you just need a date with your husband or a night out with the girls??  The question is WHEN??  I know, I know... there are kids to feed and bathe, a house to clean (multiple times per day if your children are little), laundry to do, errands to run, meals to be cooked, bills to pay, homework to be done, and OH let's not forget that Mom needs a shower too!!!  I know; I've ben there! Even though my kids are a little older and don't "need" me as much any more, sometimes I still wonder, "Hmm, when can I get to the gym today or fit in a pedicure?" because of their events...sports, guitar lessons, parent-teacher meetings, and running them around everywhere like a taxi cab service!  Something my mom told me when my oldest was a baby, and it's very true, is that if you take care of you, you will be a better mom!!  When I started taking time to take care of myself, I did become a better mom!  I was more calm, more patient, less stressed, and had something to look forward to besides dirty diapers, messes to clean up, and baby talk.  I think for a while I forgot how to have an adult conversation!!  
Ok, Ok, so WHEN???  Some people find it easiest to go to the gym early in the morning while their kids are still asleep and the husband is home.  I used to wait until my husband was home in the evenings to get myself to the gym.  Then, I realized that it's not gonna hurt my kids to take them to the kids club at the gym either! So, they started going with me.  At least I got two hours to myself and to be around adults!  As far as other things, like getting pampered or going on a date with my husband or the girls, I scheduled it in, as if it were an appointment! Make a promise to yourself NOT to cancel these appointments!  Your kids will survive with a babysitter or your husband!  if the dishes or laundry aren't finished, guess what??  They'll be there tomorrow OR God forbid, you have your husband do it!  If you're not married (I was a single mom too for several years) then the dishes and laundry won't go anywhere...I promise...they'll still be there tomorrow.  
Taking time for YOU doesn't make you a selfish or bad mom! In fact, you'll be a happier mom!  Make appointments for yourself to take care of you! You'll be glad you did!

Self Sabotage

I was talking to a good friend of mine today about a few things that I decided would be good blog material. So, here goes!!  Have you ever intentionally or unintentionally sabotaged your own progress? I have!   This could be fitness related or not, but I'm going to use fitness as the example.  In this day and age, we've gotten to the point that instant gratification is what we want ALWAYS!   Unfortunately, reaching your fitness goals just doesn't happen instantly.  It takes time, dedication, self-discipline, and hard work!!  After all,  the weight didn't just pack itself on over night. So, how can we expect it to come off that fast??  I KNOW it can be discouraging when you don't see the changes that you had hoped for as quickly as you had hoped for them.  TRUST ME when I say I know how hard it can be to take off weight!  I've had to do it!  I know what a mind f*** it can be!  Unfortunately, there are times when we don't think we're making progress fast enough and begin sabotaging ourselves.  It's easy to start slacking on the workouts, start eating bad food, and in a sense giving up altogether!  I mean, why not right??  If the weight's not coming off, we might as well just eat until our hearts are content!  WRONG!!  This is NOT going to get you closer to reaching your goals!  Besides clogging your arteries and putting the fat back on, you're going to be disappointed in yourself!  Consistency is what's going to get you to your goal!  The best thing you can do is forgive yourself, pick yourself back up, and get back on the wagon.  If you are doing the work, results WILL follow!!  

    Now, speaking of doing the work, something else we talked about was people who half-ass their way through life and expect the same results as those who put in 100% effort!  If you seriously want to lose the extra weight or reach your fitness goals, you've got to be serious when it comes to your approach!!  You cannot half-step your way through your training program, and you cannot half way stick to your meal plan!  If you're going to do it AND GET THE RESULTS YOU WANT, you've got to give it 100%!!  You cannot do half-ass workouts and/or sneak junk into your diet and then wonder why your body fat is still so high!!  You want that 6-pack?  You want to fit into those skinny jeans?  How badly do you want it?  I promise you that if you stay on the straight and narrow with your meals and totally kick ass when you're training, you WILL get the results you want!  No wimpy workouts allowed!!!  One of the analogies I used...because I tell my kids this all the time...was a sports analogy.  If you're gonna half-step your way through practices, that's exactly how you'll play in the game! If you give it all you've got every single time you're on that field, you'll be playing at 100% come game time!  It's the same with any sport, with any goal, and with everything in life! Always give your all!!!  In the end, you will be satisfied with the results and proud of yourself for doing YOUR very best!!

Web Site Changes

I am excited to announce that my web site has been given a whole new look!!  It took some time, but it's finally up and running! It's live!!  Besides the new look, the info has also been updated!    I hope y'all like it!!


www.FitnessUnarmed.com

Nuts About Nuts

If you're as nuts about nuts as I am, then you know how hard it can be to be disciplined and only eat a "handful" of nuts.  A handful means different things to different people. For me, it would mean zero. LOL.  I'd prefer to find the person with the biggest hands and ask them to get me a "handful." Typically however, when they say eat a handful of nuts, what they really mean is just tease yourself and only eat an ounce or 1/4 c. of nuts.  For me that's hard to do because I love them so much!  Apparently, Blue Diamond is aware that many people share this problem, and they came up with a genius idea!!  They now have ounce markers down the side of the nut jar!!  I think this is the coolest thing, and I just wanted to share it with you! 

Good job, Blue Diamond!!  Thanks!!

Fan Page

I'm getting a TON of activity on my Facebook page and literally HUNDREDS of friend requests daily.  So, I decided to start a fan page.  You can follow me easily there instead of having to make a friend request. All you've got to do is "Like" my page. That makes things easier for both of us!!!  Going through friend requests, messages, and comments has become a full time job!  Hopefully, this will make things a little easier.
Here is that link:
https://www.facebook.com/FitnessUnarmed 

One Word

My secret to success is simple. Clear your mind absolutely of one word - "can't."  - Samuel Johnson


This is an awesome quote that I feel totally reaffirms my motto:
"CAN'T" is NOT an option!!
Thank you, Alli Moyer, for sharing!

8 More Weeks To Go

     Today is exactly 8 weeks away from my next competition, Jr. USA Championships!  I'm excited about this one!  It will be my first national (jr. national) show!  I've been qualified several times in the past but never before ventured onto a national stage. I'm ready to do it now, even if it's for nothing more than the experience itself!  I'm going to have to work very hard for the next 2 months to make sure I'm as ready as I can be. Being that the weather is warming up and beautiful, I'l be spending plenty of time on the bleachers working on conditioning.   I'm going to spend some time on a dance floor sprucing up my routine as well.  
     As if I wasn't already excited, now I'm even more excited because today, a friend of mine who just took home 1st place and 2nd place trophies in her figure divisions, decided to go to SC and compete at Jr. USA's too!!!  I am on cloud 9 about that!  We are, at the very least, going to have so much fun!!  

New Pics

I just thought I'd share a few new pics with you!  These were taken one week prior to competition.  The hot blonde that's in one of the shots with me is my friend, Shannon:)   You can check her out at ShannonJayDougherty.com  There is TONS of useful and motivational info on her site that you're sure to love!

Don't Forget To Eat!

I know, I know....it's hard to fathom that some people forget to eat, but believe it or not it happens.  It's a common problem too.  I have heard the complaint from people that they are eating right and working out but cannot lean out or lose weight.  When I ask what they're eating, how often, etc, they say they actually forget to eat and can go an entire day without eating OR they're eating a ridiculously low amount of calories.  Then I ask, how much exercise they are getting, and the list goes on an on....running 4 mi/day 3 days/week, spinning class 3-4 days/week, swimming 2 days/week.  You CANNOT expect your body to function efficiently without sufficient fuel, just as you wouldn't expect your car to run without fuel.  When you do this, your body goes into "starvation" mode and wants to hold onto (store) everything you feed it!  Your metabolism isn't working properly and isn't revved up because there's nothing fueling it!  I just made the suggestion to a person today to stop working out for just a few weeks and focus on eating regularly.  I suggested she set alarms on her watch or phone for each time she needs to eat...every 2-3 hours!  It was like a light bulb went on in her head when she replied that on days she doesn't work out, she doesn't gain weight...makes sense to me!  Remember, under eating can be just as damaging as over eating!  Make sure you're getting enough food to sustain you through your daily regiment, while getting all the nutrients your body needs!  

Competition Day...In My Opinion

Nearly two weeks ago, I competed once again after a 3 year "retirement."  I really enjoyed being on stage again and being with all the other athletes/competitors.  It's also nice to meet new people and make new friends.  It just so happened that 3 of us who competed in fitness out of the 6, competed together way back in 2005!  It was a little reunion of sorts, which I think is so cool!  
     So, how do I feel I did? How do I feel about the results?  Well, IMO, there's ALWAYS room for improvement.  Of course, I am my own worst critic too.  I felt like I really struggled in the routine round.  I was exhausted, hungry, dehydrated, etc.  I messed up in a handful of spots in my routine in the morning, and I was super bummed about that, but everyone said that it wasn't even noticeable. Even so,  I think it was quite obvious that my energy level was extremely low.  When the routine round was over,  it was kind of a relief. After all, that was the hard part! Comparisons and quarter turns are a breeze...well, if you've practiced enough...which I had.
After prejudging was over, we headed straight to The Cheesecake Factory to get some fuel in my system..and then to Yogurt Land (the BEST frozen yogurt EVER)!  I filled up and totally enjoyed it!!
We still had several hours before we had to be back for the evening portion. So, Kelly and I headed to Nordstrom's for some MAC shopping. Then, we just hung out and put our feet up while she got some work done on her laptop.
When the time rolled around for routine round in the evening, I was feeling confident and full of energy! However, I messed up AGAIN!!!! It was only one spot, but it was pretty obvious. However, I felt like my performance was much better than in the morning.  I was more relaxed, a little bit hydrated, and not hungry!  Although, it felt like a better performance, I'm not sure it actually was.  When all was said and done, it was evident to me that the morning performance really was the better one, once I watched the videos.  That's fine though.  If one of them had to better, I'm glad it was the one in the morning!
A little later, after we did our quarter turns again, I got a surprise!  The promoter decided to give me a special and unexpected award for "The Most Inspiring Athlete in Arizona."  He said some nice things and ALMOST got tears out of me, but I held back...I didn't want to mess up my makeup!!
Now, all that was left to do was wait around to see if I was in the top 5.  In every competition I've ever been in, I get placed dead last, whether that's 1st(when I was the only one) or 17th!  So, I totally expected to be in 6th place, which would mean no trophy and no qualification for Jr. USA's.  Qualifying for Jr. USA's was my main goal!!!  I was debating whether I should leave or hang out to see.  Something in me mad me stay JUST IN CASE I didn't place last for a change.  I am sure glad I stayed!!  Out of 6 competitors, I placed 5th!!!  For me, this was a BIG DEAL!  Not only did I NOT place last, I was now qualified for the next level!!  I think I was on cloud 9 for at least a week!!!  I still think I should have been in 4th place, but you won't hear complaining from me. I qualified for the show I want to do, and that's good enough for me!!
So, what's next???  For the next 8 weeks, I  am back in contest prep mode.  I will continue to work on my glute conditioning and overall conditioning.  I am also going to work on sprucing up my routine and fixing the problems that I saw in the videos.  Then, I'll be off to SC in May for Jr. USA! Wish me luck!

Competition Videos

Videos from the competition I was in last weekend are now posted on my YouTube Channel!!  I hope you enjoy them! Feel free to comment on them as well!  
http://www.youtube.com/user/FitnessUnarmedBarbie/videos

According To My Poll

I know...there are still two days left to vote on my poll about what YOU, my readers, want me to blog about.  However, it looks like "How I Use My Feet" has won by a LONG shot!  So,  after I'm done competing this weekend AND after I get back from our spring break trip, I will start having my kids take pics of me doing things!  I will also give a brief description of what I'm doing and how I'm doing it.  After all, YOU are the ones reading my blogs. So, your wish is my command...within reason of course;)  TTFN!!

I Am Pleased

When I was going through all those health issues a few years ago, my weight had gotten up to 182lbs.  It took it's toll on me big time, physically and mentally.  When I was able to, I got the weight off through lots of hard work, good eating, and dedication.  However, I NEVER thought I would see myself looking competition stage ready again.  I am very pleased with myself right now!  For the first time in 3 years, I am down to 115lbs again.  I will still be competing at a higher weight than I ever have, but I feel and look better than I ever have too!  I'm a happy camper;)
Yesterday, even my younger son Jared, commented on my abs. He totally made my day!  After this competition, I will continue working on my glute conditioning and routine and will hopefully be focusing on competing at Jr. USA's in May. That's my goal, anyway!  If I happen to not re-qualify, I will just make another goal! 

Great People

Another random thought, short and sweet:
One of the things I like about being in the fitness industry is all the great people I meet!!  I feel like I meet new people and make new friends all the time!  Just a few examples are: last year, I helped a friend with her posing for her first figure competition, and through her, I met my friend Shannon...who is super-d-duper;) She's one of the most fun chicks I've ever met.  She's just an all around great person; beautiful inside and out.  I've also met so many nice people through STS, which I love. Among those, to name a few...Kelli, Scott, and someone else who is a really cool, sweet, and beautiful gal named Shelly.  I see a friendship blooming there, and I'm so happy.  Maryn is another...we will be competing against/with each other this coming Sat.  I got to hang with her a little a few days ago, and she too is such an extremely sweet girl!  I feel really blessed to know so many awesome people and to have some truly amazing friends who can all inspire, motivate, support, and encourage one another!!